40 Books every Muslim Teen should read in 4 years of High School

****source: http://youthlyhub.com/40-books-every-muslim-youth-must-read-40/*****

There is no doubt, reading is a gateway to learning & personal development. It enriches your knowledge, stimulates the mind and helps to conceptualize ideas in deeper ways. For those curious minds, books will help you explore history, travel & new trends, learn about different cultures & various sciences and generally keep your mind alert.

In today’s world of pings and chats; social media networking with its instant gratification, it is very easy to neglect this important learning habit. A little time dedicated to regular reading can change your life forever.

With some priority setting including a better sleep habit, you can incorporate a healthy dose of reading into your daily schedule.

What do you say? Let’s dig into our ”40 before 40”.

Worship Shelf (On Living Islam & Boosting Eeman)

1. Dua Weapon of the Believers by Yasir Qadhi. All you need to know about Dua (supplication) as a tool for your worldly and hereafter success.

2. “The Declaration of Faith” by Shaykh Saalih ibn Fawzaan al-Fawzaan. It is about the declaration of “Laa ilaaha illallaah (kalimah), how it stands out amongst the various types of remembrances and how it is merely not something that is uttered by the tongue rather it has certain conditions and meanings attached to it.

3. Reclaim Your Heart by Yasmin Mogahed. Described as a manual on how to protect your most prized possession, your heart. This book looks at love, pain, loss & happiness from a unique perspective.

4. Youth’s problems by Sheikh Muhammad Saalih Al-Uthaymeen. It discusses problems facing the youth and how to overcome them in the light of the Qur’an and Sunnah.

5. 15 Ways to Increase Your Earnings from the Quran and Sunnah by Yasir Qadhi. A short treatise explaining the Islamic manner in which Allah (swt) and His Messenger described how Muslims could increase their money. The book gives clear encouragement to Muslims to seek only halaal earnings and shun haraam means & gains.

6. Peace and conflict resolution in Islam by Abdul Fatah Bello. The author looks at practical ways to foster peace & understanding between individuals, families and communities. He stresses on virtues such as forgiveness, tolerance and reconciliation, drawing from the Qur’an and sunnah.

7. The Music Made Me Do It: An In-Depth study of Music through Islam and Scienceby Dr. Gohar Mushtaq. A well researched book looking at effects of Music on the body, mind and soul from a balanced perspective. The studies of Muslims and non Muslims alike are included. You need to have this in your library – seriously!

8. A Brief Illustrated Guide to Understanding Islam by I.A Ibrahim. A short but concise book written in simple English with clear illustrations on general information about Islam & Islamic beliefs.

It provides reminders of the various signs and miracles mentioned in the Qur’an & a call to the truth of Islam & Prophet hood of Muhammad (saw). This book makes a perfect gift for Muslims and non Muslims alike.

9 – 18. Golden Advice series by Darussalam. A family series focusing on important advice for different times & situations from authentic sources.  It looks at basic morals, character building blocks and pure creed and worship of Allah (swt) alone. The series includes:

9. Part 1 ~ The Concise Legacy
10.Part 2 ~ O My Son! ( The Advice of Luqmaan)
11.Part 3 ~ Do not Become Angry
12. Part 4 ~ Guard the Tongue
13. Part 5 ~ Be patient and Paradise will be Yours
14. Part 6 ~ Rizq and Lawful Earning
15. Part 7 ~ Do not be Envious
16. Part 8 ~ The Muslim Home
17. Part 9 ~ O Young Man!
18. Part 10 ~ Be Steadfast!

Personal Development Shelf (On Productivity, Leadership & Skills Building)

19. Enjoy your life by Dr. Muhammad ‘Abd Rahman Al -‘Arifi is a book that cites exemplary situations from the life of the noble Messenger (saw) on how to balance between worship and worldly affairs; it gives insights into the art of interacting with people drawn from the Prophet’s life. Boost your positive emotions from this great read.

20. Don’t be Sad by Dr. Aid Al Qarni. It is a book full of wise words and inspiration that every youth needs to accompany them in times of need and ease. The author’s words draw you close just like a sincere friend would pull you close.

21. Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell.  A book which combines facts, figures and real stories to get you thinking about success in a new light. There’s a lot to learn and so much more you can relate to, from the Outliers’ stories citied. So the wise Muslim youth can focus high achievement, success & excellence not only for worldly reasons but also remembering the hereafter.

22. 7 Habits of Highly effective people by Stephen. R  Covey. A book for all seasons and times. In seven chapters, the author shares lessons and  habits you need to develop to improve your self-worth. It is a book to read over and over again.

