Reddit mentions: The best historical middle east biographies

We found 399 Reddit comments discussing the best historical middle east biographies. We ran sentiment analysis on each of these comments to determine how redditors feel about different products. We found 130 products and ranked them based on the amount of positive reactions they received. Here are the top 20.

1. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

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Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
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2. Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time

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Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time
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Release dateAugust 2007
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3. Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East

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Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East
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Release dateJune 2014
Weight1.69 Pounds
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4. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

Riverhead Books
The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad
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5. The Lemon Tree: An Arab, a Jew, and the Heart of the Middle East

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Release dateApril 2007
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6. Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East

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Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East
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Release dateFebruary 1989
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7. The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century

Penguin Books
The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century
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Height1.48 inches
Length8.43 inches
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Release dateMarch 2009
Weight1.39 Pounds
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10. Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

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Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
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Length6.32 Inches
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Release dateApril 2003
Weight0.87 Pounds
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11. The New Lion of Damascus: Bashar al-Asad and Modern Syria

The New Lion of Damascus: Bashar al-Asad and Modern Syria
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12. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

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Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
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Release dateOctober 1987
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13. Ataturk

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Release dateNovember 2001
Weight1.61598838046 Pounds
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14. Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics)

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Arabian Sands (Penguin Classics)
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Length7.7 Inches
Number of items1
Release dateJanuary 2008
Weight0.64595442766 Pounds
Width5.3 Inches
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15. Radical: My Journey Out Of Islamist Extremism

Lyons Press
Radical: My Journey Out Of Islamist Extremism
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Release dateOctober 2013
Weight1.15 Pounds
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17. Searching for Hassan: A Journey to the Heart of Iran

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18. Icon of Evil: Hitler's Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam

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Icon of Evil: Hitler's Mufti and the Rise of Radical Islam
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Length5.92 Inches
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Release dateJune 2008
Weight1.03 Pounds
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19. My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis

Haus Publishing Ltd
My House in Damascus: An Inside View of the Syrian Crisis
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Weight1.4991433816 Pounds
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20. The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad
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Release dateJanuary 2013
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🎓 Reddit experts on historical middle east biographies

The comments and opinions expressed on this page are written exclusively by redditors. To provide you with the most relevant data, we sourced opinions from the most knowledgeable Reddit users based the total number of upvotes and downvotes received across comments on subreddits where historical middle east biographies are discussed. For your reference and for the sake of transparency, here are the specialists whose opinions mattered the most in our ranking.
Total score: 65
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Top Reddit comments about Historical Middle East Biographies:

u/Logical1ty · 0 pointsr/islam

> You're smart enough to know the distinction between atheism and antitheism.

In terms of beliefs they are one and the same to me. Antitheism as I've understood it refers to atheists who deliberately push an anti-theistic agenda in the political and social domain.

If you're talking about Agnosticism, that's something else. Theologians have had varying ideas about what happens to those.

> Most people are more forgiving. It baffles me how Allah can be so angered at his creation for refusing to accept the word of one man over the billions that have preceded and succeeded him. Clearly He has the power to communicate directly with humans, so why doesn't He do it? Why does He insist on communicating through illiterate human proxies, being angered when large groups believe one set of proxies instead of another (e.g. Hindusim)?

I've made an attempt to paraphrase the basics of Islamic theology in some posts before, here's a copy/paste of those attempts:

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/23878519/theol.rtf (Open in WordPad)

> Because as we're all aware, people back then were beyond historical revisionism. It's not like he's been lionized or anything. We even have [1] pristine copies of the first biographies, written by those closest to him. These offer a lot of highly [2] accurate information about him, right?

Your knowledge of Islam is lacking. If you had read those links fully, you'd understand better.

There are three sources of knowledge on the life of the prophet.

  1. Qur'an

  2. Hadith

  3. Seerah

    The Qur'an isn't specific, but does contain some valuable insight.

    The Seerah is historical (like a biography) but is unauthenticated.

    The Hadith are painstakingly verified narrations of the Prophet's words and deeds. These make up the bulk of what we know of him and how. It's not organized into a story form at all. It's organized by legal subject and spread across collections.

    Modern day biographies (a decent one in English is by Martin Lings) combine all three.

    > A (literate?) merchant/shepherd deserts his wife to spend 15 years as a recluse, meditating and whatnot in some nearby cave. Upon finally coming back to civilization, he starts spouting some rubbish about [3] hearing voices in his head. Apparently he's been talking to an imaginary angel for the better part of his self-imposed exile.

    He was illiterate and he never abandoned his wife for 15 years. I've never heard that before.

    http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/0892811706

    If you're going to attempt to criticize Islam, it's a good idea to have a rudimentary understanding of it. I'd strongly recommend picking this book up because it unites the three sources. Other biographies utilize only one source.

    > If this scenario were to play out today, he would be hauled away to a mental institution, and for good reason. But apparently he was sane back then, huh?

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_100

    Alphonse Lamartine on the Prophet (saw):

    > Never has a man set for himself, voluntarily or involuntarily, a more sublime aim, since this aim was superhuman: to subvert superstitions which had been interposed between man and his creator, to render God unto man and man unto God; to restore the rational and sacred idea of divinity amidst the chaos of the material and disfigured gods of idolatry, then existing. Never has a man undertaken a work so far beyond human power with so feeble means, for he (Muhammad) had in the conception as well as in the execution of such a great design no other instrument than himself, and no other aid, except a handful of men living in a corner of the desert. Finally, never has a man accomplished such a huge and lasting revolution in the world, because in less than two centuries after its appearance, Islam, in faith and in arms, reigned over the whole of Arabia, and conquered, in God's name, Persia, Khorasan, Transoxania, Western India, Syria, Egypt, Abyssinia, all the known continent of Northern Africa, numerous islands of the Mediterranean, Spain, and a part of Gaul.
    >
    > If greatness of purpose, smallness of means, and astounding results are the true criteria of human genius, who could dare to compare any great man in modern history with Muhammad? The most famous men created arms, laws and empires only. They founded, if anything at all, no more than material powers which often crumbled away before their eyes. This man moved not only armies, legislations, empires, peoples and dynasties, but millions of men in one-third of the inhabited world; and more than that, he moved the altars, the gods, the religions, the ideas, the beliefs and the souls.
    >
    > On the basis of a Book, every letter of which has become law, he created a spiritual nationality which blended together peoples of every tongue and of every race. He has left us as the indelible characteristic of this Muslim nationality the hatred of false gods and the passion for the One and Immaterial God. This avenging patriotism against the profanation of Heaven formed the virtue of the followers of Muhammad; the conquest of one-third of the earth to his dogma was his miracle; or rather it was not the miracle of a man but that of reason.
    >
    > The idea of the Unity of God, proclaimed amidst the exhaustion of fabulous theogonies, was in itself such a miracle that upon its utterance from his lips it destroyed all the ancient temples of idols and set on fire one-third of the world. His life, his meditations, his heroic revilings against the superstitions of his country, and his boldness in defying the furies of idolatry, his firmness in enduring them for fifteen years at Mecca, his acceptance of the role of public scorn and almost of being a victim of his fellow countrymen: all these and, finally, his flight, his incessant preaching, his wars against odds, his faith in his success and his superhuman security in misfortune, his forbearance in victory, his ambition, which was entirely devoted to one idea and in no manner striving for an empire; his endless prayers, his mystic conversations with God, his death and his triumph after death: all these attest not to an imposture but to affirm conviction which gave him the power to restore a dogma. This dogma was twofold, the unity of God and the immateriality of God: the former telling what God is, the latter telling what God is not; the one overthrowing false gods with the sword, the other starting an idea with the words.
    >
    > Philosopher, orator, apostle, legislator, warrior, conqueror of ideas, restorer of rational dogmas, of a cult without images; the founder of twenty terrestrial empires and of one spiritual empire, that is Muhammad. As regards all standards by which human greatness may be measured, we may well ask, is there any man greater than he? -- Paris 1854, Vol. II, pp. 276- 277
u/autumnflower · 10 pointsr/islam

> I don't see God as a person or personality but rather as infinite intelligence which we are connected to

What do you mean by infinite intelligence? Where does it come from and what is it based on? How do you view the world in light of this infinite intelligence? Was it created by this intelligence or did the intelligence pre-exist or is the infinite intelligence part and parcel of the universe? And if it's the latter, then how did the world come about, i.e. do you believe in a creator?

And if you don't mind, what do you base your view on? What I mean is that there is usually some basis for one's belief, some scriptural source which is believed to be divinely revealed or inspired, some reason based argument, etc. How do you come to this particular belief? Is it just one that appeals to you?


In Islam God is the creator and sustainer. He is distinct from creation. When we pray to God, we are declaring that we are slaves in submission to Allah and such a status is the highest and best a creation could possibly be. Praying for something (ex. a job) is recognition that we have no power and all power and provision lies with God and it is only through Him that we may obtain something we want.

Angels and Jinn are creations just like us. Angels are made from light and Jinn from fire, so in a sense, I suppose you could consider them as made from energy though not in the new-age energy kind of view.


>I find it hard that there's a person who listens and is then like "Yes/No" and decides everything.

Why do you find it hard to believe that there's an infinite One entity that decides everything? The God of Islam is not a man in the sky with limited time and resources. He is eternal and knows everything, decides everything, and does everything. You wouldn't even be typing this reddit post without His willing to do so. He encompasses everything and is closer to you than your jugular vein, yet is distinct from his creation.

And though He has infinite intelligence, to say that this is all He is would be to limit Him. Have a look at the 99 names of Allah, each a characteristic of His.

My recommendation would be, if you haven't already done so, to read a biography of the prophet Muhammad (sawa). And the Qur'an.

u/ohamid345 · 3 pointsr/islam

>Inshallah I want to read about the life of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh), but it's hard to trust random online sites from Muslims, who will naturally praise him, and sites from Christians/atheists who only want to slander him. I honestly don't know what to believe.

