A modern history of THE ISLAMIC A WORLD Reinhard Schulze The Islamic World - comprising those countries where Islam is the dominant or single most important religion - covers territories as far apart as Morocco and Indonesia, Somalia and Bosnia, and includes an extraordinarily diverse range of societies and cultures. A Modern History of the Islamic World provides a comprehensive history of these societies in the twentieth century, looking both at what they have in common and at their equally profound differences. Political change provides the chronological framework but is explored throughout in the context of culture and society. Opening with a survey of the impact of colonialism and its attendant modernism on the Islamic world, the eminent scholar Reinhard Schulze moves on to examine the rise of bourgeois nationalism in the 1920s and 1930s. He charts the era of the independence movements (1939-58) and the complex relationship between Islamic cultures and the 'republican' political culture of the Third World (1956-73). Schulze demonstrates how the reassertion of Islamic ideologies in the 1970s and 1980s - and the issues surrounding the relationship between Islamic culture and civil society have dominated debate throughout the 1990s.

How do I respond when I see that in some Islamic countries there is vitriolic hatred for America? I'll tell you how I respond: I'm amazed. I just can't believe it because I know how good we are." - GEORGE W. BUSH Within nine days of 9/11, a group of neoconservatives had written a letter to President Bush advising him on how to conduct "the war on terrorism." They urged the President to overthrow Saddam and target Syria and Iran. In short, Bush was told that he must "exploit the attacks of 9/11 to launch a series of wars on Arab regimes," none of which had attacked the US. The Empire & the Crescent invites readers to examine the role of the United States in world politics, and draws their attention to the dangers that open-ended and unchecked American power can cause to the world and ultimately, to itself. This anthology offers a timely and authoritative perspective on the question of relations between the West and Islamic societies. "This is one of the most important books to appear since September 11th." - MARK CURTIS, Author of Web of Deceit: Britain's Real Role in the World "Timely, eye-opening and engaging. Essential read for those who are interested in understanding America's new imperial role in the Middle East and its future impact on the relationship between Islam and the Western world." - DR HAIFAA JAWAD, Senior Lecturer in Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies, University of Birmingham. 11 ... resonates with a commitment to common humanity by laying down a c...read more

The resurgence and revitalisation of Muslim culture have created a growing interest in the study of Muslim names. Throughout the world Muslims share similar names, be they in the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, South-East Asia or new migrants in the West. And it should not be forgotten that the first thing Allah taught Adam was names. The predominant language in Muslim names is Arabic, followed by Persian (Farsi), the two major languages which transmitted Muslim culture in its early stages and later expansion. An important source of Muslim names consists of the ninety-nine attributes of Allah mentioned in the Qur'an and the hadith. According to Islamic belief, the relationship between man and his Creator is that of servant and master, and therefore a Muslim feels gratified to be named as a servant of one of the attributes of Allah. The purpose of this dictionary is to give the meaning or bearing on Islamic heritage of the words, Arabic or Persian, which form parts of Muslim names. By way of illustration, it gives references to Muslims who left their mark on history in different ages, in different fields, and in various parts of the world. Where appropriate, the Qur'an is cited. Therefore it is not merely a compilation of Muslim names but a reference work pertaining to the broad field of Islam. For most people, a name appears more significant when it is identified as having been borne by an Imam, a Khalifa, a Mujahid (fighter for the cause of Islam), a Sultan, a saint...read more

'A fantastic achievement, having successfully dealt with an extremely complicated issue. accessible both to a reader with some general interest in Afghanistan - and is equally of immense aid for academic study.' (British Society of Middle Eastern Studies) `A fascinating and thorough analysis of the very complex political/ military situation that evolved in Afghanistan following the demise of the Soviet puppet regime in 1992.... an insightful study of the rise of a new form of puritanical Islamic fundamentalism that overran Kabul in September 1996 - namely, the Taliban, and its impact on Afghan society.... Highly recommended.' (Choice) This book traces the Taliban movement's origins, its rise to power, and the tensions and contradictions which made it impossible to accommodate within the modern international system. It exposes some of the misunderstandings which led various powers, including the United States, to believe that the Taliban could bring peace to Afghanistan and permit its reconstruction after years of destructive conflict. It also highlights steps that can be taken to assist the Afghan people to recover from the consequences of the fragmentation of their society, and its subordination to an anti-modernist force of a kind unprecedented in Afghanistan's recent history. Fundamentalism Reborn? is a comprehensive and up-to-date account of the history, ascendancy, and decline of the most dramatic manifestation of Islamic fundamentalism since the Iranian revolution. ...read more

This book is essential for all English speaking students ofhadeeth, setting forth fifty hadeeth in Arabic and English in aneasy-to-understand manner. Vocabulary and an explanation ofeach hadeeth is given, along with the lessons learned from it.All of the ahaadeeth have been carefully chosen for authenticityand cover a wide range of topics, including belief, jurisprudence,social matters, business and much more.This book is an invaluable work for schools and individuals.

