Ahmad Thomson

At a time when many people are attempting to relate current events and trends in the world to interpretations of the prophecies contained in the Book of Revelations, and the writings of Nostrodamus, and the predictions of fashionable clairvoyants, the author does much the same – but by referring to some of the prophecies which are contained in the Qur’an and in the recorded sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. In particular the book considers what is known about the one-eyed AntiChrist whose coming has been foretold in every age – and in so doing it examines and compares the outward existential behaviour, along with its inward psychological reality, both of those who do not base their way of life on prophetic guidance, and of those who do.

Among the best of women were the wives of the Prophet Muhammad, may the blessings and peace of Allah be on him and on his family and companions, for he is the Best of Creation, Al-Quthum, the one who has all good virtues and characteristics gathered together in him, and accordingly Allah granted him the best of women in marriage.

History, like beauty, is often in the eye of the beholder: descriptions of the same event or series of events inevitably differ, depending on who is giving the description, and from which perspective – and interpretations of events are even more diverse, especially when they come from people who did not actually witness what happened. That said, there are two basic perspectives from which history can be and in fact always has been viewed, whether it is ancient or modern, long past or still in the process of taking place, in the library or in the daily media – and which Making Sense of History explores and analyses.

“The Difficult Journey” is the personal account of the author’s (mostly overland) pilgrimage (hajj) to Makka in 1977.

A short biography of Fatima Az-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet Muhammad, may the blessings and peace of Allah be on him and on his family and companions, and the wife of sayyedina ‘Ali, the fourth rightly guided khalif of the Muslims, may Allah be pleased with him.

The Journey of Ahmad and Layla is very much about trust – between family and friends, with a stranger, in God. Both hope and fear are necessary in life, but this children’s story is about hope. It seeks to make the point that there are genuinely good people in the world who can be trusted, even when you meet them for the very first time. Given the way of the world, however, I would nevertheless suggest that any parent who reads this story to their children should talk about it with them afterwards, so that they are aware that this is just a make believe story – and that if in real life a stranger in a car did offer them a lift, they should never accept it without first asking their parents’ permission.

A short biography of Asma’ bint Abi Bakr, the daughter of sayyiduna Abu Bakr as-Siddiq, the first rightly guided khalif of the Muslims, may Allah be pleased with them.

Jesus, Prophet of Islam is a study of the life and teachings of Jesus, peace be on him, and of the history of the interaction between Unitarian Christianity and Trinitarian Christianity, written from a Qur’anic perspective. “It should perhaps be emphasised that the title of this book is not intended to be provocative. It has always been understood by Muslims at least that the way of life which was embodied by all of the Prophets, may the blessings and peace of God be on them and on their families and companions and true followers, was essentially one and the same life-transaction, grounded in the worship of the One Creator of the heavens and the earth and all that exists, both in the Seen and in the Unseen worlds – the way of Islam. Like all the Prophets before him, Jesus, peace be on him, confirmed the Prophets who had come before him – especially Moses, peace be on him – and foretold the coming of the Prophet who would come after him – Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace – and as with all of the Prophets, the simple way of life that Jesus followed was the way of total submission to his Lord, the way of Islam. When the way of Islam is viewed from this perspective, then it is clear that not only Jesus, but indeed all the Prophets – and especially Muhammad – were Prophets of Islam. It is, when understood in this sense, impossible to make any distinction between them.” [quoted from the Preface to the revised edition of Jesus, Prophet of Islam, page vii]

The revised edition of Blood on the Cross published in one volume

“The Way Back” commences where “The Difficult Journey” concluded. It is the author’s personal account of his (mostly overland) journey from Makka to Madina – and then on and back to England in 1977.

Sitting there, in the late morning sun, by the side of the empty open road, perched on my ruck-sack, with my trusty guitar close to hand, completely isolated from all my usual haunts and habits and friends, I considered which way was forwards and which way was backwards, which way was straight ahead and which way was running away or turning aside. And I considered which company I wished to keep.

A history of Islam in Spain. (The revised edition was published in two volumes: ‘For Christ’s Sake’ and ‘Islam in Andalus’