Best islamic theology books according to redditors
We found 51 Reddit comments discussing the best islamic theology books. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 51 Reddit comments discussing the best islamic theology books. We ranked the 18 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Hi bro, I am not a scholar or anything so forgive me for any mistakes but I just thought I would offer my opinion:
> Let me start by explaining my situation. I was born in America and have lived here my whole life. I've been memorizing the Quran for about 5 years. I also have about 2 juz left so that's a plus. Anyways, I can't wait until I'm done so I can go back to public school.
Did you know Shiekh Yasir Qhadi when he was young didnt want to memorize the Quran but his Dad kept encouraging him.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0hxqJLeX3g (the scholar talks about his childhood in detail and it is somewhat similar to yours)
But Allah blessed him with the opportunity and now he is one of the most knowledgeable scholars I know of. Seriously, without his knowledge in the Quran I doubt we would know his name and I hardly go a day on /r/islam without mentioning him or one of his videos (check my history).
"But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah Knows, while you know not."
http://quran.com/2/216
> Okay, so clearly, you can see that I didn't willfully start doing hifs.
Neither did Sheikh Yasir Qhadi but because of it Allah blessed him with a greatness many wish for.
> Anyways, a lot of girls talk to me and flirt. I can't help but to flirt back. I feel like it's the natural response. I also listen to music and all that jazz... Play videa games, yadda yadda.
You are young brother, these feelings are TOTALLY natural. Yasir Qhadi even explains of this feeling in the example of Khadija and Muhammad (pbut):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&list=PLAEA99D24CA2F9A8F&v=-ExBQO7sAWY#t=820
And also realize brother that Allah has demanded that we control these feelings of flirtation for our own sake, please watch these videos: As Omer Sulieman explains often when people engage in premarital relationships after the years when the finally get married all they find left is responsibilities. And this makes sense as prior the marriage you have done everything together (held hands etc etc) so when the times comes to get married all that is new to the relationships are responsibilities like debts, anyway the speaker explains it better:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvDRJOsJimw
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tbHTTRVIaHQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6674kJj1C4o
> Yeah, I dunno, I've just been questioning Islam a lot and don't know anyone to talk to.
Well subhanAllah you always have r/Islam and I am sure being on your way to memorizing the Quran you have one or two approachable friends.
Also, I personally find great merit in studying the seerah of Muhammad (pbuh), I would strongly recommend this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VOUp3ZZ9t3A&list=PLAEA99D24CA2F9A8F
> also tend to philosophize and think about morality and stuff. Like is homosexuality moral? I think so. I just really don't understand a lot of Islamic rules.
There is nothing wrong with questioning elements of Islam and indeed our religion asks us to do this.
"So ask the people of the message if you do not know."
http://quran.com/16/43
And a great starting point indeed is the Seerah! But these topics have been covered directly by the like of Nouman Ali Khan and Yasir Qhadi on youtube, I cannot recommend studying them enough. You are 15 yo brother, how can you expect to understand a religion designed to last literally until the last day of time without patience and knowledge.
> I should also mention that I barely pray salat.
Perhaps we should start by introducing one salah in our day and then in a months time another? This is indeed a point of weakness we need to fix. May Allah forgive us and give us strength
Peace bro
edit: I posted this a couple days ago might be useful to you.
Please read, watch and study these videos and suggested book brother/sister:
I recommend these videos:
The Quran and Evolution by Dr. Yasir Qadhi
Theological Debate on Evolution - Yasir Qadhi | 5th January 2013
Reminder 15 - Theory of evolution and Islam
And this Book
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Islam-Biological-Evolution-Exploring-Methodologies/dp/1868087026/ref=sr_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1378583889&sr=1-5&keywords=evolution+islam
Islam and Biological Evolution: Exploring Classical Sources and Methodologies by David Solomon Jalajel
Actually, yes I have. I took a course on Islam in college and there was extensive reading from the quran. The professor was an extremely intelligent Pakistani man who had lots of interesting things to say about the what it was like to live in Muslim nation.
