Once in a while a book comes along that can reshape the thinking of the world. One person at a time. "Reading the Muslim Mind" is just such a book. Dr Hassan Hathout starts out from a simple observation - a lifetime of biculturalism leads him to note that "Islam in the West is widely known for what it is not." This encyclopedic personality sets out to guide the reader on a comprehensive tour through Islam. For this voyage, he supplies a keen and lucid anatomy of Islamic life. But more: he provides, with incisive clarity, the inner guidebook; he uncovers the tracing of the mind at work behind the practice, the spirit behind the letter, the rationale and the Ultimate Reason, God.
The book you must read to understand the Islamist crisis—and the threat to us all Robert R. Reilly’s eye-opening book masterfully explains the frightening behavior coming out of the Islamic world. Terrorism, he shows, is only one manifestation of the spiritual pathology of Islamism. Reilly uncovers the root of our contemporary crisis: a pivotal struggle waged within the Muslim world nearly a millennium ago. In a heated battle over the role of reason, the side of irrationality won. The deformed theology that resulted, Reilly reveals, produced the spiritual pathology of Islamism, and a deeply dysfunctional culture. The Closing of the Muslim Mind solves such puzzles as: · Why the Arab world stands near the bottom of every measure of human development · Why scientific inquiry is nearly dead in the Islamic world · Why Spain translates more books in a single year than the entire Arab world has in the past thousand years · Why some people in Saudi Arabia still refuse to believe man has been to the moon
A fascinating journey into Islam's diverse history of ideas, making an argument for an "Islamic Enlightenment" today In Reopening Muslim Minds, Mustafa Akyol, senior fellow at the Cato Institute and opinion writer for The New York Times, both diagnoses “the crisis of Islam” in the modern world, and offers a way forward. Diving deeply into Islamic theology, and also sharing lessons from his own life story, he reveals how Muslims lost the universalism that made them a great civilization in their earlier centuries. He especially demonstrates how values often associated with Western Enlightenment — freedom, reason, tolerance, and an appreciation of science — had Islamic counterparts, which sadly were cast aside in favor of more dogmatic views, often for political ends. Elucidating complex ideas with engaging prose and storytelling, Reopening Muslim Minds borrows lost visions from medieval Muslim thinkers such as Ibn Rushd (aka Averroes), to offer a new Muslim worldview on a range of sensitive issues: human rights, equality for women, freedom of religion, or freedom from religion. While frankly acknowledging the problems in the world of Islam today, Akyol offers a clear and hopeful vision for its future.
Amir Ahmad Nasr is a young Muslim man with something explosive in his hands: a computer connected to the Internet. And it has the power to help ignite a revolution and blow apart the structures of ignorance and politicized indoctrination that too often still imprison the Muslim mind. Part memoir, part passionate call for liberty, reason and doing work that matters, My Isl@m tells the tale of how the internet opened the eyes and heart of a once fearful young Muslim to a world beyond the dogmatism of his upbringing, and recounts his transformation into a defiant digital activist. In his honest, provocative, and courageous debut, Nasr–a popular Afro-Arab Sudanese blogger–steps out from behind the curtain of anonymity and emerges as a voice of a new generation of tech-savvy liberal Muslims. Set in war-ravaged Sudan, oil-rich Qatar, multi-cultural Malaysia, the United States, Turkey and the new frontiers of cyberspace, My Isl@m is a fascinating prelude to the Arab Spring and a disarming and uplifting tale of doubt, soul-searching, Islam, and finding freedom in the Middle East and the rest of the Muslim world. A poignant, honest, and uplifting memoir of how blogging and the internet opened the eyes and heart of one young Muslim man to a world beyond his religious fundamentalist upbringing.
Most Christian workers rely on the Qur'an as their primary source for understanding Islam and Muslims. But the Qur'an doesn't answer all the questions. However, the Islamic traditions do. Understanding these traditions-the one area that influences Muslims more than any other-can reduce fear and conflict while helping us build a rapport with Muslims and share with them the hope of Christ. Author and Navigator Ed Hoskins has spent years sequentially going through approximately 35,000 respected Islamic traditions, condensing them into a usable format, and organizing them into six topics: Muhammad Women Heaven and hell Jews and Christians Shariah law Jihad Refreshing and revealing, his comprehensive review of all the major Islamic traditions shows what Muslims believe, think, and do.
