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IQRA Publications represents the
endeavour of the IWT in the ever-growing field of
Islamic publishing in India. Catering to the tastes of a
wide section of the Islam-reading public, IQRA
Publications has managed to bring out new titles on
Islam regularly over the past two decades of its
operation. With its main publishing office situated in
the Darussalam complex of the Muslim Orphanage on
Queen’s Road, Bangalore, the concern has a significant
presence throughout the country and abroad through a
line of dedicated dealer networks. Some of the books
that have been published by IQRA to date include the
following:
Tafsir Ishraq al-Ma’ani Vol. I-XII & Juz 30
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 1997-2007, 265x13pp.)
With the revival of interest in Islam
in our times, the Qur’an is also being increasingly
read, especially by the intellectuals: Muslims and
non-Muslims alike. However, and although its message and
central theme have been stated in unambiguous terms, its
translation fails to impart the same meaning with the
same effect. Additionally, the Qur’an deals with every
subject of human concern and gives guidelines for
application to life and society. This increases its
scope widely, and requires on the part of the reader
knowledge of various disciplines for proper appreciation
of its message. It is specially important to know how
the Qur’an was understood by those who received it
first: Prophet Muhammad, on whom be Allah’s peace, and
his immediate followers. Second in order of interest and
importance would be to know how the scholars of Islam
have understood it in every age. The present work
endeavours in the main to provide this information.
However, it also presents useful notes, variant notes,
variant opinions, anecdotes and legal points – from
commentaries old and new.
Muhammad, the unlettered Prophet who changed the world
in 23 years
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 1993, 125pp.)
A short, but compelling, biography of
the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh). A must-read for those
interested in the life of the Prophet, but who cannot
find the time for reading larger biographical accounts.
Bilal, the Abyssinian Outrunner
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 1993, 100pp.)
An authentic, inspiring and moving
account of the life of the African Bilal - the first to
embrace Islam among the slaves in the Makkah of
Muhammad’s time.
Management and Administration in Islam
(by Dr.
Muhammad Abdullah al-Buraey, 2002, 470pp.)
Richard Chapman of the University of
Durham comments, thus, about this book: “From the early
documents of the religious leaders, numerous rules for
public administrative behaviour and procedure may be
extracted, and these are supplemented by the wisdom of
Islamic administration. They are brought together using
systemic approach, to form an ‘ideal Islamic
administrative model.’ The result is the emphasis on the
dignity of the individual, social equity and personal
growth…” The
Future World Order – Vol. I
(by Abdul
Aziz F. al-Mubarak, 1999, 328pp.)
This is the first of a series of
books which should be in every library and in the
possession of every reader concerned with the present
civilization and its influence on the lives of
humankind. From a rational perspective this book
addresses science, religion, and the present age and
corrupt world-order, which is increasingly becoming
irrelevant and giving way to its superior replacement,
elaborated on by this book. The book also shows that the
present civilization, led by the West, particularly the
US, is lopsided in its ‘progress’ – it is heavy on the
empirical sciences but deficient on the moral
(divine-oriented) values; since the values of this
civilization are secular, they are empty with respect to
real personal deterrence. As we are part of it, per
choice or per force, it is dragging us and the entire
human race along a path of destruction unless rescued.
This book is a sincere, inviting, effort in this
endeavour.
Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 2005, 109pp.)
Ali Miyan was downright moralist and
spiritualist. While to some modernistic scholars the
past is the intellectual albatross that the Ummah sooner
discarded the better for it, to Ali Miyan it is a legacy
that must be made a subject of study. According to them,
you look at the past to find out ‘why’ you are, and
‘where’ you are in your decline. To Abul Hasan Ali, you
look at the past to find out ‘how much’ you had
declined. To some, the Ummah needs a fresh agenda. Abul
Hasan Ali envisaged the Ummah’s journey into the future
as a continuation of the past on the well-trodden path
as taken by the Salaf, the Imams, the Mujaddidun,
renowned scholars, and – not to forget – what is
anathema to some: the Shuyukh and the great Sufis.
Fundamentals of the Islamic Creed
(by Abu
Jafer al-Tahawi; Tr: Syed Iqbal Zaheer, 1999, 255pp.)
The book is a summary of the faiths
and beliefs of the Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah, the
mainstream Muslims. The scholars and the jurists are
unanimous that the articles of faith as formulated by
Imam Tahawi most accurately reflect the mind and
understanding of the earliest Muslims. It is free from
incorrect interpretations, over-exemplification and any
distortion of the ideas promulgated by Islam. There is
also a general agreement that the commentary on the
original work as done by Qadi Ibn Abi Al-Izz Al-Adhrui
is also an accurate elucidation of what Tahawi meant to
express. It strives to be very close to the texts of the
Qur’an and the Sunnah, and without overstretching the
meaning, attempts to project the opinion of the great
majority of scholars in matters where differences in
opinion prevail.
