Reddit mentions: The best history of islam books

> A problem only gets bigger if we don't talk about said problem.

100% agreed. And as an example, to come back to the very initial point of the thread, the main issue with most Muslim countries is that they are not within a government allowing freedom of speech, effectively hindering that immensely important action that is talking about the issues and solving them

> Genuine question, you see religion as something more good then bad but at what point would you consider that religion is doing more bad then good?

Genuine answer, religion to me is immensely more good than bad. The bad coming from religion is the bad that stems from people creating justifications to do bad powered by religion - not from "the religion". My general view on it is: if there was no such thing as religion, the very same people will find other ways to hurt others, it just so happens that religion is a great propaganda tool towards the uneducated> A good, harmless example would be to go to South Africa where poor villages are Christian and following "self-declared prophets" who basically preach random stuff and get all the money they can from them. Will you blame religion, or the self-declared prophet for such an evil deed? I blame the latter. Oh by the way if you're interested in the Muslim side of the things I'd recommend you read Misquoting Muhammad by Jonathan AC Brown. It's a great book recollecting the history of governments openly using different interpretations of Islamic texts to drive their country towards the direction they wanted (both good and bad examples are listed, I found it to be a pretty amazing historic book tbh!)

As someone who lived in a religious society and visited several countries, you can very easily see the good that comes immediately from religion. The feeling of brotherhood, the tendency from people to naturally help each other. Random football comparison there but I guess you heard how Dortmund fans housed Monaco fans last week? That's something you'd naturally see in every place where people follow a religion: their religion taught them to look out for others. I've been housed by complete strangers in Peru (amazing Christian family), Morocco and Mauritania (Muslim families), South Africa (Christian family) and others. They were just genuinely looking out for me, it was their natural trait, and all of them insisted that it was part of their religion. I didn't even ask for anything, they insisted they wanted to take care of me! Now to draw a parallel, I have never seen someone genuinely caring that much in countries like France, Norway etc - and it's generally much more rare to see it happening in Western countries. Could this be a good argument towards what religion does good? I think so. And that's just an example. But overall you'll find that religious societies are super welcoming, caring etc - a VERY common trait in religious societies. In less educated places, religion is the best cohesive factor: it gives everyone something to strive for, and a feeling of brotherhood. Aside from all that, the impact religion has on me and my surroundings has been immensely positive.

> My best guess is is because I have lived my entire life without it and you with it and we are both having a great time.

Definitely. All in all the real focus is: if both of us are having a great time, why would any of us be wrong in the way we are having a great time? We should all aim at living together rather than ostracizing ourselves more due to separations we deem are big enough to rule people out of our life!

The problem with any argument based on the life and actions of Muhammad is that such actions are hotly contested. Historically speaking, there is little trustworthy evidence covering his life - and western historiography has struggled to make anything of what is left (scholars such as P. Crone, M. Cook and more recently Tom Holland have done a lot of work on this).

If you're interested in this topic, I suggest you get your hands on J. A. C. Brown's book 'Misquoting Muhammad'. At a fundamental level it will demonstrate how elements of the prophet's life were reinterpreted (read: rewritten) by later scholars to justify certain acts, but it also (and Patricia Crone, Michael Cook and Tom Holland concentrate on this) covers the very serious problems faced in looking at Muhammad's life historically.

It goes like this:

In Islam, one aims to be like Muhammad. He is the role model and his actions determine how one should act. Thus you have hadith telling you whether he urinated standing up or sitting down, just as a silly example. Extremist groups like IS take this to the extreme (hence they are 'extremists'). Most Muslims are willing to accept, just as Christians are in reference to the Bible, that their prophet lived within a historical context and that God's revelation was relevant to that context. For many Muslims, it is compatible that they deviate from Muhammad's example in some ways, for he lived in a different time. They focus on the positive aspects of his character, of which there truly is many - he is by all accounts a great man, kind and generous, diplomatic and peace-loving. The negative aspects of his character are ignored, for to acknowledge them would be to undermine his importance and sanctity as a messenger of God. It's around here that I personally unsubscribe from religion - I find this idea incompatible. But to many, many people, this is okay, and they remain believers. I, and all, should respect that choice.

Anyway, herein lies a very strange historical phenomenon. Usually, the further we get from a historical event, the less is known. For the life of Muhammad, however, it seems the opposite is true: the further we get from his life the more and more detail there is about him. This can be explained, but the explanation is uncomfortable for a lot of Muslims. His life was not recorded at the time. It was remembered orally - thus you have the isnad chains of the hadith - as was the qur'an which was not codified until Caliph 'Umar at the earliest. Oral transmission is not a reliable way to preserve historical truth, especially when we're talking about centuries of oral transmission. Muslim scholars of the 10th and 11th centuries, when the life of Muhammad was codified, tried their utmost to determine what was legitimately true and what was not. But a significant amount of these 'true' hadiths have been found to be problematic (see Ignaz Goldziher, for one).

I could go on, but the general moral of the story here is that the life of Muhammad is a fascinating historiographical phenomenon. Here we have possibly the most detailed account of the life of any historical individual: few humans in history have had so much written about them. Yet all of that knowledge is on incredibly shaky ground, and in reality we are left with very little, if anything, about his life.

In relation to your questions, this is just a background understanding which I think it is important. I wish to respond to them, though, on an understanding (for sake of argument) that the early Islamic historical tradition is reliable (which it is not). For the record, I'm a Western Historian with no religious biases either way, interested only in historical fact and the implications of that fact.

> Didn't Muhammad collect sex slaves

He certainly had at least one: Maria al-Qibtiyya, who was a Coptic slave (Christian from Egypt) and bearer of his only son, Ibrahim, who died as a child. The two were not married, and she was in servitude to him, having been a gift from al-Muqawqis, the Christian ruler/governor of Egypt.

Now we return to historical context, which I'm sure you would agree is hugely important. Groups like IS, being 'extreme' (as I discuss earlier), ignore historical context. But the majority of Muslims worldwide are happy to accept that this was appropriate at the time, but no longer is. For in 7th century Arabia - and indeed across the world from China to Constantinople, from Balkh to Rome - sex slaves were an accepted part of society. The Christian monarchs of medieval Europe had sex slaves. By modern standards even, almost all of those monarchs were sexual abusers - their wives were usually younger than 18, often younger than 16.

My point here, as in the next couple of points, is that context is everything. What Muslims do celebrate though is that Muhammad's treatment of women was actually far, far better than that of the cultures which preceded him. Islam gave women property rights, for example. Women in China, Iran and Europe did not have property rights. Many contemporary observers in Europe from the 7th century onwards actually express surprise at the high status given to women in Islamic society - it is unusual to them.

>"Strike at the neck" to his enemies

This is from Qur'an 47:4, and is one of many massively misunderstood passages explained by this helpful infographic. Ironically, you'll find this if you browse the top of all time on this very subreddit.

> A religious tax

This is a seriously long and complicated subject and i've already babbled on enough, but I will make one important point here: the level of tax imposed by the Arabs on the empire established under the Rashidun was significantly better than the level of tax imposed prior. Those who lived in Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt etc. actually found that under Islamic government they had a far better deal than under Byzantine or Sasanian rule.

