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Latest Arrivals

Ibn Sa'ds; Kitab al-Tabaqaat al-Kabir
Osmans Dream : The Story of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1923
The Mystery of Israel in Ancient History
The Origins of the Islamic State : Kitab Futuh al-Buldan by Abu'I Abbas ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri
The Commander of the Faithful : The Life and Times of Abd al-Kader
The Myth of Muslim Barbarism
Islam and Western Concepts of Civilisation :
Wisdom of Islamic Civilisation
The Image of Islamic Civilisation
Essays on the Origins of Islamic Civilisation
True Stories of Islam :

Page Last Updated : 4th January 2011

Historic Battles of Islam | Islamic Spain | Sira of the Beloved Prophet

THE HISTORY OF AL-TABARI : VOLUME XL - INDEX

Paperback - [xx + 674] Total 694 pages by Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (832 - 923 CE)

Compiled by Alex V. Popovkin & Everett K. Rowson

The index to the 39-volume History of al-Tabari.

Completed in 1999 by a distinguished group of scholars and historians of Islam, the annotated translation of al-Tabari’s History is arguably the most celebrated chronicle produced in the Islamic lands on the history of the world and the early centuries of Islam. This fortieth volume, the Index, compiled by Alex V. Popovkin under the supervision of Everett K. Rowson, serves as an essential reference tool. It offers scholars and general readers convenient access to the wealth of information provided by this massive work.

The Index comprises not only all names of persons and places mentioned by al-Tabari, with abundant cross-referencing, but also a very broad range of subject entries, on everything from “pomegranates” to forms of “punishment.” The volume includes a separate index of Quranic citations and allusions, as well as a list of errata and corrigenda to the entire translation.

Alex V. Popovkin is a professional indexer and Everett K. Rowson is Associate Professor of Middle Eastern Studies at New York University.

Table Of Contents: Total 694 pages

Foreword
Preface
List of Volumes and Scholars
Guide to the Index
General Index
Index of Quranic Citations and Allusions
Errata et Emendanda

To order the 39 Volume Set or individual volumes, pleaseContact Us

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Prophets and Patriarchs : The History of al-Tabari (Volume II)

Paperback - 207 pages

The History of Prophets and Kings [Ta'rikh al-Rusul wa'l-muluk] by Abu Ja'far Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (832 - 923 CE) May Allah be pleased with him, here rendered as the History of al-Tabari, is by common consent the most important universal history produced in the world of Islam. It has been translated here in its entirety for the first time for the benefit of non-Arabs, with historicaland philological notes for those interested in the particulars of the text. Al-Tabari quotes quotes his sources verbatim and traces the chain of transmission (isnad) to an original source.

This volume records the lives and efforts of some of the prophets preceeding the birth of the Prophet Muhammad May Allah Shower His Mercy and Blessings upon him. It devotes most of its message to two towering figures--Abraham, the Friend of God, and his great-grandson, Joseph. The story is not, however simply a repetition of Biblical tales in a slightly altered form, for Tabari sees the ancient pre-Islamic Near East as an area in which the histories of three different peoples are acted out, occasionally meeting and intertwining. Thus ancient Iran, Israel, and Arabia serve as the stages on which actors such as Biwarasb, the semi-legendary Iranian king, Noah and his progeny, and the otherwise unknown Arabian Prophets Hud and Salih appear and act.

In the pages of this volume we read of the miraculous birth and early life of Abraham, and of his struggle against his father's idolatry. God grants him sons--Ishmael from Hagar and Isaac from Sarah--and the conflicts between the two mothers, the subsequent expulsion of Hagar, and her settling in the vicinity of Mecca, all lead to the story of Abraham's being commanded to build God's sanctuary there. Abraham is tested by God, both by being commanded to sacrifice his son (and here Tabari shows his fairness be presenting the arguments of Muslim scholars as to whether that son was Ishmael or Isaac) and by being given commandments to follow both in personal behavior and in ritual practice. The account of Abraham is interlaced with tales of the cruel tyrant Nimrod, who tried in vain both to burn Abraham in fire and to reach the heavens to fight with God. The story of Abraham's nephew Lot and the wicked people of Sodom also appears here, with the scholars once again arguing--this time over what the exact crimes were for which the Sodomites were destroyed.

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Muslim Heritage and The 21st Century : by Muhammad Ahsan

Paperback - 100 pages

Muhammad Ahsan : A dedicated research scholar, has extensively published on social and economic issues particularly in relation to the Muslim World. His recent work focuses on globalisation and the Muslim world.

