2020 is almost a month in, Al-Andalus book club will publish its book list for 2020 anytime soon. We can still prepare ourselves with 2019 books in case if you missed some. Here is the list of recommendations for 2019 and a short summary (from goodreads.com) of each.

• Muhammad Asad - The Road to Mecca

In this extraordinary and beautifully-written autobiography, 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.

• Jonathan Lyons - Islam Through Western Eyes

In Islam Through Western Eyes, Jonathan Lyons unpacks Western habits of thinking and writing about Islam, conducting a careful analysis of the West's grand totalizing narrative across one thousand years of history. He observes the discourse's corrosive effects on the social sciences, including sociology, politics, philosophy, theology, international relations, security studies, and human rights scholarship. He follows its influence on research, speeches, political strategy, and government policy, preventing the West from responding effectively to its most significant twenty-first-century challenges: the rise of Islamic power, the emergence of religious violence, and the growing tension between established social values and multicultural rights among Muslim immigrant populations.

• Wael Hallaq - Restating Orientalism

In this landmark theoretical investigation, Wael B. Hallaq takes Orientalism as a point of departure for rethinking the foundations of the modern project. Refusing to isolate or scapegoat Orientalism, Restating Orientalism extends the critique to other fields, from law and scientific inquiry to core ideas of academic thought such as sovereignty and the self. Hallaq traces their involvement in colonialism, mass annihilation, and systematic destruction of the natural world, interrogating and historicizing the set of causes that permitted modernity to wed knowledge to power. Modern knowledge has created and justified a political concept of sovereignty that has unleashed unprecedented forms of domination. Restating Orientalismoffers a bold rethinking of the theory of the author, the concept of sovereignty, and the place of the secular Western self in the modern project, reopening the problem of power and knowledge to an ethical critique and ultimately theorizing an exit from modernity's predicaments. A remarkably ambitious attempt to overturn the foundations of a wide range of academic disciplines while also drawing on the best they have to offer, Restating Orientalism exposes the depth of academia's lethal complicity in modern forms of capitalism, colonialism, and hegemonic power.

• Wael Hallaq - An Introduction to Islamic Law

Wael Hallaq, a leading scholar and practitioner of Islamic law, guides students through the intricacies of the subject in this absorbing introduction. The first half of the book is devoted to a discussion of Islamic law in its pre-modern natural habitat. The second part explains how the law was transformed and ultimately dismantled during the colonial period. In the final chapters, the author charts recent developments and the struggles of the Islamists to negotiate changes which have seen the law emerge as a primarily textual entity focused on fixed punishments and ritual requirements.

• Abu Hamid al-Ghazali - A Return to Purity in Creed

In A Return to Purity in Creed, Imām Abū Ḥāmid Al-Ghazzālī proves, once again, to be a man of the times by striking a balance between two extremes and refocusing the common Muslim on the simplistic beauty of the Islamic doctrine as learned and transmitted by the early Muslim community.

Largely debated between specualative theologians (mutakallimun) and traditionalists (ahl al-hadith) for centuries, speculative theology (kalam) and figurative interpretation (ta'wil) remain a lively source of contention amongst Muslims today. Traditionalists have remained loyal in their opposition to rational pursuits in theology and claim the mantle of orthodoxy in creed. The speculative theologians, while having strong rational and scriptual support for their views, still struggle to convince a considerable sector of the Muslim populace that their understanding is not a departure from the creed of the pious forebears (Salaf). This book is an attempt by Imam al-Ghazali to reconcile them both and lay the age old debate to rest.

• Wolfgang Smith - A Wisdom of Ancient Cosmology

In the present book the author extends this metaphysically-based interpretation from fundamental physics to contemporary cosmology. With the aid of a few additional conceptions consonant, say, with the Thomistic doctrine - such as the concept of what he terms "the extrapolated universe" or the notion of "vertical causation" relating to intelligent design - he treats a broad range of issues from a unified metaphysical point of view. Not surprisingly, his conclusions tend to be radically at odds with the prevailing interpretations of scientific data, regardless of whether these are based upon naturalistic or scientistically theistic presuppositions. The author's approach may thus be characterized as the third alternative: the sole option, it appears, consistent with the Aristotelian and Platonist traditions, and with the wisdom of Christianity, as delineated especially in the Patristic writings.

