The Study Quran is excellent. Good translation but the main reason to get this one is for the extensive commentaries. Which are drawn from many sources.
Also, I recommend the free Quran app for your phone, based upon Quran.com
It has English translations and audio in Arabic. Reading while listening brought the Quran to life for me.
As much as I'm usually against people posting Wikipedia articles, the article on liberal movements within Islam is a surprisingly good overview:
http://www.wikiwand.com/en/Liberal_Muslim_movements
Essentially the term can cover anything from a sort of neo-Mutazili viewpoint to Quran Only ideas to mostly traditional but not-totally-orthodox Islam.
I would recommend a book on this: Aisha's Cushion
The title is very instructive and comes from a hadith where Aisha hung up a curtain with figures on it and the Prophet objected to it. However, she made it then into cushions which he did not object to.
Obviously, there was something about the state of the figures when hanging which was not ok and not present when made into a cushion. My opinion (not borne out in that book.. just me) is that when used as a hanging they could appear to actually be people in the dark and this would be a form of deception. The 'ban' (again, just mo) would then be against deception in art. Which is why it makes sense to see the charge of 'vying with God to create life' levelled against the hanging. It does not make sense to level that charge against a miniature painting.
Also we know Aisha had toy dolls that were not objected to.
I think the 'ban' such as it is, only really ever applied to mosques. And literalists misinterpreted it. That's why there are thousands of paintings of the Prophet.
Also we know from the royal palace Mshatta in Jordan (is not in museum in Berlin and you can see this) that the walls of the palace were decorated with animal friezes. But where the palace walls coincided with the mosque wall there were no animals. They stopped for the length of the mosque wall and start again with animals after the mosque wall stops.
Thanks for the info. I also felt suspicious for recent incidents being labeled as "pious real Muslims killing Westerners for the sake of their religion" bullshit spreading on Reddit. Here is a relevant research: the more knowledge of Islam you have, the less radicalized you get.
I was always sceptical of Hadith and left Islam for a while. Came back to Quranists, but was never satisfied as I needed reference to historical events such as Abu lahab, battles etc..
Eventually in my journey came to a realisation of our sordid history...hanafis (classical hanafis that is) never had a problem rejecting Hadith. I know you mentioned Shafi. But the problems actually stemmed with Hanbalis.
Check this out.
https://www.academia.edu/9556267/FEAR_OF_REASON_Radical_Muslim_Traditionalism_The_Ḥashwīyah_
A must read paper. It explains our anti-rational behavior and how it is linked with traditionalists. How Muhadditheen, specially from Hanbalis oppressed people of reason. Further how our Muhadditheen had strong 'anthropomorphic' tendencies. And it provides another 'dark' side of our so called 'early Sunnism'. It totally destroys 'all is well' mind set. It can be said that Modern Salafism is reflection of that early traditionalism. But ironically, today we are told to follow "Way of Muhadditheen" :))
The Truth will set you free. But first, it will piss you off.
Omid Safi has been a huge influence on my Progressive Muslim praxis for the last 10 years. I’d strongly recommend watching the video and getting his book Radical Love
I'm agnostic, but I've really enjoyed The Study Quran - there are essays in the back of the book that explain some concepts, and the footnotes are pretty good.
I really really like this particular app, bc you can set it up to let you read the Arabic word by word, rather than as a single unbroken line of text.
However, one huge downside is it doesn't include some of the more progressive or inclusive translations. It does have several reciters, including some who are slow and clear and easy to follow.
It all depends on what you're looking for.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.greentech.quran
Someone recently sent me a photo of my great grandparents from my grandmother's side.
I saw my great grandmother, there were a cock-ish grin on her face, with her hand on her hip and thought, "Now, that is one cool lady! I wish I could've known her." I will never meet her, but I love her already. I didn't love her before I saw that photo.
Regarding Muhammad, I was really quite skeptical of him as a prophet and couldn't see why people loved him so much. The book <em>Muhammad: His Life Based Upon the Earliest Sources</em>, by Martin Lings shed some light on the man as a person and the basic story of his prophethood. It is a good book. It didn't try to preach to me or convince me of anything, it just laid out the known facts. And it was well-written, which made it easy and enjoyable to read. I couldn't put the book down, once I got into it.
