Salah is one of the five pillars on which the edifice of Islam rests. Most of us feel that we already know all there is about salah – the formal prayers of a Muslim. However, very few individuals actually do justice to it or derive any worldly or spiritual benefits from it.

Salah & Its Essential Conditions is an effort to detail the essential prerequiires of salah. Moreever, it takes a detailed look at its importance along with the different types of obligatory and voluntary prayers. It alsa presents an illustrated guide to help those who wish to learn or correct the performance of their prayers.

Inshallah, all those who wish to improve their salah will find plenty of help in this book whether they are looking for information on cleanliness and purify, locating the direction of qibla, improving their congregation during salah, making up for the missed salah, or joining acongregation when the imam has already sarted the salah, or joining a congregation when the imam has already started the salah. All in all, it is a relevant handbook on what the Prophet (saw) has described as the coolness of his eyes.

In this book, the author has widely described the main principle of Taqleed. He says that Allah and Prophet Mohammed (SAW) has not ordered us to follow any opinions and interpretations. So there’s a possibility of being correct or incorrect in the opinions because there are many issues on which the Imams had different views and they explain them according to their own reasons and speculations, but the real and true Islam is based on the book (Quran) and Prophet’s Sunnah.

Allah says: “But no, by your Lord, they can have no Faith until they make you judge in all disputed matters between them, and find in themselves no resistance against your decision, and accept them with full submission.” And the prophet said: “I leave you with two things as long as you hold them tightly, you never go astray: they are the book of Allah and my Sunnah.” In this sense, the author has described the difference between different Madhahib (madhabs/mazhabs), and their views and urged to follow only the Quran and Sunnah.

With the advent of technology, the entertainment industry has flourished and become immensely popular. Combine this with the exponential advances in technology, and the result is an increasing number of ways to amuse ourselves. As a result of such advances, Muslim react in a variety of manners towards entertainment. Some label entertainment as completely forbidden. This sometimes includes parents who say no to almost everything that their young ones deem to be ‘fun’, without providing them with suitable alternatives. Others, who do not want to take this extreme approach, fall into the trap of excessive use of – and even addiction to – various sources of entertainment, without any limits.

In Having Fun the Halal Way, Ismail Kamdar explores the teachings of Islam regarding entertainment. Drawing upon the Quran, the Sunnah and the understanding of the righteous scholars of Islam, he provides a detailed and balanced analysis of the topic. He not only explains the detriments of the current entertainment industry, but also suggests alternative means to have a good time with friends and family members.