• Averroes - Faith and Reason in Islam

This is a complete and annotated translation of a key work by the twelfth-century Muslim philosopher, Averroes (Ibn Rushd). Acknowledged as the leading transmitter of Aristotelian th ought, Averroes also held controversial views about the re lationship between faith and reason, arguing that religion should not be allowed to impose limits on the exercise of rational thought. His theory of rationality, along with others on language, justice and the interpretation of religious texts, is clearly presented here, in a work that provides the most comprehensive picture available of Averroes's great intellectual achievements.

• Alvin Plantinga - Where the Conflict Really Lies

This book is a long-awaited major statement by a pre-eminent analytic philosopher, Alvin Plantinga, on one of our biggest debates -- the compatibility of science and religion. The last twenty years has seen a cottage industry of books on this divide, but with little consensus emerging. Plantinga, as a top philosopher but also a proponent of the rationality of religious belief, has a unique contribution to make. His theme in this short book is that the conflict between science and theistic religion is actually superficial, and that at a deeper level they are in concord.

Plantinga examines where this conflict is supposed to exist -- evolution, evolutionary psychology, analysis of scripture, scientific study of religion -- as well as claims by Dan Dennett, Richard Dawkins, and Philip Kitcher that evolution and theistic belief cannot co-exist. Plantinga makes a case that their arguments are not only inconclusive but that the supposed conflicts themselves are superficial, due to the methodological naturalism used by science. On the other hand, science can actually offer support to theistic doctrines, and Plantinga uses the notion of biological and cosmological "fine-tuning" in support of this idea. Plantinga argues that we might think about arguments in science and religion in a new way -- as different forms of discourse that try to persuade people to look at questions from a perspective such that they can see that something is true. In this way, there is a deep and massive consonance between theism and the scientific enterprise.

• Alexander Rosenberg - Instrumental Biology or the Disunity of Science

In Instrumental Biology, or the Disunity of Science, Alexander Rosenberg argues that while physics and chemistry can develop laws that reveal the structure of natural phenomena, biology is fated to be a practical, instrumental discipline. Because of the complexity produced by natural selection, and because of the limits on human cognition, scientists are prevented from uncovering the basic structure of biological phenomena. Consequently, biology and all of the disciplines that rest upon it—psychology and the other human sciences—must aim at most to provide practical tools for coping with the natural world rather than a complete theoretical understanding of it.

• Wolfgang Smith - Theistic Evolution: The Teilhardian Heresy

Darwin. Dawkins. Dennett. - This voluble triumvirate has gained oracular status for many scientists and laypersons in the contemporary world. But though the edifice of thought they have erected over and against tradition and faith has gained currency in today's nihilistic mind, it is now rapidly eroding in the serious world of ideas. But what of that heady amalgam of Science and Christianity first put together by Teilhard de Chardin, which struck the Catholic world like a whirlwind around the time of the Second Vatican Council and continues to the present day in the work of such Catholic evolutionists as John Haught and Kenneth R. Miller? What as a rule has rendered Catholics vulnerable to Teilhardian tenets-apart from the fact that these conform to the neo-humanist tendencies of our age-is that the theory is clad in scientific garb: in the modern world, where Science speaks, it appears even angels will listen. In Theistic Evolution, Wolfgang Smith shows himself to be that rare person thoroughly grounded in both science and theology, and what he proves through detailed and rigorous argument is that Teilhard de Chardin has in fact sold us a veritable science-fiction theology. This book, however, is much more than a masterful and indeed definitive refutation of theistic evolutionism: it is at the same time an incomparable introduction to long-forgotten metaphysical and theological truths. In language at once precise and lucid the author recalls teachings going back to the Greek and Latin Fathers, and explains their bearing on questions about the nature of God and man bungled at the hands of many contemporary scientists and theologians.

Happy Ramadan Mubarak/Kareem! Blessed month to you all. Think I covered all the greetings.

Who's reading the Quran? In Arabic? English or other language? How's it going? Keeping up? Any amazing insights?

I'm reading Muhammad Asad's translation and commentary. I've never read through that version before. Definitely a new perspective for me, which sometimes I don't agree with but other times it gives a fresh pair of eyes to an ayah. Previous I've read the MAS Abdel Haleem version, Yahya Emerick's and Sahih Intl.

Wish you all blessings , good reading ans a great month!

Salaam y'all.

As-Salamu Alaykum,

I hope those of you joining us for our month's read are enjoying the book. This week we'll be reading chapters 4 - 6 (p. 73-129).

Please don't be shy about participating in our discussion thread, even if it's a simple comment of "I like/don't like this book!" :)

Watch out for an updated post on future book nominations this week insha'Allah.

