Recommended Reading

Recommended Reading

The following list of religious and geopolitical books deals with various aspects and issues related to Islam and Muslims, the other monotheistic faiths (specifically Judaism and Christianity), and the world at large. The books listed are owned and / or reviewed by the webmaster and contributing associates. These readings were selected based on intellectual scholarship and integrity. We encourage visitors to review comments on the suggested reading material (e.g., at Amazon.com and other reputable sites based on areas of interest) before investing in or acquiring any of the following books.

We recognize that reading requires a significant amount of time, which may not be in abundance. Besides Muhammad Asad's "The Message of the Qur'an," the following select books should be required reading for those interested in pushing the intellectual envelope.


Major Themes of the Qur'an - Fazlur Rahman
Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern Age - Khaled Abou El Fadl
Modern Muslim Intellectuals and the Qur'an - Suha Taji-Farouki
Interpreting the Qur'an: Towards a Contemporary Approach - Abdullah Saeed
Voice of an Exile: Reflections on Islam - Nasr Abu Zaid
Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's Legacy - Jonathan Brown

Books Authors
The Message of the Qur'anMuhammad Asad
Reasoning with God: Reclaiming Shari'ah in the Modern AgeKhaled Abou El Fadl
The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the ExtremistsKhaled Abou El Fadl
And God Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic DiscoursesKhaled Abou El Fadl
Major Themes of the Qur'anFazlur Rahman
Revival and Reform in Islam: A Study of Islamic FundamentalismFazlur Rahman, Ebrahim Moosa
IslamFazlur Rahman
Islam and Modernity: Transformation of an Intellectual TraditionFazlur Rahman
Islamic Methodology in HistoryFazlur Rahman
Voice of an Exile: Reflections on IslamNasr Abu Zaid
Modern Muslim Intellectuals and the Qur'anSuha Taji-Farouki
Interpreting the Qur'an: Towards a Contemporary ApproachAbdullah Saeed
Islam and Violence (Elements in Religion and Violence)Khaleel Mohammed
David in the Muslim Tradition: The Bathsheba AffairKhaleel Mohammed
Coming to Terms with the Qur'an: A Volume in Honor of Professor Issa BoullataKhaleel Mohammed and Andrew Rippin
Misquoting Muhammad: The Challenge and Choices of Interpreting the Prophet's LegacyJonathan Brown
Sharia Compliant: A User's Guide to Hacking Islamic Law (Encountering Traditions)Rumee Ahmed
The Qur'an, Morality and Critical Reason (Social, Economic and Political Studies of the Middle East)Muhammad Shahrur
Islam and the Secular State: Negotiating the Future of Shari'aAbdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im
Toward an Islamic Reformation: Civil Liberties, Human Rights, and International LawAbdullahi Ahmed An-Na'im
The Origins and Evolution of Islamic Law (Themes in Islamic Law)Wael B. Hallaq
A History of Islamic Legal Theories: An Introduction to Sunni Usul al-FiqhWael B. Hallaq
"Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'anAsma Barlas
Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's PerspectiveAmina Wadud
Women and Gender in Islam: Historical Roots of a Modern DebateLeila Ahmed
The Veil And The Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation Of Women's Rights In IslamFatima Mernissi
Sexual Ethics And Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith, and JurisprudenceKecia Ali
A Faith for All Seasons: Islam and the Challenge of the Modern WorldShabbir Akhtar
The Islamic Roots of Democratic PluralismAbdulaziz Sachedina
Against Islamic Extremism: The Writings of Muhammad Sa'id al-'AshmawyCarolyn Fluehr-Lobban
Rethinking Tradition in Modern Islamic ThoughtDaniel W. Brown
The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in IslamMuhammad Iqbal
No god but God: The Origins, Evolution, and Future of IslamReza Aslan
Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of NazarethReza Aslan
Rethinking Islam: Common Questions, Uncommon AnswersMohammed Arkoun and Robert D. Lee
The Ethics of Disagreement in IslamTaha Jabir Al-Alwani
The Religion of IslamMaulana Muhammad Ali
OrientalismEdward W. Said
Covering Islam: How the Media and the Experts Determine How We See the Rest of the WorldEdward W. Said
Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest SourcesMartin Lings
Studies on the Origins and Uses of Islamic HadithG. H. A. Juynboll
The Sources of Islamic Law: Islamic Theories of AbrogationJohn Burton
The Philosophy of the KalamHarry Austryn Wolfson
Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of ViolenceKaren Armstrong
A History of God: The 4,000-Year Quest of Judaism, Christianity and IslamKaren Armstrong
Islam and DemocracyJohn L. Esposito and John O. Voll
After the Prophet: The Epic Story of the Shia-Sunni Split in IslamLesley Hazleton
Why They Don't Hate Us: Lifting the Veil on the Axis of EvilMark LeVine
Muslim-Jewish Encounters: Intellectual Traditions and Modern PoliticsRonald L. Nettler and Suha Taji-Farouki
The Invention Of The Jewish PeopleShlomo Sand
Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and WhyBart D. Ehrman
How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher from GalileeBart D. Ehrman
Jesus and the World of JudaismGeza Vermes
Laying Down the Sword: Why We Can't Ignore the Bible's Violent VersesPhilip Jenkins
The Dark Side of Christian HistoryHelen Ellerbe
The Curse of Cain: The Violent Legacy of MonotheismRegina M. Schwartz
Reckless Rites: Purim and the Legacy of Jewish ViolenceElliott Horowitz
The Great War for Civilisation: The Conquest of the Middle EastRobert Fisk
The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign PolicyJohn J. Mearsheimer and Stephen M. Walt
Goliath: Life and Loathing in Greater IsraelMax Blumenthal
Passion for Islam: Shaping the Modern Middle East - The Egyptian ExperienceCaryle Murphy
Satanic Purses: Money, Myth, and Misinformation in the War on TerrorR. T. Naylor
The Autobiography of Malcolm XAlex Haley

Recommended Reading