Ahmed ibn Hanbal
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Ahmed ibn Hanbal

Review by Abdul Hai Writing a historical biography of any significant figure is always challenging, particularly when it concerns a figure like Imam Ahmed ibn Hanbal. Several challenges arise when an author from outside the tradition attempts to craft a biography of someone whose religious beliefs they do not share. These challenges, no matter how…

The Four Imams: Their Lives, Works, and Schools of Thought.  Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahra

The Four Imams: Their Lives, Works, and Schools of Thought. Shaykh Muhammad Abu Zahra

Reviewed Abdul Hai It is believed that there is both blessing and wisdom in reading about the lives of the pious. Furthermore, even for those who are sinful, there is hope in loving and learning about the pious, as it may lead to receiving their intercession, a sentiment eloquently expressed in the couplets of Imam…

Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence by James Lovelock

Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence by James Lovelock

Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence by James Lovelock Reviewed by Amirah Chati James Lovelock- inventor, environmentalist and futurist- was no stranger to controversy in his century-long life. His final book, ‘Novacene: The Coming Age of Hyperintelligence’, published three years before his death, outlines a significant new hypothesis for a world he would not live to…

The Politics of the Veil

The Politics of the Veil

Reviewed by Abdul Hai While I hold a dissenting view regarding the assertions presented in Samuel Huntington’s “Clash of Civilisations,” I find the title itself to be thought-provoking and a significant observation by the author. My perspective aligns with the notion of a Clash of Civilisations, as previously articulated in other discussions. It suffices to…

De Puerto Rico To Islam With Love: A Collection of Poetry About Identity and Faith
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De Puerto Rico To Islam With Love: A Collection of Poetry About Identity and Faith

De Puerto Rico To Islam With Love: A Collection of Poetry About Identity and Faith By Wendy Díaz Reviewed by Hamzah Vargas “A New Minority Makes Itself Known: Hispanic Muslims” reported the New York Times in December of 2001 not long after the September 11 attacks began the ‘War on Terror’, an era in which…

Seven Types of Atheism.

Seven Types of Atheism.

By John Gray. Reviewed by Dr. Safaruk Z. Chowdhury, John Gray is one of the eminent British philosophers and public intellectuals writing today. His academic interests have been in politics, cultural studies and analytic philosophy. A keen historian of ideas, Gray’s numerous works have been praised for being innovative, challenging and prophetic. Born to a…

The Death of King Arthur

The Death of King Arthur

Review by Hamzah Vargas Simon Armitage’s translation of the Alliterative Morte Arthure from around 1400 covers the final adventure of the legendary king of Britain and his epic battle against Lucius, the Emperor of Rome. The author of the original is unknown and only a single copy of the original manuscript remains in the library…

 ‘Islam in Uganda, the Muslim Minority, Nationalism & Political Power’

 ‘Islam in Uganda, the Muslim Minority, Nationalism & Political Power’

Reviewed by Abdul Hai “In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Gracious.” Joseph Kasule is a research fellow at Makerere University, Uganda. He is the author of the article entitled “The Restrictive Immunity Doctrine under the 2004 U.N Convention on Jurisdictional Immunities of States and Their Property: the Need for a Human Rights…