Want to know what books Ahmad Thomson recommends on their reading list? We've researched interviews, social media posts, podcasts, and articles to build a comprehensive list of Ahmad Thomson's favorite book recommendations of all time.
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Qadi Iyad, Abdalhaqq Bewley, Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley | 4.86
يتناول الكتاب سيرة النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم حيث شملت تلك السيرة كل ما يتعلق به من صفات خَلْقية وخُلقية، وأفعال وأقوال إلى جانب ما جاء ذكره في القرآن الكريم من خلال مخاطبته عز وجل نبيه الكريم والذي يلقي الضوء أكثر وأكثر على شخصية الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم فما يتيح للمسلم والقارئ فهم شخصية الرسول القائد والسراج المنير فيعرف دستوره من خلال دراسته للسيرة العطرة. إلى جانب هذا الهدف فإن السيرة تضع أمام المسلم الأحداث الإسلامية الكبرى التي من خلالها يمكن تفهم العقيدة والأخلاق السوية المقربة إلى الله عز وجل وقد قام المحقق بترجمة بعض الأعلام وخرّج الآيات القرآنية والأحاديث النبوية، بالإضافة إلى... more يتناول الكتاب سيرة النبي محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم حيث شملت تلك السيرة كل ما يتعلق به من صفات خَلْقية وخُلقية، وأفعال وأقوال إلى جانب ما جاء ذكره في القرآن الكريم من خلال مخاطبته عز وجل نبيه الكريم والذي يلقي الضوء أكثر وأكثر على شخصية الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم فما يتيح للمسلم والقارئ فهم شخصية الرسول القائد والسراج المنير فيعرف دستوره من خلال دراسته للسيرة العطرة. إلى جانب هذا الهدف فإن السيرة تضع أمام المسلم الأحداث الإسلامية الكبرى التي من خلالها يمكن تفهم العقيدة والأخلاق السوية المقربة إلى الله عز وجل وقد قام المحقق بترجمة بعض الأعلام وخرّج الآيات القرآنية والأحاديث النبوية، بالإضافة إلى فهرست الآيات والأحاديث. less 
Ahmad ThomsonFive Books aims to keep its book recommendations and interviews up to date. If you are the interviewee and would like to update your choice of books (or even just what you say about them) please email us at editor@fivebooks.com (Source)
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2
Malik Ibn Anas, Aisha Abdurrahman Bewley | 4.38
Ash-Sh fi' said, "After the Book of Allah, there is no book on the face of the earth sounder than the book of M lik." 'Al ' ad-D n Maghla y al- anaf said, "The first person to compile the a was M lik." Ibn ajar said, "The book of M lik is sound by all the criteria that are demanded as proofs in the mursal, munqa i' and other types of transmission." As-Suy followed Ibn ajar's judgement and said, "It is absolutely correct to say that the Muwa a' is sound ( a ) without exception." Al-Bukh r and Muslim transmitted most of its ad ths and included them in their a collections. The authors of the... more Ash-Sh fi' said, "After the Book of Allah, there is no book on the face of the earth sounder than the book of M lik." 'Al ' ad-D n Maghla y al- anaf said, "The first person to compile the a was M lik." Ibn ajar said, "The book of M lik is sound by all the criteria that are demanded as proofs in the mursal, munqa i' and other types of transmission." As-Suy followed Ibn ajar's judgement and said, "It is absolutely correct to say that the Muwa a' is sound ( a ) without exception." Al-Bukh r and Muslim transmitted most of its ad ths and included them in their a collections. The authors of the rest of the six books, the Im m of the ad th scholars, A mad ibn anbal, and others did the same. But, in addition, the Muwa a' contains a record of the practice of the people of Mad nah of the first generations, a transmission of the ethos that permeated the city and Im m M lik's painstaking clarification of the Sunna, the ad ths, the practice and legal judgements. Imam M lik's full name is M lik ibn Anas ibn M lik ibn Ab ' mir al-A ba and he was related to Dh A ba, a sub-tribe of imyar. He was instructed in the learning and recitation of the Noble Qur' n by Im m N fi' ibn 'Abd ar-Ra m n ibn Ab Nu'aym, the Im m of the reciters of Mad na and one of the "seven reciters." Among the huge number of his teachers in ad th and fiqh were N fi', the mawl of 'Abdull h ibn 'Umar and Ibn Shih b az-Zuhr . He sat to give fatw when he was seventeen years old after seventy Im ms had testified that he was worthy to give fatw and teach. His own students included Im m ash-Sh fi' and Im m Muhammad ibn al- asan ash-Shayb n the anaf mujtahid, as well as a great number of Im ms of ad th and fiqh and thus he is known as Im m al-A'immah 'the Im m of the Im ms'. less Ahmad ThomsonImam Malik lived about 100 years after Muhammad, in the 8th century CE. After the Prophet’s death Islam was very much concentrated in Madina, but then it spread extraordinarily quickly, almost at the speed of light. It was initially spread by the Companions of the Prophet, and then the Followers – who had met the Companions of the Prophet, but hadn’t met the Prophet Muhammad. And the heart of... (Source)
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3
