Title: War and Peace in the Life of the Prophet Muhammad s.a.w.
Author: Zakaria Bashier
Publication: The Islamic Foundation
ISBN: 086037520X
Rating: 4/5
Level: Intermediate
Reviewed by: Nur Nabilah Ahmad Puzi

The book discusses the times of wars and peace in Arabia during the of the Prophet s.a.w. The difference between this book and the rest is that it uses modern terms and current words and language. And, so, you feel like the author is not talking about faraway story in some faraway land. You feel like you can apply the story to now and the current situations of the coined War on Terror and the politics nowadays. It also helps one to understand how the situation were actually were during the time of the Prophet s.a.w and why the war had to be done, and why the timing of the war were the way it were. There’s also many justifications presented and rebukes on the statement that Islam was spread swords. A good book.

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Field: History of Islam, Contemporary Issues
Title: The Myth of Muslim Barbarism and its Aims
Author: S.E. Al-Djazairi
Publication: Bayt al-Hikma Press 2007
ISBN: 095511564-7
Rating: 4/5
Level: Intermediate
Reviewed by: Safwan

“From Pope Urban’s depiction of Turkish horrors to justify the launching of the crusades (1095-1291) or the church ranting about Muslim crimes in Spain to justify their extermination (16th-17th century), or the horrific Western accounts of Mamluk rule of Egypt to justify the invasion of Egypt (1798), or the Turkish and Algerian barbaric despotism and piracy to justify the invasion of Algeria (1830), or the Muslim ruler of India suffocating British subjects to justify the onslaught against him (late 18th century), and multiple other similar instances, Islamic violence and barbarism has always been the justification for attacks on Muslims…”

This book, in brief, incorporates historical reality into today’s practicality. The author dedicates more than three quarter of this work to arranging the facts in excellent order, so as to help readers get the real picture of reality itself, while setting his theories too exact to be refuted. Thus, it was shown how, from the days of the monarch to the rule of democracy, mainstream western treatment (mistreatment) of Muslims have changed but imperceptibly.

Having painted Muslims as cruel oppressors, mistreating captives, indulging in slave trade, and violently racist, the West then proceeds to invade, ravage, and loot their countries. This is not only the artful machination of their kings and imperialists, which can be understandable, but the main contribution comes from their academicians. In fact, as al-Djazairi explicitly shows, righteous voices against their evil will be dampened at any cost- the tragic story of Craig Murray, the then British ambassador in Uzbekistan, being one of the many instances.

Citing some proves, the author suggests that this misrepresentation is deliberately made on Islam and Muslims mainly out of their fear for the religion. Islam has, in the past, awakened an illiterate community to wrestle with the giant Roman Byzantine; it is hence not impossible for it to do the same today. Islam is not only seen as an antagonist to the West, but also as a ponderous rival potential.

In the last chapter, the author reminds us of the trail of atrocities that befell the Muslims. The crusades and Spanish Inquisition as the starting points, it continues until Egypt was invaded in 1798, then Algeria, India, African countries, and more recently Bosnia & Herzegovina, Afghanistan, and Iraq in the 21st century. He maintains that if this isn’t changed for the better, no one can guarantee the world to be free of Muslim massacres in the near future.

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Field: History
Title: The Golden Age and Decline of Islamic Civilisation
Author: S. E. al-Djazairi
Publication: Bayt al-Hikma Press 2006
ISBN: 095511563-9
Rating: aaaa
Level: Intermediate
Reviewed by: Safwan

The golden age of Islamic civilisation was a witness to Islamic hegemony in practically every area of knowledge and culture; leaving behind a treasure which has never been fully covered even by the whole modern literature combined. The author claims that this work, as lengthy as it appears, depicts but a fraction of what Islamic civilisation was more than 10 centuries ago.

Al-Djazairi started his work by giving a 200 page overview of the then Islamic civilization, hardly challenged by any civilization after it. Paper, textile, glass, sugar, and other industries thrived healthily, with the Muslims developing the technologies accompanying their production. For example, Muslim paper industry, which was indebted to China, progressed further by making cotton an alternative to the bark of a tree. This industry played a great role in the massive book production thus literary advancement of the Muslims especially after 1000 C.E. The author also gives an explicit account of the civilisation’s exotic cities, vast green gardens, and the highly assiduous learning and scholarly attitude prevalent in it.

