The Islamic world—defined as those regions in which Islam is the dominant or single most important religion—covers territories as far apart as Morocco and Indonesia, Somalia, and Bosnia and includes an extraordinary range of societies and cultures. In A Modern History of the Islamic World, eminent scholar Reinhard Schulze charts the history of these societies in the twentieth century, revealing what they have in common as well as their equally profound differences. Rather than stringing together individual studies of different countries, the book is structured chronologically, tracing political change in the context of culture and society. Schulze opens with a survey of the impact of colonialism and its attendant modernizing effects on the Islamic world. He then moves on to examine the rise of bourgeois nationalism in the 1920s and 1930s, the era of independence movements, the relationship between Islamic cultures and the "republican" political culture of the Third World, the reassertion of Islamic ideologies in the 1970s and 1980s and, finally, the issues surrounding the relationship between Islamic culture and civil society that dominated debate in the 1990s. A Modern History of the Islamic World provides a clear overview of the ways in which twentieth century modernism affected the societies of the Islamic world and how modernism was developed from an Islamic perspective. Author Biography: REINHARD SCHULZE is Professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Berne. ...read more

This is the story of a young and inquisitive boy, Saeed, who engages Bilal, the first Muezzin of Islam, in conversation about his Call to prayer and his days with the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh).

Through the lives of 100 most influential Muslim rulers and conquerors, religious scholars and philosophers, writers and literary figures, scientists and explorers, military generals and freedom fighters, and reformers and educationalists, this book will take you to the heart of Islamic thought, history, culture and civilization like never before. By exploring the ideas, thoughts and achievements of the Muslim world’s most influential people, the author develops a new and exciting approach to the study of Islamic history and culture. These bold, incisive and thought-provoking biographies will not only challenge your misconceptions and stereotypes; they will also change your views and opinions about Islam and Muslims for the better. Remember: these are only the author’s chosen 100. Some will agree with his selection; others will no doubt disagree with him, but no one will be able to resist involvement. Bold in its assertions, encyclopaedic in its scope and monumentally effective in its approach, this book will inform, inspire and stimulate its reader, and also generate much discussion and debate both in the Muslim world and the West.

Life story of Hazrat Omar the second caliph of Islam.

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In this book, mention has been made about the different aspects of Al-Madinah, and the most important historical events are recorded that have direct effect on the establishment and sacredness of Al-Madinah as well as its religious weight. . This book has highlighted the sites that are highly important whenever Al-Madinah is mentioned like the Prophet's Mosque, Quba Mosque and others... A great part of the book is designated to speak about the Prophet's Mosque updating the expansions and the improvements that has taken place from the time of Muhammad ( ) till the Saudi era. It contains more than fifty pictures taken from original documented resources. The pictures vary from old to new dealing with many aspects. The book is a genuine addition to the Islamic library in its subject both for the researcher and the regular reader. This book sought scientific trustworthiness, by presenting only the correct Ahadith and authentic reports.

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Discover the Muslim Heritage in our World Experience a thousand years of missing history Learn about a lost age of Muslim innovation and invention Discover the Muslim origins of many Western discoveries A unique UK based educational project that reveals the rich heritage that the Muslim community share with other communities in the UK and Europe. 1001 Inventions is a non-religious and non-political project seeking to allow the positive aspects of progress in science and technology to act as a bridge in understanding the interdependence of communities throughout human history. 1001 Inventions consists of a UK-wide travelling exhibition, a colourful easy to read book, a dedicated website and a themed collection of educational posters complementing a secondary school teachers' pack. Discover Muslim Heritage in our World in seven conveniently organised zones: home, school, market, hospital, town, world and universe. Further information are available from there website: http://www.1001inventions.com/

Of the multitude of histories and and biographies of Medieval Islam there is no book more instinct with life than that of Ibn Battuta. This book provides a descriptive account of Muslim society in the second quarter of the 14th century.

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This Book Mentioned the different aspects of Makkah, and recorded the most important historical events that have direct effect on the establishment and sacredness of Makkah as well as its religious weight. Highlighted the sites that are highly important whenever Makkah is mentioned like the Black Stone, Zamzam Well and others. Designated a great part of the book speaking about the Holy Ka'bah and the Holy Mosque updating the extensions and the improvements, that have taken place from the time of Muhammad to the Saudi era. At the end of the book there is a complete appendix about Hajj and its rites.

This is a series of biographies of some of the scholars and Muhaddithin of this ummah which Allah has granted glory and honour until the hour. We will focus on certain aspet of the lives of these scholars such as their attributes, their manner, their knowledge, their worship, and their religion, and how great is our need in this age to know about these matters! There can be no return to the glory and honour that this Ummah possed except by assuming the noble attributes that the first generation possessed. This is the biography of the notable Imam Sufyan ibn Uyaynah, may Allah have mercy on him, who linked the generation of the tabi'in with that of the followers of atba' al-atba. He was the rare and unique scholar of his age, and he was a torch for the Sunnah and a proof upon the Ummah, may Allah have mercy upon him.

The renowned contemporary Arab historian of Islam, Dr. Ali M. Sallabi has written a fascinating biography of a man who looms larger than life throughout history, yet who remains largely unknown to people outside of the Arab world. Dr. Sallabi's meticulous research has effectively filled that gap in our knowledge. His work is more than just a biography, as the readers will see. This three volume work has been made more useful to the reader in this English edition through the addition of a map, a timeline, a list of dynasties of the period and a comprehensive glossary. Volume One: Crusades Prior to the Rise of the Ayubid state. Volume Two: The Establishment of the Ayubid state. Volume Three: The Battle of Hattin, the conquest of Jerusalem and the Third Crusade.