The events of September 11, 2001, forever changed the world as we knew it. In their wake, the quest for international order has prompted a reshuffling of global aims and priorities. In a fresh approach, Gilles Kepel focuses on the Middle East as a nexus of international disorder and decodes the complex language of war, propaganda, and terrorism that holds the region in its thrall. The breakdown of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process in 2000 was the first turn in a downward spiral of violence and retribution. Meanwhile, a neo-conservative revolution in Washington unsettled U.S. Mideast policy, which traditionally rested on the twin pillars of Israeli security and access to Gulf oil. In Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan, a transformation of the radical Islamist doctrine of Bin Laden and Zawahiri relocated the arena of terrorist action from Muslim lands to the West; Islamist radicals proclaimed jihad against their enemies worldwide. Kepel examines the impact of global terrorism and the ensuing military operations to stem its tide. He questions the United States' ability to address the Middle East challenge with Cold War rhetoric, while revealing the fault lines in terrorist ideology and tactics. Finally, he proposes the way out of the Middle East quagmire that triangulates the interests of Islamists, the West, and the Arab and Muslim ruling elites. Kepel delineates the conditions for the acceptance of Israel, for the democratization of Islamist and Arab societies, and for winning the minds and hearts of Muslims in the West.
Find out how the Koran resembles the Bible—and the drastic ways in which it differs. Understanding the Koran gives you an essential grasp of Islam's holy book: where it came from, what it teaches, how Muslims view it, and how the Allah of the Koran compares with the God of the Bible. Cherished as the final, perfect revelation of God's will by 1.2 billion Muslims worldwide, the Koran has become a part of American life. What do you know about the holy book that shapes the lives and views of your neighbors and a fifth of the world's population? Written by a pastor who was born to a Muslim father and raised in Saudi Arabia, Understanding the Koran gives you a fascinating, easy-to-understand overview that will show you: Why the background behind the Koran is important to understanding it. How the Koran came into existence. A summary of the main teachings of the Koran, including what it says about Jesus and the crucifixion. Similarities and differences between Muslim and Christian views of God. What the Koran teaches about Jihad and holy war. What the Koran teaches about heaven and hell and the final destinies of the human soul. Giving you an essential grasp of Islam's holy book, Understanding the Koran points you to the one thing that can draw your Muslim friends to Jesus—his love, demonstrated to them through you. Discussion questions make it possible to use this book in group studies.
A fascinating account of the Muslims in twentieth-century India, Pakistan and Bangladesh through his biographical sketches of eight prominent Muslims— Sayyid Ahmed Khan (1817-1898), Fazlul Haq (1873-1962), Muhammad Ali Jinnah (1876-1948), Muhammad Iqbal (1876-1938), Muhammad Ali (1878-1931), Abul Kalam Azad (1888-1958), Liaqat Ali Khan (1895-1951) and Zakir Hussain (1897-1969) Rajmohan Gandhi, the grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, provides a deeply insightful and comprehensive picture of the community in the subcontinent today.