Karen Armstrong is not a Muslim and has written a biography of the Prophet ﷺ, see: Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time. We do not need her to praise the Prophet ﷺ in order for it to be the case however.

>Was he truly the final prophet of God? This question has been bothering so much that I can't sleep a night. The past few night I've been up till the sun came up researching.

Rest assured, the Prophet ﷺ was the final prophet. Here is a helpful video on the matter: The Prophetic Truth: Proving Prophet Muhammad's ﷺ Prophethood.

>I've briefly read about the supposed miracles he did, but how do we know these are true? Please help me!

The miracles took place in the past, so we can't see them happen in front of us right now, we can trust the sources which tell us he did do them, however. But the miracle which is still here today is the Quran: God’s Testimony: The Divine Authorship of the Quran.

u/pravoslavie · 1 pointr/Christianity

A complete defense of the character of the Prophet is a bit of a tall order for a reddit comment, and I'm much too underqualified to provide it given that I myself am a recent convert still learning the seerah.

If you'd like, you could bring up specific claims and I could do my best to point you to answers, but frankly, though I know relatively little about the life of the Prophet, his family, and his companions, what I do know about him couldn't be further from the barbaric, power-hungry sexual deviant that people might try to portray him as.

In 1928, Mohandas Gandhi is recorded as saying the following of the Prophet in Young India:

>I wanted to know the best of the life of one who holds today an undisputed sway over the hearts of millions of mankind. I became more than ever convinced that it was not the sword that won a place for Islam in those days in the scheme of life. It was the rigid simplicity, the utter self-effacement of the Prophet and the scrupulous regard for pledges, his intense devotion to his friends and followers, his intrepidity, his fearlessness, his absolute trust in God and in his own mission. These and not the sword carried everything before them and surmounted every obstacle. When I closed the second volume (of the Prophet's biography), I was sorry there was not more for me to read of that great life.

As far as I can tell, this is the best English language resource on his life. I think all serious thinking people owe it to themselves to honestly investigate why this man is held dear by almost two billion people. Instead of dismissing his followers as poor souls misled by malevolent forces, he should be approached without the biases of a religious agenda.

u/shikatozi · 1 pointr/islam

Salaam Sbadiglio. Thanks, but the important thing to remember is that there are other Muslims just like me all around the world, and I'm not even that good. I'm not a shiek/imam, and I do sin, whether I know it or not. However, I do ask Allah for forgiveness for the sin I do. Alhamduallah Allah knows best.

Are there sins so great that could get someone beyond redemption? The most dangerous sin is shirk, that is idolatry or polytheism. It is important to emphasize that in Islam, there is no God but Allah. Can shirk/murder/fornication/etc be forgiven? It is up to Allah. However, it is important for Muslims to quickly recognize that if they are sinning to quickly stop doing the sin and ask forgiveness and to prevent themselves from sinning again. Intention is also important; what is in your heart is the true intention.

are you free to read it and take "lessons" from it by yourself or is there only one way for everyone? A couple of things: 1) Translated versions of the Quran are not the Quran. The Quran is only the Quran if it is in Arabic. In addition, the Quran is an -immensely- complex and logical book. True scholars in Islam do not just read the Quran, they read the hadiths (stories of the Prophet Muhammed peace and blessings to him) associated with the sura (chapter), they study for years and years the scholars before themselves, they spend incredible amount of time, wisdom, and energy deriving lessons from the Quran. But you might ask yourself, if the book is so complex, then how is it supposed to be a manual for humanity? Well, at the same time, the Quran lays out simple laws for the common man to obey. Do not cheat on your wife, do no injustice to your fellow man, do not oppress, eat halal and spend your money on charity, pray 5 times a day, fast during Ramadan. These are simple laws that everyone can follow. So, in essence, yes you can read the Quran, but -understanding- it is a different thing. To understand the Quran, I highly recommend going to a mosque, watching Islamic videos (the good, authentic ones with sources), taking classes, talking to fellow Muslims, reading Islamic books and really diving into the history of Islam. I really recommend you read this book. It is about the Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings upon him. It's a good first step.

do you think that muslim face discrimination in the world nowdays? No doubt about it. Somewhere around the world, there are people being discriminated for their race, belief, ideas, religion, etc. One of the worst sins is oppression. Oppressing others/not treating them fairly is very bad. We must be mindful and proactive about stopping this discrimination/oppression. If you see a child treating another child unfairly, we must teach them the right way to treat one another.

Yes, well media is media, they have their own agenda and their own intention. But alhamduallah there is no greater force than Allah, and I would rather be a bum who is a devout Muslim than the King of the finite world
who is not Muslim. It is this inner serenity, this peace that Islam has that cannot be brought or challenged.

Salaam friend!

u/zilozi · 2 pointsr/Christianity

Let me start with the basic. We love all of our Prophet's like you love Jesus Christ, but we do have a special place in our heart for Muhammad. He was a man who was deeply worried about peoples soul. He told people to avoid the temptation of Satan and to worship the god of Abraham. No one can be a Muslim and reject Jesus Christ at the same time. So when Jews become a Muslim they accepted Jesus. He was very compassionate and caring

I had a Funny conversation with a christian once. He came up to me and we talked about religion. He then concluded that I didn't worship his God. I replied thank goodness.. Because I worship the lord who created the heaven and the earth and everything in between and then I asked him who he worshiped ( BTW the conversation ended with him telling me who I worship, because he refused to let me worship ' The one true God, God ' )?




Start with lectures to actually see what Muslims lecturer teach their general population (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cLVPT3bB9nk).

http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1449867261&sr=8-1&keywords=prophet+muhammad

u/mybahaiusername · 3 pointsr/religion

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.
u/kinkykusco · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

If you're looking for something substantial, I would recommend "A concise History of the Middle East" by Goldschmidt and Davidson. At 500 pages they're clearly trolling by calling it concise, but it's an excellent one-stop reference for Middle Eastern History (starting like I did with Muhammad). I will forewarn you that this isn't light reading., but if you're interested in serious Middle Eastern scholarship this is a great place to start.

Other than that my personal education was from college lectures and primary sources. You shouldn't necessarily avoid all unbiased sources, rather attempt to recognize biases as you come across them, and potentially seek out an alternate opinion.

In middle eastern history the best example of this is the Israeli - Palestinian conflict; its impossible to learn about this and not come out with an opinion. That doesn't mean you shouldn't try to learn about it at all, just try to sort out fact from conjecture from opinion from fiction. This is what serious history scholarship is about anyway. History is messy and making sense out of it is what most historians find enjoyable.

Edit - If you would like something to read that's Middle Eastern history related but not nearly as dry as a textbook I would recommend Parsepolis. It's a graphic novel, and it's in the first person so it definitely has bias, but it's an excellent look into Iran through the eyes of an Iranian child, and it's a fun read even if you have no interest in history.

u/[deleted] · 1 pointr/JordanPeterson

For anyone saying that Islam is only a political system coupled with bible verses. Political interpretations of the biography of the Prophet (pbuh) have been made in the last 100 yrs in the midst of decolonization mouvements in the middle East. Political power was not what motivated Muhammad. If it was, he would have accepted the deal the Quraich tribe came with, which was to give him any riches, any power that he wanted in exchange of stopping to proclaim that there was one God. Slaves, poor people and some youth were attracted to his message (because it was empowering) and it was causing trouble to rich and powerful members of the tribe that saw that as an assault on their honor and a challenge to their authority and customs. So to the propositions, he answered : "May you would to put the moon in one of my hand, and the sun in the other one, I would never stop to say that there is one God." Something like that. Along with reciting verses from the Quran. How about considering that he had very very few follower for 12 first years, that they were prosecuted and banned from their city only for saying that they believed in one God. I mean, what are the chances that this strategy would have been seen as the most effective and the best one to gain power over the arab tribes and form a state ? Like, seriously ? You have seen a lot of historical figures that were politically motivated that their main strategy was to proclaim that there was one God against all of people around them. Give one example of an historical figure that used that deliberate strategy to gain political power. So, read another biography that is not motivated by political ideologies applied on history. I recommend this one and a contextualized version of the Quran like this one for furthering research outside of anti-muslim or pro-islamist narratives. Peace !

u/WhiteRastaJ · 2 pointsr/AskHistorians

That's not wholly fair--several of us have provided good information, not faux scholarship or atheist reactionary rants!

I do want to throw in a few extra points to go with yours. I agree that pre-Islamic Arabia was not as barbarous as is sometimes assumed, however the reforms that Muhammad ushered in were often welcome and needed--giving women rights for example, and forbidding female infanticide.

It is true that we have no proof of Muhammad's illiteracy. Indeed, the first word of the first Qur'anic verse (in terms of chronology), 'iqra (أقرا) can be translated either 'read' or 'recite' so it sheds little light on that (source--Dr. Jamal Badawi's writings and classes).

The Qur'an was written down and compiled under the aegis of Uthman ibn Affan, as we've discussed elsewhere in this thread.

I also agree that many joined the early ummah out of a desire to improve their lot. This wasn't limited to Arabia; when Islam began to spread out from there it was originally meant to be an Arab religion and conversion was discouraged, however many converted in order to enjoy the same benefits as the Muslims did.

A lot of this is made very clear in the best seerah (bio of Muhammad) available in English, which is Martin Lings' Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. A caveat on this book: Lings was a faithful Muslim and wrote from a faith-based position, so it does lose some scholarly objectivity. However its a great read and its easy to maintain your own objectivity as you read it.

Also, Ira Lapidus' A History of Islamic Societies has a good section on pre-Islamic Arabia, as does Albert Hourani's History of the Arab Peoples IIRC.

I recommend all three books to anyone wanting to pursue this subject further.

u/Onyxkross · 1 pointr/DebateReligion

So, how would you know if Quran is authentic without even reading it or without Knowing about Muhammad(pbuh)? You have already negated the Historical evidence i posted in my 2nd post.

