Aside from the books I have reviewed in my blog, there are several other books that have proven invaluable in my studies. I hereby present a selection. This list will be constantly updated, with my latest reads at the top.
Do feel free to recommend other fine books to me in the comments section.
Muhammad: The Messenger of Islam
by Hajjah Amina Adil
Muslim or non-Muslim, you will end up crying before the first chapter is over. Hajjah Amina Adil has a gift of evoking very raw emotions through words alone. Using a breathtakingly wide range of sources, the author very lovingly narrates the story of the Prophet Muhammad.
You think you’ve heard the story of the Prophet a thousand times? Trust me, you will not be the same person after reading this.
This Law of Ours
by Muhammad Asad
A series of brilliant essays by the Jewish convert to Islam, Leopold Weiss. His insights into the ailments of the Muslim world are penetrating and not for the faint-hearted. Though his views can be anti-Madhhab at times, they must be seen in the context of his travels and the luminaries he met.
Muhammad Asad is also prone to compacting several ideas into a single sentence. If you want to be rewarded, read through his essays patiently and carefully.
The Four Imams- Their Lives, Work & Schools of Thought
by Muhammad Abu Zahra
An outstanding study of the four great Imams of the schools of Islam. Its attention to detail is never marred by the simple language that is used to chart not only the lives of the Imams, but also their differing methodologies. Might be an expensive purchase unless you are able to get an Indian reprint.
The Differences of the Imams
by Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi
In this slim book, Muhammad Zakariya Kandhlawi laments the various misunderstandings that have cropped up about following a School of Thought, and deftly refutes those who oppose the continued existence of Madhhabs in Islamic practice.
Islam in the World
by Malise Ruthven
An enthusiastic attempt by a respected British journalist to study the evolution and shape of the Islamic faith in different societies.
History of the Arab Peoples
by Albert Hourani
Praised by Edward Said as an important work, the historian Albert Hourani presents a vivid and compelling account of the history of the Arabian Peninsula and its peoples. The scope of the book is broad and epic, touching on the origins of the Arabic language and the role it would play in the Koranic revelation, the intimate lifestyles and diets of early Muslims living in cities, the development of architecture to answer the explosive growth of mosques in the Islamic world.
Globalised Islam: The Search for a New Ummah
by Olivier Roy
In my personal opinion, this French academician presents one of the most lucid arguments for the rise of extremism in the Islamic world. He does not, however, limit his study to just Salafism alone, but expands it to include the complicity of the Western superpowers.
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Shalom,
I don’t know if you’re familiar with Gai Eaton, but i’ve found his books, “Islam and the Destiny of Man”, “Remembering God”, and “King of my castle” to be great reads, although they are marred with a perennialist outlook.
Other Recommendations:
Muhammad: His life based on the earliest sources – By Martin Lings. Beautifully written.
Islam and the Blackamerican, by Sherman Jackson
Conference of the books: A search for beauty in Islam – collection of essays written by Khaled Abu Fadl.
The Road to Mecca, by Muhammad Asad.
Islam: A view from the edge, by Richard Bulliet.
In terms of books that don’t deal with religion, here’s a few that I liked:
Fast Food Nation: The Dark side of the All-American meal – Eric Schlosser
Fast Food and the supersizing of America, by Morgan Spurlock.
The Working Poor (don’t remember author’s name)
Culture and Imperialism – Edward Said – A must read for anyone interested in English literature.
Shalom,
Of the list you provided, I’ve read:
Islam and the Destiny of Man
Remembering God
Muhammad: His life based on the earliest sources – By Martin Lings. Beautifully written.
The Road to Mecca, by Muhammad Asad.
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You are right about Gai Eaton. He is a very eloquent writer. Thanks for the others, nonetheless. Keep ‘em coming, and keep visiting.
Since you’ve read lings’s biography of the Prophet (PBUH), how do you think it compares with the other one you listed?
Do you read and review only non-fiction? I would like to send you Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel, if you would have any interest in reviewing it.
hey,
you know the book by imam abu zahra…
i have (but haven’t read) the original arabic, and each imam has a whole book of his own.. i see here that all four have been put together into one book.. so i wanna ask if they have been shortened or if they are complete.
or maybe they’re not the four seperate books but one book that combines all of the imams?
thanks, cause i would love to buy that book. my cousin recommended this imam’s books to me and ive bought his studies of the four sunni imams plus imam zaid (zaydi fiqh), imam jaafar sadiq (jaafari/12ver shii), and ibn hazm (zaahiri). i havent actually read any of them. im sure if i had english translations i would read them earlier as i tend to put off arabic books for later.
p.s. ive always wanted to get that prophetic biography that you recommended by hajja amina and i put it off and completely forgotten about it. thanks for reminding me i wanna get that too before i forget again!
post p.s. , lol,
“This Law of Ours” is definitly one of my favourite books.
Although I’m not anti-madhab, my favourite shaykh was anti-madhab, simply because he was anti any type of authority that people might cling to, isntead of creating a direct relationship with the prophet and God. Shaykh Ahmad Ibn Idris (see “The Enigmatic Saint” about his life).
There’s a book that has a translation of his attack on the madhabs as well as his debate with the wahhabis. It’s called “The Exoteric Ahmad Ibn Idris: A Sufi’s Critique of the Madhahib & the Wahhabis”.
of the latter, i havent read his debate with the wahhabis but i have enjoyed reading the critique of the madhahib. i also havent read the enigmatic saint as its a rare book (out of print) which i took out of the library recently and plan to get the whole thing photocopied.
Professor Sedgwick from the American University in Cairo lent me a book he wrote called “Saints And Sons: The Making And Remaking Of The Rashidi Ahmadi Sufi Order, 1799-2000″, in which there is a large section on the movement called the Tariqa Muhammadiyya (known by western scholars as neo-sufism), with a special emphasis on Ahmad Ibn Idris.
so you might be interested in checking out “the exoteric ahmad ibn idris” to complement “this law of ours”.
Shalom silencer,
I presume that The Four Imams are complete collections of the four original tracts.
You have a nice selection of books there… the 4 Imams remains one of my favourites! Hourani and Roy are excellent, have you ever read anything by Carl Ernst or Rudolph Peters?
I would also recommend anything by George Makdisi and Sherman Jackson (especially his “On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam), and Mohammed Hashim Kamali (for jurisprudence). Kamali is a bit technical, but an amazing read to see how Islamic law actually works. He is also not as ‘dry’ to read as Hallaq.
Bulliet’s “Islam: the View from the Edge” is excellent and really got me to appraciate the position of Muslims here in the West, as well as that of converts.
Hi dawood,
Getting around to Sherman Jackson. As for Hashim Kamali, I’ve read his work on Islamic jurisprudance. But I suspect he is personally not a ‘muqallid’, as in “one who adheres to a juristic school of thought”.
I might be mistaken.
Hi Sheila, as far as I know he is of Hanafi background (being Afghan), although well read on the others. Most of the pronouncements he makes, especially in his ideas on contemporary reform can be traced back to Hanafi principles – specifically relating to culture and consensus – many of which I was taught by traditionally trained scholars when learning about Islamic law.
Some people have also claimed he is a Mujtahid, so that may explain why he does not “seem” to stick to one school… As far as I am concerned, he is one of the few people I know of who may possibly be qualified for this term.
I also wanted to introduce you to Library Thing, which allows you to create a virtual library and “tag” things. I just discovered it and it seems very useful.
Salams!