Book Review: Has anyone read this?

[Abu_Dahdah]

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah,

Hope you are all well insha'Allah.

Have any of you read the following book, and if so, would you recommend it?:

http://www.astrolabe.com/product/1281/The_Four_Imams_-_Their_Lives%2C_Work_%26_Schools_of_Thought.html


Jazak Allah Khair

Wassalam

Saif

[keepstriving]

:salam:

Not sure, but I think you will find recommended books on Madhaabs here (http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=13232).

:ws:

[ImaanSeeker]

Wa Alaykum Assalaam Wa Rahmatullah Wa Barakatuh

I have the book and I would definitely recommend it.

It's actually 4 books put into one. The author Shaykh Abu Zahra wrote a book one each Imam, but the translator put it into one book.

The Shaykh writes a detailed background of each author and then discusses different aspects regarding their scholarship. It discusses the different methods of each imam takes in arriving to their fiqhi conclusions as well specific events that they encountered in their life. 'Controversial' aspects that some groups raise about the the Imams are also talked about and clarified.

The english is very good as well. It's a good book to have.

[Pr1nce]

Wa Alaykum Salam Wa Rahmatullah

Excellent book. Would definitely recommend it.

[GenN]

Salaam,

Every english speaking muslim should have that book imo.

[Abu_Dahdah]

Assalamu Alaikum,

Jazakumullah Khair for your replies. You have all been very helpful.

Looks like it's time to save up some money insha'Allah!

Wassalam

Saif

[mujahid7ia]

It is an excellent book... but for some reason all the Islamic bookstores have it for much more than Barnes & Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Four-Imams/Muham-Abu-Zahra/e/9781870582414/?itm=1

This usually doesn't happen, but in this case you're better off buying it online from bn.com. They also have very good shipping and processing times, in my experience. I ordered this book from them and it came in 2 days.

[Skilly]

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullah,

Hope you are all well insha'Allah.

Have any of you read the following book, and if so, would you recommend it?:

http://www.astrolabe.com/product/1281/The_Four_Imams_-_Their_Lives%2C_Work_%26_Schools_of_Thought.html


Jazak Allah Khair

Wassalam

Saif

I got the same book at home. I cannot make a comparison to recommend it, as this is the only book I have on the Four Imams.

Otherwise the english is clear and easy to read.

[rami.]

Bi ismillahi rahmani raheem

assalamu alaikum

there was a discussion about this book on another forum and some Ulumah have stated it contains a few mistakes and misrepresents the positions of the Imams in some places but otherwise the book is fine.

ive read parts of this book and personally found some of it troubling but that was years ago unfortunately so i cant remember specifics, just keep an open mind that it may not be 100% accurate and you should be fine.

this is a pretty good work on imam abu hanifah, although there is one chapter in which the author tries to explain why the imam was so brilliant [by refuting classical scholars] and runs along the line of he was a born jurist....western psycho babel which doesn't explain anything really, the author clearly doesn't believe in Allah gifting a Alim with anything. Although i do agree with him in some places there are clear exaggerations, the problem is he it lumps all in together.


http://www.iqra.org/index/itemdesc.asp?ic=666&eq=666A&Tp= (http://www.iqra.org/index/itemdesc.asp?ic=666&eq=666A&Tp=)

[Abu_Dahdah]

Salam Br. Rami,

Thank you for your insight.

While going through kitaabun, I found another book on the Four Imams by G.F. Haddad. It's quite a recent book and has 551 pages (should be quite detailed). I am actually thinking of going for this rather than Abu Zahra's book. Has anyone else read this? If so, would you agree that it could be better?

http://kitaabun.com/shopping3/product_info.php?products_id=1809

Jazak Allah Khair

Wassalam

Saif

[rami.]

Bi ismillahi rahmani raheem

I haven't come across this work before but i am familiar with sh. haddad's work from his articles on the imams here (http://www.sunnah.org/history/Scholars/Default.htm) and here (http://www.abc.se/~m9783/n/lsch.html). Generally Ive found they are balanced and stick to what can be verified and within reason in terms of the imams good qualities.

some examples regarding imam Abu hanifah,

"All these [scholars] and their followers are indebted to him and give him a share of their reward because he was the first to open that road for them, according to the hadith of the Prophet: "He who starts something good in Islam has its reward and the reward of those who practice it until the Day of Judgement, without lessening in the least the reward of those who practice it....Al-Shafi`i referred to this when he said: "People are all the children of Abu Hanifa in fiqh, of Ibn Ishaq in history, of Malik in hadith, and of Muqatil in tafsîr.""

and this regarding Imam Malik

The Prophet said: "Very soon will people beat the flanks of camels in search of knowledge, and they shall find no-one more knowledgeable than the knowledgeable scholar of Madina." Al-Tirmidhi, al-Qadi `Iyad, Dhahabi and others relate from Sufyan ibn `Uyayna, `Abd al-Razzaq, Ibn Mahdi, Ibn Ma`in, Dhu’ayb ibn `Imama, Ibn al-Madini, and others that they considered that scholar to be Malik ibn Anas. It is also related from Ibn `Uyayna that he later considered it to be `Abd Allah ibn `Abd al-`Aziz al-`Umari. Al-Dhahabi said of the latter: "He possessed knowledge and good fiqh, spoke the truth fearlessly, ordered good, and remained aloof from society. He used to press Malik in private to renounce the world and seclude himself."

Although i preferred the book i mentioned in my last post about Imam Abu hanifah to the articles he had written on the subject it really is well written with the exception i mentioned.