Why would you think that Muhammad (pbuh) himself wrote Quran and then attributed to Allah?, Because if he was really that devious then he would have taken all the money, power and comfort offered from Quraish when they asked him to stop preaching.

Quran is regarded as highest work of arabic, so if a person was to write it, why would he give this credit away.

If wordly gains was Muhammad's (pbuh) desire then he was doing a poor job at it, leaving a comfortable noble life with a rich wife.

Now when i try to prove it to you with historical context, you state that the historians plagiarized the events and can't be trusted, when you have overwhelming evidence of Muhammad's(pbuh) life in great detail, from various accounts. I think you have already made up your mind to not believe anything about islamic history written by muslims.

Perhaps you would trust a non-muslims, islamic view?

I can refer to you some books:

  1. The 100 by Michael H.Hart

  2. On Heroes, Hero-worship, and the Heroic in History, by Thomas Carlyle

  3. Islam Her Moral and Spiritual Value, by Major Arthur Glyn Leonard

  4. Muhammad by Karen Armstrong

  5. Islam by Alfred Guillaume

  6. The life of Muhammad by William Muir

    All these are studies of non muslims about prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Islam.
u/WearingAVegetable · 18 pointsr/AskHistorians

Short answer: no.

Slightly longer answer: The radicalization of Islam in the Middle East ties into the division of the region by the western powers after WWI, and further during the Cold War, when the U.S. (not only, but in particular) supported the rise to power of radical religious figures in opposition to communist/leftist parties & figures who might be sympathetic to the Soviet Union, and therefore potentially threaten U.S./U.K. access to oil in the region. This included aiding in the over-throwing of democratically elected governments in favor of autocratic but U.S./U.K.-favored leaders - most notably the U.S.-led 1953 coup d'etat in Iran, when Mohammad Mosaddegh was overthrown. The 1978 Iranian Revolution began as a popular uprising against the Shah who replaced him.

For more extensive reading on the subject:

Inventing Iraq by Toby Dodge (I have some major issues with Dodge's conclusions post 9/11, but the historical analysis that makes up the majority of the book is solid)

Spies in Arabia by Priya Satia, and Lawrence in Arabia are good histories of imperial ambition during the WWI period and its after-effects

Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan for the political maneuvering of the Western powers

A Peace to End All Peace by David Fromkin

I also recommend Edward Said, if you're looking for cultural analysis as well as history

u/NanciMarie · 2 pointsr/TruthCrab

The Bookseller of Kahbul by Anse Seierstad

I just finished this book for a book club. Its a hard read, but eye opening. This book gives a glimpse into Afghan life by focusing on individuals in a family. It shows how even those you would think have the opportunity for success, are even denied basic education.If you live a first world life, like I do in middle America, it is very eye opening and makes you feel so grateful for the life you live. I did have to stop reading before bed due to the unhappy content, but I think this is an important read to understand the culture of an corruption of this country. It does read like a novel, which sometimes makes the individual events seem like random facts being tossed around, but it does come full circle in the end. It does focus a lot on women's rights,or lack of, so it may not be for everyone. But I enjoyed it :) Love and light!

https://www.amazon.com/Bookseller-Kabul-Asne-Seierstad/dp/0316734500/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1488313620&sr=1-1&keywords=the+bookseller+of+kabul&refinements=p_n_feature_browse-bin:2656020011

u/rangifer2014 · 4 pointsr/JoeRogan

All right. Just went through my library and the following stood out to me:


Desert Solitaire (1968) by Edward Abbey: One of the best American voices for conservation spent some seasons as a park ranger in the desert southwest. Here are some brilliant, funny, and soundly critical musings inspired by his time there.


A Continuous Harmony (1972) & The Unsettling of America (1977) by Wendell Berry: In my opinion, Wendell Berry is the best cultural critic we've ever had. He's 86 now and still a powerful voice of reason in a chaotic society. Dismissed mistakenly by fools as someone who just wants to go back to the old days, he offers much-needed critiques on our decomposing relationship to the land and what it's been doing to our culture.


Night Comes to the Cumberlands (1962) by Harry M. Caudill: This Kentucky native saw what the predatory and morally bankrupt coal industry had done to the people and land (and the relationship between the two) in Appalachia and outlined how it all happened in powerful inarguable detail. This book serves as a stern warning about what chaos and destruction industries can bring forth when profit is their only concern. Anyone wondering why Appalachia is full of depressed drug addicts can find the roots of those issues in this book, which inspired The War on Poverty.

The Big Sky (1947) by A.B. Guthrie Jr. : A classic novel about a young kid who runs away to join the fur trade in the frontier days. It tells a very believable story, rather than chasing the overblown myths of the West like most novels dealing with that subject.

Shantyboat (1977) & Payne Hollow by Harlan Hubbard: He and his wife Anna built a truly rewarding and pleasant life together almost entirely independent of modern industrial society in the 1940s and 50s, first floating down the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers on a shantyboat they built, living from temporary gardens and trading with people they met along the river, and then settling into Payne Hollow where they lived a realer-than-Thoreau existence together for decades. True love, and true meaningful living.

Of Wolves and Men (1978) by Barry Lopez: Rogan seems to think he's some kind of authority on wolves and I cringe every time I hear him start talking about them. It doesn't begin and end with "These are savage fucking predators that need to be controlled!" He seriously needs to read this book, which is a beautifully-written and exhaustive look at the history of the relationship between human and wolves. Like most interesting things, it is a complex issue.

My Life With The Eskimo (1909?) by Vilhjalmur Stefansson: The accounts of an ethnologist traveling through the arctic before much contact had been made between Europeans and Natives. Incredible stories of survival and the inevitable interesting situations that occur when two vastly different cultures meet.

The Marsh Arabs (1964) & Arabian Sands (1959) by Wilfred Thesiger: This dude went deep. Deep into the marshes of Southern Iraq and deep into the Empty Quarter of Arabia. Both books are amazing accounts of voyages through incredible parts of the world whose geography and people have since been changed forever.

The Mountain People (1972) by Colin M. Turnbull: This anthropologist lived with the Ik in Uganda as they went through a complete cultural disintegration brought on by starvation during a drought. Reading this, one sees how quickly complete tragic anarchy takes hold when basic resources are in desperate need. Humanity went out the window.

Let me know if you ever read any of these, and how you like them. I would bet they provide anyone with good food for thought and discussion.

u/Bizkitgto · 2 pointsr/oilandgasworkers

Start with The Prize. If you want to understand the economics of oil you need to understand the history of the business, the player's, the Middle East (especially Saudi Arabia) and the Caspian.

These are some great books to help you understand the industry better:

The King of Oil: The Secret Lives of Marc Rich

The Oil and the Glory: The Pursuit of Empire and Fortune on the Caspian Sea

Private Empire: ExxonMobil and American Power

The Seven Sisters: The great oil companies & the world they shaped

The Bin Ladens: An Arabian Family in the American Century

The Handbook of Global Energy Policy

u/SomeRandomMax · 1 pointr/atheism

I agree. I do believe that the world would be better off without religion, but I do not believe that is a change that can happen by force. You cannot destroy a religion by force in a free society. Doing so will only create martyrs and zealots.

I do pretty strongly recommend the book above. In particular I'd suggest the audiobook. It was recorded a month after the regular book was released, so it has about an extra hour of extra material where they respond to questions and criticisms.

Nawaz' book Radical is also highly recommended. The writing is not perfect, but it is eye opening to how a well-off, well-educated British Muslim from a liberal family can end up recruiting for Islamist organizations in Pakistan and Egypt. I definitely came away with a much deeper understanding of the issue after listening to it.

u/kopoc · 2 pointsr/CasualConversation

I'm not huge on nonfiction, but I loved Lawrence in Arabia.
Reading about influential people/events is really fun and feels more productive than reading fantasy (but man, do I love fantasy).

u/yolakalemowa · 1 pointr/dataisbeautiful

Please read more from the sources that MUSLIMS claim to be authentic. Read Muhammad by Martin Lings.

Get to know him and his family and companions. This is the most rigorously and authentically documented and biographized life of a human being in history. We know how he drank, ate, dressed, we know how many white hairs he had by the end of his life. We know how he recited the Qur'an to the level of how he moved his tongue...

We know he preferred to sit when he drinks, and when he'd drink he'd do it with his right hand, on 3 separate phases, not all at once, so as not to shock the body. We know he entered (what is the equivalent of bathroom at the time) with his right foot and exited with his left. We know how he cleaned his teeth and how he flossed, how he cleaned himself to the very detail. How he moved his index finger in prayer, where he placed his eyes. What he said when he saw the moon, in its different stages.

We know what he did when it rained. He'd go outside, expose his shoulders to it, welcoming "A most recent companion of its Lord".

I can go on forever ¯_(ツ)_/¯.

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

Let me know if you have any questions or sources :) ʾinshāʾAllāh I can help!

Thank you for giving me opportunity to write this. I benefitted from it a lot!

Salām

u/bipolargraph · 2 pointsr/islam

This is an excellent, but pretty long source, by Yasir Qadhi. You can use it to look up whatever controversy, or topic (for example, muslim wars), to see their context in detail.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAEA99D24CA2F9A8F

This is a well praised book, yet I didn't read it to be honest:
https://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537/ref=zg_bs_12532_1?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=1E7EFS62ZE6WF9E67CPR

u/AndTheEgyptianSmiled · 3 pointsr/islam

Martin Lings' Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is popular for good reason.

But the best history book I've seen is the work of Dr. Ali M. Sallabi.

It's two volumes and like 2000 pages but it's fascinating read.

I have it on PDF if you want it.


**


For understanding context, Dr. Jonathan Brown is an excellent resource. He's got several books, including his most recent Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy (he's already working on 2nd edition lol...)

u/monk123 · 2 pointsr/converts

>What should I read?

