It is the birthplace of Muhammad, the direction to which Muslims turn when they pray, and the site of pilgrimage that annually draws some three million Muslims from all corners of the world. Yet the significance of Mecca is more than purely religious. What happens in Mecca and how Muslims think about the political and cultural history of Mecca has had and continues to have a profound influence on world events to this day.In this insighful book, Ziauddin Sardar unravels the meaning and significance of Mecca. Tracing its history, from its origins as a “barren valley” in the desert to its evolution as a trading town and sudden emergence as the religious center of a world empire, Sardar examines the religious struggles and rebellions in Mecca that have significantly shaped Muslim culture. An illuminative, lyrical, and witty blend of history, reportage, and memoir, Mecca reflects all that is profound and enlightening, curious and amusing about Mecca and takes us behind the closed doors to one of the most important places in the world today.

    Fuller guides us along an illuminating journey through history, geopolitics, and religion to investigate whether or not Islam is indeed the cause of some of today's most emotional and important international crises. Fuller takes us from the birth of Islam to the fall of Rome to the rise and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He examines and analyzes the roots of terrorism, the conflict in Israel, and the role of Islam in supporting and energizing the anti-imperial struggle. Provocatively, he finds that contrary to the claims of many politicians, thinkers, theologians, and soldiers, a world without Islam might not look vastly different from what we know today.Filled with fascinating details and counterintuitive conclusions, A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM is certain to inspire debate and reshape the way we think about Islam's relationship with the West.

    Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies that recount numerous events in the prophet’s life, it contains original English translations of many important passages that reveal the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life.Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. This revised edition includes new sections detailing the prophet’s expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states. It represents the final updates made to the text before the author’s death in 2005. The book has been published in 12 languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgment as best biography of the prophet in English at the National Seerate Conference in Islamabad.

    In doing so, the authors provide a balanced approach representing not only theistic and atheistic perspectives, but also a much-needed Islamic point of view that has largely been ignored or misunderstood.

    The inspiring story of one of the most courageous and promising Indian Police services (IPS) officers comes straight from the heart of his wife, Vinita. It traces the life and career of this fearless officer who showed exemplary valour at his postings-be it at the Naxalite-affected Bhandara district, Satara, Sangali, Solapur or Mumbai. It also brings out the details of his life which would inspire many a youngsters. While the Mumbai terror attacks are largely associated with the Taj Hotel, the Trident Hotel, Nariman House and Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (CST) due to wide media coverage, it was lesser-known Cama Hospital incident in which the quickest and the most decisive of action were taken, that too within the first few hours. The only Fidayeen to be ever captured alive Ajmal Kasab, was injured here and three officers-Hemant Karkare, Ashok Kamte, and Vijay Salaskar and their men made the ultimate sacrifice for this. Vinita Kamte's search for truth of the circumstances that led to the death of her brave husband who sacrificed his life for the nation is heart-rending. Vinita fought a tenacious battle along with her twin sister Revati to get to the truth-for which they also invoked the Right To Information Act (RTI) to understand the chronology of the events of that fateful night. The story answers many questions, but raises many more. The book promises to move your heart as it reveals the dynamic career of this brilliant officer who was also a great human being.About the Author: Vinita Kamte is the wife of IPS officer, Late Mr.Ashok Kamte, who was additional commissioner, East Region Mumbai, when he was killed in action in the Mumbai terror attack of November 26, 2008. Vinita has graduated in Bachelor of Socio-Legal subjects(BSL), Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and Masters in Labour Laws and Labour Welfare from Law College, Pune.Vinita Deshmukh is a senior journalist of 22 years standing. Presently, she is the editor of Intelligent Pune, a pro-active, public journalism weekly, which she launched in 2006. She was Senior Editor of the national daily, The Indian Express, Pune. An award winning journalist, she has won the prestigious Chameli Devi Jain award (2008)and The Statesman Award for Rural Reporting twice(in 1998 & 2005)

    This book shows how through learning the true nature of youth, life, and this world, young people may avoid the many pitfalls of modern life and secure true happiness in this world and the next.

    She then focuses on those Arab societies that played a key role in elaborating the dominant Islamic discourses about women and gender: Arabia during the period in which Islam was founded; Iraq during the classical age, when the prescriptive core of legal and religious discourse on women was formulated; and Egypt during the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, when exposure to Western societies led to dramatic social change and to the emergence of new discourses on women. Throughout, Ahmed not only considers the Islamic texts in which central ideologies about women and gender developed or were debated but also places this discourse in its social and historical context. Her book is thus a fascinating survey of Islamic debates and ideologies about women and the historical circumstances of their position in society, the first such discussion using the analytic tools of contemporary gender studies.

    In this three-volume study, illustrated with charts and maps, Hodgson traces and interprets the historical development of Islamic civilization from before the birth of Muhammad to the middle of the twentieth century. This work grew out of the famous course on Islamic civilization that Hodgson created and taught for many years at the University of Chicago."This is a nonpareil work, not only because of its command of its subject but also because it demonstrates how, ideally, history should be written."—The New Yorker Volume 1, The Classical Age of Islam, analyzes the world before Islam, Muhammad's challenge, and the early Muslim state between 625 and 692. Hodgson then discusses the classical civilization of the High Caliphate. The volume also contains a general introduction to the complete work and a foreword by Reuben Smith, who, as Hodgson's colleague and friend, finished the Venture of Islam after the author's death and saw it through to publication.