The contribution of the Muslim World to a wide range of sciences and academic disciplines is often overlooked or taken for granted. This book provides a glimpse of the rich cultural heritage within the Muslim World and the significant role that Muslims have played in the advancement of knowledge.

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What Islam did for us by Tim Wallace Murphy

Understanding Islam's Contribution to Western Civilisation
Paperback - 260 pages

In these troubled and extremist times, when the religion and culture of Islam are under seemingly perpetual attack, it is salutary to consider how much we, living in the Christian West, have in common with, and how much we owe to, the spiritual insights of that great culture. Religious tolerance, respect for learning, the concepts of chivalry and brotherhood - these principles were brought by the Islamic Moors when, in medieval Spain, they acted as "Beacons of Light" in the Dark Ages of European religious arrogance, intolerance and persecution. The Moors gave Europe an architectural and artistic heritage that is still a source of wonder to the modern world. It was in translation from Arabic, not the original Greek, that knowledge of Greek philosophy became prominent in Christian thought. Western mathematics are based on Arabic numerals and calculations, and the first effective medical school in Europe was founded by Jewish doctors who had been trained in Moorish Spain and North Africa. Tim Wallace-Murphy shows how over the last century it was European Western powers who laid the foundations for the chaos that reigns in the Middle East. We need to find a just and equitable solution to these problems and we should begin by acknowledging our common spiritual heritage and the profound debt that Western civilization owes to Islamic culture.

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Making History

Paperback - 32 pages

by Ahmad Thomson

This brief booklet considers the two main perspectives from which history may be viewed. If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, so is history. The author urges us to bear in mind when reading any historical account, who wrote it, from what perspective and for what purpose. This is a must-read for history enthusiasts.

Our Price £1.50

Sunshine at Madinah by Zakaria Bashier

Paperback - 232 pages

Description from the publisher: Sunshine At Madinah is a sequel to the Meccan Crucible and the Hijra. It studies the life of the Noble Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah upon him in Madinah from a new perspective, highlighting the nature and characteristics of the society and the state he was able to establish.

The book contains vivid description of the inspiring and moving events that took place in Madinah during the last ten years of the Prophet's Peace and blessings of Allah upon him mission. Topics like the Prophet's family, and the socio-economic dimensions of the Islamic state in Madinah have also been dealt with in some detail.

The introductory chapter emphasises a new methodology and a unique approach to the study of the Sirah. Based on the authentic and original sources the book not only records and analyses the events in the life of the Beloved Prophet Peace and blessings of Allah upon him and the Muslim community in Madinah, but presents them in a style that makes them a model for the Muslim Ummah to follow.

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The Men of Madina : Volume I

Paperback - 360 pages

by Muhammad ibn Sa’d | Translated by Aisha Bewley

This is a translation of volume seven of Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir. The Tabaqat is a great store of information which gives the reader a vivid taste and feel for the character of the people of Madina and their extraordinary personalities.

This translation deals with the Companions, Tabi’un and subsequent generations of the people of knowledge in Basra, Baghdad, Khurasan, Syria and Egypt. It is of particular interest since it demonstrates the attitude and action of the Companions and the Tabi’un when confronted by the dangers of civil war. It is extremely important in the modern age as we can learn a great deal from how the early Muslims dealt with this trial.

Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Sa'd 'alayhir rahman is one of the greatest authorities on Muslim biography. His collection, the Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir, is one of the most important inand earliest surviving biographical collections of narrations. Ibn Sa'd was born in 148H / 764CE in Basra, and died in 230 / 845. He moved to Baghdad where he studied under various people, especially Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Waqidi. He also visited Kufa and Madina in the course of his quest for knowledge. Many authorities have testified to his reliability.

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The Men of Madina : Volume II

Paperback - 440 pages

by Muhammad ibn Sa’d | Translated by Aisha Bewley

This is a translation of volume five of Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir. This concentrates on the Tabi’un – the generation after the Companions Radi Allahu ta'ala anhum – who lived in Madina itself.

The study of Madina in this early period assumes great importance as it is well known that the first three generations after the Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam are considered to be the best generations, and the school of the people of Madina was known to be the soundest of schools. This is because the people of Madina confined themselves to following in the footsteps of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam more than the people of any other region did.

Abu 'Abdullah Muhammad Ibn Sa'd 'alayhir rahman is one of the greatest authorities on Muslim biography. His collection, the Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir, is one of the most important inand earliest surviving biographical collections of narrations. Ibn Sa'd was born in 148H / 764CE in Basra, and died in 230H / 845CE. He moved to Baghdad where he studied under various people, especially Muhammad ibn 'Umar al-Waqidi. He also visited Kufa and Madina in the course of his quest for knowledge. Many authorities have testified to his reliability.

