Recommended books on Quran/Islam & related topics
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Man and Islam
by Ali Shariatihttp//www.amazon.com/Man-And-Islam-Ali-Shariati/dp/1889999393/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1342432633&sr=8-1&keywords=Man+and+islam
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Influence of animism on Islam
by Samuel Marinus ZwemerDownload it here
http//archive.org/details/cu31924029170731A very good book about mainstream/popular Islam.
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Exposition of Holy Quran
by Ghulam Ahmad ParwezDownload it here
http//archive.org/details/ExpositionOfHolyQuranByGAPervaizPublishedByTolueislamA very good book about the teachings of the Quran.
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Principles of Understanding Islam
by Javed Ahmad GhamidiDownload it here
http//www.dinehaq.com/Books/javed/PrinciplesofUnderstandingIslam.pdfA good book.
It has some interesting information about Classical Arabic - the language of the Quran.
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Principles of Understanding Islam
by Javed Ahmad GhamidiDownload it here
http//www.dinehaq.com/Books/javed/PrinciplesofUnderstandingIslam.pdfA good book.
It has some interesting information about Classical Arabic - the language of the Quran.
A serious error is in translating 37 because of not caring about the gender of the pronoun and by not noticing the difference between Active Participle and Passive Participle used therein.
Miscellany of Grand Qur'aan
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http//i43.tower.com/images/mm123419026/quranic-system-sustenance-g-parwez-paperback-cover-art.jpg
I would like to recommend a thought-provoking book about Islam with you. It is written by G.A. Parwez, an islamic scholar and reformer. The original title of the book is Nizaam-e-Rabubiat and it was originally written in Urdu. The book has finally been translated to english. The title of the english translation of the book is "Quranic system of Sustenance."
I am familiar with other books written by the same author. In my honest opinion these 3 books are the best books written by G.A Parwez
- Islam A challenge to religion
- Quranic system of sustenance
- Book of Destiny
So in my view "Quranic system of sustenance" is the second best book written by G.A. Parwez.
I think G.A. Parwez is one of the most sincere, and perhaps even the most sincere islamic scholar of all times. There are few scholars that could reach his level when it comes to depth of knowledge and understanding of the Quran. It seems that these are some of the greatest islamic scholars/reformers of all time
- Ghulam Ahmad Parwez
- Muhammed Asad
- Toshihiko Izutsu
- Syed Ahmed Khan
The reason I believe that these scholars/reformers are some of the greatest islamic scholars/reformers of all time is because of the impact of their works and because they had a very deep understanding of the Quran. In my opinion the greatness of a scholar should be measured by his understanding of the Quran. Therefore the scholar with the deepest understanding of the Quran is the greatest scholar. Many people claim that G.A. Parwez had the deepest understanding of the Quran.
Now let's get back to the book Quranic system of sustenance. The reason why I like this book so much is because it is based on the Quran and classical arabic (unlike many other books about islam that are mostly based on hadith, culture, traditions and the modern arabic language). I also like the fact that the author has used an evidence-based approach. To some people the concepts in his book may appear idealistic/utopian. But in reality they are practical/functional and realistic. The concepts in the book are supported by the verses of the Quran. So in other words, his views are based on the Quran. The Quranic system is not anti-modernism or anti-religious. But it seems that the Quranic system is a revolutionary system which is far above the materialistic ideals of the west and the religious ideals of the east. The Quranic system rejects all extremes and creates a balance for its believers so they can follow the straight path in their lives. G.A. Parwez was definetely a man who was very close to the truth. But even dough some scholars are very close to the truth, the fact is that no scholar is without error. All scholars are fallible. So we must verify what we read.
In his book Quranic system of sustenance G.A. Parwez writes
"They do so because they know that their expenditure will benefit the whole of humanity and enable every individual to perfect his or her 'self'. Hence they will not only live in dignity on earth, but they will also be entitled to receive the good things of the hereafter. This is the kind of revoluton that the Qur'an decrees for humanity. It is also called Islam, and those who establish it are 'Muslim'.
