(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best books about islam

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_____INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM__

• [Web] Islam Explained - brief 1-page explanation of Islam and other Islam-related topics.
  
  
• [Video] The DeenShow - a talk show that introduces many of the basic teachings of Islam and addresses common misconceptions. Their website here.
  
  
• [Book] The Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam - Yahiya Emerick, Ignore the title, it's a decent clear-English guide to explaining what Islam is about and it's practices.
  
  
• [Video] The Purpose of Life - Khalid Yasin, gives a comprehensive lecture on the fundamental question that every human being must ask: "What is the purpose of life?"
  
  
• [Video] Foundations of Islam -Hamza Yusuf, discusses Quran compilation & preservation, articles of faith, ihsan, and the signs of the Last Day.
  
  
• [Web] Al-Aqidah at-Tahawiyyah - Islamic Creed written by the popular, 10th century scholar: at-Ṭaḥāwī
  
  
  
• [Book] Islam and the Destiny of Man - Charles Le Gai Eaton, introduction to Islam aimed at the Westerner.
  
  
• [Web] What is Islam? - Jamaal Zarabozo, if you're looking for a more concise introduction to the fundamental beliefs and practices of the Islamic faith, then try this free ebook.
  
  
  
  
• [Video] Understanding Islam Video Series - Abdal Hakim Murad, discusses the Qur'anic view of Christianity & Jesus, historical Muslim tolerance of Jews, free will vs. determinism, the problem of evil, etc.
  
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  ___QURAN____
  
  
• [Web] Quran - The Noble Quran in various translations.
  
  
• [Book] The Message of the Qur'an - Muhammad Asad, if you're looking for the Quran in book form, this has helpful commentary to provide a thorough understanding.
  
  
• [Book] Quran - Abdel Haleem, another Quran in book form, this one is written in extremely clear modern English that makes it easy and pleasurable to read.
  
  
  
• [Web] English Tafsir -Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi, English commentary of each chapter of the Quran in clear English. Extra link
  
  
• [Audio] Bayyinah Quran Commentary Podcast -Nouman Ali Khan, highly recommended audio commentary of the last 37 chapters of the Quran. Entire Quran commentary with BayyinahTV purchase.
  
  
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  ____LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD___
  
  
• [Book] Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources - Martin Lings, very detailed and thorough biography based on the earliest sources. Recommended by many, (but relies on a few unauthentic sources).
  
  
• [Book] Muhammad Man and Prophet - Adil Salahi, a Complete Study of the Life of the Prophet, from birth in the Arabian desert to the triumph of Islam and its gaining a permanent hold on Arabia.
  
  
  
• [Video] Biography of Muhammad (pbuh) Video Series - Yasir Qadhi, detailed, very lengthy biography video series. Condensed video series here, Mufti Menk
  
  
• [Book] In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad - Tariq Ramadan, presents the main events of the Prophet's life in a way that highlights his spiritual and ethical teachings.
  
  
• [Audio] The Life of the Prophet Muhammad - Hamza Yusuf, brilliant narration that was originally presented in a twelve week course based on the above book by Martin Lings.
  
  
• [Book] Muhammad (Critical Lives) - Yahiya Emerick, a simple concise, informative biography.
  
  
  
  
• [Web] The Sealed Nectar - Saifur Rahman al-Mubarakpuri, Popular and accurate account of the life of Muhammad (pbuh). Alternative link.
  
  
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  ____CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM AND ISLAM___
  
  
• [Video] How the Bible Led Me to Islam - Joshua Evans, former Christian youth minister conveys his journey to Islam.
  
  
• [Book] The Cross & The Crescent - Jerald Dirks, former minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church explains how coherent Islam is with the roots of Christianity, provided with verifiable proofs.
  
  
• [Video] Early Christianity From Jesus to Muhammad - Jerald Dirks, discusses the roots of Christianity and the transition to the emergence of Muslims.
  
  
• [Book] MisGod'ed: A Roadmap of Guidance and Misguidance in the Abrahamic Religions - Laurence Brown, examines Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for truth in revelation, and trace the chain of revelation to its logical conclusion.
  
  
  
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  ____ATHEISM AND ISLAM____
  
  
• [Video] The Purpose of Life - Jeffrey Lang explains how he came to Islam after being an Atheist.
  
  
• [Book] The Divine Reality: God, Islam & The Mirage Of Atheism - Hamza Tzortzis, Islamic arguments for God's existence, oneness and worship, while thoroughly addressing popular and academic objections.
  
  
• [Book] Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America - Jeffery Lang, a former atheist takes the reader along the path by discussing conflicts between faith and reason.
  
  
• [Book] Struggling To Surrender : Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam - Former atheist, Jeffery Lang, gives a personal account of his search for God when he found out that his inherited religious beliefs could no longer answer his questions.
  
  
• [Video] From Strong Atheist To Islam - Tim, a former atheist used to debate religious people and tried to convince them that there is no God, until he met a Muslim.
  
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  ____LEARN TO PRAY (SALAH)____
  
  
  
• [Web] Prayer Booklet - Easy and concise guide that explain the prerequisites and actions of prayer. Goes well with prayer videos below.
  
  
• [Video] Step by Step Guide to Prayer - Video explains the necessary steps needed to pray.
  
  
• [Video] How to perform all 5 prayers - Demonstration of all 5 mandatory prayers.
  
  
• [Web] How Do I Pray? - Interactive tutorial of all 5 prayers. Includes English transliteration.
  
  
• [Web] Prayer Mat - Contains all the necessary Arabic sayings that are needed for prayer. Print it out and place in front of you for ease. Convenient!
  
  
• [Web] Prayer Times - Online tool for calculating prayer times based on your exact GPS location
  
  
• [Web] Mosque-Finder - helpful tool that lets you locate your closest mosque.
  
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  ____HADITH/SUNNAH____
  
  
• [Video] An Introduction to Hadith - Jonathan Brown, 1 hour introduction to the narrations of Muhammad (pbuh). Some questions about hadith answered.
  
  
• [Web] Imam Nawawi's Forty Hadith - Learn and study 42 popular hadith compiled by the famous al-Nawawi with audio commentary. Notes on al-Nawawi and his compilations for more clarity.
  
  
• [Book] Riyad-us-Saliheen - Imam Al-Nawawi, A popular and useful compilation of authentic hadith, covering every aspect of Islamic belief and moral conduct. Read it online or listen to audio.
  
  Full list here
  
  

> Why don't you google it before you rant or at least look up Wikipedia

Why don't you just listen to one of Donald Trump's speeches before disagreeing with him? Why don't you just educate yourself?

The reason is that it is not my responsibility to express your belief system for you. What you are really saying is that no one is allowed to disagree with you. You seem to think that Googling "Social Justice" yields all the positive results of your cult but ignore little facts like this book: http://www.amazon.com/Social-Justice-Islam-Revised-Edition/dp/1889999113

Where a founder of the Muslim Brotherhood and a strong influence on Al Queda wrote a book about social justice.

Seems like you didn't Google it. But rather just have lofty ideals that you expect and demand anyone else to have.

> Justice is a really broad term.

It's odd that you would say this but then think that Social Justice is less broad. Justice itself is pretty simple, it's the application of the law doing the right thing. I'm going to go forward and say that the goals of "Social Justice" seem very good and very lofty but they have no means (law) of doing anything right. When Social Justice has become the law, it's openly totalitarian in it's application.

I'm so glad that you used such a great source as Wikipedia. It shows the level of intellect that follows social justice.

Let's compare and contrast your definition of Social Justice to the Khmer Rouge's implementation of it via their constitution:

Social Justice:

> tacit terms for the distribution of wealth

Khmer Rouge:

• > "“every citizen of DK is guaranteed a living,"
  
  
  
  > opportunities for personal activity
  
  Khmer Rouge:
  
  
• > all peasants are the masters of the rice paddies and fields, all workers are the masters of their factories, and all laborers have the right to work.
  
  > Instead of flaunting your ignorance by writing "where social justice gets it wrong",
  
  NO, instead of flaunting YOUR IGNORANCE , maybe you should learn a little history about where your Social Justice Movement gets it wrong and has consistently gotten it wrong.
  

Hello, wa alaykum!

1. Do all of you think that Abu Bakr, Omar and Uthman were sinners/kuffar or do some view it as a political leadership while Ali was the spiritual leader of the Ummah? I know this is an interpretation of some Sunni Mutasawwufin who are genuine about their tasawwuf and don't give into salafist/wahhabist politics.
   
   That's the mainstream view of those individuals in contemporary Imami Shi'ism today.
   
   >2. How does irfan differ from tasawwuf? Are there the same rituals of dhikr and such present?
   
   I've heard the claim that those who practice irfan still follow the sharia while those who practice tasawwuf don't "line," but this seems ignorant of the fact that there are multiple strains of sufism in Islam, some that we can term as antinomian (rejecting some/all mainstream laws) and others that are very in-line with traditional legalistic views of Islam. My knowledge of both irfan and tasawwuf is really limited, and I've wanted to know the answer to this myself, but I think while both practices are often learned from a teacher (and both practices are somewhat controversial within their respective schools), I don't think Shi'i irfan features structured orders/brotherhoods the way Sunni Tasawwuf does. Also, I think there are Shi'i sufi orders too although they're rare (I think some are associated with Sunni Sufi orders, but with the adherents of the order converting to Shi'ism), and I'm not sure if they're antinomian or legalistic; I think they skew more antinomian.
   