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The Women of Madina

Paperback - 330 pages

by Muhammad ibn Sa’d | Translated by Aisha Bewley

This is an abridged translation of volume eight of Ibn Sa’d’s Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir. This deals exclusively with the women who met the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam or transmitted from him. The Tabaqat is a great storehouse of information which gives the reader a vivid taste and feel for what the people of Madina must have been like and how extraordinary they were. It makes the Companions of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam come alive for the reader.

A Chronology of Islamic History :570 - 1000 CE

Paperback - 313 pages

Professor H. U. Rahman

A unique and concise reference source of the principal events which occurred between the birth of the Beloved Messenger of Allah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa Sallam in 570 CE and the year 1000 CE.

This indispensable work includes maps of the Byzantine and Persian empires in 600 CE, the spread of Islam from 622 to 750 CE, the extent of the Muslim World in 1000 CE and genealogical tables of the Umayyads (661 – 750 CE) and the Abassids (750 – 1285 CE).

This revised edition is an invaluable text for students and teachers of Islamic Studies as well as a unique reference source for the general reader interested in Islamic history.

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A Madinan View- on the Sunnah, Courtesy, Wisdom, Battles & History

Paperback - 206 pages

A Madinan View on the Sunnah, Courtesy, Wisdom and Battles

by Imam Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani [d.386H]
Translated by Abdassamad Clarke

Taken from the Kitab al-Jami’ by Imam al-Qayrawani, this book provides valuable insights into the life and practices of the early Muslim community who followed closely the example of the Prophet Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam and his noble companions Radi Allahu ta'ala anhum. It reveals the noble qualities of character as exemplified by the men and women of Madinah, who held on to these qualities regardless of their circumstances.

Knowledge of the tradition which stems from the “best community brought out to mankind” puts us in a position to recreate such a community.

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Islam : A Short History by Karen Armstrong

Paperback - 192 pages

World renowned for her scholarly contributions to Levantine religious studies, Karen Armstrong (author of 'A History of God', 'Muhammad', and, more recently, 'The Battle for God',) offers this concise and informative look into the religion perhaps most misunderstood and feared by the West.

Maintaining that Islam is more practical than dogmatic and contemplative, Armstrong neatly explains how history, politics, and religion have influenced each other through time, and places special emphasis on the role that history has played in this religion.

Distinguishing the religion from its recently developed fundamentalist offshoots, Armstrong debunks the myths of female oppression, terrorism, and authoritarian rule that non-Muslims mistakenly associate with Islam itself. Armstrong's succinct, fluid prose allows over 1300 years of Islamic history to fit gracefully into less than 200 pages, making it an ideal primer for people not yet familiar with Islamic religion and history. An introductory chronology and additional maps placed throughout the text help provide context for the important historical events that Armstrong describes. A list of key figures, a glossary, and suggestions for further reading are also provided. Malia, Powells.com

This book is specifically aimed at non-Muslims.

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Islamic History Published by Sunni Jamiatul Ulama, South Africa

Paperback - 133 pages Compiled by M.A. Ismail

Second Edition - 2006
Edited by :
Dr. Mawlana Abbas Khan, al-Qadiri, al-Chishti, al-Ashrafi (Marhum),
Mawlana M.Yusuf al-Chishti,
Mawlana A. Sattar (Marhum),
Mawlana Liaqat Ali, al-Qadiri, al-Chishti,
Dr. Ebrahim Khan

