Review by Abdul Hai أُولَئِكَ آبَائِي فَجِئْنِي بِمِثْلِهِمْ إِذَا جَمَعَتْنَا يَا جَرِيرُ الْمَجَامِعُ”- الفرزدق” There is a well-known prophetic tradition in which the Holy Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The best people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, and then those who come after them.” For…
Reviewed by Muminah Khan Within contemporary discourse particularly across social media, Western news outlets, propagandistic sources, and far-right political rhetoric several narratives are propagated to incite fear and hostility towards Islam. One of the most persistent is the assertion that Muslim women are inherently oppressed, devoid of autonomy, and condemned to passive, meaningless lives, and…
Reviewed by Abdul Hai In the contemporary global landscape, the term “madrasah” has become a lightning rod for political debate and cultural war, often reduced to a caricature of religious isolationism, anti-process or, more darkly, a breeding ground for radicalism. Since the events of 9/11, Western policymakers have frequently viewed these traditional Islamic institutions through…
By Abdul Hai Introduction The term al-Waṣiyya (الوصيّة) conveys the meaning of ‘to counsel, advise, and provide final guidance’ and is derived from the Arabic triliteral root w–ṣ–y (و–ص–ي) . In al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ (القاموس المحيط) Imām al-Fīrūzābādī defines w–ṣ–y as: “وأوصاه ووصّاه صفاتها: عهد إليها‘Awsāhu and wassāhu (he gave him a tawṣiya): he entrusted or…
Reviewed By Dr. Abdul Wahid There is something to be said for a book that is short and sweet. This is a book with concise yet clear advice, which uses ayaat and ahadith that whilst familiar, are presented in the context of this most contemporary of topics in a way that resonates. It is a…
by Adnan Mahmud There is a malaise in our hearts that we dare not name. We who have borne the standard of Islam through decades, even centuries, of defeat, through a narrative of failed revolutions, broken promises, and the gradual erosion of our civilisational confidence, find ourselves today caught between rage and numbness. We may…
Allama IqbalReviewed by Abdul Hai Poets have long employed provocative language that divides their audience, generating both admirers and critics. What is particularly intriguing about this skill is that poets often withhold the true meaning of their work, allowing readers or listeners to construct their own interpretations. In this duality of meaning and interpretation, both the…
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…
Shapers of Islam in Southeast Asia Prof Khairudin Aljunied. Reviewed Abdul Hai Malik ibn Anas (711 CE -795 CE), a distinguished jurist and founder of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, made a perceptive statement affirming that the reformation of the later portion of the Muslim nation, known as the Ummah, can only be achieved through…
Reviewed by Haris Ali Tariq Samira Haj’s main argument is to seek to understand the Islamic tradition according to its own terms, categories and rationalities. Within this argument however is another aim which is to show the dynamic nature of tradition. The former is the argument of the book generally, while the latter informs the…
Dr. Mustafa Sibai Reviewed by Abdul Hai “Hand the secular Arab a glass of urine, and tell him that it is wine. He will not only pretend to enjoy it, he will enjoy it.”Abdal Hakim Murad “What did the Muslims and Arabs do for the world?” was the passionate cry of an Arab secularist on…
By Edward W. Saïd Reviewed by Abdul Hai “They weren’t like us and for that reason deserved to be ruled.” Edward Said Edward W. Said is a well-known Palestinian-American academic and literary critic. His book, Orientalism, published in 1978, was a ground-breaking study. Orientalism tries to understand how the colonisers studied and analysed their…
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