Book Review: Sunshine at Madinah, by Zakaria Bashier

I stumbled across this book in the second-hand books section of a charity shop. There was something captivating about the title and cover image. It gave the impression of being a Seerah book with a difference and it certainly delivered on that front. It's not your standard chronological telling of events from the life of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). Instead, the author has taken the approach of picking a few key events and themes from the Prophet's years in Madinah and he has focused on explaining and contextualising these. The core events and themes that undergo a detailed study in the book are the Constitution of Madinah drafted by the Prophet on his arrival into Madinah, the Prophet's Farewell Sermon, the role of Muslim women in the Prophet's society, and the socio-economic dimensions of the Prophet's state.

This book, published in 1990, was the third in a series of four books written by Zakaria Bashier on the life of Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ). The first two cover the Makkan period of the Prophet's life and the Hijrah respectively. The fourth is a study on peace and war in the life of the Prophet. The present book – Sunshine at Madinah – has left a good impression on me and I'll definitely be looking to read the other three in the series.

Below is a small selection of passages taken from the introduction of the book:

"... It is the Qur'an's emphasis on the human side of the Prophet that made it possible for ordinary men and women to strive to emulate him as their personal ideal..."

"... no effort should be made to conceal his ordinary human side: Muhammad was the supreme example of human excellence and accomplishment, whose life demonstrated that there is no contradiction between leading a normal human life and total devotion and commitment to the service of God..."

"... It is his highest achievement that even when he had managed to obtain uncontested rule over Arabia, the hustle and bustle of affairs of state, in war as well as peace, did not distract him from the fullest devotion to his Lord, from being ever conscious of Him..."

Qur'an: Intercession

"... All that is in the heavens and in the earth belongs to Him.

Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His leave?

He knows what is before them and what is behind them..."

(Abdul Haleem's translation of Ayah 2:255)

Qur'an: They differed

"... it was only those to whom it was given

who disagreed about it after clear signs had come to them,

because of rivalry between them..."

"... If God had so willed,

they would not have fought each other,

but God does what He will..."

(Abdul Haleem's translation of Ayahs 2:213 and 2:253)

Book Review: Even Angels Ask, by Jeffrey Lang

I enjoyed reading the author's earlier published book entitled Struggling to Surrender so got straight to this one after finishing that one! This book is similar to the previous book and there is considerable overlap between the two but I'd still highly recommend reading both. Like his previous book, there's a good mix of the author's personal experiences and stories on what it means to be an American and a Muslim together with the author's reflections on the Qur'an. I particularly enjoyed in this book the author's discussions on the relationship between culture and religion: how the two can easily be mixed up over time, how the former can influence the way a person approaches the latter, and so on and so forth. Overall this book will probably be of more interest to Muslims living as a minority in a largely non-Muslim environment but there is much benefit and insight here for all.

Below are some of my favourite short quotes from the book:

"... The question of the purpose of life is fundamental, and we can hardly know a person or a society until we understand how this question is treated..."

"... Repetition is indicative of the importance given to certain topics. It should be observed that the Arabic word for knowledge, 'ilm, and its derivatives appear 854 times in the Qur'an, placing it among the most frequently occurring words..."

"... The Qur'anic God is anything but impartial to mankind's condition. He sends prophets, answers prayers, and intervenes in and manipulates the human drama... All is under His authority, and nothing takes place without His allowing it..."

"... The Qur'an's "most beautiful names" of God imply an intense involvement in the human venture. These names, such as The Merciful, The Compassionate, The Forgiving, The Giving, The Loving, The Creator, etc., reveal a God that creates men and women in order to relate to them on an intensely personal level..."

"... the Qur'an shows that God intends to produce through this earthly experience persons that share a bond of love with Him..."

"... Trial and tribulation are held to be inevitable and essential to human development and both the believer and unbeliever will experience them..."

"... It is not surprising that the Qur'an upholds the so-called golden rule. Many do feel that it is better to give than to recieve, to be truthful rather than to live a lie, to love rather than to hate, to be compassionate rather than to ignore the suffering of others, for such experiences give life depth and beauty..."

"... in the winters of our lives, our past wordly or material achievements will seem less important to us than the relationships we had, loves and friendships that we shared, and times we spent giving of ourselves and doing good to others..."