Recommended books on Quran/Islam & related topics

[Wakas]

peace all,

If you have any books to recommend on Quran/Islam and related topics, please post them here.

Ideally, please also provide a short summary of the book and why you are recommending it.

Thanks.

[Wakas]

Understanding Quran: Themes and Style
By M.A.Abdel Haleem
What I liked about it here:
http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=13503.0


God and Man in the Koran
by Toshihiko Izutsu
Review and excerpts here:
http://free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=15870.0


"Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic Thought"
by Daniel Brown.
Summary of book found here:
http://mypercept.co.uk/articles/Rethinking_Tradition_Modern_Islamic_Thought.htm

[Arnold Yasin]

I recommend:



Defenders of Reason In Islam: Mu'tazilism and Rational Theology from Medieval School to Modern Symbol (Paperback)


And:



Faith and Reason in Islam: Averroes' Exposition of Religious Arguments (Great Islamic Writings) (Paperback)

And:



Liberal Islam: A Sourcebook (Paperback)

[Arnold Yasin]

Also:



Islam: Past, Present and Future (Hardcover)

It is a very good book on Islam, the different theories, ideas and tries to understand early Islam more as a system that was later formed into a religion. Hans Kung was the main advisor on Islam for the Roman Catholic church but was kicked out, or rather being degraded, because he acknowledged the Quran being from God and that the Trinity was a man-made doctrine. He says the Quran presents the correct picture of the early Christians.

It has everything from A-Z on Islam.

Kung's words:

"There will be no peace among the nations without peace among the religions. There will be no peace among the religions without dialogue among the religions." - K?ng speaking on global ethic

[Arnold Yasin]

The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law (Themes in Islamic Law) (Paperback)

very good as it lays down the whole history of Islamic law, why it changed, how it differs between sects and what the future should be if Muslims wants to create a stabile progressive society.

[Arnold Yasin]

What the Koran Really Says: Language, Text, and Commentary (Hardcover)



Pioneers of Islamic Revival: Second Edition (Studies in Islamic Society) (Paperback)



Evolution and/or Creation: An Islamic Perspective (Paperback)



The Miracles of Exodus: A Scientist's Discovery of the Extraordinary Natural Causes of the Biblical Stories (Paperback)



God's Caliph: Religious Authority in the First Centuries of Islam (University of Cambridge Oriental Publications) (Paperback)



Introduction to the Qur'an (Paperback)



Science and the Akashic Field: An Integral Theory of Everything (Paperback)



Cosmic Jackpot: Why Our Universe Is Just Right for Life (Hardcover)

[Arnold Yasin]

The Quran: Unchallengeable Miracle (Paperback)



History of Islamic Philosophy (Routledge History of World Philosophies)



Muslim Conspiracies Against the Quaran (Paperback)

http://quraniceducationandresearch.com/

[Jack]

Peace,

This is a great book and it's free to view online.

Four Basic Quranic Terms

http://www.witness-pioneer.org/vil/Books/M_four_term/index.html


It focuses on Illah, Rabb, Ibadah and Deen and how Al quran uses the terms.


A must read, IMO.

[Arnold Yasin]

Maudoodi is a strange man. He had some real good insights into Islam but at the same time he said slavery was okay and that males could have sexual slaves.

Dr.Shabbir's comments:

His Impact: The treacherous, imbecile Maududi, through his long,
confused, confusing and inconclusive writings, has frozen the minds of
millions of simple Muslims for the last half century making sure that the
Ummah remains stuck in the spiderweb of the manmade, counterfeit,
Hadithi, Number Two Islam (N2I). The forsakers of the Quran got exactly
what they deserved. A significant factor behind his popularity has been the
generous royal Saudi support as in the case of the Egyptian Mullah-in-
Chief, Syed Qutb in the 1950s.

The Captive Women: 1:340 means Vol 1 Pg 340. The summary and
conclusion of his discussion on war captives, Vol 1 pg 340: Even today, the
government must distribute the women war captives among Muslim
soldiers and the soldiers should ?use? them. This rule will apply to women
regardless of whether they belong to the People of the Book, or any other
religion. How would the Mullahs feel if Muslims, getting thrashed all around
the world today, had their women treated by the ?infidels? in this
abominable fashion?

The Quran, verse 47:4 states that the captives of war must be freed either
for ransom (e.g. exchange of POWs) or as an act of kindness as soon as
the battle ends. There is no third option. When an eminent scholar differed
with him and showed how the Quran has closed the door of slavery
forever, Maududi responded, ?The error of this man lies in that he relies on
the Quran to form his opinion.? (Tafhimat 2:292)
Slavery: Maududi further alleges that:

A slave owner can sell his slave whenever and to whomever he
pleases.
The act of kindness means that the captives be made slaves and
given into the ownership of (Muslim) individuals.
A bondwoman given to any man by the rulers is as legal and binding
a process as Nikah (marriage).
A captive of war will remain a slave even if he or she embraces Islam.
If a slave tries to escape or create mischief, the master has the right
to kill him/her.
While the Shari?ah (religious law made up by Mullahs) has limited the
number of wives to four, it places NO LIMIT to the number of
concubines a man can possess. He can have sexual relations with
them freely. There is no reason for any man to feel bad about having
sex with these (captured) concubines. (Tafhimul Quran 1:340
onwards, and 5:14 onwards)
Beware! Dear reader, whenever you encounter statements like ?Islam says
this,? or ?Shari?ah states that,? know that it is almost invariably the
Mullah?s own wishful thinking rather than the Word of God.