Chapter 1: Allah's Noor,
Chapter 2: Hadrat Ibrahim 'alayhis salam,
Chapter 3: Arab Life before the Birth of Islam,
Chapter 4: The Story of Abraha (Year of the Elephant),
Chapter 5: The Prophet's Peace be upon him Early Life,
Chapter 6: The Prophet Peace be upon him as a young man,
Chapter 7: The Prophet's Peace be upon him Marriage to Khadija,
Chapter 8: The Prophet's Peace be upon him Divine Mission,
Chapter 9: Preaching Islam in Public,
Chapter 10: The Makkans,
Chapter 11: The Makkans First plan,
Chapter 12: The Makkans Second Plan,
Chapter 13: The Makkan Conversions,
Chapter 14: The Makkans Third plan,
Chapter 15: The Prophets Peace be upon him Year of Sorrow,
Chapter 16: The Miraj - The Prophet's Peace be upon him Night Journey,
Chapter 17: Islam spreads to Yathrib (Madinah Munnawarra),
Chapter 18: The Prophets Peace be upon him Hijrat to Madinah,
Chapter 19: The Prophets Peace be upon him Planning for Peace in Madinah,
Chapter 20: The Makkans preparations for War,
Chapter 21: The Battle of Badr,
Chapter 22: The Battle of Uhud,
Chapter 23: Treaty & Wars with the Jews,
Chapter 24: The Battle of the Trench,
Chapter 25: The Banu Quraiza,
Chapter 26: The Treaty of Hudaibiya,
Chapter 27: Khaybar - The Jews stronghold,
Chapter 28: The Battle of Mutah,
Chapter 29: Victory of the Makkans,
Chapter 30: Battles of Hunain and Taif,
Chapter 31: Expedition to Tabuk,
Chapter 32: Farewell Pilgrimage,
Chapter 33: Prophet's Peace be upon him Illness and demise,
Chapter 34: Hadrat Abu Bakr Allah be pleased with him,
Chapter 35: Hadrat Umar al-Faruq Allah be pleased with him,
Chapter 36: Hadrat Uthman al-Ghani Allah be pleased with him,
Chapter 37: Hadrat Mawla Ali Allah be pleased with him,
Chapter 38: Hadrat Muawiya Allah be pleased with him,
Chapter 39: Yazid,
Chapter 40: The Martyrdom of Hadrat Imam Hussain Allah be pleased with him,
Chapter 41: Ummatuhal al-Momineen - The Mothers of the Faithful,
Chapter 42: The Personality of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad Peace & Blessings upon him.

Contains many historical photographs, shrines, as well as sacred relics. Quiz questions also set out at the end of specific sections to test your knowledge.

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Discovering the Ottomans by Ilber Ortayli

Paperback - pages

A great historical book by Ilber Ortayli on the Ottoman Empire.

What was the significance of the Ottoman Empire? What kind of lives did people live? What lessons can be learnt from the civilisation that the Ottomans created? What does the Ottoman Empire mean to us today?

One of Turkey's leading historians, Ilber Ortayli, answers all these questions in Discovering the Ottomans, a brilliant set of learned and engaging reflections on the everyday life, legacy and enduring relevance of the Ottomans.

Ilber Ortayli, born in Vienna in 1947, is a leading expert in the Ottomans, who is known for making history accessible to a wider audience. He is Director of the Topkapi Palace Museum in Istanbul, Professor of History at Galatasaray University in Istanbul and Bilkent University in Ankara. He is author of many works on the Ottomans including The German Influence on the Ottoman Empire, The Longest Century of the Empire, From Tradition to the Future, Studies on the Ottoman Transformation and Local Administration in the Ottoman Empire.

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Tell me About - ISLAMIC HISTORY

Large Paperback - 48 pages by Luqman Nagy

Pages from Islamic History

Description from the publisher: In Islamic History you will learn many interesting details about ten important events in the history of Islam. When and where were the first Islamic coins produced? Who was Al-Idrisi? We all know that Christopher Columbus sailed west from Europe in 1492 CE, but why is this date so important in Islamic history?

This book will answer these questions and many others. You will learn why Islamic history matters and why all Muslims should actively read and treasure their rich history.

The Outstanding Features of the book include: - Succinctly written material from the pages of history - Introduction to important landmarks in Islamic History - Prophet’s letter to King Heraclius - Many unique illustrations showing first Islamic coins, a beautiful silver dirham of the 12th century, etc.

Contains many images & suitable for adults and children alike.

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SALADIN - Hero of Islam

Paperback - 220 pages

Saladin - Hero of Islam, by Geoffrey Hindley

Saladin is best known in the west for his conquest of Jerusalem and his clash with Richard the Lionheart, but his life and career was much more complex than that. Saladin was something of an outsider - a Kurd operating within the largely Turkish leadership of Syria, but he became the most powerful figure in the Islamic world and the ruler of a sizable empire held together almost entirely by his own abilities.

Hindley's biography begins with Saladin's moment of glory, the fall or liberation of Jerusalem in 1187, before moving back to look at the world that Saladin was born into, the rise of his family and his own early career. He then moves on to examine Saladin's rise to power, first as Vizir of Egypt and then as a major ruler in his own right. This was the section of the book that I found most valuable, presenting us with an inside view of a world that is so often seen from the other side, simply as the enemy of the crusaders.

The climactic clash between Saladin and the Crusaders is dealt with in some detail. The campaign that saw Saladin win his most famous victory, at Hattin, effectively destroying the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and the campaign against Richard the Lionheart, are both dealt with in some detail, but so are the campaigns that filled the years between the fall of Jerusalem and the arrival of Richard.