Allah said about the Prophet's Companions: "And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhdjirun and the Ansar and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are wellpleased with Him." (9:100) And Messenger of Allah said: "My Companions are the surety of safety and when they leave this world, this Ummah will be afflicted with the Fitnah." (Muslim) According to this general rule, we should follow all the facets of the life of the Prophet's Companions so that we may attain some of their qualities. The author has compiled in a most authentic way the life history of the 18 greatest Companions of the Prophet *. We, at Darussalam, have published this valuable book in two volumes for the guidance of the Muslim Ummah especially for the young generation to follow them in every aspect of their life.

Allah said about the Prophet's Companions: "And the foremost to embrace Islam of the Muhajirun and the Ansar and also those who followed them exactly (in Faith). Allah is well-pleased with them as they are wellpleased with Him." (9:100) And Messenger of Allah said: "My Companions are the surety of safety and when they leave this world, this Ummah will be afflicted with the Fitnah." (Muslim) According to this general rule, we should follow all the facets of the life of the Prophet's Companions so that we may attain some of their qualities. The author has compiled in a most authentic way the life history of the 18 greatest Companions of the Prophet . We, at Darussalam, have published this valuable book in two volumes for the guidance of the Muslim Ummah especially for the young generation to follow them in every aspect of their life.

'And I (Allah) created not the jinn and mankind except that they should worship Me (Alone)."(51:56)[1] And His Statement, Concerning the Statement of Allah the Most High, "And I (Allah) did not create the jinn and men except that they should worship Me (Alone)." (51:56) This means: And I never created the jinn and men for anything or any purpose from the purposes, except for one single purpose, which is that they worship Me (Allah). This Verse contains the explanation of At-Tauhid. This is from the aspect that the Salaf explained the statement, "Except that they should worship Me (Alone)," as meaning: "...except that they should worship Me Alone in AtTauhid." The proof of this understanding is that the Messengers were only sent for the purpose of singling out Allah Alone for worship (Tauhid ul-'Ibaadah). The reality of worship is submission and humility. When love and compliance are added to these two characteristics, it becomes legal (religious) worship. According to the Islamic Law, worship is to observe the commands and prohibitions (of Allah) with love, hope and fear. Shaikh-ul-Islam said, "It (worship) is a comprehensive noun for what Allah loves and is pleased with of statements and actions, both apparent and hidden." Therefore, the implication of this Verse is that every single act from the acts of worship must be for Allah Alone, besides all else.

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From monogamy to polygyn: A way through adresses the deep and complex issueus and concerns that muslim women worldwide have with polygny. The insight offered by this book is new, unique, and encouraging. Practical advice is brought forth to aid in moving the past the negative features that are commonly associated with polgyny, ultimatley heping the muslim woman progress to a higher level of imam, In sha Allah. Rich with understanding, comfort, advice, motivation, clarity, examples, experiances, and answers; a way through is paved for the muslim woman, making polygyny easier, or at the very least more endurable. Althogh this book is mainly geared towards women, its vast content can give men insights into the emotional effects of polgynyon women, which they can use to make sound and wise decisions. overall this is a valuble source for muslim men and muslim womenconsidering, dealing with, questioning, and pondering polygny.

The present work was designed to explain to men and women how best to benefit from the Book of Allah. The blessing of the Quran is that whoever recites it as it should be recited is changed by it, and broughtby imperceptable degrees to see why everything is the way it is... It is well known to everyone conversantwith the islamic deciplines that the learning of many thingsdoes not teach wisdom, and the traditional books do not reveal their secrets or bestow theor benefits to those without the key to them.

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful The book in hand is a collection of my articles contributed to the Tarjumanul-Our'an, Urdu monthly, from Moharram 1365 A.H. to Jamada I, 1366 A.H. These had been written on the plan chalked out for a book on the subject, and it was contemplated that on conclusion of the series it would go into print in book form, after revision and necessary additions and delitions. Therefore I had handed over the manuscript to the calligraphist, after revision, just before the partition of the country. But during the holocaust in the wake of partition, the calligraphist migrated to Pakistan leaving the manuscript and calligrams behind, in India. When I came to Pakistan, it again occurred to me to collect once again the scattered rough manuscript and to revise it. But I had hardly settled here when I was arrested in October 1948, under The Safety Act, by the Punjab Government. Despairing of its revision in the near future, now that I was arrested, the All-IndiaJama'at-e-Islami published it as such. On receipt of a copy of the printed book in jail, I was pleased that it had seen the light of the day, but so many things left to be desired

The fact cannot be refuted that, just as knowledge is foundational support of actions, a study of the lives of our pious predecessors is one of the most effective ways of spurring actions. As someone said, "The person who ignores the lives and advices of the pious predecessors is contaminated between two evils. Either he carries out a negligible amount of deeds and considers himself to be amon st the pious predecessors, or he considers his little e ort to be extremely great, thereby succumbing to pride and boastfulness. He will then regard himself as the greatest and look down on all others. His efforts will then be worthless and his deeds will be destroyed. Rasulullah (sallallahu-alayhi-wa-sallam) said, "Meditation for a moment is better than a hundred years of worship. " This is the basis of this work. Since people are inclined towards brevity these days, the lengthy discussions have been omitted, and most of the quotations have been translated in a concise manner. I am well aware of my deficiencies in knowledge, and I accept that I am unable to do justice to a noble task like translation. However, I long felt the desire in my heart to render a religious service to the public, so that it becomes a means of securing my salvation in the Hereafter. May Allah make this objective be realised. "This is not difficult for Allah." There is a great possibility that errors may have occurred in this publication because of my deficient knowledge. I humbly request relig...read more

