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Islamic Institute of Advanced ResearchAffiliated Institution of Almadinah Islamic University, U.S.A

Library and Reading Lists

Reading lists for every specialisation

Primary texts and trusted commentaries.

Library and Reading Lists

Start with the sources

Qur’an, Hadith and classical works.

Library and Reading Lists

Ask your supervisor

Personalised bibliographies for your topic.

Library and Reading Lists

In brief: Recommended reading by specialisation at the Islamic Institute of Advanced Research: Qur'an, Hadith, Seerah, Hanafi fiqh, Barelvi theology, Naqshbandi Sufism and Islamic finance.

The lists below are starting points. Your supervisor will build a bibliography specific to your topic.

Field	Starting texts
Qur’an & Hadith	Major classical tafsirs; the six canonical hadith collections; works on usul al-hadith
Sunnah & Seerah	Ibn Hisham’s recension of Ibn Ishaq; Ibn Sa’d; al-Tirmidhi’s Shama’il
Hanafi fiqh	Mukhtasar al-Quduri; Al-Hidayah; Radd al-Muhtar
Sunni theology	Al-Tahawi’s creed; al-Nasafi’s creed; Imam Ahmad Raza’s treatises
Sufism	Al-Qushayri’s Risala; al-Hujwiri’s Kashf al-Mahjub; Mujaddid Alf Thani’s Maktubat
World religions	Al-Shahrastani’s Al-Milal wa’l-Nihal; Ibn Hazm’s Al-Fisal; modern academic surveys
Islamic finance	Hanafi manuals on transactions; AAOIFI standards; academic textbooks

Illustrated library shelves filled with books — Books are the Institute’s first teachers.

Related: academic foundations · fields of study.