Books

28
Dec
2019
NEW RELEASE: Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II

NEW RELEASE: Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II

Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II is a powerful book for serious individuals who want to Show Up, Take Responsibility for their lives and Take Action in attaining the Best and most Productive version of their true selves.
 
‘Time is money’, as the saying goes. With limited time on this planet, ‘how’ we use this most valuable currency of time is what truly differentiates success from failure – regardless of what we do.
 
This book unveils 15 powerful Productivity principles and lessons derived from the life of ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz (Arabic: عمر بن عبد العزيز) commonly known as ʿUmar II, the 8th Umayyad Caliph.

Who Was ʿUmar II?

Born in Medina in 682, he was the matrilineal great-grandson of Islam’s 2nd Caliph ʿUmar ibn Al-Khaṭṭāb (R.A). His immensely transformational rule as Caliph lasted from 717 until his death in 720.
 
Despite his short reign, ʿUmar II accomplished major milestones and brought about lasting change in the entire Muslim world through his robust manner of governance. He made solid reforms in provincial administration, military strategy, education, taxation, fair dispensation of Zakah, Islamic propagation and public works.
 
The book overviews a summarized history of the first century of Islam while presenting a detailed biography of ʿUmar II, as well as including two sections of discussions on some of the more difficult aspects of Islamic history such as military expansion and slavery.

 Imagine Being Able To..

  • Accomplish more by managing your Time, Attention and Energy
  • Cement Self-Discipline; hacking your daily habits while building unshakable Self-Control
  • Create and enhance laser sharp Focus
  • Eliminate Procrastination and lack of Motivation
  • Compound the effect of short-term tasks for long-term success
  • Do more with less – and get better results
  • Gain extreme and lasting Productivity
  • Reignite the love and passion for Islamic History

….and more!


Dr. Yasir Qadhi – a globally renowned Islamic Scholar, TV personality and highly revered theologian, lecturer and educator on Islam, says this about the book:

“Through a deep analysis of ʿUmar life, the author Shaykh Ismail Kamdar brings to light various life-changing principles that ʿUmar implemented. ʿUmar II is an excellent role model for each of these principles, which Ismail has broken down and discussed in detail throughout the book.”

Discover exactly where to start, what to do, and how to follow up each action you take with life-altering productivity principles that bring in lasting results!

Reclaim the Keys to the Extraordinary

Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II is intricately written to remove the negative flow of energy, emotional and mental blockades, procrastination habits and self-limiting beliefs that have you locked outside the doors of your fullest potential.
The outside space is not fertile ground for change. Being locked out of your mind is a quicksand that swallows you with each passing moment. Nothing can be done in the outside space.

The keys lay on the inside, and while you’re scared to step in, the Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II empowers you to do so – successfully, tangibly and sustainably, while creating the most pristine level of whom you are and what you can be.
From historical, contemporary and Islamic standpoints, the book dissects the important facets of your life and surgically enables you to identify, analyze, work towards and strengthen areas that eventually lead you to the keys within.
The keys to the Extraordinary; a life based on only the most highest, polished, magnificently wondrous and productive version of yourself.

And you accomplish all of this – without feeling like a stranger or without experiencing anything foreign. Everything is naturally and carefully aligned to resonate with your integral values as an individual, as a human being, and most importantly as a Muslim.

Unravel the Productivity gems of ʿUmar II that lead him to govern the Islamic State with great ability and progress until his passing at the young age of just 37!

Through the rich repository of ʿUmar II’s life and legacy of successful governance as Caliph, this book will empower you to achieve the most optimal, efficient and productive version of You.

How?

The book accomplishes this by combining the magnificence of Islamic history with the practicality of modern day productivity techniques. Techniques and approaches you can begin applying in all the critical areas of your personal, professional, social and religious spheres of life – today!

What If You Could Conquer These Obstacles In Your Daily Life?

  • Lack of self-confidence
  • Inability to retain information
  • Irregular consistency
  • Getting started and maintaining progress
  • Losing focus and not following through
  • Lack of accountability and performance measurement
  • No self-discipline
  • Laziness and loss of motivation through routine tasks
  • Feeling lost and discouraged
  • Struggling with procrastination in everything you do

….and more?

And…
What If You Could REPLACE Those Obstacles With…

  • Gain Immense Clarity                   
  • Harness Your Unique Talents
  • Create a Powerful Life Vision         
  • Actualize Your Full Potential
  • Increase Self-Care and Fun         
  • Attain freedom to Live Life on Your Terms
  • Develop Constructive Mind Shifts 
  • Produce Positive Flow of Energies
  • Become the Gatekeeper of Your Domain 
  • Counter Stress and Hardships
  • Re-Engage Your Inner Connectivity            
  • Ignite Your Passion

                        ….and more?