Here’s the link to the book from which the excerpt was taken: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dangerous-Narratives-inside-mind-forged-manacles/dp/B08BRLHWDB/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1593413553&sr=8-1
My point about the Bible/Quran is that you have to deny parts of the book to make the argument for the Quran. Saying parts of Quran are wrong or incorrect basically takes you out of the religion. Believing in all of the Qur'an is a basic tenet.
Yeah, I'd stay away from Nawaz and the other people I named.
Reza Aslan while many strongly disagree with his religious views and theology, is still respected.
Most Muslims would consider Malcolm X pretty orthodox after he left the Nation of Islam. Since I didn't mention it already, The Autobiography of Malcolm X is a great read.
I think most resources explaining controversial topics are so polarized because of the way people have interpreted the Quran and from certain Hadiths. Most scholars will tell you being LGBTQIA+ is not allowed- but also that Allah SWT loves everyone and is forgiving. I find reaching some of these Imaam/Mufti interpretations lead me away from Islam because they’re so archaic in their thinking.
My personal opinion, read the Quran and formulate your own understanding. I also like to read opinions and books on scholars who have actually gone to university for Islamic studies or even imaams/scholars who have converted. I find many of them more progressive and their explanations of these topics are more “easy to digest”.
One book I really enjoyed was this: https://www.amazon.ca/Secrets-Divine-Love-Spiritual-Journey/dp/1734231203
Im sorry I couldn’t be more specific and provide more examples. Best of luck in your journey ☺️
There is this book available, which claims to be a collection of mutawatir hadith:
but it's hard to vouch for the accuracy of it, since the book itself claims it's nothing but a collection in book form of a compilation from some Saudi website:
"So we have compiled this from a website of Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Da‘wah and Guidance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. This compilation is originally selected and compiled by the Ulaama council of this ministry and NOT by us. Our contribution is just copying from the website and accumulates into an unbroken book." I haven't been able to find any other books that claim to be a mutawatir collection
But in any case, this is a very short book, as others are pointing out most scholars seem to believe the number of mutawatir ahadith is actually very small, and all the ahadith in this collection are very "basic," salah and wudu, signs of the end times, etc., nothing at all really that gets into any topics that are very current or topical....certainly none about anything related to homosexuality, however you interpret them
You can download this Quran app which has TONS of explanation of different ayats and all of the ayats that I found faith-threatening ad a woman.
Leave history to the historians. You don't have the skills or the training to dwell in it.
If you really want to actually study history, then join a University and take up a Near Eastern History degree and a doctorate, do some actual research, publish peer reviewed papers that actual academics can critique.
It is very easy to be an armchair historian and dish out theories on reddit with zero academic peer review.
Quranists have been dolling out conspiracy theories by the dozens, each one more embarrassing than the other. The sooner we put a stop to this, the better.
Spirituality and history are two different realms. The former only needs a sincere heart and direct connection with God, and reading the scripture with sincerity, humility and common sense (without trying to "abrogate" any verses, or cooking up any conspiracy theories). It does not need one to be a historian. Any layman can do this, and God guides whoever is sincere to the straight path.
History is a specialized field, just like any academic field, which needs dedicated study and formal training.
Just today a video of a certain ignoramus called Said Mirza was shared with me as an "expert" of the Quran. Turns out he has no training in geoscience, astronomy or cosmology, but has the audacity to self-publish a book called "Cosmology of the Qur'an: The Seven Skies and the Fixed Ground", and attribute flat earther nonsense to God.
The sooner we put an end to this approach, the better.
Pillars is really good for prayer times/tracking (and Qibla if the compass on your phone is working properly)
Nope. The story of Lut has nothing to do with homosexuality and in Christianity there’s a difference of opinion on whether the story of sodom and Gomorrah is about rape and inhospitality or gay people.
In the Quran, there’s only 4 verses that people interpret to be about homosexuality but I’ve explained them all in my essay: https://notability.com/n/08ySDW~Nt5FeHQ1q0~NqVd
For true history, without anachronistic back projection from an age (centuries later) where such practices became prevalent, check out ....
https://www.amazon.com/Muhammad-Prophet-Peace-Clash-Empires/dp/156858783X
I think one good resource on this would be the following:
https://www.amazon.com/Hanafi-Principles-of-Testing-Hadith/dp/0993018300
This was promoted by the now defunct ashadis assemble, a more reform oriented group that criticized mindless hadith allegiance.