Here the question arises as to how we can bring about the change in people's hearts, minds and outlook that will make the external change a reality. The obvious answer is education. The Qur'an addresses this point as followsIt is He Who has sent to the unlettered people a messenger from among themselves, to rehearse to them His messages, to sanctify them, and to instruct them in Scripture and wisdom 622"
Then he writes the following words
"In other words, here the Qur'an shows us that the Messenger's role in instigating the Divine revolution was that of a teacher. He introduced them to the Revelation, and showed them the implications of its teachings. He also explained the basis of these teachings and the results its followers should expect to see from implementing them in practice. Likewise, any pioneers of the Divine revolution today would need to go ahead and pass on what they have learned to others, and thereby change their hearts also. These disseminators of the message thus act as rabbani (i.e. human agents of Rabb ? Divine sustenance)
'Become men of God 225 by spreading the knowledge of the Divine writ, and by your own deep study .' 379"
This book is a must have. I highly recommend it to everyone who wants to learn more about islam from a Quranic perspective.
http//www.amazon.co.uk/The-Quranic-System-Sustenance-Parwez/dp/0957141645/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1364425322&sr=8-1
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In this post I would like to share some texts about islam/quran with Norwegian, Swedish and Danish members in this forum.
If you are Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, the Norwegian texts in this post might be of interest you.
Hadith debatt p? desi forumet
https//www.dropbox.com/s/5k63r537fuvucu5/HADITH%20DEBATT%20P%C3%85%20DESI%20FORUMET.pdf
Salat - Refleksjoner del 1
https//www.dropbox.com/s/w7y809946vqqx83/Salat%20-%20Refleksjoner%20del%201.pdf
Salat - Refleksjoner del 2
https//www.dropbox.com/s/k8sgii8xjclgk0a/Salat%20-%20Refleksjoner%20del%202.pdf
Et sammendrag av boken Revurdering av Tradisjon i Moderne Islamsk Tenkning
https//www.dropbox.com/sh/eqpsfxrj6f3762u/AACbNLQUGm_uRG0tfCyRHPu1a/Et%20sammendrag%20av%20boken%20Revurdering%20av%20Tradisjon%20i%20Moderne%20Islamsk%20Tenkning..pdf
You can read or download all of the above mentioned texts from the following link
https//www.dropbox.com/sh/eqpsfxrj6f3762u/AADGrh1qpbbRrX5afs7fcOm8a
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Torah/the Pentateuch, Psalms, Gospels from non-trinitarian perspective
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WHAT WENT WRONG by Benard Lewis.
WHAT WENT WRONG is a brillant work. It answers the question; "How come the middle easterners(muslims), the fore runners of civilization in the middle ages regress to the rear?
Many have asked the same for long and a number of responses have been presented. For the fundamentalists, this regression has occured because the muslims deserted the Sunnah and teachings of the salaf while the liberals and reformists maintain the opposite, that the refusal of the clergy to allow for a more flexible, modernised and less conservative interpretation of Islam has confirned muslims to past.
Conservative mindset common among muslims at some point like refusal of photocopiers, preference of muezzin over the clock or separatism and refusal to mingle with or learn from disbelievers have cost muslims a lot. Dogmatism, traditionalism and conservatism are the 3 main factors that continue to bind muslims to the middle ages.
This book is not without flaw. It deal excessively with the fall of the Islamic civilization through the Ottoman rule paying much lesser attention to rise of the civilization through the Abbasid rule. But overall, you will not be disappointed.
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In this post I would like to share some texts about islam/quran with Norwegian, Swedish and Danish members in this forum.
If you are Norwegian, Swedish or Danish, the Norwegian texts in this post might be of interest you.
Hadith debatt p? desi forumet
https//www.dropbox.com/s/5k63r537fuvucu5/HADITH%20DEBATT%20P%C3%85%20DESI%20FORUMET.pdf
The link I added for the Norwegian text about Hadith in my last post (in this thread) doesn't work anymore. But I have created a new link for the text.
You can download the text about Hadith from the link below
https//www.dropbox.com/s/8dhy887cqotwx33/HADITH%20DEBATT%20P%C3%85%20DESI%20FORUMET.pdf?dl=0
Or you can download it from this link
https//www.dropbox.com/sh/1lblwwwj6sgd8jg/AAD0F9UFgDYETuNrgZA4nDLya?dl=0
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Peace everyone,
In a thread in this forum, there are many books and articles about islam and the quran. Many of the books and articles in that thread are excellent, in my opinion. I'd like to share a few links to a few posts from that thread with you. I think many members in this forum might be interested in the books and articles in that thread (particularly Layth, Ayman, Edip, Wakas, Arnold, Pazuzu, Timur, Abdelilah, ths, Hizbullah, uq, A.W., truthseeker11, hicham9, Al Khidr19, Neptin, HP_TECH and last but not least Timotheus). You can read articles and read reviews/texts of books in that thread. There are also some books that can be downloaded in that thread. By the way, I am not a native english speaker, so please be patient with any grammatical errors in this post. Anyway, let me share a few links to a few posts here.
