Asra Nomani is a talented writer. Her descriptive language creates pictures in the mind of the reader. One feels they have accompanied Nomani on her spiritual and political pilgrimage to negotiate the dichotomous life of being a Westerner with an Eastern faith. This book evokes concepts of humanity, feminism, family values, tolerance and above all the universal quest of us all to find the meaning of life.

Well done Sister Asra! Well done!

Beside portraying a wrong picture of Islam and denying the rules of the religion for legitmizing somthing inexcusable, Asra Nomani also lied about her paternal connection with Allama Shibli Nomani, the historian and author of the Biography of Prophet Mohammad(PBUH)"Seerat-un-Nabi". She claimed to be the direct descendent of Allama Shibli Nomani, after whom she named the son she had out of wedlock. Infact, she is not related to him at all.

Here I copy a letter from MOMNA SOHAIL SULTAN (Karachi) published in Dawn of April 22, 2005 which claims Asra has no relation with Allama Shibli Nomani.

"Asra Nomani no kin of Allama Shibli

We were extremely embarrassed to read in 'Books & Authors' (April 17) about Asra Nomani, a controversial personality, who claims to be a direct descendant of Allama Shibli, after whom she has named her son. Asra is in no way connected to the Shibli family.

We five real granddaughters are the real direct descendants of Maulana Shibli, who had one son and two daughters, Rabia Khatoon and Jannutul Fatima. Both the daughters died in their youth in 1904 and 1909. They were married and their family lived in their ancestral villages in Azamgarh.

Allama Shibli had only one son, Hamid Hassan Nomani. He was born in 1882 and died in 1942. He had no sons but five daughters. They are: A) Dr Nasim Jehan, retired director of health, Bangladesh, died in Karachi in 1997. She was married to Dr Zafrul Huda of Dhaka University. He died in 1978 at Dhaka. They have one daughter Shahla living in the US.

B) Shamim Jehan, married to Ehtesham Ahmed, who died in Azamgarh in 1982. They have eight sons and seven daughters all married and living in Pakistan, except one, who is in Kuwait.

C) Tahsin Jehan, married to Shaukat Sultan, principal of Shibli College, Azamgarh. He died in 1986. They have three sons and four daughters, living in India, the UAE and Karachi. The above three daughters were married in 1940 at Azamgarh.

D) Mohsina Sultana, married in 1950 to Amanullah Khan, director of industries, India. They have five children, all married, one daughter and three sons living in the US and one son in India.

E) Momna, the youngest, was born in 1935 and married in 1952 to Capt. Khan Sohail Sultan, who retired as general manager of Pan-Islamic Steamship Co., Karachi in 1993, now living in North Nazimabad.

They have four sons, all married. Eldest Maj Khalid Sultan, Sitara-i-Jur'at, met 'Shahadat' at Siachin in 1992, Capt. Danish Sultan is managing director of Pac Marine Singapore, Wamiq Sultan, MD, living in the US, youngest Capt. Toaha Sultan is serving in the Pakistan Army.

Considering our sentiments and Maulana Shibli's fame as writer of Seerat-un-Nabi, we hope you will publish this clarification. "

Momna Sultan is the one of the two surviving granddaughters of Allama Shibli Nomani.
Any questions about this matter can be answered by emailing her on [...]
Zehra Wamiq Sultan

Beside portraying a wrong picture of Islam and denying the rules of the religion for legitmizing somthing inexcusable, Asra Nomani also lied about her paternal connection with Allama Shibli Nomani, the historian and author of the Biography of Prophet Mohammad(PBUH)"Seerat-un-Nabi". She claimed to be the direct descendent of Allama Shibli Nomani, after whom she named the son she had out of wedlock. Infact, she is not related to him at all.

Here I copy a letter from MOMNA SOHAIL SULTAN (Karachi) published in Dawn of April 22, 2005 which claims Asra has no relation with Allama Shibli Nomani.

"Asra Nomani no kin of Allama Shibli

We were extremely embarrassed to read in 'Books & Authors' (April 17) about Asra Nomani, a controversial personality, who claims to be a direct descendant of Allama Shibli, after whom she has named her son. Asra is in no way connected to the Shibli family.

We five real granddaughters are the real direct descendants of Maulana Shibli, who had one son and two daughters, Rabia Khatoon and Jannutul Fatima. Both the daughters died in their youth in 1904 and 1909. They were married and their family lived in their ancestral villages in Azamgarh.