Pearsonally, the points I listed here qere mostly gleaned from places like subreddit and discussions with other muslims here. It only made sense to be more careful with them, as many can contain severely disturbing things.
IMO that outfit is not loose enough. It resembles a surfer suit. Also, too much skin exposed for sun protection. I would choose the one in the link if it were me.
YEESAM Muslim Swimsuits for Women, Full Body Islamic Burkini Modest Swimwear https://www.amazon.com/dp/B018259K5U/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_YETQ6BAVT8WDSB0FZS37?psc=1
I'm irreligious so its a little rude of me to contribute on theological subjects for which I can only apologise in advance for but I find your words incredibly moving as well as fantastically eloquent. It is this 21st century discord of tradition and modernism that I specifically find interesting and why I read this subreddit because I believe this struggle is a key issue to resolve in the future of the world. I am just blessed to get to see it happen.
IMHO this issue mostly comes down to the sexism inherent within the organisations of religions and the effect is mirrored in the impact in diversity in the workplace. e.g. If you employ only men you will struggle to make products for women because its difficult to correct your incorrect assumptions as you lack the experience. So a male dominated society that adopts a religion will likely take that religious base and make it more sexist than it arguably was in its original form. As you said: its a product of its time. All of the patriarchal religions suffer this problem so I find it bizarre that in the modern world there still remains such resistance towards the obvious solution of women imams/priests/scholars as it seems like a logical solution to the problem.
By the way if you want to read something particularly interesting on the subject of gender in history there's a book by Heide Goettner-Abendroth called Matriarchal Societies which is a study of matriarchal systems through history. Its a bit dry and has a bit of a rambling introduction but it does a good job in demonstrating that there have been considerably different social constructs in the past and that patriarchy is not inevitable, its just likely (possibly due to issues around childbirth and succession).
An omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent being doesn't owe its creations anything.
He created the universe and all its physical laws. The universe is bound to these laws. Nothing is exempt from it, nor should anything be.
Mankind has fxxcked itself up all of its own volition. Man corrupts himself. Maybe he was egged on by Satan, but to believe that is to relinquish responsibility: No, the corrupt of us are the living, breathing satans on earth.
>but believing in this fairy tale is an insult to my intelligence
So don't believe in that fairy tale. You don't get to know a Creator from the corrupt. You get to know a Creator from the source: His book. If you don't even want to do your own ground work, then who's responsible for your seething anger?
This is the second time I've made this recommendation directly to you. I'll go further this time: pick up a good translation. By good translation, I mean something that's less [2 = Two] and more [2 = pairings that are synchronous everywhere in the universe].
Can't stress this enough: I highly, highly recommend Message of the Quran by Muhammad Asad, and read his footnotes. It's where all the context and his actual interpretations lie.
As you go through the surah chapters, you can pick up some extra knowledge with The Usuli Institute's Project Illumine, currently producing big picture tafsirs covering intent, purpose and morality of every chapter.
May Allah ease your affairs for you.
> > Nah, ma malakat aymanukum doesn't mean slaves/concubines.
Yes it does, though you are free to reject the consensus of scholarship and believe the few Sunni scholars that agree with you:
The Study Quran: "the Quran forbids marrying women married to other men, save for slave or captive women, those whom your right hands possess."
Brill Encyclopedia of Islam: "It restricts sex to the institutions of marriage and slavery"
Gale Encyclopedia of the Quran: "Seven separate terms refer to slaves, the most common of which is the phrase “that which your/their right hands own” (mā malakat aymānukum / aymānuhum / aymānuhunna / yamīnuka), found in fifteen places."
Muhammad Asad: "the Quran also uses the phrase to mean female slaves (e.g., 4:25, 24:38)"
Jonathan Brown's famous book on Slavery and Islam: "The Quran permits the male owner of a female slave to take her as a surriyya (plural sarārī) – a female slave whose master has a sexual relationship with her (Quran 2:221, 4:25)"
If you actually want to learn about this topic, I highly suggest Brown's book (he is both a celebrated Western scholar and devout Muslim) as it discusses the real history of slavery and abolitionism in Islam, instead of the history that you and I wish were the case.
