Recommended Books and Reading Guidance

Reading 8 Minutes

Often when Muslims want to learn more and get into reading, they are unsure what to read. There is a lot of literature available nowadays in the English language so someone may become confused with regards to what or who is reliable, and also which books are for beginners and which are for more advanced readers in any given subject. In the past 10-15 years there has been an explosion of translations of classical and modern Islamic books into English. We no longer have to rely on orientalists, non-Muslims, unqualified translators, or translators with hidden agendas1. Additionally, we now also have qualified Muslims writing books in the English language (not just translating from Arabic).

In this post I will give clear advice regarding recommended books to begin with in some of the Islamic sciences and also list out the names of authors, translators, publishers and bookstores which are reliable and trustworthy. This is all my personal advice based upon years of reading Islamic literature.

It should be noted that serious students of knowledge should be striving to learn Arabic so that they can access the books of the Ulema in their original form. Nonetheless, whilst a person is learning Arabic, they should still be reading in English to further their knowledge. Also, some people will just not learn Arabic so they have to take advantage of what is available in English. In fact, even when a person knows Arabic there is still benefit in reading certain books in English.

The following points will be covered inshallah:

  • Book recommendations
  • Translators
  • Authors
  • Publishers
  • Bookshops

We will begin with book recommendations, science by science. Be aware that most of these are books for beginners. That does not mean that someone can do without real life teachers however, since they are the ones who can explain the books according to the correct understanding. All of these books for that reason should ideally be read whilst studying essential Islamic knowledge (fard ayn) with a qualified teacher.

Book recommendations

Aqidah (Islamic beliefs)

  • Towards Understanding Aqidah by Hafiz Ather Hussain al-Azhari
  • The Beneficial Epistle & Decisive Proof on The Science of Divine Unity by Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Furfur (translated by Amjad Mahmood)
  • The Essential Islamic Creed by Shaykh Ahmed bin Zayni Dahlan (translation and footnotes by Amjad Mahmood)
  • Key to Paradise: The Science of Tawhid by Dr Shadee El Masry2
  • A Refined Explanation of The Sanusi Creed by Shaykh Sa’id Foudah (translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah)
  • Islam Answers Atheism by Sheikh Asrar Rashid

Sunni Beliefs and Practices

These books include Aqidah but specifically are related to refuting modern criticisms of certain beliefs and practices of Ahl al-Sunna.

  • In Defence of the Sunnah by Dr Ibrahim Hakim al-Shaghour
  • Islamic Doctrines & Beliefs Vol. 1 by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Alawi al-Maliki (translated by Sheikh Gibril Haddad)
  • Remembrance of God by Imam al-Suyuti (translation and notes by Sajeda Maryam Poswal and Sheikh Gibril Haddad)
  • Notions That Must Be Corrected by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Alawi al-Maliki (translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah)
  • The Tarawih Prayer And The Number Of Its Units by Sheikh Abdullah Sirajuddin (translated by Bilal Choudhry)3
  • Expressing Delight in the Birth of the Light ﷺ by Shaykh Ninowy (translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah)
  • Albani and his friends by Sheikh Gibril Haddad
  • Al-La Madhhabiyya by Sheikh Ramadan al-Buti (translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah)
  • The 20 Principles of Guidance by Maulana Naqi Ali Khan (translated by Shaykh Monawwar Ateeq)
  • Ahl al-Sunna: The Asharis by Shaykh Hamad al-Sinan & Shaykh Fawzi al-Anjari (translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah)
  • The Divine Texts by Imam Mustafa al-Shatti (translated by Abu Jafar al-Hanbali)
  • The Divine Lighting by Imam Sulaiman ibn Abdul-Wahab (translated by Abu Jafar al-Hanbali)

Fiqh (Islamic law)

  • The Seekers Aid by Imam Abd al-Ghani al-Maydani (translated by Amjad Mahmood)
  • Ascent to Felicity by Imam Hasan al-Shurunbulali (translated by Faraz Khan)

The above two books begin with short sections on Aqidah.

