I was surprised to find this book on the shelf of books recommended for high-school students at my local bookstore, but the subject intrigued me, so I decided to take a chance on it. Like all decent sex manuals, it gives good advice in many matters -- foreplay, treating one's partner with respect, and so forth, but often lacks the detail necessary for one who actually needs the advice in the first place to follow. And like most sex manuals, the people who need it the most are the ones who will be the least likely to bother with it. There is a long catalog of various names of the sex organs of both males and females which was half-amusing, half-tedious. Suffice to say that they are not all that different from the ones in use today. Also, certain idiotic misconceptions abound, which will probably not be helpful to most people -- that in order to satisfy a woman, for example, a man should be rich and have a penis roughly a foot long. Also, certain cultural assumptions are made which may strike some readers as odd, but which in fact are very telling -- for example, in the period and location when this book was written, fat women were considered very erotic. Hearing a man tall about how he adores his wife's double-chin is rather amusing (in this sense it makes a good introductory study towards ideals of beauty as one finds in Wolf's "The Beauty Myth"), and lets one see that contemporary idea of beauty are not by any means universal. Another interesting aspect of the book was the notion that sex is an important and decent part of one's life as it is given one by god. The author was obviously Islamic and this shows over and over again, but unlike in Christian writings of the same period, sex is portrayed as something beautiful to be shared as a gift from heaven and not as a "dirty secret". This is really quite refreshing -- in the west, we still suffer from this lamentable malady today. The Sheik also takes it for granted that women enjoy sex as much as men, and places a strong emphasis on female satisfaction; something that only recently has become fashionable. On the negative side, the chapters on beastiality and tribadism were left out in Burton's translation -- necessary considering the time in which he lived, but an omission which nevertheless leaves the book incomplete. As a study in cultural values, it is quite interesting, as a sex manual, it is obviously dated and could use much improvement -- modern ones are much better. Depending on what you are looking for, it may be an interesting read, but still comes across as rather dull; it won't replace the Kama Sutra anytime soon.

I came across this book at random in a book store, never having heard or seen it before, and spent some time perusing it, reading several of the chapters, so although I haven't read the whole thing, I have some idea of what's it's about. This is basically the Arabic Kama Sutra. The Cheikh obviously intended this book to be useful as a practical manual for any man in his sex life, and, considering it was written in the 16th century, it just goes to show you that not much has changed when it comes to sex. Some of the sections are downright funny, such as the chapter that begins with all the Arabic terms and descriptions for the different personalities or "types of vulvas." They are described in words such as (I forget the Arabic terms, but anyway, the definition is the funny part): "The Hungry One: this is the vulva of a woman who has not had intercourse in a long time. It will not allow you to withdraw until you have entered it again and again." Other names translate as "the great one," and "the playful one." There are other even funnier descriptions, which I don't recall right now, but anyway, this will give you some idea of what they're like. Anyway, this book is entertaining if only for some of the choicer sections such as the above.

A highly erotic, exotic and curious manuel written in the 16th century is the Perfumed Garden of the Cheikh Nefzaoui. This book was reccomended to me in the readings of Aleister Crowley on one of his many discourses on sexual magic. The purpose of the Perfumed Garden is to inform the individual of "proper" sexual practice, the wheres and whens and know-hows and know-whos. Describing all sorts of positions (and the author comments that the reader is welcome to make up their own), to the different sizes and shapes of the male and female genitals (amazon forbids me to say those dirty nasty words). In almost each instance, the author gives a story in how to seduce a woman and what to do with her once you have. When not to fornicate and what to consider once you have. The book does have a male bias, as it is written from a male point of view, and being that of the Arabian society, men were the seekers or the hunters while women were the focus. It would appear that women have less of an option in many cases, however, there is respect given to the women as they dont neccesarily have to "give it up" when a man wants her, but rather the man has to "win" her over. It is the womans job to look as beautiful as she can (personality not included). Sadly, at least, being a male I like to think it sad, that the author does give the message that any male ample enough in their virility to make a womans eyes pop out of her head and their jaws drop to their knees can win any women. Yet, the Perfumed Garden does not by any means neglect technique, which as modern day sexologists would agree is primary for any sexual compatability from both sides of the court to exist harmoniously. A good companion to the Karma Sutra, the well known Hindu Manuel of Erotology. I enjoyed the book purely for the erotica involved, which I found completely stimulating in all areas of the body. I also found it curious and practical in many ways that it can spice anyones life, as well as make one think about size; length, width and depth...and of course, their compatability.

