No comments about Ninety Nine Names of Allah: A Dictionary of Muslim Names.

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1 comments about Islamic Names: An Introduction (Islamic Surveys).

1. A tidy book from Edinburgh University Press: 137 pp in trade paperback.
   
   TABLE OF CONTENTS
   The Structure of a Name
   - ism or 'alam; kunya; nasab; nisba; laqab
   
   Born on a Friday
   - The naming of a child
   
   Help from God
   - Religious name-giving
   
   Mothers of the Faithful
   - The naming of girls
   
   Lions, Moons, Roses
   - the nickname or laqab
   
   A Name Too Heavy to Bear
   - changes and transformations of the names
   
   Appendix: Some Notes on Turkish Family Names
   
   Notes (10 pp)
   Bibliography (6 pp)
   
   Index of Personal Names (30 pp)
   Index of Places, Ethnic Groups, and Languages
   
   Index of Qur'anic Verses
   
   Glossary of Technical Terms

1 comments about Throne of Gold.

1. Throne of Gold opens with a historical section on Islam and Isma ilism which is replete with errors and misconceptions and reveals the author' s less than full knowledge of these matters. A few examples will suffice. The Abbasids did not descend from the Prophet's brother, but from his uncle; the author's discussion of the beliefs of the early Isma ilis reflects the stance of the medieval anti-Isma ili polemicists; the Nizari Isma ilis did not use hashish as reported in the Assassin legends of the European sources; and the term Assassin did not enter European languages via the writings of Marco Polo. The author's carelessness also finds expression in many of the less technical and more biographical and descriptive aspects of her book. For instance, the birth dates of Aga Khan IV and that of his brother Amyn are both incorrect (pp. 137, 148). Aga Khan III did not visit Cairo in 1937 to see his Egyptian followers (pp. 157-58); he never had followers there and, in fact, Isma ilism had disappeared from Egypt soon after the collapse of the Fatimid dynasty in 1171. The Aga Khan Foundation, responsible for promoting and financing projects in the areas of health, education, rural development, social welfare and humanitarian aid, was not established by Aga Khan III (pp. 262-63); it was founded in 1967 by Aga Khan IV. Indeed, Anne Edwards' book is permeated throughout with factual errors and inaccuracies.

   Like the Crusaders, who, though ignorant of the basic facts of Islam, yet claimed to possess reliable information about the secret practices of the Isma ilis, Anne Edwards, too, readily resorts to her imagination in order to enhance the "sensational" appeal of her book - which is, of course, also filled with details about the secret, anonymous mistresses of Aga Khan III and his generous gifts to them. The author is truly in her own element in describing the romantic activities of Aga Khan III's son, Aly Khan (1911-60), devoting a large part of her book to him. However, Edwards adds nothing to the several biographies of this popular figure. Needless to recall that Aly Khan was bypassed by his father in the succession to the imamate and never acquired the title of Aga Khan. In the final chapters of the book (pp. 217-314), the author deals in a superficial, though more sympathetic, way with the activities of Aga Khan IV.

   Anne Edwards's Throne of Gold is a poorly researched and ill-conceived book that almost completely ignores the Isma ili context within which the Aga Khans as imams have unified and led several million Isma ili Muslims in turbulent times. This is perhaps the book's most serious shortcoming. The last two Aga Khans have indeed been very successful in combining their spiritual leadership with numerous modernizing policies of a secular nature. As a result, the Nizari Isma ilis have entered the modern world as a progressive and prosperous community with very high standards of education. The same Isma ili context would also explain the strong devotion of the Isma ilis to their imam and their extraordinary communal solidarity. Anne Edwards, of course, misses all of this and, therefore, implicitly portrays the Isma ilis as a group of naive sectarians who somehow share a blind obedience toward their leaders, very much reminiscent of the earlier Assassin legends and the curious hold of the Old Man of the Mountain on his followers.

5 comments about The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi Names.

1. The book starts with a neat introduction beginning with the name of Muhammad meaning "one who is praised". Muhammad is the most common Muslim name. Prophet Muhammad is supposed to have said "Whoever is named after me with the hope of being blessed, he will be blessed and will be in peace till the Day of Qayamat". Then other names like Abdu'llah (the servant of Allah), Adhu'r Rahman (servant of the merciful one) are explained. The introduction closes with thanking those helped the authors in providing research material and guidance.

   Phonetic Guide is followed by Introduction. This page explains how to spell, for example A is spelled as in mud, K as in king, Q as in stuck, U as in put,etc.

   Origin of names are explained the next topic - Abbreviations. This page has the origin of names like A for Arabic, Hb for Hebrew and P for Persian.

   Then the names and meanings are listed alphabetically. However you will not find names staring with "O". For names with O you will have to see "U". Each name has its source and almost all the meanings. An interested and speciality of this book is that the Actual Meaning, the Construed Meaning and those connected to History or Mythology are indicated. This makes the book different from others. The book ends with Bibliography.

   Male and Female names are neither indicated nor separated, causing little inconvenience to the readers. For all names beginning with "O" you must see under "U". This is another inconvenience.

   Finally I am sure to say, "The Complete Book of Muslim & Parsi Names by Maneka Gandhi & Ozair Husain" is THE BEST Muslim names book.




2. For readers interested in etymology and the derivation of words, this is an excellent source. Names have been listed here based on lexical origins first and only then for their religious connotations. It makes for rich reading and I highly recommend it.



