Destiny Disrupted

A History of the World through Islamic Eyes

By: Tamim Ansary

Narrated by: Tamim Ansary

Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins

Publisher's summary

Until about 1800, the West and the Islamic realm were like two adjacent, parallel universes, each assuming itself to be the center of the world while ignoring the other. As Europeans colonized the globe, the two world histories intersected and the Western narrative drove the other one under. The West hardly noticed, but the Islamic world found the encounter profoundly disrupting.

This book reveals the parallel "other" narrative of world history to help us make sense of today's world conflicts. Ansary traces the history of the Muslim world from pre-Mohammedan days through 9/11, introducing people, events, empires, legends, and religious disputes, both in terms of what happened and how it was understood and interpreted.

©2009 Tamim Ansary (P)2009 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Informative and thoroughly engaging....A must read." (Khaled Hosseini, author of The Kite Runner)

great read

this was an easy book to devour. brilliant analysis and great insight. the author /narrator also delivers an enjoyable performance.

History as story

A great crash course on the history of the Islamic world. Ansary's soft diction and humorous editorial asides are charming and engrossing. A must read for history buffs, especially those who love history as a sweeping narrative

Compelling mile high narrative of Islamic history.

An easy book to follow along and pick up some context of ongoing events in the middle world without getting lost in the weeds.

Essential reading to understand current state of world affairs

This comprehensive history of Islam and its encounters through the centuries with the West is written by an author with an in-depth understanding of the underlying factors and diverse perspectives on key defining historical events. This is essential reading for those seeking to penetrate the daily headlines to understand the complex history and roles of multiple players that have led to today's conflicts within the Islamic world and between the Islamic world and the West. An excellent, thoughtful and enlightening read!

Great historical perspective

I decided to listen to this book on a whim. This book is so well written and so full of historical information that I have never heard before. He doesn’t take sides on the big questions of history between Christianity and Islam. He states historical facts in a way that you can relate to and understand so well

Important and necessary

An amazing chronological, historical perspective of what Ansary calls the ‘Middle World’ from earliest recorded times. I was expecting very dry discussion. It was difficult to relate to initially because I am completely unfamiliar with the names of historical figures in the Muslim world. Eventually, I was able to start making some connections though my Western education for this region was obviously limited.

Ansary, the writer, is eloquent, concise and thorough. I would trust his conclusions about the evolution and transition of this religion over time.

I was especially pleased to discover at the end that he is the narrator!!! The nuances of his presentation lent a humorous undertone to some events - never expected to laugh out loud - he knows not all human beliefs or endeavors are rational. Stupid, human mistakes are not new.

It’s 2024. I have been trying to make sense of the chaos occurring around the world. It made sense to try to understand Islam. The rise of evangelical Christianity in the US and it’s alignment with the Republican party is already a mind warping clusterf*ck. There’s nothing “Christian” about that whole thing.

Having started with a personal belief that religion may be the root of all evil, it may definitely be so after reading this. Though maybe it is the promulgation of religion which is the problem.

I have also concluded (not based only on this reading) that a certain type of human male, his ego, and need for dominance is the root of all evil. Religion is the tool. Promises, promises. Of course, these type of men may have been raised by a certain type of woman.

The quest to make things make sense…

Phenomenal

I don't think I ever expect to explore a serious historical topic like this one and come away totally passionate about both the author and the narrator (which in this case are one and the same), but this book is the exception to almost every rule ! Ever since 9/11 (and I was in lower Manhattan on that day) I have been struggling to understand why the West and the Middle East are at such a terrible pass, why they seem so angry at us, and why the enmity seems to be so "stuck." I came to this book hoping it might shed some light on this complicated topic, but I admit rather shamefacedly that i was somewhat skeptical because the author's name looks Arab-- well of course he is an Arab, but to see the history of the world through his eyes is an extraordinary experience. I was born and will always be an Anglo Saxon Protestant, descended from a long line of Brits and Danes, and I will always be true to the faith of my fathers. But I am also a well educated person with an inquiring mind, and I found this book immensely satisfying. The author as narrator adds a special dimension to the experience of reading his book because his tone is so reasonable, just as reasonable as his prose is well reasoned, and the combination of the two is powerful in a gentle way that will not alienate even those of us who think that the whole concept of jihad is revolting, heartless and inhumane. This gentlemanly scholar seems relatively unbiased, as his story sets forth many aspects of Islamic history that are no less pretty than some of the excesses of the "Christian" Crusaders. His book will inspire me to read more about the history of Islam and the Arabs; in fact on my nightstand I now have a paperback called "The House of Wisdom: How the Arabs Transformed Western Civilization"-- I think the ultimate measure of this book is that the author has intrigued me enough that now I want to learn more. His book is a great starting point on the road to understanding the entire mess in the Middle East, and also to the realization that the jihadists do not represent all Muslims, much less all Arabs. Cannot recommend this too highly !

An excellent overview of Isamic history

This is a remarkably good book for anyone interested in learning about history of Islam. Mr Ansary presents historical facts in a style which is easy to follow. He maintains the neutrality of an independent observer of the story without inserting his own biases into it. I was born and raised as a Muslim. I thought I knew history of Islam but this book has brought a wealth of information which is all new for me. I have learned a great deal about decades of Islamic history from this book.
I am going to listen to it and read this book again. It cuts through a lot of stereotypes and misinformation about Islam and Muslims.
I will highly recommend this book to anyone but specially to Muslims who want to learn about history of their religion.
Listening to Mr Ansary narrate this book was like having a knowlegable and learned friend explain the historical facts in a well informed and calm manner. I congratulate Mr Ansary for compiling such a wonderful source for increasing our understanding of history of Islam.

Eye opening

Where does Destiny Disrupted rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

A very interesting book, as a typical American I didn't know a lot about Islam or the middle east. Tamim tells a great story from beginning to end and I would highly recommend this book to anyone curious about the middle east.

What other book might you compare Destiny Disrupted to and why?

A people's history of the United States.

Have you listened to any of Tamim Ansary’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not but this was great.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

no.

Interesting

The focus is on the history. No attempt is made to convince the reader to like our dislike Islam.