Choosing Faith (P/B)

In his book Islam and the west Norman Daniel wrote: People seem to take it for granted that alien society is dangerous, if not hostile, and the spasmodic outbreaks of warfare between Islam and Christendom throughout history has been one manifestation of this. Apparently, under the pressure of their own sense of danger, Whether real or not, beliefs take shape in men’s minds. By misapprehension and misrepresentation, a notion of ideas and beliefs of one society can pass into the accepted myth of another society in a form so distorted that its relation to the original facts is sometimes barely discernible. Doctrines that are the expression of the spiritual outlook of an enemy are interpreted ungenerously and with prejudice and even the facts are modified to suit the interpretation.

This process began among the Greeks whom the Arab armies conquered when they occupied Syria… St John of Dainascus, born fifty years after the Hijrah (precedented) The severe attitude of condemning whatever Muslims believe in. In this Byzantine polemic, the Anatrope, Niceta of Byzantium does not even try to understand the Qur’an before refuting it. It follows that the God of Muhammad is really a devil.

Enemies of Islam, whatever their motives, will always exploit much the same facts, as recently did Salman Rushdies Satanic Verses.

As they (Christians) resented the doctrines of Islam and saw them in the light of their own misconceptions, they inevitably deformed them. Anti-Islamic polemic inhibited any possible empathy with Muslims. The main attack on Islam was already determined in the thirteenth century.

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziah, a contemporary to the outcome of these polemics against Islam, the Age of Decline, did not restrict himself from delivering  tit-for-tat replies, and sometimes he went overboard in some of his descriptions equally demeaning the Christians and the Jews.

In this book, the author discusses the beliefs and origins of Sufism. It has been written in a clear and uncomplicated style which makes it accessible for readers of all levels. The history of Sufism is traced as well as how sufism developed into what we have today. The author touches upon the beliefs of Sufism, and gives examples from personalities that are regarded highly by those who ascribe to Sufism. A scholarly criticism in light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

From the Back Cover

You must be aware that there are a number of destructive calls which have been established amongst the ranks of the Muslims and which have shaken and damaged the belief held in there hearts. They have polluted the pure Islamic ‘aqeedah, and have grown by stages to reach such a dangerous level that they led to the splitting of the Muslims into sects and the parties, about which the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Indeed those who were before you, from the people of the book, split into seventy-two sects, and this religion will split seventy-three. Seventy-two in the fire and one in the paradise and it is the Jammaa’ah.”

Then there is no doubt that each one of these sects claims for itself that it is the saved sect, and that it is correct, and that it alone follows the Messenger. But the way of truth is a single way and it is the one which leads to salvation, and any other way is one of the ways of miss guidance which leads to destruction.

So the way of truth is to cling to the book of Allaah and the Sunnah of Allaah’s Messenger (S) as occurs in the hadeeth: I have left amongst you two things whith which you will not go astray: The Book of Allah and my Sunnah, and they will not be separated till they come to me at the Pond.

• A scholarly criticism of Sufism in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah
• Written in an uncomplicated style, ideal for the layman

Written by former minister who converted to Islam, this book expounds the commonalities and contrasts between Islam, Judaism and Christianity. An excellent book for da’wah purposes and for Muslims to gain a deeper appreciation for the two earlier faiths.