Allama Shibli had only one son, Hamid Hassan Nomani. He was born in 1882 and died in 1942. He had no sons but five daughters. They are: A) Dr Nasim Jehan, retired director of health, Bangladesh, died in Karachi in 1997. She was married to Dr Zafrul Huda of Dhaka University. He died in 1978 at Dhaka. They have one daughter Shahla living in the US.

B) Shamim Jehan, married to Ehtesham Ahmed, who died in Azamgarh in 1982. They have eight sons and seven daughters all married and living in Pakistan, except one, who is in Kuwait.

C) Tahsin Jehan, married to Shaukat Sultan, principal of Shibli College, Azamgarh. He died in 1986. They have three sons and four daughters, living in India, the UAE and Karachi. The above three daughters were married in 1940 at Azamgarh.

D) Mohsina Sultana, married in 1950 to Amanullah Khan, director of industries, India. They have five children, all married, one daughter and three sons living in the US and one son in India.

E) Momna, the youngest, was born in 1935 and married in 1952 to Capt. Khan Sohail Sultan, who retired as general manager of Pan-Islamic Steamship Co., Karachi in 1993, now living in North Nazimabad.

They have four sons, all married. Eldest Maj Khalid Sultan, Sitara-i-Jur'at, met 'Shahadat' at Siachin in 1992, Capt. Danish Sultan is managing director of Pac Marine Singapore, Wamiq Sultan, MD, living in the US, youngest Capt. Toaha Sultan is serving in the Pakistan Army.

Considering our sentiments and Maulana Shibli's fame as writer of Seerat-un-Nabi, we hope you will publish this clarification. "

Momna Sultan is the one of the two surviving granddaughters of Allama Shibli Nomani.
Any questions about this matter can be answered by emailing her on [...]
Zehra Wamiq Sultan

I picked up this book just on the spur of the moment from my local library. I'll admit that the title grabbed me. Not knowing what it was really about, or what to expect, I began to read with half-interest. I was quickly gripped, however, with the honesty and heart from which this woman has told her story. Many of us choose to withold those things we consider too personal, painful, or private for public view, but Asra Nomani pushes this norm aside in her pursuit to share a journey she felt the world needed to hear.

Nomani, a daughter of Indian immigrant parents, grows up in a typical American lifestyle. At a young age, she begins to come aware of some of the tensions between that of her Islamic and American upbringings. As an adult, she becomes pregnant outside of marriage and is suddenly hurled into the heart of these matters as she struggles to find her place in a religion, which at first appears to reject her situation and struggle. Undaunted, Nomani begins a journey with her year-old son to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. This journey parallels a travel made by both her body and her spirit as she goes physically to the heart of Mecca during the holy pilgrimage of Hajj, and spiritually as she plunges to the very heart of her spiritually, faith, and definition of self. Her honesty is both riveting and inspiring.

The only drawbacks I saw with the book: a lot of name-dropping. As an accomplished journalist and traveler, Nomani has met and built lasting friendships with numerous big names. She doesn't hesitate to sprinkle them all over throughout the book. Also, she digresses, at times, into side and back-stories that don't seem to really be necessary. But this is a biography, of sorts, so both these issues are not that bothersome.

I am forever moved by Nomani's courage and sincerity to seek harmony between all the aspects of herself, her faith, and her American values. By reading this book, you do not need to be a woman or Muslim to be inspired to take on your own journey of self-discovery and clarity. As a Muslim woman myself, I don't agree with all of Nomani's statements and views, but I don't have to. This is her story, not mine, and I applaud her heartful journey to the very soul of herself and her place in Islam and the world. This book is well worth the read for anyone seeking to better understand religion in the modern world, Islam, or women's struggle of self-definition the world-around.

I picked up this book just on the spur of the moment from my local library. I'll admit that the title grabbed me. Not knowing what it was really about, or what to expect, I began to read with half-interest. I was quickly gripped, however, with the honesty and heart from which this woman has told her story. Many of us choose to withold those things we consider too personal, painful, or private for public view, but Asra Nomani pushes this norm aside in her pursuit to share a journey she felt the world needed to hear.

