Book of Ibns - The Amazing Sons of Islam

The book opens by conceding the problem, which is why it works.

History, for many young people, is a boring list of names, dates and events. But the history of Islam and of the peoples of Dar al-Islam is anything but — a record of astonishing achievement across territory stretching from the Atlantic shores of Morocco to the distant beaches of the South China Sea, united by one thing: belief in Allah and in the prophethood of Muhammad ﷺ.

The Idea Behind the Title

In the Arab world a father or mother is informally identified as Abu 'Ali — the father of 'Ali — or Umm Maryam, the mother of Maryam, after the birth of a first child. And each child in turn is identified as Ibn, the son of.

That naming convention is the hook the whole book hangs on, and it is a good one: a young reader who notices that half the great names of Islamic civilization begin with Ibn has a thread to follow through an otherwise overwhelming amount of history.

Who It Is For

Older children and teenagers — particularly ones who have decided history is dull. Islamic schools and family libraries.

Related Reading

• Encyclopedia of Islam for Children — the concepts these figures worked with, A to Z
• The Most Beautiful Mihrab — one episode from the same civilization, in detail
• Science and Technology in Islamic History — the science and technology that came out of it