​The Best and Largest Online Resource for Qur'anic Translations and Commentaries.


PUBLICATIONS

Through the kind support and permission of the Royal Aal al Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, Jordan. These publications can be freely downloaded for research, study and private use purposes but not for commercial use.

​Deepening Understanding Series

​A COMMON WORD

A Common Word was launched on October 13th 2007 as an open letter signed by 138 leading Muslim scholars and intellectuals to the leaders of the Christian Churches and denominations all over the world, including H.H. Pope Benedict XVI. In essence, it proposes that Islam and Christianity share at their core, the twin "golden" commandments of the paramount importance of loving God and loving the neighbor. Based on this joint common ground, it is presented here as an interfaith theological document which calls for peace and harmony between Christians and Muslims worldwide.
LOVE IN THE HOLY QUR'AN
This book was originally a widely-acclaimed PhD thesis at Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt. In it, the author treats, in a simple and accessible style with reader-friendly and teaching-friendly features, not only of love of God and love of the neighbour, but also of family love; friendship; the stages of falling in love; sexual love; extra-marital love; beauty; taste and much more, all based entirely on the Holy Qur’an. At least one verse from every chapter—and over one fifth of the total text—of the Holy Qur’an is cited. It is written and structured both to be read in its totality or as individual ‘stand-alone’ chapters to be sampled at will. This work is thus essential reading not only for Muslims and those interested in Islam and the Holy Qur’an, but for all those interested in the secrets and mysteries of love as such.
​COMMON GROUND BETWEEN BUDDHISM AND ISLAM

This is an important and pioneering book, which seeks to find common ground between the teachings of Islam and of Buddhism. It is my hope that on the basis of this common ground, followers of each tradition may come to appreciate the spiritual truths their different paths entail, and from this develop a basis for respect for each others’ practice and beliefs.This may not have occurred very often before, because there has been so little opportunity for real understanding between these two great traditions.This book attempts to set that right ... From a Buddhist point of view, the practice of Islam is evidently a spiritual path of salvation. — His Holiness, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama.
Address to H.H. Pope Benedict XVI at the King Hussein Mosque, Amman, Jordan
​ISLAM, CHRISTIANITY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

In September 2010, the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought in cooperation with the Eugen-Biser Foundation (Germany) held a symposium entitled ‘Islam, Christianity and the Environment’ at the Baptism Site in Jordan. The symposium was another event in the series of dia- logues driven by the global Muslim-Christian interfaith ini- tiative, A Common Word (acommonword.com). It brought together a small group of Muslim and Christian scholars to discuss how each religion views the environment. This exchange helped both sides achieve a better understand- ing of each others’ perspective, and also led to a strengthening of the response from all faiths to the current environmental crisis. All participants ended the event by endorsing HE Arch- bishop of Sweden Anders Wejrud’s environmental initiative, [The Uppsala Manifesto], which calls for religious communi- ties to rally toward a global climate strategy. This booklet brings together four papers presented at the symposium.

THE FIRST UN WORLD INTERFAITH HARMONY WEEK

This provides a short summary of the first UN World Interfaith Harmony Week in 2011.

​THE HOLY QUR’AN AND THE ENVIRONMENT

This paper introduces the subject of Islam and the Environment through four areas: First, it discusses the Islamic view of the environment. Second, it asks what the relationship between man and the environment is. Third, it discusses human corruption and how it is linked to environmental pollution. Fourth and last, this paper shows how human purification can help address the environmental crisis.

​REASON & RATIONALITY IN THE QUR'AN

From November 21-23, 2011, the Royal Aal Al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought hosted the second semi- nar of the Catholic-Muslim Forum at the Baptism site, Jordan. The Forum is one of the fruits of the ‘A Common Word’ initiative, which was launched in 2007 and which seeks to promote Muslim-Christian dialogue based on the two shared religious commandments of ‘Love of God’ and ‘Love of the neighbour’. The second Forum (building on the success of the first Forum, which was held at the Vatican in 2008) brought together 24 leading scholars from each religion to discuss the following three themes: 1. reason, 2. Faith, 3. The human Person.

​THE CONCEPT OF FAITH IN ISLAM

This is a paper by Habib Ali al-Jifri. A leading Muslim scholar.

​WHAT IS ISLAM & WHY?
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An introductory text to Islam by HRH Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad.

Defeating Extremism Series

OXFORD MUSLIM PUPILS' EMPOWERMENT PROGRAMME (OMPEP)
The first educational programme of its kind tackling violent extremist ideology that underpins Islamist terrorism in the West. This provides an educational model that equips young people with arguments against violent extremism and also provides a model through which young British Muslims can contribute to an emerging British Muslim Identity.
AMMAN MESSAGE
This is a seminal document in Islamic history known internationally as the Amman Message and was an initiative led by H.M. King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein in Amman, Jordan. It addresses three core questions that undermine the extremist ideology that underpins modern day Islamist violence.
CONDEMNING TERRORISM

This booklet is a selection of statements issued by Muslim scholars and Muslim organisations condemn- ing terrorism. Many of the statements were made after the 9/11 and 7/7 attacks which were perpetrated in the name of Islam. Although countless Muslim voices – scholars, associations and laypeople – immediately condemned the at- tacks and rejected that these had any association with Islam, many, if not most, of these statements were not reported in mainstream Western media and so the false accusation that Muslims do not condemn terrorist acts was born.

​JIHAD AND THE ISLAMIC LAW OF WAR

what is the Islamic law of war and peace? This crucial question underlies all discussion of jihad, perhaps the most misrepresented of ideas in the West’s understanding of Islam. “Holy war”,1 “a faith spread by the sword”,2 “Islamo- fascism”,3 “infidel”,4 and many of the other catch phrases so popular in the uninformed debate on this topic only serve to muddle the issue.
​FORTY HADITH & DIVINE MERCY
The hadith, sometimes called traditions, are texts which relate the sayings and doings of the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace. In his famous book of forty hadith, Imam Nawawi (d. 676 A.H./1277 C.E.) relates that the Messenger of God said, “Whosoever commits to memory for my ummah (religious community) forty traditions concerning religion will be resurrected by God in the company of the jurists and the learned.”

​ISLAM & PEACE
This question haunts the minds of many people concerned about religion in one way or another. For the critics of religion, the answer is usually in the affirmative, and it is easy to cite examples from history. From Rene Girard’s depiction of ritual sacrifices as violent proclivities in religions to the exclusivist claims of different faith traditions, one can easily conclude that religions produce violence at both social and theological levels.

​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​WARFARE IN THE QUR'AN
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​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​A frequently quoted saying, with slight variations, insists that, while not all Muslims are terrorists, all terrorists are Muslims. This is a great untruth. ​According to the American Federal Bureau of investigation, Muslims have not been responsible for the majority of terrorist attacks identified and prevented or committed throughout the world in the last twenty years.

THE QURAN AND COMBAT

This is a great paper by the late Imam Mahmoud shaltut (1893-1963), Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, one of the great Sunni institutions of the Islamic world.



