Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
Martin Lings. Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. This revised edition includes new sections detailing the prophet’s expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states. It represents the final updates made to the text before the author’s death in 2005. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards.
Long Walk to Freedom
Nelson Mandela. Nelson Mandela was one of the great moral and political leaders of his time: an international hero whose lifelong dedication to the fight against racial oppression in South Africa won him the Nobel Peace Prize and the presidency of his country. After his triumphant release in 1990 from more than a quarter century of imprisonment, Mandela was at the center of the most compelling and inspiring political drama in the world. As president of the African National Congress and head of South Africa's anti-apartheid movement, he was instrumental in moving the nation toward multiracial government and majority rule. He is still revered everywhere as a vital force in the fight for human rights and racial equality. Long Walk to Freedom is his moving and exhilarating autobiography, destined to take its place among the finest memoirs of history's greatest figures. Here for the first time, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela told the extraordinary story of his life - an epic of struggle, setback, renewed hope, and ultimate triumph.
Rabi'a the Mystic and Her Fellow Saints in Islam
Margaret Smith. For centuries there has been fascination, within and beyond the Islamic world, with the mystical teachings of Sufism, and with the role of the Islamic 'saints' whose life and work were important to Islamic theology. Margaret Smith's classic work, Rabi'a the Mystic, describes the teaching, life and times of one of the great women of the Islamic tradition, Rabi'a of Basra. This study has never been bettered. It is now reissued unchanged, but with a new introduction by Professor Annemarie Schimmel. This emphasises the importance of the book - and of Rabi'a herself - and questions of major importance today: the nature of mystical belief and experience, the Sufi tradition, and the role of women in the Islamic world.
Umm al Muminin Aisha Siddiqah
Mumtaz Moin. This is an authentic biography of Aishah Siddiqah (Raz), the most prominent among the wives of the Holy Prophet (SAW) and one of the most distinguished among Muslim women. This book by Mumtaz Moin is a very valuable addition in the biographical Islamic literature. Besides being a well-researched narration of life-history of Hazrat ‘Aishah Siddiqa Raz. and personal virtues, the book brings out her substantial contribution to Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqah), in which she stands above all her co-wives and equals Sahabah of the first rank.
History Of Muslims In South Africa: A Chronology
Ebrahim Mahomed Mahida. A very useful and informative insights into the history of Muslims in South Africa.
Sufi Sage of Arabia: Imam Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad
Mostafa al-Badawi. This biography of the saint and Iman Abdallah al-Haddad takes readers into the fascinating world and spiritual life of 17th- and early 18th-century Yemen. The life of this renown spiritual master—whose teachings and personal example continue to influence lives around the world—is examined, from his early attraction to Sufi poetry and visit to the tomb of the prophet Hud to his rise as a Sufi master, his Hajj journey to Mecca, and his death. The biographical facts of al-Haddad's life are interspersed with 35 black and white photographs and ruminations on his spiritual teachings, including his take on the "nine stages of certainty," the five investitures of taqwa, the stages of gnosis, and karamat and super natural events. Sufi practitioners, historians, and anthropologists will come to a deeper understanding of this timeless and enduring tradition with this fascinating record of a seminal Sufi master.
From the Spice Islands to Cape Town: The Life and Times of Tuan Guru
Shafiq Morton. Tuan Guru, which means “Master Teacher”, is the popular name of a hero of Cape Islam. His full name is Imam ‘Abdullah ibn Qadi ‘Abd al-Salam, and he hailed from the royal house of Tidore, which was one of the famous Spice Islands in Indonesia. Tuan Guru was born in Tidore in 1712. He died in Cape Town in 1807 aged 95 years. He arrived at the Cape on the Dutch East India Company sailing ship, the Zeepard, in 1780 when he was 68 years old. He was sent to Robben Island. The Dutch sent him to the Cape because they were afraid he would make friends with the English, a Dutch enemy. Tuan Guru, who was imprisoned on Robben Island twice, was a Hafiz ul-Qur’an and wrote out the Holy Book there from memory.
Prophet of Mercy
Abul Hasan 'Ali Nadwi. This book is an English translation of as-Sirat an-Nabawiyyah; a scholarly and thoroughly researched Arabic work of Shaykh Abul-Hasan Ali Nadwi (May Allahs Mercy be upon him). However the title has been taken from the Urdu translation of the said work. In this book, the author has been particularly mindful of the current generation's mindset, taste, understanding and sensibilities. Similarly, he has been entirely considerate of the modern method of research and discourse, so that the content, evidences and style prove to be effective. In preparing the book, the author has read old and new literature, in Arabic and other languages; so that the book, in addition to being comprehensive, is also able to dispel any confusion that exists in the modern mind. As a result, this book has received much acclaim, and within a short space of time it has been included in the syllabus of universities. Now, the English version of this book is in your hands, so that English speakers may also benefit.