Child Molestation: It is not only permissible to give in marriage the girls
who have not had their menstrual periods yet. Rather, it is also permissible
for the husbands to have sexual intercourse with them. Now it is obvious
that something that has been allowed by the Quran, no Muslim has the
right to declare it forbidden. (Mullah Maududi, Tafhimul Quran 5:571). Did
he marry ?off? his daughters or nieces at age 6 or 9?

If Someone Dies of Hunger: If someone dies of hunger, he dies because
Allah had written for him to die of hunger. (Tarjumanul Quran, Jan. 1966).
Should the government and the community be so easily absolved of their
fundamental duty? The Prophet (S) is reported to have said in a well-known
Hadith, ?If a single person sleeps hungry in a community, Allah removes
His protection from that people.? Also, Hazrat Umar is reported to have
said, ?If a dog were to die of hunger by the Euphrates, I am afraid Umar will
be held responsible.?

How to Establish a Solid Islamic State: Maududi shows a brilliant way to
establish a solid Islamic state: Send notice to the population that they must
announce within one year whether they should be considered Muslims or
non-Muslims. After that one year, all children born to Muslims will be
considered Muslims. All those who register as Muslims will be forced to
observe the worships and rituals of Islam, five prayers a day, Friday
prayers, 2.5 percent charity well-documented, fasting in the month of
Ramadhan, Pilgrimage to Makkah for the affluent, sacrificing a sheep or
goat at least once a year etc. Then whoever falls short of these obligations
of Islam, will be beheaded. (Murtad Ki Saza, Punishment of the Apostate,
August 1953, pg 76). Please note that many Mullahs considered Maududi a
heretic apostate. He might have been the first to be put to sword. If this
brilliant concept of Maududi is implemented, all the Muslim population of
that ?solid? Islamic state will walk around without heads on their shoulders.

Maududi?s Religious Freedom: In an Islamic country, non-Muslims
will have full rights to spread their belief, but we will not allow any
Muslim to change his or her religion. (Tarjumanul Quran, Dec.1959
pg 269). The Mullah would behead the ?apostate?. Can you see the
blatant and silly contradiction here? According to the Quran, there is
no compulsion in religion. (2:256)

Ah! The ?Infidel? Kids: Children of non-Muslims will go to Paradise
and will be made slaves of the owners of Paradise. (Ref same, pg
134). The Mullah probably lived under the wishful thinking that he
would be the owner of Paradise! How about slavery, even in
Paradise? Maududi never thought that his own children could be
eternal slaves.

The daughters of non-Muslims who died young will be made hoors of
Paradise. (Asia, Lahore, June 14, 1969). And how will they be treated?
According to Maududi, the men of Paradise will have their young, fullbreasted
houris indoors in their palaces. And the little infidel 'houri girls',
eternally staying little, will live in beautiful outdoor tents. Men of Paradise
(which would be, of course, Mullahs alone) will have sex with them
whenever they go about strolling in the evenings. Ah, the poor ?infidel?
kids!

Telling Lies May Be Mandatory: Truth is one of the most important
principles of Islam and lying is one of the greatest sins. But in real life,
needs arise when telling lies is not only allowed, rather it becomes
mandatory. (Tarjumanul Quran, May 1958 pg 54)

Temporary Marriage (Mut?ah) is permissible under certain circumstances.
(Tarjumanul Quran, August 1955). Maududi puts forward an example: If a
man and woman get stranded on an island, as soon as they procure food,
they should go ahead and indulge in sex regardless of their marital status.

In Vol 1 pg 338 of his Tafhim, Mullah Maududi writes that although the
jurists differ on the age of suckling, even if a grown up man suckles on a
woman, he will enter into the bond of suckling! But the foolishness does
not end here. Maududi asserts in Tarjumanul Quran that the amount of milk
actually swallowed is of terrible importance. How much milk? Maududi
frantically seeks help from Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik and comes up
with a solution. Well, the amount is that which will be enough to break the
fast of a fasting person. However, the three Mullahs fail to elaborate how
much milk will be sufficient to break a fast. The Mullahs have neither the
sense, nor the courage to reject Ahadith that insult human intelligence,
such as this one of a grown up man suckling on a strange woman! Would
the Mullahs advise this nonsense to their wives, sisters and daughters?
Who knows if Maududi did that?

http://ourbeacon.com/wp-content/uploads/Dr.%20Shabbir/2007/09/criminals.pdf

[Jack]

Hey man in this world, you gotta take what you can get. Shabbir's no angel himself; not by a long shot.