If you are interested in learning about our faith, I would start by reading a translation of the Quran. www.quran.com is an excellent online resource. If you want help obtaining a physical copy of the Quran let me know. Also, I would recommend reading a biography of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). I recommend this one.

>Do I need a circumcision?

No.

>Do I have to grow a beard?

It's highly recommended.

>How often do I pray?

5 times a day.

>When, why, how and what do I say when I do?

This link can help you with those questions.

>I have bad knees, do I have to kneel down?

No, you can use a chair when you pray.



u/TechnicalHovercraft · 16 pointsr/islam

I suggest finding out about the Prophet Muhammad because he is the best living example of Islam.

Karen Armstrong's biography is a very engaging read: https://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Prophet-Time-Karen-Armstrong/dp/0061155772

In terms of visiting a mosque, its best to go to the biggest one in your area because they'll have the most resources to welcome you and answer any questions you have. You can just turn up, but there might not be anyone available to meet you. If you call ahead most mosques will make sure someone is there to greet you, make you feel comfortable and answer any questions you might have.

u/Elliot_Loudermilk · 18 pointsr/islam

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Ling |
PDF
| Audiobook Part 1

The Sealed Nectar by Safi-ur-Rhaman Al-Mubarakpuri

Lings book reads like a story, and it's pretty good.

The Sealed Nectar won 1st place in an international competition held by the Muslim World League in 1979 for best biography of the Prophet pbuh.

u/tsteele93 · 1 pointr/reddit.com

Great, as I look at my bookshelf I have:
Survivor
Fight Club
and
Lullaby.

I will often get on Amazon and just order several books to get the free shipping. Based on other stuff I have read and like Chuck was recommended and I have heard interesting things about Fight Club so I figured, "why not."

Oh well, I guess that I will try Fight Club next.

I'm reading "The Bookseller of Kabul" right now and it is pretty interesting. (Non-fiction)

u/Nrussg · 1 pointr/AskHistorians

This is a very large expanse of time in which many events took place and I unfortunately don't have time right now to cover the whole thing (nor the proper expertise) but if you have perhaps a more specific question I can likely give an informed and sourced answer (i.e. the rise of the Baathist party specifically or the Assad family within the Baathist party.)

In terms of some good sources to check out, David Lesch has written a ton about Syrian history, specifically in his twin books The New Lion of Damascus and The Fall of the House Assad between the two you should get a good glimpse of Syrian history under the Assads (with a definite focus on Bashar.) Just a word of caution, Lesch had a lot of personal interaction with Bashar (which is partially what makes him so informed) but this also leads to a bias towards Bashar in the first book which he is in a way trying to rectify in his second book.

Hopefully this helps, sorry I couldn't answer more completely.

u/gharmonica · 10 pointsr/arabs

Hey, so I'll try to give you my point of view, that is somewhat aligned with the view of the majority of secular people opposing Assad.

> What was Syria before war?

It was a dictatorship, with the apparent stability, the rooted corruption, and lack of freedom of speech that usually characterize one. The 30 years of Hafez al Assad ruling was an iron fist type of dictatorship, banning of parties, news papers and media, imprisonment of opposition, praising of the eternal leader. despite the seemingly peaceful era, Assad the father's rule faced several external challenges and was involved in several regional wars (October War aka. Yom Kippur War, Lebanese Civil War, and The Gulf war I&II, as well as internal challenges (Muslim brotherhood uprising that resulted in 1982 Hama massacre, and a coup attempt by his brother Refaat in 1984, and the death of his eldest son Bassel that he was preparing to be his successor).

When Bashar al Assad assumed power in the early 2000s he tried to lessen up the iron fist by opening up the market (did I mention that the market was pure socialist before?), introducing the internet to Syria, and giving permission for new newspapers, in a prior called Damascus Spring. But what seemed as an attempt of a soft transitioning to democracy was soon revealed to be just an aesthetic make-over, with an new wave of prosecution of the opposition after what is called Damascus Deceleration, the assassination of Rafic al Hariri the prime minister of Lebanon, the following Cedar Revolution in Lebanon, that resulted in kicking out the Syrian army from Lebanon (that's another long story), and the 2004 Qamishli riots

> Why did Syrians started revolution against Assad?

The short answer: To follow the steps of the rest of the Arab world, hoping for reforms, transition of power, and more freedom of speech.

The long answer: With the transition to an open market system, and almost no reforms to the judicial system, the corruption that Assad the father kept under control by holding all the strings, exploded. And since Assad the son tried to appeal to the public by getting the old guards out of the picture, he lost control over many of the corrupted personals that his father kept in place. Add to that the drought that hit Syria around 2006 forcing millions of people to leave there rural areas and move to the cities. All of this widened the gap between the classes of the Syrian population practically eliminating the middle class.

> What would you tell them?

Since Assad took power he persecuted, imprisoned, and exiled every possible alternative, and presented himself as the only option.
During the uprising he continued persecuting and targeting any opposing voice including secular activists, journalists, and aid workers.
He actively helped turn the uprising into an Islamic one, by releasing some of his radical prisoners from Sednaya prison like Zahran Alloush who went to become the commander of Jaysh al-Islam.
The civilian death toll of the government force continues to be by far the highest among all other factions.
So I can't seem to understand how will Assad secure and rebuild the country when he's been actively destroying it for the past almost 7 years.

> By your flair, I see you support Syrian Opposition. As I mentioned earlier, they are often described as religious extremists. What is your opinion?

I do not support the opposition, for the same reason I don't support Assad, they are corrupted, power thirsty assholes who don't present a solution for Syria. This flag was the Syrian flag after the independence, not the opposition flag, most Islamist factions has their own flags and most of them ban the use of this flag in areas under their control.

> Are you a refugee? Where do you live now?

I'm living in Lebanon, I'm not a refugee.

> What do Syrians think about Assad?

If there was one answer to this question there wouldn't be a civil war right now, a lot of them oppose him for various reasons, and a lot of them support him also for various reasons.

> Could you recommend me some books about Syria, Arabs, religion or whole region of ME to better understand your point of view? I am mostly interested in history books, but fiction is also welcomed.

I'd say Patrick Seale's Asad: The Struggle for the Middle East (1989) is a good read to understand Hafez al Assad's period, it will give you a glimpse into the structure of the regime and helps you build a foundation for further readings.

Hope that wasn't too long (it was), and you didn't get bored half way through, if you have some more time and would like to read more about the Syrian civil war and what caused it the wiki page on the subject is fairly good.
Also if you have any more questions I'd be happy to answer.

Cheers.

u/Mac8v2 · 3 pointsr/unexpectedjihad

I am Catholic and learned most of what I know about Islam though university classes and independent research. I can give you a list of books I have read about Islam that will get you started.

Oxford English Koran
Obviously the primary text is important to have and the book is pretty small. Much smaller compared to the bible.



Hadith of Bukhari: Volumes I, II, III & IV


Half of Islamic law is derived from the Koran and the other half from the Hadith. The Hadith is the collection of events, and quotes by Mohammad and his followers. This book is huge and you shouldn't try to read the whole since it is just list quotes and who they are by. But it is a good reference source and something to page through.

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
Biography of Mohammad using historical sources. Good reference.



Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World Through Islamic Eyes



Brief 350 page run of Islamic history until now as told by a Muslim. I felt the book was a bit preachy and accusatory towards the end but I read it 6 years ago so my memory might be hazy. Still a good read if you want to try to understand how mainstream moderate Muslim scholars see things. It has a good bibliography too.




There are probably a bunch of other ones I am forgetting. Take a look through Amazon and see what else they have. I would only buy books from university presses or published by academics though. They can be dense and difficult but they are peer reviewed which is important since there is so much anti-Islam, pro-Islam publishing out there.








u/thelectrician · 1 pointr/pics

As a Muslim I sincerely believe the same God had sent the New Testamentm but it was distorted throughout time. 'Klansmen' could misinterpret the testament in a wrong way similar to ISIS guys. Interpretation is an important issue. I suggest you not to drown yourself in ISIS interpretation of Quran, but to learn from the verily source.

https://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1488215469&sr=8-1&keywords=martin+lings+muhammad

But it is just a suggestion. I am not a preacher, not a great debater, or something like that. I am just a regular muslim, who wants to live peacefully, and wants others to live in peace.

Thank you for your kind answers.

u/KASKAx · 2 pointsr/Christianity

Yes, I do!

The 3 best ones that I have ever seen are:

The Sealed Nectar

Muhammad: His Life Based On The Earliest Sources

In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad

The last one is by Tariq Ramadan. It would probably be the easiest one to digest/read for someone not too familiar with Islam or Muhammad peace be upon him.

u/darkazanli · 2 pointsr/arabs

I really like the idea of book club and encourage people to read more often. i'm always reading at least one book but i always read in english. im really slow and shitty with arabic and dont really understand fus7a or complicated words

anyone down to have an english book club?

i got a great suggestion The Lemon Tree: An Arab, A Jew and the Heart of the Middle East its like 13 buck on Amazon

edit:

its the true story of Bashir Khairi and Dalia Ashkanazi and it tells the stories of both families, the ashkanazis in bulgaria and the khairis in ramleh, palestine. it is also filled with political details on both struggles (more on palestine.)

it gives you both perspectives objectively

u/cg_roseen · 3 pointsr/syriancivilwar

It all depends on what kind of angle you're looking for.