A recurrent theme in today's tense relations between the Islamic and eastern worlds is the memory of the Crusades, when ferocious wars were waged in the name of the Prince of Peace. Norman Housley discusses four classic texts, written by Crusaders and their contemporaries, which can help us to understand the society of medieval Europe and the psychology of the Crusaders - how they perceived themselves and their enemies and what they were fighting for.

Muhammad Asad tells the story of his road of discovery: his journeys through Muslim countries, and the gradual changes in his way of thinking which were to bring him, inevitably as it seemed, to Islam. The road is a road of adventure, of continuous revelation; travels in Palestine Transjordan Arabia, North Africa, Turkey, Persia; friendship with the beduins of the desert, and the kings such as Ibn Saud of Arabia and Riza khan of Iran. As he penetrated to the hearts of these countries he came to understand the rational principles of Islam, and to know the troubled history and politics of the Muslims. He tells how, in the haunting, endless, eternal beauties of the desert came the acceptance of the new belief and realisation of his destiny. The Road to Makkah describes the happiness and sense of reality brought to one man by the Muslim way of life. The author does not wish to preach or to convert. He speaks only of his own unique experience upon the road he has travelled, and in so doing he has written of outstanding power and insight.

What was the significance of the Ottoman Empire? What kind of lives did people live? What lessons can be learnt from the civilization that the Ottomans created? What does the Ottoman Empire mean to us today? One of Turkeys leading historians, Ilber Ortayli, answers all these questions in Discovering the Ottomans, a brilliant set of learned and engaging reflections on the everyday life, legacy and enduring relevance of the Ottomans. Sold over 150,000 copies in the Turkish language Ilber Ortayli is the Director of the Topkape Palace Museum, Professor of History at Galatasaray University in Istanbul and Bilkent University in Ankara and is one of Turkey's leading authorities on Ottoman history, known for making history accessible to a wider audience.

For nearly 200 years the Middle East was the battleground on which Islam, Byzantium and western Christendom fought themselves to a standstill. This history presents this epic struggle as a narrative that not only relates to the crucial events, but also brings to life the remarkable characters involved in this clash of imperial ambitions.

In 1870, Begum Nawab Sikandar Begum of Bhopal became the first Muslim woman to publish an account of her pilgrimage to Mecca. Her critical and often surprising description provides unique insight into the factors that went into writing this quintessentially Muslim journey in a colonial environment. At the same time, it documents a process by which notions of the self could be redefined against a Muslim 'other' and the way in which Arabia was constructed by a colonial subject as part of a modernist discourse about 'the Orient'. Reproduced here, 'A Pilgrimage to Mecca' is the original English translation of an unpublished Urdu manuscript by the wife of a British colonial officer. It is accompanied by a critical Introduction and Afterword that make this offering a comprehensive resource on travel writing by South Asian Muslim women, and encourage the reader - whether scholar, student or enthusiast - to rethink established understandings relating to travel writing, colonialism and world history. Reproduced here, ''A Princess's Pilgrimage to Mecca' is the original English translation by the wife of British colonial officer of an unpublished Urdu manuscript. It is accompanied by a critical Introduction and Afterword that make this offering a comprehensive resource on travel writing by South-Asian Muslim women, and encourage the reader- whether scholar, student or enthusiast - to rethink established understandings relating to travel writing colonialism and world history.

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This book highlights aspects of the lives of thirty Companions of the Prophet, some famous, others almost completely unknown. Here the trials and triumphs of the early Muslims as individuals are well-portrayed. Their various paths to Islam - sometimes direct, sometimes long and tortuous, their devotion to the noble Prophet, their endeavours in peace time and their exploits in war - all serve to cast them in a heroic mould. This is the first of two (formerly published as a series of three) books based on original Arabic sources and written in a style that is lively and often gripping. The lives of the Sahabah or Companions of the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, is a rich storehouse of knowledge, guidance and inspiration. The men and women whose stories are told here helped to lay the foundations of a new world order, and it is only fitting that they should be more widely known.

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ZAINAB AL-GHAZALI AL-JUBAILI was born in Egypt in 1917. At the age of twenty she formed a major women's charitable organization which rendered valuable service to the poor, orphans and the underprivileged. Although she had acquaintance with Shaikh Hasan al-Banna, the founder of the Ikhwan, since the late 30s, and actively participated in many Islamic programmes, she formally joined the Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) in 1948. After the assassination of Hasan al-Banna in 1949, she played a major role in the re-organization of the Muslim Brotherhood. She was arrested in 1965 for an alleged conspiracy to kill Jamal 'Abd al-Nasir and overthrow his government. She was released from prison in 1971 during Anwar Sadat's presidency. In addition to being very active in Da'wah work, Zainab al-Ghazali has been a prolific writer, contributing regularly to major Islamic journals and periodicals. Her latest book is a two-volume study on the Tafsir of the Qur'an. RETURN OF THE PHARAOH relates how, falsely accused of conspiring to kill Jamal 'Abd al-Nasir the President of Egypt in 1965, the author was arrested and imprisoned. While awaiting trial, she was subjected to the most terrible and inhuman torture. This book describes in a captivating manner the ordeal which this Muslim activist went through in the notorious Egyptian prisons. Instead of dampening her enthusiasm for Islam and the Islamic movement, the afflictions and savageries in Nasir's prisons increased her commitment an...read more