A Muslim Bookworm’s Toolbox 📚

1st Jan 2025 | This fulfils two things: my love for books & lists 👍

Photo by Malik Shibly on Unsplash

🧠 Muslim Mental Health

My ongoing attempt to seek out adequate literature on Muslim mental health.

1. The Dilemma of Muslim Psychologists by Malik Badri
2. Contemplation, an Islamic psycho spiritual study by Malik Badri
3. Cyber Counselling for Muslim Clients by Malik Badri
4. The Beginning of Guidance by Abu Hamid al Ghazali
5. A Handbook of Spiritual Medicine by Ibn Daud
6. The Muslim Narcissist, an Islamic guide by Mona Alyedreessy

🇬🇧 Accurate portrayal of Muslim Britain

Books in which I find the most accurate portrayal of Muslim Britain.⁣

1. A Long Jihad, my quest for the middle way – Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari. Dr Bari’s life is an example of a prominent Western Muslim rejecting extremes and finding balance. ⁣ ⁣
2. If the Oceans were Ink – Carla Power. An eye-opening story of how she and her longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities.⁣
3. Al Britannia, a journey through Muslim Britain – James Ferguson. James Fergusson travels the length of Britain to explore our often misunderstood Muslim communities, and to experience life on both sides of our increasingly segregated society.⁣
4. Follow Me Akhi, the online world of British Muslims – Hussein Kesvani. He explores how a new generation of young Muslims who have grown up with the internet are using social media to find their way.⁣
5. Being British Muslims: Beyond Ethnocentric Religion and Identity Politics – Dr Mamnun Khan. Thought provoking and highly informative material. Dr Khan discusses a wide array of topics, and thankfully doesn’t shy away from voicing his opinions. Definitely worth picking up!⁣ ⁣
6. Race, Religion & Muslim Identity in Britain – Dr Muhammad Abdul Bari. ⁣
7. Sufis, Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism – Sadek Hamid. He traces the evolution of Sufi, Salafi and Islamist activist groups in Britain, including The Young Muslims UK, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Salafi JIMAS organisation and Traditional Islam Network.⁣
8. Making of a Salafi Muslim Woman: Paths to conversion by Anabel Inge
9. British Muslims: New directions in Islamic thought, creativity and activism by Philip Lewis and Sadek Hamid
10. British-Islamic Identity: Third generation Bangladeshis from East London by Aminul Hoque
11. Veiled Threat: On Being Visibly Muslim in Britain by Nadine Asbali

📚 Quran

The interpretation and translation of the Quran.

1. Dr Musharraf Hussain – clear & accessible.
2. M.A.S. Abdel Haleem – contemporary & academic.
3. Aisha Bewley’s translation of Tafseer Al Jalalayn – scholarly & insightful.
4. Arthur J. Arberry – classical & shakespearian.
5. Yusuf Ali & Pickthall – GOAT! no list is complete without these two giants.
6. The Koran in English, A Biography by Bruce B. Lawrence

🧕 Nisahood (Women in Islam)

Muslim authors who do the topic well.

1. Al Muhaddithat: the women scholars in Islam by Sh Akram Nadwi
2. Ibn Hazm on the lawfulness of Women attending prayers in the Mosques by Sh Akram Nadwi. Weakness narrations that prefer women to pray in their homes? Women’s prayer in congregation is better than their prayer alone? Shaykh Akram Nadwi provides classical insight for Ibn Hazm’s perspective. Accessibility: easy. Rating: 5/5.
3. Reclaiming the Mosque, the role of women in Islam’s house of worship by Jasser Auda
4. Rebellious Wives, Neglectful Husbands, Controversies in Modern Quranic Commentaries by Haida Mubarak. Great depth and well researched volume on Tafsir and gender matters. Accessibility: reader should be familiar with key concepts. Rating: 5/5.
5. A Guide To Male-Female Interaction In Islam by Dr Hatem Al-Haj. Intermixing, women in mosques, shaking hands, online interactions, etc. Dr Hatem Al-Haj, provides a broad and considered perspective on the subject.

🕋 Islamic History

Islamic history; here are my recommendations. Both classic and contemporary works.

1. Saviours of Islamic Spirit by Shaykh Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi
2. Lessons in Islamic History by Muhammad al Khudari Bak
3. A World Without Islam by Graham E Fuller
4. Misquoting Muhammad by Jonathan A C Brown
5. Lost Islamic History by Firas al Khateeb
6. Destiny Disrupted by Tamim Ansary
7. Britain & Islam by Martin Pugh
8. A History of Islam in 21 Women by Hossein Kamaly
9. Islamic Civilisation in 30 Lives by Chase F Robinson
10. Longing for the lost Caliphate by Mona Hassan
11. Minarets in the Mountains: A Journey Into Muslim Europe by Tharik Hussain

👀 Jonathan A C Brown

One of my favourite authors of Hadith and History is Jonathan A C Brown. There’s something about the way he writes that is captivating & easy to follow. Here are 4 fantastic books that he’s written.