   >3. How similar is the fiqh of the Shi'a to Sunni schools? I am aware that all of the 4 imams in Sunnism trace their learning back to the 6th Imam of the Shia community Jafar al-Sadiq, though the 4 schools do have their own disagreements.
   
   They're pretty similar in terms of applied legal theory. In many legal issues on topics such as the form of prayer, ablution, ritual purity, dietary law, crime and punishment, dress code, etc., the difference between the Shi'i school and one of the four Sunni schools will be closer than the biggest gap between two of the Sunni schools. There are a few big differences considering inheritance law as it concerns women, the types of wealth khums is applicable to, the types of wealth zakat is applicable to, restrictions on timing prayers, the universal requirements of Friday prayer, the permissibility of praying non-obligatory prayers in congregation (the Shi'i do not allow this, except for the prayer for rain), and most controversially mut'ah (temporary marriage). In terms of legal theory proper, the big difference is that Shi'i law does not hold qiyas (analogistic reasoning) as a valid legal indicator (but allows for aql or reason, which in some contexts can allow for the same legal derivations). Usuli Shi'i law is also more flexible/adaptive, with more developments in legal theory in contemporary times.
   
   >4. How similar is Shi'i Aqidah to either the Maturidi or Ash'ari schools of Aqidah in Sunni Islam?
   
   Assuming we're talking about more detailed stuff than the big picture concepts that are universally associated with Islam (monotheism, belief in Prophets, belief in divine revelation, belief in jinns, belief in the specific jinn Satan, belief in angels, belief in divine revelation, belief in the resurrection, belief in heaven, belief in hell) I would say that Shi'i kalam (theology) / aqaid (creed) is quite substantially different from that found in the Maturidi and Ash'ari schools (and also that found in Athari/Hanbali creed). In fact, since the time of Shaykh Mufid (d. 1022 CE), if not earlier, Shi'i kalam has been substantially closer to that found in the now defunct non-Shi'i Mu'tazili "school." I should add that I'm pretty unaware of the specific tenants of Maturidi aqaid, but I roughly understand that it's pretty closer to Ash'ari aqaid.
   
   Two of the most important early theologians (who were also notable legal theorists) in Twelver Shi'ism, Shaykh Mufid and his student Sharif al-Murtadha are known to have espoused views close to the Baghdadi and Basran schools of Mu'tazilism, respectively. Some Shi'is deny that they were influenced by the Mu'tazilis, but I don't think this thesis is taken seriously by contemporary historians. What we know of early Shi'i aqaid of the companions of the imams (and the traditionalists during the minor occultation and the early years of the major occultation) is that it was quite diverse. Some companions of Imam Ja'far as-Sadiq (as) such as Zurara b. 'Ayan and Hisham b. Hakam were theologians who engaged in speculative technique and debate, drawing their own conclusions based on the teachings of the imams, while others were quite literalist, even holding anthropomorphism views. There's at least some evidence that the imams supported the former in their endeavors to some extent. It seems that early Shi'i aqaid (whether what we know of the imam's teachings or what we know of the opinions of their companions) were still on the whole closer to what we would now call Mu'tazilism than what we would now call Ash'arism.
   
   I would highly recommend reading the book Shi'i Islam: An Introduction by Najam Haider based on the questions you are asking. At the very least, skim pp. 13-29 (although four of them are unavailable) in this free preview.
   
   The mainstream Shi'i view on the Qur'an is that was created, by the way (consistent with the Mu'tazili view).
   
   >5. Are there any recommended Shi'i translations of the Quran?
   
   There are quite a few in English now, as far as which are recommended, it depends on who you ask. One that some, but not all, people seem to like is Ali Quli' Qarai's "phrase by phrase" translation (see here). I've not read it.
   
   CONTINUED IN A REPLY...

Your request is an interesting one. You want to know Islam, but in context I am gathering this is all completely new to you. I am not Muslim, but majored in Islamic studies and studied Arabic in the Middle East, so I have a more thorough academic background in Islam than most, and I, like you, started out knowing little to nothing.

Although others might suggest reading the Qur'an or some academic books, I think for someone like you it might be more helpful to start someplace else. There is an agnostic Jewish woman who writes about Islam named Lesley Hazelton. I would start with her book The First Muslim: the Story of Muhammad. She writes in a novel-like tone that really helps introduce people to the history of Islam.

Then, if you want to read the Qur'an, I would say you need to start with two things.

1. You need to get a list of the Surahs (aka chapters) in chronological order. This is important because if you read the Qur'an as it is traditionally arranged you go from the really short first surah, to a really long one with lots of laws and zero context. It is more helpful to someone new to Islam to picture themselves as a 7th century Arab, and receiving the Qur'an for the first time. So read the Surahs in chronological order instead.
   
   
2. Get a translation of the Qur'an that is easy to read. I have lots of experience with reading the Qur'an with people like yourself who have no prior experience and background. In my last Qur'anic study group we started out reading each Surah from about 8 different translations, just to hear the different interpretations of the original Arabic. Over time however, one stood out as being the easiest for new people to read and understand. It is the Haleem translation, it is a fairly recent translation so it is not on the radar of very many people, but in my experience it offers a good amount of notes and introductions, without being overwhelming for first time Islam students. Of course some people will insist that in order to really understand the Qur'an you have to read it in Arabic, and yes that is true, but reading this translation is a good place to start.

^[Je ^vais ^maintenant ^parler ^en ^anglais ^car ^c'est ^plus ^facile ^de ^trouver ^les ^références ^nécessaires.]

-------------------------

> HAHAHAHAHA

Aisha recalled that 'The Messenger of God never struck anything with his hand, not a woman and not a slave, except when making war in the path of God.' http://sunnah.com/muslim/43/108

> Les petites filles de 9 ans peuvent consentir ? Les esclaves peuvent consentir ? Non.
>


Yes they can, they have the right to divorce. And by the way: "Women, in hot climates, are marriageable at eight, nine, or ten years of age; [...] They are old at twenty." -- Montesquieu http://www.constitution.org/cm/sol_16.htm So despite her age she was mature.

> Le viol conjugal n'est même pas reconnu en islam. Une épouse doit tout faire pour "satisfaire" son mari "sinon les anges la maudissent".
>
Rien ne permet de dire explicitement que le viol, est absolument prohibé par le Coran. Autant il condamne sans réserve l’adultère autant il reste muet en ce qui concerne le viol !

> « Lorsqu’un homme appel sa femme dans son lit et qu’elle refuse, et qu’il passe la nuit courroucé contre elle, les anges ne cessent de la maudire jusqu’au matin. » rapporté par Al Boukhârî dans son Sahih ainsi que Mouslim.

No you can't beat your wife for no reason and be unfair to her in Islam.
The husband has to treat his wife kindly, because God says:
“and live with them honourably” [al-Nisa’ 4:19]

Ibn Hazm (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: Both slave women and free women are enjoined not to refuse the master or husband if he calls them for intercourse, so long as the woman who is called is not menstruating or sick and likely to be harmed by intercourse, or observing an obligatory fast. If she refuses with no excuse then she is cursed. End quote from al-Muhalla (10/40).

Al-Bahooti (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

The husband has the right to enjoy his wife at any time, so long as that does not keep her from performing obligatory duties or harm her; he does not have the right to enjoy her in that case, because that is not part of living with them honourably. But if it does not distract her from that or cause her harm, then he has the right to enjoyment. End quote from Kashshaaf al-Qinaa’ (5/189).



> Allah a dit : « Les hommes ont autorité sur les femmes, en raison des faveurs qu'Allah accorde à ceux-là sur celles-ci, et aussi à cause des dépenses qu'ils font de leurs biens. Les femmes vertueuses sont obéissantes (à leurs maris), et protègent ce qui doit être protégé, pendant l'absence de leurs époux, avec la protection d'Allah. Et quant à celles dont vous craignez la désobéissance, exhortez-les, éloignez-vous d'elles dans leurs lits et frappez-les. Si elles arrivent à vous obéir, alors ne cherchez plus de voie contre elles, car Allah est certes, Haut et Grand! » Sourate 4 verset 34

Ironically, the unstated assumptions that many readers today would generally see as encasing the 'literal meaning' of 4:34 were shared by none of the pre-modern ulama. They are, in fact, totally foreign to the Islamic tradition. Reading the verse as an unambiguous legitimization of spousal abuse assumes that the Qur'an should be read in isolation and that duties should be derived from it unmediated. Yet no pre-modern Muslim school of thought ever advocated that (except perhaps the early Kharijite extremists), and Islamic modernists who claim they do this today cannot manage to do so consistently. On the contrary, Muslim sects agreed that the Qur'an had to be read through the prism of the Prophet's teachings as expounded by the ulama, who then disagreed endlessly on what those teachings should be.

