It is tough to stand out when you are one in a thousand. That was the initial challenge British book merchant Idris Mears (who converted to Islam in 1973) faced when participating in his first Abu Dhabi International Book Fair 11 years ago. But each year, his Blackstone and Holywell stand established itself as the go-to destination for those seeking in-depth Islamic literature published in English. Last month, Mears’s dream came true when he opened the Book Corner at Alserkal Cultural Foundation. Located in Dubai’s Al Fahidi district, the bookstore is a place where Mears can sell his 2,000 or more books, in addition to hosting writing and poetry workshops. “I really feel in a way that one journey is complete in one way,” he says. “I laid my first literary footprint in Abu Dhabi all those years ago and now there is a place where we can share culture, history and tradition, it’s just great, alhamdulillah [Praise be to God].” With the Book Corner open throughout Ramadan, Mears has created a “reading kit” of Islamic-inspired literature – both classic and modern – to read, savour and ponder during the holy month.
• Book Corner at Alserkal Cultural Foundation is at the Al Fahidi district, Dubai. Opening hours are 10am to 7pm, every day. For details call 04 353 5922 or go to www.alserkalculturalfoundation.ae
The Quran
Everybody should have a copy of the Quran on their bookshelves. The English translation I recommend for a general readership is the translation by Aisha and Abdalhaqq Bewley, The Noble Qur'an: A New Rendering of Its Meaning in English. It uses clear, direct modern English, but in the rhythm and cadence of the language and in its layout of the text as free verse, it accentuates the spoken nature of the revelation and its beauty. It has the advantage for general readers that it is unencumbered by the Arabic text and by voluminous notes. English-speaking Muslims who need a translation of the Quran for in-depth study should get a copy of The Study Quran, which has the Arabic text and a copious commentary taken from both classic and contemporary sources.
The life of Prophet Mohammed
There are many biographies of the Prophet in many languages. The acknowledged masterpiece in English is Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings, an eminent Muslim convert. Those seeking a more "unbiased" account might turn to Lesley Hazleton's The First Muslim: The Story of Muhammad which is very readable, or else Karen Armstrong's Muhammad: A Prophet for Our Time which is a sympathetic but rigorous retelling of the story. As a study aid, however, for people who want to retain the detail as well as the impression of the Prophet's life, I highly recommend the recently published Revelation: The Story of Muhammad by Meraj Mohiuddin. Its maps, charts, battle plans and its innovative organisational layout help even veteran historians of the subject to gain insights and gather a firmer handhold on the details.
The qualities of Prophet Mohammed
As well as knowing the outlines of the Prophet's life, I feel it is essential for people to become familiar with the texture of his life, personal qualities and characteristics as a model human being. This record of his exemplary nature, or as Muslims refer to as "sunnah", is garnered from the voluminous collections of hadith (the sayings and doings of the Holy Prophet). The best English collation of this material to give a character portrait of the Prophet is Muhammad: Messenger of Allah, which is a translation of the renowned Ash-Shifa of Qadi Iyad, the great medieval Andalusian scholar. However, I also recommend people to get a copy of Muhammad the Perfect Man by Sayyid Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-Maliki, who died 10 years ago. It is a synopsis of the classic Islamic text, Ash-Shifa, and is handy and usable.
Hadith collections
As the primary source for the sunnah, the sayings and doings of the Prophet Mohammed, the collections of hadith are integral research material for the study of Islam, but they are a vast desert which is daunting to cross. Imam Nawawi's collection of 40 hadiths which he selected to give a concise but rounded overview of Islam, and as a manual on how to deepen one's practice of it, has fulfilled its purpose magnificently for the last 800 years, and the hadiths he chose remain at the core of Muslim consciousness. The Complete Forty Hadith, translated by Abdassamad Clarke, includes not only the hadiths but Imam Nawawi's own commentary on them. It is ideal as a daily reflection aid during Ramadan. A modern equivalent but with 365 hadiths for use throughout the year is Daily Wisdom: Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad. If you are looking for some deep research then you can't go past Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, an in-depth hadith collection, but as its purpose was to create a record of how Islam was practised in Madinah during the first three generations of Muslims in order to establish legal and social precedents, it also includes information about the practices of the early community.
Introduction to Islam
There is an abundance of material on the market written by Muslims and non-Muslims alike, but for me the best single book in any language is The Natural Form of Man: The Basic Practices and Beliefs of Islam by Abdalhaqq Bewley. Written in the same lucid English as in his translation of the Quran, it is a well whose waters are clear and deep. It is a wonderful taster for people who have no prior knowledge, but is refreshing for people whose tasting of Islam may have become tired and stale. People who feel they need an independent viewpoint should turn to Karen Armstrong's accessible Islam: A Short History. Marshall Hodgson's magisterial three-volume The Venture of Islam is essential for any serious student of Islam and is wide-ranging in its historical and sociological analysis.
Developing spirituality
Ramadan is the pivot of a Muslim's spiritual practice. It is a time of retuning the soul by turning away from the material and focusing on the essential and timeless matters of human existence. A short book that helps one to start out on this process is The Book of Assistance by Imam 'Abdallah Ibn 'Alawi Al-Haddad, ably translated by Mostafa Al-Badawi. A book that gives a taste of ongoing spiritual struggle and development is the English translation of the letters of the great Moroccan Sufi, Mawlay al-'Arabi ad-Darqawi. Published as The Darqawi Way, it gives direct and practical advice to the seeker.
A good read
Reading is not only instructive but also a pleasure, and a well-written book is a treasure that should be returned to with renewed delight. The book I turn to for this indulgence is The Book of Strangers by Ian Dallas. It is a page-turning autobiographical "novel", at once an insightful critique of society and an encouragement to spiritual search. It was the book that led me to discovering Islam as a path of self-fulfillment.
The UAE and Middle East
Expatriates often live in insular bubbles of their own kind and have only the sketchiest ideas about the culture and history of the countries they reside in, and their impressions are garnered from received and erroneous stereotypes. The Origins of the United Arab Emirates by Rosemarie Said Zahlan, originally published in 1978, remains an invaluable introduction to the history of the Trucial States, the antecedent of the UAE. Zahlan was the sister of Edward Said, the Palestinian intellectual whose Orientalism (1978) was a landmark on the intellectual landscape of the 20th century. His Covering Islam is also necessary reading to understand many of the cultural misunderstandings between the West and the Muslim world which, rather than dissipating, seem to be escalating in the face of the chaotic situations around the region. To understand the roots of the conflagration, I recommend reading David Fromkin's aptly titled A Peace to End All Peace as a long overview of how the toxic cake mix of the modern Middle East emerged in the aftermath of the First World War with the dismantling of the Ottoman Empire, the emergence of nation states and the imposition of Israel on the region.
