Welcome to Al-Qawlul Mufeed Library!
The Library has always played a central role in the Muslim society. In an effort to embody the first word of revelation, “Read!”, libraries were developed early on in the Islamic world. Not only were libraries used to preserve knowledge and culture but were also centers of academia and scholarship. Though the earliest reports of the existence of Muslim libraries date back to the 3rd century of the Hijrah calendar, perhaps the most famous library of the past is Bait al-Hikmah or The House of Wisdom built during the Abbasid era in Baghdad. Bait al-Hikmah was a library, translation institute, host for scribes or copiers, and an unrivaled center for the study of humanities and for sciences, including mathematics, astronomy, medicine, chemistry, zoology and geography. The concept of the library catalog was introduced here where books were organized in specific categories and genres due to the large amount of works they had in circulation. In fact, it was said that the scholars and librarians of Baghdad amassed such an overwhelming number of publications that when the Mongols invaded the city in 1285 destroying everything, the waters of the Tigris ran black for six months with ink from the enormous quantities of books flung into the river.
It is in that spirit that we open our “e-doors” and invite you to join us in the revival of knowledge and the library. Here you can browse and “check-out” all of our resources including our monthly serial “Al-Qawlul Mufeed”. The material currently in circulation is cataloged below. Click on the links to gain immediate access.
