A list of some of my hand-picked works that will be useful in debating or for personal knowledge.
Shia-Sunni Comparative Religion:
Al Muraja'at: A Shi'i-Sunni Dialogue - Sharaffudin Al Musawi: A historical debate between a Shia Scholar and Sunni Scholar who lead the Al Azhar University in Egypt.
Fully Sahih Sunni Sources for Shia Evidence: Fully researched and authenticated Sunni traditions that prove Shia beliefs from several of the opponent's books.
Peshawar Nights - Sultan Al Wa'izin Shirazi: A semi-historical debate that happened in Peshawar (now modern-day Pakistan) between a Shia scholar and several Sunni students.
Succession of the Prophet - Aneela Sultan: A book written by an ex-Sunni woman from the UK about how to prove Shiism is the correct version of Islam.
Then I was Guided - Muhammad Al Tijani Al Samawi: A book written by a famous ex-Sunni scholar from Tunisia who converted to Shiism after visiting Iraq.
Historical Analysis:
The Succession to Muhammad - Wilfred Madelung: One of the most in-depth academic analysis of the events following the death of the Prophet which lends much credence to the Shia narrative. It is written by a non-Muslim orientalist majoring in Islamic History.
After the Prophet - Lezley Hazelton: A well-written narrative style novel about the events following the passing of the Prophet. It is written by a non-Muslim Jewish woman. Her narrative largely agrees with the Shia view and has been criticized by Sunnis because of it.
The Judgement of Ahl Al-Sunnah on Jamal and Siffin - Syed Hasnain Bukhari: A book written by the Son of a Major Sunni scholar from the Subcontinent about how Imam Ali was on the right side of history in both of these battles and how Muawiyah and Aisha were wrong.
A Concise History of Sunnis and Shi'is - John McHugo: A orientalist account of the origin of the Sunni and Shia schools in history. A quick and easy look at the schism throughout history.
Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi'ite Islam - Hossein Modaressi: A very well researched paper about the historical disagreements about the lines of the Imams and how the Twelver Shias dealt with these controversies to remain upon the truth.
Kitab Al Irshad - Sheikh Al Mufid: One of the most important historical biographies of the twelve Imams from Shia sources. The first half of the book is dedicated to Imam Ali and the second half covers the lives of the rest of the Imams.
The Ghulaat Shia Sects - Matti Musa: A book detailing some of the absurd beliefs of the extinct group that were referred to as Ghulaat (Extremist) Shias.
The Shia Revival - Vali Nasr: A best-selling book about the history and modern re-emergence of Shias in the political sphere.
Proving the Shia Narrative:
The Tragedy of Al Zahra: Doubts and Responses - Jafar Al Murtadha Al Amili: One of the greatest books written on the topic of the attack on the house of Fatimah, it refutes most of the doubts cast upon this historical fact by both Sunni and Shia scholars.
Fahisha of Aisha (Arabic) - Yasser Al Habib: A book written using exclusively authentic Sunni hadith proving the infidelity and promiscuous character of Aisha bint Abu Bakr.
Mutah in the fiqh of Ahlul Sunnah - Hafiz ibn Farooq: A book written by a Sunni about how Mutah is in fact halal in the School of Ahlul Sunnah and it this was the true stance of many of their scholars and Sahaba.
Refuting Adalat Al Sahaba - Sayf Al Din Al Hashemi: A polemical work disproving the Sunni core belief about the universal justice of the companions. Shattering this belief destroys the foundations of Sunni beliefs and their science of rijal.
Theology:
A Brief on Theology - Sheikh Nazzar Al Sunbul: A great book outlining some of the major theological beliefs that form the foundation of Shia Islam.
Kitab Al Tawhid - Sheikh Al Saduq: The greatest book written about the Shia belief in pure monotheism, debunking some of the false beliefs of opposing schools.
A Divine Perspective on Rights (Imam Sajjad) - commentary by Ghodratullah Mayesheikhi: A commentary about the famous book by Imam Sajjad on the rights of basically everything and everyone.
Principles of Faith - Vahid Khorasani: An excellent book by an Ayatollah about the basics of our belief.
Shi'i Islam: A Beginners Guide - Moojam Momen: An excellent book for beginners detailing the history, politics and theology of Shia Islam. Written by a non muslim!
Shi'ite Islam - Allama Tabataba'i: One of the first, and greatest books written primarily for the western audience in mind introducing Shia Islam and our belief system. Allama Tabataba'i was requested to write this unique book before Shia Islam was known in the west.
Biography/Personalities:
Half of My Heart: Narratives of Zaynab - Christopher Clohessy: The first biography of Sayeda Zainab in English written and compiled by a Christian Father from South Africa who fell in love with Shia personalities.
God's Emissaries - Ridhwan Arastu: An excellent analysis of the lives of the divine
Prophet's of God from Hazrat Adam (as) to Hazrat Jesus (as), written from a Shia perspective.
Justice and Rememberance: Introducing the Spirituality of Imam Ali - Reza Shah-Kazemi: A novel written about the distinct virtues of mystical knowledge and justice pertaining only of Imam Ali.
Partners of Zaynab - Diane D'souza: A book about the gendered roles of Shias and how they differ between men and women.
The Aroma of Mercy - Sadiq Shirazi: A booklet written by an Ayatollah to prove the Mercifulness of Imam Mahdi and refute some of the claims that misrepresent some of his prophecies.
The Forgotten Queens (Incomplete Version) - Abdul-Zahraa Abdul-Hussain: The first book of its kind in English proving the existence of 3 biological daughters of the Prophet apart from Fatimah.
The Suffering of the Ahl Al Bayt - Mateen Charbonneu: An excellent book detailing the oppression faced by every single member of the house of the prophet (ahlulbayt) throughout history.
Understanding Karbala - Ayatollah Sayyid Muhammad Al Hakeem/Mohamed Albodairi: A great book analyzing the significance and deep meaning behind the sacrifice of Imam Husain and his family and companions in Karbala.
The Chronicles of the Martyrdom of Imam Husain - Muhammadi Reyshahri: An amazing 1000+ page research of Ayatollah Reyshahri that is an abridged version of his lengthy and voluminous research about all aspects of the tragedy of Imam Husain (as) in Karbala.
Virtues:
One Hundred Incredible Virtues of Imam Ali and His Sons - Ibn Shazan: A great read mentioning some of the most amazing merits particular to Imam Ali and Al Hassan and Al Husain.
Khasais Ali - Imam Nasa'i:Written by one of the authors of the six authentic books of the Sunnis (Sunan An Nisa'i) about the merits and virtues of Amirul Momineen Imam Ali (as). He traveled to Damascus where the supporters of Mu'awiyah were abusing Imam Ali (as), outraged by this he wrote this book to highlight the virtues of Imam Ali (as) in Islam. The Mu'awiyah supporters demanded a similar book be written about Mu'awiyah, but when Imam Nasa'i said there are no authentic hadith about his virtues they beat and tortured him until he eventually died from his injuries.
Hadith:
Science of Hadith - Sheikh Mansour Leghaei: One of the best introductory books on the science of Hadith and how the Shia hadith system is superior to the system of opposing schools.
Quran:
The Collection and Preservation of the Quran - Ayatollah Khui/Mulla Asgharali Jaffer: A translation of a famous book about the Shia view of the collection and preservation of the holy Quran.
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