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.
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 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
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