[...] the most salient theme in the ulama's writings across the centuries has been one of restricting almost completely the apparent meaning of the verse. This seems to have appeared with the first, infallible interpreter of God's revelation, the Messenger of God himself. Canonical Sunni Hadith collections quote the Prophet at first teaching his followers: 'Do not strike the female servants of God.' Only when his lieutenant Umar complained about Medinan women disrespecting their husbands (as opposed to the more submissive Meccan wives to whom they were accustomed) did the Prophet allow hitting them. The Hadith continues, describing how a wave of seventy (i.e., many) women subsequently came complaining to the Prophet about their husbands. This led him to declare that those men who beat their wives 'are not the best of you', adding, 'The best of you will not strike them' is some versions of the Hadith.

The canonical Sunni Hadith collections also include recollections of the Prophet's Farewell Sermon, given on Hajj in what would be the final year of his life. One of the parting pieces of wisdom he leaves his followers is the commandment to 'Fear God as concerns your womenfolk, for indeed you took charge of them with God's assurance.' The Prophet further explains that only if a wife allows herself to converse with men against her husband's wishes or, in another version of the Hadith, commits some grievous transgression can the husband strike her, and then only 'with a light blow that leaves no mark'. [...]

All available evidence of Muhammad's own conduct shows a complete aversion to domestic violence.

Jonathan A.C. Brown, Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy



> En fait la religion inventée par Mohamed donne la toute puissance aux hommes. Ces deux extraits, en plus de celui disant que la parole d'une femme vaut la moitié de celle d'un homme permettent aux hommes de violer les femmes puisque jamais leur témoignage ne sera entendu comme celui d'un homme.

You may have that false misconception because of inheritance, but the Qur'an has stated 3 cases for women’s inheritance:

• Woman has equal share to man.
  
• Woman has lil' less share to man.
  
• Woman has half share of man (most common).
  
  Example:
  
  Man w/ a son & daughter leaves a $30,000 inheritance. Son gets $20k, daughter $10k.
  
  But the son’s share of inheritance is decreasing because now the bills are on him. He was to pay for ALL his sister's expenses and the house as well. The daughter isn't required to spend any of her $10k, even if she's already wealthy.
  
  When son gets married, he pays a dowry to his bride, all financial obligations fall on him. When the daughter gets married, she receives a dowry, and no financial obligations fall on her. So when you see a Muslim woman paying expenses, it's a reflection of her kindness, not her responsibilities....She can invest her money or start a business. She isn't required to pay for food, clothes, health care, child care etc.
  
  Hijab - Men and women are both commanded modesty in conduct and dress, not just women.
  
  Marriage - There are many rules and regulations in Islamic jurisprudence governing this. It's not a simple matter of a Muslim man marrying any monotheist woman. The statement you make does make it sound like a preferential treatment of men, but if you take into account the restrictions that go with it, you will find that the core reason is to protect Muslim women from deceiving men.
  
  Multiple wives - Islam does not mandate polygamy, it restricts and limits. It was (and in some parts still is) a necessity due to women of poorer families not being able to provide for themselves and their children without a male breadwinner. Marriage is a legal contract entered into by both men and women voluntarily and with consent. Islam does not force women to marry polygamous men. You will notice that in more developed societies where women can earn a living, polygamy is next to eliminated.
  
  From those examples you can see that Men have certain privileges over women, and women inherently have certain rights over men.
  
  > Si Aicha avait dit non à Mohamed il aurait pu la battre. Une petite fille, au 7e siècle face à un homme adulte qui la possède et qui plus est est chef de guerre ne peut pas dire non. C'est du viol.
  
  Aisha herself said that 'The Messenger of God never struck anything with his hand, not a woman and not a slave, except when making war in the path of God.' http://sunnah.com/muslim/43/108
  And Aisha at 9 years old wasn't a girl, she was mature, physically and mentally. "Women, in hot climates, are marriageable at eight, nine, or ten years of age; [...] They are old at twenty." -- Montesquieu http://www.constitution.org/cm/sol_16.htm So despite her age she was mature.
  In Islam it is prohibited to consume marriage with someone who isn't mature.
  
  See: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hE_zypf8DAU for a more detailed discussion.
  
  By the way one can't have a forced marriage in Islam:
  
  Ibn Abbas reported that a girl came to the Messenger of Allah, and she reported that her father had forced her to marry without her consent. The Messenger of God gave her the choice...(between accepting the marriage or invalidating it) (Ahmad, Hadith no. 2469).
  
  
  > C'est pathétique que vous postiez des liens "pour apprendre". Pourquoi irais-je suivre un Dieu qui autorise la pédophilie, et qui transforme les femmes en propriété de leur mari ?
  
  To know and understand what Islam really is, not what the media or yourself tell you. Actually Islam is one of the only religions which prohibits consuming marriage with childs.
  
  And when the children among you reach puberty, let them ask permission [at all times] as those before them have done. Thus does Allah make clear to you His verses; and Allah is Knowing and Wise. http://quran.com/24/59 also see http://quran.com/4/6 and http://quran.com/4/25.
  
  --------
  
  ^(Part I)

Copied from previous thread

My story:

I became a Muslim over a decade ago because I thought the Qur'an was the word of God. I was under the impression it contained scientific miracles and I was ready to remake my life to what God wanted from me. After deciding to be a Muslim, I got married a few years later and continued to study the faith to become a better Muslim. I studied as much as my free time allowed. I didn't question the foundations of the faith for many years.

After ~8 years, I decided to increase my faith by studying what initially brought me into the religion. I noticed that a lot of the initial things that attracted me to Islam were extreme stretches of wording (I had learned more Arabic over the years) and I began to question more. I noticed that as I was gaining ijazah's in various works, each scholar would have radically different interpretations and I wondered how so many well-intentioned scholars could come to so many different conclusions from a supposedly clear book. I also got frustrated that many of my teachers would give me "honest" answers because my faith was "stronger" than other Muslims.

After Omar Suleiman's slavery followup video, my questions grew in intensity. He used one quote to prove his point that was not in it's proper context and I realized that the best "evidence" for his claims was incredibly weak. I knew I had to find the truth of the matter. Jonathan Brown's comments on slavery confirmed what I knew had to be true given how terrible the evidence was that a slave/master sexual relationship required consent.

This lead me down a path of questioning for years. Over time, I began to realize that the Qur'an spoke with the "scientific" knowledge of a basic, late antiquity person. The issue of abrogation always troubled me, as did the difference in tone throughout the Qur'an. I read as many different books of seerah in English as I could and I couldn't get it out of my head how the Qur'an's changes fit his life circumstances so frequently for a supposed message to mankind. I also found the arguments of the Qur'an sorely lacking. In addition, the various stories of the Qur'an like Dhul Qarnayn and Suleiman were retelling of fictional tales that grew over time. I began to realize the Qur'an perfectly fit into late antiquity and that it couldn't really transcend it. I also discovered the true history of the Muslim/Arab conquests was far more brutal than the whitewashed version my teachers gave me. I found that Muhammad could have been troubled and still been a charismatic person like St. Hildergard, Joan of Arc, or Joseph Smith. He wasn't as remarkable and unique as I thought. I also learned more about cognitive dissonance and how people will dig in further when evidence is presented that would refute their belief in a person. The hadith tradition, which only accepts known and good Muslims, was not historical enough to really examine Muhammad even if there is information to gather from it (see works by Motzki and Schoeler). When I read books about the i'jaz of the Qur'an, I found them very unconvincing as many more works are also quite remarkable (like the Illiad). I also found the belief in the miraculous preservation of the Qur'an was unfounded as well as its claims of divine origin (A,B, C) . Basically, everything about Islam is what I would expect from man, not an Omnipotent and Omniscient Being.

"The Study Qur'an" cites multiple tafsir, which I quite like.



The problem is that many of the more readily available tafsir are more conservative, or have a wahabi bend to them, which can give you a false impression that all Muslims agree with certain statements. The Hilali-Khan translation/tafsir is just a summarized version of Ibn Kathir, which is a Salafist interpretation. (Again, I urge that anyone study tafsir from multiple schools of thought, and I am not bashing any one sect, it's just that there are many, many, many interpretations of the text and a knowledge of more than one is beneficial.)



Yusuf Ali's commentary is good, and in fact his Qur'an was the gold standard for the last 100 years in English. It's probably a bit old fashioned for most, though.



Muhammad Assad's is very good. Extremely good, and the one 90% of people would reccomend, and one you should just get anyway. Though some of his commentary is not inline with Islamic thought (his views on Jesus, for example, are controversial in general), but you should read any tafsir with a grain of salt.


Ma'ariful Qur'an is an excellent modern tafsir. Usmani was a Hanbali or Hanafi, I believe, but manages to be neutral and quite moderate in his commentary. The cost of the full 8 volume set is a bit much, but you can get a cheap version from India for a low price if you don't mind imperfect binding (I found all 8 volumes in a local shop for around 60$ CAD, which is awesome.).



If you want to read an AMAZING Shi'a commentary (you likely are not Shi'a, but still.....people should understand multiple views on any topic whether or not you agree), then Tafsir al-Mizan is incredible. It's not 100% translated into English yet, but it is available for free online. Whether Shi'a or Sunni, I think it can be agreed that Muhammad Husayn at-Tabataba'i was a great scholar.