We're gonna have one stickied discussion thread for the whole book during the month. This way discussions can go from week to week as we read more and we'll have everyone's thoughts on the book in one thread.

Post your thoughts and comments as you read and make sure you check back.

Week 1: Introduction, Chapters 1-3.

This is a reminder to make use of your university and public libraries if available. If you haven't already, get out there and get your public library card. You can find most books there to borrow for free, also a nice walk in the fresh air is good for you :)

In public libraries, if they do not have a book, you can request that they get a copy of it and they'll let you know when they get it. This typically takes a couple of weeks or longer so might not work for the same week's book selection. However, since we'll soon be updating the current reading list to be short selection of nominated books, you can be proactive and check to see which books your library does or doesn't have, and request them early before they get picked as the month's read.

At most universities, if they don't have book they will get borrow it for you from a another library and get it to you relatively quickly. I know some of you are students out there, so take advantage!

Finally used books are just as good as new ones and a whole lot easier on the wallet :)

Feel free to share any other resources for books in this thread.

As-salamu alaykum,

This is our first book selection for the reboot. Please note that while the first book was selected by the mods from the reading list to get the ball rolling, in the next couple of weeks we'll be revamping the current reading list and posting an updated process for book nominations by members of this sub, so everyone will get to have input.

Book Description:

The aim of this book is to explore what it means to be a Muslim, a member of a community which embraces a quarter of the world's population and to describe the forces which have shaped the hearts and the minds of Islamic people. After considering the historic confrontation between Islam and Christendom and analyzing the difference between the three monotheistic faiths (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam), the author describes the two poles of Muslim belief in terms of 'Truth' and 'Mercy'--the unitarian truth which is the basis of the Muslim's faith and the mercy inherent in this truth. In the second part of the book he explains the significance of the Qur'an and tells the dramatic story of Muhammad's life and of the early Caliphate. Lastly, the author considers the Muslim view of man's destiny, the social structure of Islam, the role of art and mysticism and the inner meaning of Islamic teaching concerning the hereafter.

Throughout this book the author is concerned not with the religion of Islam in isolation, but with the very nature of religious faith, its spiritual and intellectual foundations, and the light it casts upon the mysteries and paradoxes of the human condition.

About the Author:

Charles Le Gai Eaton (1921 - 2010) was born in Switzerland and educated at Charterhouse and Kings College, Cambridge. He converted to Islam in 1951 under the encouragement of Martin Lings. He was a consultant to the Islamic Cultural Center in London for 22 years and was a lecturer, broadcaster, and writer on religious topics. Previously, from 1959 to 1974, he served in India, Africa and the Caribbean for the British Diplomatic Service before retiring.

Links:

Amazon.: Contains a free preview of the introduction.

Google books: Contains a free extended preview with chapters 1-6 of the book.

Reading Schedule

For this upcoming week, May 1-7, we'll be reading the introduction and the first 3 chapters (pages 1-52 depending on your edition). The previews on Amazon and Google books should have the intro and the first 6 chapters available for free with only a couple of pages not included, which should give folks about 2 weeks to source the full book.

We'll be posting a stickied discussion thread tomorrow for this week's read in which you guys can post your thoughts and comments as you read.

Salam everyone!

We'd like to revive this sub and bring the book discussions back :) Insha'Allah we'll do the 1 book/month goal and post a new book in the next few days. So look out for that!

In the mean time, please comment here if you're interested in bringing the r/iqraa book club back and post any book suggestions for the reboot.

Props to u/jokeinateacozy for her effort to bring us back :)

All the threads have trailed off.

I don't know if others have noticed this or if this is even worth mentioning (I haven't read many books in this area so I wouldn't know). The author repeatedly uses "women and men" instead of "men and women" - I don't know if this was done on purpose or not but I thought it was cool :D

I thought this book was really cool and you should all read it. I'd paste my review here but reddit format sucks and I can't embed the images. Otherwise just read the TLDR and then get the book.

TLDR shows some great things about quranic structure, very scientific methodology but still an easy read nonetheless.

http://ponderingislam.com/2015/10/11/book-review-discovering-the-quran-neal-robinson/

As-salaam alaikum y'all,

Here we are with our first discussion thread for our current read, The Lives of Man, covering pages 1-50.

What are your thoughts so far?

What stood out to you the most?

Are there parts that you particularly identify with?

Share anything you'd like, from interesting excerpts to connections to comments.

