FMW - Resources

FMW Book List

In light of increasing demands for information on Muslim women in North American society, FMW has created the following bibliography. FMW recommends these publications to those seeking accurate, trustworthy information on Muslim women and the North American Muslim community.

Important Note: This list was drawn up in order to foster intelligent debate and reflection on issues facing women in Islam, and to draw attention to less stereotypical works on this subject. FMW does not promote adherence to any particular legal school or endorse the views of any individual scholar.

It is assumed that all sisters and brothers will read widely on topics of interest and concern to them, and that when making lifestyle or legal decisions will, as appropriate, consult knowledgeable and competent professionals.

WOMEN IN ISLAM

Aisha Bewley Islam: The Empowering of Women (London: TaHa Publishers,1999). [An introductory discussion of the roles played by early and medieval Muslim women in scholarship, politics and Sufism.]

Huda Khattab Bent Rib: A Journey Through Women's Issues in Islam (London: TaHa Publishers, 1997). [Deals with controversial issues such as domestic violence, failure to educate girls, and exploitation of non-Muslim women by Muslim men, arguing that non-Islamic cultural practices are undermining the rights Islam gives to women.]

Aisha Lemu The Ideal Muslim Husband (Alexandria, VA: Saadawi Publications, 1992). [For those who are tired of hearing about the 'ideal Muslim woman', this booklet is a breath of fresh air.]

Anne Sofie Roald Women in Islam: The Western Experience (London and New York: Routledge, 2001). [Discusses the debate on the 'position' of Muslim women, including such issues as gender roles, female genital cutting, divorce, and women in politics, and shows how Muslims in the West are reinterpreting texts in a more egalitarian direction.]

Hasan Turabi Women in Islam and Muslim Society (London: Milestones Publishers, 1991). [This booklet has been making waves since its initial limited circulation in the Sudan in 1973. Using the Qur'an and hadith, the author argues that traditional limitations on Muslim women often have nothing to do with Islam.]

AbuSulayman, Abdul Hamid. Chastising Wives: Qur'anic Verse
Re-interpreted, Women's Dignity Reconsidered. Herndon, VA:
International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2002.

Al Faruqi, Ismael & Lamya, Lois. Women, Muslim Society and Islam.
United States of America: American Trust Publication, 1988.

Badawi, Jamal. The Status of Women In Islam. Indiana: The Islamic
Society of North America (ISNA), 1993.

Nurbakhsh, Javad. Sufi Women. London and New York: Khaniqahi-
Nimatullahi Publications, 1990.

Turabi, Hasan. Women in Islam and Muslim Society. London:
Milestones Publishers,1991.

ISLAMIC CULTURE

Behrens-Abouseif, D. Beauty in Arabic Culture.

Clevenot, Dominique. Splendors of Islam: Architecture, Decoration
and Design.

Fabius, Carine. Mehndi: The Art of Henna Body Painting.

Hegedus, Umar. Muslim Mosque.

Komanoff, L. Introduction to Islamic Art.

Macaulay, David. Mosque.

MacDonald, Fiona & Bergin, Mark. A 16th Century Mosque. New
York: Peter Bedrick Books, 1998.

Protheroe, Robin. Visiting A Mosque.

Robinson, Francis. The Cambridge Illustrated History of the Islamic
World. New York: Cambridge University Press, 1996.

Safadi, Y.H. Islamic Calligraphy. Colorado: Shambhala Publications
Inc., 1978

WOMEN AND THE QUR'AN

Asma Barlas "Believing Women" in Islam: Unreading Patriarchal Interpretations of the Qur'an (Austin: University of Texas Press, 2002). [Rereads the Qur'an on a variety of issues and argues that its teachings are egalitarian.]

Amina Wadud-Muhsin Qur'an and Woman: Rereading the Sacred Text from a Woman's Perspective (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999) [Demonstrates that it is not the text of the Qur'an itself, but the interpretations of it that have limited women.]

NOTE: The question of what translation of the Qur'an is best is often asked. Muslims maintain that every translation is but an interpretation, not the Qur'an itself. The two translations most commonly used by Muslims are those by Marmaduke Pickthall and Abdullah Yusuf Ali. However, both use terms such as "man" when a more accurate translation would be "people", and many of the footnotes in the Yusuf Ali translation reflect attitudes to women and non-Muslims common in the subcontinent in the 1930's, and seem quaint if not offensive today.

The translation by Muhammad Asad is generally good, and shows some awareness of gender issues. The translation by Hilali and Khan frequently reads ultraconservative ideas into the text, and can be misleading.

ISLAM

Abdul-Fadl, Mona. Introducing Islam from Within: Alternative
Perspectives. United Kingdom: Islamic Foundation, 1991.

Abdul-Rauf, Muhammad. “Pilgrimage to Mecca.” National
Geographic. November 1978: 581-607.

