A Thinking Person’s Guide to Islam : The Essence of Islam in 12 Verses from the Qur’an

Some books try to summarize Islam in broad strokes. This one takes a more deliberate approach: twelve verses from the Qur'an, each anchoring its own chapter, building toward a clear picture of what Islam actually asks of a believer, and what it does not. Written by H.R.H. Prince Ghazi bin Muhammad bin Talal, with a foreword by H.M. King Abdullah II ibn al-Hussein, the book was conceived as a corrective — a way of addressing the distortions of the faith that have taken root through the actions of a minority, by returning to the text itself.

The structure rewards patient reading. Each of the twelve chapters works through its verse carefully enough to satisfy a student of knowledge, while staying clear enough that a reader new to these questions won't get lost. It's the kind of primer that works whether you're encountering these ideas for the first time or returning to them with years of study behind you.

This edition, jointly published by White Thread Press and Turath Publishing, runs 290 pages in paperback — substantial enough to do the subject justice without becoming unwieldy. For anyone wanting a serious, text-grounded answer to the question of what Islam is, rather than a defensive reaction to what it is accused of being, this is a good place to start.