Even Angels Ask: A Journey to Islam in America

No words can describe this book really. It's so dense and very intellectual but it also has this spirituality that makes my heart shiver like a dry leave in a windy day.. I know a good book when I can't go through it without a pen or a pencil.. A book that reacts with my mind leaving me unable to hold back my thoughts as they crowd into my head.. A book that I fill its margins with the products of these reactions.. I don't know if I can say anything that would be sufficient enough to describe, review, or recommend this book.. The only thing I can be assured of is that my mind and perspective have so profoundly expanded, as a result of reading this book, that I am confident it will change my life forever. I have substantially learned, grown, been intellectually provoked and spiritually moved by this book. A relatively short yet dense book (230 pages), "Even Angels Ask" was not only a journey through Islam in America, but a journey through Islam for myself. Even if I'm reading it 18 years after it has been written (it's almost as old as I am!), I was still able to greatly relate to it. In fact, I believe that we live today in a world that is more "Americanized" and globalized than ever before, which makes the "Journey to Islam in America" key to journeys to Islam all over the world. In short, I absolutely believe this book is extremely precious and is a must-read for every Muslim and anyone interested in Islam.

This may be the first book I read about Islam that so accurately portrays the current state of Muslim communities in America, the divide, culture dominance, intolerance for each other and the unquenchable thirst for control. Especially as an immigrant parent of second generation Muslims here, I learned many invaluable lessons and insights, which I hope to utilize for my children and other children in the community. Another very important thing I learned from this book is how clueless we are in our dealings and expectations of new reverts to Islam.It broke my heart to read how we are the ones driving them away with our rigid attitudes and narrow-mindedness. I liked best his personal stories and experiences and how sincere author was in pointing out his highs and lows in his own spiritual journey. I had something to underline, or stop and ponder over on almost every page, ( needless to say that it moved me to tears several times). Its very well written, spiritually moving, and inspiring. This book was a great one to read in Ramadan when we are trying to not only read more and more Quran, but also trying to improve in general our spiritual states and relation with God.

As a Muslim, sometimes it is frustrating to experience the beauty and goodness of Islam and then watch it be stifled by the dogma of Islam. It's important to step back and review what drew you to the faith in the first place. If you were born a Muslim, then it is important to go back and understand an overview of the world view of Islam and, essentially, the purpose. Jeffery Lang accomplishes the task by sharing his experiences as a convert and his thought process on how he came to accept Islam as the path that would lead to the ultimate accomplishment of "being all that you can be". Islam's reliance on intellect and rationality is his focus. How can the human mind be convinced if the demands of rationality are not met? If the argument cannot stand the scrutiny of intellect and relies, instead, on irrationality, how can one overcome the idea that it is just a delusion. Lang defends his argument (and that of many scholars, old and new) that not only does Islam embrace rationality in its arguments, but, in fact, the Quran despises those who do not use their intellect. As if it predicts that there will always be doubt in the human mind if it is not intellectually satisfied. As Lang takes us through the journey of the Quran, he shares his experiences, thoughts, and conclusions along the way. Truly a fascinating read for those who wish to learn about Islam and its holy book either for the first time (as a non-believer or a believer) or through another set of eyes if the Quran has been studied before.

Dr. Long’s books are a must have. Especially for youth. Teenagers 19 year olds and older. Excellent read. Highly recommend. Especially for logical people that find it hard to submit to religion. The voice of reason is prevalent and it is logical and makes sense to every human. Highly recommend.

Honestly after just reading the first few pages, I was drawn into the book reading more about Dr.Lang and his experience and converting to Islam. I also found it weird but amazing, that he was an atheist before he accepted Islam. This book talks about his struggle to find answers and his conversion. His writing makes me think about my faith and actions. I need to build a stronger iman. InshAllah, i'm going to start improving my faith. Not only will I build my iman, I'm going to keep strengthening it, and reinforce it into my life. This is such a beautiful, heart warming book. I'm going to recommend this book to everyone including my local mosque because not only would Muslims benefit from reading this but other Non-Muslims would realize what Islam is actually about instead of all the stereotypes out there and the wrong information they have. I agree with what I read in a review for this book before I bought it. "A wise man said "There's always a light in the end of the tunnel", and I can consider this book a way to lighten the darkness in most of the western minds."

