Understanding Salafism
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Understanding Salafism

Adraoui, Mohamed-Ali.Reviewed by Safaruk Chowdhury In Understanding Salafism, Mohamed-Ali Adraoui offers a timely, lucid, and analytically rich account of one of the most influential yet still misunderstood religious movements in contemporary Islam. Positioned within the Palgrave Sciences Po Series in International Relations and Political Economy, the book – spanning fifteen years of research – stands…

The Rise and Decline of the Muslim Ummah: With a Comparison to Jewish History
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The Rise and Decline of the Muslim Ummah: With a Comparison to Jewish History

Dr Israr AhmadReviewed by Abdul Hai Several prominent figures in modern Islamic history have demonstrated unwavering dedication, commitment, and a persistent desire for the revival of Islam. Despite numerous challenges and opposition, such individuals remained steadfast in their efforts to seize transformative moments in history. One notable figure in this regard is Dr Israr Ahmad….

What It Means to be a Muslimah: The Religious Orientations of Female Muslim Activists in Malaysia.
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What It Means to be a Muslimah: The Religious Orientations of Female Muslim Activists in Malaysia.

By Zaiti Athirah “What are the discourses of Muslimah activists on specific marital issues in Malaysia today? What discourses guide their understanding of a woman’s role in Islam? What religious orientations underlie their discourses and understanding of specific marital issues and women’s roles in Islam?” These are the central questions posed by Syed Imad Alatas…

Epistemological Bias in the Physical and Social Sciences 
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Epistemological Bias in the Physical and Social Sciences 

Reviewed by Abdul Hai “They are successful because they left their religion and we are backward because we left our Religion”. Jamal-uddin Al-Afghani I arrived in Cairo just after the Maghrib prayer during one of my remarkable journeys to Egypt. Upon arrival, I took a taxi with my friend, who had been waiting to receive…

Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa
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Beyond Timbuktu: An Intellectual History of Muslim West Africa

Reviewed by Abdul Hai “O Amir!!  When did you start enslaving people, when their mothers gave birth to them free?” Umar ibn Khattab (RA) “We missed the bus for industrial revolution, true but we missed the bus because the British Empire threw us under its wheels”. Dr Shashi Tharoor In a world often hostile to religion, particularly Islam, discussing Islam’s intellectual contributions…

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…