The only work in English which includes multiple tafsir from multiple schools and multiple writers is the Study Qur'an, and it is insanely exhaustive, listing all of the sources and even telling the reader where to go and read most of the tafsir cited on the internet. It's amazing. Spend the money and also buy some "Bible highlighters" (the kind that work on thin pages). (I have been using a regular Staples brand "Hype!" highlighter and it doesn't bleed through, though, so the pages are quite tough despite being thin. Pen doesn't go through either, as I have been underlining quite a lot and have had no problems, but I would still recommend a .005 fine line marker just in case.]


If you are a cheapskate, go to altafsir.org, which is what "The Study Qur'an" advises also. You can either search for individual verses and pull up different classical tafsir for that verse, or just download/read a PDF of an entire tafsir if you prefer. Tafsir al-Jalalayn is, as I understand, the most universally used in teaching Qur'an because it is short, and only provides the context of revelation for verses. You may want more in-depth tafsir, but al-Jalalayn has been the jumping off point for Muslims for 500 years. And is available on altafsir.


tl;dr - "The Study Qur'an"

I too am an English speaker, and read translations primarily. I hope to learn Arabic, Insha Allah, that I may read Qur'an in the original language. Not only do I believe it has more benefits (per se), but I understand that the miracle of Qur'an is only ascertained when read in Arabic. This is because it is the most illustrious and multifaceted example of Arabic poetry (which in itself is complex, I'm sure).

So, I would suggest definitely trying to learn Arabic. Continue reading translations as well though, as Allah (swt) surely speaks to us through His Word according to the knowledge we have, and what we have available.

An english translation that best exhibits the poetic nature of the Qur'an is the classic translation by Arthur J. Arberry. This version has received a lot of good commentary on both sides.

I bought this book: How to Pray in Islam

It's quite good, and breaks the prayer down into phases so you can remember a bit at a time. I think it's a Sunni book. I would like to learn more about how Shi'a pray, but have yet to find a good guide.

(And don't sweat all the "rules that invalidate prayer" right now. Just pray. God knows what's up. You will get there.)

(Also get some nice tasbeeh. I find it helpful to practice dhikr and focus my mind. It's a form of meditation, really, and good training for calming one's inner dialogue.)

I read the Qur'an Arabic my native language, but my husband has the Ali Quli Qarai translation and I think it's excellent. I really like the footnotes on translation choices he makes for certain words, giving you alternative meanings other than the one he may have chosen. It has 2 columns on each page, Arabic on one side and English on the other with a line by line translation and decent but brief foot notes. It's also good if you are learning Arabic or would like to have the Arabic words right there if you want to look things up.

We also have the Study Quran, and it's also a very good translation and also worth purchasing due to the extensive footnotes and explanation of the verses coming from a variety of sources.

To be clear, there is absolutely no evidence that chakras are literal points of the body. They are imaginary symbols, but that doesn't mean they aren't real.

Since they are symbols, interpretations vary wildly. To quote Henry Corbin, "a symbol is never 'explained' once and for all, but must be deciphered over and over again, just as a musical score is never deciphered once and for all, but calls for ever new execution." (from Alone with the Alone, his dense academic work on Ibn Arabi's Sufism)

So, since there's no central authority defining what these symbols mean, consider everything you read merely as guidelines. Here's a video I uploaded for you of Joseph Campbell's thoughts on the subject. Of course, he conflates Hindu and Tibetan Buddhist ideas to fit his Jungian interpretation, but that doesn't mean he's wrong.

In the West, we have the tendency to interpret the "subtle body" as something like the Christian soul, thus making the whole Kundalini system very literal, inevitably leading to woo like new age chakra stones. Another interpretation (which I feel is closer to the Eastern) is that the subtle body is the mind/ego. So, consider chakras from this psychological perspective and ask yourself, "how am I attached to my fear, sexual desire, ambition, personal relationships, etc.?" Using this method, kundalini becomes a practical cognitive tool for self-awareness.

An interesting side-note: neuropsychologists are building fascinating models of the brain's relationship to other parts of the body. Here's a New Scientist article from a couple of years ago that talks about how what we call the "brain" is more than just the cerebrum. It seems like the ancients had an intuitive understanding of this.

In conclusion, I strongly suggest avoiding chakra and Reiki healers who promise to improve your "prana flow" for a nominal fee. None of their claims are based on true science. Relying on such healers for serious medical conditions can be dangerous and even fatal. In the very least, it's expensive. Every bit of wisdom and insight is already within you, so journey through the vast landscape of your own consciousness blissfully.

On this topic :

> Regarding the science behind the Qur'an, I'm under the impression most of it now, has been proven false or somewhat skewed in it's meaning. I've read some books on it but not many so I'm no expert.

This book, Islam's Quantum Question, perfectly answers most questions about the over-done science in every verse of the quran phenomenon.

r/islam also discussed this topic the other day using_the_quran_as_a_book_of_science

(Also avoid anything associated Harun Yahya. Too much bs is intermingled with borrowed right-wing christian rhetoric which isn't exactly islam's stance on anything).

> For evolution :

Islam's Quantum Question also does a great job clearly showing how to even the casual reader there is far more material in the Quran that one could use in support of evolution than you could ever find against it.

(If you don't like buying books you can find the pdf somewhere. but i would support the author)


> Homosexuality :

Your sexual feelings themselves aren't forbidden - it's your actions that are. For example, even if you're heterosexual you are not allowed to go around humping anyone or thing you want. A good chunk of Islam is about release from yourself, personal struggle and control of your actions. But more on that from others in this thread.

Hey, you're welcome! What's the difference between the Nazi's Racial Justice program of redistributing un-earned wealth form Jews and giving it to ethnic Germans, and Kamala Harris's Racial Justice program of enacting reparations, taking unearned wealth from white people and distributing to oppressed minorities?

Nothing!

Racial Justice is about taking away "un-earned & stolen" benefits from an oppressor race, and re-distributing it to races you think are more deserving of those things.

Social Justice is Fascism, Social Justice is Islamism, Social Justice is Socialism

This is one of the ones I read as I was transitioning out: https://www.amazon.com/Koran-Very-Short-Introduction/dp/0192853449/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_2?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=G5TSXXJ8093SQXPF1RX2


(It's one of those 'a very short introduction' books, if you've seen them? They have a ton of 'em at the USU library; really great intros to all sorts of topics.)


Anyway, it not only covers the basics of what the Koran is, but also how it's been interpreted, the disagreements over what different parts of it mean, translations, all of that stuff -- if it's literal, if it's metaphorical, if it's a historical record, if it's .... etc. etc.


It was truly helpful in 'deprogramming' -- not because I was interested in finding another religion to join, but because in reading all the different debates over the theology and interpretation and everything about this book -- it was all so familiar. The same debates and arguments and reasoning and logical fallacies and apologetics that I saw in Mormonism, I saw in the discussion of this other religious text.


It helped me gain some much-needed distance from "The Church", and to begin to see it objectively, which I never really could do before even though I didn't believe. It helped me to start to see TSCC as just another religion, and to start to gain some healthy emotional distance.


Maybe it could do the same for you, even if it's not this book or this religion that you look at.

The most basic book in Islamic theology is Aqeedah Tahawiyyah. Here's a PDF.

Not quite a book, but after that, I'd recommend this audio series by Yasir Qadhi. Goes into some more tangible aspects of theology. After that, this commentary on Aqeedah Tahawiyyah if you really want to learn about detailed theological matters (this is more philosophical than practical).

It's a decent translation, but I prefer Zaki Hammad's The Gracious Qur'an

Study Qur'an, I'd stay away from. If you want some commentary, I'd recommend Abdullah Yusuf Ali's commentary here.

This is a better book of hadith to start out with.

A couple of books on the more scholarly side; Sufism and Taoism and Mystical Dimensions of Islam are good, if somewhat deep and dense, and useful, orienting. The works of Henry Corbin, such as Spiritual Body and Celestial Earth and Alone With the Alone: Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi, are illuminating. Look into the Sufi mystics themselves as much as commentary, there should be a list somewhere online but Ibn Arabi, Suhrawardi, Jabir Ibn Hayan ('Geber'),Avicenna and Hallaj as well as the more well known Rumi come to mind. Your best bet if you really want to learn about Sufism is to take up instruction under a Shaykh in an order. Depending on where you are there is possibly a local order you could attend meditations and classes with?

I appreciate your intellectual honesty and I didn't find any of your question insulting.

As for books/lectures, here's a few links to start things off, some of them might be what you're looking for.

Yasir Qadhi has a YTube channel and gave tons of interesting lectures (check this one in which we talks about the theological legitimacy of groups like Al Qaeda or ISIS)

Tariq Ramadan's work which is focused on Islam and modernity.

And although I haven't read it yet, I only heard good things about Jonathan Brown's "Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy".

I speak Arabic and own about 7 translations.

My favorite without a doubt is the translation of Leopold Weiss (Muhammad Asad), you can find it here

After that the best translation is the one by Marmaduke Pickthall, that is here

Then Arberry's translation, I believe he was a non-Muslim and I like that fact, that is here

I would rate Yusuf Ali's translation after these, but not too much worse than Arberry or Pickthall.

Still Muhammad Asad's translation stands head and shoulders above the rest for me.


