Recommended Reads
A selection of books that are beneficial to read.
Lives of Man : A guide to the Human States: Before Life, In the World, and After Death, Imam Abdallah Ibn Alawi al-Haddad
Based on the Quran and Hadith, Imam al Haddad explains that every human being passes through several "lives" : Before Conception, Life in the World, Life in the Grave, the Resurrection, Garden of the Fire. A complete Muslim must be aware of each of these if he is to sufficiently prepared for eternal life.
Awakening from the Sleep of Heedlessness, Ibn al-Jawzi
This fourth masterpiece in the series expounds on the five stages of life: the first stage of encouraging the disciplining; the second stage of youthfulness, protecting the self and struggling against desires; the third stage maturity; the fourth stage of old age; the fifth stage of decrepitude. The onset of these periods may vary slightly from person to person. Nonetheless, these five stages are true. This truly a work of genius.
Islam : An Introduction, Tariq Ramadan
From key concepts of the perception of Salam to Jihad of the Soul, Islam: An Introduction journeys through some of the most fundamental concerns of spirituality and practice of one of the world's most fascinating and misunderstood religions, offering succinct response to complex ideas with expert navigation and sensitivity.
The Leadership of Muhammad, John Adair
The leadership of Muhammad is a study of the life story and leadership skills of the Prophet. John Adair served with a Bedouin regiment in the Arab Legion and this book is full of the fascinating detail of Bedouin culture, highlighting the key leadership skills displayed by Muhammad.
The Book of Earning A Livelihood (Kitab al-Kasb), Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Al-Hasan Al-Shaybani by Adi Setia
This book is the first complete translation into English of Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani's Kitab al-Kasb (The Book of Earning a Livelihood) and important authoritative early ethico-juristic treatise in classical Islamic economic thought.
The Story of the Quran : Its History and Place in Muslim Life, Ingrid Mattson
Since publication The Story of the Quran has received high praise for its sensitivity, deft scholarship and carefully balanced portrayal of the study of the Quran and its place in historic and contemporary Muslim society.
A Young Muslim's Guide to the Modern World, Seyyed Hossein Nasr
The philosophical, cultural, political, economic and social impact of the domination of the modern West continues in one way or another through the width and breadth of the Muslim world, threatening not only the traditional institutions of Islamic society, but Islamic religion itself. Many are alienated from Islam as a result of the crushing influence of alien ideologies, whilst others react mostly with emotional outbursts and occasional violence.
Reclaim Your Heart, Yasmin Mogahed
This book was written to awaken the heart and provide a new perspective on love, loss, happiness and pain. A manual of sorts, Reclaim Youth Heart will teach readers how to live in this life without allowing life to own you. It is a manual of how to protect your most prized posession - the heart.
Agenda to Change Our Condition, Hamza Yusuf and Zaid Shakir
Agenda to Change Our Condition is a concise treatise on the path to Taqwa (conscious awareness of our Lord). Muslims consider devotion to God through Taqwa the primary reason for our existence and the means by which we are ensured continued succor from our Creator. This classic volume elucidates a simple yet effective means to transform our inner world through spiritual struggle with the soul.
Faith Versus Materialism : The Message from Surat al-Kahf, Sayed Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi
This exegesis of Surat al Kahf explains, in the light of the Quran, the challenging issues of the modern times and what guidance we can get from this surah to find a solution.
The Book of Truthfulness : Kitab al-Sidq, Abu Sa'id Al-Kharraz
Beginning with the idea of Sidq or truthfulness, the author develops his theme to include "stations" of fear, hope, trust, love, shame, longing, intimacy, all of which the mystic must pass on his path to God.
Al Ghazali : Knowledge of the Hereafter (Durrah al-Fakhirah), Jane Idleman Smith
In explaining the Hereafter, al-Ghazali gives much less theoretical description than in his other works, and makes much use of stories and traditions. Many of these traditions are common in Islamic sources, particularly those giving details of the period immediately after death and the events of eschaton.
Islam and Secularism, Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas
Written 40 years ago, Islam and Secularism is one of the most creative and original works of a Muslim thinker in the contemporary Muslim world. The author deals with fundamental problems faced by contemporary Muslims and provides real solutions, beginning with a discussion on 'The Contemporary Western Christian Background' in Chapter (I), followed by his analysis of the concepts (which he newly defines) of 'secular', 'secularization', and 'secularism' in Chapter (II). All this is then contrasted in Chapter (IV) of the book entitled 'Islam: The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality'.
On Justice and the Nature of Man, Syed Naquib al-Attas
In this monograf, the author selected and makes a commentary on verses in the Holy Qur'an, surah al-Nisa', verse 58 and surah al-Mu'minun verses 12-14. He argues that these verses convey the nature of justice and of man that may have not been elicited from them before in such way as to reveal the essential meanings intended by them.
Islam : The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality
Islam: The Concept of Religion and the Foundation of Ethics and Morality is a lecture delivered in 1976 to the International Islamic Conference held under The Auspices of the Islamic Council of Europe in the hall of the Royal Commonwealth Society London. In this monograph, the author clarifies the term saadah, the Islamic term for happiness and explains the relation between happiness and true faith, righteous deeds, remembrance of God, stability and peaceful calmness of heart and certainty of the truth.
Islam and the Plight of Modern Man, Seyyed Hossein Nassr
This book is one of the most important writings of the author on the subject of the encounter and interrelation between Islam and modernism. Addressed at once to Muslims and Westerners, the author deals in depth with the intellectual an'd spiritual crisis of modern man as well as the dilemmas of the contemporary Muslim faced with the daunting challenge of the modern world. He charters a path for mutual understanding between Muslims and traditional elements of Western society as well as providing, on the basis of Islamic sapiental doctrines, criteria for judging various facets of modernism.
Major Themes of the Quran, Fazlur Rahman
Major Themes of the Quran is Fazlur Rahman's introduction to one of the richest texts in the history of religious thought. In this classic work, Rahman unravels the Quran's complexities on themes such as God, society, revelation, and prophecy with the deep attachment of a Muslim educated in Islamic schools and the clarity of a scholar who taught for decades in the West. Generations of scholars have profited from Rahman's pioneering scholarly work by taking the questions he raised and the directions he outlined to new destinations.
A Thematic Commentary On The Quran, Shaykh Muhammad al-Ghazali
A Thematic Commentary on the Quran is an exegetical work on the Quran that focuses on the organic unity of each surah highlighting the logic or inherent reasoning that courses through the surah and unifies its various components and images.
Education and the Significance of Life, Jiddu Krishnamurti
Focussing on the central vision that life "has a wider and deeper significance" and that it is the concern of education to come upon it, he explores various other connected themes - authority versus freedom, the responsibility of teachers and parents, the role of religion in education, discipline, intelligence and so on.
From Science to God : A Physicist's Journey into the Mystery of Consciousness, Peter Russell
Integrating a deep knowledge of science with his own experiences of meditation, Russell arrives at a universe similar to that described by many mystics, one in which science and spirit no longer conflict. The bridge between them, he shows, is light. From Science to God invites us to cross that bridge to a radically different, and ultimately healing, view of ourselves and the universe - one in which God takes on new meaning, and spiritual practice a deeper significance.
Intent, Etsko Schuitema
Intent is an exploration of what sits at the very core of being human, our intentions. It is a simple explanation is contemporary language and logic on how understanding the use of our intent can unlock the door to comprehending the vast spectrum of human experience. It is also an attempt to provide some theoratical framework to deal with the ever-increasing volume of texts concerned with the issue of personal excellence.
