| I'm interested in suggestions for Islamic reading material, but feel free to tell us about whatever you're reading at the moment. I'm currently reading In the Footsteps of the Prophet by Tariq Ramadan. I was a bit skeptical before I started reading it, countless siras both classic and modern already exist, producing yet another seemed at first like a somewhat futile exercise, the author can't possibly have much to offer the reader that his predecessors haven't already. I was absolutely wrong. The content is actually really different compared to the classic works (I haven't read any of the modern biographies). The facts, the events of the Prophet's life, his actions, his decisions are the same obviously – Tariq Ramadan uses the early biographies as a source – what differs is how they are presented and reflected upon by the author. The focus in this work is on exploring the spiritual aspect of the Prophet's life, rather than the mere factual retelling of history we are used to, the usual emphasis on battles and such (not trying to detract from the importance of such siras at all – they are great contributions to the Islamic tradition – but this is refreshing). As one of the reviews on Amazon says, this could be called a "spiritual biography". I think this quote from the introduction sums up how I feel about this work: Deeply, simply: he who cannot love cannot understand. You can also perceive the author's calm and peacefulness through the tone of his book, it just makes the read really relaxing. An overall fascinating book, I immensely recommend it to anyone interested in making the acquaintance the Prophet (peace be upon him), particularly as a guide and moral example. |
bacchiOct 18, 2015 6:27 AM
 |
| Sounds like a great book. I'll see if I can find it in my School's library. I'm looking forward to reading 'The Prophet' by Khalil Gibran - but that will be after I finish the book I'm currently reading. I'm a fan of anthologies and I came across "The Prophet'' in 'Inspirations' by Paulo Coelho (an anthology). The last book I finished was 'Frankenstein' on which I have pretty settled thoughts: the book is a fascinating read only for those who have a lose moral standing. For someone with concrete moral stance, the book is just a good tale. The moral dilemma which is supposed to be the highlight of the book is somewhat marred by the fact that it was not really a 'dilemma'. But maybe, maybe that was the book's lesson: you have to accept your mistakes instead of running away from them. But I didn't quite get that impression even after reading the preface many times and reading many interpretations of the book by different authors. For everyone, it was just a moral dilemma and considering that, it failed. I did, however, came across something really interesting which infuriated me at first but then I took a deep breath and thought about it; and it certainly rang true. The excerpt was somewhat on these lines: [quote]My mother wanted me to adopt to the moral teachings of Christianity contrary to the teachings of the faith of Muhammad that forbid the freedom of spirit and mind to females.[/quote] Remember that it was written during the peak of the Ottoman Empire. Looking back at that time, that really was the time when Islam was fading from the foreground. It only made sense that a writer from Europe would think of Islam as such. It is also very much true on our behalf that our males are imprisoned in their lack of ambition and our females in their slavery of spirit and mind. The latter case is usually coerced by external factors but even when there are no external factors, our females, instead of choosing the right path for them, let others external factors enslave their mind; namely media and such. |
[i]"Yet each man kills the thing he loves, [/i]By each let this be heard, Some do it with a bitter look, Some with a flattering word, The coward does it with a kiss, The brave man with a sword!'' ~Oscar |
More topics from this board
» Is Anime haram?Scotchgun - Sep 7, 2015 |
11 |
by OsakaGhoulz
»»
Apr 17, 2018 12:16 PM |
|
» Why are Muslims anti-hijab?Trance - Jul 19, 2016 |
1 |
by RO7
»»
Aug 8, 2016 6:42 AM |
|
» What are your favourite Ramadan delicacies?bacchi - Apr 1, 2016 |
15 |
by BinarySquirrel
»»
May 27, 2016 12:03 AM |
|
» New Years Resolution?RPSB9 - Dec 28, 2015 |
5 |
by WitlessHippo
»»
Jan 22, 2016 11:53 AM |
|
» Arabic-Urdu Language Exchange (paid)OldTimer - Nov 16, 2015 |
7 |
by BinarySquirrel
»»
Dec 26, 2015 9:41 AM |