Curating 2022

Sharing a list of books where each title will have a simple summary or reflection. This is an open invitation to share your thoughts, start a conversation, or make another recommendation based on this list.



A Muslim American Slave: The Life of Omar ibn Said - Edited by Ala Alryyes: The story of Omar ibn Said is eye opening for Muslims and Americans. Kidnapped and brought into slavery around 40 years old in the Carolinas, Omar's owners commissioned him to write an autobiography in Arabic about his life. He begins with the Basmala, salutations on the Prophet SAW and the entirety of Surah Mulk. He died in old age a captive and is buried on the Owens plantation. There are photos of his grave at the American Islamic Heritage Museum. The essays that fill the rest of the book are vital to understanding the context of other Muslim slave communities in the Americas, and what was the most enlightening, Sylviane Diouf's writing on the political and religious environment in Africa that was connected with the transatlantic slave trade.

An Introduction to Hadith Sciences - Furhan Zubairi: Lays down the foundation of what everyone Muslim and non-Muslim should understand about what is transmitted from our Prophet SAW. There is no room for ambiguity after understanding the classification structure, the rigors to authenticate, and the divine facilitation in preserving the Truth.

An Introduction to the Sciences of the Qur'an - Furhan Zubairi: Lays down the correct understanding of how the Qur'an was revealed, how it was compiled, its recitation and how it should be applied. Leaves no room for ambiguity and answers basic questions Muslims and non-Muslims have in understanding the implications of the Divine Writ.

Lessons from Surah Yusuf - Yasir Qadhi: An expounded reading of the 12th Surah, a well known story about the Prophet Yusuf AS across Abrahamic traditions. The trials and triumph of the Prophet Yusuf AS have intricate lessons for the believer- in being steadfast, having unbreakable faith in your Creator, having wisdom and gentleness in dealing with family, peers and your society.

Prayers Upon the Beloved ﷺ - Habib Umar: A concise book of litanies that connect the 99 attributes of Allah SWT in sending salawat upon our beloved Prophet SAW. Instructional in knowing one's Lord through attributes and also knowing His Habib through those qualities.

Sacrifice: The Legacy of Our Beloved Prophet ﷺ - Tameem Ahmadi: A compilation of Hadith that demonstrate the sheer amount of difficulty our Habib SAW went through in fulfilling his responsibility as Prophet and Messenger. Astonishing to learn that his Companions did not know the hardships and hunger he endure in his lifetime until his passing when his household conveyed them. Maulana Tameem has a condensed Youtube lecture series.

The Salutation upon the Best of Creation: Commentary on the Prayer of 'Abd Al-Salam Ibn Mashish - Ahmad Ibn Ajiba Al-Hasani: Ibn Mashish rH is the Knower of Allah that Shaykh Abu Hasan Shadili the eponymous founder of the Shadili tariqa sought out in his spiritual wayfaring. The section describing Ibn Mashish rH is a book within the book. This litany that is authored by him is then given a commentary by Ibn Ajiba. The depths of losing ones ego and self into connecting with the Creator through a connection to our Habib SAW is a very fine threading of the needle. The litany.

Who is the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ? - Habib Umar: A concise but focused didactic text to aid in memorizing the life and mission of our Habib SAW. Instructive to help memorize his noble lineage, his mission, major events in his life and by extension establishment of the deen.





Beyond Possible - Nims Purja: An ambitious ex-Gurka (Nepalese Special Forces Marine for the British Military) raised in the lowlands of Nepal- Nims became obsessed with summiting the 14 highest peaks in the world in record time. Knowing the invisible contributions of the Sherpas that supported virtually every western alpinists' summit attempt he wanted to flip the script and bring attention to eastern mountaineers. The contrasting views of western and eastern alpinists really come out in the book. Nims shares an anecdote of one climber who died despite Nims efforts to bring him down, Nims reflects had other climbers helped they could have saved a life, but the individualistic, petty, competitive culture that pervades mountaineering prevent that. There is a documentary on Netflix about his journey as well.

