• Destiny Disrupted

  • A History of the World through Islamic Eyes
  • By: Tamim Ansary
  • Narrated by: Tamim Ansary
  • Length: 17 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (1,914 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Destiny Disrupted  By  cover art

Destiny Disrupted

By: Tamim Ansary
Narrated by: Tamim Ansary
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $21.80

Buy for $21.80

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

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.
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

Critic reviews

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

What listeners say about Destiny Disrupted

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,314
  • 4 Stars
    435
  • 3 Stars
    114
  • 2 Stars
    34
  • 1 Stars
    17
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,110
  • 4 Stars
    371
  • 3 Stars
    89
  • 2 Stars
    23
  • 1 Stars
    11
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,135
  • 4 Stars
    333
  • 3 Stars
    91
  • 2 Stars
    28
  • 1 Stars
    9

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

good read

good read of history commenting with recent years. though he didn't go much into partition of subcontinent and how that impacted Muslims of India

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars
  • L
  • 04-17-21

comprehensive,beautifully narrated

comprehensive ,well written and beautifully narrated.If you desire a deep understanding of the Islamic world,this is the one book you should read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unbiased, Superb Listen

Frank, unbiased, narrated by author, great listen. Comprehensive, covers 1400 years of Islamic history well.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very illuminating

Glad to have read Ansary’s Destiny Disrupted for its introduction to Islam, its structure, dogma, and history. This is a friendly and open book, and very illuminating. This is a type of book you’ll reread. Ansary writes about world history from the perspective of the Muslim religion, culture, political structures. Ansary also does a good job narrating his own book. I had to get use to his voice, but grew into it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Incredible story and perspective

I wish our government leaders and foreign affairs staff didn’t have a keyhole view of the world from the narrowest possible perspective. Everyone is fighting petty battles without seeing a bigger picture, contributing to carnage in the Middle East (among other places) rather than wisely resolving conflicts and working on preventing new ones.
Marvelous book by professor Ansary is a wonderful story of Islam from within, giving a true a rich insight, rather than superficial analyses frequently detached from reality in Western mass media. Amazing thoughtful narrative, a revelation.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A Must Read for History Buffs

Extremely informative and delightfully even-handed. The Islamic story is a vast and complex one indeed!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unpretentious history from a storyteller

I'm not sure how so many centuries of information and flavor could be distilled into one book, but Ansary does a fantastic job with it. I immediately went looking for more of his work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

great information

I think this is a must read for Westerners. we learn about our history but this is a parallel narrative I've never learned

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Really good book

I learned a lot from this book and the narrator (who is the author) is great. He speaks in a nice, conversationalist tone. Highly recommend!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Know thy history, know thyself

Ansary provides both a sweeping and deep narrative of the contact and development of Islam and “the West.” While he claims the work isn’t necessarily on the level of “scholarly history,” those who have researched history to any depth will appreciate what I believe to be a masterful level of scholarship offered through Ansary’s gift for story and narrative.

While the book takes us from pre-history up to around 2008 (ie, post-9/11), I believe it offers readers the knowledge that the seeds of what we are currently harvesting were sown many generations ago. I think it helps one see that, while our generation is sowing its own seeds, we have also arrived together within a backdrop that has been a long time in the making. It isn’t to say that the rise of groups like ISIS were inevitable, or that America’s imperialism was inevitable (or that it will be the destined “winner”) — or even that the current contention isn’t due to our unique and ongoing contribution to the situation; it does, however, bring both a higher and broader perspective about what some of the deeper issues are that are at play. Personally, this perspective helps me to make it less “personal” and more “human”, more “communal.” If there is any interest in cultivating community, awareness of our shared history, and different perspectives and narratives of that history, may support efforts to build connections that will withstand what may come.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!