I found the The Study Quran to be very accessible.
I would also recommend reading these books by Bill Warner:
Besides Harun Yahha and all these b.s people in position. There are hundreds of Muslims trying to convince people other wise that in fact Islam is compatible with evolution. For instance these books specifically discuss it...http://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Theory-Evolution-Missing-between/dp/0982586701/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1369028635&sr=8-7&keywords=islam+evolution
http://www.amazon.com/Islams-Quantum-Question-Reconciling-Tradition/dp/1848855184/ref=pd_sim_b_5
Stop trying to be delusional about the issue and just accept that fact that moslems are all over the place on the issue.
>
>
>Amazon does, however, continue to sell the following works:
>
>Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels, The Communist Manifesto — the manifesto of a movement that murdered more than 100 million people, specifically targeting an entire class of people — the bourgeoisie — for destruction; for sale in many editions from the richest capitalist in the world
>
>Leon Trotsky’s Terrorism and Communism — a defense of political terrorism
>
>Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf — also available in many editions — which is apparently less threatening to the current world order than my book.
>
>The Unabomber’s Manifesto — which does seem to create a moral hazard. Want to get your book published? Start mailing out package bombs. Kill three people and injure 23 others, and your book might also be fit to stock at Amazon.com.
>
>Valerie Solanas’ S.C.U.M. Manifesto — S.C.U.M. being an acronym for Society to Cut Up Men. Solanas published her manifesto in 1967. In 1968, she attempted to murder Andy Warhol.
>
>The Anarchist’s Cookbook — corrected and updated to make it extra lethal
>
>Osama Bin Laden’s Messages to the World — mastermind one of history’s greatest terrorist attacks, and you too might be fit to stock at Amazon.com
>
>Voice of Hezbollah: The Statements of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah — apparently there’s a whole library of books by Islamist terrorists for sale at Amazon.com
>
>Theodor Herzl, The Jewish State — the blueprint of the Zionist movement, which spawned the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine through terrorism, ethnic cleansing, and wars that continue to this day
>
>Black Nationalist Manifestos by such writers as Marcus Garvey and Elijah Muhammad
>
>Everybody Talks About the Weather . . . We Don’t: The Writings of Ulrike Meinhof
>
>Ernesto “Che” Guevara, Guerrilla Warfare
>
>Al-Qaida’s Doctrine for Insurgency: Abd al-Aziz al-Muqrin’s “a Practical Course for Guerrilla War”
​
islamic law has never been static
its interpreted in a multitude of different ways by different legal schools, there isnt one sharia there are many and they use different sources of law
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sources_of_sharia
some weight some sources greater than other sources and have differing methodologies
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principles_of_Islamic_jurisprudence
add to this the fact that since the dawn of the nation state many if not most of the islamic world dont operate the criminal justice aspects of sharia preferring british or french style legal systems, specifically criminal courts are not run by islamic legal scholars and islamic judges but under a standard national legal system much like your own and sharia handles family affairs (marriages, divorces, wills) but it varies country to country.
So law in the todays islamic world is an incredibly complex mix of national and islamic law that varies country by country
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Application_of_Islamic_law_by_country
Like everything else islam has evolved but you wont ever understand how or why unless you study islamic theology or islamic law. If your knowledge of islam is stuck at reading the quran, you probably dont know very much about islam.
First off - allow me to say that the best way for Westerners to learn about Islam is through Islamic Philosophy. The books I'm going to recommend are introductory books on Islamic Philosophy. I have not included classical works because they can get very deep and in some cases, can only truly be appreciated with the assistance of a teacher.
A good book on the outline, origins, and highlights of Islamic Philosophy and its current state has been written by Professor Seyyed Hossein Nasr: Islamic Philosophy from Its Origin to the Present. Professor Nasr (not to be confused with Vali Nasr) has written many books on Islamic Philosophy and Sufism.