23. How to win friends and influence people by Dale Carnegie. The title says it all. This book delves into practical skills you need in your personal and professional life for great communication and uplifting your  interpersonal interactions.

24. Eat That Frog!: Get More of the Important Things Done – Today! by Brian Tracy. Even if you don’t like frogs, there is enough to take away from this book. It teaches about a technique that can help you get much more done in life. Just what you need to manage your time & life.

25. Psychology from The Islamic Perspective by Dr. Aisha Utz. The author moves beyond how numerous scientific theories typically explain the true human nature and accompanying behaviour & emotions. She delves into the spiritual nature of man and how this nature connects to our purpose in life and ultimately happiness and success in this life and the next.

Relationships Shelf (On Parenting, Marriage & Family life)

26. Nurturing Eeman in Children by Dr Aisha Hamdan. This is a good book for Muslim parents and potential parents alike. The author gives practical tips with regards focusing on the overall development of children from an Islamic point of view. The parents can  use it as a guide  for raising children with faith, strong character and Ihsaan.

27. Loving our Parents: Stories of duties and obligations by Abdul Malik Mujahid. If you think you are a loving child already, read through these stories to boost your inspiration and find even more ways of fulfilling your special role. Each story has it’s unique flavour and takeaway lesson but the main one is that you should love your parents in better ways each day; you are never too young or old.

28 – 31. The Muslim Family – The Marriage Series – Muhammad al-Jibaly  The author Muhammad Mustafa al-Jibaly created a unique series that gives details on the Muslim Family, starting from courtship stage through marriage and into the parenting stage.

28. Part 1 – The Quest for Love and Mercy (Regulations for Marriage & Wedding in Islam)

29. Part 2 – Closer than a Garment (Marital Intimacy According to the Pure Sunnah)

30. Part 3 – The Fragile Vessels (Rights and Obligations between the Spouses in Islam)

31. Part 4 – Our Precious Sprouts (Islamic Regulations for Newborns)

32. Blissful Marriage: A Practical Islamic Guide By Drs. Ekram and M. Rida Beshir. A very comprehensive & practical book based on authors’ wealth of experience, theory, case studies and examples from real marriages; albeit based on the North American society. With the research findings, Quran and Hadith references as well as scholarly opinions, you have a lot to learn not withstanding the society you live in.

33. Umar al-Ashqar Emaan series by Umar Sulayman al-Ashqar.  The author details 7 concepts of Emaan which form the entire theology of Islam: belief in Allah, Belief in the Messengers, belief in the Divine Revelation (Books), Belief in Angels and Jinns, belief in Major and Minor Resurrection, and finally Belief in Paradise and Hellfire.  The series are meant to guide young Muslims find logical and convincing proofs for Islamic theology  and strengthen their relationship with Allah in the process. 

Fiction Shelf

34 – 36. If I should speak trilogy by Umm Zakiyyah. A gripping story from start to finish.  You will most definitely relate to one or more of the characters as they go through their daily challenges, spiritual battles and emotional tides.

34. Part i. If I Should Speak: a novel

35. Part ii. A voice

36. Part iii. Footsteps

Great People’s Shelf (Biography/ Autobiography/ Memoir)

37. Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources by Martin Lings. A very different approach to the story of the greatest man who ever lived, Muhammad (saw).  It is based on Arabic sources of the eighth and ninth centuries. It is a simple narrative with a fresh, lingering style and taste.

38. The Sealed Nectar (Ar Raheeq Al Makhtoom) by  Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri. This seerah book looks at the life of Prophet Muhammad (saw) through different stages. It is deep and gripping with detailed accounts to learn from, regarding our Islamic heritage.

39. Men & Women around the Messenger (saw) by Khaalid Muhammad Khalid and Dr. Abdel-Hamid  Eliwa. A concise biography of the companions of Prophet Muhammad (saw) – both females and males. They are our ideal role models, so who better to learn about the ideal lifestyle and character from? Get motivation and aim high from these distinguished figures in history.

40. From My Sisters’ Lips by Naima. B. Roberts. This international bestseller was written as memoir and includes personal narratives of other reverts to Islam. It explores the inner struggles and private thoughts that confront new Muslims in an easy-to-digest way. Every Muslim, female or male will find inspiration from a fellow sister on her journey to faith.

FACT: Some people actually read only a book or two each year. Some even less, meaning NONE.

NEXT STEPS: You can develop a better reading habit starting with 5 minutes today.

The more you read, the easier it becomes.

Simply save or print out the list above and get book hunting.

Check out Amazon ebooks for instant downloads. Try other websites and blogs, libraries, charity stores or you can borrow from friends and family {but make sure you return in same condition you were given}.