Other great books that I would possibly even read first are:

Mustansir Mir's Coherence in the Quran

Rosalind Gwynne's Logic, Rhetoric, & Legal Reasoning in the Quran

Muhammed: How he can make you extraordinary

The Productive Muslim - Where Faith Meets Productivity

Dua, Weapon of the Believers

Revive Your Heart: Putting Life in Perspective

The Art of War

Khadija: The First Muslim and Wife of the Prophet Muhammed

Muhammed: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

Dua's for success in this world and the next, over 100 Duas

Fortress of a Muslim

Reclaim your heart

These are some of the books I have at the moment and I highly recommend them after reading them. I am waiting on a few more books but a lot are non Islamic but still really useful [:

Edit: Like this

You may want a tafsir (commentary of the Qur'an).

As far as internet tafsir's go, Maa'riful Qur'an is quite decent. It is written by a relatively recent author (he hasn't been dead for centuries).

But most of the online tafsirs are huge, massive.

Honestly I'd recommend buying something like this: http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Annotated-Interpretation-Modern-English/dp/1597841447/ (Have not read all of it yet, but I've heard good things from some people)

There are also classical tafsir on the internet such as the Tafsir of Ibn Kathir from the 14th century CE and Tafsir Al-Jalalayn. Although, besides the fact that it's huge, I wouldn't exactly recommend classical medieval works as starting literature lol.

CodeReaper,

All statements of the Prophet ﷺ are equal in that if he said it, we follow it without question. However, the recording of those statements is of varying authenticity. They range from certain statements we know for sure he didn't say (called mawdu' or fabricated) to ones we are sure he did say (called sahih or authentic).

The best place to start would be the compilation of 40 hadith written by Imam an-Nawwawi. Here's an edition with commentary or you can read them online here.

Hope that helps,

TheMuslimShrink

Assalamu 'alaikum sister :) may your life and soul be at peace, and may Allah bless you for your efforts

I second what Throwminigolf said about the sealed nectar. This book might be a good one to try though! I've found it to be a much easier read. It's not too long either, and is relatable.

From another comment I made:

Don't stop here! The more you know the better you are!

• Dr. Bill Warner
  
• David Wood
  
• Stephen Molyneux (this man is legendary, see his videos on gene wars(spoliers: Muslims are R types), socialism, and IQ)
  
• Paul Joseph Watson
  
• Bill Whittle if you want to learn more about conservatism(BJP is technically Hindu conservative/nationalist idealogy)
  
  There are so many more amazing ones but these are the ones I recommend!
  
  I also would recommend reading The truth about Muhammad by Robert Spencer, I'm about 70% through and it is EYE-OPENING, and also blood boiling, really that man is so disgusting you can never see Muslims the same way ever again. Pick it up if you can.

ROFL

Now go watch the debate Bill Maher had with Ben Affleck (if you haven't already) to see how right Maher was and how dangerously retarded Islamophilic liberals like Affleck are...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vln9D81eO60

And if you haven't watched a lecture by the much-maligned Robert Spencer of Jihad Watch fame, you definitely should set aside the time to watch one of his lectures on YouTube. He's been the leading anti-Islam voice on the Right in America for about a decade. His books are a great read as well if anyone is curious about understanding the right-wing "Islamophobic" point of view.

Jumu'ah Mubarak

Today's Ayat for Friday, 2017-01-20 / 22 Rabi` al-thani 1438

The believers, both men and women, they are guardians, confidants, and helpers of one another. They enjoin and promote what is right and good and forbid and try to prevent the evil, and they establish the Prescribed Prayer in conformity with its conditions, and pay the Prescribed Purifying Alms. They obey God and His Messenger. They are the ones whom God will treat with mercy. Surely God is All-Glorious with irresistible might, All-Wise.

-- at-Taubah 9:71 as rendered by Ali Ünal


وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتُ بَعْضُهُمْ أَوْلِيَاءُ بَعْضٍ يَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنكَرِ وَيُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ وَيُطِيعُونَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ أُولَٰئِكَ سَيَرْحَمُهُمُ اللَّهُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

Listen: http://islamawakened.com/quran/Audio/009071.mp3

Study: http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/9/71/

Go deeper: http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/9/71/w4wcv.html



(please share)


IslamAwakened is now available as an Android App

Can you expand on what you said "because I don't get it?" I fasted all my life, and then after leaving home I questioned what I was fasting for. Subsequently there were 2 ramadan's that I didn't fast, but I found my way back through reading a good english translation of the quran (e.g. this one). The truth you tell yourself sets you free to figure out what to do.

> How do you feel about the fact the hijab is a cultural thing rather than a religious requirement?

Hijab is not a cultural thing. It is a religious requirement. That is a common misconception. Hijab is something that is required by our faith, which is why you see it everywhere. Other types of clothing some Muslims wear is cultural, such as a thobe, which is worn by Khaleeji (Gulf) men and is a symbol of their culture. That thobe and ghutra (what they're wearing on their head) is not required by Islam. It's a cultural tradition. Now, don't get me wrong, hijab could probably fit in the category of cultural tradition in some cases. Especially different styles and materials of hijab, such as the shayla, which is worn in the Khaleeji (Gulf) area of the Middle East. See here. However, women from all over the world wear shayla, and other styles of hijab.

> Also, why Islam and not Christianity?

Simply, Islam makes logical sense and Christianity does not. I don't want to turn this into a theological debate, so that is all I will say. If you want to know more, I would strongly recommend reading a book entitled MisGod'ed: A Roadmap of Guidance and Misguidance in the Abrahamic Religions written by Dr. Laurence B. Brown. See here for the Amazon page. Thanks for your questions.

Here's a tutorial on all the daily prayers.

Here's an interactive website for learning to pray.

Here's a book on how to pray from Amazon.com

Also I recommend this app. It tells you when its time to pray and it has the entire Qur'an, an Islamic calendar, fasting tracker, etc. It's a really useful app mashaAllah.

Also, here is a post with a ton of introductory info about Islam in general.

Allah bless you.

I recommend these books:

• Jeffery Lang (3) books: Struggling to Surrender, Even Angels Ask and Losing My Religion.
  
  
• Jonathan Brown Hadith- Muhammad's Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World
  
  
• Muhammad Asad The Road to Mecca
  
  
• Tariq Ramadan In the Footsteps of the Prophet
  
  
• Karen Armstrong (2) books: Islam: A Short History
  and Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time
  
  
• Martin Lings Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
  
  
• John L. Esposito Who Speaks For Islam?
  
  
• Nathan Lean The Islamophobia Industry
  
  
• Malcolm X The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X, Ossie Davis (Afterword), Alex Haley (As Told to)
  
  
• Sherman Jackson Islam and the Blackamerican: Looking Toward the Third Resurrection
  
  
• Dr. Ejaz Naqvi The Quran: with or Against the Bible?
  
  
• Hamza Yusuf Purification of the Heart
  
  
• Imam Zaid Shakir's translation, commentary and notes on Imam al-Harith al-Muhasibi's Risala al-Mustarshidin Treatise For The Seekers Of Guidance
  
  
• Al-Nawawi Nawawi Forty Hadiths
  
  Side note on Quran translation:
  
  Stay away from
  
  
• The Penguin Koran (The Koran -Penguin Classics- by Anonymous and N. J. Dawood). Its been written by non-Muslim who also changed the order of the Suras. In fact, Dawood's translation might as well been written by Robert Spencer!
  
  Try:
  
  
• The Gracious Quran: A Modern-Phrased Interpretation in English
  
  
• Mona Siddiqui How to Read The Qur'an
  
  
• Bayyinah Podcast for a comprehensive tafseer with Nouman Ali Khan (The iTunes Podcast URL)
  
  
• Muhammad Asad The Message of The Quran
  
  
• Muhammad Abdel Haleem Understanding the Qur'an: Themes and Style
  
  Misc:
  
  
• Terry Alford Prince among Slaves: The True Story of an African Prince Sold Into Slavery in the American South
  
  
• Omar Ibn Said A Muslim American Slave
  
  
• João José Reis Slave Rebellion in Brazil: The Muslim Uprising of 1835 in Bahia
  
  
• Ahmad Dallal Islam, Science, and the Challenge of History
  
  
• Use this link to download Misc resources.
  
  
• Use this link to download copy of Quran translation by Muhammad Asad on on scribd.
  
  
• Use this link to download copy of Quran translation by MAS Abdul Haleem OXFORD WORLD’S CLASSICS
  
  
• Use this link to download copy of Quran translation by Saheeh International (PDF)
  
  
• The Purpose of Life - Jeffrey Lang
  
  Movie:
  
  
• Journey to Mecca

The Case for God and The Bible: A Biography by Karen Armstrong are both good. The God Delusion is a simple breakdown and explanation of most major religious claims. Beyond Religion: Ethics for a Whole World by the Dalai Llama is an interesting book on ethics. The Koran: A Very Short Introduction by Michael Cook is 150 funny and insightful pages on Islam. Under the Banner of Heaven is a shocking and fascinating account of fundamentalist Mormonism. The Demon Haunted World by Carl Sagan discusses religion, and Cosmos and Pale Blue Dot are my secular versions of holy books. And of course given the occasion, I can't leave out God is Not Great.

I recommend avoiding authors like Lee Strobel and Deepak Chopra. Both are essentially liars for their causes, either inventing evidence, or deliberately being incredibly misleading in how they use terms. Popularity in those cases definitely doesn't indicate quality.

