Sadia Dehlvi

He wrote how Allah’s attributes must be known by tasting the experience, and not just the word. So to know mercy we must be merciful, to know God’s justice we must be just. Just like if you tell someone what it is like to swim they will never truly know swimming until they have swam. Similarly, we will never know God until we have experienced what it is to be merciful, just and compassionate.....

Mohammad Ali Ilahi

Basant marked the arrival of spring, and filled up Lahore’s skies with countless kites of varying colours and sizes. Yet, Basant has always been more than just kite flying. It served as a social gathering where all classes participated in the celebration. It involved music, food that Lahoris are known for and frequent cries of “Bo Kata”. My generation has been deprived of this history....

Ahmed Fouad

The protocol entrusted six essential tasks to the force, namely: intervene militarily to counter terrorist threats; participate in peacekeeping and security operations in the member states; help Arab countries restore, construct and equip their military and security capabilities; participate in securing relief and humanitarian aid operations in conflict zones; protect civilians against emergencies resulting from these conflicts or natural disasters; and protect maritime, land and air transport roads and fight piracy....

The glory of the Sufi past is something to be proud of. But it would not help much in dealing with nihilistic ideologies that drive terrorist groups like IS. Sufis were practitioners of love, who won over people with their selfless service to humanity, aversion to materialism and distance from the corrupting influence of power. They were exceptional scholars of Islam too....

Naveed Hussain

Having said that, I think Qadri’s act shouldn’t be a surprise. Qadri, in his own words, was motivated by a sermon of a local imam. The government should, at least, monitor Friday sermons at all mosques. This is essential to check hate-preaching and extremism which has become an existential threat for Pakistan.....

Thomas Aquinas regarded blasphemy a major unforgiveable sin, more grave than murder. Meanwhile, blasphemy against God and the Church was a crime punishable by death in much of the Christian world. The Quran and the authentic teachings of the Prophet Muhammad describe the practice of showing disrespect or mockery to God and His messenger as acts of ignorance, deliberate provocation or hatred….

Bina Shah

When we make an ‘other’ out of people, and distance ourselves from them, we drive out empathy and respect, an act that then makes violence against others possible. To get rid of terrorism in Pakistan, we have to first realise that with our words, we are all parents in its conception and midwives present at its birth....

Suleman Akhtar

Qalandar rose up in defiance when some forms of Sufism were adopted by kings' courts and saints were awarded state titles. Damadam mast Qalandar is a raging cry of rebellion against tyranny of established orders.....

Nadeem F. Paracha

Yet, during the period in which I had begun to somewhat discover the inner workings of what came to be known as Muslim Modernism, I continued to frequent the shrines of Sufi saints and joyfully partake in ceremonies such as the Dhamal. ....

Pakistan created Mujahideen during the US-sponsored anti-soviet war in Afghanistan from 1979-89 paving way for more deadly terrorist organisations like Taliban and Al-Qaeda. Pakistan had become a frontline state again during the war the US again sponsored, this time against the Taliban and Al-Qaeda after 9/11 attacks in 2001. Among the allies in the war against terrorism, Pakistan cannot be easily characterised as either friend or foe. The 3As are the pivotal power handling institution in Pakistan i.e. Allah, Army and America....

Khadija Ahmed

Music now also plays a big part in the commercialisation of Islam. Not so long ago, I discovered a group which identify themselves as the “Deen Squad”, a Canadian-based hip-hop duo, who are known for their Muslim covers of popular mainstream hits. Much of Muslim community disapprove with their use of music, dancing and the fact that their songs are remakes of mainstream songs usually associated with drugs, sex and money which they then convert and replace with ‘Halal lyrics’ I fear that in attempting to eradicate stereotypes, we may just be slowly eradicating our identity and creating our own new narrative where instead of self-expression, we’re self-moulding simply because it sells.....

Dorian Geiger

Yemen's revolution, which unfolded on streets across the country on the heels of the Arab Spring just over six years ago, largely inspired his brand of artistic activism. Subay was there with the people, protesting in the streets of Sanaa. Those blissful but fleeting moments were short-lived, as the revolution would soon turn into a full-blown civil war....

First and foremost it is interesting to note that each of the 5 biggest issues that you selected fall under our ‘values’; the aspects that govern our day-to-day lives, the aspects we dedicate time in our lives to; i.e. the ‘intrinsic’ stuff, the stuff that makes us ‘compatible’ or not. To understand this further I tend to use the phrase: “Matching / Mapping of Values is where compatibility occurs; personality is where attraction occurs; when opposites attract we attract NOT at the values level but at the personality level....