Discover how you can ELIMINATE barriers keeping you from a productive, wholesome and more successful life. Barriers can only be broken when the actual problems and existing struggles are identified, promptly fixed and successfully built upon.

This comes through the right approach, knowledge and direction.

Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II accomplishes this by laying a solid framework for building a strong, uninterrupted and action-oriented approach to productivity with key principles such as:

  1. Delegation (The power of doing ‘more’ with less)
  2. Prioritization (Why our stop-doing lists need to be bigger than our to-do lists)
  3. Benefiting Society (Living life as a productive & responsible member of society and benefiting everyone in it)
  4. Shura (Consultation) with experts (The value of collective consultation within the light of Islam)
  5. Mentors and Role Models (The importance of selecting the right mentors and emulating legitimate role models)
  6. Abundance Mindset (Focusing on the limitless possibilities that exist in life. Choosing to think in positive terms about everything that happens in life, good or bad)

                                                                                                …..and more!
 
Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II is your beginning to a journey enriched with clear, effective and results-oriented steps to leading a better and lasting productive life.
The book emphatically guides you with awe-inspiring lessons from Islamic history, while focusing on 15 Key Productivity Principles from the life of Umar II.

GET Your Copy Today!

This is your chance to live the highest most in-tune version of yourself – while you still have the valuable ‘currency’ of time left on this planet.

All you need is a beating heart, breathing lungs and the willingness to invest in yourself by taking charge.

Day One or One Day?

You decide, before one-day turns to many days, and many days become many years, and many years result in a life wasted.
Make your today, your day one.

About the Author

Shaykh Ismail Kamdar is a widely renowned and internationally respected author of several best-selling publications that focus on areas such as self-help, self-development, mindset, time management, productivity, organization etc. under the light of Islamic jurisprudence; the Quran and Hadith.

Considered by many in the Muslim space as a ‘go-to authority’ for what he does, his works include: Having Fun the Halal Way: Entertainment in Islam, Getting The Barakah: An Islamic Guide to Time Management, Best Of Creation: An Islamic Guide to Self-Confidence, and Homeschooling 101, among other popular titles.

Starting his study of Islam at the tender age of thirteen, Shaykh Ismail Kamdar has been actively involved in Islamic work since the age of sixteen.

Noticing a severe lack of Islamic literature dedicated to the field of Personal Development & Self-Help, he founded Islamic Self-help in April 2015. It was established as a platform to help Muslims gain knowledge that can assist them in personal development through Self-Help articles, books, and courses.
He completed a seven-year Alim course in 2007 and a BA in Islamic Studies from Islamic Online University in 2014. He is currently a senior lecturer, as well as the Faculty Manager of the Islamic Online University, and is involved in multiple Dawah projects around the world.

Purchase Links:

PDF Edition: https://gumroad.com/l/umar2 (53% DISCOUNT FOR LIMITED TIME ONLY!) alternative link – https://payhip.com/b/O573
Kindle Edition: https://www.amazon.com/Productivity-Principles

Paperback Edition Links:

USA: https://www.amazon.com/Productivity-Principles-%CA%BFUmar-II-al-%CA%BFAz%C4%ABz/dp/1703555384/

UK: https://www.amazon.com/Productivity-Principles-%CA%BFUmar-II-al-%CA%BFAz%C4%ABz/dp/1703555384/

Canada: https://www.amazon.ca/Productivity-Principles-%CA%BFUmar-II-al-%CA%BFAz%C4%ABz/dp/1703555384/

South Africa: https://hikmah.co.za/product/productivity-principles-of-umar-ii-by-ismail-kamdar-foreward-by-dr-yasir-qadhi/

India: https://www.theislamickidstore.com/products/productivity-principles-of-umar-ii-umar-bin-abd-al-aziz-by-abu-muawiyah-ismail-kamdar-yasir-qadhi-foreword?_pos=1&_sid=355f8510c&_ss=r&variant=32828168700007

Malaysia: https://www.dakwahbookstore.com/product/productivity-principles-of-%ca%bfumar-ii-%ca%bfumar-bin-%ca%bfabd-al-%ca%bfaziz/

Australia: https://dhikr.com.au/shop/productivity-principles-of-umar-ii-umar-bin-abd-al-aziz/

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Books
11
Oct
2019
Crowdfunding my new book

Crowdfunding my new book

The Book

Alhamdulillah, I am three months away from launching my next book ‘Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II’.