As far as I'm aware we don't have any Islamic History moderators, and we actually only have a handful of Islamic History flairs (if you, dear readers, do have such an expertise, please apply for flair!).

I'm not familiar with the work he's referencing, nor am I aware of much support for an Indian origin of Islam. In contrast there are quite a lot of works on the Jewish/Hebrew/Christian/Syriac origins of Islam. One recent such consensus-building book, as it consists of a collection of essays, is The Quran in its Historical Context. For a broader overview of early Islam, I also quite like The Formative Period in Islamic Thought by W. Montgomery Watt.

That's not say that India didn't have an influence on Islam, I think most scholars would just say that this occurred somewhat later, for instance in the Persian and then Arabic translations of the Indian story Kalilah wa Dimnah or in the "Arabic" numerals, which were in fact the Hindu numerals.

>No, because in Islam, you're Muslim only if you believe La ilaha ila Allah wa Muhammad rasool Allah (There is no god but God and Muhammad is His messenger).

In the same way, to be a Christian is to affirm the Nicene Creed.

>I just think it's strange that you're saying certain people are not Christian because they don't believe in the trinity, when there are large numbers of Christians that don't.

There are some fringe groups but the overwhelming majority of Christians are Trinitarian. There are roughly 2 Billion Christians including Non-Trinitarian believers, the Non-Trinitarians are roughly 41 million. Meaning that of all the Christians 98% are Trinitarian.

So numerically, and historically the Non-Trinitarians don't jive with mainstream Christianity.


>I'd be extremely interested in seeing your response to a book written by a Christian who became Muslim. It's entitled MisGod'ed and in it there is quite a bit of discussion of the trinity. He really takes a neutral view and looks at it historically and logically.

I'll try to remember to check it out

This is my favorite -- Al-Qur'an: A Contemporary Translation
by Ahmed Ali. I've read several different translations, and most of them use archaic English and are difficult to understand. This translation by Ahmed Ali is very easy to read and is actually quite enjoyable. I've recommended it to others and they have also said the same thing. You can buy it from amazon -- a used copy is less than $1 plus $3.99 shipping.


Link: http://www.amazon.com/Al-Quran-Contemporary-Translation-Ahmed-Ali/dp/0691074992/

I don't have one off the top of my head, but this issue is mentioned in several classic books of fiqh under evidence. Easiest is to refer you to my friend Jack Brown's new book Misquoting Muhammad wherein he has a lengthy discussion about verse 4:34 and the way that Sharia courts handled this issue from medieval times until today.

I'm sick of this shit. Again, and again people are being arrested for posting 'offensive' things online.

http://www.yorkshirestandard.co.uk/news/19-year-old-released-on-bail-after-alleged-koran-burning-video-9133/

This is just the latest. Well, I'm going to make my own video and post it. It's the least I can do to stand up for freedom of speech in my country.

I hope at least a couple of you will join me. I love Muslims by the way and there are plenty of other holy books to burn:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Holy-Bible-Authorized-James-Version/dp/0007103077/

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B001ODEPPI/

So burn a holy book. Just take a picture of the book burning and post it online with why you're doing it. You don't have to post your name or other details if you don't want to. Just a pic of the book burning, should take less than ten minutes.

I like the translation by "Abdullah Yusuf Ali" especially the footnotes which explain a lot of the context, meaning, history [very enjoyable to read]

There are many publishers [all will have the same content] the main difference will be the text size, paper, cover.

see The Qur'an: Text, Translation & Commentary (English and Arabic Edition) 19$ hardcover

and The Holy Qur'an 8$ soft cover and smaller in size

You can also PM me if you want me to send you one.

Edit: reading the quran on its own in English might not deliver the full meaning, this why the explanations [tafsir] are so helpful, some of the links bellow will have explanations along with the text [most likely as an option in UI] as i mentioned above, "Abdullah Yusuf Ali" has a decent tafsir and easy to understand language.

Hi zack. I would recommend you read this biography of Prophet Muhammad(pbuh). If you want a physical book, here it is on Amazon. Also, I recommend reading a translation of the Holy Quran. www.quran.com is a good online resource, or you can order one from Amazon.

On social justice in Islam:

Sayyid Qutub wrote an entire book on social justice in Islam.

Here is an article on the topic by Dr. Muhammad Sharif Chaudhry of the University of Punjab.

This is an article on it from Dr. Ali Al-Halawani who studied at Al Azhar.

There are also tons of scholarly articles available online discussing it.

Here.
Are.
Some.
Books.

Some.
More.
Books.

Would you like a link to my amazon wishlist to see all the books? There are a lot of non-Islamic stuff there to that you might like.

I'm no expert in this, but I don't think you can understand modern Islamism without understanding the thought of Sayyid Qutb, one of the intellectual founders of the movement (or movements, more like).

Not every Islamist group traces its roots to Qutb, but I would argue that he's certainly the most influential recent Islamist theorist. He died in the 1960's IIRC.

His main works are Social Justice in Islam and Milestones Along the Way. Social Justice was written earlier and before he fully developed his radicalism, and Milestones is full blown Islamism.

A good secondary source on Qutb is Adnan Musallam's From Secularism to Jihad: Sayyid Qutb and the Foundations of Modern Islamism.

A general book on the causes, frustrations, etc. that have led to the rise of Islamic extremism, see Michael Mazarr's Unmodern Men in the Modern World: Radical Islam, Terrorism, and the War on Modernity.

I would recommend beginning with Mazarr's book and then moving on to Musallam. After that, you can decide if it's worth your time to read some Qutb.

The NAV/NIV Bible is supposed to be good - the NAV being the equivalent of the English NIV, and written in a simpler language.


As to the Qur'an, I like Holy Qur'an: Translated by Ali Quli Qara'i "Phrase by Phrase English Translation" , as it uses a method of translation that uses the same English word for the equivalent Arabic word, it's also a good translation in general, but the Arabic is printed in the same "phrase by phrase" pattern instead of just a continuous block of text as you normally get, so you can actually look at the Arabic word by word, sentence by sentence. It's very good.

I'm afraid I can't directly relate to your situation or do more than try to empathize. I'm not Muslim, and the members of my family are either Christian (Roman Catholic and Episcopalian, and none but a select few are all that devout), agnostic, or atheist (again, none very militant or proselytistic). I do speak, write, and read Arabic and I'm very well-versed in Islamic political and economic theory. With the obligatory introductory nonsense out of the way...

I would just tell you that I very much admire your courage: it can't have been easy to tell your family about your finding new religious guidance, nor do I imagine it's easy continuing to defend your decision to a host of family members who are hostile to your religion and appear to be personally turning on you and threatening you due to that decision. I would guess that, however this episode plays out, you will find yourself even stronger in your personal faith and self-confidence, so try to keep in mind that you'll likely further your self-improvement by sticking it out through this tough ordeal.

I'm not at all trying to insult your family, but it's obvious that they have an extremely poor understanding of Islam and of what it means to be Muslim. While it was saddening to read your story, part of me shook my head and another part of me near laughed aloud when you relayed the bit about being called a "terrorist". It's plainly obvious that those family members who are accusing you of being a terrorist have little to no understanding of what constitutes terrorism or what connection, if any, terrorism and Islam have (i.e. none inherently). The idea of a family member who has known you for the entirety of your life, and who ostensibly didn't think of you as a terrorist right up until the moment you told him/her that you'd accepted Islam, suddenly "realizing" in horror that you've in fact been a "terrorist" for as long as you've been Muslim (and they were still speaking to you! and sharing meals with you! a terrorist! The horror!!!) is so ridiculous as to be hilarious. Unfortunately, it also seems that they're not very interested in learning about Islam or what it means to be Muslim, or what these things mean to you. There's a very good chance that that will change over time as the shock wears off -- most likely, different family members will thaw towards you at different times. You know your family better than any of us do so you'd know what the likelihood of this is, which family members are most likely to come around to accepting your decision first and which of them may never accept it, and what, if anything, you can do to accelerate this process if you wish to do so.