A very good book was written by the late Ayatollah Mutahhari: Fundamentals of Islamic Thought: God, Man, and the Universe.
Another strong book on Islamic Philosophy translated in English has been written by the late Muhammad Baqir as-Sadr: Our Philosophy on Amazon or cheaper version here or alternatively Our Philosophy Online. This book, aside from laying down the foundation of epistemology and rationality, includes a critical analysis of various world philosophies (ex. Marxism) from an Islamic perspective.
Finally, you can look at the works of the acclaimed William Chittick. He has multiple works on Sufism, Islamic Philosophy, etc. William Chittick, Seyed Hossein Nasr, and Hamid Algar are who you want to look for. They are the leading Western academics on Islamic Philosophy and Sufism.
If, after reading these books, Shi'a/Sufi philosophy really appeals to you, you should strongly consider learning Persian. The Islamic seminaries in Qom (Iran) have produced many masterpieces. If you'd like to get more resources or recommendations, let me know.
Read Fritzhof Schuon's "Understanding Islam" for a look at how normal Muslims experience their religion. It has a much different feeling than the boring bland stuff you are presented with by the usual proseletyzers.
http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Islam-Translation-Selected-Writings/dp/1935493906/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1412524954&sr=8-2&keywords=understanding+islam+schuon
If you want to learn about the deeper, more mystical teachings of Sufism, Annemarie Schimmel's "Mystical Dimensions of Islam" is great. She was a teacher at Ankara University, in the Turkish capitol, and a very respected academic in this field. The book itself is very enjoyable.
Here is a free PDF: http://www.fatuma.net/text/schimmel.pdf
And here is an amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Mystical-Dimensions-Islam-Annemarie-Schimmel/dp/0807812714
I wish both of you all the best.
This is a work by a Muslim scholar who examines the issue of evolution from the standpoint of Islam. Shaykh Yasir Qadhi uses some of the points in this book and addresses the issue here.
Do you mean like rational theology?
If, however, you want something of a more basic "introduction" to Islamic thought, which I'm guessing is what you actually want. You need to read the Qur'an. With a good commentary. I recommend nothing (and I mean nothing else- because I've read this one among others and this is the best intro for westerners) other than Muhammad Asad's "Message of the Qur'an". After this, you aught to read "Hadith: Muhammad's Legacy to the Medieval and Modern World". This is a great introduction to our "second scripture".
Also, if you want a good ground-up introduction to Islamic theology you should check out this:
https://islamtheologyscience.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/islamictheologyandsciencedraft.pdf
Its written by one of our mods. Really good. But if rational theology/kalaam was not what you were looking for, then please read Muhammad Asad's quran commentary and Jonathan brown's book on Hadith that I listen above.
On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam by Dr. Sherman Jackson. It's on my to-read list.
Edit: Whoa, the price has gone up like crazy since I added it to my to-read list. Maybe an academic library near you has it?
http://www.amazon.com/Creed-Imam-al-Tahawi-Hamza-Yusuf/dp/097028439X
I am in a similar boat to you and trying to connect back to Islam coming from an irreligious Westernized liberal Muslim household. My approach is to learn from the lessons of early Islam and how it was gradually adopted by the early Muslims. They focused on the core principles and basics and then gradually adopted more practices. The challenge for new converts or reverts is that it feels that you are literally drinking from a fire hose of things you need to memorize and practice and made to feel guilty for not observing this ritual or the next.
One of the most helpful books on Islam that I have run across is William Chittick's Vision of Islam which provides an excellent overview of the religion's vision for humanity and society. Chittick describes Islam in a way that none of the modern Muslim writers have been able to do who all seem lost in the weeds of rituals, rules and regulations, fear of punishment. https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Visions-Reality-Sachiko-Murata/dp/1557785163/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=vision+of+islam&qid=1570902335&sr=8-1
It gave me a perspective that was more holistic that allowed me to put the big picture into context. My objective is to get the basics of the core beliefs right and the core basic rituals before worrying about the rest. The essence of a man's faith and spiritual path is the inner belief and connection between you (God's creation) and God (the Creator).