T: The Story of Testosterone, the Hormone that Dominates and Divides Us - Carole Hooven (Audio Book): Great exploration on the foundation of the basic science of the hormone and its impact on our physical development, which then leads into the more interesting analysis of how society has developed customs and norms that entrench different aspects of masculine or testosterone driven behavior. Was introduced to this via Art of Manliness.

The High Sierra: A Love Story - Kim Stanley Robinson (Audio Book): A tribute to the Sierra Nevada, a pseudo memoir on growing old with the mountain, loaded with insight, wit and cements a love for the range that holds the popular Yosemite Valley, Kings Canyon, Dusy Basin, Mount Whitney to name a few. An essay about the essay from the Atlantic.

The Living Mountain - Nan Shepherd: Nan was an expert outdoors woman. Here is an unforgettable and rapturous ode to the Cairngorms in Scotland. It carries a vivid description of the land, the animals and the people who lived there. For an American reader this has slight echoes of her fellow Scotsman John Muir and his love for the High Sierras who had his adventures a half century before this was written.

The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work: A Practical Guide from the Country's Foremost Relationship Expert - John Gottman (Audio Book): Like the majority of amicable relationships in life- open and gentle communication, assuming the best in the other (bids) and acknowledging boundaries (perpetual) differences were key lessons to draw from this work.

What Shamu Taught Me About Life, Love, and Marriage: Lessons for People from Animals and Their Trainers - Amy Sutherland (Audio Book): Acknowledge good behavior and place less attention on bad behavior. Works for adults, for kids and friends. A "viral" NY Times Article.

I Came as a Shadow - John Thompson (Audio Book): Legendary Georgetown basketball coach, a prominent Black coach that won a NCAA championship, mentored all star players like Patrick Ewing and Allen Iverson, inked a sponsorship deal with Nike in an era where white men dominate and continue to dominate leadership roles in the sport. Thompson is viewed as a mentor for young black men beyond basketball and it is clear how his life experiences and choices he made established him as such. There's an interview of Kevin Garnett by Thompson floating on the internet.

Will - Will Smith (Audio Book): An incredibly fortunate and successful celebrity, Will opens up and reflects on his upbringing and how lessons from his father, mother and grandmother stuck with him through his climb in hiphop, tv and movies. He narrates his own audio book which makes it a more entertaining listen.




1602 - Neil Gaman: Gives flagship Marvel characters like Spider-man, Nick Fury, Dr. Doom a new perspective in this colonial era spin of the Marvel universe. Fun to imagine these characters in an adventure out of place but with familiar attributes and a nice plot hook.

Marvels - John Busiek & Alex Ross: Ross' hyper realistic illustrations in a 1940s Social Realism aesthetic was one of my first encounters with comics in the 1990s. A "could be reality" tale of how a fickle society easily flips heroes to villains and villains to heroes. The canon of Marvel heroes emerge in moments of hardship starting in the World War 2 era and into the 1950s. A parallel no doubt of how many of these characters were created by artists in the same era.

The Last Ronin - Kevin Eastman, Peter Laird & Tom Waltz: Going back to its original roots this story of the Ninja Turtles takes place in the near future, where Shredder's descendants have won, killed off all but one of the Turtles and rule over a dystopian New York City. Great story and a meditation on your legacy, purpose and honoring those who built you. A HiFi fan video clip of the story

Description of the God Conscious

It is related that a devout worshipper by the name of Humam came to Imam ‘Ali, may God ennoble his countenance, and asked him to describe the God conscious people so vividly that he could almost see them. Imam ‘Ali responded: “Their speech is truthful; their clothing is moderate; and they walk with utmost humility. They lower their gaze from everything God has forbidden. They allow their ears to listen only to that which is beneficial. Their souls accept exposure to trials and tribulations [in adherence to the truth] as easily as others accept luxurious living. Were it not for their appointed term, their spirits would not have remained in their bodies the span of a twinkling of the eye due to their intense longing for their Lord. Because the Creator is magnified in their souls, everything else is viewed as insignificant in their sight. Their hearts are sober; people are safe from any wickedness from them; their bodies are slim [they don’t overindulge their appetites]; their basic needs are few; and their souls are chaste. They patiently endure the few days they spend in this world knowing that they will be followed by a long, peaceful rest—this is the profitable life-transaction which their Lord has allowed them to enter into. The world desired them; however, they had no desire for it. It imprisoned them, but they ransomed their souls from it [with their restraint and righteous deeds].

