Two Billion Caliphs

A Vision of a Muslim Future

By: Haroon Moghul

Narrated by: Haroon Moghul

Length: 7 hrs and 46 mins

Publisher's summary

Explains the attraction of Muslims to their faith, and discusses the challenges contemporary Islam confronts, and how we might imagine an Islamic theology and identity ready to face tomorrow

Islam is often associated with and limited to the worst of the world—extremism, obscurantism, misogyny, bigotry. So why would so many people associate with such a fundamentalist faith? Two Billion Caliphs advocates for a way of being Muslim in the world, ready for today and prepared for tomorrow. Unlike stale summaries, which restrict themselves to facts and figures, Haroon Moghul presents a deeply Muslim perspective on the world, providing Islamic answers to universal questions: Who are we? What are we doing here? What happens to us when we die? And from description, Moghul moves to prescription, aspiring to something outrageous and audacious. Two Billion Caliphs describes what Islam has been and what it is, who its heroes are, what its big ideas are, but not only to tell you about the past or the present, but to speak to the future.

Two Billion Caliphs finds that Islam was a religion of intimacy, a faith rooted in and reaching for love, and that it could be and should be again. Fulfilling that destiny depends on the efforts of Muslims to reclaim their faith, rebuild their strength, and reimagine their future, on their own terms. Two Billion Caliphs offers Muslim thoughts for the age ahead, to create an interpretation Islam of and for days to come, the kind of religion the world’s Muslims deserve, with echoes of the confident faith Muslims once had. The destiny of Islam, then, is not, as so many prefer to argue, a reformation. It is a counter-reformation. A restoration of what once was.

©2022 Haroon Moghul (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

“[A] forthright and entertaining treatise . . . Moghul’s candid mix of devotional and memoir make this a solid primer on Islam.”—Publishers Weekly

“This is a book that only Haroon Moghul could write. It is honest and hopeful, beautiful and painful, visionary and personal. It is at once a history of Islam and a guidebook to your soul. There are paragraphs so perfect, I read them aloud to family and friends.”—Eboo Patel, author of We Need to Build

“In his stunning new Two Billion Caliphs, Haroon Moghul describes the Hagar of sacred text as representing ‘a kind of ambling Islam.’ In that same spirit, Moghul’s work ambles and careens across time, space, theology, and intimate self-discovery, to locate a new take on Islam. Moghul’s vision of a collective, personal, loving, and meaningful faith—born of his own frailty, curiosity, and longing—requires nothing less than the opening of a spiritual vein. What emerges is honest and transformational and desperately needed, in all of our conversations around religion.”—Dahlia Lithwick, senior editor, Slate

“…a moment of contemplation… is worth 70 years in prayer”

I often say that writers have a way of writing the book that I am searching for. This time Haroon Moghul was that author.
The book, read by the author here on audible was like listening to poetry. The author has a talent beyond belief of keeping the attention of someone who is generally not interested in reading a book primarily about religion.
This book, published in 2022, will serve as a beacon for the generations to come. For those who could not accept the answer “…because Quran says so…”. For those who have a deep affiliation with Islam but they cannot explain why. For those who suffer the silent pain of agnosticism, and want to move on in life.

Entertaining and illuminating personal journey and primer on Islam

Haroon did a great job with his latest book, Two Billion Caliphs. He offers an accessible primer on Islamic thought and history through the lens of his personal journey with the religion, a path that many Gen Xers and younger will relate to as we navigate fitting Islam into our daily life and modern sensibilities. This is not to say you'll agree with everything included in this work -- I can almost guarantee that he will ruffle at least some of his readers' feathers -- but I value the thoughtful approach to religion and the reasoned analysis he offers as another perspective for our consideration. He also does this in a way that is relatable to all readers, but particularly to younger generations, an example of this is the Anakin Skywalker/Satan parallel, which this Star Wars fan really enjoyed. I'd recommend this book to those curious about learning more about Islam and those like myself who were raised in the belief set and are looking for a brushing up on their religious knowledge.