This is a valuable biography of one of the most attractive figures in Medieval history, a rare example of a leader who was respected on both sides of the religious divide in the Holy Land, and one whose reputation has deservedly survived intact across the intervening centuries.

Chapters

1 - Jerusalem

2 - Across the Battle Lines

3 - The Quadrilateral of Power

4 - Nur-ad-Din and the Propaganda of the Jihad

5 - The Family of Aiyub

6 - Vizir of Egypt

7 - The Critical Years

8 - Triumph in the North

9 - Dynast and Hero

10 - Oh! Sweet Victory

11 - The Threat from the North

12 - Acre, the City for which the World Contended

13 - Saracens and Crusaders

14 - The Death of a Hero

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The Muqaddimah: An Introduction to History [Abridged Version]

Paperback - 504 pages by Ibn Khaldun

Translated and introduced by: Franz Rosenthal
Edited and abridged by: N.J. Dawood
With a new introduction by: Bruce B. Lawrence

The Muqaddimah, often translated as "Introduction" or "Prolegomenon," is the most important Islamic history of the premodern world. Written by the great fourteenth-century Arab scholar Ibn Khaldûn (d. 1406), this monumental work laid down the foundations of several fields of knowledge, including philosophy of history, sociology, ethnography, and economics. The first complete English translation, by the eminent Islamicist and interpreter of Arabic literature Franz Rosenthal, was published in three volumes in 1958 as part of the Bollingen Series and received immediate acclaim in America and abroad. A one-volume abridged version of Rosenthal's masterful translation was first published in 1969.

This new edition of the abridged version, with the addition of a key section of Rosenthal's own introduction to the three-volume edition, and with a new introduction by Bruce B. Lawrence, will reintroduce this seminal work to twenty-first-century students and scholars of Islam and of medieval and ancient history.

Reviews:
From review of Princeton's original edition: "Undoubtedly the greatest work of its kind that has ever been created by any mind in any time or place . . . the most comprehensive and illuminating analysis of how human affairs work that has been made anywhere." ---Arnold J. Toynbee, Observer

From review of Princeton's original edition: "[N.J. Dawood] has, by skillful abridgement and deft but unobtrusive editing, produced an attractive and manageable volume, which should make the essential ideas of Ibn Khaldûn accessible to a wide circle of readers." ---Times Literary Supplement

Our Price £22.95 INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Ibn Sa'ds; Kitab al-Tabaqaat al-Kabir [2 Volumes]

Hardback (Total - 1138 pages) 2 Volumes by Muhammad Ibn al-Sa'd

Translated into English by Moin-ul-Haq.

Muhammad Ibn Sa'd, May Allah be pleased with him, is the compiler of one of the most earliest biographical dictionaries. The most popular of his works is the huge collection of biographies of noteworthy men and women from the time of the Beloved Prophet Muhammad May Allah bless him and grant him peace to his time known as Kitaab at Tabaqaat al Kabeer (The Great Book of Generations).

The Kitab al-Tabaqat al-Kabir is one of the most important and earliest surviving biographical collections of narrations, and has been used by Islamic scholars as a reference to present day. The work contains over several thousand [sirat] biographies of noteworthy Muslims, of which several hundred are of women.

[Interior page ...]

Muhammad ibn Sa'd ibn Mani' al-Baghdadi Radi Allahu ta'ala anhu, or Ibn Sa'd (Arabic: ابن سعد‎), often called Katib ul-Waqidi, the scribe of Waqidi. Ibn Sa'd was born in the year 168AH / 784CE) and died in 230AH / 845CE. He was a Sunni Muslim scholar of Islam and an Arabian biographer, received his training in the tradition from al-Waqidi and other celebrated teachers. He lived for the most part in Baghdad, and had the reputation of being both trustworthy and accurate in his writings, which, in consequence, were much used by later writers.

