Michael Cook's magnum opus charts the history of 'commanding right and forbidding wrong' in Islamic thought.

Part I. Introduction: 1. The goldsmith of Marw; 2. Koran and Koranic exegesis; 3. Tradition; 4. Biographical literature about early Muslims; Part II. The Hanbalites: 5. Ibn Hanbal; 6. The Hanbalites of Baghdad; 7. The Hanbalites of Damascus; 8. The Hanbalites of Najd; Part III. The Mu'tazilities and Shi'ites: 9. The Mu'tazilites; 10. The Zaydis; 11. The Imamis; Part IV. Other Sects and Schools: 12. The Hanafis; 13. The Shafi'ites; 14. The Malikis; 15. The Ibadis; 16. Ghazzali; 17. Classical Islam in retrospect; Part V. Beyond Classical Islam: 18. Modern Islamic developments; 19. Origins and comparisons; 20. Conclusion.