這回，旅人成了旁觀者，
讓皈依者述說自己的觀點、自己的故事……

1979年，V. S. 奈波爾帶著對伊斯蘭宗教一無所知的狀態，為了尋找「答案」，第一次走訪了四個非阿拉伯伊斯蘭國家：伊朗、巴基斯坦、印尼及馬來西亞。長達半年的時間，奈波爾與無數的阿亞圖拉、毛拉和穆斯林晤談，並且以訪談紀錄為基礎，探討這四個國家的常民生活與文化，以及潛伏在其內部動盪洶湧的政治激流。這回的觀察他寫就了《在信徒的國度》一書。

《在信徒的國度》以一種旅人自省式的獨白，企圖爬梳伊斯蘭宗教信仰的細節，以及因它引爆革命的能力。

時隔十六年，1995年奈波爾再度造訪印尼、伊朗、巴基斯坦和馬來西亞。這次重返現場，「皈依」依然是這趟旅程的主題，然而，這次旅人的角色轉移到了幕後，他刻意讓直覺帶領，找到一些人挖掘一些故事；他讓這些皈依信眾站到臺前，用自己的觀點視角述說自己的故事。

作者在《信仰之外》中揭露了一個「命題」：伊斯蘭教不只是關乎善惡、道德和私人的信仰問題，它形塑出ㄧ種專斷偏執，致使皈依者的世界觀大變，阿拉伯語成了「聖語」、阿拉伯的土地成為聖地。這些皈依者被要求從其母體中拔離，屏棄對自身土地的記憶與歷史，轉而成為阿拉伯故事的一部分。更甚者，他們對伊斯蘭教的信奉堅守比基本教義派還要更加堅毅且激烈。

奈波爾同時觀察到，在這些皈依國家的伊斯蘭教中存在著ㄧ種恐懼症和虛無主義的因子，所以這些國家要陷入紛亂沸騰狀態是再輕易不過了。作為《在信徒的國度》續篇，奈波爾坦言，這場探索之旅他看得比第一次還要清楚了解，但他並不想給予「結論」，畢竟這些故事皆有其複雜性，不應被竄改或是牽強附會


"Brilliant. . . . A powerfully observed, stylistically elegant exploration." --"The New York Times" A "New York Times" Notable Book of the Year "The book's strength lies in Naipaul's extraordinary ability as a storyteller to draw striking portraits of a cross section of individuals."--"The Boston Globe" Fourteen years after the publication of his landmark travel narrative Among the Believers, V. S. Naipaul returned to the four non-Arab Islamic countries he reported on so vividly at the time of Ayatollah Khomeini's triumph in Iran. Beyond Belief is the result of his five-month journey in 1995 through Indonesia, Iran, Pakistan, and Malaysia--lands where descendants of Muslim converts live at odds with indigenous traditions, and where dreams of Islamic purity clash with economic and political realities. In extended conversations with a vast number of people--a rare survivor of the martyr brigades of the Iran-Iraq war, a young intellectual training as a Marxist guerilla in Baluchistan, an impoverished elderly couple in Teheran whose dusty Baccarat chandeliers preserve the memory of vanished wealth, and countless others--V. S. Naipaul deliberately effaces himself to let the voices of his subjects come through. Yet the result is a collection of stories that has the author's unmistakable stamp. With its incisive observation and brilliant cultural analysis, Beyond Belief is a startling and revelatory addition to the Naipaul canon. "Highly accomplished. . . . Another display of Naipaul's remarkable talent." --"The Independent" (London)