    It covers the whole spectrum of its beliefs, values, social principles, cultural institutions, and contemporary problems. Edited by Khurshid Ahmad, this book brings together leading Muslim scholarship and covers ideology, culture, the concept of worship, social justice, women in Islam, political theory in Islam, and the objectives of the Islamic economic order. It also discusses what Islam gave to humanity, the Western world and its challenges to Islam, and Islam and the crisis of the modern world.

    Even then, it comes with a set of restrictive rules that puts a ‘barrier’ between Allah and us. The things we recite are verses that we were told to memorise, but rarely do we truly talk to Allah about the troubles that are weighing down our hearts.Because it feels awkward. Thus when we are down and sad, we seek other means for comforting ourselves, but often they offer only temporary respite. We forget that true comfort lies only with Allah. ****In this book, author Ayesha Syahira takes you on a journey of spiritual discovery; of reconnecting with Allah wholeheartedly. The author focuses on nurturing the lifestyle of talking to Allah; of finding comfort by making du’a to Him at any time of the day.

    Who Speaks for Islam? is about this silenced majority. This book is the product of the Gallup World Poll’s massive, multiyear research study. As part of this groundbreaking project, Gallup conducted tens of thousands of interviews with residents of more than 35 nations that are predominantly Muslim or have significant Muslim populations. Gallup posed questions that are on the minds of millions: Is Islam to blame for terrorism? Why is there so much anti-Americanism in the Muslim world? Who are the extremists? Where are the moderates? What do Muslim women really want? Grounded in Gallup World Poll data, not in contentious rhetoric, Who Speaks for Islam? brings data-driven evidence — the voices of a billion Muslims, not those of individual “experts” or “extremists”— to one of the most heated and consequential debates of our time.

    In the case of Islam, there has been much recent confusion in the Western world centered on distorted portrayals of its core values. Born of ignorance, such confusion feeds the very problem at hand.In The Heart of Islam one of the great intellectual figures in Islamic history offers a timely presentation of the core spiritual and social values of Islam: peace, compassion, social justice, and respect for the other. Seizing this unique moment in history to reflect on the essence of his tradition, Seyyed Hossein Nasr seeks to "open a spiritual and intellectual space for mutual understanding." Exploring Islamic values in scripture, traditional sources, and history, he also shows their clear counterparts in the Jewish and Christian traditions, revealing the common ground of the Abrahamic faiths.Nasr challenges members of the world's civilizations to stop demonizing others while identifying themselves with pure goodness and to turn instead to a deeper understanding of those shared values that can solve the acute problems facing humanity today. "Muslims must ask themselves what went wrong within their own societies," he writes, "but the West must also pose the same question about itself . . . whether we are Muslims, Jews, Christians, or even secularists, whether we live in the Islamic world or in the West, we are in need of meaning in our lives, of ethical norms to guide our actions, of a vision that would allow us to live at peace with each other and with the rest of God's creation." Such help, he believes, lies at the heart of every religion and can lead the followers of the Abrahamic religions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam) as well as other religious and spiritual traditions to a new future of mutual respect and common global purpose.The Heart of Islam is a landmark presentation of enduring value that offers hope to humanity, and a compelling portrait of the beauty and appeal of the faith of 1.2 billion people.

    This book invites you--no matter what your practice may be--to access the treasure chest of Islamic spirituality, particularly Sufism, and use its wealth to strengthen your own journey.The riches include guidance drawn from the Qur'an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and Sufi poets such as the thirteenth-century Rumi on cultivating awareness, intentionality and compassion for self and others. This book also features entertaining wisdom teaching stories, especially those of Mulla Nasruddin, Islam's great comic foil, to expand the mind and heart. It breaks down barriers to accessing this ancient tradition for modern seekers by dispelling myths about the Muslim faith concerning gender bias, inclusivity and appreciation for diversity.Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, you will find these gems worthy additions to your own treasure chest within.

    Written as reflections on the author's travels meeting the seekers of God, these essays are meant to be make readers pause and think about their own journeys, their relationship with the One who has created them, and the path that lies ahead.

    An essential introductory text for the study of the Qur'an, its content, and its place in Muslim society.An insightful and authoritative introduction to the book at the heart of Muslim life, written by a well-known Islamic scholarExamines the doctrines contained in the Qur'an, providing a comprehensive explanation of their significance to individual Muslims and the societies in which they liveSurveys the key themes of the Qur'an, its most significant historical interpretations, and some of the most significant figures who transmitted and taught the sacred scripture over the centuriesConsiders the influence of the Qur'an on all major aspects of Muslim society, including personal relationships, popular culture, law, art and architecture, political movements, science, and literatureHelps the reader to understand the Qur'an, while throwing a much-needed light on what it means to be a Muslim.