The next part amazes any reader even more. Al-Djazairi made an extensive writing of the science and scientists that lived at that time; themselves being a product of the flourishing civilization. He covered the accounts concerning agriculture, astronomy, chemistry, engineering, geography, mathematics, medicine, and physics, to spare the rest. These are all but manifestations of how glorious the civilisation was, indeed, as he adds, a product of the infallible teaching of Islam itself. It is impossible to list all the scholars here, but a few names, to give an illustration, are; astronomers al-Biruni, al-Sufi, ibn Yusuf, al-Battani, ibn Khaldun (geographer), ibn al-Haytham (most renowned optician), physicians ibn Sina, al-Razi, al-Idirisi (first world map), ibn Jubayr, Jabbar ibn Hayyan, ibn Firnas, al-Muradi, al-Zarqali, and the founder of algebra; al-Khwarizmi.

Throughout the work al-Djazairi did not fail to refute the mainstream western orientalists, giving convincing facts to counter their unfounded theory which generally claims that Islamic civilisation was stagnant; void of any significant development, and that the period of 1000 years between 5th to 15th century was a dark age to the whole world, broken only by the west’s exaggerated renaissance. At the end of the work, the author devoted a whole chapter to illuminate on the real causes of decline of Islamic civilisation, again in opposition to the many baseless assumptions given by many ‘scholars’.

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Field: History of Islam
Title: The Crusades
Author: S. E. al-Djazairi
Publication: The Institute of Islamic History
ISBN: 0-955331-31-5
Rating: aaaa
Level: Intermediate
Reviewed by: Safwan

This magnificent work by the honourable Muslim historian, al-Djazairi explicitly addresses us readers on the very subject that not many of his Muslim counterparts would want to delve in, especially after being disfigured and demeaned so badly by the mainstream western (or western-influenced) historians, i.e. the Crusades.

The 11th-13th century C.E. event and disaster, as the author holds, has scarcely been dealt with justice in the literary world. A large early section of the book deals on this matter, perceived important to the author, in order that readers have a better idea of the conspiracy before learning anything about the subject. One of the many unfounded story-telling goes, as told by Wiet et al, who referred to the taking of Jerusalem in 1099 as ‘the splendid occasion’, without even a slight mention of the massacres that ‘embellished’ the occasion. The instances are further outlaid by al-Djazairi covering at least 45 pages thick.

Being true to history, al-Djazairi did not make any effort to hide or diminish the weaknesses prevailing within the Muslim realm which has contributed to Crusader armies’ assault. On the other hand, he disclosed, unsparingly, the factors that have pushed leaders in Western Christendom to take up arms against the Muslims.

The crusades, occurring for almost 200 years, witnessed many Muslim successes and glory, despite the many losses and destructions they had to contain. The efforts of Godly, pious kings like Imaduddin Zangi, Nuruddin Zangi, Salahuddin, the Seljuks, the Mamluks; Aibek, Quttuz, Baybars, Qalawun and Khalil, to name but a few, have lead to successive retaining of the Muslim lands, until eventually, on 1291, 18th May, Sultan al-Malik al-Ashraf retook Acre from the Franks (Christians), altogether symbolizing a total victory of Muslims in the Middle East, having repelled every single then-remaining Christian force.

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Field: History of Islam
Title: Islam dalam Sejarah dan Kebudayaan Melayu
Author: Syed Naquib al-Attas
Publication: Kuala Lumpur, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, 1972
ISBN: -
Rating: aaaa
Level:
Reviewed by: Muslihah

Hati yang hampa tiada mengandungi Sejarah Bangsa,

Tiadakan dapat tahu menilai hidup yang mulia,

Penyimpan Khabar zaman yang Lalu menambah lagi

Pada umurnya umur berulang berkali ganda.