I spent my life essentially outside the faith and I am not going to feel guilty that I am not doing enough on my journey back to reconnecting with God. I really don't care what other people or Muslims think of me because their opinions are entirely irrelevant since God is the only judge. I have also learnt that there is nothing that anyone can do in this life to earn enough points or blessings to make it into heaven...even the most devout will be deficient in their deeds and will have to depend on God's mercy. What is important is your personal core belief in the oneness of God (First Commandment) and your personal spiritual connection to God which is developed through prayer and meditation.
Keep it simple. Focus on your connection to God. Don't feel guilty about taking your time to walk your path.
By far more than anything I would recommend his book.
Try this discussion from a few months ago:
http://www.reddit.com/r/DebateReligion/comments/13i1dp/to_muslims_did_scholars_such_as_alghazali_ibn/
or
http://www.amazon.com/Islam-Fate-Others-Salvation-Question/dp/0199796661
Since you mentioned the Nicene Creed, if you'd like, I suggest looking at The Creed of Imam at-Tahawi as a good, comprehensive list of the beliefs of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah (Sunni Islam). Shaykh Hamza Yusuf has a good translation of this work:
The Creed of Imam al-Tahawi https://www.amazon.com/dp/097028439X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_9iR1Ab7HRHC3C
Yeah I got it from Amazon for my smartphone for 3 bucks.
It's a section of the volume, so its pretty short read.
So I had a similar though not exact issue. My problem is my defection was the result of a great deal of biased anti religious literature. To give it a bit more of a fair chance I looked around for pro/neutral to islam books (not just Quranic but around the theology and myth) and found a couple of interesting ones (that have yet to change my mind back):
The first, a bit heavy on rhetoric and logical leaps is: A young Muslims guide to the Modern world
Second interesting but haven't fully gone into yet is Humanism in Islam
*One thats been recommended as dry and information heavy is Vision of Islam (Visions of Reality). This is one I'm going to read into next as it looks promising.
I realise this isn't specifically Quran based but hope it helps.
Not sure if anyone sees this, but Imam al-Ghazali answered this in his book faysal al-tafriqah. https://www.amazon.com/Boundaries-Theological-Tolerance-Islam-Philosphy/dp/0195797914
Takfir is serious business, and its definitely not as easy as "if you drink/fornicate/eat pork, you're no longer Muslim." On this matter, see the rest of my post. As for your insinuation that no one should speak on matters relating to Islam unless they practice it fully themselves, well that's just bull. No one living today practices Islam perfectly. We all screw up, that's part of being human. If you can't see the flaws in that logic, then I can't help you.
What you need to do is read this:
On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam: Abu Hamid al Ghazali's Faysal al Tafriqa by Sherman Jackson
If you're not interested in reading the whole thing (which I highly recommend), at least read this review by a friend of mine:
"Hujjat al-Islam" (Proof of Islam) Shaykh Abu Hamid al-Ghazali covered a very important topic in his famous book "Faysal at-Tafriqa Bayna al-Islam wa al-Zandaqa" - The Decisive Criterion for Distinguishing Islam from Heresy (or Masked Infidelity).
It's actually a really great read, especially the commentary by Dr. Sherman (Abdul-Hakim) Jackson. Very methodological, but also flows very well, giving great background on Ghazali's life, the development of his work, and the importance of his thought even today.
Dr. Jackson explains the importance of the book: "al-Ghazali's mission is to define the boundaries within which competing theologies can coexist in mutual recognition of each other, i.e., as 'orthodox,' in the sense of passing theological muster. Al-Ghazali's aim, in other words, is not to establish who among the theological schools is 'right', but rather to demonstrate the folly and unfairness of the practice of condemning a doctrine as heresy simply because it goes against one's own theology. Furthermore, he insists, even where a doctrine can be justifiably deemed 'wrong' or heretical, this does not necessarily constitute Unbelief."
