Making Sense of the Portents of the Hour (H/B) – IIPH

This book, authored by Luqman Nagy, is an introduction to the history and legacy of the great translation movement that began at the Bayt al-Hikmah in ninth century Abbasid Baghdad and culminated centuries later in Spain, with teams of Muslim, Christian and Jewish scholars translating works of Greek and Islamic science from Arabic into Latin. These translations became the first scientific textbooks to be used at many European universities. This wealth of knowledge that was made available in Latin helped initiate the Renaissance, or ‘rebirth’ of learning in the West.

In light of the past, with hope for the future,Muslim-Christian Interactions: Past, Present, and Future addresses a subject that is vital to the 21st century. It provides an in-depth study of Islam and Christianity, taking an analytical approach to their respective edicts while comparing and contrasting them. It offers an investigation of religious concepts with respect to logic and scientific knowledge, and considers the true role and mission of religious figures of both faiths. With a past full of oppression from leaders of both faiths, against their respective doctrines and principles, Muslim-Christian Interactions sorts out the truth of what these religions really stand for. It looks at the manner in which Muslims and Christians have interacted in the past and present, in order to draw lessons for the future.

Now more than ever, it is crucial for Muslims and Christians to seek a path of mutual understanding, allowing compassion for fellow human beings to prevail over divisive politics and views. In the wake of false propaganda against Islam, the author seeks to correct the misconceptions that abound regarding Islam and Muslims.

According to a well-known hadith, cleanliness and purity are half of the faith. It is obligatory for a Muslim to be clean and in a state of purity in order to offer formal prayer and recite the Quran by way of ablution, a ritual shower, or dry ablution. Purity and cleanliness encompass both physical and spiritual aspects. Physical impurities can be removed by clean, pure water or dry, clean earth or stone, and this is a beginning step for spiritual cleanliness. In the Purity of the Muslim, Saeed al-Qahtani explains in a clear and comprehensive manner the types of various impurities and the ways to attain purity and cleanliness according to the teachings of the Quran and of the final prophet, Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).