Publication
Imprint: New York : Henry Holt and Company, 2015. Responsibility: CarlaPower. OCLC Number: 966504436. Physical: 1volume : x, 336 pages ; 21 cm. Features: Includes bibliographic references, glossary, index.
Call number
R&MC / Power
ISBN
9780805098198
Original publication date
2015
Collections
CSS Library Notes
Named person: Carla Powers : Mohammad Akram Nadwi .
Named work: Quran .
Description: "If the Oceans Were Ink is Carla Power's story of how she and her longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities. Their friendship -- between a secular American and a madrasa-trained sheikh -- had always seemed unlikely, but now they were frustrated and bewildered by the battles being fought in their names. Both knew that a close look at the Quran would reveal a faith that preached peace and not mass murder; respect for women and not oppression. And so they embarked on a yearlong journey through the controversial text. A journalist who grew up in the Midwest and the Middle East, Power offers her unique vantage point on the Quran's most provocative verses as she debates with Akram at cafes, family gatherings, and packed lecture halls, conversations filled with both good humor and powerful insights. Their story takes them to madrasas in India and pilgrimage sites in Mecca, as they encounter politicians and jihadis, feminist activists and conservative scholars. Armed with a new understanding of each other's worldviews, Power and Akram offer eye-opening perspectives, destroy long-held myths, and reveal startling connections between worlds that have seemed hopelessly divided for far too long."-- from Publisher.
Contents:
Introduction: A map for the journey --
Part one. The origins.
The Quran in twenty-five words ;
An American in the East ;
A Muslim in the West ;
Road trip to the Indian madrasa ;
A migrant's prayer mat --
Part two. The home.
Pioneer life in Oxford ;
Nine thousand hidden women ;
"The little rosy one" ;
Veiling and unveiling ;
Reading "The women" --
Part 3. The world.
A pilgrim's progress ;
Jesus, Mary, and the Quran ;
Beyond politics ;
The pharaoh and his wife ;
War stories ;
The last lesson --
Conclusion: Everlasting return.
FY2017 /
Named work: Quran .
Description: "If the Oceans Were Ink is Carla Power's story of how she and her longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities. Their friendship -- between a secular American and a madrasa-trained sheikh -- had always seemed unlikely, but now they were frustrated and bewildered by the battles being fought in their names. Both knew that a close look at the Quran would reveal a faith that preached peace and not mass murder; respect for women and not oppression. And so they embarked on a yearlong journey through the controversial text. A journalist who grew up in the Midwest and the Middle East, Power offers her unique vantage point on the Quran's most provocative verses as she debates with Akram at cafes, family gatherings, and packed lecture halls, conversations filled with both good humor and powerful insights. Their story takes them to madrasas in India and pilgrimage sites in Mecca, as they encounter politicians and jihadis, feminist activists and conservative scholars. Armed with a new understanding of each other's worldviews, Power and Akram offer eye-opening perspectives, destroy long-held myths, and reveal startling connections between worlds that have seemed hopelessly divided for far too long."-- from Publisher.
Contents:
Introduction: A map for the journey --
Part one. The origins.
The Quran in twenty-five words ;
An American in the East ;
A Muslim in the West ;
Road trip to the Indian madrasa ;
A migrant's prayer mat --
Part two. The home.
Pioneer life in Oxford ;
Nine thousand hidden women ;
"The little rosy one" ;
Veiling and unveiling ;
Reading "The women" --
Part 3. The world.
A pilgrim's progress ;
Jesus, Mary, and the Quran ;
Beyond politics ;
The pharaoh and his wife ;
War stories ;
The last lesson --
Conclusion: Everlasting return.
FY2017 /
Physical description
x, 336 p.; 21 cm
Awards
National Book Award (Finalist — Nonfiction — 2015)
Pulitzer Prize (Finalist — General Non-Fiction — 2016)
Description
The eye-opening story of how American Carla Powers and her longtime friend Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi found a way to confront ugly stereotypes and persistent misperceptions that were cleaving their communities.
Language
Original language
English
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User reviews
LibraryThing member pomo58
If the Oceans Were Ink by Carla Power is an interesting and enlightening look at how two people can have friendly discourse over what could easily be contentious material.