A Voice to Hear
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 1998, 94pp.)
Many non-Muslims wish to know what
the Qur’an is about, but are not sure if they should
procure a copy. These passages should give them some
idea of the central theme of the Qur’anic message: Man’s
creation by God, sending of Prophets, destruction of the
world, raising up of the dead, accounting and judgement.
Hadith of the Night Vision
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 2005, 130pp.)
A Prophet’s duty is not simply to
communicate, but rather to communicate successfully. In
other words, a Prophet does not merely offer a message,
but sees to it that the message is received correctly –
by the minds and souls. This is one of the reasons why
the scholars of Islam insist on Muslims reading the
texts by themselves. The way a Prophet can communicate,
no one else can. The hadith (and its explanation)
presented in this book is an example of this. The
Prophet could have stated the text of the hadith in a
simple, straightforward way. But he chose to do it in an
elaborate manner, thus forcing its entry into our minds
and souls and leaving impressions for a long while.
The Splitter of the Dawn
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 2007, 129pp.)
Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) dictated a
work whose equivalent could not be produced to this day.
Pickthall and Arberry – two translators of the Qur’an –
called it inimitable. But the Prophet made it clear that
it was not his writing. So this is amazing: those who
have committed themselves to disbelief reverse the logic
of plagiarism, and attribute the Qur’an to Muhammad (pbuh),
while he refused! This booklet offers a few verses of
the amazing Qur’an.
Islam, the Religion you can no longer ignore
(by Syed
Iqbal Zaheer, 2002, 76pp.)
This book deals with the single most
important issue of your life: that of your relationship
with God – Allah in Arabic – the one God who created
you, nourishes you, and to whom you shall return with
death. If you have set right your relationship with Him,
then while this life becomes a prelude to it, blessings
of an unimaginable kind await you in the Hereafter. On
the other hand, if the relationship has not been set
right, then, and assuredly, a disaster of stupendous
magnitude awaits those who refuse to give their Lord His
due: love, thanks, obedience and worship.
Islamic Code of Practice for the Medical Profession
(by a
board of Islamic Medical Practitioners; Tr: Syed Iqbal
Zaheer, 41pp., 2003)
When compared with the ancient
Hippocratic oath that doctors usually make at the end of
their studies, the code of practice for the medical
profession as presented in this little book is
definitely wider in scope, reasonable and humanistic. In
today’s world of declining morals, this is certainly a
refreshing and elevating contribution and should reach
every practitioner and worker in the field of medicine,
whatever his or her religious persuasion. After all, the
medical profession is above all persuasions and
prejudices.
I would like to repent, but..!
(by
Muhammad Saleh al-Munajjid; Tr: Syed Iqbal Zaheer, 1993,
60pp.)
With the passage of time it is
becoming clearer that the modern age is not simply
suffering from a moral crisis but of total confusion
about what is right and what is wrong. The tragedy is
not that the finer points go unappreciated but that the
world has come to question the validity of even age-old
truths. This has left young men and women totally
confused about their course of action. Injustices are
multiplying at a great pace and threaten to explode any
moment into a fireball of conflicts that may engulf the
whole world. In such circumstances, this book is a
welcome addition. It offers the penitent useful
guidelines and dwells upon those aspects of repentance
that are the very speciality of Islam.
Fake Pearls
(by Syed Iqbal Zaheer, 2001, 230pp.)
A remarkable thing about Islam is the
authenticity of its two sources: the Qur’an and the
Prophetic sayings. The Qur’an of course takes care of
itself. Its inimitability guarantees that it will remain
unaltered to the end of the world. But the Prophetic
sayings are less inwardly defended. The early scholars
of Islam therefore quickly set about documenting the
trustworthy reports. But that was no guarantee against
fresh incursions of the untrustworthy ones. Preachers,
zealots, ascetics, pamphleteers, story-tellers and
ignorant Samaritans of every age give currency to old
narratives and add a few of their own invention. In
their early phase these reports remain in verbal
circulation. But, with time, they infiltrate into
written works. The scholars therefore take to purging
them out. The cycle goes on. This present work –
collected from five different books – is a short
collection of such reports as falsely attributed to the
Prophet, and which have somehow been popular among the
masses through the centuries. |
