Ibn Kathir in English

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Ibn Kathir in English
Arsalan
02/13/01 at 18:12:00
Assalamu alaikum,

Darussalaam Publications have published Ibn Kathir in English - the whole thing!  There are 10 volumes (each about an inch and a half thick).  The tafsir is an abridged version of the original Tafsir ibn Kathir.  It is abridged by Safiur Rahman Mubarakpuri (author of Ar-Raheeq Al-Makhtum).  From what I have heard, he took out all the weak ahadith from the original Ibn Kathir and that is how he abridged it.

The cost is around $160 for the whole set.  Pretty sad how expensive these books are in English.  I bought Ibn Kathir (unabridged) for only $12 in Urdu (5 volumes) at Pakistan!!!
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
jannah
02/13/01 at 21:54:05
wlm,

Arsalan that's cause the english printing is MUCH nicer. BTW if you go to saudi it's about $100 american but then you have to cart it all the way here.
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
se7en
02/13/01 at 22:36:51
my bro ordered it, it's phat mashaAllah... :)

Re: Ibn Kathir in English
Arsalan
02/13/01 at 23:27:11
The printing *is* nice, no question about it.  But still - $12 versus $160!  Huuuuuge difference.  For us college students, money is always the biggest factor ;)

Wassalamu alaikum.
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
Asim
02/14/01 at 00:36:11
slm
[quote]BTW if you go to saudi it's about $100 american but then you have to cart it all the way here.[/quote]
Yeah, I was looking at Quran CD sets and found that www.daralbalagh.com has them much cheaper than US based stores. Has anyone tried them out? I think their price is like $90 and here in the US it is like $180! Anyone has any experience ? Is shipping too expensive?

Urdu books are out of the question for me! In Pakistan, I was always in search for english material. Islamic studies was in Urdu and I had to fish out english stuff :)
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
bhaloo
02/14/01 at 11:30:16
slm

I was thinking of buying it when I saw it advertised at islamicbookstore.com.  It seems really expensive, though, but I still think I will get it.

I wanted to get the Jurist's Primer by Ibn Rushd, the 2 volume hardbook edition is out and that's like $85 each, so like $170 total.  But the paperback edition which was due last september hasn't come out and that was only $28 each.

Any new books you guys know that are good that you were thinking of getting?
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
Arsalan
02/14/01 at 12:00:43
Jurist's Primer by Ibn Rushd?  Can you tell us more about this book Arshad.  What is it about?

Wassalamu alaikum.
Bidayat al-Mujtahid
AbuKhaled
02/15/01 at 08:45:57
Assalam alaikum wa rahmatullah to you all,

Actually the paperback edition has been out for some time now, maybe it just hasn't reached the avenues you've tried? The publisher is Garnett.

The book "The Distinguished Jurist's Primer" [Bidayat al-Mujtahid] of Ibn Rushd (ra) is a classical matn [text] on ikhtilaf [difference of opinion] between the madhahib. It was used by Students' of the Sacred Knowledge as a training manual on the road to becoming fuqaha, and is not light reading, yet excellent, though I cannot attest to the quality of the translation; it seems decent. The book is detailed and complex and can be hard going, as one has to remember a lot of qawa'id [principles] and usul [methodological] points which are mentioned early on, and often applied later but not explicitly articulated again (it being assumed that the reader has remembered them). It examines the position of a school as well as inter-madhab ikhtilafaat, by looking at the adilla [evidences] the fuqaha used to base their opinions on, and the qawa'id/usul such adilla were framed in, thereby allowing them to come to their ijtihad conclusions.

For those who don't have access to arabic, this book is definitely worth purchasing if you have an interest in fiqh and fiqh differences, and if you are of those who tend to derive your own conclusions about fiqh matters upon reading ahadith. Especially since the book is not a contemporary effort, and because it gives an appreciation for the intricacies involved in fiqh, in an age plagued by the amateurish efforts of instant muftis and their mini-libraries of hadith books, which are normally characterised by insufficient conjectural knowledge of both the adilla and the necessary methodological tools required to undertake such an exercise.

However, it is crucial to note that this book is not used as a primary resource to state a madhab's final or mashur [well-known/famous] position on a particular mas'ala [issue], and should not be used for that purpose by purchasers. It should be treated as a reference book.

It can also be confusing to those who are used to a world where it seems like the wara' [scrupulousness] and brilliance - which characterised the output of these fuqaha (raa) - is all too often lacking, and one gets the impression that some amongst us imagine that fiqh conclusions are arrived at by some simple easy endeavour, which anyone armed with a few books can be privy to. When in actual fact, ijtihad is an exhaustive process, literally.