Get a buddy or two to read the same titles with, then meet after a month to discuss what you have read. Begin with the titles that you feel will impact your life the most at this very moment.

Dedicate part of your monthly budget to buying at least one book, or saving towards a book – it could be an ebook which usually costs less. There are some free ebooks online as well. Try Kalamullah to get started.

No matter how your reading schedule looks at the present moment, you can still make it happen In Sha Allah.

Which of these titles have you read? And which others deserve to be included? Please share.

Poetic Devices and Literary Devices

Poetic Devices

Poetry is the kind of thing poets write. — Robert Frost
Man, if you gotta ask, you’ll never know. — Louis Armstrong

• 
  
  Alliteration: Repeated consonant sounds at the beginning of words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. A somewhat looser definition is that it is the use of the same consonant in any part of adjacent words.
  Example: fast and furious
  Example: Peter and Andrew patted the pony at Ascot
  In the second definition, both P and T in the example are reckoned as alliteration. It is noted that this is a very obvious device and needs to be handled with great restraint, except in specialty forms such as limerick, cinquain, and humorous verse.
  
  Assonance: Repeated vowel sounds in words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. These should be in sounds that are accented, or stressed, rather than in vowel sounds that are unac- cented.
  Example: He’s a bruisin’ loser
  In the second example above, the short A sound in Andrew, patted, and Ascot would be assonant.
  
  Consonance: Repeated consonant sounds at the ending of words placed near each other, usually on the same or adjacent lines. These should be in sounds that are accented, or stressed, rather than in vowel sounds that are unaccented. This produces a pleasing kind of near-rhyme. Example: boats into the past
  Example: cool soul

Cacophony A discordant series of harsh, unpleasant sounds helps to convey disorder. This is often furthered by the combined effect of the meaning and the difficulty of pronunciation.
Example: My stick fingers click with a snicker And, chuckling, they knuckle the keys;
Light-footed, my steel feelers flicker And pluck from these keys melodies. —“Player Piano,” John Updike

Euphony: A series of musically pleasant sounds, conveying a sense of harmony and beauty to the language. Example: Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam—
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon
Leap, plashless as they swim.
— “A Bird Came Down the Walk,” Emily Dickenson (last stanza)

Onomatopoeia: Words that sound like their meanings. In Hear the steady tick of the old hall clock, the word tick sounds like the action of the clock, If assonance or alliteration can be onomatopoeic, as the sound ‘ck’ is repeated in tick and clock, so much the better. At least sounds should suit the tone – heavy sounds for weightiness, light for the delicate. Tick is a light word, but transpose the light T to its heavier counterpart, D; and transpose the light CK to its heavier counterpart G, and tick becomes the much more solid and down to earth dig.
Example: boom, buzz, crackle, gurgle, hiss, pop, sizzle, snap, swoosh, whir, zip

Repetition: The purposeful re-use of words and phrases for an effect. Sometimes, especially with longer phrases that contain a different key word each time, this is called parallelism. It has been a central part of poetry in many cultures. Many of the Psalms use this device as one of their unifying elements.
Example: I was glad; so very, very glad. Example: Half a league, half a league,
Half a league onward... ...
Cannon to right of them, Cannon to left of them, Cannon in front of them
Volley’d and thunder’d...

Rhyme: This is the one device most commonly associated with poetry by the general public. Words that have different beginning sounds but whose endings sound alike, including the final vowel sound and everything following it, are said to rhyme.
Example: time, slime, mime


Double rhymes include the final two syllables. 
Example: revival, arrival, survival Triple rhymes include the final three syllables. 
Example: greenery, machinery, scenery

Less effective but sometimes used are sight rhymes. Words which are spelled the same (as if they rhymed), but are pronounced differently are called sight rhymes or eye rhymes.
Example: enough, cough, through, bough

Allegory: A representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning. Sometimes it can be a single word or phrase, such as the name of a character or place. Often, it is a symbolic narrative that has not only a literal meaning, but a larger one understood only after reading the entire story or poem

Allusion: A brief reference to some person, historical event, work of art, or Biblical or mythological situation or character.

Ambiguity: A word or phrase that can mean more than one thing, even in its context. Poets often search out such words to add richness to their work. Often, one meaning seems quite readily apparent, but
other, deeper and darker meanings, await those who contemplate the poem.
Example: Robert Frost’s ‘The Subverted Flower’

Analogy: A comparison, usually something unfamiliar with something familiar. Example: The plumbing took a maze of turns where even water got lost.

Apostrophe: Speaking directly to a real or imagined listener or inanimate object; addressing that person or thing by name.
Example: O Captain! My Captain! our fearful trip is done...