Furthermore, there was no concerted effort of conversion. The idea that Islam was spread by the sword is historically false. In Western historiography we call the conquests 'Arab', not 'Islamic', in order to make this clear. In fact, we find the opposite is true: the Arabs were very reluctant to let non-Arabs convert to Islam. The Abbasid revolution in 750, one of the great historical junctures in the political history of Islam, was a direct result of non-Arab converts (mawali) being angry that Arab Muslims were not treating them like Muslims. The conquests, and the rule of the 'Islamic' world from the 7th century until about the 10th, was 'Arab', not 'Muslim'. After ~10th century, with the Shu'ubiyya and rise of Persian dynasties, it became 'Persian', rather than Arab - but still not 'Muslim'. This idea of 'Islamic conquests' and 'Islamic rule' is historically unfounded.

I could go on, but Islam has an incredible political, cultural and religious history which I highly recommend you read about. I'm not a Muslim and not a die-hard defender of religion, nor am I anti-religious or anti-Islam. The more I learn about it, the more I find ignorance and misunderstanding on both sides. The more I realise that, as with all history and cultural development, the truth is murky and somewhere in the middle.

TL;DR: From a historical perspective, we have to be careful when talking about the life of Muhammad. Some of what you claim is true, but must be contextualised. Some is not, and represent major misunderstandings of Islam found in the west. Overall, we should all be a bit more critical of what we think we know and understand. That goes for anti-Islamic people and Muslims alike. Perhaps the world would be a better place if everyone just accepted that we all have different worldviews, and none of them are perfect.

> Fides et Ratio, John Paul II, 1998

A reoccurring motif that runs through JP II's narrative is a position of presuppositionalism that Theistic Religious Faith, including the belief that the God Yahweh exists, is true; and this presupposition is the foundation upon which reason is built - even when reason leads one to consider/accept conclusions that are discrepant with Theistic Religious Faith.

This intrinsic and foundational presuppositionalism is the antithesis of reason; as well as representing a catastrophic failure of reason and reasoning.

As much as it pains me to agree with William Lane Craig, I will have to go with what this Great Christian Apologeticist god (lower case 'G'), who has said regarding Christianity (but is applicable to other Theist belief systems):

"...presuppositionalism is guilty of a logical howler: it commits the informal fallacy of petitio principii, or begging the question, for it advocates presupposing the truth of Christian theism in order to prove Christian theism....It is difficult to imagine how anyone could with a straight face think to show theism to be true by reasoning, 'God exists. Therefore, God exists.' Nor is this said from the standpoint of unbelief. A Christian theist himself will deny that question-begging arguments prove anything..."

Source: Five Views on Apologetics by Steven B. Cowan, page 232-233

Or we can go with Drs. John H. Gerstner, Arthur W. Lindsley, and R.C. Sproul ....

“Presuppositionalism burns its evidential bridges behind it and cannot, while remaining Presuppositional, rebuild them. It burns its bridges by refusing evidences on the ground that evidences must be presupposed. “Presupposed evidences” is a contradiction in terms because evidences are supposed to prove the conclusion rather than be proven by it. But if the evidences were vindicated by the presupposition then the presupposition would be the evidence. But that cannot be, because if there is evidence for or in the presupposition, then we have reasons for presupposing, and we are, therefore, no longer presupposing.” (source: Classical Apologetics: A Rational Defense of the Christian Faith and a Critique of Presuppositional Apologetics)

> I do encourage you all, however, to read this and see how a prominent and intelligent man of very public faith is able to seamlessly link the two [Thestic Religion - specifically Christianity and Catholicism, and yet, always bow to the authority of reason.

A quick search through my bookmarks provides some reading material for you, OP, that undermines the validity of the claim that Theistic Religious Faith and reason can, and has been, seamlessly linked.

• A History of the Warfare of Science with Theology in Christendom, 2 volumes, By Andrew Dickson White
  
• The Victorian Conflict between Science and Religion: A Professional Dimension, by Frank M. Turner, Isis, Vol. 69, No. 3 (Sep., 1978), pp. 356-376
  
• Science and Religion: Some Historical Perspectives, By John Hedley Brooke
  
• History of the Conflict Between Religion and Science, by John William Draper
  
• An interesting look at revisionist apologistics: Science and Religion: A Historical Introduction, by Gary B. Ferngren
  
• Persecution of Noted Physicians and Medical Scientists, by Steven I. Hajdu, Ann Clin Lab Sci Summer 2007 vol. 37 no. 3 295-297
  
• An Illusion of Harmony: Science And Religion in Islam, by Taner Edis
  
  Even a cursory examination of the Holy See (and other Christian and other Theistic Religious organizations) and secular reasoning and advancement shows a past and continuing discord between Theistic Religious Faith and reason: which raises the question - if one is to accept the transparent argument from appeal to authority (i.e., "prominent and intelligent man of very public faith"), then if there is actual and on-going conflict between Theistic Religious Faith and reason, why would such a claimed intelligent and otherwise super virtuous man accept Theistic Religious Faith as a foundational and core belief when actual reason shows such Theistic Religious Faith to be, at best, extremely questionable and non-credible?
  
  People, in general and including atheists and theists, have the capability of believing things (not just religion) initially based upon non-smart, non-intelligent, non-reasoned, emotional, false positive attribution, reasons; and then based upon this initial belief, develop smart arguments to defend or protect these beliefs, and to keep believing and defending even when reasonable refutation or contradictions have been demonstrated (cognitive dissonance).
  
  
• Why Do Intelligent, Well-Educated People Still Believe Nonsense?, by Neil Carter, October 9, 2015
  
  While the title is a bit pejorative, the short essay does address some thoughts on why otherwise smart/intelligent people have beliefs that are not always considered smart nor intelligent.
  
  Also, most scientists are not theologians, and yet....
  
  
• The Halo Effect
  
  And then there is the ever-popular argument from ignorance/God of the Gods...
  
  
• How Scientists Can Believe in God
  
  ----
  
  > Atheist counterparts will often say that faith is silly and simply used as a delusion
  
  > https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/564x/e4/12/25/e41225b83c807c503797cf89a31704aa.jpg
  
  The image you selected OP does not support the test quoted above. The image does not explicitly, nor implicitly, state that "[Theistic Religious] Faith is silly" and than Theistic Religous Faith is a delusion.
  
  As such, your statement is an example of the logical fallacy of a strawman.
  
  The image text - "It is time that we admitted that faith is nothing more than the license religious people give one another to keep believing when reasons fails" Sam Harris - refers to the un-supportability and lack of credibility (e.g., very low to low levels of significance/levels of reliability and confidence) that can, in even a best case scenario, be assigned to Theistic Religious Faith through reason and reasoning. That Theistic Religious Faith, though claimed to be a virtue by many Theistics, represents reasoning that does not have credibility better than an appeal to emotion/argument from ignorance/failed and faulty logic arguments/wishful thinking - and yet many Theistic elevate and claim that this lack of credible reasoning represents an objective (or near) fact value (and then go on to hide their own self-serving bigotry and prejudice behind the facade of their Theistic Religious narratives and tenets).
  
