the scale of wisdom
This book is a collection of Hadith carefully translated into English, from what are considered to be Shi’a sources. The compendium is bi-lingual (English – Arabic) – each hadith has both the original Arabic and the English versions next to each other – especially useful for those who have some basic understanding of Arabic to appreciate the depth of these narrations. In England you may order the book directly from The Islamic College, or click on the image below to order from Amazon.
The Ascendant Qur’an – A tafsir by Imam al-Asi
Salamun Alaikum,
The Ascendant Quran is an amazing Tafsir that can awaken the Muslim Ummah from its ghaflat, it is a tafsir that applies equally to both shias and sunnis.
Please check out the site http://www.theascendantquran.com where you can download the audio of Surah Al-Fatihah, provide feedback to the author, find Tafsir related events, and order the audio and printed versions of the tafsir from around the world.
Imperial Brain Trust
Imperial Brain Trust, published in 1977, is the classic study of the Council on Foreign Relations, an organization that has, for decades, played a central behind the scenes role is shaping such foreign policy choices. This private club and think tank, bringing together the New York establishment and the Washington foreign policy elite as well as other powerful forces, took the lead in laying out the plans for post-World II international order.
The book is still very relevant – the CFR plays a prominent role in the US war on Islam, and count native informants such as Vali Nasr, Reza Aslan, Fouad Ajami, and Fareed Zakaria as members.
Tafseer in English – by Imam Mohammad al-Asi
The Ascendant Qur’an tafsir now has a web site, where you can buy the book, and listen to audio samples.
As we approach the launch date (May 24) of the first-ever tafseer written directly in English, we at the Institute of Contemporary Islamic Thought (ICIT) and Crescent International feel both honored and humbled by the thought that we are about to make history. Incredible as it may sound, never before in Muslim history has a tafseer of the Qur?an been attempted by anyone directly in English, and to address the unique situation facing Muslims in the contemporary historical era, in which the English-speaking West has achieved global hegemony. The Ascendant Qur?an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture, by Imam Muhammad al-Asi, is thus the first of its kind.
His particular talent in capturing the sense of the Arabic original and then projecting it with an appropriate set of English words makes him the ideal individual for this project. He is able to convey the essence of Qur?anic meanings despite the obvious limitations of the English language. This lexical faculty is all the more important in an age when the purity of the Qur?anic discourse has been polluted by translations whose authors, despite their undeniable sincerity, could not shake themselves loose from their material upbringing in a colonial or Western world dominated by self-interest.
The pacifist approach to studying the Qur?an must give way to a more dynamic understanding in order to facilitate the desired transformational change, first in our lives and then in our comunities and societies.
The noble Messenger of Allah (saws) overhauled the jahili Arabian society as the Qur?an was being progressively revealed; yet we who are in possession of the entire Qur?an, the Seerah and the Sunnah of the Messenger (saws) fail to make any meaningful change in our lives, much less in our societies at large. The reason is that the Prophet (saws) nurtured a group of people who lived and breathed the Qur?an, who relied on its powerful and power-giving ayaat to overcome pressing social, economic, political and military problems. Today, we recite it only to get blessings but seldom make the effort to understand its message and subsequently implement it in our lives outside the home or masjid. The other purpose we seem to have for Allah?s Words is to recite them over the dead. The Qur?an is a book of guidance for the living, not the dead. Only when we internalize this point will we be able to permanently transform our lives.
The world in general, and the Muslim world in particular, is beset by myriad problems today. They range from the illegitimacy of rulers and the gross polarization of wealth and resources to the mass inequities suffered by a people who have no representative political institutions. Despite vast natural resources, most Muslims live in extreme poverty. To overturn such inequalities, Islamic movements are involved in intense struggles both within their societies and against external enemies who have invaded and occupied the lands in which most people are Muslim.
Click here for more information about Imam Al-Asi, and weekly recordings of his Friday khutbas.
A People’s History of American Empire
Hamas: A History from Within
“Hamas comes out of a transnational Islamic reform movement that grew among Palestinians in the 1970s, largely in reaction to Arab nationalism’s failure to champion the Palestinian cause. Increasingly, against a string of failed peace processes and the corruption and concessions of the PLO-led secular leadership, Hamas’s popular support has rested heavily on its stance as a militant resistance movement wedded to the Palestinian dream of regaining pre-1948 Palestine, and as provider of essential social services.”