Books
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9608097.msg381300#msg381300
Books
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9608097.msg388215#msg388215
An article
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9608097.msg388216#msg388216
Articles
http//free-minds.org/forum/index.php?topic=9608097.msg388217#msg388217
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Understanding the Qur?an Themes and Style
Abdel Haleem, Mohammed
? 1999 ? I.B. Tauris & Co Ltd
256 pagesThe tenets of Islam cannot be grasped without a proper understanding of the Qur'an. Muhammad Abdel Haleem examines its recurrent themes - life and eternity, marriage and divorce, peace and war, water and nourishment - and for the first time sets these in the context of the Qur'an's linguistic style. Professor Haleem examines the background to the development of the surahs (chapters) and the ayahs (verses) and the construction of the Qur'an itself. He shows that popular conceptions of Islamic attitudes to women, marriage and divorce, war and society, differ radically from the true teachings of the Qur'an.
Literary Structures of Religious Meaning in the Qu'ran
Boullata, Issa J
? 2001 ? Routledge
396 pagesThis volume studies how the literary elements in the Qur'an function in conveying its religious message effectively. It is divided into three parts. Part one includes studies of the whole Qur'an or large segments of it belonging to one historical period of its revelation; these studies concentrate on the analysis of its language, its style, its structural composition, its aesthetic characteristics, its rhetorical devices, its imagery, and the impact of these elements and their significance. Part two includes studies on individual suras of the Qur'an, each of which focuses on the sura's literary elements and how they produce meaning; each also explores the structure of this meaning and the coherence of its effect. Part three includes studies on Muslim appreciations of the literary aspects of the Qur'an in past generations and shows how modern linguistic, semantic, semiotic, and literary scholarship can add to their contributions.
Logic, Rethoric, Legal Reasoning in the Quran
Gwynne, Rosalind Ward
? 2004 ? Routledge
256 pagesMuslims have always used verses from the Qur'an to support opinions on law, theology, or life in general, but almost no attention has been paid to how the Qur'an presents its own precepts as conclusions proceeding from reasoned arguments. Whether it is a question of God's powers of creation, the rationale for his acts, or how people are to think clearly about their lives and fates, Muslims have so internalized Qur'anic patterns of reasoning that many will assert that the Qur'an appeals first of all to the human powers of intellect. This book provides a new key to both the Qur'an and Islamic intellectual history. Examining Qur'anic argument by form and not content helps readers to discover the significance of passages often ignored by the scholar who compares texts and the believer who focuses upon commandments, as it allows scholars of Qur'anic exegesis, Islamic theology, philosophy, and law to tie their findings in yet another way to the text that Muslims consider the speech of God.
Approaches to the Qur'an
Hawting, G.R.
? 1993 ? Routledge
352 pagesIn recent years, the study of the Qur'an and its interpretation has expanded to incorporate insights gained from historical, biblical, literary and critical studies. A variety of approaches to the Qur'an and the Muslim exegetical tradition are currently available. Approaches to the Qur'an consists of thirteen essays by leading scholars, both Muslim and non-Muslim, in the fields of qur'anic studies and Islamic studies. Taken together, they offer a sample of the aims, methods and topics of enquiry now being pursued. Each study has a full critical apparatus, and the book includes a consolidated bibliography which will be of great value to students and specialists.
The Qur??n?s Self-Image
Madigan, Daniel
? 2001 ? Princeton University Press
256 pagesMore than any other canon of scripture the Qur'?n is self-aware. It observes and discusses the process of its own revelation and reception; it asserts its own authority and claims its place within the history of revelation. Here Madigan presents a semantic analysis of its self-awareness, arguing that the Qur'?n understands itself not so much as a completed book, but as an ongoing process of divine "writing" and "re-writing," as God's authoritative response to actual people and circumstances.
Coherence In The Qur?an
Mir, Mustansir
? 1987 ? American Trust Publications
125 pagesA widely held view about the Qur?an is that, in its received form, it lacks coherence. Not surprisingly, most approaches to the Qur?an have remained atomistic in characters. Also, some western scholars have tried to rearrange the Qur?an in order to make it more comprehensible. The contemporary scholar Amin Ahsan Islahi rejects the view that the Qur?an is disjointed. Developing the seminal ideas and insights of his teacher, Hamid ad-Din al-Farahi, he has argued in Tadabur-I-Quran, his multi-volume Qur?an commentary, that the Qur?an possesses a nazm or coherence that is not only aesthetically pleasing but carries profound hermeneutical significance. Coherence in the Qur?an is the first detailed study of Islahi?s contribution to Qur?an exegesis. After putting a historical perspective on the idea of nazm in the Qur?an, it makes a critical examination of the major aspect of Islahi?s theory of Qur?anic nazm, and tries to assess the significance of this new approach to the Qur?an.