  OP, AdGloriamDei, if you are a Theist of some favor, and you disagree that Theistic Religious Faith, belief in some God(s), only has credibility and supportability at the low value of appeal to emotion/argument from ignorance/failed and faulty logic arguments/wishful thinking, I would be most happy to discuss with you - using REASON - your arguments/evidence/knowledge that would elevate the credibility of Theistic Religious Faith above the threshold I presented:
  
  
• Identify the central God(s) (or Deities, Higher Power, Divine thingies, whatever) and present a coherent definition of this God(s)
  
• Make a presentation/listing/description of the attributes of this God(s)
  
• Make a presentation of claimed essential cognitive actualizations/interventions of this God(s)
  
• Make a presentation of the burden of proof, via credible evidence, and/or supportable argument that is free from logical fallacies and which can be shown to actually be linkable to this reality (i.e., both logically and factually true), to a level of significance (or level of reliability and confidence) above some acceptable threshold [Let's use a level of significance above that of a conceptual possibility or an appeal to emotion as a threshold for consideration - even though the consequences of the actualization of God(s), or proof that God(s) does exist, and associated claims, is extraordinary], of the above attributes and claims of this God(s)
  
• Defend your the burden of proof against refutation
  
  Note: For this discussion, the qualitative levels of significance (levels of reliability and confidence), for lowest to highest, are:
  
  
• None
  
• Asymptotically approaches none/zero; conceptual possibility
  
• Appeal to emotion/wishful thinking/Theistic Religious Faith
  
• Low
  
• Medium
  
• High
  
• Extraordinary
  
• Asymptotically approaches certainty
  
• Certainty/Unity

Here's a list of the key books in the field that I'm familiar with (by name and general contents, I've only actually read a few of them). I'm mainly focusing on what is relevant to the study of Twelver Shi'ism; there aren't many English language books on Zaidism, as far as I'm aware, and for Isma'ilism you can start with the works of Farhad Daftary.

I'll start with important works providing an overview of the area, and then give a rough breakdown by "era" (I may be a bit off regarding the era, and many of these books straddle two or more eras, so be warned). This list does not emphasize geographic studies of Shi'ism in various areas and countries, and rather traces the "core narrative" of the development of Shi'i intellectual history, which is typically thought of as happening in what is now modern day Iran, Iraq, and (especially in the post-Mongol/pre-Safavid era) Lebanon, and to a lesser extent in Bahrain. Once you've read the initial works, you should have a good idea about what's going on in each era, and you can pick and choose what to read based on your interests.

If you have no background in general Islamic history, you should first pick up a book on that subject. Tamim Ansary's Destiny Disrupted is an accessible non-academic book on general Islamic history (with an entertaining audiobook read by the author). If you want something heavier and more academic, Marshall G.S. Hodgson's The Venture of Islam is the classic three-volume reference in the field of Islamic studies, although it's a bit dated, especially in the third volume (covering the so-called "Gunpowder Empires"). Note that the standard introductory text on Shi'ism has long been Moojan Momen's book An Introduction to Shi'i Islam: The History and Doctrines of Twelver Shi'ism, but this book is now a bit dated. Heinz Halm also has some surveys, but I'm less familiar with these; likewise for the surveys of Farhad Daftary (who is better known for his work on Isma'ilism than general Shi'ism).

Surveys, Background, and Introduction

• Najam Haider's Shi'i Islam: An Introduction. This is a unique take on introducing Shi'ism that starts with what makes Shi'ism theologically distinct; the book also devotes roughly equal attention to the Zaidi, Isma'ili, and Twelver branches of the faith.
  
• Hossein Modaressi's An Introduction to Shi'i Law: A Bibliographical Study. Chapter 4 provides a very concise, yet fairly thorough overview of the history of the development of Shi'i legal theory; Chapters 1-3 can be read as "optional" background, while the rest is a bibliographical overview that is unlikely to be of interest to a non-specialist.
  
• Andrew J. Newman's Twelver Shiism: Unity and Diversity in the Life of Islam, 632 to 1722. A solid history of Twelver Shi'ism from its beginnings to the end of the Safavid period.
  
• Roy Mottahedeh's The Mantle of the Prophet: Religion and Politics in Iran. While ostensibility an intellectual history of Iran spanning centuries, this is a great introductory look at various aspects of Shi'ism, particularly as it concerns learning in the seminaries.
  
  The Succession and the so-called "Rashidun" Era
  
  
• Wilfred Madelung's The Succession to Muhammad: A Study of the Early Calpihate
  
• S.M.H. Jafri's The Origins and Early Development of Shi'i Islam
  
  The Imams and Early Shi'is in the Ummayid and `Abbasid Eras
  
  
• Arzina Lalani's Early Shi'i Thought: The Contribution of Imam Muhammad Al-Baqir
  
• Najam Haider's The Origins of the Shi'a: Identity, Ritual, and Sacred Space in Eighth-Century Kufa
  
• Maria Massi Dakake's The Charismatic Community: Shi'ite Identity in Early Islam
  
• Hossein Modarressi's Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi'ite Islam: Abu Ja'far Ibn Qiba Al-Razi and His Contribution to Imamite Shi'ite Thought. Considered the standard book on the "rationalist/moderate/shortcoming" view of Imamate.
  
• Mohammad Ali Amir Moezzi's The Divine Guide in Early Shi'ism: The Sources of Esotericism in Islam. Considered the standard book on the esoteric / "High Imamology" view of Imamate.
  
• Jasim M. Hussain's The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam (A Historical Background)
  
• Andrew J. Newman's The Formative Period of Twelver Shi'ism: Hadith as Discourse Between Qum and Baghdad
  
• Meir M. Bar-Asher's Scripture and Exegesis in Early Imami Shiism
  
  The Buyid, Seljuq, and Mongol Eras
  
  
• Martin J. McDermott's The Theology of al-Shaikh al-Mufid (d. 413/1022)
  
• Devin J. Stewart's Islamic Legal Orthodoxy. Some people have reservations about this book, so you might want to look at some reviews. It covers the Shi'i school of Shaykh Tusi engaging in juristic legal borrowing from the Shafi'i Sunni school, if I'm not mistaken.
  
• Etan Kohlberg's A Medieval Muslim Scholar at Work: Ibn Tawus and His Library. This is perhaps a little different from most other books on this list in scope, style, and focus.
  
  The Safavid Era and the Scholars of Jabal Amil
  
  
• Rula Abisaab's Converting Persia: Religion and Power in the Safavid Empire
  
• Robert Gleave's Scripturalist Islam: The History and Doctrines of the Akhbari Shi'i School
  
  The Iranian Interregnum Era
  
  
• Zachary M. Heern's The Emergence of Modern Shi'ism: Islamic Reform in Iraq and Iran
  
• Robert Gleave's Inevitable Doubt: Two Theories of Shi'i Jurisprudence. This is definitely worth a look if you're interested in details concerning Shi'i legal theory proper.
  
  The Qajar Era
  
  
• Hamid Algar's Religion and State in Iran 1785-1906: The Role of the Ulama in the Qajar Period. This book is about fifty years old now, but I think it's still the standard reference for this topic.
  
• Meir Litvak's Shi'i Scholars of Nineteenth-Century Iraq: The 'Ulama' of Najaf and Karbala'
  
  The Contemporary Era / Miscellaneous
  
  
• Liyakat Nathani Takim's Shi'ism in America. I said I'd stay away from the more geographically focused books, but I think this one in particular might appeal to a lot of people; mainly those living in the West in general, and North America in particular.
  
