Book Review

Shaping the Current Islamic Reformation
Edited by B.A.Robinson
Published by: Frank CassPublishers, Newbury House, 900, Eastern Avenue, London, IG2, 7HH, England, www.frankcass.com

In the current world, too many generalisations are being made about Islam and Muslims. This is mostly thanks to the actions of few groups such as the Taliban and Al-Qaida. The whole Muslim community is being tainted by the same brush and there is not much being done to better understand the reasons behind all that is happening. Shaping the Current Islamic Reformation, edited by B.A.Robinson is a collection of details, facts and findings by experts from the western world, who have made a tremendous effort to better understand the religious, political and social happenings in the Middle East.

The book is a compilation of essays from well-known western scholars who have specialized knowledge and understanding of the Middle-Eastern region and have presented their views on the politics and evolution of Islam in the Middle East. The authors include Annabelle Bottcher, Ann Elizabeth Mayer, Fred Halliday, Jorgen S. Nielson, Gary R. Bunt, Quintan Wiktorowicz, Robert Gleave and Rudolph Peters, all of whom specialise in Islamic Studies. The essays portray a clearer picture of the religious, political and social structure and developments in the Middle East over the years. These scholars have to a large extent cleared many misconceptions and filled many blanks that exist in the minds of people. There is a negative view associated with Islam and Muslims more so after September 11.This is mainly due to the generalisations made by the western media about Islam’s said incompatibility with modernity and other such politicised notions. These scholars explain misconceptions such as these. The authors have dealt with many issues that are essential to the understanding of Islam and what it means to be a Muslim. These include the Caliphate, Sharia, Quran and Sunnah, Sunni and Shia Muslims, the mystical Sufis and the understanding of many different schools of thought within Islam which have evolved over the years as mini reforms, but at the same time keeping the basic structure and experience of the religion, the same.

What is commendable about the book is that western non-Muslim scholars, through their work are making an effort to understand and explain Islam to the world. Their dealing with Islamic ideas and concepts is very professional and clear, assuring an unbiased and untainted picture with regard to whatever they have written and all that they have covered. The book needs to be picked up by both Muslims and non-Muslims as it gives tremendous food for thought.

Management and Personality Development
Training Manual-1

Collected and Edited by Mohd Hazique Nadvi
Published by Darul-Umoor
Tipu Sultan Advanced Study and Research Centre, No-1,
‘The Presidency’
No 82, St Mark’s Road,
B’lore - 01. Price : Rs. 150

This is the first-of-its- kind book! Written by world-renowned organisational psychologist, M.A Ataulla, this is a compilation of the lectures he delivered at Darul Umoor to the students of the one-year course in Management and Personality Development. These lectures were specially designed and meant for students who had enrolled themselves for the one-year course at Darul Umoor-the institution in Srirangapatna, Karnataka, where Madrasa graduates are exposed to contemporary subjects.

The lectures are based on Applied topics in Management and Personality Development, meant and delivered to the Madrasa graduates and so are sharply focused to the requirement and applied in Dawah work.

Since books on these subjects are presently available in English and students from premier madrasas, selected after their graduate and post-graduate courses ( Aalimat and Fazilat) may not be immediately familiar with English language, these outlines of lectures in Urdu may help them to understand the fundamentals.

Wherever Exercise, Role Play, Management Games were discussed with each topic, the related diagrams, figures and charts have been given at the end of each lesson.

The book presents a fresh view to Management and Personality Development with quotes from the Quran and Hadith. It is amazing to read explanation of the theories of Taylor, Elton Mayo, Abraham Maslow, Douglas McGregor and Herz Berge with examples related to day-to-day life and more so to the period of the Prophet (Pbuh) so well scripted by the author.

The book is a must-read, not just for Madrasas, but also for other institutions as it serves as a trend-setter of how to present complex theories in good simple Urdu!