Islamic advocate Amr Khaled discusses contemplation, or thought, as a means of worship in this booklet. It also includes his viewpoints on the creation of the universe and human beings. He defines the value of thinking as being one of the greatest acts of worship, which helps humans draw nearer to Allah. Through contemplation, humans become aware of the presence of Allah and understand the importance of worship. By thinking about the universe, and all that it contains, mankind can see that there is a design to every aspect of it and a Designer behind it all.

In the first part, Amr Khaled focuses on the creation of the universe. He points out that Allah’s power; greatness and wisdom are seen quite clearly in His creation. There are countless evidences that exist that unequivocally point to a Creator who continues to oversee His creation, such as:

• The creation of the universe and all it contains.
• The greatness of the Earth and the Heavens, as revealed in the Holy Quran.
• The creation of the solar system.
• The creation of earth.
• The atmosphere and how it balances life on earth.
• The creation of mankind.
• The creation of the plant and animal kingdoms.
• In the second part, Amr Khaled delves specifically into the creation of man and clarifies that a drop of semen propagates the human race. He also provides a detailed interpretation of a portion of verse 35:28, Surah Fatir, from the Holy Quran that reads:
  “…those truly fear Allah, among His Servants, who have knowledge: for Allah is Exalted in Might, Oft-Forgiving.”

For the first time, Muslims are faced with a worldwide positivism which is working to use knowledge, the sciences and their discoveries and achievements in a manner which severs the relationship between the Creator, the created universe and man, thereby disregarding the world of the unseen and driving a wedge between science and values. Lacking even the most modest store of vital Islamic doctrine on the intellectual level, university students and researchers in the Islamic world are confronted with doctrines and philosophies which are presented to them together with a flimsy, miserable defense of Islam. There is not a single academic institution in the Islamic world in which Islamic thought is taught and in which the Islamic vision is given a deep-rooted foundation with the same force and persuasiveness with which Western ideas and the Western vision are taught to students in the West, in a coherent, comprehensive manner accompanied by seriousness and commitment on the part of all.
The book argues that this approach is diametrically opposed to the Islamic perspective and that we must disengage human scientific achievement from positivistic philosophical premises and reemploy these sciences within a systematic epistemological framework based on divine revelation, conferring honor upon all forms of knowledge, as having been bestowed upon man by their Creator.

In this brilliant work, Seyyed Hossein Nasr says, "The West has produced many orient lists who have studied Islam from their own point of view, but the Islamic world has produced very few occident lists who can study the various aspects of Western civilization from its science to art, from religion to social behavior, from the Islamic point of view." Through these Muslim 'maps' of the modern 'intellectual' landscape, the author challenges two fronts: young Muslims to become familiar with their religion and cultural roots and to gain an understanding of the modern world from the Islamic point of view. This guide for the Muslim to the modern world the first of its kind in any language presents the eternal truths of Islam as well as Western religious and intellectual tradition as they confront each other in today's world. The Islamic perspective is so unique that NPR (National Public Radio)'s Robert Siegel discussed the work with the author on the All Things Considered program. About the Author: Seyyed Hossein Nasr was born in Tehran in a family of traditional scholars and physicians. After receiving his early education in Iran, he came to America where he studied physics, the history of science and philosophy at MIT and Harvard from which he received his doctorate. Nasr was professor at Tehran University and founder and first president of the Iranian Academy of Philosophy. He is presently University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University.

In Understanding Islam, Dr. Dirks offers a timely and factually correct alternative to understanding Islam. It is written for the Western, and primarily Christian reader. The primary focus of the book is on what is termed Sunni Islam, i.e., the Islam practiced by approximately 85-90% of the self-professed Muslims in the world. The book is unique in several respects. It treats Islam from its own point of view. It is written by a natural-born American for the Western reader, and thus may avoid some of the cultural overlay that accompanies some books on Islam written by other Muslim authors. The author is an American who has practiced Islam both while living in America and in the Middle East, thus offering a broader perspective than would have otherwise been possible. As a convert from Christianity to Islam, and as a former ordained minister within Christianity, the author does a very good job of expounding the commonalities and contrasts of Islam with Judaism and Christianity, while still avoiding the temptation to distort Islam by interpreting it from within a Judaeo-Christian perspective. The reader is introduced to Islam almost exclusively through the two primary sources of Islam, i.e., the Qur'an and the sunnah, which are the only completely authoritative sources on Islam.

"Crucial to the vitality of any religious community is its ability to attract and engage descendants and converts. By this measure, notwithstanding the proliferation of mosques and Islamic organizations, the Muslim community in America is not doing at all well." This rather sober assessment motivates Dr. Lang to address, in this book, the alienation from the Mosque of the great majority of America's homegrown Muslims. In Losing My Religion: A Call For Help, the author comes to terms with many of the queries put to him by Americans of Muslim parentage and converts to Islam since the publication of his book Even Angels Ask in 1977. Lang asserts that to effectively respond to the general malaise of American-born Muslims, the Islamic establishment in America needs to be willing to listen to the doubts and complaints of the disaffected. This entails engaging in open discussions on issues with which many in the Muslim community will be uncomfortable, but Lang avers that such open dialogue will be of more benefit to young American Muslims struggling with their faith than the covert and uniformed discussions that often take place or no discussion at all. For this reason, Lang feels it is important and beneficial "to be candid and objective and not evade controversy, for to inadequately state the case for or against a specific position, especially when it challenges convention, only serves to further alienate the skeptical." In addition to examining questions of theodicy, hadeeth authenticity, and moot practices within the American Muslim community, the author includes many testimonials and inquiries that make this book informative.