IT IS a difficult task to acknowledge the many intellectual debts I owe for a work in which I have involved myself on and off for more than two decades, but I can try. Earle H. Waugh first exposed me to the academic study of Islam when I was a young undergraduate at the University of Alberta. Little did I imagine that his “Introduction to Islam” in the fall and “Introduction to the Quran” in the winter of 1990 would lead me to devote my intellectual life to Islamicate studies. I now find myself in the uncanny position of producing the present volume as a way to introduce a new generation of young minds to this living and dynamic tradition. To my other gifted teachers at the University of Alberta—Ehud Ben Zvi, Francis Landy, and the late Manabu Waida, I am also grateful. They set the stage for what has continued to be a lifetime of learning and intellectual inquisitiveness.
I also thank my other teachers, all of whom taught me much about Islam over the years: Scott C. Alexander, John T. Walbridge, Salman al-Ani, and Suzanne Stetkevych. Although I doubt they would agree with everything that appears in these pages, I do hope they realize what an indelible intellectual mark they have left on me.
In the other direction, I thank the students I have taught over the years. I have continually tested many of the ideas here on them, and many risen to the challenge. Teaching undergraduate students is truly one of the joys of this great profession.
I also have a large obligation to thank many of my professional colleagues who have either given me encouragement or commented on various parts of this book. I am indebted to Linda S. Adams, Herb Berg, Daniel J. Borsay, Arthur Franklin, Khaleel Mohammed, Russell T. McCutcheon, Martin Nguyen, David Powers, Paul Powers, Steven E. Sidebotham, Erin Stiles, David Valeta, Mark Wagner, and Peter Matthews Wright. I also thank Wendy Lochner, my editor at Columbia University Press, for supporting and believing in this project, and Annie Barva for the care with which she copyedited the entire manuscript.
Finally, I thank my family. My parents, William and Sadie Hughes, have always supported what I have done, even if they did not always understand it. My wife, Jennifer, and my children, Rebecca and Gabriel, continue to inspire me. Last, but not least, I have dedicated this book to my grandmother, May Alley, because her open-mindedness and love made me a better human being. I miss her dearly.