It is a very important book, and i really recommend it to anyone interested in trying to make sense of all this stuff. It really helped me a lot, and made me see that this whole idea of who is right, and who is not, the notions people have of "haqq" (truth) and so on, are actually much more complex and deeper than at least I believed previously. I am sure for many others this will be the case too.
In it Ghazali (and Dr. Jackson) mention a number of interesting points. A few that i remember are:
1) Certain matters are Usul (foundations) and others are Furu (branches).
2) All Muslims must believe in the Usul, as that is what makes them Muslim, but the Furu can have differences and still be within the boundaries of Islam.
3) There are many different methods of dealing with/interpreting Quran and Sunnah that jurists/theologians use - especially ones that us everyday people don't understand. These are matters for specialists.
4) Sometimes scholars are speaking on different wavelengths about the same subject, and this can lead to misunderstanding, when actually they are perhaps using different methods/levels of interpretation (point 3 above).
From within that, al-Ghazali mentions that there are only a handful of things that are actually Foundations (Usul):
1) The Oneness of God
2) The Prophethood of Muhammad (s)
3) The reality of Judgement Day
According to his explanation, other things are secondary and as Dr. Jackson translates "there should be no branding any person an Unbeliever over any secondary issue whatsoever, as a matter of principle."
The exception to this rule is the secondary issues handed down by the Prophet in the state of tawatur (ie. Mutwatir hadith). Rejection of this is basically a rejection of point 2 above.
For me, this is absolutely fascinating, and led to me looking at the various different sects/interpretations of both law and theology within Islam in a different way. This is especially true when there are certain sects within Islam that seem to delight in calling 'Takfir' on others (pronouncing other sects of Muslims as unbelievers, or apostates).
The other most interesting part, is how al-Ghazali deals with non-Muslims and their place in the afterlife. It is a very topical question, and this book shows a master of theology at work. The complex relationship between non-Muslims and their relationship with Islam is explained, and various possibilities are given. It is much more nuanced than the standard "non-Muslims will be in the eternal Hellfire" that certain groups like to say - which is very black & white - something I feel completely disregards our intellectual tradition. Instead the principles of Justice and Mercy shines through (especially from the famous hadith "My Mercy precedes my Wrath.")
A truly remarkable book I highly recommend to anyone wanting to read the work of one of the greats in Islam and understand their importance!
But 99% of evolutionary concepts doesn't really affect scientific questioning from the Islamic standpoint.
See Islam's Quantum Question for in depth analysis of this broad subject. It's quite a fascinating topic actually.
TL;DR: Islam's creationism is not the same as Christianity's.
Selections from The Forty Foundations of Religion is the only one I've read in full. And whenever I open it, it consistently makes me think about things I haven't considered before. The footnotes are extensive and it has a cool introduction to the Imam's writing.
The translator of the above volume says that The Revival of Religious Sciences is his seminal work, but I haven't read a translation of it, I've only read about it.
Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (Timothy Winters) writes extensively about Imam al Ghazali, and he has a lot of great videos on Youtube that summarize a lot of his work quite nicely.
You need to discover the real spiritual Islam to get a better perspective. Unfortunately this is so carefully hidden from most Muslims that they don't even know it exists. A good book that I found very helpful in understanding the big picture was The Vision of Islam, by William Chittick. Brilliant book that provides a macro perspective on Islam's vision for human society. It was developed as a textbook at SUNY for an Islamic Studies course.
https://www.amazon.com/Vision-Visions-Reality-Sachiko-Murata/dp/1557785163
The left has been accepting the Nation of Islam hate. I wonder when they think the mother plane (their words - https://www.amazon.com/Mother-Plane-Elijah-Muhammad/dp/1884855083) is going to vaporize all the white people. Some black people I know wonder what happens to them with white blood in their genealogy.
