Good Book

chhotiyan hain and I’m bored 2 death… can any1 reccomend a really really stunning book 2 me???

Charles Le Gai Eaton’s “Islam and the destiny of man”. i think i’ve recommended this to ten guppies already :smack: :o

Washington Irving’s “The Alhambra”

Journey through Pakistan (don’t remember the authors, two gora guys - fantastic book with beauuuuutiful pictures)

nadia, how can u suggest eaton to everyone....
the guy talks so deep that u have to have pin-drop silence and a completely relaxed mind to read and get what he is saying....

have u tried reading his "king of the castle"????

try "the crisis of Islam: holy war and unholy terror" by Bernard Lewis....
and u will have spent quite a time agreeing and disagreeing with him as u read....

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Nadia_H: *
Washington Irving's "The Alhambra"

[/QUOTE]

Nadia I just got a hold of this book (along with a load of others).

Havent read it yet and dont think I will for a while, but just interested why did u like it so much.

[quote]
Nadia I just got a hold of this book (along with a load of others). Havent read it yet and dont think I will for a while, but just interested why did u like it so much.
[/quote]

Resurrected an old thread. i liked it because:

  • evokes a feeling, within the reader, of a time that is no more, one slice of history when an Islamic empire was strong and vibrant. You see a progression of time - makes you reflect on Cordoba, Andalusia, the Alhambra, the Umayyads (basically everything related to that period in that part of the world), the libraries that were the most well-stocked in the world, the cosmopolitan cities, the safe havens for Jews created in Muslim cities when the former were expelled in 1492 from Christendom, and then you get a reality check when you read about Boabdil and his tears as he left the Alhambra. It's not another woe-is-me-about-the-glorious-Muslim-past, but for ME it is an analysis of a bygone era - also makes you realize the depths of how far Muslim countries have fallen into their present abysmal socio-political conditions (i.e., lack of development and lack of honest political governance). You could write volumes about that period - intellectually and culturally, Muslim empires were at the peak at that particular time.

Besides which, Washington Irving actually visited the Alhambra himself, in person, so his primary source was his own experiences. This is fascinating especially when written by individuals hundreds of years ago...different style of writing. He offers you a chance to experience the Alhambra through his eyes... his perspectives and conclusions may or may not be accurate, but they are his judgements nevertheless and something useful may lie in them. Everyone may not share the same taste as me, thankfully (nor should they).

Armughal, Re "Islam and the destiny of man" - you answered your question. That's precisely why i like it.

if u want to read a bollywood type book, then read rani and sukh, its totally filmi!!!

rani and sukh? who's the author is it a british book or in pakistan?

found it on amazon, but limited availbility...

books

the time traveler's wife
angle of repose