Here is by no means an exhaustive list. I must say I haven't read all of these but have come across them in research and from previous recommendations on here, but here goes:

Background/Social & Historical contexts/Other relevant stuff

Patrick Seale - Assad (rather old, good for history)

Tarek Osman - Islamism (2016, broad coverage of Islamism in theory and practice, good context)

John Robertson - Iraq (2016)

John McHugo - Syria (2015)

Sami Moubayed - Syria & The USA (2013)

Sami Moubayed - Damascus Between Democracy and Dictatorship (2000, very good for Syrian history and experience with democracy)


Perceived pro-original opposition bias

Diana Darke - My House in Damascus (new version came out 2015)

Michael Weiss & Hassan Hassan - ISIS (2015)

Charles Lister - The Syrian Jihad (2016)

Perceived pro-government bias

Patrick Cockburn - Rise of the Islamic State (2015, this might not be as detailed as you'd want it to be)

Kurds

Michael Knapp, Ercan Ayboga & Anja Flach - Revolution Rojava (2016, the detail in this is beyond insane)

u/IranRPCV · 1 pointr/PERSIAN

One of the best books on the political relationship between Iran and the US was written by someone who has lived it - Ambassador John Limbert. Negotiating with Iran. On the older history side, you should be aware of Shiraz in the age of Hafez.

I would also like to recommend Searching for Hassan: a Journey to the Heart of Iran by Terance Ward.

u/Maglgooglarf · 10 pointsr/islam

As others have mentioned, a prophetic biography is one of the best places to start. I prefer Karen Armstrong's book on the prophet Muhammed as the starting point for pretty much everyone, but especially those from a nonMuslim perspective.

I unfortunately don't have good reading recommendations about daily routines and their association with belief. If you feel comfortable doing so, that may be something you can get from your local mosque. They tend to be well-equipped, at least where I have lived in the US, to be able to deal with people who have questions about Islam.

The one thing I'll note here is that I think a lot of people are surprised by the level of diversity within the religion and the way that practice changes from one culture to the next. While there are many core shared elements, Islam definitely means different things to different people when you look across the totality of belief and practice across the whole world.

u/tanzilshafique · 0 pointsr/JordanPeterson

oh btw, some important text (by non-muslims ;) .. just to keep it fair )

​

by David Levering Lewis

God's Crucible: Islam and the Making of Europe, 570-1215

https://www.amazon.com/Gods-Crucible-Making-Europe-570-1215/dp/0393333566

​

by Lesley Hazleton

The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

https://www.amazon.com/First-Muslim-Story-Muhammad/dp/1594632308/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542462869&sr=1-1&keywords=lesley+hazleton

​

by Carla Power

If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran

https://www.amazon.com/If-Oceans-Were-Ink-Friendship/dp/0805098194/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1542462955&sr=1-1&keywords=if+the+oceans+were+ink

​

u/the_saddest_trombone · 3 pointsr/worldnews

eh. I actually was just reading this section in Lawrence in Arabia last night. Yes, US oil had something to do with Saudi Arabia's success but the creation of the country, the blind eye to Wahabbism, the promotion of their leadership above other concerns falls pretty squarely on Britain. Which, in a round about way, is also on France since they insisted on making such a complete clusterfuck of the Middle East during WW1 that Britain had few other options but to make that sort of deal.

SoCo and the US government's involvement wasn't particularly important until later. I mean, the region was oil rich, it was going to be powerful one way or another, but handing it to extremists (or rather a family backed by extremists) was a mistake very much on the European allies.

u/Februaryf · 13 pointsr/worldnews

> We propped up Osama Bin Laden up until he got smart and turned on us.

Please read a book about this, I beseech you. Nothing is worse than internet pop history/international relations. I'd suggest these:

https://www.amazon.com/Bin-Ladens-Arabian-American-Century/dp/0143114816

https://www.amazon.com/Osama-bin-Laden-Know-History/dp/0743278917/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+bin+laden+i+know&qid=1556584133&s=books&sr=1-1-catcorr

https://www.amazon.com/Looming-Tower-Al-Qaeda-Road-11/dp/1400030846

Bin Laden wasn't supported by the US, not because the US is a good guy (it's not, no country is despite redditors wishing it wasn't so), but because they just didn't care about him and he was already rich. There were a few hundred Afghan Arabs as opposed to tens of thousands of mujahideen. The CIA supported the latter, they just didn't give a shit about the former.

u/punninglinguist · 1 pointr/books

I would really, strongly recommend Kinross's biography of Kemal Ataturk. He was the Julius Caesar and the George Washington of modern Turkey rolled into one. And the book acts as a really useful modern history of one of the most powerful countries in the middle east, as well.

u/Blarfk · 2 pointsr/worldnews

I am being 100% sincere and as non-insulting as I can when I say this - do yourself a favor, and check out some books about the history of the Middle East, because you have some wild misconceptions.

Lawrence in Arabia is a really good one to get started -

https://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469724389&sr=1-1&keywords=lawrence+in+arabia

And I also enjoyed The Great War for Civilisation, though it's a bit dense -

https://www.amazon.com/Great-War-Civilisation-Conquest-Middle/dp/1400075173/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1469724425&sr=1-1&keywords=the+great+war+for+civilization

u/jewiscool · 2 pointsr/islam

I recommend these books:

u/too_many_puppies · 1 pointr/PoliticalDiscussion

http://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413
I am about 3/4 of the way done with this book. I am loving it so far and have learned quite a bit. It is pretty easy to read.

u/thunderfalcon561 · 1 pointr/islam

If you don't want to read the Qur'an and you want to a book that is easy to read and understand. I would recommend Muhummad: His Life Based On the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings.

It's a well written biography of the prophet Muhammad. Besides the Arabic names I think it's a very easy and quick read. It gives context and is quite thorough.

u/Neon-Knight · 1 pointr/Documentaries

Hmm, perhaps what is needed is a Netflix mini-series?

Seriously, it would be an awesome watch.

This guy was the original Indiana Jones before all his famous exploits during WWI. He also came up with the idea of the PT boat after the war.

I also highly recommend another excellent book, Lawrence in Arabia, an excellent companion to the Korda book and Seven Pillars of course.

u/TheLibertarianThomas · 2 pointsr/gamegrumps

Not to stray away from Jon, but there is a great book that gives a nice unbiased approach on the whole Israeli-Palestinian conflict called The Lemon Tree. If you have the chance, give it a read.

u/bass85 · 1 pointr/islam

This should be sufficient:
http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292668572&sr=8-1

Muhammad by Martin Lings is a biography of the prophet. Very well written, authentic and clears alot of misconceptions. I would advice you to read it as well, I promise you'll enjoy it yourself and learn alot about Islam.

u/neverlandishome · 1 pointr/AskHistorians

I will obviously defer to people who study this part of history full time, but as a person interested in studying the historical foundations of Islam more casually, I found Karen Armstrong's Muhammad:A Prophet For Our Time to be compelling, unbiased, and well researched.

u/beingreddit · 1 pointr/religion

You are correct. Of course Sunnis follow Abu Bakr because they believe Prophet chose him to be the successor. What I am suggesting above, is a distinction between the type of needs the earliest Muslims had in their expectations of the leadership.

I have shared a reference to a scholarly book which sheds complete insight into this matter. For a quick and easier read, Donner[1] and Hazleton[2] have also written on the same subject. Madelung's[3] is concise and indepth.

[1] http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Believers-At-Origins-Islam/dp/0674064143

[2] http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594632308

[3] http://www.reddit.com/r/religion/comments/2cbzui/are_there_any_real_differences_between_shias_and/cje7wg7

Edit: If you are not a Muslim yourself (or you may be a convert) then you are better off reading external scholarly sources instead of reading from Muslims themselves.

u/Espryon · 2 pointsr/history

I read "The Crusades Through Arab Eyes" in College, that was a pretty good book. I can also recommend: "Muhammad, a prophet of our time" I read this also in college.

u/durpdurpdurpdurpdurp · 2 pointsr/worldnews

This guy thought Assad was the tops, interviewed him all the time, respected his ideas on reform and modernization. At the time I thought it was utter garbage:

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Lion-Damascus-al-Asad/dp/0300109911/

Then this same guy continued to follow the situation and changed his mind:

http://www.amazon.com/Syria-The-Fall-House-Assad/dp/0300186517/

>A widely respected Middle East scholar and consultant, Lesch came to know the president better than anyone in the West, in part through a remarkable series of meetings with Assad between 2004 and 2009. Yet for Lesch, like millions of others, Assad was destined to disappoint. In this timely book, the author explores Assad's failed leadership, his transformation from bearer of hope to reactionary tyrant, and his regime's violent response to the uprising of his people in the wake of the Arab Spring.

There aren't many examples of sane, well-adjusted, authoritarian fellows. They tend to turn out wicked regardless of their background or previous moral stances. Going to western university doesn't mean you become a sensible rational thinker, and leading a dictatorship or supporting your family even in its time of ultimate struggle is more fun than being a western professional (See: Saif al-Islam Gaddafi).

u/REDPlLL · 1 pointr/exmuslim

Well i gave you a dictionary definition of lying. If you define "lie" to mean something else, then go ahead. But Islam does not permit lying according to the definition i gave ("saying something incorrect"). So if someone were to ask me if i was a Muslim and i don't respond, then that's not a lie using the definition i gave.

The problem with your definition is that it leads to interpretive problems (which i think you hate). If i assume your a Christian this whole time, and you are an atheist, then i can claim that you lied to me. You deceived me by not being open to me about your lack of faith. You could claim that you weren't trying to act Christian, but i could claim the opposite and there is no objective measure that we both could agree on to always determine who in fact is right here.

> Can you recommend some? From what I've seen, most of Islamic history is an expansion of conquest and subjugation that makes the British Empire look like the Salvation Army.

More like the opposite. Here's a highly recommended biography:
http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537

u/Aesir1 · 1 pointr/atheism

You may want to try Karen Armstrong's Muhammad: A Prophet for our Time. It is not without its biases, however. Although Armstrong isn't quite fawning, she's certainly sympathetic and apologetic, as is her wont. It is quite well researched and written, though.

u/00BeardedTerror · 2 pointsr/Documentaries

I read a pretty interesting book about Lawrence called "Lawrence In Arabia" by Scott Anderson. It offers an interesting view of the man.
https://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413

u/kixiron · 3 pointsr/history

It's hard to find such a biography of Muhammad, but I hope this one can be of help: Leslie Hazleton's The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad

Edit: If you really wanna dig deeper, I'd suggest the Alfred Guillaume translation of Ibn Ishaq's The Life of Muhammad. This translation puts back some of the "cuts" made by the later editors of the biography (this being the quasi-official Sira). Caveat lector: this is difficult reading.

u/shakuntala_d · 1 pointr/islam

I'd suggest this book!

