The Online Library would like to wish a healthy and peaceful Ramadan to our students around the world, who are celebrating this month. As a small gift, we are sharing some beautiful and touching Islamic cultural works, which focus on aspects of peace and compassion from our collections:
Ultimate Ramadan Guide: Fasting, Weight Loss, and Lessons from the Quran & Hadith by Tariq Khan
Tariq Khan's classic guide provides quick tips for maximising all parts of the Ramadan journey in synchronicity. Simple guidance takes users from daily acts of charity to delving deepest during performing Umrah. If you don't have lots of time for deeper readings this Ramadan, Khan's book provides insight into how to make the most of this time in a busy year.
Islamic mystical poetry: Sufi verse from the mystics to Rumi by Mahmood Jamal
What's wonderful about this compendium is that it's inclusive and thorough without overwhelming the reader. Jamal manages to include poets from all over the Muslim Diaspora. From Rabia Basri's aesthetic raw simplicity to the profound Punjab poetry of Mian Muhammad Baksh, the book is compiled as a journey through time and thought, perfect for readings during Ramadan.
Muslims of the world: portraits and stories of hope, survival, loss, and love by Iman Mahoui & Sajjad Shah
Shah and Mahoui provide viewers with stories of inspiration, resilience and love. This book is a reflection of how varied individual experiences within Islam are. It substantiates the power of choosing meditation, prayer, peace and love with the incredible stories of people of the Muslim faith living shared spirituality spanning each individual's paths.
Building a better bridge: Muslims, Christians and the common good
Taken from Georgetown University's annual symposium on promoting Muslim-Christian relations, this book promotes dialogue between all people of the book to encourage peace and multi-cultural, religious and cross-national friendships. There are no answers in this book, only guidance on how communities can and have worked together to build a peaceful world built on shared and respected value systems.
Islamic Poetry:The Mystics
Everyone reads Rumi..but Hafiz, ibn Arabi and Kabir also provide the fertile foundations of this illustrious literary and spiritual movement. The few fleeting minutes a reader can dedicate to reading just one of these poems can provide sustenance for the soul for a life time.
The middle path of moderation in Islam: the Quranic principle of Wasatiyyah by Mohammad Hashim Kamali
In this, the leading Islamic law expert, Mohammad Hashim Kamali examines the concept of "Wasatiyyah". He defines this as the predominant principle embedded into not only practice but the daily life of the silent majority of Muslims globally. Kamali points out that while much of the modern media headlines grab onto and exploit extremism, all of his provided examples of Wasatiyyah are steeped in Islamic law, State and National Laws, (stretching from women's rights and the environment to trade agreements and global finance) which reflect societies, based on respect, courtesy and civility.
"Shahr Mubarak", wishing a blessed month to all our readers, who are fasting at this sacred time of year.
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