Islam is much more than a religion; it is a way of life.  Islam is guidance from God that directs us through life, and God willing into the next life.  It is for this reason that God also guides us through the process of death and dying.  Death will come to each and every one of us; however there are things we can do to make our passing easier for those we leave behind.  One of those things is to make sure we leave an Islamically sound will. ....

Tradition goes that the Kaaba was ordained by Allah (swt) to be built in the shape of the House in Heaven called Baitul Ma’amoor. Allah in his infinite Mercy ordained a similar place on earth and Prophet Adam was the first to build this place. In the Chapter of Genesis from the Bible, it describes the building of the Kaaba to be the occasion in which God ordained Abraham to erect a Shrine for worship. This was when Abraham was ordered to go to the Southern desert with his wife Hagera and infant son Ismael....

Asad Hashim

"There is an urgent need for these laws to be amended. It's like a sword hanging over everyone's head. If you disagree with some religious point of view, then it's very easy to accuse someone of blasphemy."....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan for New Age Islam

The greatest mistake of present-day Muslims is that they have abandoned this Sunnah or practice of the Prophet. Instead of positive planning, they have adopted the method of negative actions based on reaction. Today, Muslims throughout the world are engaged in such actions. Almost all Muslim orators and writers today are doing just this one sort of thing. Without any doubt at all, this is a destructive Bidʿah...

...the book calls for a response and not a reaction as it presents what is the case for majority in practice in these trying times when the sacred has been largely exiled from our lives. God can’t be absent but how He chooses to reveal Himself when He is denied normal channels of communication by Promethean-Faustian sensibility of the moderns remains a difficult question that may have diverse answers, all equally orthodox....

The philosopher who disbelieves in the moaning pillar is a stranger to the senses of the saints. The philosopher comes to deny the existence of the Devil, and at the same time he is possessed by a devil. Whosoever hath doubt and perplexity in his heart, he in this world is a secret philosopher. “He is professing firm belief, but some time or other that philosophical vein will bring him to shame. Take care, O ye Faithful! For that is in you: in you is many an infinite world. In thee are all the two-and-seventy sects: woe if one day they gain the upper hand....

As evidenced by historical facts, Zakat (alms) is supposed to have an effect on the transformation of Mustahiq (the recipient) to Muzakki (the giver). Zakat is capable of eliminating poverty, as happened during the reigns of Umar bin Al Khattab and Umar bin Abdul Aziz, when it was hard to find an eligible recipient of Zakat....

Christophe Jaffrelot

Saudis have continued to cultivate their constituency within Pakistan since then. As a result, they can rely on three kinds of friends within the country. They get the support of Islamists of different kinds — the Jamaat-e-Islami in the past and currently, the Deobandi and Ahl-e-Hadith groups, including Lashkar-e-Taiba, whose leader, Hafiz Saeed, was trained in Saudi Arabia. These groups, and a bunch of madrasas, benefit from funding by Saudi charities...

Today some scholars issue fatwas based on circumstances and conditions that were prevalent in previous times. Such fatwas do not fit our time and usually do more harm than good. Scholars play an important role in our daily lives and represent Muslims to the entire world. When we get confused about a certain issue, we ask renowned scholars to help us understand and clear things up according to Shariah....

Dr Mohamed Chtatou

After the marginalization of Moroccan Sufis under his father, King Hassan II, King Mohammad VI has made steps to reconcile with them. There has been a marked revival of Moroccan Sufism under the current monarch. Many activists praised King Mohammad VI when he appointed Ahmed Toufiq, a Sufi, as Minister of Awkaf and Islamic Affairs in 2002. Many believe the move to be a signal to encourage the growth of Sufism in response to the increased threat of Islamists in Morocco...

Hatem Bazian

A prophetic tradition states, "an honest merchant will be ingathered in judgement day with the prophets." The Quranic verse if taken together with the Hadith gives us epistemological foundation for Islamic economics. Here, Islamic economics and commercial engagement in this world is centred on paving the way to secure the real profit by being in the company of the prophets. In this sublime aspiration is the metaphysical foundation for Islamic economics....

Rasheed Reno

A unique feature of the Holy Qur’an as a religious scripture is the verse that proclaims “There is no compulsion in religion” (2:256).  Even when the Muslims were compelled to take up arms in self-defence, the verse that first granted this permission states that the purpose for fighting in self-defence was the preservation of freedom of religion (22:40).  Not just for Muslims, but for everyone as these verses specifically mention the preservation of synagogues and churches in addition to mosques....