My first time reading a book of a collection of essays and I suspect I've been quite spoilt by the Shaykh's eloquent and erudite writing. There was a lot I had to ponder over and re-think reading these essays. I will need to re-read the book for sure with a more analytically minded approach but I have certainly already derived a great deal of benefit.

The most memorable chapters for me were of: British Muslim identity (belongingness of Muslims in Europe in general), the Shaykh's critique of certain extreme 'Tanfiri' groups (literally 'to turn away') outside of mainstream Traditional Islam, Zakat (and finance in general) in the modern age, Islamic studies in the West etc. There's plenty more but I need time to digest them.

There is a particular quality about the Shayk's writing in that while he outlines the dire nature of certain things, he always ends up making you feel quite optimistic somehow. It's probably that I haven't read much current scholars' works but I really appreciated this.

May God grant the Shaykh much success and rewards for his efforts!
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