Qur'anic Studies Today
Neuwirth, Angelika
? 2016 ? Routledge
360 pagesQur'nic Studies Today brings together specialists in the field of Islamic studies to provide a range of essays that reflect the depth and breadth of scholarship on the Qur'n. Combining theoretical and methodological clarity with close readings of qur?nic texts, these contributions provide close analysis of specific passages, themes, and issues within the Qurn, even as they attend to the disciplinary challenges within the field of qur?nic studies today. Chapters are arranged into three parts, treating specific figures appearing in the Qurn, analysing particular suras, and finally reflecting on the Qur?n and its "others." They explore the internal dimensions and interior chronology of the Qur?n as text, its possible conversations with biblical and non-biblical traditions in Late Antiquity, and its role as scripture in modern exegesis and recitation. Together, they are indispensable for students and scholars who seek an understanding of the Qur?n founded on the most recent scholarly achievements.
The Qur'an and its Interpretative Tradition
Rippin, Andrew
? 2001 ? Routledge
360 pagesThe position of the Qur'an as the central symbol and reference point of Islam cannot be disputed. Despite this significance, the academic study of the Qur'an has lagged far behind that of the Bible. In these studies Andrew Rippin reflects upon both the principles and the problems of studying the Qur'an within the discipline of religious studies. He also pursues detailed investigations of the meaning of variants to the text and the history of Muslim interpretation of the text in its diversity. A newly written introduction lays out some of the general implications of these studies, while extensive indexes of Qur'anic verses, books, authors and topics make this research more readily accessible.
The Qur?an - Formative Interpretation
Rippin, Andrew
? 1999 ? Routledge
414 pagesThis first volume is concerned with the questions that have been addressed within the study of the early interpretation (tafsir) of the Qur?an. These papers exemplify the areas of debate within the field, the need for detailed investigative scholarship of individual texts, and the progress made in the systematic study of these early works.
The Qur?an - Style and Contents
Rippin, Andrew
? 2001 ? Routledge
464 pagesThis second volume reveals the variety of approaches followed within the study of the text. From N?ldeke?s examination of style through Arkoun?s project for the future, these scholarly statements reflect the historical development of the discipline, while providing overviews of key elements for the understanding of the Qur?an.
Discovering The Qur?an
Robinson, Neal
? 1996 ? SCM PressUsed by students around the world as a reliable guide to reading a translation of the Qur'an, it shows how the Qur'an is experienced by Muslims, describing the rhythmic and rhyme scheme structures, the context in which it is heard, the part played by learning by heart, and the importance of calligraphy. It is also about the Qur'an and its relationship to Muhammed, as well as helping to divine the ordering of the surahs or chapters. In an English-speaking world newly sensitized to Islam and its believers, Discovering the Qur'an will be an invaluable tool to greater understanding.
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Does anyone know of a nice Qur'an alone/oriented translation that's also a physically small book? I'm looking for a smaller Qur'an (if I can find one), but I feel like everything I find is 9 x 6 inches and that's a little too big for me. I feel like something slightly smaller like 8 x 5 is much more reasonable.
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Does anyone know of a nice Qur'an alone/oriented translation that's also a physically small book? I'm looking for a smaller Qur'an (if I can find one), but I feel like everything I find is 9 x 6 inches and that's a little too big for me. I feel like something slightly smaller like 8 x 5 is much more reasonable.
To my knowledge no such thing exists, however you can find portable editions of AJ Arberry's translation, which while not "Qur'an alone" is translated from the perspective of a non-Muslim linguist and avoids some baggage, I find. I actually got lucky and found an old pocket-sized hardback in a used book store.
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Does anyone know of a nice Qur'an alone/oriented translation that's also a physically small book? I'm looking for a smaller Qur'an (if I can find one), but I feel like everything I find is 9 x 6 inches and that's a little too big for me. I feel like something slightly smaller like 8 x 5 is much more reasonable.
Use the tablet or smartphone?
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Esoteric Islam A Hermetic Perspective on Islamic Traditions by Sachal Smith (Free Kindle eBook)
A research on the connection between Quran and hermetic philosophy. The book 'Esoteric Islam' includes the interpretation of Islamic traditions by use of the hermetic arts of Astrology and Alchemy. It discusses the mystical teachings of Quran from the standpoint of ancient mysteries and modern metaphysics. It attempts to understand the message of Quran in its structural designs alongside the principle tenets so as to unravel the mystique of this very impressive literature.
https//www.amazon.com/dp/B0966YBDYF/
https//m.media-amazon.com/images/I/413m1e3CDgS.jpg