Below is the description of the book:

Imagine ruling a kingdom for only two and a half years, yet accomplishing so much that the world still benefits from your legacy a thousand years later.

That is the legacy of ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz, the 8th Umayyad King, and one of the greatest rulers in the history of the Muslim World. In this revolutionary new book, author Ismail Kamdar explores the principles that made ʿUmar II such a productive and influential ruler.

Take a trip through the first century of Muslim History, to explore the fifteen productivity principles that made ʿUmar II one of the greatest kings in the history of this world. In this book, author Ismail Kamdar discusses the biography of ʿUmar bin ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz focusing on the principles that made him an effective and productive leader.

The Obstacle

Unfortunately, I have run into a major hurdle along the way, and to be fully transparent, I am sharing it with you here.

In order to complete the production of the book (cover design, editing, typesetting), I need $3000.

The Win/Win Plan

I only need to sell 100 of these to cover the cost of production, and I am confident that this method is the best way to meet production costs while providing my readers with value for their money.

I came up with a Win/Win plan. To raise the money to cover the production of the book, I am selling a new eBook bundle: all 10 of my best eBooks + 7 time management templates for only $30. (or more, you can pay more for the bundle if you want to contribute more to the production of my next book)

The Pitch

So here is my pitch. If you enjoy reading my books and want to help see my next book hit the shelves, please purchase the eBook bundle here: https://gumroad.com/l/selfhelpbundle

I trust my readers, as, without your support, I wouldn’t be able to write any books. I hope that you all find this bundle worth your money, and will enjoy and benefit from my next book once it hits the market.

The Alternative

Some readers have been asking how they can contribute to my book production cost without purchasing an ebook.

I don’t ask for direct contributions but if you want to do so, you can send it to my PayPal here: paypal.me/IslamicSelfHelp.

Thank you all for all your support

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Books
21
Sep
2019
How I read 50 books in 9 months

How I read 50 books in 9 months

Over the past few years, I have made it my goal to read more books each year than the year before. By increasing the number of quality books I read per year, I increase the amount of knowledge I gain every year. Reading daily is a habit that I encourage everybody to take up. It isn’t just something I preach, it is something I am committed to doing myself.

Having in previous years, read 20-40 books a year, I decided to up my goal this year to 50 books. Alhamdulillah, I am happy to announce that nine months into the year, I have already completed 51 books, and am on my way to completing 7 more.

Now, in reality, this number isn’t really that impressive. Some of my teachers read 100 or more books per year. But these teachers are also retired and have more time on their hands. I have to handle a university job, a freelance career, a writing career, and homeschooling my kids. So I am quite happy with my progress in building this habit.

So the question I have been getting a lot in the past few days is, “How did you manage to read so many books this year?” The answer is rather lengthy so I decided to write this post about. There are six important steps that helped me accomplish this goal.

1. Having an ever-increasing to-read list.

To ensure that I never reach a point in the year where I don’t know what to read next, I am constantly adding books to my to-read list. I utilize Goodreads to keep track of every book I read, am currently reading, and plan to read in the future.

I also use it to keep track of my progress towards my annual reading goals. Whenever I come across a book I might be interested in, I add it to my Goodreads to-read list. That way, I always know what I plan to read next once I am done reading my current set of books.

Recommendation: Get a Goodreads Profile, and start using it to track your progress.

2. Reading more than one book at a time.

I don’t stick to one book at a time. This can sometimes be very tedious, especially if reading for multiple hours a day, and if the book is lengthy. Instead, I focus on two or three books at a time. That way, as soon as my attention is waning from one book, I can switch to another to keep my mind fresh. By reading multiple books at a time, I am able to finish 5-7 books per month easily.

Recommendation: Build a habit of reading two books at a time. This will be even more effective is they are from completely different genres.

3. Reading for two to three hours a day.

I started my habit many years ago with a dedicated half an hour a day for reading. As the years have gone by, I have increased it by half an hour each year. Currently, I read for two or three hours a day, depending on my workload. In this way, I am able to read more books per month by reading for more hours per day.

Recommendation: If you don’t have a habit of reading yet, start with building the habit of reading for thirty minutes every day. Once you are accustomed to it, slowly increase the amount of time you spent reading daily.