It's great for beginners and easy to read.

u/saargrin · 1 pointr/AskHistorians

frankly after much looking i cant find an academic source, this below is the best i could find

http://www.amazon.com/Icon-Evil-Hitlers-Mufti-Radical/dp/1400066530

also relevant
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-1987-004-09A,_Amin_al_Husseini_und_Adolf_Hitler.jpg

Al-husseini was always pictured with that hat on his head and in b/w so its hard to tell ,maybe there are better resources in arabic

u/Harybutts · 2 pointsr/islam

Where are you getting your sources from?

Here are a few book suggestions:

Martin Lings - Amazon Books

The Sealed Nectar - Amazon Books

Karen Armstrong - Amazon Books

If you are interesting in some audio, here is a detailed breakdown of the Shama'il of Imam Tirmidhi (which describes mannerisms and characteristics of the Prophet) by Shaykh Husain Abdul Sattar (a well know Islamic scholar and well known medical doctor)

http://sacredlearning.org/shamail-of-imam-tirmidhi?layout=category

u/LaunchThePolaris · 3 pointsr/JoeRogan

This is an excellent book if you're interested in learning more about the Bin Ladens.

u/thelasian · 8 pointsr/TheWayWeWere

You's enjoy this book about an American who grew up in Iran and went back to look for childhood friends
https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Hassan-Journey-Heart-Iran/dp/1400032237/

u/crockrox · 1 pointr/islam

You can start with biography of the prophet .

And then perhaps the Quran.

Good luck.

P.S. Personal opinion. Not an expert.

u/onepath · 3 pointsr/islam

Please, please, as an introduction to the life of the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), do not read sealed nectar. It's more of a compilations of facts, which deters the reader from the life of the Prophet Muhammad. Even though I'm Muslim, I got lost in all the names and lineages... something better would be Karen Armstrong's biography of the Prophet.

link to the amazon page

u/counterplex · 6 pointsr/islam

Sorry, I'm fresh out of brickbats but here's some advice:

  • Study the Qur'an but try to do it with a commentary. It's heavy reading at times so to balance it out you can...
  • Study the life of Muhammad and see how he demonstrated Islam to the world. Try Martin Ling's "Muhammad - His Life Based on the Earliest Sources." While you're studying this material remember that...
  • When you have questions - as you doubtless will - you should turn to physical people preferably knowledgeable imams. Imams are like doctors - get a second opinion if you find yourself talking to someone who doesn't quite answer your question or doesn't seem to understand the nuances in your query. The imams you meet might tell you that...
  • Ramadan is coming up in 3 months - go visit your local mosque around sunset when everyone is breaking their fast. Introduce yourself and get to know Ramadan. If you've never had a date before, don't forget to...
  • Pick a date that's plump and moist and eat it. Make sure you open it up with your hands (or mouth) and take out the pit or you might end up with broken teeth. Finally, with summer almost upon us, don't forget to...
  • Wear sunscreen.
u/maybetoday · 2 pointsr/AskReddit

A standard history of the region is important, as well as info about the colonizers who defined Palestine's borders, and then Israel's. Here are just some initial thoughts, but definitely keep searching.

A History of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict (read this years ago; assuming it's been updated?)

The Lemon Tree (good book that really humanizes the conflict)


u/caroline_reynolds · 3 pointsr/pics

In high school I read The Lemon Tree , a nonfiction novel that told the story of a Palestinian family that was forcibly removed from their home, and the Israeli family that moved into it. The adult children of the families meet, and both see this house as their childhood home, and have difficulties understanding the perspectives of the other.


The book incorporates a lot of history to give the reader backstory and context, and I felt reasonably well-informed when I finished it.


The author takes great measures to appear neutral on the conflict, but simple analysis of the facts of history offered by this book put me solidly in support of the Palestinians.

u/kilroy1944 · 2 pointsr/syriancivilwar

He also wrote the Lion of Damascus - Al Assad from Yale Press, 2005. I haven't read it yet, but it is in the mail as I enjoyed his latest book.

http://www.amazon.com/The-New-Lion-Damascus-al-Asad/dp/0300109911

u/AlbanianDad · 1 pointr/news

>At present, a lot of blood is being shed in the name of Islam.

Does this mean Islam teaches you to shed blood? Inb4 verses quoted out of context. Read this book about his life and you'll see what a great human he was.

u/lukipedia · 6 pointsr/MilitaryPorn

No Way Out does a great job detailing what a shitshow that Shok Valley op was.

u/maximus9966 · 1 pointr/history

No, I mean Lawrence In Arabia which has much to do with Iran, Persia, and gives a very detailed account of how the Middle East has been shaped to what we see today.

If OP was looking for Persian history going back to the 1st century, then the book wont be of any importance, but if OP wanted more modern/current historical context, then Scott Anderson's book on T.E. Lawrence is as good as it gets for understanding much of what we see going on today.

u/dakh7 · 8 pointsr/islam

Martin Lings "Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources" is constantly recommended to me by friends.

http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1292415986&sr=8-1

u/lolmonger · 2 pointsr/PoliticalDiscussion

In no particular order:

http://www.amazon.com/Beirut-Jerusalem-Thomas-L-Friedman/dp/1250015499

http://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making-ebook/dp/B00BH0VSPI/ref=zg_bs_4995_5

http://www.amazon.com/My-Promised-Land-Triumph-Tragedy-ebook/dp/B009QJMXI8/ref=zg_bs_4995_4


http://www.amazon.com/Ethnic-Cleansing-Palestine-Ilan-Pappe/dp/1851685553/ref=zg_bs_4995_10

http://www.amazon.com/Arabic-Thought-Liberal-Age-1798-1939/dp/0521274230/ref=cm_lmf_tit_3

http://www.amazon.com/History-Arab-Peoples-Albert-Hourani/dp/0446393924/ref=cm_lmf_tit_4

http://www.amazon.com/Women-Gender-Islam-Historical-Modern/dp/0300055838/ref=cm_lmf_tit_9

http://www.amazon.com/Emergence-Modern-Studies-Eastern-History/dp/0195134605/ref=cm_lmf_tit_10

http://www.amazon.com/Peace-End-All-Ottoman-Creation/dp/0805068848/ref=cm_lmf_tit_17


As a non-Muslim, non-Jew, non-Arab, non-Semite, American, and having read these (yay strict immigrant parents!) and some other histories, as well as having had the attacks of 9/11 give me a neurosis about following the news in the Middle East/Central/South Asia as regards potential US involvement and issues:


A lot feels familiar to me, some of it even seems like stuff I know a good deal about, and a few things about "The Middle East" which is a massively rich and complex sociopolitical place and slice of humanity are things I'd consider myself very well read on.


And I don't know shit.


I can tell you as a native born American and US voter what I think my country's policies (in a limited, broad strokes sense) should be - - - but beyond that, there's very little I've ever seen as conclusive and firm coming from anyone who by dint of identity didn't have 'skin in the game' .

u/soxy · 1 pointr/history

I just read Lawrence in Arabia and that was really not going to happen, American oil interests were already in the Empire snapping up land rights to drill with smoke and mirror promises to the Ottomans before WWI. If they had actually made it through it's very likely they would have been screwed out of a lot of the profits before they fully realized what was happening.

u/mariox19 · 3 pointsr/booksuggestions

Arabian Sands, by Wilfred Thesiger. As far as I know, he's the last of the British Gentleman Explorers. It's about the time he spent traveling with and living among the Saudi Arabian Bedouin (or Bedu). I enjoyed it very much.

u/petermal67 · 2 pointsr/atheism

Given that you're a Muslim, I encourage you to read Radical by Majiid Nawaz. http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Journey-Out-Islamist-Extremism/dp/0762791365

u/electric33l · 10 pointsr/syriancivilwar

If you want an actual answer to this question, it is not enough to examine Assad's (and the regime's) conduct since the beginning of the uprising in 2011. You can only get the full picture if you understand the composition and the statecraft of the regime since Assad pere wrested power from his intra-regime opponents in 1970. Some books worth reading are Hinnebusch's excellent primer on the rise of the Ba'ath Party (and later, the Assad clan) to power (Syria: Revolution From Above), Hanna Batatu's classic examination of [Syria's Peasantry, the Descendants of Its Lesser Rural Notables, and Their Politics]
(https://www.amazon.com/Syrias-Peasantry-Descendants-Notables-Politics/dp/0691002541), Lisa Wedeen on the cultural and ideological methods the regime uses to maintain power (Ambiguities of Domination: Politics, Rhetoric, and Symbols in Contemporary Syria), and Patrick Seale's highly readable book on Hafez al-Assad and his Struggle for the Middle East. A more recent work dealing with the economic underpinnings of the regime (Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience) is also worth your time.

In short, take a good look at the nature of the regime and its policies over the last four decades and decide for yourself whether it is incapable of committing the war crimes it is accused of. You could also go through the many detailed reports human rights organizations like Human Rights Watch have put together alleging regime crimes, most recently their report on the Khan Sheikhoun nerve gas attack and the regime's ongoing use of chemical weapons.

u/MadPat · 52 pointsr/explainlikeimfive

..An added comment about Britain in Israel....

Chaim Weizmann, the first president of Israel, was a brilliant chemist who figured out a new way to produce acetone. This greatly helped Britain's artillery shells during the First World War. This gave him, a strong supporter of Zionism, entrance to some of the corridors of power during the war.

Furthermore, Britain was fighting on the side of the notably anti-semitic tsarist government of Russia. This did not make them very popular in Jewish circles.

In order to increase Jewish support for the Allied side in the War, Britain released the Balfour Declaration which put them on record as supporting a Jewish homeland.