  
• Linda S. Walbridge's The Thread of Mu'awiya: The Making of a Marja' Taqlid. A book with a strange title about the foremost Shi'i scholars in the contemporary age; while published posthumously in the 2010s, the book is based on research conducted in the 1990s. I think it contains a lot of valuable information and an interesting perspective, but I also find some of it to be informed by lazy misconceptions or generalizations, although I'm quite sure the author would have substantially reworked this project had she lived longer.
  
• Ata Anzali's Mysticism in Iran: The Safavid Roots of a Modern Concept. This should provide information on irfan.
  
• Kamran Scot Aghaie's The Martyrs of Karbala: Shi'i Symbols and Rituals in Modern Iran. This covers the evolution of the Karbala narrative in Modern Iran (in the Qajar, Pahlavi, and post-Revolutionary eras, respectively).
  
• Matthew Pierce's Twelve Infallible Men: The Imams and the Making of Shi'ism. This book examines how the genre of the biographies of the Imams was formed (this may be a better fit in one of the above categories, but I'm less familiar with this book, so I'm not sure which era(s) is/are the focus).

> I just want to research it as much as possible before I commit myself.

Here are some resources that were recommended by users on this subreddit. Check out the ones that you might be interested in.

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___INTRODUCTION TO ISLAM____

• [Video] The DeenShow - a talk show that introduces many of the basic teachings of Islam and addresses common misconceptions. Their website here.
  
  
• [Book] The Complete Idiot's Guide to Islam - Yahiya Emerick, Ignore the title, it's actually a decent clear-English guide to explaining what Islam is about and it's practices.
  
  
• [Video] The Purpose of Life - Khalid Yasin, gives a comprehensive lecture on the fundamental question that every human being must ask: "What is the purpose of life?"
  
  
• [Web] What is Islam? - Jamaal Zarabozo, if you're looking for a more brief introduction to the fundamental beliefs and practices of the Islamic faith, then try this free book.
  
  
• [Audio] Guide for the New Muslim - Jamaal Zarabozo, a convert with experience, explains the general understanding of Islam and some of the basic practices in this extensive 12-part talk. Alternative link.
  
  
• [Book] A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam - I. A. Ibrahim, contains proofs that the Qur'an is the literal word of God along with scientific miracles in the Qur'an with illustrations.
  
  
• [Video] Foundations of Islam -Hamza Yusuf, discusses Quran compilation & preservation, articles of faith, ihsan, and the signs of the Last Day.
  
  
• [Video] Understanding Islam Video Series - Abdal Hakim Murad, discusses the Qur'anic view of Christianity & Jesus, historical Muslim tolerance of Jews, free will vs. determinism, the problem of evil, etc.
  
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  QURAN
  
  
• [Web] Quran - The Noble Quran in various translations.
  
  
• [Book] Quran - Abdel Haleem, if you're looking for the Quran in book form, this is argued to be the easiest to understand translation in the English language. Preview it online.
  
  
• [Book] Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations - Michael Anthony Sells, this book captures the complexity, power and poetry of the last chapters of the Quran.
  
  
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  ____LIFE OF PROPHET MUHAMMAD____
  
  
• [Video] Biography of Muhammad (pbuh) Video Series - Yasir Qadhi, detailed, very lengthy biography video series. A condensed video series here.
  
  
• [Book] Muhammad Man and Prophet: A Complete Study of the Life of the Prophet of Islam - Adil Salahi, from birth in the Arabian desert to the triumph of Islam and its gaining a permanent hold on Arabia.
  
  
• [Book] Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources - Martin Lings, very detailed and thorough biography based on the earliest sources. Recommended by many, (but relies on a few unauthentic sources).
  
  
• [Audio] The Life of the Prophet Muhammad - Hamza Yusuf, brilliant narration that was originally presented in a twelve week course based on the above book by Martin Lings.
  
  
• [Book] Muhammad (Critical Lives) - Yahiya Emerick, a simple concise, informative biography.
  
  
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  CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM AND ISLAM
  
  
• [Video] How the Bible Led Me to Islam - Joshua Evans, former Christian youth minister conveys his journey to Islam.
  
  
• [Book] The Cross & The Crescent - Jerald Dirks, former minister (deacon) of the United Methodist Church explains how coherent Islam is with the roots of Christianity, provided with verifiable proofs.
  
  
• [Video] Early Christianity From Jesus to Muhammad - Jerald Dirks, discusses the roots of Christianity and the transition to the emergence of Muslims.
  
  
• [Book] MisGod'ed: A Roadmap of Guidance and Misguidance in the Abrahamic Religions - Laurence Brown, examines Judaism, Christianity, and Islam for truth in revelation, and trace the chain of revelation to its logical conclusion.
  
  
• [Video] Misquoting Jesus in the Bible - Biblical scholar, Bart Ehrman discusses Bible inaccuracies and how certain Christian beliefs, like Trinity, developed over time. His book 'Misquoting Jesus' here.
  
  
  
• [Book] Understanding Islam: A Guide for the Judaeo-Christian Reader - Jerald Dirks, holds Master's degree in Divinity from Harvard University, offers a timely correct alternative to understanding Islam.
  
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  ____ATHEISM AND ISLAM____
  
  
• [Video] The Purpose of Life - Jeffrey Lang explains how he came to Islam after being an Atheist.
  
  
• [Book] Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America - Jeffery Lang, a former atheist, takes the reader along the path by discussing conflicts between faith and reason.
  
  
• [Book] Struggling To Surrender : Some Impressions of an American Convert to Islam - Former atheist, Jeffery Lang, gives a personal account of his search for God when he found out that his inherited religious beliefs could no longer answer his questions.
  
  
• [Video] From Strong Atheist To Islam - Tim, a former atheist used to debate religious people and tried to convince them that there is no God, until he met a Muslim.
  
  
• [Video] God: Delusion or Truth? - Hamza Tzortzis & AbdurRaheem Green, how can we prove the existence of God and what this means for humanity.
  
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  ____MISCELLANEOUS____
  
  
  
• [Book] The Road to Mecca - Muhammad Asad tells of his initial rejection of all institutional religions, his entree into Taoism, his fascinating travels as a diplomat, and finally his embrace of Islam.
  
  
• [Book] The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Malcolm X - Malcolm X explains his journey which leads him to Islam. Arguably the best autobiography in the English Language.
  
  
• [Book] The Islamophobia Industry: How the Right Manufactures Fear of Muslims - Nathan Lean, Using terms like: “stealth jihad,” “creeping Sharia,” “Islamofascism,” and other techniques used to scare the public are discussed.
  
  
• [Book] Who Speaks For Islam? What a Billion Muslims Really Think -John L. Esposito, what do the world’s Muslims think about the West, or about democracy, or about extremism itself?
  
  
  
• [Gift Pack] Muslim Now Welcome Pack - (UK ONLY), includes the popular 'Fortress of The Muslim' along with other free material.
  
  
• [Misc] Order Literature & Visit Mosque - (USA) WhyIslam provides free literature, can help arrange a visit to a mosque and can answer questions you may have by online Chat.
  
  ---
  
  Complete list here.

