Resources

Here are more resources to learn about Islamic History.

Thank you to the Noor Cultural Centre for compiling the original list.

Videos

Science & Islam, Parts 1-3. (BBC, 2009)

An Islamic History of Europe (BBC, 2009)

What the Ancients Did for US: Islamic Civilization (BBC, 2005)

When the Moors Ruled in Europe (Acorn Media, 2005)

The Story of Maths: The Genius of the Easy (BBC, 2008)

Art of Spain: The Moorish South (BBC, 2008)

The Man Who Walked Across the World - Part 1, 2, and 3 (BBC, 2007)

Hidden Civilization: Paradise Found (BBC, ND)

The Lost Libraries of Timbuktu (BCC, 2010)

Islam & The Prophet Muhammad

Event Recording | ‘Muhammad: Prophet of Peace Amid the Clash of Empires’ by Prof. Juan Cole (Noor Cultural Centre, January 19, 2019)

Islam Explained: A Short Introduction to History, Teachings, and Culture (2020)

Islam – A Short History, by Karen Armstrong (Modern Library, 2002)

Muhammad: A Prophet of Our Time, by Karen Armstrong (Harperone, 2007)

The Story of the Qur’an – Its History and Place in Muslim Life, by Ingrid Mattson (Blackwell Publishing, 2008)

Major Themes of the Qur’an, by Fazlur Rahman (Bibliotheca Islamica, 1989)

The Qur’an: A User’s Guide, by Farid Esack (Oneworld, 2005)

Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World, by Jonathan A C Brown (Oneworld, 2009)

And God Alone Knows the Soldiers: The Authoritative and Authoritarian in Islamic Discourse, by Khaled Abou El Fadl (University Press of America, 2011)

Animals in the Qur’an, by Sarra Tlili (Cambridge University Press, 2012)

Further Reading

El-Tawhid Juma Circle Gender-equal, LGBT-affirming mosque.

Ismaili Queers: Advocates for Pluralism International group with large representation in Toronto. Contact

Salaam Canada: Salaam Canada is a volunteer-run national organization dedicated to creating space for people who identify as both Muslim and queer and trans.

There Was No Black ‘Contribution’ to Islam (2017)

“this article …. confront[s] the implicit way Black Muslims are often regarded as fringe associates rather than inherent fellows.”

Islam’s invented Golden Age (2013)

“it has become apparent that simple and naïve binaries, such as reason vs. revelation, rationalist vs. scripturalist, Golden Age vs. Dark Ages, and philosopher vs. mulla, must simply be discarded”

The Lost Female Scholars of Islam (2011)

“when I started, I thought there may be thirty to forty women, but as the study progressed, the accounts of female scholars kept growing and growing, until eventually there were no less than 8,000 biographical accounts to be found. Such vast numbers truly testify to the huge role that women have played in the preservation and development of Islamic learning since the time of the blessed Prophet Muhammad.”