Man I studied this go to any scholar or go and check the narration of yourself and study the narrator's
No it not simply checked and graded sahih lol it not that easy
Ngl I can't explain it any easier the most authentic hadith and the one you take it word for word is the if because the one you quoted has 1 weak narrator who is rejected so you don't take it word to word and I already explained why it marked sahih
You can buy this book if you want to learn but it really is not complicated with what I am saying
it is false, but not because it doesnt exist but because it's a horrible and degradatory tactic adopted by contemporary atheism. it's pretty well known.
>A Manual for Creating Atheists offers the first-ever guide not for talking people into faith--but for talking them out of it. Peter Boghossian draws on the tools he has developed and used for more than twenty years as a philosopher and educator to teach how to engage the faithful in conversations that will help them value reason and rationality, cast doubt on their religious beliefs, mistrust their faith, abandon superstition and irrationality, and ultimately embrace reason.
> For example, the author tells his subjects to ask a Christian what it would take for him to give up his belief if God. This is meant to, of course, create doubt in the mind of the believer (who is usually a young person who may not have much knowledge and is very impressionable).
https://www.amazon.com/Manual-Creating-Atheists-Peter-Boghossian/dp/1939578094
I suggest you read this in order to figure out our argument instead of screaming at people on reddit. Given your comment history you're on quite a roll today. Unless youre willing to have an actual conversation and not just scream at people because gay I won't be replying further.
I don't know if it's available online anywhere, but you can buy it over at Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Quran-Comparative-Islamic-Studies/dp/1845539451
It's not written from a religious perspective, but it is useful if you want to understand the literal meaning of the Arabic.
I found a site that says that atheism is only punishable by jail (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/facebook/man-faces-five-years-for-god-does-not-exist-facebook-post/7796). Just like before, with Egypt it is different sources that are contradicting each other and I removed Indonesia from the post. I also found a someone claiming that the 5 countries in the post and also Yemen has a death penalty for converting from islam. (http://www.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/search?q=islam+death&restrict_sr=on&sort=relevance) This is not easy.
Not directly about progressive Islam, but this is my all-time favorite Quran in English. Very easy to understand because it's written in modern English, historical context/explanations throughout, extensive footnotes. It's what I consider a modern and fair translation that is highly accessible.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/1450549535/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_BAKWNB3Q88BBBVCV8WF3
About this Book
818 Page
484,382 Total words
48 Hour
A Simple way to find topics such as fasting prayer in the Holy Quran
By Abdul Noori
Synopsis
This book is basically the Holy Quran, the verses are grouped together based on topics. For example, the Fasting Prayer Zakat, Hajj, Jihad, Paradise, Hell, etc in one place. The mullahs use this method too. They have memorized all the verses that are about.
It is a book of Arabic text with translation into Persian and English.
This book helps Muslims non-Muslims to be fully aware of Islam For more convenience, divide the book into two parts: Rules and Prophets. In the Rules section, you will find all the information about Fasting, Zakat, Hajj, etc.
In the section of Prophets, you can find about Mohammed, Yousef, Moses, Jesus etc. This book is in fact the key to Islam .
Here's an article of his. My assessment of his writing concludes that he is not "Salafi". Do you agree?
>I’m pro Jew, big time anti-Israel
It is possible to be both, and besides, there are more openly critics of Israel now who happened to be Jewish, from Noam Chomsky to Sarah Silverman. There was even a graphic novel by Harvey Pekar stating his stance against the Israel government.
What's frustrating are most Muslims who don't acknowledge these critics of Israel, and could've been allies with them. However, there are plenty of Muslim/Arab/Jewish allies, such as Hasan Abi & Ethan Klein for a start, as well as the legendary friendship between Noam Chomsky & Edward Said.
Hello!
You may like Martin Lings’ book “Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources”
I also have an annual tradition of reading Omid Safi’s “Memories of Muhammad” during the month of the Prophet’s birth.
I’d probably start there and then if you want to read the more classical ones you can try to find Ibn Ishaq’s bio.
I picked this up last year:
https://www.amazon.com/Study-Quran-New-Translation-Commentary/dp/0061125873
It offers varying perspectives in the commentary, as well as a lot of auxiliary information. You may find it helpful.