Without doubt the original work by Imam al Ghazzali, entitled "Keemiya-i-Sa'adaat" (Alchemy of Happiness) is one of the great works of world religious literature, especially mystical. However, although it is an abridgement of Imam Ghazzali's magnus opus, "Ihya al Ulum ud-Din" (The Revival of the Religious Sciences) made by the master himself, this translation presents but a TINY portion of the abridged work. To give you an indication of just how much has been left out of this book, I have seen a full Urdu translation of the Keemiya and it runs to approx. 1000 pages. This work is 122 small sized pages!! (The Ihya of course is about 4000 large pages).Obviously therefore most of the book is missing. Secondly, this is an English translation of a French translation of the Urdu version of the Persian from the original! The number of errors in that sequence will be large. Also the translator has made some glaring errors in the translation of some technical Sufi terms used by the Imam. e.g. the word "sama'" has been translated, incorrectly, as it almost invariably is by Orientalists as "music". Now, "sama'" as understood by the Sufis themselves does NOT mean music. Its actual meaning is to listen to melodious voices or singing without musical accompaniment.That is what sama' gatherings were: gatherings of Sufis and disciples to listen to mystical poems sung in melodious voices with the rules of musical rhythms etc. with NO accompanying instruments NOT musical concerts as is often implied.

Therefore as a general taster of the great work by Imam Ghazzali this is ok but it is a poor substitute. Alas, the English speaking world must still wait for the first complete and accurate translation of the Alchemy of Happiness.

Clear guidance for this age old wisdom propounded by so many enlightened souls from Socrates to Muhammad, peace be upon them. A potent source of inspiration and guidance for purifying the soul and attaining The Divine Presence.

Although Al-Ghazzali offers a few anachronisms (he died in 1111), and uses quotes from Islamic traditions to drive home his points (which many people in today's world would not accept as authoritive), his short but powerful argument for why people should take their spiritual lives seriously has perhaps never been improved upon in all the intervening centuries. His compelling perspective has not been lost in the translation from one time to another, from one culture to another, or from one language to another.

I found this book very informing. It definately has a different angle of information seldom discussed. It covered subjects like the Tribe of Shabazz, the Making of The Moon, Jesus, Yakub and the overall aspect of how these subjects fit interestingly within Christianity and Islam. On page 1, Elijah Muhammad's first paragraph states, "To you who have arrived here at this particular address to hear this subject, Christianity versus Islam, I thank you..." Obviously, Elijah Muhammad did title this lecture, and it is noble on the part of the publisher to leave it as Messenger Muhammad put it.

There is nothing wrong with this book except for its title. Oftentimes, The Honorable Elijah Muhammad would not give titles to his speeches. The titles were created by his followers who eventually published and made his teachings available to the public.

This book is a very good book that gives a transcript of a very powerful lecture given by The Honorable Elijah Muhammad in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1960. Many of the points raised by Master Elijah Muhammad in this lecture are quite relevant to this day. It is a very good lecture. Go out and buy it.

Haykal's book on the Gulf War is written from admittedly biased source. While it is useful and contains backround information not found elsewhere, Haykal either deliberately lies or exaggerates in a number of instances. He also alludes to sources that cannot be disclosed for safety purposes.

Interesting reading but take it with a peck of salt.

An excellent book, written by an Arab intellectual. It gives accurate account of the modern history of the Middle East. This account uncovers all the distorted images. It bravely states the real motives behind the Gulf war. It is a highly recommended book for those who wish to know the truth.

Collection of Hadit Kudsi by Ibn Al'Arabi . There are a lot of lessons as Hadith #48 where Allah the Glorious says "be satisfied with what I have given you" Most of the hadiths are about God's generosity for the believers and those who pray and ask for forgiveness.

