On Books

I think it was during Standard Three that my school threw away some books that I managed to get my hands on some. The best among those was a book on world history that got me reading into the lives of Madam Curie, Buddha, Thomas Edison, Sumerians, etc.

That was how my interest in reading started and it was fueled further by my friendship with Riza et al in MRSM Beseri. And I’ve blessed further with friendship with people like Abang Fendy and others in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Thank you Kerajaan Malaysia for that.

And since Nora asked what books to read, I guess I could tell my favorites and those I’ve in my collection. Though my list is not limited to certain genre, I’m more inclined towards those in religious, classical, non fiction books.

My introduction to Sufism started with books by Idries Shah and slowly progressed to others such as Martin Lings and a few others whom I can’t remember. As with anything in this world, there are so many facets to one issue that to limit reading to one author is almost a suicide. But of late, I’m very happy reading books by Shaykh Nazim or Shaykh Hisham. I believed that they both have presented Islam in a very beautiful way and so refreshing so much that we could be proud of being Muslims … if not Mukmin.

Of hand, these are my favorite books/authors:
1. Muhammad pbuh by Martin Lings
2. Shaykh Ahmad Al Alawi … by Martin Lings
3. Muslim Saints & Mystics … by AJ Arberry. I think his translation is much better than that by Pustaka Aman Press.
4. Brothers Karamazov by Dostoyevsky. Possibly among the best novel there is.
5. Legends of the Sufis by James Redhouse. At first I did not know what this book is all about. I Bought this book in Section 2, Shah Alam and asked the cashier for discount since the book looks like it has been on the shelf for far too long. I was ecstatic later on when I found out the book is about the life of our Master Jalalludin Rumi.
6. Khalil Gibran. I have The Prophet and Bed of Roses or sth.