Try buying him this book as a gift:
A Taste of Honey: Sexuality and Erotology in Islam https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0957484518/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_PY6FCNSW5MF79FPPXHB4
It destroys misconceptions about sex in Islam. The author is brilliant at breaking down the importance and history of sex in Islamic tradition. It’s not a total solution but I find the first step for a lot of people is breaking down the false ideas in order to open them up to trying new things to enjoy.
My other advice… take it slow. Build up to things gradually and work with each other’s comfort levels. And ALWAYS keep things mutually exciting and pleasurable.
Hope this helps
You need to recommend a really great book which is exactly this. A list of the Halal and Haram.
“The Lawful and the Prohibited in Islam” by Yusuf al-Qaradawi. He has many other beautiful books as well.
https://www.amazon.ca/Lawful-Prohibited-Islam-Yusuf-Al-Qaradawi/dp/0892590165
Or, the PDF link:
https://thequranblog.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/the-lawful-and-the-prohibited-in-islam.pdf
It’s a beautiful book.
Read this.
I didn't really need to but I can help if you want that actually will help me too but I found this app quiet helpful. Let me know I always need support to keep myself from the winds !
The holy Quran translation by Noor foundation
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.verypositive.Quran
Oh sure. There are lots of philosophical books by Nasr, Oliver Leaman (Jew) or Majid Fakhry. But the one I'd recommend (as it summarizes all philosophical topics) is Peter Adamson's "Philosophy in the Islamic World" from the series of "A History of Philosophy without Any Gaps".
https://www.amazon.com/Philosophy-Islamic-World-history-philosophy/dp/0199577498
However, unless you are undergoing serious "Skepticisms", I wouldn't recommend reading Philosophy. Because a lot of philosophers had heretical beliefs (i.e Zakariya Razi). Instead for small halal-haram issues I'd recommend progressive scholars like Khaled Abou El-Fadl, Javed Ahmed Ghamidi (Pakistani), Adnan Ibrahim etc.
Even the traditionalists such as Timothy Winter (aka Abdal Hakim Murad) or Hamza Yusuf might help.
To believe in the nubbuwat and the message is prerequisite to be muslim. There is ijma over this. Why don’t you and all the other orientalists read up on Studies In Early Hadith Literature by Mustafa Azami. It basically tackles your entire viewpoint in one small booklet.
You go back to the discovery channel.
He is a professor of Islamic Studies at UCLA. His book "The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists" is a must read.
I am not sure which book he is referring to by Omid Safi, maybe this one? I haven't read it yet, but I have read some of his other stuff.
As far as courses, his website is awesome. I don't know of any particular classes you can take, but there is enough on that website to keep us busy.
Sherman Jackson has written a book on this, the problem of "Theodicy" (i.e. why is there evil if God is merciful, just, and all-powerful?) His book, Islam and the Problem of Black Suffering addresses this through the lens of racial injustice, but also breaks down the history of Islamic thought in addressing this question; even if you can't get your hands on a copy, trying to find summaries or commentary will be useful for you, insha'Allah.
I did not read this one. But heard a podcast on this one. Seems like this one considered LGBTQ inclusion.
https://www.amazon.com/Quran-Reformist-Translation-Modern-English/dp/0979671507
Currently reading this book. It's a bit dense, but I promise that it's a good read.
Salam. you can take a look in this book. Not exactly Modernist as people think. But, As you went for Abou el Fadl, I think you will need it.
https://www.amazon.com/Islam-Comprehensive-Javed-Ahmad-Ghamidi/dp/9698799737
> Charles Upton
All of the other books you suggested are great and I recommend them also, but don't recommend people Charles Upton please. He's insane and aligns himself pretty firmly with a far right interpretation of perennial philosophy. A ton of his writings are railing against "postmodernist liberal society" and he says that things like "New Age" spirituality and science fiction are Satanic. He also believes that UFOs are real and that they're actually jinn but the NWO government is lying and saying they're aliens to avoid revealing that the Day of Judgement is coming soon, or something like that.
