Sayyid Qutb’s magisterial work Ma’alim fi’l-tareeq, or Milestones, captures the imagination of the true believer. He calls for a new Quranic generation like the one the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) raised up in Mecca during the Meccan period of the Quran. Qutb points out that hearers and readers of the Quran during these first...
These books are the work of Christian apologist C.S. Lewis. They explore the adventures of various humans in the land of Narnia. Aslan, a lion in the books, is said to take the place of Jesus. In this way the books incorporate Trinitarian theology. Lewis is also famous for writing Mere Christianity and the Screwtape...
This book provides a very general introduction to Sufism. It explores traditions from Morocco to India and beyond. A scholarly work that addresses itself to the layman, it should be read with caution. Carl W. Ernst is a scholar of Islamic Studies based out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Ernst explores...
This book is a beautiful biography on the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him). It goes straight to the heart of the prophetic mission. The work elucidates the life of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon Him) in its many phases. It follows his life from his early misfortunes with the death of his father, mother...
This book is the work of noted Islamophobe and Jihad Watch director Robert Spencer. The aim of this book is to demonise Islam, however we must engage with his work in order to refute it. For the casual reader I’d encourage them to read Karen Armstrong and John Esposito, who both offer more even handed...
This 2007 book by Christopher Hitchens denigrates Islam from its very title. In it the author attempts to undermine the readers faith in God and blame most of the worlds ills on religion more generally. Hitchens was a committed atheist who has since passed away. No doubt he is suffering through the punishment of the...
This work invites readers to better understand Tasawwuf or Sufism. Its author, Nuh Ha Mim Keller, advocates a Sufi approach to the religion. He is an American of German stock. The book encourages readers to visit graves, something that is appalling and readers should be alert to this books heretical perspective from the outset. It...
Maajid Nawaz lays out his life for the reader in this autobiography. He explores his time with Hizb ut-Tahrir in the United Kingdom and then in Egypt. Nawaz went on to co-found the now defunct Quilliam think tank in London. Nawaz disavows his previous beliefs and work within Hizb ut-Tahrir attributing this to time spent...
The late Martin Lings’ biography of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) is a masterpiece which effected me greatly when I read it while in custody. Lings was an English revert to Islam and a noted scholar. In this work he delves deeply into the life and times of the Prophet (Peace Be Upon...
In this notable work Wood explores the personal and ideological underpinnings of supporters of a Caliphate across five continents. Wood befriends the Australian preacher, and now former Muslim, Musa Cerantonio. He also corresponds with “American Taliban” John Walker Lindh, who was then still in prison in the United States. This book grew out of an...