Written by an ex-atheist who accepted Islam almost twenty years ago, the book is an account of Jeffrey Lang's struggle to find answers to the various issues he has faced since his conversion. This makes the book a post-conversion, not conversion story. Lang recounts the two-fold difficulty of being a "Westerner" and a "Muslim". On the one hand he or she is a member of a faith that, in a Western context, is hardly considered a viable intellectual alternative. This prejudice, points out Lang, has deep historical roots: Islam was the only major force that seriously threatened Christian Europe. This led to the emergence of biases that continue to loom in the Western psyche's Subconscious. You can become Buddhist and your decision is respected - perhaps even admired - but becoming Muslim is almost like treason since it means joining the "other", the age old-enemy. Lang relates the story of his Catholic mother who was more at ease with his atheism than his Islam. Lang's other difficulty as a Western Muslim comes from the Muslim side. He finds that many Muslim immigrants to the West bring their "version" of Islam, failing to realise that their's is just one version among others. Often these various "Islams" have grown on very different social and cultural soils and are inseparable from the contexts from which they emerged. What Lang argues for is the need for a "Western Islam", one which caters to the particular psychology of modern Westerners. This, he feels, is the only way Islam can survive, and even flourish, in the West. To deny the West in toto while dogmatically holding on to everything from their own Eastern culture on the part of immigrant Muslims is dangerously counter-productive -- dangerously because the sour fruits of such an approach can be seen in the number of Western Muslims (born into Muslim homes or converts) who have apostazised or simply stopped practicing. The most distinctive feature of this Western Islam should be its ability to the meet the demands of the spirit of inquiry that dominates the contemporary Western mind. But this spirit of inquiry, argues Lang, doesn't go against Islam, since "even angels ask". Although the book is written primarily for Muslims, anyone with some basic knowledge of Islam can benefit from it. The work is essentially a loose collection of almost random reflections, which is why Lang deals with such diverse subjects as the status of women, the practicality (or impracticality) of jihad, and interpreting the Koran. The second half of the book -- my favourite -- makes an excellent resource for those interested in a sociological analysis of Islam in the West. Here Lang relates some humorous (and not so humorous!) anecdotes, not all of which are positive. Some Muslims may take offence here since he airs a lot of dirty laundry. In short: if you want a book that goes ra! ra! for Muslims, this is not for you. But If you want a book that forces you to reflect over the paradoxical predicament of Muslims in the West, and the tremendous challenges they face -- culturally and intellectually -- you've come to the right place.

A brilliant book philosophical but like an action thriller from the first page till last could not keep it down.Iam a muslim and Mr Lang has very honestly put forth his views and his journey to Islam. I will however not over emphasize his writing capabilities as Mr Lang himself would not like it as he has mentioned in his book.A must read book for all muslims especially as there is the theme in the book which attempts to weave faith with rationalism and modern world ethos.God bless him.I would take an opurtunity in thanking Amazon books for their promise in delivering the book to Saudi Arabia on the mentioned date,Keep it up Amazon.

Great book, highly recommended for muslims and non-muslims. Deep and well written.

This is masterpiece. Dr Lang presents an independent and rationale arguments directly from the source. Even many life long and practising Muslims will find a unique perspective which can only come from someone who started reading the scripture without any baggage. The whole book is amazing but chapter 2 particularly stands out with rationale answers to major theological arguments. I have already read this book cover to cover twice and have a feeling will keep re-reading it for the rest of my life.

It is a great book to read for new Muslims, people contemplating on Islam or any Muslims living in North America or Europe. It gives the prospective of Islam from the point of view of a Muslim living in North America. To be honest I am really tired of people who grew up in the Middle East or Muslim majority countries telling us what Islam should be for us here in the US. This book eloquently describes the struggles of new generation of Muslims living in the West and how to we reconcile our faith with the society we are living in. Being a Muslim and still being a patriotic American or a Canadian. Great read!

I enjoyed reading the author's earlier published book entitled Struggling to Surrender so got straight to this one after finishing that one! This book is similar to the previous book and there is considerable overlap between the two but I'd still highly recommend reading both. Like his previous book, there's a good mix of the author's personal experiences and stories on what it means to be an American and a Muslim together with the author's reflections on the Qur'an. I particularly enjoyed in this book the author's discussions on the relationship between culture and religion: how the two can easily be mixed up over time, how the former can influence the way a person approaches the latter, and so on and so forth. Overall this book will probably be of more interest to Muslims living as a minority in a largely non-Muslim environment but there is much benefit and insight here for all.

Good book.

The book is a rich source of information. Through out the book , different scholars who have investigated Islam are introduced. This, I believe, provides the reader with different insights about the topic being discussed. I initially thought it was a one person recount about their journey to Islam, only to find out it was much more that…highly recommend.