Bahasa dan kesusasteraan itu sebenarnya lebih daripada sekadar keindahan kata-kata, bait-bait puisi dan rangkaian prosa-prosa meruntun hati. Daripada pembacaan makalah ini akan dapat kita temui satu kesimpulan yang sangat kukuh tentang bahasa Melayu dan peranannya dalam penyebaran Islam serta pengekalannya hingga ke hari ini. Sebetulnya menurut Syed Naguib, pendakwah dan Ilmuan Islam pada zaman tersebut telah memilih bahasa yang disebut sebagai bahasa Melayu itu menjadi bahasa pengantar Islam di nusantara/ Asia tenggara bukan secara kebetulan. Sedangkan pada waktu itu, bahasa Melayu bukanlah bahasa sehari-harian utama masyarakat meskipun bahasa Melayu dikenali sebagai lingua-franca (bahasa perdagangan). Penggunaan bahasa Melayu tidak sehebat penggunaan bahasa Jawa pada peringkat tersebut di mana pengaruh hindu dan buddha bertapak kukuh. Pemilihan bahasa Melayu sebagai bahasa pengantar Islam sangat unik dan bukanlah sesuatu yang mengejutkan pula jika dinilai pada ciri-cirinya yang tersendiri.

Walaupun mungkin ramai yang meragui ketulenan dan keistimewaan Bahasa Melayu, namun sangat tidak keterlaluan jika dikatakan Bahasa Melayu ini ibarat bahasa Arab pada zaman Jahiliyyahnya. Bahasa ini masih suci dan dara. Masih belum terdapat pengaruh daripada agama-agama dan falsafah-falsafah lain. Bahasa ini senantiasa bersedia untuk dikembangkan mengikut corak agama Islam, menggunakan istilah-istilah yang sesuai untuk Islam sahaja pula. Dan tentunya perkembangan kedua-dua bahasa ini ( Arab dan Melayu) sangat-sangat dibentuk oleh Quran karim. Jika ada yang meragui kesucian Bahasa Melayu ini seperti yang didakwa, mungkin mereka harus mencari bukti yang menunjukkan kitab-kitab bagi agama buddha dan hindu dituliskan di dalam bahasa Melayu. Dan sejujurnya, agama-agama tersebut tidak pernah melahirkan ahli fikir atau failasuf Melayu-Buddha atau Melayu-Hindu seperti yang berlaku di negara-negara asalnya dan sepatutnya berlaku jika benar kedua-dua agama ini menjadi pegangan hidup masyarakat Melayu waktu itu. Sedangkan Islam telah berjaya melahirkan tokoh-tokoh intelek Melayu seperti Hamzah Fansuri, Nuruddin ar-Raniri, Abdul Rauf Singkel dan ramai lagi setelah kebangkitannya di Nusantara.

Amat menarik juga untuk melihat corak dan pola kebudayaan masyarakat nusantara sebelum ketibaan Islam ke sini. Mengikut catatan sejarawan Belanda Pirenne, buddhisma, hinduisma dan animisma menjadi anutan masyarakat pada waktu itu. Kenyataan ini benar tetapi konsep anutan ini sama sekali berbeza kerana yang terserap oleh rakyat jelata waktu itu adalah sekadar hasil seni atau kebudayaan estetik agama seperti ritual-ritual dan penceritaan hikayat dewa-dewa. Kecenderungan masyarakat Melayu adalah kepada sifat seni daripada falsafah dan mereka tidak mendalami metafisika dan falsafah hindu dan buddha walaupun nilaiannya memang sangat elok. Rakyat telah menolak ke tepi pemikiran akliah, rasionalisma dan juga intelektualisma. Mereka sebaliknya pula telah menjadikan nilaian golongan bangsawan sebagai nilaian hidup mereka. Perlu diingatkan di sini bahawa pada zaman itu, hanya golongan bangsawan yang benar-benar mengambil berat terhadap anutan mereka. Ini kerana golongan bangsawanlah yang menentukan nilai hidup dan cita yang perlu dipegang oleh rakyat jelata. Justeru, kedua-dua agama ini sebenarnya tidak berjaya mengubah pandangan hidup masyarakat Melayu dan membentuk kefahaman mereka terhadap nilaian beragama. Yang diwariskan zaman berzaman hanyalah sekadar kebudayaan yang sangat luar dan tipis yang tidak bersandarkan kepada pemikiran akliah.