Nomani, a daughter of Indian immigrant parents, grows up in a typical American lifestyle. At a young age, she begins to come aware of some of the tensions between that of her Islamic and American upbringings. As an adult, she becomes pregnant outside of marriage and is suddenly hurled into the heart of these matters as she struggles to find her place in a religion, which at first appears to reject her situation and struggle. Undaunted, Nomani begins a journey with her year-old son to Mecca, the holiest city in Islam. This journey parallels a travel made by both her body and her spirit as she goes physically to the heart of Mecca during the holy pilgrimage of Hajj, and spiritually as she plunges to the very heart of her spiritually, faith, and definition of self. Her honesty is both riveting and inspiring.

The only drawbacks I saw with the book: a lot of name-dropping. As an accomplished journalist and traveler, Nomani has met and built lasting friendships with numerous big names. She doesn't hesitate to sprinkle them all over throughout the book. Also, she digresses, at times, into side and back-stories that don't seem to really be necessary. But this is a biography, of sorts, so both these issues are not that bothersome.

I am forever moved by Nomani's courage and sincerity to seek harmony between all the aspects of herself, her faith, and her American values. By reading this book, you do not need to be a woman or Muslim to be inspired to take on your own journey of self-discovery and clarity. As a Muslim woman myself, I don't agree with all of Nomani's statements and views, but I don't have to. This is her story, not mine, and I applaud her heartful journey to the very soul of herself and her place in Islam and the world. This book is well worth the read for anyone seeking to better understand religion in the modern world, Islam, or women's struggle of self-definition the world-around.

This book is excellent! If you want to understand the moderate voice within Islam and the struggle for women's rights, this is the book to read. Nomani's story contains so many compelling themes and lessons. To me, her story was first and foremost about the difficulty of changing well-engrained traditions and how individuals can have a great impact on creating equity in their communities. Although this book is not faultless (and I agree with many of the other reviewer's critiques), I have yet to find a book that covers the topic of women in Islam in such a digestable way. Overall, I found Nomani's narrative to be a positive and inspiring story. It has deepened my understanding of Islam -both its past and its present, and it has done so in a highly entertaining manner. I highly recommend this.

This book is excellent! If you want to understand the moderate voice within Islam and the struggle for women's rights, this is the book to read. Nomani's story contains so many compelling themes and lessons. To me, her story was first and foremost about the difficulty of changing well-engrained traditions and how individuals can have a great impact on creating equity in their communities. Although this book is not faultless (and I agree with many of the other reviewer's critiques), I have yet to find a book that covers the topic of women in Islam in such a digestable way. Overall, I found Nomani's narrative to be a positive and inspiring story. It has deepened my understanding of Islam -both its past and its present, and it has done so in a highly entertaining manner. I highly recommend this.

Their is nothing revolutionary about ms normani,her ideology is founded on two the most common psyhcological frailties of a conformist/ sell out.

1To erase my guilt i must legitimise what i have done and encourage the right of others to do so.
2)If everybody else is doing it,why cant we?..This the 21st century after all?

..yawn.....


The fact ofthe matter is that this book does not speak for muslim women,most muslim women have no issue with preying seperately from men,actually they welcome it ,just as the men do.!Dont men have a right to prey exclusivly?

Certainly the book has raised many issues that the Islamic world needs to confront ,but the problem is that she tackles these issues at a level as equallly, if not more ignorant, than her detractors.Her scholarship is of the most amateur level and just as her oppresors use the scriptures to justify their cultural conditioning,normani is manipulating scholars and scripture to find justification for her world view, a view that is formed by her western conditioning.
Anybody who believes theat western society does not condition you is absolutely conditioned and beyond help.!

In attempting to make Islam fit her world view rather than trying to understand it on its own terms,she gets a big fat zero.
Their is no attempt to understand the spirit,context and cosmological reality behind the scriptures.Their is no atttempt to answer fundamental questions about the nature of men and women or more precisely the relaitionship between man (is that sexist) and the universe in islam.Without a fundamental understanding of that, all further searching is doomed to be reactionary and equally damaging.

The fact that she wears a jilbab on the cover,but not in real life (promising a sincerity and religousness that isnt there), shows her in her true light:someone masquerading as a religionist when they arent.
Most muslim women can see through that and that is why her appeal will always be limited.
The reason why nomani recives support from certain quaters,is due to the sympathy vote,however because someone struggles,does not mean they are sincere.Struggle in fact can be the biggst sign of insincerity.

If a book could ever be judged by its cover this is it!
Their is no need for muslims to get worried about this shoddy piece of superficial religous debate.the only ones who would be are the type of people that made her what she is,and so the circle of ignornce continues.