Bashier, Zakaria. The Makkan Crucible. United Kingdom: The Islamic
Foundation, 1991.

El-Ashi, Arafat K. Luminaries of Islam. Canada: Muslim World
League.

Esposito, John I. Islam: The Straight Path. New York: Oxford
University Press,1988.

Esposito, John I. What Everyone Needs to Know About Islam.
New York: Oxford University Press.

Ghazi, Suhaib Hamid. Ramadan.

Gumley, Frances. Pillars of Islam: An Introduction to Islamic Faith.

Hamidullah, Muhammad. Introduction to Islam. Paris, Centre Culturel
Islamique, 1969.

Hoyt-Goldsmith, Diane. Celebrating Ramadan.

Khawaldeh, Samira Fayyad. The Most Beautiful Names of Allah.
India: Goodword Books, 2004.

Moktefi, Mokhtar & Ageorges, Veronique. The Arabs In The Golden Age.
Connecticut: The Millbrook Press, 1992.

Murad, Khurram. Dying and Living for Allah. Islamic Foundation UK.
ISBN # 0860373363

Ontario Multifaith Council on Spiritual and Religious Care. Mulitfaith
Information Manual. Canada: Ontario Multifaith Council on
Spiritual and Religious Care, 1995.

Pickthall, Mohammed Marmaduke. The Meaning of The Glorious
Quran.

Qutb, Sayed. Islam and Universal Peace. Indiana: American Trust
Publications, 1977.

Rahman, Fazlur. Islam. United States of America: The University of
Chicago Press, 1979.

Winchester, Faith. Muslim Holidays.

Westermarch, Edward. The History of Human Marriage. London:
Macmillan,1925.

ISLAMIC DRESS

Layla Barron Focus on Scarf Styling (Gatesville, South Africa: Hidden Treasure Press, 1994). [The author shows that Islamic dress need not be drab. Students, women working outside the home, and those who like to experiment with different styles will find this book useful.]

Fadwa El-Guindi Veil: Modesty, Privacy and Resistance (Oxford and New York: Berg, 1999). [This academic work discusses various types of women's Islamic dress in traditional and modern Middle Eastern communities from an anthropological perspective.] Hijab: An Act of Faith [Video]. [North American Muslim women talk about why they choose to dress Islamically.]

Syed Mutawalli ad-Darsh Muslim Women's Dress: Hijab or Niqab (Kuala Lumpur: Islamic Book Trust, 1997). [A Muslim scholar living in Britain addresses the question of face-veiling, and demonstrates that the Qur'an, hadith and the opinions of the majority of classical Muslim authorities do not require it.]

Alvi, S.S., Hoodfar, H., & McDonough, S. The Muslim Veil in North
America: Issues and Debates.Toronto: Women’s Press, 2003.

Mabro, Judy. Veiled Half-Truths: Western Travellers' Perceptions of
Middle Eastern Women. London: I.B. Tauris, 1991.

WOMEN'S SPIRITUALITY

Muhammad al-Jibaly Regulations of Worship During Menses (Beirut: al-Kitaab and as-Sunnah Publishing, 2001). [Basing his discussion on the Qur'an and hadith, this scholar argues that, contrary to the rulings of most classical scholars, menstruating women can enter mosques and touch and recite the Qur'an.]

Javad Nurbakhsh Sufi Women (London and New York: Khaniqahi-Nimatullahi Publications, 1990. [Short biographies of Sufi women from the seventh to nineteenth centuries C.E.]

Aliah Schleifer Mary the Blessed Virgin of Islam (Louisville, Ky.: Fons Vitae, 1998). [Traces the views of classical Sunni Muslim scholars on Mary, including the debate over whether or not she is a prophet.]

Abu Abd ar-Rahman as-Sulami Early Sufi Women [Dhikr an-Niswa al-Muta'abbidat as Sufiyyat], Rkia E. Cornell, trans. (Louisville, Ky.: Fons Vitae, 1999). [This translation of a long-lost work on early Sufi women is a portrayal of an independent Muslim female spirituality.]

HUMAN RIGHTS IN ISLAM

Badawi, Jamal. Gender Equity in Islam: Basic Principles. 1999.

Khoder, Mohammad. Human Rights in Islam. Zaid Al-Husain
Translates. Beirut: Dar Khoder, 1988.

NORTH AMERICAN MUSLIMS

At My Mother's Feet: Stories of Muslim Women. Sadia Zanan, ed.(Kingston, ON: Quarry Women's Books, 1999). [Canadian Muslim women tell their stories.] Aminah Beverly McCloud, African American Islam (New York and London:Routledge, 1995). [Includes chapters on women and the family in contemporary African American Muslim communities.]

