The sitting position even includes the re-creation of the conversation that took place between the Prophet (PBUH) and Allah during the Heavenly Ascent. The Prophet (PBUH): “All greetings, blessings, and good acts are for Allah.” Allah: “Peace is upon you oh Prophet, and the Mercy, and the Blessings of Allah.” “Peace be with us and unto the righteous servants of Allah. I bear witness that there is no deity except Allah.” “And I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger.”....

We are required to read/contemplate books of self (Anfus) and cosmos (Aafaq) to fulfil our potential as humans.  We are called to learn from prophets, sages, saints and poets who inherit them and all of them preserve and teach us the Tradition that is our true Home and salvation. This tradition has not necessarily to do with past or custom but is timeless and like language one is, indelibly, already marked by it. It is defined as that which connects man to Heaven/Perfection/Reality/Being.....

Good communication requires a conversation between two parties, that is you talk to Him and He talks to you. How can we do that with Allah (Allah Izz o Jal)? Among many reasons, one of the reasons why Al-Hakim (the All-wise) taught us to pray was this. It not only means offering our five daily prayers, it also means TALKING to Allah (the All-Mighty) through Dua....

Similarly the Qur’an approvingly mentions many other practices, like the call to prayer (azan) and the Friday prayer, but never gives commands about them. Again, why? Is there any other explanation possible except for the obvious one that there is a parallel source of instruction in the person of the Prophet (PBUH)? Actually in the form of Hadees, Muslims have an unprecedented branch of knowledge....

Adnan Adil

In Madina, there was a group that was declared hypocrites or Munafiqun by the Quran. This group opposed and criticised the Holy Prophet in the wars of Uhad and Tabuk and were disobedient to him on several occasions. Although the Quran strongly condemned their activities, they were allowed to live in peace as part of the Muslim community. Abd-Allah ibn Ubayy was the leader of the hypocrites. On his death, the Prophet led his funeral prayer at the request of his son.....

Sadia Dehlvi

The 13th century Sufi master Sheikh Abdul Qadir Jilani of Baghdad said, “All the doors of God are crowded except one, the door of humility and humbleness.” Moses once asked Allah, “Oh my Lord! Who is the most deserving of your wrath and displeasure?” He said, “It is one whose heart is filled with arrogance, tongue abusive, eyes lustful, hands miserly and whose character is doubtful.”...

The Book says Hajj is meant for the benefit of mankind. The planet earth as a whole was and is populated by mankind. To suggest that Makkah, the ‘city of peace’, ironically having been attacked often should be a center on the surface of the globe is to say the least insulting human intelligence and limiting the universality of the Creator.  2-177 dispels this fixation…

So let us begin with such questions as “Who am I?” and what is the difference between/hierarchical relationship believing and seeing, knowledge and gnosis, reason and intellect, soul and spirit, God and Godhead, theology and metaphysics, Shariah and Deen, Fiqhi Akber, Fiqhi Awsat and Fiqhi Asger, Quran-i-Takweeni (cosmic Quran), and Quran-i-Tadweeni (textual Quran), Sulooki Nubuwwat (prophetic way) and Suloooki Wilayat, (way of the saints), Islam and other religions at metaphysical and esoteric plane from other Semitic and Non-Semitic religions, religion and philosophy and religion and ideology.

Modesty, not inspired by fear or inferiority complex, is a preeminent component in the Muslim's character. That is so because the Shariah loathes arrogance, condemns the arrogant, and warns them of awful consequences on the Day of Recompense as shown in the Hadith: "Paradise is out of reach of anyone with a grain of arrogance in his heart" (Muslim). Pilgrims in Haj, especially on the Day of Arafah, the central event of the pilgrimage, appear so like one another that all seem brothers....

Dr A Q Khan

Deal gently with people (3:159). Restrain anger and pardon all mankind (3:134). Be good to parents, kinsfolk, orphans, neighbours, the needy, strangers and the wayfarer (4:36). It is not for you to be arrogant because man is the meanest of creatures (7:13). Hold to forgiveness, command what is right and turn away from the ignorant (6)....