Rabi'a al-Adawiyya is amazing though, and there's lots of better books about her life out there like this one written by a professor of Arabic that specializes in studying Sufi women. This book is informed by lots of the original Arabic writings about her life, which Upton likely wouldn't even be able to read. Needless to say, it's a lot more scholarly sound and not slanted towards anyone's orientalist biases.
There is a book about tolerance in Islam that I really recommend. It’s called Towards a Global Civilization of Love and Tolerance by Turkish scholar Fethullah Gulen. You can buy it here.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0982586701/
This book covers all bases and even goes very into the deep end and talks about some things I don't necessarily agree with.
But to give the book's summary: without the revelation of the Qur'an man may not have discovered the theory of evolution. It's more than just compatible. It is what the quran was trying to teach us about and many early Islamic scholars recognised this.
I actually didn't have a book in mind. Was going to see who was interested, then discuss what folks might want to read. I did think about your question though when i saw it this morning and thought Progressive Muslims by Omid Safi would be a nice place to start. It's a collection of essays by different Progressive Muslim thinkers (link below). The price is a bit steep but there are used one folks can buy for a significant discount.
This is from one of the pdfs available online on major sins of Islam. The pdf I have used is of Imam Dhahabi's book. Here is the Amazon link for his book:
https://www.amazon.com/MAJOR-SINS-Imam-Adh-Dhahabi-ebook/dp/B00KJMUKVS
Ghazali has something to say about this. See the Incoherence of the Philosophers. Much of the reasoning you seek is answered in his proving why some philosophical arguments were incoherent.
https://www.amazon.com/Incoherence-Philosophers-Brigham-Young-University/dp/0842524665
The word is ironic. Pick up a style guide - I would recommend Strunk & White and "The Elements of Style". Ironical has no place in that sentence in terms of context and usage.
The observation about halaal is about training the nafs. That simple. You seem to think halaal is only the slaughter of animals which belies the simplicity of your thinking and the paucity of your research.
Halaal is an overarching level of observance that includes your food chain, your personal habits, your attire, your respect for other people's space and the spiritual readiness to give OF yourself to God. It's training of the ego in that, much like the rituals of prayer, each aspect orients your soul towards God.
If you have a beloved - sometimes you choose to share your life to synchronize with them - that is what halaal does.
If you haven't found any of that in your research, you have two choices - return to your books or return to your toys.
I suggest you look at modernist scholars, including Mohammad 'Abdu and Jamal al Din al Afghani. They dedicated their careers to answering the same question.
I also suggest you check out Shadi Hamid's book Temptations of Power, wherein he studies democracy as exercised by Islamists.
Also check out anything and everything by Muhammad Knight, a PhD candidate at UNC.
An interesting book by Reza Aslan. Basically its what you said. Their only goal is to fight in the name of Allah. That's the goal. Not about great society, not about prosperity, not about "true Islam". Its what fringe lunatics of religious people do, and it has been existed in every other religions.
I shall start with the Haleem version and go from there. Just to be sure this is said version? http://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Quran-Muhammad-Abdel-Haleem/dp/1845117891/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1450268403&sr=8-1&keywords=Muhammad+Abdel+Haleem
Are you giving this reply because you prefer not to practice itjihad? Or you think you are reading it literally? I've been in this dialogue so many times and I don't plan to get too involved in it again. If you are wanting to truly get a true scholarly opinion on the topic, you should read Homosexuality in Islam by Scott Kugle. He gives both sides a fair analysis.
This tends to get into a very hot emotional discussion. And I prefer you study Scott Kugle than us getting into that kind of discussion.
I am a Universal Sufi and Zoroastrian. My feelings on this topic go toward being active about human rights issues. I am against the death penalty in general. I do practice the islam of Zarathustra and Jesus and el-Khidr and Muhammad, but not the dogma of Islam. I think we live in a time where we need to practice love, mercy and peace with every thought, word and deed.
Blessings of Light to you.
I don't know what the definition of "progressive" really is or if this fits what you're looking for, but for someone who I think engages on a lot of issues from a different than the "normal" theological perspective, I'd recommend Khaled Abou El Fadl. "Speaking in God's Name" is the best book I have read in my life (on Islam or any topic). It is ludicrously academic, but still fantastic in my opinion.
If would highly recommend this book by Reza Aslan. No God But God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam
I think it's very accessible and can be a valuable learning tool.