At night, their feet are arranged in ranks as they dutifully recite the Qur’an in slow measured tones. If they come upon a verse that stimulates [in them] longing [for the delightful things which God has promised] they ponder it, craving to attain them. Their souls soar due to the intensity of their longing for those delights. If they come upon a verse that frightens them [with the threat of Allah’s dreadful punishment] they hear it reverberating in the depths of their hearts. They imagine that they hear the dreadful sounds of the Hellfire in the innermost recesses of their ears. You find them kneeling down [before their Lord], begging to be liberated from the Hellfire. As for their days, they are forbearing, clement scholars. They are righteous and pious. Fear [of Allah] pierces their hearts like arrows. One who gazes upon them thinks that they are sick. However, they are far from being sick.

They are not satisfied with a minimal amount of righteous deeds, nor do they consider excessive amounts of worship to be great. They see their faults, and they fear that their deeds will not be accepted. If someone praises one of them, he says, ‘I know myself better than others [know me], and my Lord is more knowledgeable of me than myself. O God! Do not take me to task for what they say, and make me better than what they think of me, and forgive me for those sins which they are unaware of.”

One of the signs [of such a person] is that you observe strength in his religion. His gentleness is accompanied by sobriety. His faith is coupled with certainty. He longs for knowledge. He acts with forbearance. He lives moderately, even when blessed with wealth. He is humble in his worship. He endures poverty with dignified grace. He patiently endures trying circumstances. He seeks his sustenance from the lawful. He hastens to right guidance. He is agitated if he perceives greed in himself. He works righteousness all the while trembling, [fearing that his deeds won’t be accepted]. His greatest concern is gratitude. In the morning preoccupied with the Remembrance of God. He goes to bed at night overwhelmed, apprehensive. He rises in the morning overjoyed. His apprehension arises from the awareness of his heedlessness. His joy is caused by the bounties and mercy [God has opened up for him during the coming day]. If his soul presses him with something he despises, he does not concede [to it] and withholds from it what it desires. The comfort of his eye is that which is permanent [the reward of his righteous deeds]. His abstinence from that which is temporal. He mixes clemency with knowledge, and speech with action. He expects death at any moment. His slips are few [because of his cautiousness and deliberateness in speech and actions]. His heart is content. He is easy-going. He is constantly on guard against assaults upon his religion. His lusts are dead. His anger is suppressed. People anticipate goodness from him. They are safe from any wickedness from him. If he is in the company of the heedless, he is recorded as being mindful [of his Lord].

He overlooks those who oppress him. He gives to those who deny him. He joins relations with those who cut him off. He is far removed from any indecency. His speech is gentle. You find nothing bad in him. He is always a source of good. During calamities, he is composed. In dire straights, he is patient. In times of ease, he is thankful. He does not oppress those he dislikes, nor does he sin for the sake of those he loves. He admits the truth before his witnessing is sought. He preserves all he is entrusted with. He does not hurl abusive names at people. He never harms his neighbor, nor does he find joy in afflictions that befall his enemy. If he is transgressed against, he perseveres until God takes revenge for him. He relies on himself while he himself is a source of relief for others [they can rely on him]. He tires himself for the sake of his salvation, not burdening others in any way. His distance from those he avoids is a form of abstinence, while his drawing near to people is from his gentleness and mercy. Hence, his distance from people does not arise from arrogance and haughtiness, nor is his closeness to them motivated by cunning and treachery.”

Hearing this, Humam dropped dead. Imam ‘Ali, may God be pleased with him said, “This is what I feared would happen to him. Thus is the effect of a penetrating word when it reaches a receptive heart.”

- From Nahj al-Balagha via Imam Zaid Shakir's social media