Memang benar kesenian adalah suatu ciri yang mensifatkan tamadun, namun pandangan hidup yang berdasarkan kesenian itu adalah semata-mata merupakan kebudayaan estetik, kebudayaan klasik, yang dalam penelitian konsep peradaban sejarah bukanlah menandakan suatu masyarakat yang bersifat keluhuran budi dan akal serta pengetahuan ilmiah. Bahkan sejarah telah mengajar bahwa semakin indah dan rumit gaya senirupa, maka semakin menandakan kemerosotan budi dan akal....dalam menilai peranan dan kesan Islam, ciri-ciri yang harus dicari oleh mereka bukan pada tugu dan candi, pada pahatan dan wayang - ciri-ciri yang mudah dipandang mata jasmani - akan tetapi pada bahasa dan tulisan yang sebenarnya mencarakan daya budi dan akal merangkum pemikiran. – muka surat 19.

Petikan di atas menggambarkan cara terbaik untuk kita menilai kebudayaan Melayu iaitu melalui bahasa dan tulisan. Turut diterangkan adalah kefahaman tentang kesusasteraan sendiri iaitu penulisan yang merangkumi bidang-bidang ilmiah seperti pemikiran politik dan pendidikan, juga meliputi bidang-bidang kebudayaan seperti hasil agama, falsafah, sejarah , hukum, undang-undang serta adat istiadat. Kelihatannya zaman sekarang telah merubah kefahaman generasi baru terhadap sastera dan kita lebih cenderung untuk mendefinisikan sastera sebagai gaya penulisan yang indah dan berasingan daripada penulisan akademik juga ilmiah. Kedatangan Islam ke nusantara sebenarnya sangat banyak membentuk dan mencorakkan kebudayaan masyarakat Melayu.Tidak keterlaluan jika kita katakan bahawa kebudayaan Melayu memang tidak boleh diasingkan daripada nama Islam itu sendiri.

Kedatangan Islam ke Asia Tenggara telah banyak mempengaruhi cara hidup dan gaya berfikir masyarakat Melayu. Pada abad keenam belas dan ketujuh belas selepas kedatangan Islam, pembangunan rasionalisma dan intelektualisma sangat pesat berlaku. Ini menandakan peralihan zaman, pandangan hidup serta dasar kebudayaan masyarakat daripada dasar estetik kepada dasar saintifik. Dasar saintifik yang dimaksudkan adalah sesuatu dasar yang mempunyai bawaan dan sifat akliah berdasarkan ilmu pengetahuan, yang mempunyai cara dan gaya menganalisa sesuatu mengikut tatatertib ilmiah. Islam telah datang dan menerangkan konsep perihal Wujud secara rasional dan membuka lembaran baru kepada satu bahasa yang bakal dikenali sebagai Bahasa Melayu. Bahasa ini berkembang sejajar dengan kehendak pengetahuan Islam dan menjadikannya bahasa bertata logika, bahasa pemikiran akliah yang mengutamakan analisa. Aliran baru bahasa ini bersifat ringkas dan padat serta kemas gayanya. Inilah bentuk penulisan sastera ilmuan zaman lampau seperti ahli tasawwuf, ulama’, golongan ilmiah dan pensyarah. Hamzah Fansuri telah dimajukan oleh penulis sebagai pelopor aliran baru penulisan ini kerana beliau awal-awal sekali menulis secara rasional dan kritis, inteleknya telah berjaya menonjolkan fikiran murni manakala olahan bahasanya terkesan di fikiran serta keberaniannya menempuh saujana lautan falsafah.

Zaman telah banyak berubah sejak hari Bahasa Melayu diangkat sebagai pengantar agama ulung ini. Penghijrahan bentuk tulisan Bahasa Melayu daripada jawi kepada rumi sebenarnya merupakan salah satu agenda barat untuk memisahkan kita daripada identiti sebenar kebudayaan Melayu. Melayu kini telah menjadi seolah-olah asing dari Islam dan kabur tentang masa lampau yang sebenarnya cuba dipadamkan sedikit demi sedikit, hari demi hari. Kehilangan sejarah Islam inilah menjadi faktor kehilangan identiti bangsa kita yang dicari-cari lewat masa ini. Sastera itu lambang kebudayaan utama kita.Sastera pada zaman lampaunya tidak wujud sebagai novel-novel picisan bahkan sastera merupakan wadah utama segenap ilmu-ilmu untuk diperkembangkan di Asia Tenggara. Penulis diakhirnya telah memetik kisah Laila Majnun dalam memperkatakan tentang kedalaman cinta yang harus ada pada para sarjana Islam terhadap sejarah kita. Meskipun buruk di pandangan orang tetapi hakikat cinta yang benar dan jujur itu menembusi pandangan zahir.

