It presents source texts from the Qur’an and the prophetic traditions, touching on Muslim beliefs, practice, and the quest for happiness through ethical and spiritual excellence.

Ahmed Sheikh Bangura was born in Sierra Leone, where he completed his undergraduate studies. He earned a PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Alberta in 1994. In 2017, he took early retirement from the University of San Francisco, where he had been a professor since 1994, and had taught courses in French, Literature, Islamic studies and Arabic. His first book, Islam and West African Fiction: The Politics of Representation (Lynne Rienner 2000), was a work in literary criticism. Among his other publications is “Orientalism, Africa, Black,” a contribution to the New Dictionary of the History of Ideas (Thompson-Gale, 2004). For the past ten years, he has focused on the study of Islamic spirituality and ethics. He is also the founder and chair of the

Ihsan Foundation for West Africa.

“Wisdom of Islam” displays both the range and depth of Muslim values and spirituality.

.. . . sure to attract a diverse readership from different cultures and faith traditions.

Stephen Jamal Leeper, Writer, Educator, Consultant

“Wisdom of Islam,” by my friend and teacher, offers the objective reader a glimpse at the precious gems of Islam’s theological, ethical, and spiritual beauty.

– Dr. Abdullah bin Hamid Ali, Assistant professor of Islamic Law and the Prophetic Tradition, Zaytuna College

“Wisdom of Islam,” a lucid overview of the Muslim faith ... Its pearls of wisdom will be illuminating to the believer and non-believer alike. As the author puts it in his introduction to Chapter Six, may we all learn from these teachings, and cultivate within [ourselves] those characteristics that are beautiful: true piety, generosity, love, compassion, and wisdom.

– Stephen Roddy, Professor of Modern and Classical Languages,

University of San Francisco