As requested, this is a thread where we can discuss various books and recommend books as well. For a more detailed discussion on a certain book, we recommend making a seperate thread in the Education Issues section of this forum.
Last edited by Ansar Al-'Adl; 08-04-2005 at 08:56 PM.
I recently finished The Kite Runner by Khalid Hosseini after having read his 'A Thousand Splendid Suns'. Absolutely painful to read and I cried buckets.
Currently reading 'Abolition - The Struggle to Abolish Slavery in the British Colonies' by Richard S. Reddie. Very distressing in some parts but also a real eye-opener as to how British merchants made a fortune through the slave trade. It might come as a surprise to some to know that Barclay's bank was set up by the Barclay brothers who made millions from the slave trade. Makes you sick
The Evolution of Fiqh: Islamic Law and the Madh-habs
Author: Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
ISBN (HC): 9960-9813-0-4
Publisher :IIPH
"In The Evolution of Fiqh: Islamic Law & the Madh-habs, Dr. Bilal Philips presents a brief overview of the historical development of Islamic law and its schools of jurisprudence (the madh-habs). The book identifies the main reason for the appearance of the madh-habs and the factors leading to differences among them. For those to whom the madh-habs have been a mystery, this aspect of the book will be extremely enlightening. The main message of the book is a call to understanding juristic differences, with an aim to remove them where possible, and a proposal for the unification of the madh-habs."
A really excellent and we'll detailed book is: the four imams, by Jibril Haddad.
Product description
THE GREAT EDIFICE of Islamic Law is held up by four towering figures of the early middle ages: Abu Hanifa, Malik, al-Shafi i, and Ibn Hanbal.
Because of their immense dedication and intellectual acuity, these men enjoy recognition to this day as Islam s most influential scholars. By assessing and ranking hadith, by cultivating a deep knowledge of the Arabic language, and by virtue of their great native intelligence, they are credited with having shaped the development of the fundamental systems of Muslim jurisprudence, avoiding the twin pitfalls of subjective rationalism and blind literalism.
By doing so they not only protected their religion from chaos and disorder, but showed the Muslims, both ordinary and expert, the safest and most reliable ways of avoiding error in the understanding and practice of the divine law.
This detailed study offers biographies of these four men and their leading pupils. It surveys the distinctive features of their jurisprudence, and assesses their achievement. An especially helpful feature is a long and detailed glossary of Islamic technical terms. Meticulously rooted in the core texts of Islamic scholarship,
this book will be an important resource for Shari a students everywhere.
The Islamic Creed Series by Dr 'Umar al-Ashqar. Useful book to clear misunderstandings and fight the Waswas. The eight book series includes examination of the signs of the last hour - e.g. ahadeeth on Al-madee, Al-Dajjal . It also discusses the description of Paradise & Hell.
The books are well laid out. Easy to read. The paper is easy on the eyes.
Once you pick up you won't want to put down. Especially, 'The World of The Jinn and Devils' (vol.3), 'The Minor Resurrection '(vol. 5) and 'Paradise And Hell' (vol. 7) .
The Evolution of Fiqh: Islamic Law and the Madh-habs
Author: Dr Abu Ameenah Bilal Philips
ISBN (HC): 9960-9813-0-4
Publisher :IIPH
"In The Evolution of Fiqh: Islamic Law & the Madh-habs, Dr. Bilal Philips presents a brief overview of the historical development of Islamic law and its schools of jurisprudence (the madh-habs). The book identifies the main reason for the appearance of the madh-habs and the factors leading to differences among them. For those to whom the madh-habs have been a mystery, this aspect of the book will be extremely enlightening. The main message of the book is a call to understanding juristic differences, with an aim to remove them where possible, and a proposal for the unification of the madh-habs."
"My servants, you who have transgressed against yourselves, do not despair of the mercy of Allah. Truly Allah forgives all wrong actions. He is the Ever-Forgiving, the Most Merciful." (Surat az-Zumar: 53)
It was an eye-opener - if I can say - to learn that there have been more than four commonly known/understood madaahib (four schools).
There is another book on the same subject . 'The Four Imams : Their Lives, Works and Schools of Jurisprudence' by Muhammad Abu Zahra. It's 500+ pages but worth the read. I've read it many years ago but it is on my re-read list insha-Allaah.
The risale-i-Nur English series, I read The Gleams, The Letters, The Words, and the Rays. It is a non traditional tafsir that focuses at length at one verse or a few verses or a single topic with a few verses used to highlight the point, in each chapter, with the aim of the tafseer being to strengthen Imaan and conviction in islam in a materialist, atheistic age (though the series was written in the first half of the twentieth century, it still rings home today, and was written during a period of oppression).
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