4. Alternating between long and short books.

One obstacle that prevents many people from meeting their reading goals is getting stuck in a long book until you lose interest. My way around this is to read multiple books at a time, some short and some long. That way, even if it takes me three months to read a long book, I would have completed 10 other books during that same time using this method.

For example, Principles by Ray Dalio is a very lengthy book on investing and finance, I started reading it in February, and completed it in May. At the same time though, I alternated between reading this for an hour and reading a shorter book for an hour. As a result, I read 12 other books during this same time period.

Recommendation: Don’t get stuck on lengthy books. Read a shorter book alongside it, so that you can meet your goals and not lose motivation.

5. Speed-Reading only when needed.

There are two situations in which I choose to speed-read; when I am reading about a topic I am already very familiar with, and when I am re-reading an old book that I read many years ago. Many books discuss similar topics, to master a topic I tend to read at least 10 books on the topic. I will read the first one or two slowly, but then start speed-reading through sections of the others. In this way, I cover more ground faster without wasting time slowly reading something I already read before.

Sometimes I re-read books I have read many years ago to refresh my memory or get a new perspective on them. Our thoughts, knowledge, and experience develop with time, so it is often helpful to go back and re-read old books with a new perspective to understanding them better.

Recommendation: If you find the content of a book familiar, try speed-reading it. If you know of any books that you read many years ago and didn’t understand, try re-reading them again this year. You will be surprised how much better you understand them now.

6. Incorporating reading into my work tasks.

I primarily earn a living through three things; university teaching and management, freelance writing, and writing my own books. All three require extensive reading and research. As a result, I have the privilege of being able to read on the job and to get paid for it.

Often a client will give me a list of books to read before writing their book/article for them. In these cases, they are literally paying me to read books. Likewise, the university expects me to have the latest information in my field, so reading books on the subjects I teach during work hours is an expected part of the job.

And of course, for my own books, I need to research thoroughly before writing, so I large part of my writing process is extensive reading.

Recommendation: If you really want to spend a large portion of your day reading, choose a job/career which requires you to read and research a lot.

Conclusion

Utilizing these six steps I am able to read dozens of books per year. I accomplish this by having a constantly growing to-read list, reading multiple books at a time, and dedicating hours of my day to reading. I also alternate between big and small books, speed-read when necessary, and do work that requires extensive reading. This is how I met this goal.

I hope this sufficiently answered the question. 🙂

Best books I’ve read this year

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Books
23
Aug
2019
A Glimpse At My Writing Process

A Glimpse At My Writing Process

Alhamdulillah, I have been writing books for over a decade now. In that period, I have produced over a dozen titles, in various languages. In a few months, I will release my next book; Productivity Principles Of ʿUmar II, if Allah wills it.

In anticipation of the launch of my latest book, I want to share a glimpse at my writing process. I hope this will inspire and assist upcoming authors to adopt productive habits that catapult them into success.

Why I Started Writing?

Let’s start at the beginning. I often get asked why I write books in an era of video and social media. Many people tell me that people don’t read books anymore and that I should focus more on video content.

I disagree with this negative attitude. It is true that there are more people watching videos than reading books these days. But books are still the most valuable resource for those who wish to study a topic in-depth. Books provide a far more immersive educational experience than a YouTube video or Instagram post.

It is very rare for someone to be truly transformed by a YouTube video. Yet every successful person will point you in the direction of a book that changed their life. Books are the lifeblood of real change, and so to make a real impact, writing books is essential.

Another reason I choose to write books is that it is a core feature of the Islamic legacy. Every generation of Muslims has produced outstanding Islamic books that people still benefit from centuries later. Imagine the reward that these authors are accumulating in the grave for producing their books. Should we too want to be a part of this legacy?

The third reason why I write is that it is who I am. Writing is a part of my soul. On the days when I do not write anything, my soul feels agitated and restless. Yet when I am writing, I enter a state of happiness, inner peace, and contentment. I believe it is because my soul is doing what it was created to do. I have been a writer from the time I was a little child. There wasn’t any point in my life in which I did not think that I will one day write a book. So it is only natural that when I grew up, I wrote and published my first book during my early twenties.

My Daily Process

I have a simple daily goal that helps me excel at writing; I write 1000 words minimum every day, besides Sundays.

It may not seem like much but in the long run, it really helps turn writing from a dream into a reality. Writing 1000 words a day is a daily goal, regardless of whether I have a topic to write about or not. This way I maintain the habit and momentum of writing every day even when I am not working on a new book.

So what do I write about?