1. Misquoting Muhammad. Essential reading! Brown amazingly traces Islamic scholarly tradition and the challenges of interpretation. Accessibility: medium. My rating: 5/5.
2. Hadith, Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World. Another essential read! The sheer scope in Hadith scholarship is astounding and unique to the English language. Accessibility: medium. My rating: 4.5/5.
3. Slavery and Islam
4. Islam & Blackness

👳🏾‍♂️ Muntasir Zaman’s Writings on Hadith

Muntasir Zaman completed his alimiyya studies at Madrasa ‘Arabiyya Islamiyya, South Africa. He then specialized in Islamic law and hadith. He received an MA in Islamic studies from the Markfield Institute of Higher Education, UK. He is based in Dallas, Texas where he teaches hadith and Hanafi law at Qalam Institute and serves as an imam in his community.

1. Mustafa al Azami’s Introduction to Sahih al Bukhari: Author’s Biography, Recensions and Manuscripts
2. Hadith Scholarship in the Indian Subcontinent: Ahmad Ali Saharanpuri and the Canonical Hadith Literature.
3. The Height of Prophet Adam: At the Crossroads of Science and Scripture
4. The Textual Integrity of Sahih al Bukhari: A Study of Primary Recessions, Textual Variants, and Transmission of the Sahih

🔬 Islamic Theology & Science

Academic entries on Islamic Theology & Science. My recommendations.

1. The Muslim Creed, a contemporary theological study by Amiad M Hussain.
2. The Divine Reality, God, Islam & the mirage of Atheism by Hamza Andreas Tzortzis. A comprehensive and contemporary response to the atheist claim.
3. Islam and Biological Evolution by David Solomon Jalajel. The topic is explored within a framework of classical Islamic scholarship and contemporary understanding of evolutionary biology unfolding in the Muslim community.
4. The Height of Prophet Adam: At the Crossroads of Science and Scripture by Muntasir Zaman. Broadly deals if the conflict between science and hadith and how scholars of the past reconciled science and scripture.
5. The Muslim Difference: Defining the Line between Believers and Unbelievers from Early Islam to the Present by Yousha Patel. Centred around the Hadith; ‘Whoever imitates a people becomes one of them.’

✏️ Non Muslim authors

Four non Muslim authored books that every British Muslim should read.

1. A World Without Islam by Graham E Fuller
2. If the Oceans were Ink by Carla Power
3. Al Britannia, a journey through Muslim Britain by James Ferguson
4. Jesus in the Quran by Geoffrey Parrinder

🧐 Orientalist Narrative

Books dealing with orientalist narrative of Muslim sources.

1. The History of the Quranic Text From Revelation to Compilation by M. Mustafa Al-Azami.
2. On Schacht’s Origins of Muhammadan Jurisprudence by M. Mustafa Al-Azami.
3. The Scribes of the Prophet by M. Mustafa Al-Azami.
4. The Necessity of the Hadith in Islam by Emad Hamdeh
5. Early Sources for Prophet Muhammad’s Biography by Dr Muhammad Saeed Mitwally Ar Rahawan.

📚 Denying the necessity of Hadith

Imagine a religion in which its adherents openly reject every saying, action, and event surrounding their Prophet.

1. The Necessity of Hadith in Islam by Emad Hamdeh
2. The Necessity of Hadith and the Disconnect between the Quran Only approach and the Quran Text by Farid al Bahraini

📿 Hanafi Fiqh

Four easy reads as introductions to the Hanafi School. My recommendations.

1. Abu Hanifa: His life, Legal method and legacy by Sh Akram Nadwi.
2. The difference of the Imams by Sh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi.
3. Fiqh al Imam: Key Proofs in Hanafi Fiqh, Taqlid & Salah by Abdur Rahman In Yusuf.
4. The Salah of Rasulallah: 40 Hadith on Salah according to Hanafi Fiqh by Zahoor Ahmad al Husayni. Translated by Yasir al Hanafi.

🇸🇦 The Salafi Movement

Understanding the modern history of the Salafi movement and the role it has played in shaping moderns Muslim communities.

1. Sufis, Salafis and Islamists: The Contested Ground of British Islamic Activism – Sadek Hamid. He traces the evolution of Sufi, Salafi and Islamist activist groups in Britain, including The Young Muslims UK, Hizb ut-Tahrir, the Salafi JIMAS organisation and Traditional Islam Network.⁣
2. Making of a Salafi Muslim Woman: Paths to conversion by Anabel Inge
3. Salafism and Traditionalism: Scholarly Authority in Modern Islam by Emad Hamdeh

⚖️ Madhab Discussions

Book recommendations for those interested in the madhab & anti madhab discussions.

1. The Fiqh Madhab of Ahl ul Hadith, the legitimacy of its features by Sh Mashhur bin Hasan al Salman.
2. The Influence of the Noble Hadith upon the Differences of Opinion amongst the Jurist Imams by Sh Muhammad Awwamah.
3. The Difference of the Imams by Sh Muhammad Zakariyya Kandhlawi.

✈️ Islam Abroad

Books dealing with Islam & Sharia in the west.

1. Muslims in non Muslim Lands, a legal study with applications by Amjad M Mohammed
2. Islam and Politics by Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani
3. Sharia Law, question & answers by Mohammad Hashim Kamali