My buddy Matthew Baker has asked me to post 10 meaningful books. This is extremely difficult for me, as I kind of think in terms of authors rather than books, and have a bad memory for book titles, and yet I will proceed. I will not include any canonical religious texts as I dont consider them as books and I believe it is extremely dangerous to do so. I will list them in random order that implies nothing of preference or relative judgement. I am guessing at many of the titles. 1. The Short Stories of Vladimir Nabokov This book taught me how deep and similar are the subtleties of human sense perception. This was particularly set off by Nabakovs comparison of the texture of a human tongue to that of a strawberry at one point. I could also have put Chekhovs short stories in this spot, or to a lesser degree Barry Hannahs. 2. Raids on the Unspeakable, by Thomas Merton Merton and a few other Catholic writers, mostly old saints, had a huge influence on me. Too much to say about it for Facebook. I could easily put 4 or 5 other Merton books in this spot, but choose this one since (I think) it has a translation of a bit of Ibn Abbads poetry in it, which hit me like lightning at a bus stop on the way to Quincy one night. Be a son of this instant, be all eye... something like that. Mertons interpretation of Lau Tzus poetry is a close second. 3. al-Muqaddimah, by Ibn Khaldoun Took me a year to read but made me much more fair and rigorous in my thinking (inshaAllah), and much more patient with reasonable authority. Also clarified many thorny issues of Islamic theology and political science for me, while illuminating 1,000 beautiful historical details. No way to summarize it in a reasonable amount of space. 4. The Alchemy of Happiness, by Imam al-Ghazali There are 4 works by al-Ghazali that could go here. I chose this just because it was the first one I read. Ive never read al-Ghazali for a decent amount of time except that my religious practice improves noticeably as a result. He has been the best and closest Muslim friend in my life, despite his death about a millenium ago. 5. Royal Justice and Religious Law: Siyāsah and Shariʿah under the Mamluks, by Yossef Rapoport This kind of confirmed a lot of my thoughts started off by Ibn Khaldoun. Siyasah (as derived from the office of Wali al-Amr as enforcer of Islamic principles) is a missing piece of Islamist politics and the lack of knowledge on this subject is one of the reasons why Islamists keep producing nightmare realities instead of flexible, tolerant, and cultured societies as we once had. It also proved to me the severe error most Islamists make in not consulting the historical record for guidance. It also highlights the dangers and virtues of authority in fascinating little case studies. Please give us another Sultan Barquq... 6. Unknown Book by Cicero. I have a great collection of the writings of Cicero somewhere at home. It has a long, Victorian-style title which I totally forget and cant find anything on. In it Cicero manages to beautifully highlight the value of time, and the importance of remembering death, echoing Imam al-Ghazali in several wonderful essays and letters, which also shed light on the lifestyle of a Roman gentleman. 7. A Syrian Warrior and Gentleman, by Usama ibn Munqidh A priceless memoir by one of Salah ud-Dins knights. Echos issues of Islamic principle brought up by Ibn Khaldoun and Yossef Rapoport but shows them as applied in the truest of tests: under deadly, existential threat. If you want to weep if not sob at the debased state of todays Muslim warrior, please read this. Also gives great and down-to-Earth insight into Salah ud-Din himself and the culture of the Christian Kingdom of Jerusalem, and reads like a grandfathers tale over tea. 8. With the Old Breed, by Eugene Sledge I read this when I was a little kid. I borrowed it from the library at my Dads office in Boston. It was the first large book Id ever gotten into and began my love of reading. Odd, because its a horrific account of the 1st Marine Division in the Pacific theater of WW2. My stoic grandfather was in the same famous Division from Guadalcanal, so it had a special relevance to me. Even now, when I feel like complaining, I go back to this book and stories from my grandfather as a source of knocking off my whining and trying to do a better job. This book was recently adapted into a miniseries, called (aptly) The Pacific. I have always loved the Marine Corps motto Semper Fidelis as a result. It pains me when I see those guys with kafir tatoos now, as this is EXACTLY the opposite of Semper Fidelis. They know not what they do, as I find Marine Corps principles highly Islamic, though we mostly fail to manifest them these days to be honest. 9. Symposium - Plato Could have put any number of works by Plato here. Getting into Plato helped me establish my belief in the concept of prophecy and the universality of true religion. This was a key development in my life. Socrates is unbelievably similar to the monotheistic prophets, especially Muhammad, sallallahu alayhi wasallam. This theme was furthered by reading about the Green Man (Khidr) in various books and the Popol Vuh, but Plato got me started. 10. Pardon me for this.... number ten would have to be Juliette by Marquis de Sade My dear Muslims friends, please stay FAR away from this book. Basically it is the extreme opposite of everything I believe in. However it showed me the logical conclusion of pure freedom in the strictly humanist sense. It kind of confirmed some ideas I had been thinking about ever since discovering G.G. Allin as a kid. This is very dark material to look into, and I dont advise it for most, but for me I needed to see and understand it. It illuminates the blackest corners within ourselves, which each of us tries to shun in utter shame. I wont pollute Facebook with a detailed description, but it was as important for me as any of the works of philosophy or the records of Muslim or Christian pious figures Ive read. To see a form clearly we must perceive both light and shade.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 19:07:07 +0000
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