We are updating our very first lockdown blog from last year Quarantine Quran Time.

We are curating some lists of things to read and watch while in self-isolation.  It’s a mix of free, to buy, @ihrc resources and others.  Please send us your feedback, requests and suggestions.

We start with the Holy Qur’an. As Ramadan is less than 100 days away, now is always a good time to reconnect or ramp up our connection with the Holy Book.  Whether you want to learn how to read it, just want a new copy, a new translation or more challenging explanations, try some of the links.

(Re)Connecting with the Quran at the time of Coronavirus by Shaykh Mohammed Saeed Bahmanpour gives us plenty of food for thought regarding how to read the Qur’an.

Imam Muhammad al-Asi, superlative tafseer The Ascendant Qur’an: Realigning Man to the Divine Power Culture. Read this excerpt, reprinted in the Long View, The Qur’an Honours Women in the Same Way it Honours Men.

Buy copies of volume 1-8 here.  You can watch and read more from Imam Asi on his blog on the IHRC Website here, or on the ICIT Digital Youtube channel here.

Seyfeddin Kara’s IN SEARCH OF ALI IBN ABI TALIB’S CODEX: HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF THE EARLIEST COPY OF THE QUR’AN examines both Shi’i and Sunni traditions on the issue of the text of the holy book and its history, aiming to date them back to the earliest possible date and, if possible, verify their authenticity. To achieve this, the traditions are examined using Harald Motzki’s isnad-cum-matn method, which is recognised as an efficient tool in dating the early Islamic traditions and involves analysis of both matn (text) and isnad (chain of trans-mission) with an emphasis on finding a correlation between the two.  You can buy the book here, and watch the author discuss his research here or below.

We also welcomed Nazmina Dhanji to talk about her book 50 Qur’anic Comforts for Mums.  The video of that will be uploaded in the coming weeks.  This book draws on the comforting words of the Creator in the Qur’an and offers a way to focus your heart and mind to what the day brings.  Her book is an amazing guide to the emotions and challenges faced as a mother, and how the Qur’an speaks to those moments in accessible ways.  Buy it here. 

Send us your own suggestions, links and so and we’ll try and share too.

Prayers and Peace,

The IHRC Bookshop & Gallery team

Shop[AT]ihrc.org