What Kind of Islamic Books Does The Islamic Book Cafe Carry?

At The Islamic Book Cafe, we aim to keep every title in our collection to a single standard: authentic knowledge grounded in the Qur'an and the Sunnah upon the understanding of the Salaf, the first three generations of this ummah. We ask Allah to keep us upon that.

We carry over 300 titles and ship worldwide. Here is a look at what you will find in our collection and how we decide what makes the shelf. For details on how your order reaches you, see The Islamic Book Cafe Ships Worldwide.

How We Select Our Books

Our aim is not to carry everything. Every book we stock is weighed against three things:

• Grounded in the Qur'an and Sunnah. We look for books whose content is rooted in authentic evidence. Books containing fabricated hadith are not stocked regardless of the author's reputation. Where weak hadith appear, the publisher must clearly identify them in footnotes.
• Reliable authorship. We prioritize works by recognized scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah: classical scholars of the Salaf as well as contemporary scholars who follow their methodology. We do not carry Sufi, Shi'ite, Ash'ari, or Maturidi works.
• Accessible to English-speaking readers. We focus on well-translated works that English-speaking Muslims can actually read, benefit from, and apply, from beginners to advanced students of knowledge.

You can check any author for yourself: each one has a collection page with a bio covering where they studied and who they studied under. Start at our authors page.

Our Book Categories

Quran

Translations, mushaf editions, and related studies of the Book of Allah. Whether you are looking for a translation for yourself or a gift for a new Muslim, this is where to start.

Tafsir

Explanations of the Qur'an by qualified scholars. Tafsir is one of the most important sciences in Islam and our collection includes both accessible introductions and more detailed works for serious students.

Aqeedah

Books on Islamic creed: the foundations of belief in Allah, His angels, His books, His messengers, the Last Day, and divine decree. A sound aqeedah is the foundation of everything and this section reflects that importance.

Hadith

Collections and explanations of the prophetic traditions, from introductory hadith collections to full multi-volume explanations by major scholars.

Fiqh

Islamic jurisprudence covering worship, transactions, family law, and more. We carry both accessible rulings-based texts and more detailed scholarly explanations, including works by Shaykh Ibn Uthaymin and other major fuqaha.

Muslim Character (Tazkiyah)

Books on purification of the soul, good character, and spiritual development rooted in the Qur'an and Sunnah. This includes works by Ibn al-Qayyim, Ibn Taymiyyah, and other scholars of the heart.

Biographies

The Seerah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, the lives of the Companions, and biographies of major scholars. Knowing the people who carried this deen is part of the deen itself.

Islamic History

The history of Islam from the earliest generations through the major periods of Islamic civilization. Understanding where this ummah has been is essential for understanding where it stands today.

Muslim Women

Books addressing the role, rights, and responsibilities of Muslim women from an authentic Islamic perspective, grounded in evidence rather than cultural assumptions.

Family and Parenting

Books on building an Islamic home, raising children upon the fitrah, and navigating family life according to the Qur'an and Sunnah.

Children and Young Adults

Books for children and young Muslims at every reading level. We are intentional about what goes here. Everything in this section has been weighed with the same care as the rest of our collection. On how the illustrations are handled, see Drawing in Islam: Why the Children's Books on Our Shelves Have No Faces.

A Note on Classical Works

We place a strong emphasis on translated classical works: books written by the scholars of the Salaf and the generations that followed closely upon their methodology. Many of the contemporary books we carry draw directly from these classical sources, which is part of why we look at authorship so carefully.

New Titles Added Regularly

We are constantly reviewing new releases from publishers including Dar as-Sunnah, Darussalam, Maktabatul-Irshad, Dar al-Arqam, IIPH, Dar Makkah International, and others. If you are a publisher or know of a title that belongs in our collection, you can reach out through our publisher submission page.

Browse our full collection here

Baarakallahu feekum — The Islamic Book Cafe | Portland, Oregon.