Reading the Muslim mind

by Hassan Hathout

Once in a while a book comes along that can reshape the thinking of the world. One person at a time. "Reading the Muslim Mind" is just such a book. Dr. Hassan Hathout starts out from a simple observation--a lifetime of biculturalism (the Egyptian-born physician has lived in Britain and now resides in the USA) leads him to note that "Islam in the West is widely known for what it is not." This encyclopedic personality (doctor of medicine, thinker, speaker, poet) sets out to guide the reader on a comprehensive tour through Islam. For this voyage, he supplies a keen and lucid "anatomy" of the Islamic life. But more: he provides, with incisive clarity, the inner guidebook: he uncovers the tracing of the mind at work behind the practice, the spirit behind the letter, the rationale and the Ultimate Reason, God. For non-Muslims and what Dr. Hathout aptly calls the Judeo-Christian-Islamic world tradition at large, the trip proves illuminating and always thought-provoking. For Muslims, it will r