“Knowledge calls for action, so either the call is answered or else knowledge departs.” (Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, al-Jami’)
“Whoever enters knowledge by himself will emerge from it by himself.” (Al-Sakhawi, al-Jawahir wa’l-Durar)
Title: The Majestic Quran: An English Rendition of its Meanings
Translators: Badawi, Hutchinson, Murad
This translation is distinctive among the dozens of existent English translations of the Qur'an due to the fluidity and clarity of its language, the elegance of its style, and the inclusion of more than 800 explanatory notes. This translation makes the Quranic message easily accessible to today's readers, and helps them discover for themselves what the Book offers: the message it tenders, the spirituality it excites, and the worldview it unfolds. However far removed a given translation may be from the sublimity of the original Arabic text, it behooves Muslims to offer translations that not only represent the Book's message loyally but also connect and resonate with the language and idiom of its readers. The Majestic Qur'an succeeds on both counts. The Nawawi Foundation: hardback, 632pp., with Arabic text & English translation.
Title: The Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom
Author: Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali
Translator: Abdassamad Clarke
This is a translation of Ibn Rajab’s magesterial Jami’ al-’Ulum wa’l-Hikam - which is undoubtedly the most famous and most comprehensive exposition to the Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi. Each hadith is considered by the scholars to be one of the great cornerstones of this faith. As the commentary to each hadith unfurls, the reader is taken on a tour de force of the Islamic sciences: encountering exacting treatment on hadith authenticities; analysis on issues of law and legal theory; discussions on doctrine; but above all, illuminations on spiritual realities and the inner workings of the faith. Enriching, instructive and exhortational, this book will stir hearts and intellects alike. Turath Publishing: hardback, 820pp.
Title: Purification of the Heart
Author: Hamza Yusuf
This much needed text is based on a poem known as Matharat al-Qulub (literally, Purification of the Hearts) by the Mauritanian scholar and spiritual master, Shaykh Muhammad al-Mawlud. The poem addresses some of the main spiritual diseases of the heart: their signs, symptoms and their cures; diseases such as vanity, envy, hatred, ostentation, inordinate love of this world, heedlessness, displeasure with the divine decree, boasting, antipathy towards death, and various others. The commentary then masterfuly expounds on the poem by offering insights which are profound, educative, as well as highly relevant to our time and to people of diverse traditions and religious backgrounds. The reader will see that purifying the heart is a life-long process; a path to be traversed: it never survives a passive relationship. So let the journey begin. Starlatch Press: hardback/paperback, 211pp.
Title: The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi
Author: Abu Ja’far al-Tahawi
Translator: Hamza Yusuf
In an age of bewildering spiritual and intellectual confusion, creed (‘aqidah) has never been more important. Every Muslim is obliged to learn it and is promised protection from deviant beliefs by following the unassailable texts of the Islamic scholarly community. Of them all, The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi is the simplest, most effective and least contravertial. It serves as a sound basis for the orthodox Islamic faith and is perhaps the most reliable articulation of early Muslim doctrine. In fact, Imam al-Tahawi’s creed has achieved an unparalleled degree of acceptance throughout the Muslim world ever since it was penned over a thousand years ago. The translation is marked by its elegance, fluidity and theological precision. Zaytuna Institute: hardback, 165pp., Arabic text; English translation & annotations.
Title: Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources
Author: Martin Lings
Twenty-four years after its initial publication in 1983, Muhammad: his life based on the earliest sources, by the late Martin Lings (Abu Bakr Siraj al-Din, d.2004), is still acclaimed as the profoundest biography of the Prophet, peace be upon him, in the English language. Based on Arabic sources of the second and third centuries, the book’s continuing popularity owes as much to the author’s unusual gift for narrative as it does the actual sources used. The book has a style which is at once extremely readable and yet reflects both the simplicity and grandeur of the story. Moreover, the language also reveals a deep reverence for the Prophet, peace be upon him; something that is seldom felt in other writings in this genre. The result is a book that is enthralling, emotive and majestic, and connects the reader to the prophetic beauty. Islamic Texts Society: hardback/paperback, 361pp.