But do you see the key distinction?
The difference between massacring and executing? Muhammad didn't "rape" anybody (even by today's standards). Take a look at the Hadiths according to Aisha. Do you think if a woman were raped especially one of her age would be in any right state of mind to be talking about what Muhammad did in his personal life?
Moderate Muslims should be able to do whatever they want. But they need to take a really hard look at themselves and adopt the true practices of Muhammad: like greeting strangers with a smile, visiting people who literally lay thorns in his path, praying 5 times a day, speaking kindly to/of people. Point is, if Muslims actually followed the tradition of Muhammad accordingly, there would be no such thing as "moderate" or "extremist" Muslim, they'd just be Muslim. Nobody's holding a gun to anybody's head telling them to marry someone the age of Aisha. Likewise, nobody should be holding a gun/legislation to anybody's head telling them to not practice their faith (so long as it doesn't violate federal laws).
Any Muslim worth their salt will recognize that the true teachings of Islam aren't to practice their faith by the sword (or AK...or C4). Islam places much more emphasis on the soul and the relationship to God.
If you're interested, you should read Vision of Islam by William Chittick and Sachiko Murata. I took a course taught by him at my University. It's a really nice break down of the core of the Islamic faith and talks about the political movements of the 19th and 20th centuries that's led to the warped interpretation of the religion by Muslims and non-Muslims alike.
PM me for PDFs of his other works. I'm not an expert on this but I would definitely like to talk more.
I think I have the perfect start to what you are looking for. Here is a scholarly article called THE CONCEPT OF THE PERFECT MAN
IN THE THOUGHT OF IBN 'ARABI AND MUHAMMAD IQBAL:
A COMPARATIVE STUDY.
Ibn Arabi was very influential to Carl Jung according to this book Becoming Whole: Jung's Equation for Realizing God. Arabi was a mystic around the 1200's and had a lot to say about living an ideal life, which he called "the Perfect Man". He is one of the most revered Sufi's in history.
Muhammad Iqbal was a reformist Muslim, around the 1900's, who was well read of Nietzsche and his concept of the Uberman and used the lens of Islam (and Arabi's concept of the Perfect Man) to inform his own concept of "the Perfect Man." He even wrote a book called The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam, which blew my mind because it was a synchronicity for me, because I was calling what Peterson was saying "Reconstruction" before I knew about this book. I thought it aptly describes my encounter with his material and also obviously contrasts linguistically with the term "deconstruction" with which he has been very critical of.
Basically ties together Jung, Nietzsche, Islam, and Sufism into something that can start resembling what Peterson talks about, and I found the first article very fulfilling reading and I'm not a Muslim. I have been meaning to post this here but haven't got around to it, but I saw your question and knew this was the right time.
Ive heard good things about this english commentary but it seems to be out of print https://www.amazon.com/Creed-Imam-al-Tahawi-Hamza-Yusuf/dp/097028439X#featureBulletsAndDetailBullets_secondary_view_div_1518987251425. A translation that I've personally relied on is online here http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/misc/tahawi.htm
A sidenote on the last link. There is a reference to `Isa ibn Maryam, which is an arabic transliteration of the name Jesus the son of Mary. I thought that was worth pointing out.
sigh
Did I say it was? Did I say that ALL muslims feel this way? Do you deny that what I posted is a fairly common muslim apologetic used in many different sects?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UhGw2aJzVpU
https://www.amazon.com/Islamic-Theory-Evolution-Missing-between/dp/0982586701
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G94ZcWXVR9s
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a4IviHYIopA
http://www.answeringislamicskeptics.com/evolution-in-islam-overview.html
http://www.amazon.com/Between-Heaven-Hell-Salvation-Others/dp/0199945411
i'm sorry...but Muslims are not what you are describing...please [everyone] read about islam first and then judge ! [http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1557785163/qid=1141978986/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1?v=glance&s=books]