Cliché: Any figure of speech that was once clever and original but through overuse has become outdated. If you’ve heard more than two or three other people say it more than two or three times, chances are the phrase is too timeworn to be useful in your writing.
Example: busy as a bee

Connotation: The emotional, psychological or social overtones of a word; its implications and associations apart from its literal meaning. Often, this is what distinguishes the precisely correct word from one that is merely acceptable.

Contrast: Closely arranged things with strikingly different characteristics. Example: He was dark, sinister, and cruel; she was radiant, pleasant, and kind.

Denotation: The dictionary definition of a word; its literal meaning apart from any associations or connota- tions. Students must exercise caution when beginning to use a thesaurus, since often the words that are clustered together may share a denotative meaning, but not a connotative one, and the substitution of a word can sometimes destroy the mood, and even the meaning, of a poem.

Euphemism: An understatement, used to lessen the effect of a statement; substituting something innocuous for something that might be offensive or hurtful.
Example: She is at rest. (meaning, she’s dead)

Hyperbole: An outrageous exaggeration used for effect. Example: He weighs a ton.

Irony: A contradictory statement or situation to reveal a reality different from what appears to be true. Example: Wow, thanks for expensive gift...let’s see: did it come with a Fun Meal or the Burger King equivalent?

Metaphor: A direct comparison between two unlike things, stating that one is the other or does the action of the other.
Example: He’s a zero. Example: Her fingers danced across the keyboard.

Paradox: A statement in which a seeming contradiction may reveal an unexpected truth. Example: The hurrier I go the behinder I get.

Personification: Attributing human characteristics to an inanimate object, animal, or abstract idea. Example: The days crept by slowly, sorrowfully.

Pun: Word play in which words with totally different meanings have similar or identical sounds. Example: Like a firefly in the rain, I’m de-lighted.

Simile: A direct comparison of two unlike things using “like” or “as.” Example: He’s as dumb as an ox.
Example: Her eyes are like comets.

Symbol: An ordinary object, event, animal, or person to which we have attached extraordinary meaning and significance – a flag to represent a country, a lion to represent courage, a wall to symbolize separation. Example: A small cross by the dangerous curve on the road reminded all of Johnny’s death.


Point of View: The author’s point of view concentrates on the vantage point of the speaker, or “teller” of the story or poem. This may be considered the poem’s “voice” — the pervasive presence behind the overall work. This is also sometimes referred to as the persona.

• 1st Person: the speaker is a character in the story or poem and tells it from his/her perspective (uses “I”).
  
• 3rd Person limited: the speaker is not part of the story, but tells about the other charac- ters through the limited perceptions of one other person.
  
• 3rd Person omniscient: the speaker is not part of the story, but is able to “know” and describe what all characters are thinking.
  
  Line: The line is fundamental to the perception of poetry, marking an important visual distinction from prose. Poetry is arranged into a series of units that do not necessarily correspond to sentences, but rather to a series of metrical feet. Generally, but not always, the line is printed as one single line on the page. If it occupies more than one line, its remainder is usually indented to indicate that it is a continu- ation.
  There is a natural tendency when reading poetry to pause at the end of a line, but the careful reader will follow the punctuation to find where natural pauses should occur.
  In traditional verse forms, the length of each line is determined by convention, but in modern poetry the poet has more latitude for choice.
  
  Verse: One single line of a poem arranged in a metrical pattern. Also, a piece of poetry or a particular form of poetry such as free verse, blank verse, etc., or the art or work of a poet. The popular use of the word verse for a stanza or associated group of metrical lines is not in accor- dance with the best usage. A stanza is a group of verses.

Stanza: A division of a poem created by arranging the lines into a unit, often repeated in the same pattern of meter and rhyme throughout the poem; a unit of poetic lines (a “paragraph” within the poem). The stanzas within a poem are separated by blank lines.
Stanzas in modern poetry, such as free verse, often do not have lines that are all of the same length and meter, nor even the same number of lines in each stanza. Stanzas created by such irregular line group- ings are often dictated by meaning, as in paragraphs of prose.

Rhetorical Question: A question solely for effect, which does not require an answer. By the implication the answer is obvious, it is a means of achieving an emphasis stronger than a direct statement.
Example: Could I but guess the reason for that look?
Example: O, Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

• • Ballad: a narrative poem written as a series of quatrains in which lines of iambic tetrameter alternate with iambic trimeter with an xaxa, xbxb rhyme scheme with frequent use of repetition and often including a refrain. The “story” of a ballad can be a wide range of subjects but frequently deals with folklore or popular legends. They are written in a straight-forward manner, seldom with detail, but always with graphic simplicity and force. Most ballads are suitable for singing: “Barbara Allen” is an example.
    Many of the oldest ballads were first written and performed by minstrels as court
    entertainment. Folk ballads are of unknown origin and are usually lacking in artistic finish. Because they are handed down by oral tradition, folk ballads are subject to variations and continual change. Other types of ballads include literary ballads, combining the natures of epic and lyric poetry, which are written by known authors, often in the style and form of the folk ballad, such as Keats’ ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci.”
    