I have to make a comment about some reviews I have seen as both a counter and as a warning to those who want to read this book
So, all that aside, this is about people, two friends who started as student/teacher and, to some extent, remain so even as their friendship grows. If read as such, this is a wonderful story that provides insight into how the vast majority of Muslims read their holy book. I would have enjoyed a bit more of a back and forth about why a given passage might be one way to some and another way to others, but this wasn't meant to be either a detailed study nor an argumentative confrontation. the book succeeded for what it was meant to be.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand one of the major ways of interpreting the Quran and who might want to counter all of the works out there that pretend to be well-researched but actually are just excuses to fan the flames of hatred and distrust. If you want to further study Islam I would suggest you carefully check the background of any authors you might choose to read. Many self-proclaimed experts won't even share there background yet want readers to trust that they are being honest and thorough in their "research."
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
I have to make a comment about some reviews I have seen as both a counter and as a warning to those who want to read this book
Show More
with an open mind and heart. Some immediately complain that the contradictions in the Quran are not addressed and therefore any discussion of it should be disregarded as not vigorous or even as "propaganda." Well, the many contradictions within the Judeo-Christian holy books are not generally referenced when the purpose of the work is for two people to share their versions of their religions, so the complaint is really just a mask behind which small minds try to hide. This is not a theological work any more than the vast majority of books about any religion are theological when written for a general audience. Also the same basic thing applies to those who discount the interpretation of Akram because there are other Muslims who interpret the Quran in a more violent way. Guess what, the Judeo-Christian holy books have interpreters who span the same spectrum, yet everyone is allowed to put forth their own ideas without trying to answer for others. So, all that aside, this is about people, two friends who started as student/teacher and, to some extent, remain so even as their friendship grows. If read as such, this is a wonderful story that provides insight into how the vast majority of Muslims read their holy book. I would have enjoyed a bit more of a back and forth about why a given passage might be one way to some and another way to others, but this wasn't meant to be either a detailed study nor an argumentative confrontation. the book succeeded for what it was meant to be.
I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to better understand one of the major ways of interpreting the Quran and who might want to counter all of the works out there that pretend to be well-researched but actually are just excuses to fan the flames of hatred and distrust. If you want to further study Islam I would suggest you carefully check the background of any authors you might choose to read. Many self-proclaimed experts won't even share there background yet want readers to trust that they are being honest and thorough in their "research."
Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.
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LibraryThing member BookDivasReads
As a Muslim, I'm always a bit wary of reading a book about Islam, Muslims, or the Qur'an that has been written by a non-Muslim. I'm also not a really big reader of memoirs, but IF THE OCEANS WERE INK is a notable exception to both of these rules. Ms. Powers has written about her friendship with
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Sheikh Nadwi and her "education" into the Qur'an with respect and honor. It is rare to see a non-Muslim describe the beauty found within the Qur'an. It is also rare to read about a friendship built on mutual respect between a non-Muslim female and a Muslim scholar. Ms. Power demonstrates that although there may be some differences between Eastern and Western thought, we are actually not as different as we think. I'm glad that I had the opportunity to read this book, so much so that I've requested my local public library to purchase copies. Show Less
LibraryThing member marilynsantiago
I think this is a great book. Could not put it down and all I did was read for 2 days.
The author, Carla Power spends a year learning from her friend Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a madrasa-trained sheikh. She learns how the Quran and his faith guides his life.
People who are afraid of the Islamic faith can
The author, Carla Power spends a year learning from her friend Mohammad Akram Nadwi, a madrasa-trained sheikh. She learns how the Quran and his faith guides his life.
People who are afraid of the Islamic faith can
Show More
learn much from this book and come away with a great appreciation and some understanding of one of our world's great religions. Show Less
LibraryThing member hadden
An interesting book, but a slow read. I had to stop often and think about what I had just read. The author spent a year with a Muslim scholar at an university in England, and had visited his home in India as well. They had numerous conversations about Islam and Muslim society.
This is a good
The scholar, Sheik Mohammed Akram Nadwi, is an interesting person, but in the book he comes off as distant and uninvolved from family and students, beset with tunnel vision that focuses only on religion. I get the feeling that he is much more warm and involved than described, but his character comes out more two-dimensional than intended.
There are good places in the book where an Islamic joke is used to show some of the differences between Eastern and Western thought and philosophy, but this is not really investigated except through the Western-Islamic lens.