Their is nothing revolutionary about ms normani,her ideology is founded on two the most common psyhcological frailties of a conformist/ sell out.

1To erase my guilt i must legitimise what i have done and encourage the right of others to do so.
2)If everybody else is doing it,why cant we?..This the 21st century after all?

..yawn.....


The fact ofthe matter is that this book does not speak for muslim women,most muslim women have no issue with preying seperately from men,actually they welcome it ,just as the men do.!Dont men have a right to prey exclusivly?

Certainly the book has raised many issues that the Islamic world needs to confront ,but the problem is that she tackles these issues at a level as equallly, if not more ignorant, than her detractors.Her scholarship is of the most amateur level and just as her oppresors use the scriptures to justify their cultural conditioning,normani is manipulating scholars and scripture to find justification for her world view, a view that is formed by her western conditioning.
Anybody who believes theat western society does not condition you is absolutely conditioned and beyond help.!

In attempting to make Islam fit her world view rather than trying to understand it on its own terms,she gets a big fat zero.
Their is no attempt to understand the spirit,context and cosmological reality behind the scriptures.Their is no atttempt to answer fundamental questions about the nature of men and women or more precisely the relaitionship between man (is that sexist) and the universe in islam.Without a fundamental understanding of that, all further searching is doomed to be reactionary and equally damaging.

The fact that she wears a jilbab on the cover,but not in real life (promising a sincerity and religousness that isnt there), shows her in her true light:someone masquerading as a religionist when they arent.
Most muslim women can see through that and that is why her appeal will always be limited.
The reason why nomani recives support from certain quaters,is due to the sympathy vote,however because someone struggles,does not mean they are sincere.Struggle in fact can be the biggst sign of insincerity.

If a book could ever be judged by its cover this is it!
Their is no need for muslims to get worried about this shoddy piece of superficial religous debate.the only ones who would be are the type of people that made her what she is,and so the circle of ignornce continues.

In this day when Islam is so under attack and seen, sometimes, as being synonomous with terrorism, Asra Nomani's book brings us back to the faith that is what Islam is supposed to represent. It brings us into the world of a modern Islamic, American, professional woman, who in her life today is struggling against the fundamentalist forces which hold such strong sway in so many Islamic countries. If one studies the history of Islam, woman have held leadership roles for many centuries, in the past, and have been well respected in the Islamic society. As with almost all world religions, Islam has its liberals and its conservatives, and so many in between. Its a must read for those who want to know about the lives of one family who live peacefully in the US and practice their faith. It helps to understand the tenets of Islam, separate from its politics and the overwhelming publicity given those who are violent and not living by the tenets of their faith.

My salute to Ms. Nomani.

Positives:

1. The perspective
2. The uncelebrated women in islamic history
3. The suspense. oh, the suspense.
4. Her honesty just stands out
5. Vivid description of Hajj and of Mecca and Medina
6. Reading people I would have never heard about
7. Her courage. at times, my heart just sank simply reading
about what she did. Can't even imagine, actually doing it

Negatives:

1. The comaprions with history sometimes were little too shalow
2. Somtimes, it felt like I was reading her diary. it was
meant to relevant to the story, but story stopped for
too long to be worth the diversion.
3. I would have been more readble if the first half of the
book (up until she returns to USA) was shortened.
The story moved too slowly.

I have read all the reviews posted for this book and found it strange that 4 people did not even read the book but gave it 5 stars based on a lecture she gave. Pharman gave a review and I say Amen to what he said. As for those who say Asma is courageous and bold, Hitler was also bold. He invaded Russia and Britain at the same time, does that make him a good person?

I just read this book and I could not believe what I was reading. A woman who has comitted a major sin of sex before marriage is giving orders on what rights a woman should have?
Im not sure if this is worse than the lesbian female who says she is on thin ice with Islam and will leave Islam if it doesnt change. Correct if I am wrong, but I did not read Asra once say she was wrong for having an illegitimate child. Even if she did admit her having sex before marriage was wrong or did not have sex at all, she is not qualifed to write or say anything regarding Islamic Law and rights of women. You need to be learned in the religion before you speak about it.

Not only is she not learned, but she is an enemey to Islam. If you read her other book about Tantric love where in it, she speaks of flirting with a Pakistani, and the book was written in 2005. Everyone has motives but not all motives can be seen. This woman has used Islam to catapult her name and face into the public. She has made a great amount of money and has become somewhat famous, but she will be humiliated in this world or the next. I say those true Muslims out there who read this book, be patient and to the Non-Muslims, ignore this woman as you ignore that dog that barks near your home.