On a side note:

This is for everyone's benefit, inshaAllah, so please feel free to share feedback and suggestions. We'd like to improve and be able to work out the kinks in the process with each week. :)

Pages:

89

About the book:

This book was written by Imam Al-Hadad rahimullah as a succinct reminder to Muslims on the reality of death and the Day of Judgement. He writes about five stages of life that man experiences, and their spiritual developments.

The book begins with the first "Life of Man", which is life before conception. He describes how the souls of all mankind were drawn from Adam AS and made to declare their faith in the divine unity.

The Second Life is our time in the dunya, the most intimately familiar reality. The esteemed imam goes on to further divide this period into five stages: childhood, youth, maturity, seniority, and decrepitude. He also describes man's spiritual requirements and abilities in each of those phases.

The Third Life begins at the moment of death, when man enters the "intermediate realm", the Barzakh. It is here that every human being will be visited by two angels, Munkar and Nakir, to be asked about their actions and beliefs. It is after this that one will receive a taste of their future in either Heaven or Hell.

The Fourth Life brings to life the events of the Judgement, from the Trumpet-Blast, the Gathering of all of humanity, the crossing of the Bridge thinner than a human hair, the Balance, and the merciful intercession of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah's blessings be upon him.

The Fifth Life takes the reader through mankind's final destination, describing the tumultuous and ravenous Fire, and the unimaginable beauty of Paradise.

About the author:

Imam 'Abdullah Ibn 'Alawi Al-Haddad was born in the Hadramaut Valley, between Yemen and Oman, to parents of taqwa and gnosis. In fact, his maternal great grandfather, Ahmad al-Habshi, met Imam Al-Haddad's father before his marriage to Imam Al-Haddad's mother, and remarked, "Your children and my children, and there is a blessing in them". Through Ahmad Al-Muhajir, he was a direct descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him.

He spent most of his life in Kenya and Saudi Arabia where he taught Islamic jurisprudence and Sufism. He was also held as one of the greatest Sufi sages and was known for teaching classical works of tasawwuf. In fact, much of his life was centered around teaching and writing. His enduring piety and taqwa is evident in his writings, which include several books, a collation of Sufi letters, and a volume of poetry. The esteemed imam is widely regarded as to have been the renewer of the twelfth Islamic century.

His works are centered around the development and cultivation of yaqin, certainty and unshakable faith in Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings be upon him. In this way, his writings are highly reminiscent of Al Ghazali rahimullah's, and indeed, for he studied the Ihya Uloom ul-Deen under the guidance of a scholar.

In recent times, Imam Al-Hadad rahimullah's works have surged in popularity due to their short length yet hard hitting nature. He wrote briefly, having kept in mind that coming generations would not have time to read lengthy volumes.

Links

PDF [x]

Amazon [x]

Reading schedule

October 10 - October 16 ------ pages 1-50

October 17 - October 23 ------ pages 51 - 89

Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart by Hamza Yusuf

The book on Goodreads | The author on Goodreads | The book on Amazon

Brief description:

This exploration of Islamic spirituality delves into the psychological diseases and cures of the heart. Diseases examined include miserliness, envy, hatred, treachery, rancor, malice, ostentation, arrogance, covetousness, lust, and other afflictions that assail people and often control them. The causes and practical cures of these diseases are discussed, offering a penetrating glimpse into how Islam deals with spiritual and psychological problems and demonstrating how all people can benefit from these teachings.

Thread created by /u/syedur.

Misquoting Muhammad by Jonathan A.C. Brown

The book on Goodreads | The author on Goodreads | The book on Amazon

Brief description:

Few things provoke controversy in the modern world like the religion brought by Muhammad. Modern media are replete with alarm over jihad, underage marriage and the threat of amputation or stoning under Shariah law. Sometimes rumor, sometimes based in fact and often misunderstood, the tenets of Islamic law and dogma were not set in the religion’s founding moments. They were developed over centuries by the clerical class of Muslim scholars.

Misquoting Muhammad takes the reader back in time through Islamic civilization and traces how and why such controversies developed, offering an inside view into how key and controversial aspects of Islam took shape. From the protests of the Arab Spring to Istanbul at the fall of the Ottoman Empire, and from the ochre red walls of Delhi’s great mosques to the trade routes of Islam’s Indian Ocean world, Misquoting Muhammad lays out how Muslim intellectuals have sought to balance reason and revelation, weigh science and religion, and negotiate the eternal truths of scripture amid shifting values.