The book is most strong in showing where Islamic principles and folk traditions become intertwined and confused, especially on such areas as relationships between men and women or legal items that do nothing to promote a love of God.
One of the first statements in the book is that many Muslims study legal aspects rather then the Quran, and thus are led astray from the true meaning of the word of God. Also, many items are taken out of the text without being given their true context. The quotes must be applied to where Mohammed was and what he was talking about when the words were said, in order to truly understand their meaning and significance.
All in all, this is a good book, and I recommend it to westerners who are already familiar with the tenants of Islam, as well as Christian and Jewish belief.
"If the Oceans Were Ink" makes you think, ponder and reflect. And that is always a good thing, no matter the context.
This is a good
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addition to my library. But there are several areas where the author was not as consistent as she could be. She sometimes mentioned fatwas, or Islamic pronouncements, by their number, but gives no information on who can and cannot pronounce a fatwa, and where the fatwas are kept by their indicative numbers. This leads to my greater concern. The author assumes the reader has some knowledge of Islam, which I fear that many who will buy this book will not have. So she speaks a great deal about the family in Islam, without spending enough time explaining how Islam affects family life. There are also a number of quotes given, that are not footnoted either to the Quran or the Hadithi. Some quotes are rather vague as to who said them, when or where they were spoken as well. However, since I have a pre-publication galley proof, perhaps there will footnotes in the final version.The scholar, Sheik Mohammed Akram Nadwi, is an interesting person, but in the book he comes off as distant and uninvolved from family and students, beset with tunnel vision that focuses only on religion. I get the feeling that he is much more warm and involved than described, but his character comes out more two-dimensional than intended.
There are good places in the book where an Islamic joke is used to show some of the differences between Eastern and Western thought and philosophy, but this is not really investigated except through the Western-Islamic lens.
The book is most strong in showing where Islamic principles and folk traditions become intertwined and confused, especially on such areas as relationships between men and women or legal items that do nothing to promote a love of God.
One of the first statements in the book is that many Muslims study legal aspects rather then the Quran, and thus are led astray from the true meaning of the word of God. Also, many items are taken out of the text without being given their true context. The quotes must be applied to where Mohammed was and what he was talking about when the words were said, in order to truly understand their meaning and significance.
All in all, this is a good book, and I recommend it to westerners who are already familiar with the tenants of Islam, as well as Christian and Jewish belief.
"If the Oceans Were Ink" makes you think, ponder and reflect. And that is always a good thing, no matter the context.
Show Less
LibraryThing member bks1953
Carla Power has written an engaging and thought-provoking book. "If The Oceans Were Ink" discusses and examines the two decades' professional collaboration and friendship between Ms. Powers and Sheikh Mohammad Akram Nadwi, an Islamic scholar in residence at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. In
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four parts comprising sixteen chapters, Powers and Akram "set off on a yearlong journey through the text [of the Quran]." From academic,religious, cultural, social, feminist, and world lenses, the journalist and the scholar explore the perceptions, moored, and myths that have affected their two cultures for centuries. What impressed me most about "Oceans" is how it has generated thoughtful discussion with whomever I have discussed it with. Highly recommended. Show Less
LibraryThing member Bookaddict45
If the Oceans Were Ink is a book about a secular woman's quest to learn the truth about Islam through a colleague who later on becomes her friend. This friend happens to be a religious scholar and sheikh. The dynamics of their relationship and methodology of this year long journey to understand
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more about Islam was interesting to read. I like how the author evaluated and set out to learn more about the controversial issues, such as hijab surrounding the religion that have evolved from many years of negative news media coverage. Overall, I found it be an interesting and enjoyable read. However, it felt a bit rushed and sort of skimmed a lot of the different aspects of Islam. It was not as indepth as the title suggests. Show Less
LibraryThing member markon
I found If the oceans were ink: an unlikely friendship and a journey to the heart of the Quran by Carla Power a rich description of the year the author spent studying the Quran and Muslim faith with a conservative Indian sheikh.
Power describes herself as a secular feminist with a Jewish and Quaker
Power, who writes about politics and Islam, chose to study Quran and Islam for a year to focus on the spiritual practices of Islam, which are usually ignored in western media. She chose to study with Nadwi because
• he’s from a traditional madrassa,
• he’s trained academically at a non-Western university,
• he’s a Muslim consulted on matters of faith and practice by non-academic Muslims,
• Power and Nadwi have known each other for over 20 years.