I had a similar experience and found two books by Gai Eaton to be truly transformative to my understanding and also faith: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0946621845/ref=mp_s_a_1_sc_2?qid=1465289838&sr=8-2-spell&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&keywords=remembrring+god

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/0946621470/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1465289866&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=islam+and+the+destiny+of+man&dpPl=1&dpID=61JR91V8FEL&ref=plSrch

"Islam and the destiny of man" is something I think absolutely every Muslim should read as a beautifully written view of both the Islamic outlook and Islamic history in an easy to read, compelling mentally stimulating way.

As an aside, like everything in life, experiences are significantly "flavoured" by the filters and beliefs of the observer. What you bring to the Quran in terms of where you are mentally and your doubts and beliefs and experiences generally will naturally bring focus particularly to those areas with which you find "problems" or difficulty. That's natural of course. It just shows that it's likely that your worldview and view of Islam as a religious tradition has (understandably) become tainted by your particular experiences and so the reason I recommend the above books is so that hopefully you can gain or regain or refresh(!) a much more balanced and healthy perspective. We're living in a world that is extremely hostile to Islam as a worldview and way of living in what ends up often being an overhwelming experience of being pushed further and further into a corner. It's not easy. We're not necessarily physically brutalised (in the West especially) as we historically were but we're psychologically brutalised in the sense that we're repeatedly forced to deal with relentless and daily attacks on the Islamic worldview and are mostly (endlessly) presented with a grotesque and twisted representation of how (some) non-believers (and misguided Muslims) view Islam and the effects of that in a visual and visceral way that embeds in the mind. This is extremely effective at breaking down a sense of certainty and its my belief that this is precisely the goal. Those books if you do read them will bring insha Allah some sense of stillness and clarity to you and from there you can of course continue seeking answers to the questions you have if they aren't by then answered.

One more thing: I think its absolutely crucial for you (and us all) to get right down to the point of it all: What/who is Allah? How does he or does he interact with my life? Where is Allah? These questions are glossed over by many people. And those who answer them usually give pre-baked unsatisfactory answers. Glossing them over provides shaky ground for understanding and faith. Think deeply about them and i recommend setting aside for a while reading the Quran in a linear way. I'd more recommend researching the Quran in the light of understanding context and meaning.

May Allah guide you to an awareness and feeling of His prescence in your life (He's much closer than you think which is key! - the Quran alludes to this) and may Allah bless you and all of us with Love and a warm nourishing hug to the heart this Ramadan insha Allah.

If you have any questions about what I've said please feel free to ask.

Salaams!

>A lot of people there had the good advice of reading the New Testament, which I will dive into this weekend. Any suggestions for the best way to go about it? Should it just be read in order or are there any books you'd advised to check out first or that are more important? I already know a lot about the story of Isa/Jesus from the Quran but also know the Bible account differs in many ways, though I'm also already somewhat familiar with that thanks to mentions in pop culture.

A good study Bible would help, though more often than not they have a specific political or theological bend that tends to obscure the actual words of the book. I am not a Catholic (I'm actually very much anti-clerical), but there is a small copy of the Gospels that is amazing, and probably a great first place to start - "The Four Gospels: Catholic Personal Study Edition (Little Rock Scripture Study)".

I am also personally partial to the JB Phillips "New Testament in Modern English", though it's sort of obscure, it's also phenomenal. Phillips started his translation as a minister to troops during WWII, and found that the average English soldier was not, shall we say, the most educated, and found the Bible to be hard to read. Considering that the NT was literally written in the common language of the people, using common - not high or eloquent - speech, Phillips set out to convey the NT in English as they read in the Greek. It's a real shame that the translation isn't more popular.

There is also an excellent translation of the Qur'an which compares passages to equivalent ones in the Bible. It was created to promote interfaith harmony, and if you are familiar with the Qur'an then it might actually be a good intro to the Bible. "The Qur'an - with references to the Bible".



As an aside, I really, really, really like to read, and though it's a bit more academic, one of my favorite books on Christian theology/Christology is "At the Origin of the Christian Claim". It's a short book, and actually made Jesus comprehensible to me.

Copied from previous thread

My story:

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

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

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

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

Which book is best for getting your friend to be open and honest with himself very much depends on his character, personality, preferences. Does he get easily offended when people contradict him, or does he carefully consider all arguments that imply he may be mistaken?

Either way, I don't think The God Delusion is the best book to give to him, since it primarily talks about Christianity. Many things are true for all religions, but I think a book dealing with Islam specifically would be better.

One option: Hamed Abdel-Samad – Islamic Fascism. He grew up in Egypt as the son (and grandson and great-grandson) of an imam and started learning the Koran by heart when he was three years old. He is now a humanist (and an atheist) and lives in Germany. I have met him in person, he is a great guy and a good writer.

Unfortunately, this was the only one of his books I could find that was translated into English. His book “Mein Abschied vom Himmel” (“My Farewell From Heaven”), in which he tells his own personal story that led him to becoming an atheist, or “Mohamed – Eine Abrechnung” (“Mohamed – A Reckoning”) would probably be better for your friend, because he could better relate to them, but to my knowledge they haven' been translated (yet?).

Wa `alaykum,

I'll let others recommend websites. In terms of books, there's a lot of material in English available, but it can be tough to find stuff that's well-written. I've found many books to unfortunately be written in very dry and unengaging language due to the challenges of translations.

That being said, here are a few gems that I've come across:

• Suzanne Haneef's book What Everyone Should Know About Islam and Muslims serves as an excellent primer on Islam. The author is a female convert, and I think she offers a unique perspective female readers will appreciate.
  
• Martin Ling's Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is an excellent English biography of the Prophet (s.). The book reads like a story as opposed to a dull recitation of dates and incidents. You'll encounter many names as the book progresses, but don't get overwhelmed. Lastly, the author made some mistakes that have been corrected by respected Islamic scholars (feel free to ask or PM if interested and I'll post/forward a link for more info) but for the most part I think it represents an excellent resource for the English reader.
  
• I have not read the translation in full myself, but I have heard a lot of praise for M.A.S. Abdel Haleem's translation of the Qur'an from Muslims involved in introducing non-Muslims to Islam.
  
  Hope this helps!

>rejecting anything in Islam that does not go along with their subjective morality

You are assuming here. Do you know the amount of disagreement traditional scholars and schools of thought have on almost anything? Were they using their subjective morality? No of course not. They were victims of their cultural and historic backgrounds. You can say the same about liberals but i would suggest you don't ascribe intention to them in a blanket statement like this. Otherwise you will be calling Mufti Abu Layth, Dr. Shabir Ally, even Dr. Brown liberals who just follow their whims. (btw, please read this)

>you cannot do so while hand waving away things like modesty and hijab, the difference in roles of men and women, the role of shari'ah in our lives, etc

Thats not what the problem is at all. First of all, things are not black and white as you seem to think. Also the issue is spending 99.999% of time in these issues. Spending our lives doing nothing but following rote dogma. The world is crumbling around us and all we seem to want to do is close our eyes and recite Allah HoAkbar 30 times, 3 times a day and after each prayer and before sleeping and after waking up immediately and before wudu and ... Is that the Islam you think God wants you to practice? Or the balanced one where you wake up thinking to yourself how you can help those around you while saying your prayers and dressing modest?