Windows of Faith: Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North America, Gisela Webb, ed. (Syracuse, NY: Syracuse University Press, 2000). [A collection of insightful essays dealing with issues ranging from women in the early Muslim era to rape in modern Pakistani law.]

Bullock, Katherine. Rethinking Muslim Women and The Veil:
Challenging Historical and Modern Stereotypes. The International
Institute of Islamic Thought.

Kahf, Mohja. Western Representations of the Muslim Woman: From
Termagant to Odalisque. Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999.

The Near East Cultural and Educational Foundation of Canada (NECEF). Teaching About The Arabs in Ontario. 1988.

MUSLIM WOMEN IN HISTORY

Jean Boyd The Caliph's Sister--Nana Asma'u (1793-1865) Teacher, Poet and Islamic Leader (London: Frank Cass and Co. Ltd.). [Asma'u, a nineteenth century Islamic scholar in what is now northern Nigeria, played prominent cultural and political roles in the Sokoto Caliphate.]

Muhammad Hisham Kabbani and Laleh Bakhtiar Encyclopedia of Muhammad's Women Companions and the Traditions They Related (Chicago, Il.: Kazi Publications, 1998). [Gives a good overview, in English, of the wide range of hadith transmitted by the female companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him).]

Muhammad Ibn Sa'd The Women of Madina [Kitab at-Tabaqat al-Kabir],Aisha Bewley, trans. (London: TaHa Publishers, 1995). [Ever wonder what roles women played in the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and immediately after? This work paints a vivid picture of how such women were remembered by the time of Ibn Sa'd (d. 845 C.E.), as persecuted converts, teachers of the faith, and even sometimes as prayer leaders and warriors.]

Kabbani, Muhammad Hisham and Bakhtiar, Laleh. Encyclopedia of
Muhammad's Women Companions and the Traditions They
Related. Chicago, Il.: Kazi Publications, 1998.

STEREOTYPES OF MUSLIM WOMEN

Judy Mabro Veiled Half-Truths: Western Travellers' Perceptions of Middle Eastern Women (London: I.B. Tauris, 1991). [Quoting from travellers' descriptions of Middle Eastern women, the author shows that many nineteenth century images used to describe them--as ghosts, animals, or inferior beings--are still in use today.]

Mohja Kahf Western Representations of the Muslim Woman: From Termagant to Odalisque (Austin: University of Texas Press, 1999). [Surprisingly enough, western Europeans have not always imagined the Muslim woman as oppressed. When Muslim states were powerful, the western image of Muslim women was active and threatening, but as Europe gained political ascendancy Muslim women came to be depicted as passive and in need of rescuing.]

SICKNESS AND DEATH

Abdur Razak, Faisal Sheikh. The Book of Death. Canada: Al Attique
Publishers Inc.

Al Haddad, Abdallah. The Lives of Man. Louisville: KY: The
Quilliam Press Ltd., 1991.

Al Jibaly, Muhammad. The Inevitable Journey Part 1: Sickness:
Regulations and Exhortations. Texas: Al Kitaab & As-Sunnah
Publishing. ISBN # 1-891229-01-X

Kutty, Ahmad Sheikh. Islamic Funeral Rites and Practices. The
Islamic Foundation of Toronto Publishers.

Syed, Amjad. Islamic Perspective on Prayers and Coping with
Sickness. ISNA Canada. ISBN # 0-9731641-0-7

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Abdul Hamid AbuSulayman Chastising Wives: Qur'anic Verse Re-interpreted, Women's Dignity Reconsidered (Herndon, VA: International Institute of Islamic Thought, 2002). [The author reexamines classical interpretations of the Qur'an and argues that striking women was never meant to be used as a way to handle marital problems.]

Asifa Quraishi "Her Honor: An Islamic Critique of the Rape Laws of Pakistan from a Woman-Sensitive Perspective", in Windows of Faith--Muslim Women Scholar-Activists in North America, Gisela Webb, ed. (Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2000), pp. 102-135. [On the basis of classical texts, the author argues that rape should be classified as "hiraba" (an act of terror) against women, not as a sub-category of "zina" (fornication/adultery).]

ISLAM AND SCIENCE

Bucaille, Maurice. The Bible The Quran and Science. The United
States of America: American Trust Publications, 1979.

Bucaille, Maurice. What is the Origin of Man: The Answers of Science
and the Holy Scriptures. Paris: Seghers, 1984.

Nasr, Seyyed Hoosein. Islamic Science: An Illustrated Study.
England: The World of Islam Festival Publishing Company Ltd.,
1976

POETRY

Barks, Coleman. Rumi: Birdsong: Fifty-three Short Poems. Georgia:
Maypop Books, 1993.

Barks, Coleman. Delicious Laughter: Rambunctious Teaching Stories
from the Mathnawi of Jelaluddin Rumi. Georgia: Maypop
Books, 1990.