This declaration is what gave rise to Jewish people moving to Israel in the years after the war.

Source: Lawrence in Arabia Terrific book by the way.

u/The_Late_Greats · 41 pointsr/worldnews

I highly recommend reading Lawrence in Arabia. True story behind TE Lawrence, written by a journalist who's spent time reporting on the modern conflicts in the Middle East, with a lot of insight on how Middle Eastern policy back then resonates today

u/ill_mango · 3 pointsr/dune

That's gold! I've heard the movie is amazing, but which book are you talking about? A cursory google search turns up this guy: http://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413

But somehow that doesn't strike me as the book you mean.

u/SlothMold · 4 pointsr/booksuggestions

Persepolis and Maus seem to be safe choices, even for people who don't normally read or those who usually skip graphic novels.

u/bcostlow · 9 pointsr/Documentaries

Highly recommend this as a very approachable "for-the-layperson" history of TE and the region during the same era that Seven Pillars covers. https://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413

u/NomaanMalick · 4 pointsr/islam

Check out this YouTube playlist. It's quite comprehensive.

Seerah of Prophet Muhammed (S)

In terms of books, you could read Martin Lings , or Tariq Ramadan , or Meraj Mohiuddin

Also, you could watch this as a primer on Islam.

u/convertproblem134 · 1 pointr/islam

I would recommend reading the biography done by Martin Lings.

http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537

u/mistral7 · 1 pointr/booksuggestions

Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East. Over 1,000 reviews on Amazon and a composite 4.25 rating. should provide some insight as to other's opinions. Really one of the best works I've read in nearly 70 years. T.E. Lawrence was an enigmatic figure and the other characters were equally fascinating.

u/gamegyro56 · 3 pointsr/islamicleft

As far as Islam goes I'd recommend Karen Armstrong's Islam or Muhammad, or Reza Aslan's No God but God. Slightly more academic is Carl Ernst's How to Read the Qur'an, Michael Sells' Approaching the Qur'an, and Fazlur Rahman's Major Themes of the Qur'an.

u/Atheizm · 4 pointsr/exmuslim

On top of Twenty-Three Years and Life of Muhammad, I also suggest http://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Life-Based-Earliest-Sources/dp/1594771537

u/Zendani · 2 pointsr/islam

Are you contending that Muhammad never existed? Simply because you can't find historians who are not Muslim that mention him? Maybe you should read this book. It's by Martin Lings, who was the curator for oriental manuscripts and printed books at the British Museum and at Cambridge.

edit: He did convert to Islam by they way. If that matters to you.

u/Poutchika · 1 pointr/syriancivilwar

>if Assad wasn't a corrupt as he is - there wouldn't be enough pissed of Syrians to attempt to overthrow him in the first place.

I really suggest you to read "My house in Damascus" by Diana Darke, it was suggested to me by a good friend and it goes to great lengths about how corrupt Syrian society in general is, not specifically the government though that is what the book gravitates around.

>So Assad's corruption has the accumulated of evil of it all

I'll definitely agree that the government (isolating Assad is only a part of the problem) is guilty, but corruption really is only a small problem in comparison.

u/Jim_E_Hat · 1 pointr/news

The US was involved in the middle east since it was partitioned after WWI. You can't look at single instances without considering the history of the region. Have a look at "Lawrence in Arabia".

u/fdeckert · 2 pointsr/iran

I was there before, during and after

Searching for Hassan
https://www.amazon.com/Searching-Hassan-Journey-Heart-Iran/dp/1400032237/

u/orwellsocietyguy · 2 pointsr/ukpolitics

Actually most of it has come out of the schools. There's plenty of books on it detailing how radical islam has infiltrated British education here's one example: http://www.amazon.com/Radical-Journey-Out-Islamist-Extremism/dp/0762791365

u/senditthru · 1 pointr/islam

Maybe you should learn a little bit about our Prophet's life before you spout Christian missionary invectives upon him.

Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

u/browneyedgrowl · 26 pointsr/todayilearned

I thought it was a great book, though I can see why a lot of people dislike it. (She goes through an insane journey and decides that Islam=evil.) If you're looking for a more moderate view of Islam, I recommend "Radical: My Journey out of Islamist Extremism" by Maajid Nawaz. He talks about how he went from being a British thug to an Islamic extremist and then how he came around to realizing that extremism is crazy.

u/zaccus · 5 pointsr/HistoryPorn

I highly recommend Lawrence In Arabia to anyone who is interested in the subject. It's one hell of a story.

u/Ratertheman · 2 pointsr/worldnews

> In fact a common criticism of the allies is that they didn't keep their promise to their Arab allies who lead the revolt against the Ottomans (see the Hussein-McMahon correspondence).

Lawrence was so mad he refused to accept a Knighthood personally from the King.

http://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413

This is a really interesting book on the subject.

u/TrueLazuli · 1 pointr/DebateReligion

If you're interested in the experience of "home-grown" Western radicals, check out Maajid Nawaz's book Radical.

The experience he describes is very similar to the one /u/EvilTuxedo described just here. Nawaz had some pretty vicious experiences of racism and xenophobia in his young life as a second-generation immigrant in the UK, and says that Islamism provided a comprehensive explanation of (A) who We are, (B) how this was done to Us, and by whom, (C) why We have every right to fight back tooth and nail, and (D) how We're going to do that.

u/jeffanie96 · 2 pointsr/AskSocialScience

this book

I'm having trouble finding online sources. Maybe check the citations on Wikipedia.

u/redjenny12 · 11 pointsr/iran

You do realize that Iran is about the size of Germany, Spain, France and the UK combined, right?

Iran is home to a few million Afghans, some registered officially as refugees, some not.
http://www.unhcr.org/en-us/publications/refugeemag/3b6814092/refugees-magazine-issue-108-afghanistan-unending-crisis-iranian-surprise.html

The Iranian govt would not be happy about you searching for people without their authorization and knowledge. Who are these people, why are you searching for them, what authority do you represent etc. etc.

If you show up as a tourist and start doing that, authorities will be concerned about what you're really up to. Under the times of international suspicion and intrigue this would seem very strange to them and will be viewed negatively if you try to go behind their backs, espcially because of the prevalence of drug trafficking and other crimes and instability along the Iran-Afghan border. If you get kidnapped or something there, it makes the Iranians look bad.

If these people you seek are registered, then the first step may simply be to ask the Iranian govt -- like at your local embassy. Or the UNHCR. You can't just show up and start asking random people.
http://www.unhcr.org/islamic-republic-of-iran.html


Also, Afghans have cellphones, find a relative or acquaintance's phone number and start calling.

But here is a good book to read: Searching for Hassan
http://www.amazon.com/Searching-Hassan-Journey-Heart-Iran/dp/1400032237

Note that Hassan was an Iranian

u/sulaymanf · 3 pointsr/pics

Where to start? Why don't you read a good book by a non-Muslim historian, such as Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings.

Since you're likely a lazy redditor, go read the Charter of Medina that Muhammad drew up that was its constitution. Or go watch the Hollywood movie The Message, which is old enough that the whole movie is on YouTube. He was actually a decent guy himself, like Jesus, who had his name smeared by people thousands of years later who did awful things in his name.

u/NotFooledbyFools · 7 pointsr/politics

> What does telling them they are bad do?

I know right. We shouldn't have condemned South Africa for their apartheid either.

>Also, this resolution may make the US defund the UN or threaten to pull out altogether.

huh?

I seriously suggest reading up on the history of the region, I recommend The Lemon Tree.

u/palsh7 · 1 pointr/suggestmeabook

Radical is a book by a muslim man who was beaten by neo-Nazis and later jailed as a political prisoner in Egypt. Really interesting life and perspective.

u/reddit-MT · 3 pointsr/history

Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East

https://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413

u/nzmn · 2 pointsr/politics

Edit. Nevermind! I read WW2 not WW1. There is a great book called Lawrence in Arabia: War, Deceit, Imperial Folly and the Making of the Modern Middle East (https://www.amazon.com/Lawrence-Arabia-Deceit-Imperial-Making/dp/0307476413) if you want to read more about Standard Oil and WW1

> My grandad wrote in his diary during WWI: 'Off I go again. Wherever in the world you find the US military, you will find Standard Oil.' We have been global fascists for a long ass time.

WW2 was a little different than the banana wars that the US had previously fought in though - the Axis powers WERE an existential threat to Europe and potentially even America. Standard Oil may have benefited from the post war environment but the US was fighting for a lot more than just economic advantage.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banana_Wars for those not familiar with the term.

u/SuccessfulOperation · 13 pointsr/samharris

Nawaz literally joined a terrorist organization.

Ilhan Omar had the unfortunate experience of questioning Israel's funding of American politics...AND criticizing Saudi Arabia... AND the war in Yemen?!


https://twitter.com/ilhanmn/status/1052046943369789440


https://twitter.com/ilhanmn/status/1105516039859826688



How dare she?!

u/katulsomin · 1 pointr/islam

Sorry for the late response! I had a very busy week at work.

> Devils may be swift but it is not reasonable that they possess the ability to be all-seeing and all-present. Those can only be attributed to God. If a devil did to the sun what appeared to happen, this would have been a phenomenon reported all over the globe and would have had measurable impact on temperature, gravity, tides, etc. That did not happen. If it was a devil that worked via the mind, then this would have to have been done to everyone there. Such a feat is less credible than it happening to a single person or a small group of persons because of the finite number of devils available. So I'm not saying it is impossible but if we take the expected value of a situation, the situation with vastly larger numbers becomes more believable, ruling out delusion and making less credible the possibility of a devil.
> > And we haven't even consider what if there's multiple demon working together.

> This is possible but in the history of humanity, I'm not aware of any recorded demonic activity on this level. I am aware of many such cases with one or a small number of individuals.