The Moroccan philosopher Mohammed Abed al-Jabri is one of the most prominent modern thinkers in the Arab and Islamic world. The collection of essays published under the title ARAB-ISLAMIC PHILOSOPHY. A COMTEMPORARY CRITIQUE is the first of al-Jabri's works to appear in English and it provides an excellent introduction to al-Jabri's ideas.

Al-Jabri's project is an endeavor to establish a link between modernity and tradition. He wants it to be clear that modernity does not imply a break with the tradition, but rather an upgrading of the way modern Arabs/Muslims can relate to that tradition. Modernity is also something that has to be developed from within Arab culture instead of just copying European modernist methods. For according to al-Jabri the main insight to be gained is the awareness of the relativity and historicity of each and every tradition. Tradition does not represent an absolute reality transcending history.

The essays are organized into two parts. In the first section the author opts for a systematic approach of the subject matter, while the second set of essays provides the historical setting in which the tradition took shape, and identifies the germination of rationalist approaches developing within that tradition.

In the first chapter on the shortcomings of traditional discourse, al-Jabri presents three alternative readings of tradition. The fundamentalist reading presents the past as a means to establish and confirm identity. Taking the form of a retreat into a defensive stand, it projects a 'radiant future' based upon an 'ideological fabrication of the past'. Then there is a liberal reading of the tradition. Clearly derived from European thinking it has espoused an 'orientalist discourse' and reads one tradition through another. Such modern Arab liberal thinking contains a real danger of identity alienation. The third reading, the Marxist one, is qualified by al-Jabri as a ready-made dialectical method that must be considered as scientifically unsound because it posits an outcome before engaging into the analysis.

The second chapter is the most lucid portion of the book, and it provides a convenient summary of al-Jabri's thinking as detailed in his main work 'Critique of Arab Reason'. Referring to the three alternative readings of Arab tradition, al-Jabri points out that they suffer from two major weaknesses: a weakness of method - caused by a lack of objectivity - and a weakness of vision - due to a lack of historical awareness.

The lack of objectivity is a result of the flawed epistemology of Arab-Islamic thought, caused by the wrong application of the analogy method. In the Islamic context this became the scientific method par excellence, but it was applied wrongly by jurists, theologians and grammarians alike. In a similar vein can the lack of historical perspective be contributed to a limited view of the past, which is taken as transcendental and sacral, and must therefore be considered as a-historical.

Next al-Jabri poses the question how to escape from this deadlock. From the outset the author makes it clear that this epistemological break does not constitute a break on the level of knowledge itself, but takes place on the level of the mental act. Thinkers should not be 'taken by tradition' but rather 'embrace tradition'. This necessitates a 'disjunction between object and subject' as al-Jabri calls it. Without it objectivity is impossible.

First of all the subject should be disjoined from the object in order to get rid of a biased understanding of tradition based on that tradition itself. This can be achieved by a meticulous dissection of texts. The next step is to disjoin object from subject. For this operation al-Jabri suggests a process that is made up of three steps: a structuralist approach, which searches for the constants in a text tradition; a historical approach that links the author's thinking to his historical context; and a ideological approach, which envisages a synthesis between the structuralist and historical readings of the text.

Then follows what must be considered the most difficult part of al-Jabri methodology: reconnecting subject and object into a meaningful relationship. Here Mohammed al-Jabri's project of rationalist critique appears to suffer a relapse, for the author suggests nothing less than that this rejoining can only be achieved through intuition. Although he adds immediately that he is not talking about a mystical, personalist or phenomenological intuition, this reviewer is of the opinion that the search for the 'unsaid' or the 'hidden strategy' of a discourse constitutes a breach in the original train of thought. Al-Jabri's claim that all philosophers kept some ideas to themselves sounds unconvincing and appears to be at odds with the writer's outright hostility towards to Gnostic elements in the thinking of, for example, Ibn Sina [Avicenna].

