Centering Black Narrative: Ahl al-Bayt, Blackness & Africa

Occasion for presenting this book:

21-27 March: Week of Solidarity with the Peoples Struggling against Racism and Racial Discrimination

Book Bibliographic Details:

Author: Ahmad Mubarak & Mr Dawud Walid

Publisher: ‎ Itrah Press

Length: 89 Pages

Language: English

ISBN: 978-0998278100

Publication Date: November 27, 2018

About the Book:

“Blackness” is a term which has been understood differently across locations and eras. As a sequel to Centering Black Narrative: Black Muslim Nobles among the Early Pious Muslims, the co-authors of this book continue to posit “Blackness” as a historical reality within the family and descendants of the Prophet Muhammad. The co-authors discuss the spiritual rank of this special family and its descendants within normative Islam while also building upon their previous work in hopes of moving Muslims in the West beyond Eurocentric racial classifications when reading and understanding Islamic history and personalities who have been described within.

About the Authors:

Ahmad Mubarak is an African American researcher and educator who studied at the prestigious Al-Azhar University in Cairo. His contribution to the book is heavily rooted in his expertise in classical Arabic linguistics and etymology. He focuses on how ancient Arabs used colour terminology, proving that descriptions of the “pious predecessors” often denoted what we would call Blackness today.

Dawud Walid is the Executive Director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-MI) and a Senior Fellow at Auburn Seminary. He is a respected Imam who has studied jurisprudence (Fiqh) and Tafsir under various scholars. A prolific author on social justice, he has also written Blackness and Islam and Towards Sacred Activism, focusing on the intersection of faith and civil rights.

Where to find it:

You can find the book at one of the online bookstore below:

• Al-Buraq publications
• AbeBooks
• Mecca Books