A Trained Muslim Mind is a wonderful thing to have. Our ancestors have survived every single pandemic, war, persecution, loss, and tragedy. They did so with common sense, faith in Allah, and a strong Islamic mindset. Dr TK Harris sets out simple strategies for wellbeing and inner strength, in page-by-page training sessions.Islamic teachings and techniques are combined with medicine to produce a stunning workbook, full of insight, wonder, and sound step-by step instructions. It's laid out complete with diagrams and examples.ACTION SESSIONS: ONE PAGE INTERACTIVE EXERCISES: Clarify Your PurposesDeal With a Change or Loss EffectivelyUse a Planner! Tick Off What You DoSelf Acceptance ExerciseSet out and Live By Helpful TruthsDefine Your Rules of ConductGetting Things DoneGet Closer to Your FamilyApproach a Difficulty as a ChallengeMaking Du'aa with EnthusiasmFinding Your StrengthsReclaim Your Locus of ControlAppreciate Moments of JoySimple Smiling StepsIslamic MeditationLiving More in the Present MomentThankfulnessRIADH- Instant PeacePutting Work In Its PlaceReflect on the Way People CommunicateLet It Go. Forgive, Forget, and AcceptLearn, or Relearn SomethingDismiss Hurtful and Unwanted ThoughtsGain Confidence Before a TaskPractise Self RestraintChange Expectations, Review BoundariesFind a Path of Work or LearningVolunteering Helps Your MindHow to Challenge Negative ThinkingRe-interpreting a Painful TimeGetting Wealth Into PerspectivePrinciples of Physical ExerciseProfessionals Who Help with Mental HealthIN DEPTH DISCUSSIONS: QURAN, HADITH, AND MEDICINE COME TOGETHERWhen We Lose Sight of Our PurposeAdjusting to a Sudden Loss or ChangeDays Blurring into one AnotherBeing Unsure of Our WorthA Lack of Rules or Habits: AkhlaaqDifficulty Facing Realities of LifePoor Conduct or ReputationWe All ProcrastinateFeeling Distant From Loved OnesWhen Difficulties Feel OverwhelmingFeeling Unheard, with Nobody To Talk ToOverlooking Our StrengthsNot Feeling In ControlNot Enough Happy MomentsLosing One's SmileThe Meaning of 'Muslim'Lost in the Past or the FutureForgetting The PositivesBeing Afraid of Fear ItselfNot Keeping Our CoolLaziness and WorkaholicsCommunication Skills Get RustyPersuading and Influencing Confusing Excellence with PerfectionismForgiveness and GrudgesDepriving the Mind of its Sunlight: LearningThe Madness of WHY WHY WHYLacking Confidence Before a Big EventBehaving or Talking Without RestraintDisappointed Expectations, Blurred BoundariesUncertainty about Career, Skills and PassionsLiving in Our Own BubblesNegative Thoughts Running RiotTrouble Processing a Traumatic EventDissatisfaction with our Wealth or StatusLetting Fitness and Health SlideUnderestimating Iman's Effect on the BrainWhen Expert Help Should Be CalledBIOGRAPHY: Dr T K Harris completed his training in medicine and psychiatry in Oxford and is an internationally published author. He works internationally and is a renowned authority on Muslim mental health. His work is praised and recommended by many thousands of readers, including luminaries such as Mufti Menk, who praised his last book, Instant Insights, making a special video tom recommend it to his many millions of followers- check it out here https: //www.youtube.com/watch?v=_39lNESO2
America’s leading religious scholar and public intellectual introduces lay readers to the Qur’an with a measured, powerful reading of the ancient text Garry Wills has spent a lifetime thinking and writing about Christianity. In What the Qur’an Meant, Wills invites readers to join him as he embarks on a timely and necessary reconsideration of the Qur’an, leading us through perplexing passages with insight and erudition. What does the Qur’an actually say about veiling women? Does it justify religious war? There was a time when ordinary Americans did not have to know much about Islam. That is no longer the case. We blundered into the longest war in our history without knowing basic facts about the Islamic civilization with which we were dealing. We are constantly fed false information about Islam—claims that it is essentially a religion of violence, that its sacred book is a handbook for terrorists. There is no way to assess these claims unless we have at least some knowledge of the Qur’an. In this book Wills, as a non-Muslim with an open mind, reads the Qur’an with sympathy but with rigor, trying to discover why other non-Muslims—such as Pope Francis—find it an inspiring book, worthy to guide people down through the centuries. There are many traditions that add to and distort and blunt the actual words of the text. What Wills does resembles the work of art restorers who clean away accumulated layers of dust to find the original meaning. He compares the Qur’an with other sacred books, the Old Testament and the New Testament, to show many parallels between them. There are also parallel difficulties of interpretation, which call for patient exploration—and which offer some thrills of discovery. What the Qur’an Meant is the opening of a conversation on one of the world’s most practiced religions.