Although written mainly for an American Muslim audience, Nomani's book tells an absorbing story for other readers whose knowledge of Islam is limited by whatever happens to be the day's news. Nomani, best described as a reformer within the American Muslim community, accomplishes two things: describing in detail the compelling experience of hajj (a pilgrimage with her family to Mecca in post-9/11 Saudi Arabia) and opening the doors of the mosque to reveal the fiercely intense political struggles that are currently being waged there between hard-line conservatives and moderates.

The polarizing issue (and its magnitude may surprise some readers) is the role of women in the mosque, where the near absolute dominance of men prevents women from worshiping as equals before the Creator. Simply insisting on the right to enter by the front door of her family's mosque in Morgantown, WV, causes an uproar, and her Bill of Rights for Women in Mosques has the impact of Luther's 95 Theses in shaking the foundations of rigidly held Islamic dogma.

Meanwhile gender intolerance, as she notes, is accompanied by the anti-Western, anti-democratic politicizing of Islam that is being advocated within the walls of many mosques in America. Hers is a disturbing account of a religious community under siege. Nomani is not a scholar, and her book is more the story of a personal journey than a reasoned argument in support of toleration, compassion, and equality, which she holds as the core values of Islam now betrayed by religious extremists.

Along the way, she struggles with doubts and uncertainties, confronts obstacles, and over a period of time (2001-2004) overcomes barriers both within and without to assume leadership as an advocate for Muslim women's rights. It's easy to find fault with aspects of this book, and many are noted in the other reviews posted here. While her story is fascinating and worth reading by anyone wanting to understand more deeply the political and cultural complexities of Islam both in the world and here in the U.S., it's probably not the only one a person should read.

Sorry, I'm not going to sound PC here, but I find it galling that Miss Nomani demands such respect from her religious community that she has neglected to give herself first.

While we may not find EXPLICIT prohibition against premarital sex in the Koran, surely Miss Nomani would be able to recogonize the number of implicit indicators against it. Religion aside, where are her morals, character and standards?

That said, and even if we are willing to overlook her morally lax behavior, can Miss Nomani tell me where in the Koran, or any relgion for that matter-- does it condon having children out of wedlock? To blame her lover for failing to recognize their "relationship" as she blames her mosque for failing to give her the respect she demands is absurd, and flaunting the sanctity of her religion. Sorry, I can't see this woman as a role model, nor do I buy her attempt to be Hajar, or justify her choices and behavior by comparing it to Hajar.

Is this the behavior that "Nomani gently instructs readers about modern Islam and her role as a woman within it"? She seems to want to embrace only the parts of Islam that are most convenient, easily dismissing the highest standards of hayaa when she wants a lover and a baby.

Miss Nomani does not do Islam any favors in her attempt to "confront the sexism and intolerance in her local mosque and to fight for the rights of modern Muslim women" when she herself lacks the depth and understanding and self-respect and even the lowest standards of hayaa.

and should not in any way be taken as an authority on Islam or Islamic teachings. Many problems faced are culteral and tribalistic in nature and should be recognised as just that, not that of pure Islam. The Quran is the Word of God, unchanged (till now) from its revelation sent through Angel Gabriel to our Prophet Mohmamad (PBUH). These words (as told in the Quran) will be protected until the Day of Judgement by God Himself.

It is not a "forward thinker" that attempts to change God's word...but a mere lost and arrogant person..trying to excuse their own misgivings through changing what is not theirs to change.

I am proud to be an American Muslim Convert for over two decades and I have never felt inferior or supressed as a woman in Islam. Modesty is an attribute for both Islamic "men" and woman to adhere to for the protection of the society at large.

The author's arrogance is really grating. Her writing is not skillful and its hard to believe she is a writer for the Wall Street Journal. Her parents are long suffering to put up with her and her child which she just assumes they must do. She describes her child as sort of her loveslave and yet she takes it as an infant on a trip to Mecca in the midst of hordes of people. She meets no other infants there so she must be nuts and her mother is an uncomplaining angel who does all the nuturing. Her parents also seem to be raising her brother's two children. It seems to me she embodies all the things the Muslims she hates don't like for a good reason. One good aspect of the book is her quick description of the two brands of Islam.