:sl:
My question for you is where should I start. I was thinking about getting some books about islam off ebay but I dont know which books. I have looked all over the internet but it can be overwhelming. Does anyone have any suggestions? Your advice would be greatly appreciated.
as for Books, well a good "Translation" of the Qur'an. i recommend Muhammad Asad's The Message of The Qur'an, here:
http://www.amazon.com/Message-Quran-.../dp/1904510000
it WILL seem a little clunky and rough around the edges, but that is why i like it. the Brother is EXPLORING the Qur'an and often offers alternate and/or prior translations of certain ayats.
some will say the Abdullah Yusuf Ali is the best "literary" translation. i hated it by the time i got near the end. his notes referred to Shakespeare and Philosophy way too much for me. that plus alot of people have it and they think that it is a Qur'an; it IS not, it is ONLY a translation!
here's where i would actually start. watch the 1st 2 part's of Bilal Philips The Foundation of Islamic Studies, here:
http://www.bilalphilips.com/bilal_pa...sk=view&id=288
it's way down at the bottom, it's 21 parts. the first 2 explain Tawheed; the "Oneness" of Allah. ther rest is part of a 3 day seminar taped in Toronto. some of his other videos are good as well. btw, you can stream them.
i am a HUGE fan of Mufti Ismail Menk. i find his lectures to be amazing in simplicity and beauty. here's a rare video of a lecture of hi [it's a short Tafseer of Al Fatiha, the Opening Surah of the Qur'an which is repeated AT LEAST 17 times a day by Muslims]:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?do...26106509&hl=en
here's a site with some of his lectures, you can stream or download:
http://www.muftimenk.co.za/Downloads.html
the top 3 [not counting Ramadaan 1429 (2008) Port Elizabeth] are explanations of portions of the Qur'an given after Taraweh in Ramadhan. i find the VERY spiritual.
the General Lectures section has some quite good lectures and i recommend that you listen to a few, especially:
Abdud Dunyaa (Slave of the World)
http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/Vol2.html#Part8
Muslim Women! Are they Oppressed?
http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/Vol1.html#Part8
Examinations of Sabr...Pass or Fail
http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/Vol1.html#Part4
and
Hopes in Your Aspirations for Jannah
http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/Vol1.html#Part7
the rest are good as well but they have been renamed from the cds and it's hard to explain their content. those above are rather self exlanatory.
if you want to increase your knowledge of Islam once it starts to grow, the the Social Conduct of A Muslim series is excellant:
http://www.nazirakoob.com/menk/SocialConduct.html
one last VERY COOL website has a 28 cd explanation of Al Fatiha by Jamaal Zarabozo. i think everyone whose mother tongue isn't Arabic should listen to this lecture [again and again]! you can download it here:
http://www.kalamullah.com/al-fatihah.html
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
some other helpful sights:
here's a site that offers side by side comparisons of Translations of the Qur'an:
http://quran.islamicnetwork.com/
here's a Qur'an that you can search:
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/k/koran/
here's one that shows you how to pronounce the Qur'an:
http://transliteration.org/quran/home.htm
btw, you ARE allowed to revert for your husband!
i hope you find these to be as helpful as i find them!
:w:
Yusuf