Centering Black Narrative: Black Muslim Nobles Among the Early Pious Muslims
Dawud Walid. Blackness is a term which has been understood differently based upon time and geography. The authors of this book explore how the term was understood by Arabs during the era surrounding the first three generations of Muslims and how such context can better inform understanding who from among them would today be considered Black Muslims in the West. This is very important in light of the effects of colonialism and scientific racism theories such as eugenics etc.,, have forced the idea of species level taxonomies which are in reality social constructs upon the psyche of laymen across the globe. By examining texts of antiquity and centering them in the modern discourse, it is hoped that the nuance and breadth of the human experience can be appreciated. Moving beyond providing generic descriptive terminology, they elucidate in detail particulars based upon semantics of the Arabic language. Authors then give biographical information on a series of early Muslims from African and Arab lineage who would be considered Black in the post modern era
The Jurisprudence of the Prophetic Biography & A Brief History of the Orthodox Caliphate
Dr. M. Sa'id Ramadan al-Buti. Transl Nancy Roberts. One of the finest pieces of literature written on the biography of the Prophet Mohammad.
Our Master Muhammad
Abdallah Sirajuddin Al-Husayni. In this day and age, it is essential for the Muslim community and humanity at large to acquire a detailed description of the Best of Creation, the Messenger of Allah (asws). Our Master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah , is a book of devotion written from the heart and addressing every heart that yearns to draw closer to best of Allah s creation. In this second volume of the book, the author details the exemplary character traits of our Prophet (asws), his devout worship, his noble lineage and progeny, and the blessings of his physical-self and personal effects, and his infallibility in both religious matters. This expression of Prophetic love and longing was written by the Pole of Prophetic love in our times , the venerable saint, Hadith scholar and exegete: Imam Abdallah Sirajuddin al-Husayni (ra). His book is an exceptional demonstration of sound scholarship and spiritual realization. O you who love the Messenger of Allah (asws)! Time has isolated us, tribulations have spread amongst us, the charlatans have spoken, and many people have preoccupied themselves with that which relieves neither hunger nor thirst. We have lost the warmth of the love of the Messenger of Allah (asws), the warmth that those who love him feel, and which those who yearn for him desperately seek, and in the beauty of which the most knowledgeable ones in Allah lose themselves. The reality of this love is absent, whilst claims to it are many, and the way of the Companions and the model of their love have been reduced to mere stories and legends. So let us renew our covenant with the Messenger of Allah ? , and bear the banner of love to the most sincere and lasting love, and the most enduring and faithful reverence, and the brightest and most resplendent light, and the Beloved and Chosen One of Allah.
Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum - The Sealed Nectar
al-Mubarakpuri Safi-ur-Rahman. This book was awarded first prize by the Muslim World League in worldwide competition on the biography of the Prophet held at Makkah Al-Mukarramah in 1399/1979.
The Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire
William Dalrymple. In August 1765, the East India Company defeated the young Mughal emperor and set up, in his place, a government run by English traders who collected taxes through means of a private army. The creation of this new government marked the moment that the East India Company ceased to be a conventional company and became something much more unusual: an international corporation transformed into an aggressive colonial power. Over the course of the next 47 years, the company's reach grew until almost all of India south of Delhi was effectively ruled from a boardroom in the city of London. The Anarchy tells one of history's most remarkable stories: how the Mughal Empire-which dominated world trade and manufacturing and possessed almost unlimited resources-fell apart and was replaced by a multinational corporation based thousands of miles overseas, and answerable to shareholders, most of whom had never even seen India and no idea about the country whose wealth was providing their dividends. Using previously untapped sources, Dalrymple tells the story of the East India Company as it has never been told before and provides a portrait of the devastating results from the abuse of corporate power.
Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas
Sylviane A. Diouf. Servants of Allah presents a history of African Muslims, following them from West Africa to the Americas. Although many assume that what Muslim faith they brought with them to the Americas was quickly absorbed into the new Christian milieu, as Sylviane A. Diouf demonstrates in this meticulously-researched, groundbreaking volume, Islam flourished during slavery on a large scale. She details how, even while enslaved, many Muslims managed to follow most of the precepts of their religion. Literate, urban, and well-traveled, they drew on their organization, solidarity and the strength of their beliefs to play a major part in the most well-known slave uprisings. But for all their accomplishments and contributions to the history and cultures of the African Diaspora, the Muslims have been largely ignored. Servants of Allah—a Choice 1999 Outstanding Academic Title—illuminates the role of Islam in the lives of both individual practitioners and communities, and shows that though the religion did not survive in the Americas in its orthodox form, its mark can be found in certain religions, traditions, and artistic creations of people of African descent. This 15th anniversary edition has been updated to include new materials and analysis, a review of developments in the field, prospects for new research, and new illustrations.