Thread created by /u/syedur.

Dr. Jonathan AC Brown made some excellent lectures which can be found in this YouTube channel. In addition to being a well informed scholar and a gifted writer, he is also excellent in delivering talks. I will cite here some of his lectures that are connected to parts of his book Misquoting Muhammad ﷺ.

• "Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting..." (1) [58:07]
• "Misquoting Muhammad" | Princeton University | Muslim Life Program. [1:48:28]
• "Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting..." (2) [14:40]
• Misquoting Muhammad | University of Washington [1:00:58] -- Q/A Session. [21:03]
• Political Quietism and Non-Violence in Contemporary Salafism. [29:31]

This talk develops on the two last paragraphs of the subchapter titled: "Slay The Unbelievers Wherever You Find Them: Jihad And (Re)Interpreting Scripture." which are found in p.129-130. He speaks about the politically quietist and nonviolent type of Salafi movements. His lecture was around two famous proponents of that movements and they're Muhammad Nasiruddin al-Albani (ناصر الدين الألباني‎) and Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i (مقبل الوادعي‎).

• A Crisis of Confidence Amongst Muslims & How We Read Our Scripture. [1:37:47]
• The Qur'an and Domestic Violence - Misquoting Muhammad | Interpreting Qur’an. [1:06:58]

^^^^^^^^^^^^.

To be completed...

Assalamu alaikom everybody,

Would somebody be able to guide me to an electronic format of tafsir that would be more academic? Which would you recommend? I have seen some older and modern types of tafsir but I don't know which would be best. Any recommendations?

JAK

####Please select a book from the following list:

• Destiny Disrupted
• Don't Be Sad
• Purification of the Heart
• Orientalism

Voting ends on April 30th, 2015.

Check out our full reading list.

Books, we've already read.

Book, we are currently reading.

We are discussing the following chapters, additional discussions should be marked with the spoiler tag:

Chapter 1: The Problem(s) with Islam

Chapter 2: A Map of Islamic Interpretive Tradition

Chapter 3: The Fragile Truth of Scripture

Chapter 4: Clinging to the Canon in a Ruptured World

Chapter 5: Muslim Martin Luthers and the Paradox of Tradition

Chapter 6: Lying about the Prophet of God

We are discussing the following chapters, additional discussions should be marked with the spoiler tag:

Chapter 1: The Problem(s) with Islam

Chapter 2: A Map of Islamic Interpretive Tradition

Chapter 3: The Fragile Truth of Scripture

Chapter 4: Clinging to the Canon in a Ruptured World

We are discussing the following chapters, additional discussions should be marked with the spoiler tag:

Chapter 1: The Problem(s) with Islam

Chapter 2: A Map of Islamic Interpretive Tradition

Typically when I see book discussions, I have difficulty at understanding why ppl come to multiple interpretations.What I don't understand is how can different PPL reach different interpretstions when the original author had a specific meaning in mind.

Usually verbal reasoning tests test for reading comprehension like the SAT. How exactly do people's different reading comprehensions come into play in book discussions. Are some readers not able to understanding the intended authorial meaning?

You have spoken and you chose Misquoting Muhammad ﷺ. This book is 384 pages. So we'll break it down into four sections. We'll discuss a section each week starting from April 4th. (This should give people some time to obtain the book.) First 72 pages (coincidence?) are available on Google Books.

Part 1 (April 4th):

Chapter 1: The Problem(s) with Islam

Chapter 2: A Map of Islamic Interpretive Tradition

Part 2 (April 11th):

Chapter 3: The Fragile Truth of Scripture

Chapter 4: Clinging to the Canon in a Ruptured World

Part 3 (April 18th):

Chapter 5: Muslim Martin Luthers and the Paradox of Tradition

Chapter 6: Lying about the Prophet of God

Part 4 (April 25th):

Chapter 7: When Scripture Can't be True

Additional discussions

بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Due to a wide divergence in the previous voting thread we decided to restart it, but now we'll proceed as in the very first vote, by picking a book from a carefully chosen list:

• The Story of the Qur'an, Ingrid Mattson.
• Reclaim Your Heart, Yasmin Mogahed.
• Misquoting Muhammad ﷺ , Jonathan A.C. Brown.
• Purification of the Heart, Hamza Yusuf.

Please select one book from the list above and respond with the title in your post, below.

I need your feedback. What can we do to help? Do you need more time to read? Was two weeks not enough for the previous book? Do you need a better book selection? Do you need help obtaining the book?