Anything and everything. Sometimes I may write a blog post. Some days a section of a book I am thinking about writing. Some days a journal entry. And some days just absolute randomness to meet my word count. The goal is to make the habit stick for life. Because of this, I now have a habit of writing a minimum of 1000 words a day. On a good day, I may write 3000-4000 words.

Another important part of this is choosing the right time of the day to write. Morning birds may want to write first thing in the morning. Night owls may prefer to do their writing late at night. I prefer writing in the afternoon when I am in my peak performance state. So every afternoon, from 2 pm to 4 pm I work on my writing projects.

Between having a set time, during my peak performance time, and a set daily minimum, writing had become a habit of mine. Lately, I find myself writing at least 4 to 5 hours day, due to the variety of freelance writing projects I am currently working on.

Finding The Right Topic

Once I get into the habit of writing every day. Eventually, ideas start to come. Sometimes the ideas are not very good and become abandoned first drafts. Other times, they make nice topics for blog posts or articles. Eventually, at least once or twice a year, a big idea will hit me.

When it does, I just know it. I feel an excitement deep down inside, and I just know this is what my next book must be about. When that inspiration hits, the words start to flow. From that day onward, my 1000 words a day is dedicated to the book in my mind until it is completed, which usually takes between two to five months, depending on size and the amount of research needed.

Getting It Done

Once I have my idea for a book, I have a system that makes writing the book much easier. First I write out my idea in as much details as possible, writing it in S.M.A.R.T. goal format. For example, for my next book, I set my goal as; A 350-page book deducting personal development lessons from the life of ʿ Umar II, which I will publish in December, in shaa Allah.

The goal is;
1) Specific: deducting personal development lessons from the life of ʿUmar II
2) Measurable: 350 pages
3) Actionable: 1000 words a day
4) Realistic: I have knowledge about both the life of ʿUmar II and personal development.
5) Time-Bound: Will publish it in December 2019

With my goal crystallized in such details, I then work on my first draft. I also have a detailed system for producing my first draft. I first make a list of chapters. Then I make a separate section for each chapter in the draft file. I then write a few points in each chapter to give me an idea about what I want to write in it.

After that, it is simply a matter of showing up every day, looking at the chapters in my file, deciding which one I want to write, and then turning each of those points into sub-section. I do this for 1000-2000 words a day. Within two months, the first draft is ready. Then editing begins. Within six months, the book is ready for publication, Alhamdulillah.

Building Upon Past Experiences

An important part of my writing process is building upon past experiences. With each book I write, I take note of what worked and what didn’t. I read all the reviews, especially the negative ones and take notes accordingly. I then analyze all the feedback together and work out areas in which I can improve.

If the area of improvement requires training, I take an online course or read a book on the topic. If improvement just requires practice, I use my 1000 words per day to practice for the next month. My goal is to become a better author with each book I write. There is always room for improvement, so I take all feedback seriously, and work daily at becoming a better author.

But I am still working towards my dream

I wrote my first book in 2009. In 2014, I had a dream; I want to be a full-time author. I did not realize how long it takes to make a dream a reality. In 2019, I am halfway towards my goal. These days, I spend half my days working on various writing projects. These include freelance projects, my books, my blog posts, and my online courses. Together, these contribute to around 50% of my monthly income, sometimes more.

To be halfway towards a goal after five years is not bad. It is actually a good thing. It means with a bit more effort, continuous improvement, more books, and some good ideas, I can eventually attain my dream, with Allah’s Help and Permission.

My dream is to spend the rest of my life writing beneficial books and articles, without needing to worry about money. I have one small request; make dua that my dream comes true.

If you want to learn more about my writing, self-publishing and sales process, sign up for my self-publishing online course by clicking here. Over 100 students have studied the course already, and many are already on their way to fulfilling their writing dreams too. Click here to join the course.

Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Books
15
Jul
2019
3 Important Points Regarding Muslim History

3 Important Points Regarding Muslim History

I have been studying history all my life. It has always been a passion of mine and one of my favorite subjects. However, as a history teacher at a university, I noticed that my students don’t always share my passion for history. Often they are baffled, puzzled and horrified by the events of history. Some even lose faith in their religion when they study the histories of related empire.

There are three main reasons why this happens, and I will explain all three in this article. My hope is that by the end of this article, you will be able to study any part of history without it shaking your faith in the least.

The misnomer of Islamic History

The first major problem for Muslim students, in particular, is that the history of the Muslim Empires is often labeled Islamic History. This mislabelling of events creates unrealistic expectations in the mind of the student, as they assume whatever they are going to study represents the religion of Islam. They also may take this history as a source of Islamic legislation as it is labeled as Islamic.