>You also then cannot pick and choose the most liberal opinion on every issue simply because you agree with it

lol, nobody does that. Thats just a convenient strawman the traditionalists set up to attack. The truth of the matter is that we have a rich history of diverse opinions on anything, wine from grapes vs other sorts of wine, music, apostasy, punishment for adultery, definition of modest dress etc. We even have a huge diversity in philosophical thought. I mean for heaven's sake the Mutazilites were the state sponsored religion for over 30 years! and this is early Islamic history. Then you have philosophers like Ibn Sina and Averroes amongst others who were rationalists and this is all early Islam. How can you now come 1400 years later and say that the earliest muslims had it completely wrong? Its not about right or wrong. Its not about black or white. Religion, like anything in life is nuanced.

>then rejecting the same scholar on another issue simply because they disagree with his conclusion

God gave you intellect. God asks you to question things and to find out the truth using your intellect. You agree with one scholarly opinion based on his/her evidences and you disagree with another because a lack of evidence or because another scholar has a stronger evidence in that case. What is wrong with that? Or do you want to disobey God and just follow a scholar blindly? I agree with the case Dr. Brown makes for why women can lead men in mixed congregation from behind as he laid out in his book. I have not found any sensible rebuttal to that yet. I disagree with Dr. Brown on the age of Aisha. Whenever he has talked about the age, he has never once addressed the multiple other evidences such as her joining Badr, her conversion to Islam etc. So how can I just close my intellect, become a dumb animal, and say that since Dr. Brown opines it, i believe it?

Ultimately, I alone will answer for my beliefs and actions in front of God. May God guide me to what is right and correct and protect me from ideas and thoughts that are against His will.

AA - So I was raised Muslim but wasn’t really culturally accepted - until probably about my late teens. I had a number of friends over the years who are reverts and some close ones now who are part of our community around the IC in New York City.

There’s a new researched Quran with Bible citations -
The Qur'an - with References to the Bible: A Contemporary Understanding https://www.amazon.com/dp/099659244X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_SsxYBb4TTTEMY

Which could serve as a reference for your friend - to start to understand the parallels and similarities between Islam and Christianity.

You should also find a reverts group in either your local mosque or one of your collegiate Islamic centers - Having close friends that don’t understand reverting or become more religious for whatever reason can be challenging.

But I suppose a short rebuttal might be something along the lines of Mary Magdalene is mentioned more times in the Quran than in the Bible and our religion gives great reverence to Jesus including discussing the second coming.

Terms like (peace be upon him) and a lot of our traditional lexicon should probably be explained in more contemporary terms that she could understand as well.

Jumu'ah Mubarak

Today's Ayah for Friday, 2016-11-18 / 18 Safar 1438

God makes it all good news for you so that your hearts will be at peace in Him. Victory is only from God, the Almighty, the Wise.

God meant this as a message of hope and assurance for your hearts, so you would know that victory is only from God. God is Almighty and Wise.

-- al-Imran 3:126 an al-Anfal 8:10 as rendered by Safi Kaskas

وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَىٰ لَكُمْ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ قُلُوبُكُم بِهِ وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ الْعَزِيزِ الْحَكِيمِ


وَمَا جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشْرَىٰ وَلِتَطْمَئِنَّ بِهِ قُلُوبُكُمْ وَمَا النَّصْرُ إِلَّا مِنْ عِندِ اللَّهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ

http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/3/126/ and http://www.islamawakened.com/quran/8/10/

(please share)


Study the Qur'an to understand what the good news is.

Reading "Why I Am Not A Muslim" (link below) is the most informative book I've read about Islam to date. However when I went through my Qu'ran to highlight and bookmark passages I realized the author didn't have a proofreader before publication. I managed to find EVERY referenced passage usually a verse or two after his citation indicated. In a couple instances he even wrote them dyslexically and I found them by reversing the chapter and verse. If you can forgive that it's all you need to really know about Islam.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-I-Am-Not-Muslim/dp/1591020115

To really answer your question though, ISIS and their ilk DO NOT cherry pick their Holy Book. They use the "abrogation of verses" rule (which is the proper way to understand the Qu'ran) and only take Allah's last word on the topic. If you only focus on those sections then the Qu'ran becomes a very short read with very specific instructions, leading to the creation of nations like Saudi Arabia and groups like ISIS. Be glad that so far most Muslims actually DO have a heart and DO cherry pick from the Qu'ran. They're the reasonable ones, the peaceful ones, the sane ones... and they are the last hope for a bright future for 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...)

I recommend you read Misquoting Muhammad by Jonathan Brown. It's not perfect but very good and definitely great for intro reading.

Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy https://www.amazon.com/dp/1780747829/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_SNk7AbN3K3351

• 
  Incoherence of Philosopher- Al Gazali
  
  
• 
  The Road To Makkah - Muhammad Asad
  
  
• 
  In the Footsteps of the Prophet-Tariq Ramdan
  
  
• 
  Musnavi-Rumi
  
  
  
  
• 
  The Burda of Al Busiri
  
  
• 
  Islamic Caliphate - Shah Wali Ullah
  
  The First Book separates the subject of philosophy and religion very well, the second is an excellent biography of a journey of man to Islam, Third book is a very good start to know about the prophet, fourth and fifth are very beautiful 100 level Sufi books, The last book does a very good job in explaining what an Islamic Empire actually is.
  
  
  
  
  

Robert Spencer's Complete Infidel's Guide to the Koran is excellent. Very thorough. The tag is "I read it so you don't have to"

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Infidels-Guide-Koran/dp/1596981040

I'd say it's also worth watching the author's debates online.

Also check out Acts17Apologetics for humorous and informative videos on Islam. https://www.youtube.com/user/Acts17Apologetics

William Lane Craig is a good resource too.

Good luck with your research!

Muhammed: How he can make you extraordinary

The Productive Muslim - Where Faith Meets Productivity

Dua, Weapon of the Believers

Revive Your Heart: Putting Life in Perspective

The Art of War

Khadija: The First Muslim and Wife of the Prophet Muhammed

Muhammed: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources

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

Fortress of a Muslim

Reclaim your heart

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

Edit: Like this

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

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

From another comment I made:

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

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

ROFL

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

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

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

I learned about this connection and history after reading this awesome book, and I highly reccomend it to anyone who is interested in learning how Islam, and the Middle East, got to where it is today. It's about an Austrian Jew who goes backpacking around in mostly Arabic countries in the 1920's and has such a wonderful experience that he converts to Islam. Yes, you read that right. Very interesting read, and gives more insight into the unfortunate history of Wahhabism.

I recommend these books:

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

You're asking a massively important question on a medium that doesn't necessarily facilitate the type of answers that would do justice to it.

What I would point you to are some incredible autobiographical books that really explore this question beautifully. Both books chronicle their paths to Islam. Asad's book is truly an amazing read.

Muhammad Asad - The Road to Mecca


Jeffrey Lang - Even Angels Ask

Hey I strongly recommend you read this book called the "Road to Mecca". This is really the perfect book for you, and it's one of my favorites.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Road-Mecca-Muhammad-Asad/dp/1887752374/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1345438530&sr=8-1&keywords=road+to+mecca

I would really recommend this book . well worth the read. its by Abdul Wadod Shalabi. its like 7 dollars on amazon. its a very interesting book to get an overall understanding of islam from a muslim perspective as how muslims understand it.

also Road to Mecca as someone else mentioned, by Leopold Weiss/Muhammad Asad

I must admit I am a really big fan of Hamed Abdel Samad, he has written great books like Islamic Fascism which go through the history of Islam and promote a reform on the political and legal parts of the religion. Also he contributes a lot to the debate about islam in Germany.