[Sub-Continent Print] ( 2 Volumes )
Our Price £39.95 INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Osmans Dream : The Story of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1923

Paperback - 704 pages by Caroline Finkel

From Publishers Weekly: What Finkel calls the "old" narrative of the Ottoman Empire is simple to relate: "it rose, declined, and fell." An exotic parade of salacious sultans, grand viziers and duplicitous eunuchs inhabit the sultry harems and domed palaces of Istanbul—at least in our imaginations. Finkel, a long-time resident of Turkey and Ottoman scholar, relates a "new" narrative of empire that properly accounts for the richness and complexity of the Ottoman state over nearly seven centuries. By presiding over their multiethnic empire for so long, and ushering it from medievalism to modernity, the Ottomans should be ranked alongside the Hapsburgs and the Romanovs, she argues. That they are overlooked is the fault of Western historians who have peered at their subjects through the lens of their own prejudices. Finkel's striking innovation is to turn a mirror on the Ottomans and examine how they saw themselves and their empire. While this approach yields a refreshingly original perspective, Finkel's quest to improve Westerners' understanding occasionally leads her into some questionable stretches (an implication, for instance, that Westerners think all Muslims are terrorists). Happily, these remain unintrusive and this history makes a riveting and enjoyable read for all audiences. 16 pages of photos; maps.

REVIEW : '' To be blunt, historians have neglected the Ottoman Empire. Stifled by language barriers, problematic sources, and cultural blinders (and no doubt somewhat bewildered by the task of narrating an empire that lasted from 1299 to 1922 and extended from Sarajevo to San'a), American and European academics have been content to chew on small pieces of Ottoman history, limiting public conception of the empire to narrow notions of sultans, military maneuvers, and elaborate bathing facilities. With this superb book, Finkel boldly covers new ground in striving to show the Ottoman Empire from within, as the Ottomans themselves saw it--a perspective that, thanks to centuries of politically motivated selective perception, even modern Turks have had great difficulty ascertaining. Having spent 15 years living in Turkey, Finkel is uniquely positioned to overcome the practical hurdles to Ottoman research, but her real strength is in historiography: she has a keen ability to extract salient observations from her sources even as she renders their political motives transparent. The result is a panorama of the Ottoman Empire to rival the best portraits of the Romanovs and Habsburgs, and a must-have for history collections.'' ---Brendan Driscoll, Booklist

Our Price £14.95 INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

The Mystery of Israel in Ancient History

Paperback - 228 pages by Louay Fatoohi and Shetha Al-Dargazelli

The Exodus in the Qur’an, the Old Testament, Archaeological Finds, and Historical Sources.

Few events in history have fascinated the layperson and the scholar as much as the exodus of the Israelites from ancient Egypt. This phenomenal interest has led to extensive research into scriptural, historical, and archaeological sources. The Qur’an, however, has been completely ignored by Western researchers because of the faith put in the Biblical narrative and the prejudiced view that the Qur’an’s account is based on Jewish sources, including the Bible.

This book examines in detail the Biblical narrative of the exodus, showing that it contains a substantial amount of inaccurate and false information. It also shows that the similarities between the Qur’anic exodus and its Biblical counterpart are very limited and the differences between the two scriptures are much greater in number and detail. Particularly significant is the fact that the Qur’an is free of the erroneous and inaccurate Biblical statements that have contributed to the rejection of the historicity of the exodus by many scholars. The book demonstrates that the Qur’anic account is consistent with what we know today from archaeological finds and historical sources. This pioneering study is an attempt to create what might be called “Qur’anic archaeology.”

***A comprehensive scriptural and historical analysis of the exodus of Israel from ancient Egypt: The Israelites in ancient Egypt

---The Qur’anic and Biblical accounts of the exodus

---Historical problems in the Biblical narrative

---The exodus in archaeological finds

---The exodus in historical sources

---Identifying the Pharaoh of the exodus

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The Origins of the Islamic State - (Kitab Futuh Al-buldan)

Paperback - 536 pages

by: Imam Ahmad ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri

Translated into English by : Dr. Philip Khurri Hitti

The Origins of the Islamic State, being a translation from the Arabic, accompanied with annotations, geographic and historic notes of the Kitab futuh al-buldan of al-Imam abu-l Abbas Ahmad ibn-Jabir al-Baladhuri [d.245 AH]

FOREWORD - Interest in the Nearer East has increased our desire to know as accurately as is possible the beginnings of the faith and of the various states that have played so important a part in its history. The Arabs themselves have had, from the earliest times, a keen sense for historical tradition and an equally keen desire to preserve that tradition in writing.

There is, perhaps, no people of earlier times that has left us so large an amount of documentary evidence as to its beginnings as they have. The evidence, of course, needs sifting and sorting according to the canons of criticism we have learned to employ in all such cases. But, this work cannot be done by Oriental scholars alone, whose time is often taken up largely with the philological and literary examination of the texts that have come down to us. It is, therefore, eminently a part of their duty to render these texts accessible to students of history who are not masters of the Arabic language. Dr. Hitti has undertaken this task in connection with the record of one of the earliest Arab historians whose work has been preserved. Since its publication in 1866 by Professor de Goeje, al-Baladhuri's " Futuh al-Buldan " has been recognized as one of our chief authorities for the period during which the Arab state was in process of formation. This task of translating has not been a simple one : proof is that the attempt has not been made before this.

