Five Books You Should Read To Better Understand Islam

Due to the rise of terrorist activities recently, there have been many misconceptions about Islam and its teachings. This article provides an overview of five books on Islam to improve your knowledge and understanding. Let’s take a look at these books.

1. Purification of the Heart: Signs, Symptoms, and Cures of the Spiritual Diseases of the Heart (By: Sheikh Muhammad Mawlud)

This list begins with Purification of the Heart, a book that offers refreshing advice. Before embarking on your journey with religion, you need clear intentions and a pure heart, and this book will provide both.

“Matharat al-Qulub,” a poem known for offering a means to attain spiritual purification, is the basis of this text. The book was written by Shaykh Muhammad Mawlud, one of the greatest scholars of Islam who mastered all Islamic sciences.

This volume addresses spiritual diseases of the heart, such as greed, ostentation, vanity, fraud, and hatred. A discussion of the causes of each disease is given by Imam Mawlud, along with cures for each. Rather than a one-time application, his teachings imply that purification should be a lifelong process.

Spiritual purification of the heart is one of the oldest religious concerns explored in this book. Readers are guided through a well-known Muslim text with important commentary relevant to today and people of all faiths.

2. A Thinking Person’s Guide to Islam (By: H.R.H Prince Ghazi Bin Muhammad)

Today, we find ourselves at a crossroads in the world. It seems like a small minority of Muslims want to hijack Islam and bring it into perpetual conflict. Due to their actions, very few non-Muslims understand how Islam evolved from its original form to its perverted form today. The book gives a positive evaluation of Islam as it is today and as it has always been.

This book is a gem for explaining the true nature of Islam to its readers. This book gives a comprehensive overview of the religion, as well as answers to fundamental questions, such as “What is Islam?”, “Who is Allah?”, “Why did God create humanity? What is the meaning of worldly life?”

Moreover, the author uses twelve verses from twelve different Quranic chapters to answer the questions.

Try the Islamic Finder app for accurate prayer times and Adhan notifications. Get your hands on a digital copy of the Quran and access a comprehensive collection of Hadiths written by well-known writers.

3. Minhaj ul Muslim (By: Sheikh Abu Bakr Jaber Al-Jazairi)

Islamic books published by the leading Imams are also extremely popular, but a common person is unlikely to comprehend them in this day and age fully. For the people to obey the Quran and the Sunnah, they must be concise and have a definite solution to every problem. We should try to find evidence and satisfy ourselves by consulting other scholars, but we have to do so.

In this offer of Darussalam, Minhaj-ul-Muslim, sheikh Abu Bakr Jaber Al-Jazairi compiled a wonderful gift for every Muslim. An overview of all of Islam’s rules and regulations has been presented in one volume to the people. As far as Islam is concerned, this book is an extensive compilation of Quranic and Sunni teachings.

4. Easy Good Deeds (By: Mufti Muhammad Taqi Usmani)

Easy Good Deeds is a valuable book that provides detailed instructions on performing many simple good deeds with little or no effort. In this book, the author highlights a wide range of actions that require little effort but reap abundant rewards. 

In this concise work, readers will discover how easy it is to perform many righteous actions and ultimately be inspired to practice Islam fully.

The Mufti Taqi ‘Uthmani is one of our time’s most prominent Islamic scholars. A scholar of Islamic law, economics, and Hadith, he has authored more than 40 books. In addition to holding a law degree, he has also served on the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s Shari’ah Appellate Bench. 

He has been pivotal in the creation of Islamic financial institutions and the establishment of interest-free banks. He also happens to be a deputy chairman of the Organization of Islamic Conference’s (OIC) Islamic Fiqh Council in Jeddah, which is based in Saudi Arabia.

5. Namaz e Nabvi (By: Dr. Shafiqu ur Rehman)

Are you sure the salah you offer follows the Sunnah and there are no mistakes made? Most people are unaware of mistakes they make and unfamiliar with the Prophet’s (PBUH) method of prayer and tajweed quran online. Every Muslim must learn the method of prayer since prayer is an integral part of their religious obligations.

A book titled Namaz e Nabvi was written by the prominent Pakistani scholar Dr. Shafiqu ur Rehman to benefit the Ummah. This book presents it in light of how the sunnah performs ablution and salah correctly. Under the name “Prayers according to the Sunnah,” this Islamic book is available in English.

Numerous additions have been made to this edition, making it more detailed and up-to-date.

Final Thoughts

These are the five books that you can consult to understand Islam. Although there are many other books we can read, these five should be enough for someone who is a new convert to Islam.

These books are also suitable for young Muslims who have difficulty performing their religious duties. Those in constant conflict with worldly obligations and spiritual beliefs can take some time and get guidance from these books.