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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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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.

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

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.

Over the fourteen centuries of its existence, Islamic scholarship has produced numerous individuals who have distinguished themselves by acquiring broad knowledge and deep insight. • However, true distinction is only achieved through a lasting influence, particularly when the area of scholarship is a religion that presents itself as being suited to all communities at all times. • The selection has to start with the founders of the eight schools of jurisprudence who have had a continuous following over the centuries up to the present day. • This book introduces nine scholars from these schools and adds two more from a much later era whose influence extended far beyond the area of pure scholarship. • In simple language, this book gives a clear picture of how the Islamic schools of jurisprudence differ in their methodologies, showing at the same time how much interaction they project. • It serves as a primary source for those who wish to follow a course in Islamic studies, this book is indispensable for others who wish to have a fair but concise idea about the most important personalities who have shaped Islamic scholarship for centuries.

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.

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).

A scientific and objective historical account of the assimilation and absorption of several races, this book examines the ecological, geographical, political, anthropological, and sociological patterns that have influenced the history of the subcontinent since ancient times. Spanning a period of 5000 years, Mahmud presents a simple and balanced picture of Indo-Pak history, stressing the contributions made by the Hindus, Buddhists, Jains, Muslims, Sikhs, and imperial powers to Indo-Muslim culture.

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.

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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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

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MU'AWIYA Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan is a crucial figure for the history of Islam and one who has either been ignored because of the lack of information on this period of history, vilified for political reasons by the Shiites, or transformed into a completely secular ruler by certain Western orientalists. When Mu'awiya became the caliph in 41/661, he put an end to a period of destructive civil war and initiated the Umayyad dynasty which lasted for roughly 90 years until it was overthrown by the Abbasids. Indeed, it is hard to imagine how the crisis would. been resolved without his success in drawing the Muslim community together again. In Mu'awiya we have the master politician and diplomat who set about developing a form of governance in which Islam could express itself in the wider social and economic circumstances in which it found itself as a result of the success of the early conquests. The Umayyads represent the fusion of Islam with Arab democratic individualism and the Byzantine legacy.

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Another translation from the work of the renowned author of Medicine of the Prophet. Taken and translated from as-Suyuti's Tarikh al-Khulafa, this classical work presents the most authentic traditions concerning the first four Khalifs of Islam, the integrity and wisdom which they displayed in their governance, and their contributions to that body of practice which is known as the Sunnah.

SAYYED ABUL HASAN ALI NADWI STORIES FROM ISLAMIC HISTORY introduces children to Muslims whose exemplary behaviour earned them a place in the annals of our heritage. Each story highlights an occasion when a person of outstanding character stood up for his faith in Allah. Some tales are from the Sirah while others depict Caliphs, sahabah, martyrs and other pious Muslims. Accounts often focus on critical moments in their lives when they chose to follow the Straight Path rather than take an easier way. These personalities became role models for all time when they adhered to the same Islamic principles that govern our lives today.

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.

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.