Book Review : The House of Islam by Ed Husain

By Murtaza Kuwarawala -
I have so many reviews pending at this moment and have been procrastinating for quite a while on when to post the same. A lot of contemplation and I finally decided to take charge and go ahead on doing what is right which is helping people around chose good book. It has been a pretty long time since I picked up a Non-fiction book and this book turned out to be the perfect contender with everything that goes around the world. Read ahead to know my take on the book.

Blurb:

'Islam began as a stranger,' said the Prophet Mohammed, 'and one day, it will again return to being a stranger.'

The gulf between Islam and the West is widening. A faith rich with strong values and traditions, observed by nearly two billion people across the world, is seen by the West as something to be feared rather than understood. Sensational headlines and hard-line policies spark enmity, while ignoring the feelings, narratives and perceptions that preoccupy Muslims today.

Wise and authoritative, The House of Islam seeks to provide entry to the minds and hearts of Muslims the world over. It introduces us to the fairness, kindness and mercy of Mohammed; the aims of sharia law, through commentary on scripture, to provide an ethical basis to life; the beauty of Islamic art and the permeation of the divine in public spaces; and the tension between mysticism and literalism that still threatens the House of Islam.

My Take on the book:

As I had mentioned earlier, its been really long since I have picked up a non-fiction book and I did not know how to approach to review this one. Being a muslim myself, there were quite a few things that I was already aware of and this book is pretty straightforward in what it has to portray. Unlike many books that focus on religion, this book does not entirely try to give an image makeover to Islam but does sound pretty balanced on what is right and what is wrong.

Being a non fiction, quite a lot of historical references is added and as a person who used to dislike history in school days, this book was quite a surprise. The language is quite easy to grasp and the author has done a pretty good job making it simpler for people following other faiths. 

The book has been divided into four parts where each focuses on different aspects of Islam. From analysing the differences between various clans/sects to their relationships with others to how the perception of the people have changed over the years, this book talks about it all.

This is basically my second book on Islam and when I compare this with the earlier one, this one is much more elaborated. If I had to give an opinion on this book, I would say, go ahead, pick it up but make sure you have an unbiased mind before delving into this one. I'm sure you will love reading it and have a much broader perspective on Islam is all about. Also, the cover of the book is very beautiful and I would like to thank Bloomsbury for providing me a review copy of it.

My Rating : 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 out of 5

Book in Three Words : Informative. Elaborate. Myth-buster.

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