Islam and Diplomacy: The Quest for Human Security

Written by a number of Islamic religious authorities and Muslim scholars, this work presents the views and teachings of mainstream Sunni and Shi’i Islam on the subject of jihad. It authoritatively presents jihad as it is understood by the majority of the world’s 1.7 billion Muslims in the world today, and supports this understanding with extensive detail and scholarship. No word in English evokes more fear and misunderstanding than “jihad.” To date the books that have appeared on the subject in English by Western scholars have been either openly partisan and polemical or subtly traumatized by so many acts and images of terrorism in the name of jihad and by the historical memory of nearly 1,400 years of confrontation between Islam and Christianity. Though jihad is the central concern of War and Peace in Islam: The Uses and Abuses of Jihad, the range of the essays is not confined exclusively to the study of jihad. The work is divided into three parts: War and Its Practice, Peace and Its Practice, and Beyond Peace: The Practice of Forbearance, Mercy, Compassion and Love. The book aims to reveal the real meaning of jihad and to rectify many of the misunderstandings that surround both it and Islam’s relation with the “Other.”

Reviews:

“A dynamic myth-busting clarification of the real position of mainstream orthodox Islam on the whole question of violence and jihad.” —T. J. Winter, University of Cambridge

“This is the best book on the subject in English. It will be of inestimable value.” —Shaykh Mustafa Ceric, Grand Mufti Emeritus of Bosnia

In our busy lives, Friday comes around once a week. It often comes and goes without our being really aware of it. For many Muslim men, it may be punctuated by the congregational prayer that they make special efforts to attend. For many Muslim women, it may go by just like any other day. This ought not to be the case. In this unique book, Dr. Gowher Yusuf gives us reason to stop and think about how special Friday (al-Jumu‘ah) really is, and what we should be doing to achieve the many bounteous blessings it holds for those who observe it. Drawing constantly from the Qur`an and the Sunnah and the great works of the scholars of Islam, Dr. Gowher Yusuf explores this topic in depth and presents it to the reader in simple language for them to understand and ponder over. This book travels through the various issues pertaining to the Friday prayer and its Khutbah, or sermon. These issues are explained within the Islamic framework, thus abolishing any myths and misunderstandings and clarifying the topic for the reader. Dr. Yusuf writes: The day of the week known as al-Jumu‘ah, or simply Jumu‘ah, is Friday, and it is special. Compared to the other days of the week, Friday has been accorded the largest amount of merit, so much so that the father of all humankind, Prophet Âdam (peace be upon him), was created on this day and a particular prayer was ordered for this day. It was from the guidance given to Prophet Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) to magnify this day, honour it, and designate it for acts of worship. …On a Friday, we all will be gathered and will stand congregated in front of Allah, the Exalted, on the Day of Resurrection, also called the Day of Accountability or the Day of Judgement.

The birth of human being is a most amazing phenomenon. The physical cycles that the body of woman must endure in order to maintain this act of creation should be respected to the highest degree. Allah mentions that our mothers have born us with difficulty and struggle and because of this are due the highest respect. one among many of the difficulties that women must brave, are the doubts that these conditions present to the correct obervance of her religion. How is her fassting affected, how are her prayers affected, how is her ability to pursue her studies, and how are her conjugal relations affected by her ever changing physical condition in relation to her as the sole vessel of the birth of man. A really valuable publication by Darussalam for all Muslim woman to study