Book List
About
This is a living document. It will be updated in the near future inshāʾ Allāh, as I have more books to add.
This list assumes that the reader is already familiar with the basics of Islam and the seerah of Rasulullah ﷺ. If you are not familiar with the latter, I recommend getting a copy of Ar-Raheequl Makhtum (The Sealed Nectar) by Safiur-Rahman Al-Mubarakpuri at the Islamic University of Madinah. It can be found at Darussalam (in stores and on their website), and the book itself is in English despite the Arabic title.
Books
Book: Islam and the Secular Mind
Author(s): Shaykh al-Islām Abu A’la Maududi (رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ) | Tarik Jan (translator)
Link: https://islamicblessings.com/upload/Islam%20and%20The%20Secular%20Mind.pdf
Description: This book is a collection of essays written by Maulana Maududi (رَحِمَهُ ٱللَّٰهُ) that pertain to the current state of the Muslim Ummah from an ideological lens. It was translated and edited by Tarik Jan. My three favorite essays from this collection are listed below:
- Our Mental Slavery and its Causes
- The Difference Between Secular and Divine Laws
- This one is a case study comparing the prohibition of alcohol in America and in the Muslim world. It’s quite interesting if you’re interested in governing societies effectively, or if you’re a dry and boring person like myself.
- The Finitude of Rationalism
- This is a must-read for those who wish to properly understand why liberal “Muslims” are self-contradictory. It’s also very good for those who wish to understand the Islamic worldview, though it should by no means be the only thing you read for this purpose.
Book: Modern Technology and the Dehumanization of Man
Author(s): Maryam Jameelah
Link: https://www.muslim-library.com/dl/books/English_MODERN_TECHNOLOGY_AND_THE_DEHUMANIZATION_OF_MAN.pdf
Description: Modern Technology and the Dehumanization of Man is Maryam Jameelah’s refutation to the idea that Muslims societies must adopt every aspect of modern technology “wholesale and uncritically”. The essay contains many criticisms of modern society and provides excellent descriptions of pre-modern Islamic society for the reader to reflect on. It also refutes the notion that Muslim societies will be able to succeed by adopting Western societal concepts. I found her criticism of the mass media to be especially enlightening, and the essay itself is just a pleasure to read.
Book: Islam and Modernism
Author(s): Maryam Jameelah
Link: https://ia804505.us.archive.org/5/items/al-islam-maryam-jameelah/Islam%20and%20Modernism.pdf
Description: Islam and Modernism is a collection of essays written by Maryam Jameelah intended for “European and American scholars and their disciples in Muslim lands”, however the relevance of its message has far exceeded its original audience. I hope that a significant portion of Muslim youth get a chance to read it, as it contains a call to action that is not heeded enough in this day and age. The biggest threat to our Ummah is an intellectual one, not a material or economic one. It is critical that our youth understand this.