Book excerpt: This concise book is among the finest introductions to Islam for an educated readership. Its content is authentic, reliable, and powerfully presented -- written by an Islamic scholar, Dr. Abdul Wadod Shalabi, who combines traditional religious training from al-Azhar University and Western education from the University of Cambridge, where the author received his doctorate. Also, it has been edited by Abd al-Hakim Murad, himself a scholar.