The Presence of Islam in Andalus: New,
*[A5+] Hardback - 464 pages,
by Ahmad Thomson and
by Muhammad 'Ata 'ur-Rahim,
Published by Taha.
Now in Stock June 2023
Description :
What took place in the Iberian peninsula between 711 and 1609 is fascinating. It witnessed great illumination and tremendous darkness. It was characterised by immense wisdom and profound ignorance. One of the meanings of ‘Andalus’ in Arabic is ‘to become so smooth and shiny with age that it slips through your fingers’ – and this is the story of what has happened there, not once, but many times.
The Presence of Islam in Andalus explores the history, not only of that extraordinary period, but also of how the teachings of Christianity developed in Europe. It is only within this context that the reader can fully understand how it was that the inhabitants of the Iberian peninsula embraced Islam so readily and rapidly in the eighth century CE – and how it was that the Jews and the Muslims of Spain and Portugal in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries CE were either exterminated by the Spanish Inquisition or forced to flee for their lives.
About the Author's :
Ahmad Thomson was born in Chipata, Zambia, and was educated principally in Zimbabwe and in England, obtaining a Bachelor of Law Degree with Honours at the University of Exeter, and a Diploma in Law at the City University of London. He was called to the Bar by the Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, in 1979. As well as being the author or co-author of several books, and practising as a barrister, the author has also worked as a bus conductor, accountant, potter, publisher, oriental carpet warehouseman, delivery van driver, hospital porter and editor.
The author embraced Islam on the 13th August 1973, at the hand of the Raja of Mahmudabad, alayhi rahma, and has travelled widely in the Muslim world in search of knowledge, including England, Spain, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Sudan, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, Iran, Pakistan, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore. Since knowledge is infinite, the search continues, and if you want what Allah wants, then there is no confusion, as what Allah wants, happens.
Muhammad Ata’ur-Rahim lived much of his life in Hyderabad, India, before moving to Pakistan at the time of the Partition in 1947. He was awarded the degrees of BT, LLB and MA at the Muslim University of Aligarh, before completing his further studies in education at the Universities of Edinburgh and London, where he was awarded his MRST. He was the Government of India Scholar in the Archaeology, Art and Religion of Ancient India. After being promoted to the rank of Colonel during the Second World War, in which he served with distinction, Muhammad Ata’ur-Rahim became the Principal of the Urdu College in Karachi, Pakistan. His other books include Unitarianism in Christianity and The Meeting Ground of Islam and Christianity. He died in 1978, ‘alayhi rahma, and is buried in the Muslim section of Brookwood Cemetery, near Woking, Surrey.
More History books,
Also see Inter-faith,
Also see Dawah.
Also see books on Sira.
*Dimensions : 21.5 x 15.5cm (approx).