After having dealt with the methodological flaws of Arab-Islamic philosophy, al-Jabri shifts his attention to the issue of vision. Whether we like it or not, vision makes up the framework of method. All systems of thought gravitate around a specific 'problematics', in the case of Arab-Islamic philosophy the reconciliation between reason and transmission. This problematics was approached through a specific Islamic reading of Greek philosophy. But the modern students of this Islamic philosophy have failed to make a distinction between the cognitive and ideological perspectives of this reading. This failure has resulting in the qualification of Islamic philosophy as being immobile and 'avoid of progress and of dynamics'.

This qualification is taken up by al-Jabri at the beginning of his historical essays. Their main purpose is to dispel this myth of immobility. For although the cognitive material has remained intransigent, the ideological use of it was dynamic. Al-Jabri characterizes Islamic philosophy as a militant ideological discourse around the problematics of reason and transmission, constantly facing challenges by the reactionary and conservative elements of society. In the second essay al-Jabri identifies these enemies as the Gnostics on the one hand, and the rigorist legal scholars on the other.

In the third historical essay entitled 'The Andalusian Resurgence' al-Jabri prepares the ground for his own version of the future of Arab-Islamic thought. Sketching the specific pluralist setting of the Islamic extreme northwest its thinkers were uniquely well positioned and prepared to tackle philosophical questions. Far removed from the ideological and political controversies raging in the central and eastern parts of the Islamic world, the thinkers of Muslim Spain and Northwest Africa could almost at their leisure internalize founding scientific disciplines, such as mathematics, physics, and logic before engaging into metaphysics. The two major exponents of this philosophical tradition, according to al-Jabri, were Ibn Hazm (994-1063) and Ibn Rushd [Averroes] (1126-1198).

Rejecting the flawed analogy methods of the tradition and Gnostic mysticism alike, Ibn Hazm was a great promoter of the demonstrative method. Ibn Rushd further continued this axiomatic approach in his simultaneous rejection of the Gnostic residues in Avicennian thought and al-Ghazali's offensive against the philosophers. Although in the west he is generally known as a commentator of Aristotle, al-Jabri insists that Ibn Rushd did not intend to defend Aristotle against all cost, but merely sought to understand him.

According to al-Jabri, it is because of the critique of all epistemological principles that he considers Ibn Rushd as the greatest inspirer for all future Arab-Islamic thought. Translated into modern terms: the Averroist legacy of realism, axiomatic method, and critical approach can help Muslims to construct their own reality. Instead of reading a future in the past, such an expression of a native experience would bring Muslims in touch with their historical consciousness.

this book was very interesting, it was full of laws and justice systems that everyone can learn. It talks about Cassius Clay and his bumpy road of boxing. This book also talks about how one man and his beliefs can affect a whole nation. To me this book is very inspiring and I recommend this book to anyone who is involved in politics of anykind, and just pleasure reading, this book makes you want to know more about how cruel the american justice system can really be.

For a casual boxing fan who's too young to remember Ali, this book might be a little obscure. But for boxing fans of my generation, who grew up on Ali, your boxing library won't be complete without it. Each of the 15 opponents featured here has an interesting story to tell, and the book provides a ton of material for serious boxing historians.

What is particularly interesting is how most of these men's lives were profoundly affected by their encounter(s) with Ali. Henry Cooper, for instance, a national hero in the U.K., will still always be best known for a single punch he threw in a fight he lost: the left hook that knocked Cassius Clay (as he then was) on his butt. A few of them regard Ali with love or reverence, a few with indifference, and one, in particular, with undying resentment. Overall, one gets a remarkable education on the human condition by comparing the stories of these 15 very different men. Highly recommended.

It is a pitty that Samia Mehrez, Professor of Modern Arabic Literature at the American University in Cairo had been accused for assigning to her class this book. This is a misterious and very important work; should be advised anyone interested in real Arabic literature.

Tabari in this volume relays the information starting from the battle of ditch to conquest of Mecca. Various raids to neighbouring tribes are also included based various transmitions. These volumes of Tabari are source book for many investigators and books on Islam, historical view or religious. Although in important cases where the situation escalated to battle reason are given but in small raids Tabari provides no explanation and only says on such and such date so and so made a raid to so and so tribe.