Some books are for reading through. This one is for opening at random on a Tuesday evening and finding something that stays with you for a week.
Gems and Jewels is built from excerpts and passages gathered out of many books written by the scholars of Islam — wise sayings, interesting events, logical deductions, intelligent approaches to difficulties, admonitions, moral lessons and teachings.
What the Format Achieves
Each piece is short and complete in itself. That has a practical consequence: the book gets read. A five-hundred-page history sits on a shelf being intended; a collection of one-page pieces gets picked up on a commute, in a waiting room, or in the ten minutes between Maghrib and 'Isha.
It also travels well between people. A striking saying gets repeated at a dinner table or worked into a khutbah, which is largely how this material circulated in the first place.
Who It Is For — Genuinely Both
The compilers say the writings are of equal interest to Muslims whether children or adults, and that is a real claim rather than marketing. A story about a scholar's response to an insult works for a nine-year-old and for his father, at different depths.
The stated purpose is to let readers see what the great personalities of Islam actually did with their lives, and how their character stands as an example worth following. Readers gain virtues, develop better character patterns, and take on a more thoughtful approach to their own conduct — by exposure rather than instruction.
Part of a Continuing Series
Darussalam intended this as an ongoing project, compiling and publishing one volume after another, drawing further gems and jewels from Islamic history.
Related Reading
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