Illuminating the Darkness: Blacks and North Africans in Islam - Couverture souple

Where the book is utterly fascinating is in its vignettes of whole African civilisations and 'empires'....When the Muslims themselves wake up from their slumbers and emerge from the ghettoes, both physical and intellectual, that they have foolishly allowed themselves to inhabit, they will have to take their place as generous hosts of humanity in an increasingly alien and predatory age. In having given us resources for that, the author has done us a tremendous service. - Abdassamad Clarke (Dean of The Muslim Faculty of Advanced Studies) --www.rabaah.com

The author is right to argue that Black and North African Muslims have made substantial contribution to the development of Islamic thought, culture and civilisation....This is an interesting and useful book, and it is worth reading. The author also deserves credit for his efforts. Muhammad Khan M Khan, author of The Muslim 100 --The Muslim News

This is an excellent and well researched book. It provides a clear analysis of the role and status of black people in Islam, and thereby 'illuminates the darkness' on the subject. It makes a good academic contribution on the subject and I highly recommend it. Professor Mashood Baderin (Professor of Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and UN Independent Expert on Human Rights in the Sudan) --www.rabaah.com

The author is right to argue that Black and North African Muslims have made a substantial contribution in the development of Islamic thought, culture and civilisation......This is an interesting and useful book, and it is worth reading. The author deserves credit for his efforts. Muhammad Khan author of The Muslim 100 --The Muslim News

This is an excellent and well researched book. It provides a clear analysis of the role and status of black people in Islam, and thereby 'illuminates the darkness' on the subject. It makes a good academic contribution on the subject and I highly recommend it. Professor Mashood Baderin (Professor of Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and UN Independent Expert on Human Rights in the Sudan) --www.rabaah.com

By and large Akande s effort has reminded us about the persistence of racial ideologies and tendentious narratives which continue to (mis)inform our understandings of racial identities and alterities, particularly in relation to the black peoples who are often assessed from unfavourable, multiple lenses. In 2007, the 79-year-old geneticist and Nobel laure-ate James D. Watson created a storm when he said that he was inherently gloomy about the prospect of Africa because the black people are less INTELLIGENT than whites . There is no need for a violent reaction to this kind of specious, senile, and unscientific assumption; if a donkey kicks you and you kick it back, both of you are donkeys, so says an East African proverb. Akande has, through this book, demonstrated that black is not only beautiful, but equally intelligent with a deep root in history and ancestral pride. Beyond this, the author has challenged us all to the need to explore further into history in order to establish the concrete contributions of the black people to world civilisations. --http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13602004.2014.888285#.VHzMG9KsWSo

This is an excellent and well researched book. It provides a clear analysis of the role and status of black people in Islam, and thereby 'illuminates the darkness' on the subject. It makes a good academic contribution on the subject and I highly recommend it. Professor Mashood Baderin (Professor of Law, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London and UN Independent Expert on Human Rights in the Sudan) --www.rabaah.com

Illuminating the Darkness critically addresses the issue of racial discrimination and colour prejudice in religious history. Tackling common misconceptions, the author seeks to elevate the status of blacks and North Africans in Islam. The book is divided into two sections: Part l of the book explores the concept of race, 'blackness', slavery, interracial marriage and racism in Islam in the light of the Qur'an, Hadith and early historical sources. Part ll of the book consists of a compilation of short biographies of noble black and North African Muslim men and women in Islamic history including Prophets, Companions of the Prophet and more recent historical figures. Following in the tradition of revered scholars of Islam such as al-Jahiz, Ibn al-Jawzi and al-Suyuti who wrote about this topic, Illuminating the Darkness is structured according to a similar monographic arrangement.