Jefferson's Muslim Fugitives: The Lost Story of Enslaved Africans, their Arabic Letters, and an American President
Jeffrey Einboden. On October 3, 1807, Thomas Jefferson was contacted by an unknown traveler urgently pleading for a private "interview" with the President, promising to disclose "a matter of momentous importance". By the next day, Jefferson held in his hands two astonishing manuscripts whose history has been lost for over two centuries. Authored by Muslims fleeing captivity in rural Kentucky, these documents delivered to the President in 1807 were penned by literate African slaves, and written entirely in Arabic. Jefferson's Muslim Fugitives reveals the untold story of two escaped West Africans in the American heartland whose Arabic writings reached a sitting U.S. President, prompting him to intervene on their behalf. Recounting a quest for emancipation that crosses borders of race, region and religion, Jeffrey Einboden unearths Arabic manuscripts that circulated among Jefferson and his prominent peers, including a document from 1780s Georgia which Einboden identifies as the earliest surviving example of Muslim slave authorship in the newly-formed United States. Revealing Jefferson's lifelong entanglements with slavery and Islam, Jefferson's Muslim Fugitives tracks the ascent of Arabic slave writings to the highest halls of U.S. power, while questioning why such vital legacies from the American past have been entirely forgotten.
Slavery and Islam
Jonathan A.C. Brown. What happens when authorities you venerate condone something you know is wrong? Are you right or are they, and what does this mean about what you’ve been venerating? No issue brings this question into starker contrast than slavery. Every major religion and philosophy condoned or approved of it, but in modern times there is nothing seen as more evil. Americans confront this crisis of authority when they erect statues of Founding Fathers who slept with their slaves. And Muslims faced it when ISIS revived sex-slavery, justifying it with verses from the Quran and the practice of Muhammad. This book explores the moral and ultimately theological problem of slavery, tracing how the Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions have tried to reconcile modern moral certainties with the infallibility of God’s message, in particular on the issue of sex-slavery. It investigates the challenge of defining what slavery is in the first place, showing that this remains more than ever a highly politicized question. This book lays out how Islam viewed slavery in theory, and also how slavery was practiced across the reality of Islamic civilization. Finally, it explains how Muslims have argued for the abolition of slavery in Islam, asking whether their arguments are sincere and convincing.
The Lie of 1652: A decolonised history of land
Patric Tariq Mellet. The Lie of 1652 debunks the 'empty-land' myth and claims of a 'Bantu invasion', while outlining 220 years of war and resistance. It recounts the history of migration to the Cape by Africans, Indians, Southeast Asians and Europeans, providing a provocative perspective on the de-Africanisation of local people of colour.
The Wealth of Nations
Adam Smith. Though first published in 1776, many of Adam Smith's arguments for raising living standards are still relevant today. More than that, they form the fundamental basis for classical economic theory. By reflecting upon the economics at the beginning of the industrial revolution, the book treats broad topics such as the division of labor, division of stock, the progress of opulence, and more. In the early days, economics was about the king's interests, and the wealth of a nation was measured by the king's treasury or by the gold and silver in the country. However, Smith believed that if everyone did what was best for themselves, the result would be best for society.
The Autobiography of Malcolm X: As Told to Alex Haley
Malcolm X, Alex Haley. Malcolm X, the Muslim leader, firebrand, and Black empowerment activist, tells the extraordinary story of his life and the growth of the Human Rights movement. His fascinating perspective on the lies and limitations of the American dream and the inherent racism in a society that denies its non-White citizens the opportunity to dream, gives extraordinary insight into the most urgent issues of our own time. The Autobiography of Malcolm X stands as the definitive statement of a movement and a man whose work was never completed but whose message is timeless. It is essential for anyone who wants to understand the African American experience and America as a whole.
Imams of the Valley
Amin Buxton. The Valley of Hadramawt is situated in Yemen, at the Southern foot of the Arabian Peninsula. The Valley was honoured in ancient times by the presence of the Prophet Hud and several other Prophets of Allah. It was then further blessed by a number of the Companions of the Messenger of Allah. Then in the fourth century of the Hijrah, members of the blessed Prophetic household, who later became known as Ba 'Alawi, settled there. Since then it has been a centre of sacred knowledge and the attainment of spiritual perfection. In this remote valley, and particularly in its spiritual capital, Tarim, the Prophetic legacy was preserved and nurtured and then carried to the four corners of the earth. Imams of the Valley begins by looking at the life of Prophet Hud and the Companion, 'Abbad bin Bishr. It then examines the lives of a few of the Ba 'Alawi Imams, from those who first settled in the Valley to more recent figures. It is hoped that this book will enable the reader to increase in love for the Prophets of Allah, their Master, Muhammad, and his Noble Companions and Blessed Family, for this love is one of the foundations of Islam