The label itself is a problem. Classically, Muslim scholars divided history into two subjects, known in Arabic as Sīrah and Taʾrīk̲h̲. Sīrah focused on the life of the Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him) only. His life would be studied religiously, and various lessons extracted from it upon which the foundations of the religion were built.

Any book focusing on events after his time is called a Taʾrīk̲h̲ book. Generally, these books narrated all historical events for that time period without comment or judgment.

If we had to invent similar labels in English for these two parts of history, then we can say that the life of Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him) is Islamic History, and whatever came after his time is Muslim History. The difference is very important.

The life of Prophet Muḥammad (peace be upon him) represents Islam at its best. His life is to be studied in detail, analyzed for lessons, taken as a proof of the truthfulness of his message, and used as a basis for forming our understanding of Islam. It is truly Islamic History is that his actions were guided by revelation and represent the perfect role model of Islam for the world.

Anything that occurred after his life is actually Muslim History. It is the history of people who believe in Islam but are subject to human temptation, corruption, and error. They may at times accomplish amazing things in the name of Islam. And they may at times fall to the deepest of lows due to temptation or human error. Their lives do not represent Islam. Rather their lives represent the struggles, highs, and lows of the average Muslim.

Just as the Muslim world today is full of sinners, saints and everything in between. So was the case in every century of Muslim history. The difference being that the sinners and saints often made it into the history books, while everybody else was left out. This is because the life of the average person is probably too boring to write a history book about, but the life of a tyrant king or a saintly king is the topic of a bestseller.

If we approach the life of an individual after the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) as Muslim History, this will lower our expectations and help us appreciate history better. We will be able to appreciate their struggles, understand their errors, and marvel at their accomplishments because this is the history of Muslims.

The Human Aspect of History

Continuing on the topic of Muslim History, the second issue that people often overlook is just how human Muslims throughout history have been.

Many Muslims approach history with the misconception that we are living at the worst point in history, and that every era before us was full of saintly Muslims representing the religion properly.

Reality is that every generation of Muslims had their saints, sinners and everything in between. The average Muslim general, king, merchant, and governor were just that; average.

They weren’t all saints. Their lives were a complex mix of good deeds, sins, and permissible deeds. They experienced highs and lows, moments of greatness and moments of weakness. They passed some tests of life and failed others. So it is perfectly normal to study the life of any individual in history and learn that he at some points in his life was a righteous worshipper, while at some other point murdered his enemies. This is because of the complexity of human life, and especially leadership and governance which often forces people to make extremely difficult decisions between life and death.

The correct approach to studying the life of anybody after the time of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is to accept their humanity. The first generation of Muslims was the best, but they were still human and still erred. Each generation after that fell into different types of sins and mistakes. Just as we do today.

When you realize that every historical figure was struggling with desires and temptation just as we do, you become more understanding of their mistakes, and you approach history with more realistic expectations.

Different Times, Different Norms

The final thing that confuses people when studying history is that there are some fundamental differences between the cultures we live in and that of the ancient world.

A lot of young people have not been exposed to anything outside the modern culture and they assume that that is the way the world always was. As a result, when they study history they are shocked to find things that contradict their norms and it shakes their faith.

We live in a time that is very unique to human history. We live in the only century in human history without child marriages, slavery, or military expansion of empires. These things are foreign concepts to our times and many people wrongly assume that people always considered these things immoral or wrong.

Reality is that the bulk of human history, including almost all major cultures, civilizations, and religions, had no problem with any of these. Slavery, child marriages, and military expansion were global norms in the ancient world. This is simply a reality. As soon as we accept these as historical realities, then history makes a lot more sense. We must approach history with this understanding in order to understand it in its proper context.

Conclusion

If we accept this reality, then history makes a lot more sense. We shouldn’t be surprised by any of these concepts when we find them in the history of any civilization, because these were the norms of that time. To judge ancient cultures and civilizations by 21st-century norms is illogical and unfair. Historical incidents should be understood within the context of the places and times they took place in. If history is studied in light of these three facts, it becomes much easier to understand and interact with. We should not expect perfection from the people of the past, present or future. We should not project our cultural norms onto past civilizations. And we should not judge Islam by the actions of Muslims. Because Islam is the revelation from God, but Muslims are humans who struggle to follow that revelation to various degrees. Keep these three points in mind whenever studying any aspect of Muslim History.

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Muslim History
Posted by Ismail Kamdar in Books, Inner Peace