Sometime in the future the head librarian at a great center of learning suddenly disappears, leaving behind a journal that describes his weariness with a world "where people teach but know nothing, where the sentences flow on endlessly but lead nowhere." His successor in the post becomes more and more intrigued by the vanished man's fate, until a series of mysterious clues lead him on a journey both inward and outward, to a world that begins where language ends. Within a matter of weeks he finds himself in the company of powerful dervishes, God-intoxicated nomads whose eyes blaze with love,... more Sometime in the future the head librarian at a great center of learning suddenly disappears, leaving behind a journal that describes his weariness with a world "where people teach but know nothing, where the sentences flow on endlessly but lead nowhere." His successor in the post becomes more and more intrigued by the vanished man's fate, until a series of mysterious clues lead him on a journey both inward and outward, to a world that begins where language ends. Within a matter of weeks he finds himself in the company of powerful dervishes, God-intoxicated nomads whose eyes blaze with love, and ragged beggars with the smile of the Pure One. These men, the followers of an enlightened Shaykh, speak little, but simply to be in their company fills him with ecstasy and knowledge. less Ahmad ThomsonIf you turn the clock back to the late 1960s, early 70s, everybody was looking for something and barking up many different trees. I had looked at many different philosophies and religions and writings, I’d got to the point where I’d read Siddhartha by Herman Hesse, and I always remember one line in that book where he says, ‘You could tell by the way his hand rested on his thigh that he was a man... (Source)
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Muhammad A. S. Abdel Haleem | 4.42
One of the most influential books in the history of literature, recognized as the greatest literary masterpiece in Arabic, the Qur'an is the supreme authority and living source of all Islamic teaching, the sacred text that sets out the creed, rituals, ethics, and laws of Islam. Yet despite the growing interest in Islamic teachings and culture, there has never been a truly satisfactory English translation of the Qur'an, until now.
This superb new translation of the Qur'an is written in contemporary language that remains faithful to the meaning and spirit of the original, making the text... more One of the most influential books in the history of literature, recognized as the greatest literary masterpiece in Arabic, the Qur'an is the supreme authority and living source of all Islamic teaching, the sacred text that sets out the creed, rituals, ethics, and laws of Islam. Yet despite the growing interest in Islamic teachings and culture, there has never been a truly satisfactory English translation of the Qur'an, until now.
This superb new translation of the Qur'an is written in contemporary language that remains faithful to the meaning and spirit of the original, making the text crystal clear while retaining all of this great work's eloquence. The translation is accurate and completely free from the archaisms, incoherence, and alien structures that mar existing translations. Thus, for the first time, English-speaking readers will have a text of the Qur'an which is easy to use and comprehensible. Furthermore, Haleem includes notes that explain geographical, historical, and personal allusions as well as an index in which Qur'anic material is arranged into topics for easy reference. His introduction traces the history of the Qur'an, examines its structure and stylistic features, and considers issues related to militancy, intolerance, and the subjection of women.
Clearly written and filled with helpful information and guidance, this brilliant translation of the Qur'an is the best available introduction to the faith of Moslems around the world. less 
Ayaan Hirsi AliThe Koran is supposed to be the words of God and the Hadith are the sayings and deeds of the prophet. The Koran has the basic commands; the Hadith or the Sunna, is a sort of manual. It is supposed to be a guideline of how to understand the Koran, because people say that it’s not explicit enough. The Hadith is a compilation of six volumes and they are called the Sahith Sitta – Sitta just means six... (Source)
Naeem Ul HaqueThe judiciary must not forget that far far above our constitution is the ultimate book of principles and that is the wholly Quran. Every judge in the country must keep a copy of Quran with translation on his/ her desk so that the judge can realise that the Law of God is Supreme. (Source)
Ahmad ThomsonWhen I accepted Islam I’d done it on the basis of meeting Shaykh Abdalqadir and the people around him, and I realised that I knew nothing about it really. So obviously one of the first things was to learn the basics – and I thought I’d better read the Qur’an because that’s the book of the Muslims! At the time I had the Arberry translation which is accurate, and which in some measure conveys the... (Source)
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