  • Islamic Way of Worship by Shaykh Imdad Hussain Pirzada (translated by Tahir Kiani)
  • A Believers Guide to Prayer by Shaykh Hisham Burhani (translated by Amjad Mahmood)
  • A Believers Guide to Fasting by Shaykh Hisham Burhani (translated by Amjad Mahmood)
  • A Believers Guide to Zakat by Shaykh Hisham Burhani (translated by Amjad Mahmood)
  • The Essentials of Hajj and Umrah (Published by Essential Islam)4

Tasawuff (Islamic Spirituality)

  • The Garden of the Gnostics by Imam Nawawi (translated by Aisha Bewley)
  • The Beginning of Guidance by Imam al-Ghazzali
  • The Book Of Assistance by Imam al-Haddad (translated by Dr. Mostafa Badawi)
  • The Lives of Man by Imam al-Haddad (translated by Dr. Mostafa Badawi)
  • The Forty Principles of the Religion by Imam al-Ghazzali (translated by Nasir Abdussalam)
  • Discipling the Soul and Breaking the Two Desires by Imam al-Ghazzali (translated by T.J. Winter)
  • The Remembrance of Death and the Afterlife by Imam al-Ghazzali (translated by T.J. Winter)

Quran/Tafsir

  • Etiquette With The Quran by Imam al-Nawawi (translated by Musa Furber)
  • Knowing The Quran by Muhammad Sajid Younus
  • A Commentary of Surah Fatiha by Allama Ghulam Rasul Sa’idi (translated by Hafiz Ather Hussain al-Azhari)
  • The History of the Quranic Text by Muhammad Mustafa Azmi

Hadith

  • Mukhtar al-Hadith: Selection of Noble Prophetic Traditions by Habib Umar bin Hafiz
  • Forty Hadith of Imam al-Nawawi (translated by Abdassamad Clarke)
  • What did The Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ Say? by Shaykh Imdad Hussain Pirzada
  • Riyad as-Saliheen (Gardens of the Righteous) by Imam an-Nawawi

The Prophet ﷺ: Seerah (biography) and Shama’il (description)

  • Muhammad: His life based on the earliest sources by Martin Lings
  • The Life of The Chosen One (2 volumes) by Shaykh Abd Al-Mustafa Al-Azmi (translated by Muhammad Kalim al-Qadiri)
  • The Prophet’s Ramadhan: How the Prophet ﷺ Observed the Month of Ramadan by Sheikh Muhammad Khan Qadri (translated by Muhammad Sajid Younus)
  • Muhammad: His Character and Beauty by Sheikh Yusuf al-Nabahani (translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah)
  • Our Master Muhammad the Messenger of Allah ﷺ by Sheikh Abdallah Sirajuddin al-Husayni (translated by Khalid Williams)
  • Muhammad: A Portrait of Perfection by Shaykh Abd al-Majid al-Sharnubi (translated by Amjad Mahmood)
  • Ash-Shifa by Qadi Iyad (translated by Aisha Bewley)
  • Sending Prayers upon the Prophet ﷺ by Sheikh Abdallah Sirajuddin (translated by Abdul Aziz Suraqah)

Adab and Akhlaq (Islamic etiquette and character)

  • The Clarification of Noble Character by Habib Umar bin Hafiz
  • Islamic Manners by Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah (translated by Muhammad Zahid Abu Ghuddah)

Dua and Dhikr (Supplications and remembrances)

  • The Book Of Remembrances (Kitab al-Adhkar) by Imam al-Nawawi
  • The Khulasa: The Cream of Remembrance by Habib Umar bin Hafiz (translated by Professor Ghoesain Mohammad)
  • The Muhammdan Treasures by Muhammad Muntasir al-Halwani 

Family and Marriage

  • Rights of Parents by Sheikh Muhammad Mawlud (translation and commentary by Rami Nsour)
  • The Rights of the Husband and Wife by Shaykh Abdul Hadi al-Kharsah (translated by Mahdi Lock)
  • Rulings of Raising Children by Sheikh Issarar Hussain

General Islam/Miscellaneous

  • The Book of Intentions by al-Habib Muhammad bin Alawi al-Aydarus (translated by Mohammad Ahmad Mbaye)
  • Man and the Universe by Dr Mostafa al-Badawi
  • The Four Sources of Shari’ah by Hafiz Ather Hussain al-Azhari
  • A Higher Reality: Manifestations of the Unseen by Dr. Mostafa Badawi
  • Sunna Notes (1, 2 and 3) by Sheikh Gibril Haddad

History and Biography

  • Lost Islamic History by Firas Alkhateeb
  • Jibril Stories by Mawlana Abul Noor Muhammad Bashir (translated by Shahid Hussain)
  • Ancient Prophets of Arabia by Dr. Mostafa Badawi
  • The Perfect Family – Virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (translated by Khalid Williams)
  • Sufi Sage of Arabia (Imam al-Haddad) by Dr. Mostafa Badawi
  • Signs on the Horizons: Meetings with Men of Knowledge and Illumination by Michael Sugich
  • A Blessed Valley by Dr. Mostafa Badawi
  • The Four Imams by Imam Muhammad Abu Zahra (translated by Aisha Bewley)

