recommended reading

..with God's name [bi-smi-l-lah(i)]

I highly recommend these books (written by some of the highest calibre sunni scholars and leaders [Imams] of the Self-Surrendering (way) [Islam] - many of whom are direct descendants of the Prophet saas - and translated from Arabic to English by skilled academics from the US and UK, both male and female) to get a better insight into the true character of God's Messenger saas, his beloved family and companions and his many miracles (including but not limited to The recitation (of God) [l-Qur'an]).

I have personally read each one and thoroughly enjoy them to such an extent that they remain part of my regular reads and, unlike many books, I could happily re-read them over and over. They are packed full of proofs spanning across the full compendium of Prophetic Narrations [l-hadith] and Biographies [l-sirah]. They also provide much-needed scholarly commentaries in places to provide clarity and insight, background and contexts, linguistic and logical analyses, as well as many other factors that provide the appropriate depth and a well rounded perspective to properly understand the otherwise raw knowledge.

• Muhammad Messenger of Allah: Ash-Shifa (author: scholar Qadi 'Iyad. translator: Aisha Bewley)

• Our Master Muhammad The Messenger of Allah: Part 1 & 2 (author: scholar 'Abdallah Sirajuddin al-Husayni. translator: Khalid Williams)
• Muhammad the Perfect Man (author: scholar Muhammad b. Alawi l-Hasani. translator: Khalid Williams)
• The Perfect Family: Virtues of the Ahl al-Bayt (authors: scholars: l-Suyuti, l-Nasa'i, l-Nawawi, l-Shahin. translator: Khalid Williams)

If you already glimpsed the hidden beauty of the self-surrendering (way) [Islam] and wish to deepen your studies into its teachings (but have not yet mastered the Arabic language), then I personally recommend the following primary sources (they are more academic reads rather than books you’d re-read over and over out of pleasure.  I’ve selected books which are relatively small in size yet highly regarded authorities in their respected fields as well as broad in the sources of evidence they draw upon):

• The Recitation (of God) [l-Qur’an]
• The Noble Qur'an: A new rendering of its meaning in English (English only) (author: God [l-lah]. translators: Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley)
• Qur’anic Exegesis [tafsir]
• Tanwīr al-Miqbās min Tafsīr Ibn 'Abbās (English only) (author: Sahabi b.'Abbas r.a. translator: Mokrane Guezzou)
• Structure and Qur'anic Interpretation: A study of symmetry and coherence in Islam's Holy Text (author: Dr. Raymond Farrin)
• Spiritual Gems: The Mystical Qur’an Commentary Ascribed to Ja’far al-Sadiq (author: Jafar l-Sadiq r.a. Translator: Farhana Mayer)
• Islamic Creed & Theology [‘aqidah]
• al-Fiqh al-Akbar (English only) (author: scholar Abu Hanifa. Translator: W.M.Watt)
• Notions that must be corrected (English only) (author: scholar Muhammad b. Alawi l-Hasani. translator: Suraqa Abdul Aziz)
• Islamic Legal Jurisprudence [fiqh] - (this is from the Medinan Interpretation [maliki madhdh’hab] but there are other valid interpretations)
• Al-Muwatta (English with Arabic) (compiler: scholar Malik b. Anas. translator: Aisha Bewley)
• Refuting ISIS (English only) (author: scholar Muhammad l-Yaqoubi)
• Principle's of Islamic Legal Jurisprudence [Usoulu l-fiqh]
• Disagreements of the Jurists: A Manual of Islamic Legal Theory (English only) (Author: Scholar l-Qadi l-Numan. Translator: Devin Stewart)     
• Light on the Muhammadan Sunnah or Defence of the Hadith (English only) (Author(s): Scholar Mahmud Abu Rayyah)
• Prophetic Biography & History [sirah]
• The History of al-Tabari Vol 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10 (English only) (author: scholar l-Tabari. translators: W. M.Watt, M.V.McDonald, M.Fishbein, I.Poonawala, F.Donner)
• Prophetic Narrations [hadith]
• Selection of Prophetic Hadiths and Muhammadan Wisdoms (English with Arabic) (author: scholar Ahmad l-Hashimi. translator: Salma al-Houri)
• Islamic Spiritualism & Psychology [tasawwuf]
• Mind = heart [qalb] (psychology)

• Balancing the Right Eastern Holistic Feminine Motherly Nurturing-BabyGiving - Subconscious Creative-Imaginative-Emotional Loving Side of the Brain - the hot-fiery heart [fu'ad] 

• Deliverance from Error and The beginning of guidance (author: Scholar l-Ghazali. translator: W.M.Watt)

• The Alchemy of Happiness (author: Scholar l-Ghazali. translator: Claude Field)
• The Muslim Jesus: sayings and stories in Islamic Literature (author: Dr. Tarif Khalidi)

• Balancing the Left Western Independent Masculine Fatherly Penetrating Conscious Logical-Symbolic-Intellectual Egotistical Side of the Brain - the cool-rationalising heart [lubb]Cutting through Spiritual Materialism

• The Power of Now
• NLP

• Physical Body (health, diet, exercise, etc)
• Chin Na
• Spirit [Rouh] (Spiritualism)
• Opening the Energy Gates of your body
• Arabic Grammar [nahw] & Rhetoric [balaghah]
• etc…

Thank God [l-hamdu li-lah(i)]