The style of al-Baladhuri is often cryptic and unintelligible. This is perhaps due to the fact that the work, as it has reached us, is a shortened edition of a much larger one which, though existent up to the seventeenth century, has not been found in any of the collections of manuscripts to which we have access. In its present form, the work mentions often men and matters that probably were treated of in the longer recension, but of which now we know nothing. Dr. Hitti's translation is, therefore, in a certain sense also, a commentary & an exposition. As such, I trust that it will be found useful to Orientalists as well as to students of history. His fine sense for the niceties of Arabic expression has often enabled him to get through a thicket that is impenetrable to Westerners.---
---Richard Gottheil. Columbia University, January, 1916

Imam Ahmad Ibn Yahya, Ibn Jabir al-Baladhuri, May Allah be pleased with him, (أحمد بن يحيى بن جابر البلاذري) was a 9th century Persian historian. One of the eminent middle-eastern historians of his age , he spent most of his life in Baghdad and enjoyed great influence at the court of the caliph al-Mutawakkil. He traveled in Syria and Iraq, compiling information for his major works. He is regarded as a reliable source for the history of the early Arabs and the history of Muslim expansion.

Our Price £44.95 INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Commander of the Faithful

Hardback - 384 pages

Commander of the Faithful

The Life and Times of Emir Abd'al-Qadir

Commander of the Faithful, The life and times of Emir Abd el-Kader is both a biography of its main character and a history of the resistance he led to the French colonization of Algeria in the mid 1800s. When Abd el-Kader died in 1883, The New York Times hailed him as ‘one of the few great men of the century’. The warrior/saint had won the heart of the French nation, his sworn enemy and the invader of his Algerian homeland. He reached the summit of his fame after he saved the lives of thousands of Christians during a Turkish campaign in Damascus. Elkader, a town in Iowa, is named after the emir.

Perhaps most importantly this book may be seen to throw light upon the concept of Jihad by showing it in action in traditional Islamic thought and practice.

The Author : John Kiser is the author of the award-winning (French Siloe Prize) The Monks of Tibhirine: Faith, Love and Terror in Algeria (2003); Communist Entrepreneurs, Unknown Innovators in the Global Economy; and Stefan Zweig: Death of a Modern Man.

Classification: History/Biography | Size: 234 x 156 mm | Pages: 384 | Hardback Binding

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The Myth of Muslim Barbarism ... and its Aims

Paperback - 372 pages by S.E. Al-Djazairi

The cultural, scientific and economic acheivements of Islamic civilisation over the last 1400 years could be a great inspiration to humanity today. Unfortunately, for centuries, the impact of Islamic civilisation has been obscured and its appeal has been countered by the creation and repetition of the myth of the Barbaric Muslim.

From the Pope’s imaginative justifications for the first crusade in 1095 down to the untouchable death squad roaming US occupied Iraq in 2007, the myth has been told and retold and it has convinced many of the great threat of Muslim fundamentalism, terrorism, extremism, fanaticism, irrationality, etc.

As the threat gets magnified, ever more violent measures become justified as necessary to eliminate it – up to and including genocide itself. Wars and sanctions that have killed millions of Muslims have been justified with many pretexts that turned out to be untrue, but the main false pretext is the myth of Muslim barbarism.

In this Book, S E Al-Djazairi complements his substantial works on Islamic Civilisation by detailing the nature of this myth, how it was built through the ages and what forms it takes today. He demonstrates the fallacies at the heart of each of its aspects including the charges of intolerance, oppression of women, slave trading, cruelty to captives, Muslim inferiority etc. after refuting these claims he shows the real aims of those who propagate and benefit from them.

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Islamic and Western Concepts of Civilization

Small Paperback - 104 pages

by Dr M.A.J Beg

The word civilisation is widely known, yet it is not fully understood by most people. The elite in society claim to understand civilisation but they too can hardly explain it.

4th Edition 2006 Cambridge

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Essays On The Origins Of Islamic Civilization

Paperback - 312 pages

by Dr M.A.J Beg

Anyone attempting to study the origins of Islamic Civilisation must first ask How Islam originated. Orientalists contend that it owed its origin to Judaism and Christianity. This theory is critically analysed.

Attention is also focussed on the origins of the Islamic State with special reference to the constitution of Madinah. The rights of women and their role in society are discussed under the new dispensation of Islam.