This book will not appeal to people who want a quick introduction to Islam or easily comparisons of “Western” and “Islamic” society. It assumes some basic knowledge of Islam, and does not provide a complete picture of either Power or Nadwi, but rather focuses on the study of Quran and the practice of Muslim faith as Nadwi embodies and teaches it.
It is a complex portrayal of a conversation about how reading and studying the Quran influences the practices of Muslim faith in one person’s actions and teaching. As such I found it a fascinating and quick read.
Power describes herself as a secular feminist with a Jewish and Quaker
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background. Sheikh Muhammad Akram Nadwi is a scholar at the Oxford Centre for Islamic studies, and in addition to his academic duties is a practicing Muslim who lectures at mosques and madrassas around England. He began his studies of the Quran in his village in Uttar Pradesh and was trained academically at Nadwat al-Ulama in Lucknow, India.Power, who writes about politics and Islam, chose to study Quran and Islam for a year to focus on the spiritual practices of Islam, which are usually ignored in western media. She chose to study with Nadwi because
• he’s from a traditional madrassa,
• he’s trained academically at a non-Western university,
• he’s a Muslim consulted on matters of faith and practice by non-academic Muslims,
• Power and Nadwi have known each other for over 20 years.
This book will not appeal to people who want a quick introduction to Islam or easily comparisons of “Western” and “Islamic” society. It assumes some basic knowledge of Islam, and does not provide a complete picture of either Power or Nadwi, but rather focuses on the study of Quran and the practice of Muslim faith as Nadwi embodies and teaches it.
It is a complex portrayal of a conversation about how reading and studying the Quran influences the practices of Muslim faith in one person’s actions and teaching. As such I found it a fascinating and quick read.
Show Less
LibraryThing member morningrob
This book discusses the desire of the author to learn more about Islam and ultimately those who practice Islam. This book is more memoir than an intellectual pursuit of what the Quran says. The book discusses the author’s childhood budding interest in Islam, not only as a religion but also as a
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culture. From this interest, in her later life, she forms a friendship through a co-worker, in which she eventually asks to lead her through a study of the Quran. It also happens that this co-worker is a scholar of the Quran. She takes the reader on her journey through her experience and what she learns about the Quran, her teacher, and modern Islam. This book is not an academic study of the Quran nor is it a complete study of Islam. While the author does bring up her understanding of how Islam deals with a number of issues, the heart of the story is on the relationship between the author and her teacher. Show Less
LibraryThing member muddyboy
An autobiographical book about the author's relationship with Islam. She is tutored by a most knowledgeable Sheikh who guides her through the Quran. The fact that this man is will to take her on as a student and is interested in women's place in the Muslim faith makes him a bit unusual. A principle
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theme is that many of the radical notions found among extreme Muslims are based on traditions rather than the words of the Quran or the prophet Mohammad. A very readable way to learn about the Muslim faith. Show Less
LibraryThing member LibroLindsay
It took me one whole month to read this because it is a sitting and thinking book, though not in an inscrutable way...just so much food for thought. And I chose to pick it up in time for holiday/life madness.
As a non-believer who happens to love Islam (as well as hailing from St. Louis), I enjoyed
As a non-believer who happens to love Islam (as well as hailing from St. Louis), I enjoyed
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much of Carla Power's perspective going into a year long study with her friend and colleague, Sheik Mohammad Akram Nadwi. She had a foundation and was curious, and she often calls herself out on her own ignorance, privilege, and assumptions. It was so enlightening to hear the Sheik's point of view--in these days of strict black and white, it was awesome to hear confident yet humble lessons from a conservative (though progressive--in the ways traditional Islam has always been historically) Muslim. I felt Power's friction, too, on the moments they did clash, but always it roots down a deeper exploration. After a chapter or two reading the e-book on loan from the library, I realized I just needed to buy the dang thing--this is the first book in forever that prompted me to highlight the text and put in stickies. I am so excited to explore all the feminist and otherwise progressive Muslims referenced throughout...marked up the bib quite well, too. While the book was not without some detractors, it provided me a beautiful reading experience (in the end, I was tearing up a bit) and no doubt has developed my own understanding of Islam a little more. Show Less