It is an earnest, sincere, and sober look at man's contemporary achievements and difficulties in the light of the message of the Qur'an. It is an effort to vigorously explore its rich wisdom, and expand its invaluable guidance for the benefit of an increasingly 'sophisticated', yet highly perplexed modern society. The work, which is by far Sayyid Qutb's largest and most profound, spans the whole of the text of the Qur'an. It was written, and party re-written over a period of more than 15 years, most of which the author had spent in Egyptian prisons, during the 1950s and 1960s. In it is embedded Sayyid Qutb's insight, highly esteemed intellectual vigor, and his widely-acclaimed literary prowess.In the Shade of The Quranhas been universally recognised as an outstanding contribution to Islamic thought and scholarship, to which students and scholars, as well as contemporary Islamic revivalist movements all over the world, owe a great deal. Now that it is available in English, it will continue to enlighten and inspire millions more. It will take its rightful place as an indispensable work of reference for a proper understanding of contemporary Islamic thinking.

     For nine years (1955-1964) Agnes Newton Keith lived in Libya where her forester husband, Harry Keith, was chief of the FAO Mission of the United Nations. It was his responsibility to find young Libyans who could be trained to replant forests, revitalize oases and extend irrigation. Children of Alla is alive with the people of Libya--the secluded Moslem women of whom only the more cosmopolitan have discarded the veil, the arrogant Libyan men, brusque yet gentle, kind, unscrupulous and bull-headed; and the endearing children, underprivileged and too often underfed. Because of her sympathy and understanding, Mrs. Keith was admitted to homes and to confidences which a foreigner rarely enjoys. She also accompanied her husband on his field trips into the Sahara and she writes of the Roman ruins there which are still being bared by destructive winds, the ancient rock pictures and mirages, and the driving sandstorms. Here she came to know the nomad Tuareg, descendants of great warriors, who disdain work and now live in tattered black tents, their eyes dimmed by trachoma. Here she saw oil fields and speculates on what the new wealth will mean to Libya. This, then, is the story of a land where every drought, disaster and good fortune is accepted as the will of Allah. Out of her experiences and out of her friendships come Mrs. Keith's vivid personal account of an ancient people struggling for a new unity and self-possession under a wise old king.

    Ideals and Realities of Islam seeks to answer criticism brought against Islam by presenting the point of view of Islam. In six chapters dealing with the universal and the particular aspects of Islam, the Qur'an, the Prophet and the Prophetic tradition, the Sharia, Sufism, and Shi'ism, Seyyed Hossein Nasr outlines the essential aspects of the Islamic beliefs, making frequent references to other religions in general and Christianity in particular.Drawing mainly on the Qur'an and the hadith, but also on the works of some contemporary Western scholars, the author presents the Islamic spiritual and intellectual tradition in the light of contemporary modern thought. This edition includes a new introduction by the author and an updated annotated bibliography.