New Releases

Women and Gender in the Qur’an

Celene Ibrahim 2020. Pp. 206. HB. $29.95 Oxford University Press, N.Y.

Ibrahim argues that 300 verses directly involve women or girls who are depicted in complex and previously unknown ways.

Divided into four main chapters and accompanied by a long introduction and copious endnotes, this book thoroughly examines sex, gender, girls and womanhood in the Quran. Ibrahim makes keen observations of the Quranic intertextuality of female figures and other prophets, often showing parallel prayers, plights and situations faced by members of both genders.

One of this book’s unique literary aspects is its identification of many affective readings of women cast in God’s speech. The numerous appendices clearly identify female Quranic figures and share biological information about them and their families, along with these women’s direct speech. Ibrahim writes for both a secular and religious audience. (Reviewer: Nora Zaki, Vassar College)

Original Turkish and TurkoFarsi States and Traditions: A Brief Outline of a 1200+ Year Journey

Basith Osmani 2020. Pp. 442. PB. $24.50. Kindle. $24.50 Independently Published

All Abrahamic people, argues Osmani, particularly the 21st-century descendants of Turkish and TurkoFarsi Muslims, will remain perplexed until they reflect upon the dramatic changes of the last 150 years of world destiny. Muslims became increasingly dissociated from Islam over time and gradually deviated from their faith, whereas Europeans completely abandoned Christianity and followed the Trinitarianism imposed by the Holy Roman Empire and then separated church and state.

This, he says, paved the way for the trade-dependent Europeans, with their burgeoning knowledge, understanding and global experience, to start leading humanity albeit at the price of, retrospectively, distorting and disparaging of Turkish and TurkoFarsi contributions. Concurrently, Muslims continued to degenerate and deviate into the catastrophic pattern of killing each other, as well as innocent people, including in the Euro-American lands that shelter and educate them.

The biggest calamity was depriving the Abrahamic peoples of Islam’s message as conveyed by God’s last Prophet (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam). This divine message is the definite confirmation and restoration of the identical message conveyed by all of the Abrahamic prophets, upon whose principles the governing and administrative charters of TurkoFarsi states, societies and people were based for more than 1,200 years.

Far Beyond My Comprehension

Mohammed Siraj Uddin 2019. Pp. 400. PB. $15.00 CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Pretending not to see or hear and trying to run away is futile, because the One who sees, hears and knows the truth is always there, argues Siraj Uddin. Addressing the issue of spirituality derived from the Quran, he argues, has the spiritual vision, hearing and feeling: it sees and hears far beyond the ordinary wavelengths of seeing and hearing, and feels deeper into the core.

It works with the heart, mind and the free will, and is the driving force behind success or failure: one who controls it succeeds, and one who lets it control the heart and mind loses. What is it? The soul, the mind, the heart? What is metaphysics, and how does it relate to every moment of life?

Physical existence requires metaphysics to be complete. Are there forces and energies beyond the known, speeds beyond that of light? If so, what are they? This book attempts to answer some of those questions.

A Blessed Olive Tree: A Spiritual Journey in Twenty Short Stories

Zain Hashmi 2020 (Kindle). Pp. 140. PB. $7.55 CreateSpace Independent Publishing

Hashmi presents topics linked with spiritualism and Islamic teachings in an understandable manner. The stories, which contain easily understandable layers of meaning, allow both adults and children the pleasure of reading them and extracting an array of wisdom from each theme presented.

The illustrations capture each story’s essence and can be a point of interest for visual and young readers. Almost all of the chapters have footnotes, which help readers understand the hidden meanings behind certain parts of each story; the footnotes quote elements ranging from Quranic verses to poetry and even song lyrics, all of which offer spiritual knowledge. (Reviewer: Sadaf Hashmi)

Calling the Christians: How Understanding Christianity Brings us to Islam

Adam Hafiz 2020. Pp. 123. PB. $6.77 Amazon Self-Publishing

Adam Hafiz, a convert from Christianity, adopts a logical and unbiased approach by using deductive reasoning to systematically address the core Christian concerns. He explains what goes on in the heart of a person who loves God and is looking for the right path. His understanding of both Christianity and Islam is commendable. This book can help born Muslims understand Christians, thereby helping them devise effective dawa, and also help Christians clarify misconceptions while finding the truth. (Reviewer: Sadaf Hashmi)

In My Mosque

M. O. Yuksel (Illust. Hatem Aly) 2021. Pp. 40. HB. $15.99 HarperCollins, New York, N.Y.

This children’s book, beautifully illustrated by New York Times bestselling illustrator Hatem Aly and written by Mindy Yuksel in lyrical form, comes as memories of the massacres in New Zealand mosques continue to haunt the world and sweetly announces “All are welcome in my mosque.”

“In My Mosque,” truly a book for everyone, warmly welcomes readers into the Muslim house of worship, a place where people are “a rainbow of colors and speak in different accents.”

Yuksel’s words open windows for those unfamiliar with a mosque’s interior. The reader learns both what goes inside as well as the etiquette of entering a mosque, “In my mosque, we line our shoes in rows, like colorful beads, before stepping inside. I wiggle my toes and sink into the silky-soft carpet.”

Simply stated, this book belongs in every home and school. Such books can change the world and raise empathetic human beings who respect everyone. The endnotes that enhance the learning and understanding of phrases add to an already informative book. ih