Unfortunately he gets fuck all support from the government, who instead give millions to Saudi and Turkish radical organizations like DITIB who run over 800 mosques in Germany filled with hate preachers.

People like this have never received any support... and they are the only ones with an organic and long term solution to the problem.

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

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

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

I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you say "emotionally not critically".

I did some digging, which I should have spent more time doing before I asked for help, and found some things that I think look interesting (here they are in case you are curious):

http://www.amazon.com/Questioning-Islam-Questions-Answers-Religion/dp/1500336203/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416328416&sr=8-1&keywords=questioning+islam

http://www.amazon.com/Why-I-Am-Not-Muslim/dp/1591020115/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1416328436&sr=8-1&keywords=why+I+am+not+a+muslim

http://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Islam-Apostates-Speak-Out/dp/1591020689/ref=pd_sim_b_16?ie=UTF8&refRID=18AP881NZ4JVSDVSR2V5

http://www.amazon.com/Leaving-Islam-Apostates-Speak-Out/dp/1591020689/ref=pd_sim_b_16?ie=UTF8&refRID=18AP881NZ4JVSDVSR2V5

The last one might be especially relevant to this sub (self explanatory).

Thanks for the response either way

For a historical overview of the resurgence of the hijab, I like this book by Leila Ahmed. You get a lot of discussion of politics, social activism, feminism, etc.
Some articles. Full disclosure most of these I only scanned. But you can google feminist hijab or feminist hijabi or similar things and get a lot of results.

https://dailyevergreen.com/9952/opinion/feminism-of-the-hijab/
I am a hijabi feminist


https://forward.com/life/style/381051/actually-modesty-is-about-empowerment-not-oppression/


http://adrielbooker.com/modesty-power-and-bikini-burning/


https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2017/03/17/muslim-women-fashion_n_15411952.html


https://forward.com/life/427544/a-muslim-and-an-orthodox-jew-talk-modesty-and-feminism/


Other books:


https://www.amazon.com/Beauty-Suit-Religious-Modesty-Feminist/dp/0807093920/ref=sr_1_7?keywords=modesty&qid=1569096262&sr=8-7


https://www.amazon.com/Veil-Modesty-Privacy-Resistance-Culture/dp/1859739296/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=modesty+in+islam&qid=1569096355&sr=8-2


Some novels with awesome hijabi characters:


https://www.amazon.com/Umm-Zakiyyah/e/B001K8VHZI?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_2&qid=1569096579&sr=8-2

Here.
Are.
Some.
Books.

Some.
More.
Books.

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

An Illusion of Harmony: Science And Religion in Islam by Taner Edis is a fantastic read and might be what you're looking for.

Leaving the Fold

Leaving the Fold: Testimonies of Former Fundamentalists

Losing Faith in Faith: From Preacher to Atheist

Why I Am Not a Muslim

Take Back Your Life: Recovering from Cults and Abusive Relationships

In Search of the Light: The Adventures of a Parapsychologist

Crazy for God: How I Grew Up as One of the Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right, and Lived to Take All (or Almost All) of It Back

>About the knowledge of Islam:

1. Not at all. The average Muslim in my experience barely knows how hadith works, who the major narrators are, no knowledge of detailed Islamic history, or what methodology to use when interpreting the Qur'an. There's a reason why interpreting legal rulings and such is done by scholars who have spent several years in training.
   
   1.1. Not really. Imams and scholars function as both sources of religious interpretation and knowledge (much like doctors do for the medical field for ex.) as well as community leaders. It's an institution that has been going on for 1400 years and I doubt it will change.
   
   1.2. The only thing they can't do is lead men in prayer. Other than that, history is filled with female religious scholars.
   
   >About the relation between hadith and Quran:
   
   
2. Of course it is. It's why the entire field of hadith science and verification exists, to determine the reliable from the unreliable. I would recommend reading Misquoting Muhammad by Jonathan Brown for more on this topic.
   
   1.1. It can be understood and explained to a certain extent, but for much of it, critical historical context will be missing such as: reason for revelation, context in which certain events occurred, determining references to certain battles or events or people, etc. Hadith is not a text of human creation: revelation came in two parts, the first being the Qur'an and the second being the commandments of the prophet (sawa) and his words that explained and expounded on the Quran and that we are ordered to follow as the Qur'an says,
   
   "By the star when it descends, Your companion [Muhammad] has not strayed, nor has he erred, Nor does he speak from [his own] inclination. It is not but a revelation revealed" 53:1-4
   
   "And whatever the Messenger has given you - take; and what he has forbidden you - refrain from. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is severe in penalty." 59:7
   
   "And obey Allah and obey the Messenger; but if you turn away - then upon Our Messenger is only [the duty of] clear notification." 64:12
   
   >About being Islamic in today's world:
   
   
3. As a scientist and researcher, I'd say little effect to strengthened my belief in Islam. Yes much of the moral and legal code of Islam was framed a long time ago, but I don't see what morality has to do with the passage of time. I don't subscribe to moral relativism. Other legal aspects of Islam include within them the ability to include certain conventions of the society one is in (a.k.a. 'urf) in passing out rules and judgement. I see Islam like a tree: rooted in a solid foundation, branching into a variety of opinions, but with the flexibility to bend (up to a degree) in the wind as needed.
   
   
4. Maybe, maybe not. Aside from larger political and power struggles in the middle east, most sunnis and shias have lived in peace for centuries. Conflict is not necessarily because of different Islamic interpretations, it's political power struggles that have taken a religious bent or centered around religious identity. For more on this I recommend reading The Shia Revival by Vali Nasr which has excellent insight on the reasons and background behind the modern struggle between sunnis and shias in the larger middle east.
   
   
5. It's mostly fine, aside from a handful of countries. Beware of summing the 57 or so muslim majority countries in the world with Saudi Arabia and Iran. Sure, they can leave if they want to and a number of people in my wider social circle have done so quite publicly in my muslim majority home country. No one cares.
   
   
   >About the presentation of Islam:
   
   
6. I'll leave that for a non-Arab to answer.
   
   
7. Not a big fan. I'm sure they're doing their best in dealing with an influx of millions of pilgrims, but some things could use huge improvement, especially the destruction of certain historical sites of huge importance to muslims.
   
   >About the criticism of Islam:
   
   
8. I'm fine with it. No I don't think they are "interpreting Islam" when they are violating clear unequivocal commandments of Islam and the Qur'an.
   
   1.1. I don't know. I think they'll either decrease or will have to change to something less takfiri of others. They have hit a critical point where irresponsible and divisive sectarian takfiri hate speech in parts of the muslim world has laid the groundwork for a lot of the problems we see today, and which was ignited by the instability caused in the Iraq war and then the Syrian civil war. The money pumping won't last forever. Again, I recommend reading the books linked above.

Don't play dumb. Katua is a honorary term used for Muslims.

> Can you suggest any good book so that I can learn about them?