Dr M.A.J. Beg ; Born in Gachahar, Dinajpur, in British India in 1944 and brought up and educated in East Pakistan, Dr Muhammad Beg obtained his Bachelors and Masters degrees in Islamic history from Rajshahi University before he proceeded to Christ’s College, Cambridge University, where he obtained a doctorate in Middle Eastern history in 1971. With the assistance of the late Dr Martin Lings (Abu Bakr Siraj al-Din), the famed author of The Life of Muhammad, he was able to obtain temporary work at the British Museum in London and in 1972 he became a British citizen. Then he moved to Malaysia where he taught Islamic history at the National University of Malaysia for more than a decade. Thereafter, he moved to the University of Brunei Darussalam as an Associate Professor of Islamic history and civilization, and lectured there for four years.

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Wisdom of Islamic Civilization

Paperback -132 pages by Dr M.A.J Beg

A Miscellany of Islamic Quotations

(Translated from the classical Arabic Literature, edited and complied with an Introduction)

Description : This book is a compilation of Islamic quotations from the Prophet of Islam, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, the Sahabah (the Noble Companions) as well as from Muslim scholars and writers up to Ibn Khaldun. This book is intended for general readers and students alike.

Review: ''This book of Islamic quotations reveals traditional views on intellect, aesthetics, morality, politics and economics'' --- The Middle East Journal

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The Image of Islamic Civilization

Paperback - 144 pages by Dr M.A.J Beg

This book is based on the thesis that every civilization is a distinct one. Islamic civilization revolves around the concept of the Unity of God. Hence its art represents the abstract concept of unity and rejects representational art; instead it emphasizes the beauty of abstract forms, such as calligraphy, geometrical patterns and vegetal ornaments. Islamic polity attributes the concept of sovereignty to God and assigns mankind the role of God's representative (Khalifah) on earth. In economics, Islam rejects usury (riba) as principles designed to exploit the poor. In the domain of intellect there is no contradiction between Islam and science. Moreover, Islam elevates the pursuit of science and knowledge of all kinds as an act of divine worship (ibadah). This explains why in its heyday, Islamic civilization, championed the cause of science and religious education, law and literature as worthy endeavours. It even cultivated new and challenging branches of foreign language, such as philosophy, physics, chemistry, mathematics, trigonometry, algebra, botan and medicine and made significant contributions to these branches of human sciences.

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True Stories of Islam [1] Compiled by Mawlana Muhammad Bashir

Paperback - 158 pages

Compiled by: 'Sultan ul Wa'izeen' - Mawlana Abul Noor Mohammad Bashir

Translated into English by: Ibrahim Aziz and Shahid Hussain

Synopsis: A compilation of stories from the Qur'an, Hadith and other authentic [historical and classical] sources about the necessity of Allah's existence, about the Beloved Prophet, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, the other noble Prophets of Allah, Peace be upon them, and about the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs of Islam, May Allah have mercy upon them.

The First part proceeds with the mention of The Lord and Creator; Almighty Allah. These stories illustrate in unequivocal terms the necessity of Allah's existence and the Oneness (tawhid) of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala.

The Second section looks at the exemplary and unique character of the Master of the Worlds, Sayyadina wa Mawlana Muhammad Rasool-Allah, Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa 'aalihi wa saabihi wa Sallam. These stories reflect upon the special attributes of the Final Prophet. They highlight the belief (aqeeda) of the 'Ahl al-Sunnah w'al Jama'ah' - (The majority group of People who follow the Sunnah) among others that the Beloved Prophet, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, was created out of the Divine Light (Noor) and that he was the first and best of Creation.

The Third part of this volume looks at the life and times of the other Prophets of Allah the Almighty, alayhis salaam ajma'een. These stories illustrate clearly how the Noble Prophets were sent for guidance to mankind and how they were given special miracles and qualities no-one else in their respective Ummah's had.

The Final section looks at the life and times of the Khulafaa-e-Rashideen, Radi Allahu ta'ala anhum. These stories reflect upon the noble and exemplary characters of Sayyadina Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq, Sayyadina Umar Farooq, Sayyadina Uthman ibn Affan, Sayyadina Ali-e-Murtaza, Radi Allahu ta'ala anhum ajmaeen.

This book is divided into Four sections of true stories and incidents.

At the end of each story, a reference is given, as well as a short summary or moral to reflect upon, and to highlight the main point again.

What these stories show is that the aqeeda (belief) of the Ahl as-Sunnah w'al Jama'ah today is the same as it was over 1400 years ago.

***** Recommended for every home *****

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