Signs Before the End of Time

  • The Signs Before the Day of Judgment by Ibn Kathir (published by Dar al-Taqwa)
  • Navigating the End of Time by Sheikh Asrar Rashid

Seeking Knowledge

  • The Heirs Of The Prophets by Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (translated by Imam Zaid Shakir)
  • The Merit of Knowledge and Scholars by Maulana Naqi Ali Khan (translated by Sayyid Muhammad Zarkani)
  • The Value of Time by Shaykh Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah
  • Instruction of the Student: The Method of Learning by Imam Zarnuji5
  • The Book of Knowledge by Imam al-Ghazzali (translated by Kenneth Honerkamp)

This is a non-exhaustive list of important books one can begin with. Needless to say, somebody may wish to read other books which interest them, or once they have completed the above list, will want to read more. Rather than providing further lists, I have instead mentioned the names of reliable authors, translators, publishers, and bookshops below. This will give new readers access to many more books and they can choose what they would like to read for themselves.

Translators

Nowadays, alhamdulillah, there are many capable translators rendering the classical Arabic books of the Ulema into English. Below are the names of just few. You can easily find their translated books via a simple online search.

  • Aisha Bewley
  • Khalid Williams
  • Amjad Mahmood
  • Abdul Aziz Suraqah
  • Mahdi Lock
  • Rizwana Sayed

As mentioned before, there are many more but these are a few who have consistently produced quality works in recent years.

Authors

By authors here I am not referring to the Ulema who authored in the Arabic language. That list would be too long since the scholars of Ahl al-Sunna who penned works and continue to pen works is too long to list. The below very short list therefore consists of two of my favourite authors who are writing original books in English. There are quite a few people who have attempted this over the years but in many cases, they have not been classically trained and therefore incapable of producing reliable books on Islam. I therefore prefer to stick to the books of the classical Ulema from Muslim lands. Having said that, these are the two notable authors who have consistently written excellent books in English.6

  • Dr Mostafa Badawi
  • Sheikh Gibril Haddad

Publishers

Below are a few of the publishing houses who are regularly producing quality books and can be relied upon. As with the above lists, this list is by no means exhaustive.

  • Heritage Press
  • Sunni Publications
  • Visions of Reality
  • Abul Noor Publications
  • Sakina Publishing
  • IV Publishing

Bookstores

I am only mentioning bookstores who have a website since purchasing online is the easiest way to buy books now. However if you have a good Islamic bookstore in your city you should definitely support it.

In my opinion the best online bookstore for English Islamic books is Madani Propagation. They also have a physical shop in Preston. The shop is run by reliable Sunni Muslims who hand pick the books and only sell what is reliable. I therefore have no hesitation in directing Muslims to their website to purchase any book which may interest them. If they do happen to sell any book which has issues, they clearly mention the issue in the description.

I have not found any other bookshop as reliable as Madani Propagation, however there are a few other good websites such as:

  • Hu Books
  • Dar al-Taqwa

Kitaabun is also decent however they sell all types of books (Sunni and non-Sunni) so I would mainly use them if you already know what you are buying. Aside from these options, you can go directly to the websites of the publishers, or search google directly with the book title and find another website who is selling it.

Please note that I have no affiliation whatsoever to any of the above bookshops.

Last updated: 6th March 2024

Footnotes
  1. Like some Wahabi translators who purposely remove sections from the book they are translating because it is not in line with their beliefs.
  2. As far as I know this book is only available here: https://safinapress.com/products/key-to-paradise-science-of-tawhid-hard-cover
  3. This can be downloaded for free here: https://orthodoxmuslim.com/2022/03/19/the-tarawih-prayer-and-the-number-of-its-units/
  4. Also see How to Perform Hajj and How to Perform Umrah by Saleem Dhorat as they are both good pocket-sized booklets easy to carry when you go to perform Hajj and Umrah.
  5. There is one version which is translated by Gustave E. Von Grunebaum. This version is no longer in print. There may be other versions available but I cannot vouch for the translation quality. The Arabic title is Ta’lim al-Muta’allim Tariq al-Ta’llum.
  6. I was tempted to add Sheikh Asrar Rashid to this list however he has only written two books to date. I pray he continues to write and produce books at the level of his first two because they were both unparalleled and vital contributions to the English language.
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