The House of Islam – Ed Husain

Blurb:
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.

The decline of the Muslim world and the current crises of leadership mean that a glorious past, full of intellectual nobility and purpose, is now exploited by extremists and channelled into acts of terror. How can Muslims confront the issues that are destroying Islam from within, and what can the West do to help work towards that end?

Ed Husain guides us through the nuances of Islam and its people, contending that the Muslim world need not be a stranger to the West, nor its enemy, but a peaceable ally.

My Thoughts:
When I saw this book I knew I needed to get it. Firstly I don’t know enough about Islam and secondly, I love learning about different religions so I’m really glad that I picked this up.

It did take me a while to read because it is very information-heavy and I wanted to take everything in and understand what Husain was saying.

I love that Husain went into the history of Islam and all the different areas of it, including quotes from the Quran, poems, and art. He actually introduced me to Qawwali’s which are stunningly beautiful and they aren’t something I was aware of before this book.

I am so glad that I read this book, it has taught me so much that I didn’t know before and there are other books that Husain highlights for further reading if you want (which I think I most probably will). I also think it is so important to learn about different religions just so that we all can be a bit more understanding and open-minded to other people.

I do think this is a very important book to read not just because it explains what Islam is but it also teaches how we can all be a little more accepting of others.