It seems like your father, at least, is willing to talk to you about it to some degree, even if in his mind it's only to try to use an argument to make you reconsider your acceptance of Islam and eventually abandon it. Depending on how open-minded he is capable of being, you may be able to use his willingness to at least broach the subject to your advantage, and eventually change his views on the religion, its source material, and its adherents. This is just speculation, but, based on the topics he's asked you about, I'm guessing that he found a couple of websites incorporating material produced by members of what Nathan Lean called the Islamophobia Industry. The people involved in this cottage industry of bigotry, intolerance, and ignorance are truly warped and you probably want to nip his reliance on their garbage in the bud before he gets too invested in the anti-Islam crusade and too reliant on their unscholarly and patently incorrect "information" on Islam for you to even get through to him. My advice on this front would be to address the question and refute the premise implied in the question, then ask him where he got the questions and/or information from, and if it's from a source like Pamela Geller, Daniel Pipes, Robert Spencer, etc., inform him about their complete lack of credentials, their politically-motivated biases, and how the community of historical and theological scholars (both Muslim and non-Muslim) regard these charlatans. On the first point, about addressing the question and refuting the premise: one thing that almost all these "Truth About Islam!!!" websites do, especially when they're quoting from the Qur'an and ahadith, is completely ignore the historical context in which the scenarios and quotes in question were produced, and treat them as if they just spontaneously appeared in a vacuum. As with all philosophies, religions, and other wide-ranging paradigms, the historical context of their development is extremely important. This is no different for Islam: the Messenger Muhammad existed in a time and space in which there was no central political authority for the various communities to be subsumed to (as for example the Roman Empire served to be, for people living in the provinces of Palestine & Iudea during Jesus' life), and thus the Arabian peninsula was made up of hundreds of small, self-ruled communities, small kingdoms, and quasi city-states, most of which were in mutable states of war with one another. There were a multitude of competing religions and ethical systems, as well as complicated economic and social relations which varied to some degree from group to group. In a word, the Arabian peninsula at the time of Muhammad's revelation was a chaotic system of competing communities, and his task of uniting these communities under a single banner and a single new revolutionary political, economic, and social system was unlike anything faced by Jesus, Moses, or Joshua (the Israelite leader after Moses' death, and conqueror of Canaan), or any other leader or founder of a major religious group. As such, the challenges he faced were entirely different than those faced by the Jews or by early disciples of Christ, and thus he had to develop different solutions to these different problems. As for things like taqiyah, again, the historical context is very important here. In truth, as you probably know (but I doubt your father does), taqiyah has little to no bearing on Islam in contemporary life. The takfiri groups like al-Qa'eda are really the only people besides the Islamophobes who even use the term (many Muslims of today have never even heard the term taqiyah), and even they use it sparingly or not at all. Taqiyah was really only a concept among some of the Shi'a and only during the medieval period, when the Sunni leadership of some Islamic states actively persecuted the Shi'a, and this doctrine of dissimulation was created so as to increase the chances of survival for those Shi'a who were living in politically dangerous regions, while allowing them to still practice their faith. Again, it has essentially no meaning in Islam today, and the only people who think about taqiyah are Islamophobes and extremist takfiriyoun.

My post is now far, far longer than I'd intended it to be so I'm going to cut it off here. I hope I've helped in some small way, even if it was just by letting you know that there are people standing in support with you and that your story and resolve are inspiring. Take care!

Besides Harun Yahha and all these b.s people in position. There are hundreds of Muslims trying to convince people other wise that in fact Islam is compatible with evolution. For instance these books specifically discuss it...http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Theory-Evolution-Missing-between/dp/0982586701/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1369028635&sr=8-7&keywords=islam+evolution
http://www.amazon.com/Islams-Quantum-Question-Reconciling-Tradition/dp/1848855184/ref=pd_sim_b_5
Stop trying to be delusional about the issue and just accept that fact that moslems are all over the place on the issue.

But 99% of evolutionary concepts doesn't really affect scientific questioning from the Islamic standpoint.

See Islam's Quantum Question for in depth analysis of this broad subject. It's quite a fascinating topic actually.

TL;DR: Islam's creationism is not the same as Christianity's.

If you want to learn about Islam I suggest first reading a biography of the prophet Muhammad (s). I heard this book is good.

https://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-How-Can-Make-Extraordinary/dp/1535195975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499971154&sr=8-1&keywords=muhammad+how+he+can+make+you+extraordinary

If you want to read a translation of the Quran afterwards I suggest you first read the Koran for dummies in order to grasp the necessary introductory context for the quran.

My favorite bilingual translation of the Koran is a translation by Ahmed Ali. You can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Al-Quran-Contemporary-Translation-Ahmed-Ali/dp/0691074992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1509781589&sr=8-1&keywords=ahmed+ali+quran

Book of Corbin about creative imaginiaton according to Ibn Arabi

But... if they didn't hate our freedom, why do a massive 1% of Muslims in Egypt say they "admire nothing about the West" contrasted to a meager 32% of Americans who say they see "nothing to admire about Muslims"? Huh?

I would recommend this book.

Misgodded. http://www.amazon.com/MisGoded-Guidance-Misguidance-Abrahamic-Religions/dp/1419681486/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1411539451&sr=8-1&keywords=misgoded

First of all, here is Quran 65: 4 Which if you want to call yourself an “educated Atheist,” better be on your bookshelf for reference. Otherwise, shut up - you shouldn't be talking about who believes what unless you've properly educated yourself on the subject.

As for your women who have lost hope of menstruation,
and in case you have doubt, the prescribed period of waiting for them is three months,
As for those who are pregnant, the prescribed period is until the delivery of the child.
God will make things easy for him who is mindful of God.

Qu'ran 65:4

I requote: As for your women* who have LOST HOPE of menstruation,

You know what that means? It means older women. Not young girls who haven't reached puberty.

> 65:4 provides the waiting period for women who are not yet menstruating, i.e. children.

So sentientbear, you are incorrect.

The subject of this chapter is the honor bound duty of a man when he wants to file for divorce.

The Qu'ran goes on to state further rules for in the case of a woman who is pregnant. (If you are intrigued to know what it says about that, comment and I'll post).

Next, in order to educate yourself properly on Islam, or seek the truth, or however you want to say it, you'll need to research the credibility of said Qu'ranic translations. I've found many horrible translations of the Qu'ran, some down right pitiful that fail to capture any of the poetic elements the book prominently uses. You need to research who the author is, what's his/her backround and so on.

Now, since we've determined that the Qu'ran itself has been grossly miscited in this post, can we also assume that those quotes from the hadith are also miscited? I'd say so. However, it is also important to know that the Qu'ran states MULTIPLE TIMES that a follower of Islam SHOULD NOT take any other book as the rule of Islamic law besides what has been revealed in the Qu'ran. ( A quick Google search grants me one example, Quran 5:48-50) In my opinion, the Hadith is the works of Arabs who have desperately tried to preserve their fucked up pre-islamic culture through Islam. I repeat, a true muslim is not supposed to take any other book as certain ruling of any religious law other than "what has been revealed in [the Qu'ran],” as repeated multiple times throughout the book. So frankly, it shouldn't matter what those other non-Qu'ranic quotes say.

If you're wondering why that is, it's because the Qu'ran is supposedly God's revelations repeated to an Angel, who repeated them to the prophet, who the prophet Muhammad repeated in a trance like state.

This book known as "The Hadith," is a collection of what what non-Qu'ranic things Muhammad SUPPOSEDLY said as recorded by people WHO SUPPOSEDLY KNEW Muhammad.

Knowledge is power folks. Now for the first time in my Reddit history, I expect to be upvoted to the top of a thread. If not, I'd have to unsubscribe from /r/Atheism because I'd no longer want to be associated with the total ignorance that has run rampart in this post and this board has disappointingly and overwhelmingly approved of.

Source: The Qu'ran on my bookshelf

Try Prof Arberry's if you have a sense of the poetic power and beauty of the qur'an. Here is a sample from the surah waqia (he chose to translate as "the Terror " !) .. otherwise, I would maintain that all translations are just a drop in the ocean.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Koran-Interpreted-A-Translation/dp/0684825074

When the Terror descends,

(and none denies its descending),

abasing, exalting.

When the earth shall be rocked,

and the mountains crumbled,

and becomes dust, scattered.

And you shall be three bands,

Companions of the Right (O Companions of the Right!)

Companions of the Left (O Companions of the Left!)

and the Outstrippers; the Outstrippers.

Those are they brought nigh the Throne,

in the Gardens of Delight,

(a throng of the ancients,

and how few of the later folk)..

Salam brother, when I converted I used this website to learn how to pray. I have since come across this book and found that it is very good with clear pictures and transliterations. If you want it but for whatever reason you're not able to order it, drop me a PM and i'll send you a copy inshallah.

This one is recommended by AbdulNasir Jangda. I have it and it's very simple English and light to carry around. Also available on Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001ODEPPI/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_t8QYAbSFSQ5VT

Like Logical1ty said:

• Amazon link to Misquoting Muhammad if you interested (384 pages)
  
  
• Commonly Misunderstood Hadith Texts (6 min)
  
  
  
• How to Understand Prophetic Speech (25 min)
  
  
• An Introduction to Hadith (64 min)
  

Dishonest Muslims and their race traitor libtard allies in the West have managed to brainwash the global masses into believing the completely absurd idea that Islam is inherently peaceful and moderate and that it's been hijacked and twisted by tiny minority of extremists.

People need to check out the work of Robert Spencer. He's been exposing the true teachings of Islam - mostly to far-right audiences - for over a decade. I read his blog almost daily. I've also read almost all of his books and watched several of his lectures on YouTube. I highly suggest that whoever is reading this comment at least read one of his books or watch one of his lectures in order to enlighten yourself about the true imperialist and oppressive teachings of Islam.

Muslims really are trying to subvert the West from within. We know that for a fact thanks to a secret Muslim Brortherhood document that was uncovered during an FBI investigation into the largest Islamic charity in America. In the document they lay out their goals for destroying Western civilization from within and they also listed a huge list of allied groups that include many mainstream Islamic organizations.

Sounds like a bullshit racist conspiracy theory, right? Look it up for yourself before you pass judgement. You'll discover that it's actually true.

There seems to be a lot of paper written and a whole lot of time wasted on something that "doesn't exist."

Surely another liberal hoax -- concocted with help from the Chinese.

> 1) No citations

Read the book for citations.

> 2) Obvious bias

Yours is, yes.