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Infidels-Guide-Koran/dp/1596981040

https://www.amazon.com/11-Versus-Terrorist-Teachings-Koran/dp/0982027303

So basically, you accept Quran, but anything more than that such as certain hadith, have to be taken with a pinch of salt and seen if it is really authentic. The way I go about it is,

1. If a hadith talks about the world and clearly contradicts empirical evidence, such as ones against evolution, I don't accept it.
   
2. If a hadith talks about actions etc , I'll look at if it has multiple reliable chains of transmission. (Mutawattir). If it doesn't, then you cant really enforce it.
   
   Most of the controversial issues regarding Islam stems from hadiths that are single-chain narration. That means only ONE person reported hearing it from the prophet pbuh, and ONE student from him, and so on. Sahih Muslim and Bukhari unfortunately do accept a lot of single-chain narrations.
   
   ​
   
   I personally am wary of accepting a single-chain narration.
   
   ​
   
   There's this good book that talks about all of these issues with hadiths etc by Jonathan Brown. Misquoting Muhammed

Justice and Remembrance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali by Reza Shah Kazemi.

Focuses more on his thought, rather than life, but it is very well researched and written.

http://www.amazon.com/Justice-Remembrance-Introducing-Spirituality-Imam/dp/1845115260

http://www.answering-islam.org/Silas/wife-beating.htm

You'll also find some good stuff in The Truth about Muhammad http://www.amazon.com/Truth-About-Muhammad-Intolerant-Religion/dp/1596980281 and the Complete Infidels guyed to the Koran http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Infidels-Guide-Koran/dp/1596981040/ref=pd_sim_b_1

Questioning Islam by Richard Townsend is the closest to a critical account that does a fair job of staying impartial (that I've found anyway). The premise is not the history of Islam, but almost every observation is supported by references from the Quran and Hadith. It's not perfect, and I don't agree with everything he says, but it is a good read nonetheless.

Idk if its exactly the same, but try this its by Abdul Wadod Shalabi

its a very interesting book.

The Road to Mecca seems to be an excellent book for people contemplating joining Islam.

No, you did read one hadith about Aisha saying she was six probably from a propaganda website and ignored all the other hadiths that contradict this one, that "6/9 years old" hadith is not reliable and not part of the earliest and most trusted hadith collection (Muwatta), Muslims who lived in Medina at that time rejected that hadith as fabricated and it came from Iraq and not Arabia.

Shit like that exists because of the shia/sunni split, of course Muslims couldn't resist fighting eachothers for power, Aisha was a political figure not a little girl and she led a rebellion that's why many slander hadiths exist about her. That specific hadith was canonized in the 12th or 13th century with the rest of bukhari by an Ottoman vizier iirc and had absolutely no value before that.

Early Muslims didn't give a shit about hadiths because of their unreliable nature, I doubt you're interested in reading anything that isn't propaganda but since it's my field I'll recommend you two books on this topic The Introduction of ḥadīth in al-Andalus by Isabel Fierro and Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy by Jonathan Brown

TL;DR : Hadiths were the equivalent of shitposting for early Muslims, Aisha was a strong political figure and many contradicting hadiths about her age exist.

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

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

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

For a comprehensive scholarly book, Hans Küng, Islam: past, present and future.

If you prefer lighter reading to introduce you to the main issues in contemporary islam, I recommend Ziauddin Sardar's [Desperately Seeking Paradise](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Desperately-Seeking-Paradise-Journeys-Sceptical/dp/186207755X
).

Diversity of ideas, not skin color. I find that people who live in different states tend to have different views and ideas, while a visually diverse city or urban area can become quite orthodox and rigid in terms of ideas

Or, to pouch a quote I love: "Cosmopolitanism does not mean people of different skin colors all sitting around a bistro table complaining about organized religion. It means people who hold profoundly different, even mutually exclusive beliefs and cultural norms "
(Jonathan Brown, Foreword to Misquoting Mohammed: The Challenges and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy)

Brother, link them to the Islam On Demand YouTube channel. There's a wealth of information there for the uninitiated.

Edit: Or how about an introduction written by a leading Christian thinker Hans Küng - Islam: Past, Present, Future

plug for a good book about the modern history of veiling

Related: Anyone interested in an examintion of veiling in contemporary Islam, especially North America, should check out The Quiet Revolution by Leila Ahmed.

A quick Amazon search shows these two books [1] [2]. Warning: I didn't read them and I don't know if they're good books.

After reading all that was recommended you should read into Misquoting Muhammad by Dr. Jonathan Brown.

This one is quite good its by Abdul Shalabi, and edited by Tim Winter, its on amazon.

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

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

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

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

Read Ibn Warraq, the scholarly ex-Muslim from Pakistan.
http://www.amazon.com/Why-I-Am-Not-Muslim/dp/1591020115/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1372205869&sr=8-1&keywords=ibn+warraq

Everyone should read Islamic Fascism by Hamed Abdel-Samad


http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Fascism-Hamed-Abdel-Samad/dp/1633881245

Ibn Warraq has written multiple books - Why I am not a Muslim

​

Also online check out r/https://wikiislam.net

It was written by a revert. This is the book I was referring to.

"The Road to Mecca" by Muhammad Asad

Check out 'Why I am not a Muslim' by Ibn Warraq

Good book on the topic by an actual refugee who tried to teach about real Islam and its roots, had to leave his country (Egypt) because of threats from clerics.

https://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Fascism-Hamed-Abdel-Samad/dp/1633881245

Then he had to leave Germany as well, he was accused of "sedition".

http://gatesofvienna.net/2014/07/hamed-abdel-samad-says-auf-wiedersehen-to-germany/

The book ("Der Untergang der islamischen Welt" eng.: "The decay of the islamic world") by Hamed Abdel-Samad is only available in German. His book "Islamic Fascism" is available in English though. I bet it's interesting too.

http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Fascism-Hamed-Abdel-Samad/dp/1633881245/ref=sr_1_1/181-5597179-6227443?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1449353523&sr=1-1

Though the part about Waraqa is only like 2-3 pages in the book anyway.

He is refering to this (arabic) book, which is banned in Lebanon:

"Priest and Prophet : Research On the Rise of Islam"

http://www.muhammadanism.org/Arabic/book/hariri/priest_prophet_book.pdf

There's also a French translation, none in English it seems.

>contradicting stories throughout its sects, its theology is severely flawed, and not to mention, the bible sounds like a 9 year old wrote it.

You might want to read this.

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

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

This he writes below the video and the transcript:

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

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

>For more references, read a whole chapter about it in Jonathan Brown’s book Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet’s Legacy (specifically pp. 189-199). Even he, who otherwise holds rather patriarchal ideas about women, agrees that there’s no prohibition on mixed-gender female-led prayers and that the scholars had nothing to stand on for prohibiting it.

i loved the entire response, but this part was news to me! I've never cared for Johnathan Brown but i recognize his scholarship and think it's really cool that there really is no prohibition against women leading prayer.

So who are we to make something that isn't known to be haram into a sin?

Yasmin and anyone else who think it's haram for a woman to lead are essentially just speaking for Allah when they have zero authority to be doing that. In fact, their rhetoric is what drives people further from Islam and they'll probably have to answer to Allah for that.

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

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

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

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

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