In this regard, another worthwhile read is the recently published "The Four Imams," translated by Sister Aisha Bewley from the four biographies authored by the late Imam Mohammed Abu Zahra (ra) and complied into a single volume. It is published by Dar al-Taqwa.

It helps one gain an insight into the background of these ennobled luminaries and giants from our tradition (raa), their background, education, teachers, methodology, and some of the controversies they faced in their day.

The book seems not to have been proof-read very well, but nonetheless, given the paucity of such material in english, and some of the contemporary misunderstandings that insist on perpetuating, it is a much-needed work.

I hope this is of some small help, insha'Allah.

Abu Khaled
Re: Bidayat al-Mujtahid
bhaloo
02/15/01 at 14:00:59
slm

[quote]Actually the paperback edition has been out for some time now, maybe it just hasn't reached the avenues you've tried? The publisher is Garnett.
[/quote]

I've tried just about every bookstore I know onthe internet and can't seem to find it.  All the places I have tried said its not out yet.  If you know of some place online selling the paperback version i would appreciate it.

Jazak Allah khairen.
NS
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
Arsalan
02/16/01 at 13:17:20
Assalamu alaikum,

Ahlan wa sahlan yaa Akhil Kareem Aba Khaled Aafandi!  It is nice to see you back on the board.  I hope your trip was formidable, insha Allah.  Tell us about it when you get some time.

Wassalamu alaikum.
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
bhaloo
02/20/01 at 20:32:07
slm

I checked with the guy that runs Islamicbookstore.com and he said it hasn't been published here yet.  And other websites seem to suggest this, one went so far as to announce a release date of April 2001.  I believe though, it has been published in the UK, as I came across one UK book store that had 1 copy of volume 2 in stock (but didn't have volume 1).

I also can't get to the catalog section in the Garnet and Ithaca publishing website to see the status.
NS
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
chachi
02/23/01 at 23:54:26
the international muslim university which is based in malaysia have a website with the whole of the ottomon law library online
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
bhaloo
02/24/01 at 09:46:25
slm

Dar us-Salam bookstore in Texas has the 10 volume set for $160.  That's the cheapest I have seen it.  I've never bought from them before, but I guess I will insha'Allah place an order, unless someone knows a better deal elsewhere?
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
Arsalan
02/24/01 at 14:36:20
[slm]

Bhaloo, Darus Salaam is where we bought our set from for our Masjid.  I don't know of any other deals.
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
bhaloo
03/02/01 at 14:24:50
slm

Guys I ordered The Distinguished Jurist Primer from the UK, because I couldn't find any place in the US that had it in stock.  I think the bookstores in the UK seem to have more stuff, some of the bookstores didn't have it in stock but some did.  :)
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
PacificBreeze
03/02/01 at 16:02:33
wooooooooooooooow, jazakallahu khairan akh abu khaled, that book sounds AWESOME!!!

where exactly did you order it from, arshad? share the link! and the price?
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
bhaloo
03/02/01 at 17:18:20
slm

ok, here is the information, i think the exchange rate is about 1.5 dollars equals a pound.

Quantity    : 1
ISBN        : 1859641490-UK
Author      : Ibn Rushd
Title       : The Distinguished Jurist's Primer
Unit Price  : £37.00
Total Price : £37.00
Status      : In Stock

SUBTOTAL  : £37.00
SHIPPING  : £5.50
TAX       : £0.00
TOTAL     : £42.50


Remember, Blackwell's Online Bookshop offers free delivery in the UK!

http://bookshop.blackwell.co.uk

This paperback version I order actually has both volumes included, about 1350 pages.  I ordered it by airmail (6-10 days), otherwise you can get surface mail (3-5 weeks) for 2 pounds less. :)
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
Adnan
03/22/01 at 17:49:32
Salams,

Distinguished Jurist's Primer was published in UK. Oftentimes, there is a myriad of reasons why a book won't be readily available here in the USA. E.g. the publisher has a poor distribution network, so it doesn't hit U.S. shores for a long time; the book was printed in limited quantity, solely for a particular, e.g. UK, market etc etc. The same is often true vice-versa, e.g. a title published in the USA is almost impossible to get in other Western countries.

Salams!
Re: Ibn Kathir in English
meraj
03/23/01 at 20:07:22
slm,

welcome aboard br adnan... enjoy your stay... and islamicbookstore.com rocks ;-D (mashallah)

- the welcoming committee


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