3. For Muslims, if your first language isn't Arabic, it is often difficult selecting an appropiate baby name with a good and sound meaning. So many people just go for a name even when they are unsure of the accurate meaning because they like the sound, or choose a name that is the flavor of the season in their home countries, or resort to very standard names. Searching on the internet for a baby name is risky because a lot of websites contain incorrect or incomplete meanings for Muslim names. There are a few other Muslim baby name books besides this one, but The Complete Book of Muslim and Parsi names is the most extensive and the meanings given are 100% accurate. Muslim names generally come from Arabic, Persian, and Turkish and this book contains a vast selection of names from all three languages (though far less Turkish) including language of origin, meaning, and relevent famous historical figure with the name. If you own this book you are guaranteed that you can select a name and know the sound meaning. The book uses a simple transliteration system to ensure correct pronunciation from Farsi and Arabic. Unfortunately, neither Arabic nor Nastaliq scripts are used as a supplement, but if you understand the book's transliteration system you can easily figure out the spelling in Arabic/Farsi. Another minor problem with the book is that the "ta marboota" in Arabic feminine names is sometimes written as T and sometimes as H. In Arabic it is silent, but Urdu speakers pronounce the T (like saying Amanah in Arabic as Amanat in Urdu). If the authors revise this book they should choose one system to follow and not jump back and forth between H and T. Technically you could pronounce it either way depending on whether you want to use Arabic or Urdu pronunciation for your baby's name, so it is not that big of a deal. Perhaps the authors could just add that information into the introduction, for that is the book's only flaw. Anyway, it is a GREAT book. It also contains names from Zoroastrian mythology, but if Muslims are concerned about that, it is easy to tell which names those are so there is no chance of choosing a Parsi mythological name for your baby. If you are an Arabic, Farsi, or Urdu language student, this book is great for you just from a linguistic stand point. It is just an all around useful and enriching book for your shelf.



4. This book is great with meaning and sheer volume of names. However if youre a parent looking for a name for your child there is one major draw back - IT IS NOT DIVIDED INTO MALE AND FEMALE NAMES! So if you are a new Muslim or unfamiliar with the languages, particularly Arabic it becomes struggle to decipher girl/boy names (you have to simply have use your general sense and usethe meaning of the name and whether it "sounds like" a girls name or boys i.e. guess! The authors do not even comment in the introduction about the reasons they've excluded this major aspect of the naming.
   I was excited to receive this book then disappointed when I got it - I now have to wade through the huge book from A-Z making guesses as to which names are masculine and which are feminine. I just cannot understand why they have not divided into male and female! It's ridiculous! Like our first jobs as parents, choosing a name, isn't hard enough?!



5. As an American married to a Muslim, this book was not very helpful for me. We were trying to find common Muslim names, and while this has a large list, it is mixed with names that are not Muslim and is not separated at all by gender.
   
   In addition, most of the names are not very common at all and are difficult to pronounce for Americans. . .which is one of our target audiences. The real test was that my husband could not find any names he liked, at all. . .This book was not what I was looking for.

1 comments about The Most Beautiful Names.

1. There is indeed beauty in the 99 names attributed to God according to the Islamic Sufism. Not only does this book explain the meaning and the nature of the names of God, but it also applies each quality to what would be the equivalent to the human condition. Thus we find that "Al-Musawwir", the Shaper of Beauty, the Perfect Artist, manifests itself in whoever is that "makes of things in accordance with the beauty, manifest in all that Allah has created, because no beauty is possible in opposition to the beauty created by Allah or other than it." (page 22). Hence the way for us artists to be thankful for our gift of creativity yet be humble about it as well.
   
   My other favorite names are "Al-`Adl" (the Just), "Az-Zahir" (the Manifest One, closely related to Al-Musawwir in the sense that He maintains everything that is created) and "Al-Wali"(the Governor), especially because it lets us know that everything and anything that happens in our lives has been pre-ordained, thus, the power of destiny cannot be denied.
   
   In Arabic, every word is created from a three-letter root. This book has inspired me to do my own research regarding Arabic proper names, because every proper noun has its own meaning.
   
   For Muslims, a book like this one is a highly appreciated devotional reference, which will either be kept by the bedside or carried in a purse. I much prefer to have it always at hand, so I recommend a miniature, full color edition published by Islamic Book Service. Sadly, it seems to be out of print, but if found, it's well worth the investment.
   
   The book ends with a list of the names of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and is illustrated throughout with calligraphic motifs of the different names of Allah.

4 comments about The Dictionary of Muslim Names.

1. The comprehensive and authentic approach offered by this book is unparallel to any other that I have seen. Full marks go to the author, who has included many Quranic/Arabic/Persian muslim names for both boys and girls. This book is a must if you are a new parent, and consequently pulling your hair out trying to think of a suitable muslim name for your newborn. Further reference to the meaning of these names make this text a good read even for the general public. Do you know what your name means? Certainly a book to be passed on with inhertance!



2. In the book description, I have seen the prophet's name is taken without any respect. It should be noted that any Prophet's name should be taken with peace be upon him(PBUH). Let it be Jesus (peace be upon him) or prophet Muhammed (peace be upon him). If a book misses this then the book is of no use to us.



3. Finally a good book of Muslim names. Gives, name, meaning and how to pronounce. Good quality binding and therefore durable as you pass it from one person to the next!



4. This book is not worth the money. You can find most of the names listed free in internet sites..

2 comments about Genealogies of Religion: Discipline and Reasons of Power in Christianity and Islam.

1. A fascinating book, in which the author argues that "religion" as a historical and political category was created in Europe, an interesting book.



2. Talal Asad is one of the remarkable minds of our times. This work is one of the most insightful works on how to understand religion in the modern world...