The scenario I'm imagining is more like a magic trick, the real sun behind a curtain while a demon conjures a sun like disk and perform the show. So it still only need a single apparition. If the sun really did dance, it would've been observed everywhere, not just from a specific location. I actually even think that for a mere human, with a enough funds, those things are achievable with our current level of technology.

> Well we can add to the list that they lack a corporal body. Really, we should brainstorm this list. I'd also include that the devil hates God. If you have any input on this, let's have it. It seems relevant to the question of if Mohammed was under influence of a devil.

I don't agree that they lack a corporal body, actually. They main essence maybe non corporeal, but they seem to have the ability to shapeshift into a corporeal form. Off the top of my head, doesn't the Devil appear in the garden as a snake in the book of genesis?

I don't have much else to brainstorm.. sorry! If you want to read more of the Islamic view, see the wikipedia articles for Devil in Islam and Jinn (demons are basically an evil jinn). Likewise, I'll use Demon in Christian for reference. Unless you have a better source, which then please share.

> The devil wants you in hell. I think he will attempt to get a person there any way he finds possible. I once was told a sermon about a man who used sorcery to conger the devil. He asked the devil, "Are the 10 commandments true?" The devil replied, "Yes, every one except the 6th." This was enough for the man to fall into sin and build a wall around his heart.

> If what Christianity teaches about Jesus is true, then the message of Mohammed would be enough to ruin a vast number of souls. If the devil says, worship one God and do not steal or kill, but that Jesus is not God, then the devil has a small victory. There are also differences in teaching about what constitutes a moral family life (or sins related to family relationships) between the two religions -- and I think we could both agree that the devil would desire to seek the ruin of man through an attack on the family.

> Likewise, if Islam is true, then Christianity may be a tool of the devil (or corrupt men) to ruin souls. Or it could be that they are both false and the truth eludes us both.

OK, I'll try to go along with you on these 3 possibilities. No, actually lets ignore the possibility that they're both false, that won't go anywhere. Christian or Islam, I think we can agree that either is a tool of the devil as possible.

My argument for Islam's validity would be that Islam theologically is the most consistent with the previous revelations(eg. Judaism). All the previous prophets before Jesus preach about the absolute oneness of God. Given that Trinity is the central belief of Christianity, I would expect that such an important concept would be covered by the previous messengers of God. I know Jesus technically isn't born yet, but the Holy Spirit should still be mentioned as God. The Trinity tenet itself isn't officially adopted until the Council of Nicaea 3 centuries later, right?

My premise is that since God has revealed a string of revelations from various prophets, a corrupted one most likely be one that deviates the most of the others. The Muslims believe that actually Jesus is a prophet, born of virgin that preaches the absolute oneness of God too. But over time, his message got corrupted. So then God sends down another revelation by another prophet, Muhammad PBUH to straighten it. Some even claim that Muhammad PBUH coming was foretold in the bible

Please tell me and forgive for any factual errors btw, especially regarding the Christian ones. I'm not a scholar, just a guy that sometimes read stuff on the internet :)

> If Islam has any possibility of moving me, it needs to address the question of angel Gabriel to Mohammed as being delusion, devil, or true and then it needs to establish for me why God cannot be said to be humble (unless Muslims who've told me this is false were wrong).

For the question of Gabriel -> Muhammad PBUH, I'm having trouble finding an argument that would 100% convince you. We know that the event is, like most other prophets, occurs in relative isolation and personal fashion, with no outside witnesses. That's just how it's done. The people then judge the message authenticity by the contents and the messenger's character.

I would suggest to just read the Al Qu'ran, and a biography about the prophet so you can get a better understanding of his life to make a conclusion. His life are fairly well documented, and not just the rosy bits, some of his mistakes are even recorded in the Al Qu'ran! The most popular ones are The Sealed Nectar: Biography of the Noble Prophet by Safi and Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings, or if you prefer a secular author you can checkout Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time by Karen Armstrong

For the "Prove that God is not humble".. well actually I don't even know until now that Christianity teaches that God is humbling himself to us. Please give me a source about this, I want to know more.

In Islam, as far as I know, God is not humble, but pride. And it is actually sinful for us to be prideful of things cause everything we have(wealth, knowledge, even our own virtues), it is all thanks to God and He can give or take it away at any time if He wills. He is the only one worthy of pride.

He gave us free will, but what we do that God let it happen doesn't mean that He submits to our will, He just let it and gave us the time for now. But everything that we've done would be held accountable at judgement day.

> Thank you for your writings so far. You have shown to be reasonable and not emotionally reactive. I find that conversations like this sometimes get nowhere because an adherent finds a question of theological principles to be also a personal attack, which it is not, but some have a hard time distinguishing. So thank you.

Thank you too! I also try to question your principles but so far you're level headed and doesn't get too emotional. It's great that we can have a civilized discussion on the internet. The other users in this subreddit are actually also pretty cool too! Some of them are actually much more knowledgeable than me. They just doesn't seem to want to engage in a discussion that at first glance, would go nowhere. This sub are riddled by trolls on a regular basis, and a tendency of trolls is to dwell stubbornly on a single point so I'm afraid some may mistaken you for one. Sorry!

u/TheCannon · 1 pointr/changemyview

>source.

Sources abound for each of your requests. Here are but a few for each that should keep you busy for a while if you actually choose to read them:

Caravan Raids:

Ibn Ishaq - Life of Muhammad Search "Caravan"

Ibn Kathir - The Life of the Prophet Muhammad, Vol. 2 Search "Caravan"

Quranic reference justifying caravan attacks during the holy months:

>They ask you about the sacred month - about fighting therein. Say, "Fighting therein is great [sin], but averting [people] from the way of Allah and disbelief in Him and [preventing access to] al-Masjid al-Haram and the expulsion of its people therefrom are greater [evil] in the sight of Allah . And fitnah is greater than killing." And they will continue to fight you until they turn you back from your religion if they are able. And whoever of you reverts from his religion [to disbelief] and dies while he is a disbeliever - for those, their deeds have become worthless in this world and the Hereafter, and those are the companions of the Fire, they will abide therein eternally

  • Qur'an 2:217

    The slaughter and enslavement of the Banu Qurayza:

    Ibn Ishaq Search "Qurayza"

    Martin Lings, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources Unfortunately not available in PDF or TXT files

    Encyclopedia Judiaica - Non-Islamic historical source

    Watt, Encyclopedia of Islam

    See also Al-Tabari Vol 8, Sunan Abu Dawud 38:4390, Sahih Bukhari 5:58:148, Tafsir Ibn Kathir - The Campaign against Banu Qurayzah*, etc

    Quranic reference:

    >(26) And He brought down those who supported them among the People of the Scripture from their fortresses and cast terror into their hearts [so that] a party you killed, and you took captive a party. (27) And He caused you to inherit their land and their homes and their properties and a land which you have not trodden. And ever is Allah, over all things, competent.

  • Qur'an 33:26-27

    Started Wars:

    *See Caravan Raids above, the robberies that forced military response from the victims of the raids, the Quraysh, leading to the battles of Badr, Uhud, the Trench, etc.

    Torture people in pursuit of wealth:**

    >Kinana b. al-Rabi', who had the custody of the treasure of the B. al-Nadir, was brought to the apostle who asked him about it. He denied that he knew where it was. A Jew came (Tabari says "was brought") to the apostle and said that he had seen Kinana going round a certain ruin every morning early. When the apostle said to Kinana, 'Do you know that if we find you have it I shall kill you?' he said Yes. The apostle gave orders that the ruin was to be excavated and some of the treasure was found. When he asked him about the rest he refused to produce it, so the apostle gave ordrs to al-Zubayr b. al-'Awwam, 'Torture him until you extract what he has,' so he kindled a fire with flint and steel on his chest until he was nearly dead. Then the apostle delivered him to Muhammad b. Maslama and he struck off his head in revenge for his brother Mahmud.

  • Ishaq - The Life of Muhammad (Link above, search "Kinana")

    >Kinanah b. al-Rabi b. al-Huqyaq who had the treasure of B. Nadir was brought to the Messenger of God, who questioned him; but he denied knowing where it was. Then the messenger of God was brought a Jew who said to him, “I have seen Kinanah walk around this ruin every morning.” The Messenger of God said to Kinanah: “What do you say? If we find it in your possession, I will kill you.” “All right,” he answered. The Messenger of God commanded that the ruin should be dug up, and some of the treasure was extracted from it. Then he asked him for the rest of it. Kinanah refused to surrender it; so the Messenger of God gave orders concerning him to al-Zubayr b. al-‘Awwam, saying, “torture him until you root out what he has.” Al-Zubayr kept twirling his firestick in his breast until Kinanah almost expired; then the Messenger of God gave him to Muhammad b. Maslamah, who beheaded him to avenge his brother Mahmud b. Maslamah.”

  • Tabari Vol 8

    Etc.

    Killed Poets:

    List of those slaughtered with references, including a mother of five:

    >Then (occurred) the sariyyah of Umayr ibnAdi Ibn Kharashah al-Khatmi against Asma' Bint Marwan, of Banu Umayyah Ibn Zayd, when five nights had remained from the month of Ramadan, in the beginning of the nineteenth month from the hijrah of the apostle of Allah.Asma' was the wife of Yazid Ibn Zayd Ibn Hisn al-Khatmi. She used to revile Islam, offend the prophet and instigate the (people) against him. She composed verses. Umayr Ibn Adi came to her in the night and entered her house. Her children were sleeping around her. There was one whom she was suckling. He searched her with his hand because he was blind, and separated the child from her. He thrust his sword in her chest till it pierced up to her back. Then he offered the morning prayers with the prophet at al-Medina. The apostle of Allah said to him: "Have you slain the daughter of Marwan?" He said: "Yes. Is there something more for me to do?" He [Muhammad] said: "No. Two goats will butt together about her. This was the word that was first heard from the apostle of Allah. The apostle of Allah called him `Umayr, "basir" (the seeing).

  • Ibn Sa'd