General Islamic History

Lost Islamic History: Reclaiming Muslim Civilisation From The Past by Firas Alkhateeb

This is an excellent resource and intro to Islamic history for beginners in the sphere of Islamic history. It spans all the way from the Prophethood of Muhammad upon whom be peace; the fall of the Ottomans, and everything in between including the Islamic Golden Age, Islam in the Iberian peninsula (Al-Andalus), etc.

As I mentioned in this blog post, this was also the first book on Islamic history I ever read so I have a soft spot for it.

Caliphate: The History of an Idea by Hugh Kennedy

Islamic historian Hugh Kennedy dissects the idea of the caliphate and its history, and explores how it became used and abused today. He touches on the concept of caliphate from the time of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (upon whom be peace); during the time of the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs; the Umayyads; the Abbasids; the Fatimid Shias; Al-Andalus/Islamic Spain; the Mamluks; the Ottomans and even goes on to discuss the extremist group ISIS.

Spread Of Islam In The World: A History Of Peaceful Preaching by Professor Thomas Arnold

I first came across this book in my father’s personal library and I haven’t finished reading it yet as it is very extensive. Written by the former Oxford professor Professor Thomas Arnold, not only is it written in old English but it is one of the earliest resources on Islamic history in the English language being first published in 1896. To get a grasp of the time, the Ottomans as a state still existed with its ruler being Sultan-Caliph Abdülhamid II. Note: This should be read with caution as it can be quite ‘Orientalist’ in its takes and that’s not entirely surprising considering when it was published.

The Ottomans

Osman’s Dream: The Story of the Ottoman Empire 1300-1923 by Caroline Finkel

Osman’s Dream by Caroline Finkel is probably one of the more comprehensive books on the Ottomans in English. As the title of the book itself shows, it covers from the beginning of the Ottoman state all the way to the abolition of both the Ottoman sultanate and caliphate by Mustafa Kemal more popularly known as Ataturk.

The Ottoman Empire: The Classical Age 1300-1600 by Halil Inalcik

Halil Inalcik is considered one of the leading Ottoman historians of our time. He touches on what he deems the classical age or the peak period of the Ottomans, that being between the 1300s and 1600s, and proceeds to divide the book into two parts: (1) An outline of Ottoman history between the aforementioned period and (2) The nature of the Ottoman state itself.

Between Two Worlds: The Construction of the Ottoman State by Cemal Kafadar

This book deals very intimately with the construction of the Ottoman state. With the rise in popularity of Ertugrul (father of Osman I who founded the Ottomans) due to the TV show Resurrection Ertugrul, accompanied by the increased curiosity of the genesis of the Ottomans, this book would be essential reading.

The Mughals

Aurangzeb: The Life And Legacy of India’s Most Controversial King by Audrey Truschke

Aurangzeb is one of the most maligned historical figures in the Indian subcontinent. This book deals with his life and legacy, clears up many myths whilst also putting many things into context. The author Audrey Truschke said she has received death threats by members of India’s extreme right wing due to discussing issues and topics such as these.

BONUS: Islamic theology & philosophy

The Divine Reality: God, Islam & The Mirage of Atheism by Hamza Andreas Tzortzis

This book by Hamza Tzortzis is one of the first of its kind in the English language from a Muslim perspective. Though he addresses the topics at hand in a modern context, Hamza postulates that many arguments for God’s existence are not new but based on the Quran, Prophetic tradition of Muhammad and Muslim scholars from the past, but it is just a matter of communicating these to an English-speaking audience to which this book does excellently.