"For many years now, Ahmed Rashid has been the journalistic interpreter of the changing nature of Islam in Central Asia. He has always been ahead of the curve, and America's war on terrorism makes his new book more important than ever." author of Warrior Politics "An amazing, comprehensive, learned, and very frightening book. Ahmed Rashid has, once again, provided unique insight and analysis of an explosive region and given all of us the ability to understand its contemporary crisis." London School of Economics "Jihad is but the latest of Ahmed Rashid's insightful books on religion and politics in South and Central Asia. It would be welcome at any time but is critical reading today. A must read for policymakers, scholars, the media, and informed citizens." author of The Islamic Threat: Myth or Reality? "A very valuable and readable account of important and littleunderstood events. Ahmed Rashid's unique experience of reporting from the ground and of reporting from Afghanistan, as well as his knowledge of his own country, Pakistan, make him uniquely qualified to write this book." author of The Fragmentation of Afghanistan

FAMOUS FIQH HANDBOOKS like al-Magasid have stood the test of time because of their sheer usefulness. Compact enough to be memorized by students becoming scholars, al-Magasid contains hundreds of rulings of personal Islamic law distilled from the most commonly asked and answered questions in schools and mosques from the time of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) down to Imam Nawawi. Widely considered the best medium-size handbook available in English for teaching the basics of Islam from a traditional perspective, this new edition has been revised and updated with a full complement of notes on a number of contemporary Muslim issues, and three major essays have been appended on why Muslims follow madhhabs, hadiths the mujtahid Imams lacked, and the place of Sufism in Islam. PRAISE FOR AL-MAQASID "I can think of no work in English that says so much about the din of Islam so concisely, so authoritatively, and with such clarity." -Yusuf Talal DeLorenzo A textbook for classes on Islam ..' -Dr. Devin J. Stewart, Middle East Studies Association Bulletin "In this volume, Imam Nawawi gives a concise and eminently lucid and practical exposition of Islamic knowledge in its three dimensions of Islam, Iman, and Ihsan. The precision of translation and notes make the book invaluable' -Dr. Mostafa al-Badawi "A valuable text for any introductory course on Islam ... an intimate glimpse of the rhythm and nature of the most widespread vision of Islamic belief and practice."...read more

All praise is due to Allah. We praise Him, seek His Aid and ask for His Forgiveness. We seek Allah's Refuge from the evils of ourselves and from the evil of our actions. Whomsoever Allah guides none can lead astray, and whomsoever Allah leads astray none can guide. I testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah ft Alone, without partners, and I testify that Muhammad is His Slave and Messenger. Allah says, (0 ye who believe! fear Allah as He should be feared and die not, except in a state of Islam)' (0 mankind! Be careful of your duty to your Lord Who created you from a single soul, and from it created its mate and from them twain had spread abroad a multitude of men and women. Be careful of your duty toward Allah, in Whom you claim (your rights) of one another, and toward the wombs (that bore you). Lo! Allah had been a Watcher over you)' ' Al-Imran: Verse 102. 2 An-Nisa': Verse 1.

EXEMPLARY FOUNDATIONS Concerning the beautiful Names and Attributes of Allah Shaykhul-Islaam 'Abdul-'Azeez Ibn 'Abdullaah Ibn Baaz - rahimahullaah - said, "I came across the valuable book written by the possessor of excellence, our brother, the 'Allaamah, Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen concerning the Names and Attributes. He named it al-Qawaa'idul-Muthlaa fee Sifaatillaahi wa Asmaa`ihilHusnaa. I have listened to its reading from beginning to end, and I have found it to be a magnificent book. It contains a clarification of the creed of the righteous Salaf concerning the Names and Attributes. Likewise, it includes great principles and collective benefits concerning the topic."

A Word for Word Meaning of the Qur'an places one or a couple of words of the 'ayah in one line of a column and gives their meanings side by side in another column, taking care to see that the flow and intelligibility of the English meanings are not thereby lost. This method enables the reader to identify which English words or phrases represent the meaning of which words in the Arabic text. It has the additional advantage of keeping the meaning strictly to the wording of the text and it militates against omitting the meaning of any word of the text or importing in the meaning any word or expression that has no correspondence with anything in the text. To further facilitate the understanding of the text, the meanings of almost all important words in the text have been given separately. To do this a number has been placed on the English word which represents the meaning of the particular word in the text and then the meanings of that word have been given under that number in another column by the side of the general meaning of the text. The numbering has been kept individual for each page. Also grammatical notes, particularly verb forms and verbal nouns, have been given as far as possible. As the words recur at different pages, so their meanings and grammatical notes also have been repeated, giving cross reference to at least one previous occurrence of the word, indicating the page on which and the number under which the word has been explained before. The aim has been to enab...read more