This is the copy I have: https://www.amazon.com/Al-Quran-Contemporary-Translation-Ahmed-Ali/dp/0691074992/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1468624920&sr=8-1&keywords=quran+contemporary+translation

and my copy of the hadith: https://www.amazon.com/Translation-Meanings-Summarized-Sahih-Al-Bukhari/dp/1567445195/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1468624954&sr=8-4&keywords=hadith

I think this will answer all of your questions.

Short Answer: Yes, a majority reject such mistreatment of women. A VAST majority.

This is who you're referring to right? https://www.amazon.com/Holy-Quran-Abdullah-Yusuf-Ali/dp/1853267821

> 'A nation which placed its affairs in the hands of a woman shall never prosper..." (Bukhari 9, 88, 219).
>

Actually, if you read http://www.amazon.ca/Misquoting-Muhammad-Challenge-Interpreting-Prophets/dp/178074420X

the author explains that hadith to have something to with the situation at the time when it was said so it's not a universal rule.

http://www.amazon.com/Quran-Annotated-Interpretation-Modern-English/dp/1597841447

It was higher than I expected compared to the U.S.
http://media.gallup.com/MuslimWestFacts/PDF/GALLUPMUSLIMSTUDIESOrdinaryMuslims030607rev.pdf

edit: http://www.amazon.com/Who-Speaks-Islam-Billion-Muslims/dp/1595620176

If he wants to learn about Islam:
What Everyone needs to Know about Islam - John Esposito

If he wants to learn more about Muslims:
Who Speaks For Islam?: What a Billion Muslims Really Think

this one ;)

http://www.amazon.com/Meaning-Holy-Quran-English-Arabic/dp/1590080165/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Quran-Oxford-Worlds-Classics-ebook/dp/B001ODEPPI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1425321400&sr=8-1&keywords=quran

I know there's an edition in modern English translated by Ali Unal on Amazon, but I haven't had the opportunity to read it yet. Maybe someone else has...

Also recommend this book:

http://www.amazon.com/Misquoting-Muhammad-Challenge-Interpreting-Prophets/dp/178074420X

Excerpt:

> Until the collision with the modern West, no Muslim scholar of any consequence ever advocated that the Qur’an be read alone. They might dispute on all else, but the varied sects of Islam all agreed that Muslims should under no circumstances read the Qur’an in a vacuum. Islam’s sects shared two foundational principles: that the Sunna of the Prophet rules over and interprets the Qur’an, and that the Prophet’s interpretive authority had been passed on to those authorities who were to lead the community after his death. Where sects diverged was over how and by whom this Sunna was known and who had the authority to speak in the Prophet’s name. For Sunnis it was transmitted and known by the Muslim community as a whole, borne via the twin routes of the Hadiths, which recorded the Prophet’s words, and the inherited teachings of the early Muslim generations, spoken for by the community’s often cacophonous body of ulama. Taken together, this was the Sunni tradition, in which the authority of God and His Prophet could coalesce from the riot of stentorian voices and express itself fully in instances of consensus (ijma‘). Shiites believed that the Prophet’s teachings were inherited by particular lines of his descendants. The esoteric knowledge of the religion and the ability to interpret infallibly the Qur’an’s layers of hidden meaning passed from father to designated son like bloodlines. Those descendants designated in succession as Imams spoke with the authority of the Prophet. Further sectarian splintering into Imami (Twelver) and Ismaili (Sevener) schools followed disagreements over which line transmitted this hidden ‘ilm.
>
> [...]
>
> Although he had once relished the Ottoman scourge that God sent against the Antichrist Papacy, Luther despised Islam as much as any bishop he condemned. If the Saxon monk had ever managed a visit to Istanbul or Damascus he would have met with a mixed reaction among his Muslim counterparts. His rejection of highly derivative papal canon law, the scholastic theology of Aquinas (with its adoption of pagan Greek logic) and his conviction that Church tradition had departed from the original scripture of the Bible would have endeared him to proto-Salafi contemporaries like the Ottoman iconoclast Shaykh Mehmet Birgili or the followers of Ibn Taymiyya. But the corollary that tradition should be jettisoned and that each believer should return to the original scriptures of the Old and New Testaments would have provoked roars of laughter.

The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims

2:191- and slay them wherever ye catch them, and turn them out from where they have turned you out; for tumult and oppression are worse than slaughter; but fight them not at the sacred mosque, unless they first fight you there; but if they fight you, slay them.

such is the reward of those who suppress faith.


2:192- but if they cease, allah is oft-forgiving, most merciful.


2:193- and fight them on until there is no more tumult or oppression,and there prevail justice and faith in allah; but if they cease, let there be no hostility except to those who practise oppression.



where does it in anyway mention to kill non-believers try reading an actual quran instead of reading bollocks on the internet.



here i will help you

Hi again, I know I'm probably beating a dead horse here but the author does do more than just post a video and add a transcript. He does, in fact, contribute the following opinions. The first is above the video and transcript:

> I confess that I appreciate when Islamists are honest about what they believe and why they believe it, especially when it comes to the murderous nature of what they have been taught about jihad and following in the footsteps of their founder, Muhammad. That’s why the following video interview with Mullah Krekar that aired on Norwegian television, is so eye-opening for those who want to continually bury their heads in the sand concerning Islam. Not only does Krekar say it’s ok to kill non-Muslims, but adds, “Muslims have the right to Kill anyone who does not respect Islam.”

This he writes below the video and the transcript:

> If you still believe Islam is a “religion of peace,” perhaps you are just being willingly ignorant and blind about the matter. Thankfully, at least the State Department took the steps to designate open Islamic jihadi cleric Anjum Choudary as a global terrorist. Now, let’s see if President Donald Trump will make good on the promise to advance the bill to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror group.

That sounds like an fresh opinion which has generated a lot of discussion to me. Again, I ask you to please reconsider reinstating it. Whatever you decide, cheers.

Er zijn versies van de Koran in modern Engels met commentaar en achtergrond die wel interessant zijn. Ik heb zelf deze: https://www.amazon.com/Quran-Annotated-Interpretation-Modern-English/dp/1597841447

Dat zou ik aanraden ipv gewoon een vertaling te kopen

Western "liberals" committed racial and civilizational treason when they mass imported Muslims to our countries and then protected them from criticism and promoted their insanely depraved religion.

Don't try to deny it. Western "liberals" routinely denounce people - like Robert Spencer and other Islam critics - as ignorant, hateful, crazy and racist Islamophobes whenever they point out how innately screwed up the Islamic religion is. Own it. Stop denying that you're directly responsible for this hostile colonization of the "infidel" West. And stop trying to brainwash everyone into thinking that Muslims mass immigrating to our countries is somehow "culturally enriching" us...

Islam is a 5th column. It always has been and it always will be. It is not a tolerant and moderate religion of peace that's no worse than Christianity. You're completely delusional if you genuinely believe that. Islam is clearly in a league all of its own when it comes to general fanaticism, violence and oppression.

There's no legitimate excuse for continuing to support this Islamic colonization of the West when accurate information about what Islam really teaches and what most Muslims really believe is readily available on the webernetz.

If you are genuinely ignorant and brainwashed about what Islam really teaches, simply type "Robert Spencer" into YouTube and watch some of his lectures. Or visit his blog called "Jihad Watch". Or read some of his books.

The US military kills innocent civilians all the time. We like to pretend 'smart' bombs never hit the wrong target but that's just children's fiction. Both sides kill innocents, we just do it with predator drones and bombers, and call it a necessary cost for our military actions. They do it with whatever means they have, which is whatever explosives they can acquire.

Christians, during recorded history, have engaged in suicide bombings. In fact, the first recorded suicide bombing happened during the crusades while fighting Muslims. Source I hate to use this line of reasoning, but for all either of us know, it was Christians who started this trend. If you spend some time searching the web this is not the only time Christians have engaged in suicide bombings. Not to mention, there is virtually no difference between suicide bombings and the Oklahoma City bombings, just as one example. The end result is casualties and history has shown that Christians are also capable of these acts.

I'd still like a source for your belief that Muslims have a higher percent of radicalism. As a contrary source, I strongly recommend that you read "Who Speaks for Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think"
Book Of course you'll find people deriding the book, but please give it a look, I think you will be genuinely surprised at some of the statistics.

I used to think much like you before I heavily studied the issue and read books like this one. In fact, I very much see where you're coming from. The Muslim world is indeed rife with theocratic, totalitarian regimes, just like Europe once was. Islam is a newer religion than Christianity, they live in a worse part of the world generally, and in turn they have not progressed as fast as us. If anything we should sympathize with the average Muslim citizen who lives in said theocracy, and has been lied to since they learned to speak.

When Muhammad came along he was seen as a dangerous progressive, because it was the first time in the Arab world that women were given any rights at all. Today those beliefs have not kept up with Western progress, but for instance, women only gained the right to vote in the US in the 1920's, in other words we have women who were born without the right to vote. They will progress, but it's easy to cherry pick their worst acts and ignore our own.

The discrepancy is not as great as you believe, and the truth is still that Western and White civilization have committed their fair share of atrocities. Personally I'd argue that the Holocaust, Russian genocide, etc. are substantially worse than the suicide bombings you are so fixated on.