Fitzgerald, Edward. Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. New York:
Weathervane Books.

THE PROPHETS (PEACE BE UPON THEM)

Dawud, Abdu’l-Ahad. Muhammad in the Bible. Qatar: The
Department of Islamic Affairs, 1995.

Islam, Yusuf. Life of the Last Prophet. United States of America: Mountain of Light

CHILDREN'S BOOKS

Muslim girls need to see themselves as depicted as intelligent and capable persons in the books they read. These books attempt to do just that.

(Ages 4 and up)

Dalia Salaam Mary and the Angel & Baby Jesus Speaks. Stories from the Qur'an 5 (London: Hood Hood Books, 2000). [The story of Mary, told in simple language with attractive illustrations.]

(Ages six and up)

Ediba Kezzeiz Grandma's Garden (Indianapolis, IN: American Trust Publications, 1991). [A sister and brother deal with the death of their grandmother.]

(Ages eight and up)

Ediba Kezzeiz The Hajj Adventures of Jamila and Fasfoose (Indianapolis,IN: American Trust Publications, 1994). [An American Muslim girl and her pet mouse survive being lost at Hajj.]

Rukhsana Khan Muslim Child: A Collection of Short Stories and Poems (Toronto: Napoleon Publishing, 1999).

(Ages ten and up)

Abd al-Rahman Azzam Ibn Battuta and the Tatar Princess (London: Hood Hood Books, 1998). [The indefatigable forteenth century world traveller, Ibn Battuta, meets an independent-minded Tatar princess as he travels through Turkey.]

Salman Asif, Razia, Warrior Queen of India (London: Hood Hood Books,1998). [Razia, a learned woman, founded schools and libraries and promoted interfaith harmony. Her brother resents her accession to the throne, and tries to overthrow her.]

(General Children's Reading)

Aktar, N. Samira's Eid.

Al Farouqi, Ismael & Lamya, Lois. The Cultural Atlas of Islam. New
York: McMillan Publishers Co., 1986.

Andrich, Tom. Decorate Yourself: Cool Designs for Temporary
Tattoos, Face Painting, Henna, & More.

Attar, Farid Ud-Din. The Conference of the Birds. London: Penguin
Books, 1984.

Azzam, Abd al-Rahman. Ibn Battuta and the Tatar Princess. London:
Hood Hood Books, 1998.

Demi. One Grain of Rice: A Mathematical Folktale. New York:
Scholastic Press, 1997.

Iqra Trust. Travellers and Explorers. London: Iqra Trust, 1992.

Islam, Yusuf. A is For Allah. United States of America: Mountain of
Light.

Jones, Lynda. Kids Around the World Celebrate! Best Feasts and
Festivals From Many Lands.

Jones-Bey, Hassaun Ali. Better Than A Thousand Months: An
American Family Celebration.

Kezzeiz, Ediba. Grandma’s Garden. Indianapolis, IN: American Trust
Publications, 1991.

Kezzeiz, Ediba. The Hajj Adventures of Jamila and Fasfoose.
Indianapolis, IN: American Trust Publications, 1994.

Kezzeiz, Ediba. When I Grow Up. Indianapolis, IN: American Trust
Publications,1995.

Khan, Rukhsana. King of the Skies. Canada: North Winds Press,
2001.

Khan, Rukhsana. Muslim Child: A Collection of Short Stories and
Poems. Toronto: Napoleon Publishing, 1995.

Mathews, Mary. Magrid Fasts for Ramadan.

Maugham, W. Somerset. Appointment. Adapted by Alan Benjamin.
New York: Green Tiger Press, 1993.

Mistry, N. The Swirling Hijaab. <http://www.mantrapublishing.com>.

Moslimany, A. Zaki's Ramadan Fast.

Muir, Suzanne. Medieval Times. Canada: Rubicon Publishing Inc.,
2004.

Muir, Suzanne. Medieval Times Unit <pathwaysmail@yahoo.com>

Muir, Suzanne. Villains. Canada: Rubicon Publishing Inc., 2004.

Salaam, Dalia. Mary and the Angel and Baby Jesus Speaks. Stories
From the Quran 5. London: Hood Hood Books, 2000.

Salah, Comilita. Ramadan Activities.

Smith, David J. If the World Were a Village: A Book about the World’s
People. Toronto: Kids Can Press, 2002.

(Teenage)

Reshma Baig The Memory of Hands (New York: International Books and Tapes Supply, 1998). [In this collection of short stories, Muslim girls and young women carve out their identities and question cultural limitations.]

Rukhsana Khan Dahling If You Luv Me Would You Please, Please Smile [A Muslim young woman gains the respect of her classmates, and frees herself from the religious guilt trip placed on her by her older sister]

Nasr, Seyyad Hossein. Young Muslims Guide to Modern World.