Lost Islamic History : Reclaiming Muslim Civilisation from the Past

Just Received... Amazing read. :)

He liked it

Awesome book

I did not finish it yet, but so far so good, giving me a holistic overview passing through all those years of history we need to know without too much details and in a simple way I will write another review after finishing, but definitely it’s worth reading

Contrary to what might be perceived, this is not an encyclopaedia of inventions – it is a summary of Islamic history, covering all of the geographical locations that Islam ruled over, from the time of the seerah to the 20th century. The first two (very short) chapters summarise pre-Islamic Arabia and the seerah of the Prophet (saw) – it is very apparent how powerful the Islamic ideology is, as it alone transformed backward, insignificant desert pagans into the greatest world leaders the world has ever known, in the space of a mere 23 years. Leading on from there, the next chapter focuses on the Khulafaa Rashidun (approx. 30 years): Abu Bakr setting the precedent for the role of the caliph, expansion, the encounters with the Roman, Byzantine and Sassanid empires and religious minorities living under Islam. It then goes into the chaos caused by the Khawaarij. Chapter 4 starts with Muawiyaa/Banu Umayyah, the beginning of ‘hereditary rule’ and the conflict of succession they had with Husayn ibn Abi Talib and Abdullah ibn al Zubayr. It makes a note of further expansion into Spain and into India, making it the world’s largest state after less than 100 years since revelation began. The Abbasids then forcibly took power. Chapter 5, ‘Intellectual Golden Ages’, looks at the vast number of scientific and technological achievements achieved under the Abbasids; hospitals, language, universities, astronomy, mathematics, etc. The establishment of ‘Bayt al Hikmah’ (the House of Wisdom) spurred this, however it also led to many theological issues; the Islamic method of thinking was diluted and many started to adopt Greek logic (mantiq) as a basis for thinking to ‘explain’ theology, leading to the Mutazila, Asharis, etc. The final sub-chapter is on Shi’ism. The following chapter, rightly titled ‘Upheaval’, looks into Ismailism, the Crusaders and the Mongols: the Qarmatians, Pope Urban II, the Ayyubid dynasty, the Mamluks, Genghis Khan and his son Ogedai, and Baghdad being ransacked. The next chapter specifically focuses on al-Andalus, expanding when an Umayyad prince fled there during the massacre of the Abbasids. Points mentioned include: Granada, Cordoba, the Taifa kings, sciences, cultural development and the ‘Moriscos’. The Spanish Inquisition did not stretch to just over a few days or a few weeks – rather, it was over a century-long oppression of Muslims, so much so that they had to hide their Islam to the extent that fataawa were issued that allowed them to pray their 5 prayers all at night and eat pork – hence Islam was kept secretively but it survived in the hearts, which eventually led to the expulsion of everyone descended from Muslims (except children under 4, who were taken away and forcibly converted to Christianity by the state). Chapter 8 explains Islam in West Africa, whose leaders were arguably amongst the richest people who have ever existed. They established Timbuktu as one of the greatest Islamic scholarly centres in the world. East Africa was familiar with Islam due to the Companions travelling there in the time of the seerah and hence both regions had many Muslims. Millions were taken as slaves to the American continent (i.e. North and South) after the European Colonisation. There is also a mention of modern-day ‘African Americans’ and Malcolm X. Islam in China had its beginnings from the time of when Uthman ibn Affan was khaleefah, when he sent ambassadors to the Tang dynasty. Thereafter, Muslims were primarily employed in the administration of the government; special note of Zheng He. Islam in India is revisited, as well as in Southeast Asia. Chapter 9 looks at the origins of the Ottomans, who were originally a warrior state, taking the mantle of the Khilafah. They had rapid expansion and eventually took Constantinople, ushering in another ‘Golden Age’. It also explains the rise of the Safavids and the Mughals The following chapter, ‘Decline’, assesses the problems with the Ottoman state, such as the liberal/Tanzimaat reforms which caused further decline. Sultan Abdul Hamid II exerted effort to combat the problems but the Young Turks ended his thirty-three year reign. The decline of India, Africa and Asia is then explained, with cultural and physical colonialism accelerating the decline. Chapter 11 looks into Western ideological infiltration, reform, modernism, the establishment of the Zionist entity, the rise of nation states in the Arab and South Asian regions, the abolishment of the Khilafah, lack of leadership, secularism and the abandonment of the idea of Islamic rule. Although they are two completely different books in terms of purpose and angles, I would recommend reading this before ‘The Inevitable Caliphate’ as it will give a chronological overview of the last 1450 years. I learnt a great deal from this book, such as the importance of the khaleefah being the central leader and the significance of political awareness. It was also a heavy re-iteration for me that the wealth of a nation is its ideas and viewpoint towards life; its intellectual wealth.

I love this book. It's an engaging and thought-provoking overview of Islamic history. As a young Muslim-American, I needed this information to dive deeper into Islamic history than my high school world history class did. In that class, we only touched upon a tiny amount of information about Islamic history. This book is great for those who wish to learn about Islamic history specifically with a great breadth of information. It covers so many different aspects of Islamic civilization, including important events, different groups' perspectives, and reasons for conflict and success.

A must read, this book offers a concise, sweeping narrative of Muslim civilization from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the modern era. The book highlights the often-overlooked intellectual, cultural, and political achievements of various Islamic empires and polities, including the Umayyads, Abbasids, Ottomans, Mughals, and Muslim Spain. The book aims to reclaim and showcase the monumental legacy of Muslim civilization, providing a comprehensive overview of its rise, its golden eras, and the crucial lessons that can be drawn from its history.

This book shows why Muslims were able to conquer knowledge, expansion of Empires and the reason for the fall of these Empires. History has proven that Islam is a religion of peace and knowledge. It is not solely about ritual activities which are of course mandatory. The Quran enlightens humans to seek knowledge and fortune. I enjoyed page 78 which states that scientific literature from the Golden Age commonly begins with Quranic verses that encourage seekers of knowledge and calls on Muslims to reflect on the world around them. God makes the path to heaven easier for whoever treads the path in search of knowledge. This book is highly recommended!!

Not enough reference tho which is too bad