In 1698, the noted Arabic scholar and Catholic evangelical crusader, Ludovico Marracci published the first historically-accurate Latin translation of the Qur’an, as well as a refutation of the Muslim ...

In Islam, the historian chronicles the religion’s 1,400–year evolution through profiles of figures who showcase its diversity. Why is a new history of Islam particularly relevant now? Much of the ...

Most days, Rami Nsour heads to his local post office to find his mailbox stuffed with letters from incarcerated people from all over the country seeking his spiritual guidance and Islamic education ...

Islam, like many other religions, values exegesis. Historically, Muslims were expected to be learned in Arabic, the Qur’an, hadith, and jurisprudence to be taken seriously. But American presidents, ...

Many across the predominantly Muslim countries surveyed want Islam to have a major influence in politics. Most in Pakistan, Jordan and Egypt believe their laws should strictly follow the Quran, while ...

DEOBAND, India — Hundreds of young men in crisp white tunics and skullcaps sit cross-legged in classrooms ringed with porticoes, poring over Islamic texts. From a marble minaret above them, a dozen ...

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia — After divorcing her abusive husband, Loh Siew Hong spent three years searching for their three children. Once the couple split up, her former husband took the kids with him ...

A Banser instructor announces an afternoon schedule during a rigorous three day induction course for Nahdatul Ulama, Indonesia's largest Muslim organization, on July 23, 2017 in Kebumen, Indonesia.

This story appears in the November/December 2016 issue of National Geographic History magazine. An 18th-century copper still from Morocco, essential equipment in a Muslim physician’s medical kit.