Islam - REL102 - Great Religions of the World - NSCC Library at North Shore Community College

Our Words: Muslims Speak

I Speak for Myself by Maria M. Ebrahimji
Call Number: BP 67 .A1 I2 2011 (Lynn Campus)
ISBN: 9781935952008
In this book, 40 American women under the age of 40, share their experiences of their lives as Muslim women in America. They talk about what it has been like to have been born and raised in the United States as a Muslim, examining the dichotomy between Islamic and Western values, and discussing stereotypes, the events of 9/11, and other related topics. While their commonality is faith and citizenship, their voices and their messages are very different.
You Can't Ask That: Muslims
In this film, Muslims answer the questions Australians wanted to ask but were too embarrassed or afraid to ever ask in person.

Overview of Islam

Need to Know? Islam by Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood
The aim of this book is to explain the principles of Islam and to show how Muslims strive to bring God-consciousness (taqwa) into every area of their daily lives, from the important and profound to the mundane and simple tasks; and in this devotion and urge to serve, striving for the greater pleasure of their Lord, they find their own fulfillment and happiness. Each chapter in this book is underpinned by the words of the Qur'an and the teachings of Muhammad himself, for they are the basis of Islam.
Essentials of Faith: Islam
This film explores the beliefs of four Islamic leaders and scholars who communicate penetrating insights and observations on the contrasts and continuity within their religion.
Religions of the World: What is Islam?
In this film, host Tevya starts out with a visit to the Taric Islamic Centre where he learns why it is important to cleanse himself before prayer, what Halal is, an introduction to the history of Muhammad and the devotion it takes to be a Muslim.

The Qur'an

The Qur'an: Translation
The Koran, the holy scripture of Islam, is the record of Muhammad's oral teaching delivered between the years immediately preceding the Hegira in AD 622 and the Prophet's death in AD 632. Abdullah Yusuf Ali's translation of the Qur'an was first published in 1934 in Lahore, Pakistan. Since 1934 his translation has gone into numerous reprints.
The Qur'an: an introduction by Abu-Hamdiyyah, Mohammad
ISBN: 9780203179901
This book presents an accessible introduction to the complexities of this ancient text, enabling students to understand the various components of the Qur'an's message.
The History of the Qur'an by Nöldeke, Theodor
This first complete translation of Theodor Nöldeke's The History of the Qur'an offers a foundational work of modern Qur'anic studies to the English-speaking public. Nöldeke's original publication, as revised and expanded over nearly three quarters of a century by his scholarly successors, Friedrich Schwally, Gotthelf Bergsträsser and Otto Pretzl, remains an indispensable resource for any scholarly work on the text of the Qur'an.

Recommended Books Related to Islam and Muslims

(Adapted from Lori Kenschaft’s list)

All of these books are well-written and insightful, and recommended depending on your interests. Those marked with an * are especially recommended.

First and foremost …

* Tamim Ansary, Destiny Disrupted: A History of the World through Islamic Eyes (this well-written book helps me understand current events more than any other; written by an Afghan-American author, it starts in the centuries before Muhammad was born and ends on the eve of 9/11) [e-book available through the Library]

Islam 101 …

* Sumbul Ali-Karamali, The Muslim Next Door: The Qur’an, the Media, and that Veil Thing (the best over-all introduction to Islam I know, written by a Californian Muslim woman of South Asian descent who teaches Islamic law and writes in an easy, accessible style)

Biographies of Muhammad …

* Karen Armstrong, Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time (Armstrong is a former nun who found her calling in writing and teaching about the world’s religions)

* Tariq Ramadan, In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Muhammad (Ramadan is a professor of Contemporary Islamic Studies at Oxford University and the grandson of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood) [available in Lynn campus library: BP 76.2 .R36 2007]

About the Qur’an …

* Michael Sells, Approaching the Qur’an: The Early Revelations (the best place to start if you are interested in the Qur’an – a very helpful introduction to the early suras, from the first Mecca years)

The long arc of Muslim history …

* Reza Aslan, No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of Islam (covers the same timeframe as Destiny Disrupted, with helpful differences in emphasis and analysis – argues that the Muslim world is currently undergoing a process similar to the European Reformation) [Available via OVERDRIVE]

Leila Ahmed, Women and Gender in Islam (a now-classic history, published in 1992)

Recent ferment …

Robin Wright, Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion in the Islamic World (an optimistic perspective) [available in Lynn campus library: JQ 1758 .A58 W75 2011]

Isobel Coleman, Paradise Beneath Her Feet: How Women Are Transforming the Middle East (another optimistic perspective)

Karmia Bennoune, Your Fatwa Does Not Apply Here: Untold Stories from the Fight Against Muslim Extremism (2013 book profiling Muslim artists, writers, educators, etc.)

Katherine Zoepf, Excellent Daughters: The Secret Lives of Young Women Who Are Transforming the Arab World (a New York Times journalist explores how young women’s lives are and are not changing in pre-war Syria, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi, and Egypt.

Memoirs …

* Leila Ahmed, A Border Passage: From Cairo to America – A Woman’s Journey (by a professor of gender and religion at the Harvard Divinity School, who grew up in Cairo; beautifully written and insightful, and one of my favorite books – highly recommended)

* Shahan Mufti, The Faithful Scribe: A Story of Islam, Pakistan, Family, and War (very helpful for understanding Pakistan)

* Malcolm X, The Autobiography of Malcolm X (I consider this a must-read book for all Americans; includes a famous description of the hajj; the Nation of Islam has changed a lot since the 1960s – it’s more Sunni and more believing that the message of Islam is for everyone, though still grounded in African-American communities)

* Shirin Ebadi, Iran Awakening: One Woman’s Journey to Reclaim Her Life and Country (by a judge who participated in the 1979 revolution and later won the Nobel Peace Prize for her work for women’s rights under the Ayatollah’s regime; quite helpful if you want to understand modern Iran, though it was written in 2006 and Iran has continued to change in the last decade)

* Qanta Ahmed, In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey in the Saudi Kingdom (by a woman of Pakistani origin, trained as a doctor in Great Britain, who spent two years in Saudi Arabia as a result of visa difficulties with the United States; includes a description of the hajj that is very different from Malcolm X’s)

Novels …

* Mohsin Hamid, The Reluctant Fundamentalist (chilling and insightful)

* Ayad Akhtar, American Dervish (a thought-provoking coming-of-age story about a Pakistani-American boy)

* Tamim Ansary, The Widow’s Husband (set in Afghanistan in the 1840s, which was a key decade)

* Khaled Hosseini, The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns (set in recent decades, illuminating the recent history of Afghanistan)

Muslims in the United States …

* Moustafa Bayoumi, How Does It Feel to Be a Problem? Being Young and Arab in America (portraits of nine young Arab men and women living in Brooklyn, with very interesting framing comments – highly recommended)

REL102 - Great Religions of the World: Islam

Our Words: Muslims Speak

Overview of Islam

The Qur'an

Recommended Books Related to Islam and Muslims

(Adapted from Lori Kenschaft’s list)