Sebagai penutup ; kesusasteraan itu mencerminkan tamadun, yang merupakan kehidupan intelek...bahasa dan kesusasteraan itu memang merupakan intisari hasrat dan pemikiran insan dalam kehidupan – muka surat 65.

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Field: History of Islam
Title: Islam; a short history
Author: Karen Armstrong
Publication: Weidenfield and Nicolson, The Orion Publishing Group Ltd
ISBN: 1-84212-583-4
Rating:
Level: Intermediate
Reviewed by: A.S Abd Mokti

It has always been the case where Islam is being misunderstood by the masses. Islamophobia, the presentation of fear and ignorance of the Western society towards Islam haunts their popular imagination of the religion as an extreme faith that promotes authoritarian government, female oppression, civil war and terrorism. This book could be a vital corrective of the stereotype which demonstrates the idea of social justice and compassion which are and had always been the centre tenet of Islam.

Completed with maps and the chronology of the Islamic history, this book gives a bird’s view on the events in history dated back from 610 AD till the year 1998. There is also a list of A to Z of political, religious and academician throughout the History of Islam which is useful for readers to refer.

Beginning with the advent of preaching of Islam by Prophet Muhammad pbuh with dated back more than 1400 ago, Karen Armstong highlighted the era of tribulations and the uproar of the mushrik (infidels) as a retaliation against Muhammad’s teaching of Islamic Monotheism until the times of Madinah where the first Islamic state is founded. Followed heed is the history of the Khulafa’ Ar-rasyidun (Rightly-guided caliphs) and the First Fitnah (upheaval) which is an important marker of the commencement of division of the ummah.

Despite the emergence of sects due to political collision, Muslims continue to develop and explore new lands. However, Muslims would particularly disagree with the author on the point of the judgment of conquering other lands merely for material gain and influence backed by the upholding of the Shariah Law; which is unparallel to most of our (Muslim) believes and the description of the Umar II (Umar Abdul Aziz) tenure. Nevertheless, the Umayyads dynasty continued to flourish alongside the establishment of religious movement such as the Kharajites, Qadarites, Shiis until the last years of the dynasty when change in the leadership of the ummah is inevitable. The Abbasids through the manipulation of the Shiis came to power and brought the ummah to the level which is oftenly described as the ‘Golden Age of Islam’. The author also explains the origin of split between Shiis and Sunni Muslims and the emergence of Sufi mysticism and the beginning of esoteric movement of Shiis at a time when there is influx of information, new scientific discoveries and the translation of the Greek and Roman scriptures were occurring.

On the other hand, like any other civilization, Islam had to face the shattering effects of new orders which divide the empire but has its benefit as well. They are the Mongols from Central Asia and the Crusades from Christendom in the early till mid second Christian millennium. However, Islam and its empire were able to rise from the deadly culmination period and triumphs as the Ustaziyatul Alam (World Order) in which the author named as the period of ‘Imperial Islam’ between 1500 to 1700. The worlds saw 3 huge Islamic empires; the Safavid (Shiism inclined), Moghul Empire (Sufism inclined) and the Ottoman Empire.

In the mean time, the rise of the West particularly forces from Europe and the USA which is industrial-based bloomed the ideas of secularism, colonialism, capitalisme, socialism, facism, and the mostly-affecting idea of nationalism by which the states in began to demand for a local authority instead of a central authorization. The First World War, in which the Ottoman Empire fought along Germany and lost, is an event so significant that it topples the caliphate in favour for a secularized modern state of Turkey led by Mustafa Kamal the Attartuk.

Since then, Muslims continuously tried to rise from the defeat of which we saw the founding of the hard-line fundamentalist such as movement led by Syed Qutb and the moderate such as Dr Yusof Abdallah Al-qardhawi. The history has seen transformation of Islam through time in which the tenets of the deen (way of life) should be uphold. The author also made a point at the end that Western did contribute to the extremism in Islamic faith.

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