    
  • Concrete Poetry: also known as pattern poetry or shaped verse, these are poems that are printed on the page so that they form a recognizable outline related to the subject, thus convey- ing or extending the meaning of the words. Pattern poetry retains its meaning when read aloud, whereas the essence of concrete poetry lies in its appearance on the page rather than in the words; it is intended to be perceived as a visual whole and often cannot be effective when read aloud. This form has had brief popularity at several periods in history.
  • Haiku: a Japanese form of poetry consisting of three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables. The elusive flavor of the form, however, lies more in its touch and tone than in its syllabic structure. Deeply imbedded in Japanese culture and strongly influenced by Zen Buddhism, haiku are very brief descriptions of nature that convey some implicit insight or essence of a moment. Traditionally, they contain either a direct or oblique reference to a season
    
  • Limerick: a light or humorous form of five chiefly anapestic verses of which lines one, two and five are of three feet and lines three and four are of two feet, with a rhyme scheme of aabba. Named for a town in Ireland of that name, the limerick was popularized by Edward Lear in his Book of Nonsense published in 1846, and is generally considered the only fixed form of English origin.
    While the final line of Lear’s limericks usually was a repetition of the first line, modern limericks generally use the final line for clever witticisms and word play. Their content also frequently tends toward the ribald and off-color.
    

Lyric: derived from the Greek word for lyre, lyric poetry was originally designed to be sung. One of the three main groups of poetry (the others being narrative and dramatic), lyric verse is the most frequently used modern form, including all poems in which the speaker’s ardent expression of a (usually single) emotional element predominates. Ranging from complex thoughts to the simplicity of playful wit, the melodic imagery of skillfully written lyric poetry evokes in the reader’s mind the recall of similar emotional experiences.

• Ode: any of several stanzaic forms more complex than the lyric, with intricate rhyme schemes and irregular number of lines, generally of considerable length, always written in a style marked by a rich, intense expression of an elevated thought praising a person or object. “Ode to a Nightingale” is an example.

Imagery: The use of vivid language to generate ideas and/or evoke mental images, not only of the visual sense, but of sensation and emotion as well. While most commonly used in reference to figurative language, imagery can apply to any component of a poem that evoke sensory experience and emotional response, and also applies to the concrete things so brought to mind.
Poetry works it magic by the way it uses words to evoke “images” that carry depths of meaning.
The poet’s carefully described impressions of sight, sound, smell, taste and touch can be transferred to the thoughtful reader through imaginative use and combinations of diction. In addition to its more tangible initial impact, effective imagery has the potential to tap the inner wisdom of the reader to arouse meditative and inspirational responses.
Related images are often clustered or scattered throughout a work, thus serving to create a particular mood or tone. Images of disease, corruption, and death, for example, are recurrent patterns shaping our perceptions of Shakespeare’s Hamlet.

Examples:

• Sight: Smoke mysteriously puffed out from the clown’s ears.
  
  
  
• Sound: Tom placed his ear tightly against the wall; he could hear a faint but distinct thump
  thump thump.
  
  
  
• Touch: The burlap wall covering scraped against the little boy’s cheek.
  
  
  
• Taste: A salty tear ran across onto her lips.
  
  
  
• Smell: Cinnamon! That’s what wafted into his nostrils.
  
  
  
  Synesthesia: An attempt to fuse different senses by describing one kind of sense impression in words normally used to describe another.
  Example: The sound of her voice was sweet.
  Example: a loud aroma, a velvety smile
  
  
  
  Tone, Mood: The means by which a poet reveals attitudes and feelings, in the style of language or expres- sion of thought used to develop the subject. Certain tones include not only irony and satire, but may be loving, condescending, bitter, pitying, fanciful, solemn, and a host of other emotions and attitudes. Tone can also refer to the overall mood of the poem itself, in the sense of a pervading atmosphere intended to influence the readers’ emotional response and foster expectations of the conclusion.
  Another use of tone is in reference to pitch or to the demeanor of a speaker as interpreted through inflections of the voice; in poetry, this is conveyed through the use of connotation, diction, figures of speech, rhythm and other elements of poetic construction.