Throughout the Qur'an, people are encouraged to look around them, observe and reflect on the beauties and wonders of the natural world as signs of Allah's majesty and the inter-connectivity of all of creation.  This type of reflection is especially critical during times as these when forces seek to deny the truth that is anthropogenic (human-caused) climate change and obfuscate our moral responsibility as Khulafa’al-Ard (Stewards and Caretakers of the Earth). These are often the same forces and drivers of evils of racial hatred and religious bigotry the end result of which is chaos, wanton destruction and death and destruction of human life....

Human beings need to extend their mercy and kindness to the whole of creation, regardless of people’s race, religion or colour. Mercy is not only limited to the human being, rather it goes beyond that, hence the rights of the animals, trees and environment, in general, have been mentioned in the divine teachings of Islam. This verse alone is sufficient to illustrate the essence of the divine message found in the Qur’an and the holy prophet, which is filled with infinite love, mercy and compassion.....

A Muslim can’t afford to lose heart or sight of Mercy and lives in a heaven that prayers create. Gestures of blessings, salutations, meeting and parting wishes are all punctuated by irruptions from the Sacred. Who says and really means God is dead in the Muslim world? Anyone who can afford to truly say Assalam u Alaikum...

One of the tenets of Tawheed (Allah’s Oneness) is to believe that He is the source of all action in this Universe. Without His leave, nothing can pass and with His might, everything is possible. Upon Him is the sustenance of every being (Quran, 11:6). No matter how high on Maslow’s hierarchy our needs may fall, He is able to fulfil them. When we realize His oneness in this manner, our fear and anxiety evaporate....

Asked how a single man converted a large population of Arabs belonging to different tribes into Islam without using force, he quoted Holy Quran's verse 'La Aqra-fi-Al-Din' (there is no place for force/compulsion) and said that Arabs were never coerced to accept Islam, rather, those who embraced it had undergone hardships and borne cruelties like being made to lie down on smouldering sand with heavy stones put on them; placed in burning coal; murdered; made to leave their country and property etc., by their rulers/headmen, but they remained undeterred from their faith in Islam....

Whatever you think is what you will feel. It’s inevitable. Far too often we blame the state of our mental and emotional health on others, on the situations we are placed in or how we were treated, but it’s all psychological. With the help of Allah (swt), you are in control of your thoughts and therefore in control of your feelings and mental wellbeing. It’s you. If someone awakens fear within you, it has nothing to do with them. It’s how you perceive whatever they did that scared you, it’s the accumulation of your thoughts....

Maintaining the bonds of kinship (Sila-i-Rahmi) indeed enjoys extraordinary importance in Islam. Conversely, severing the ties (Qata-i-Rahmi) is very high on the list of enormities. At two places in the Quran, Allah has cursed the one severing family ties. “And those who break the covenant of Allah, after its ratification, and sever that which Allah has commanded to be joined...

Sadia Dehlvi

One of the evils in modern societies is racism, believing that one is born superior and hatred for those who belong to different faiths, culture and creeds. This arrogance comes from the Devil and pushes one away from being touched by the Divine Mercy. The Quran clearly says: “I will divert My signs from those who show arrogance.” It denounces such false claims of superiority, proclaiming that the only rank that matters is one’s relationship with God....

Nikhat Sattar

Appreciating the good things, however small they may seem, and thanking God for them brings within our soul satisfaction and the ability not only to be happy but also to spread happiness around us. God has no need for our gratitude; we need to give thanks to Him so that we can find tranquillity and happiness within ourselves....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The Creator has placed a special feature in human psyche—and that is what is called ‘repentance’. This special feature is particularly prominent in people of firm faith in God. Repentance is a wonderful means of mercy for human beings. This is referred to in the Quran (25:70) in these words: “God will change their evil deeds into good deeds.”....

It means that there really is no separateness in the world. We are all interconnected, whether we see the connections or not. We are also beings consisting of several energy layers; the thickest and most obvious of which is the physical layer, or the outer shell. We know that man is much more than a physical shell, as man’s own consciousness exists non-physically. We do not have the ability to physically observe one another’s thoughts and emotions unless expressed or manifested in some way on the outer shell....

The human being is more than just flesh and blood. The human being is a spiritual entity as well. Humans are comprised of a physical, mental, and spiritual structure.[1] Thus we exist in these separate areas. Each one of these areas coupled completes the human. These areas comprise the human consciousness. The mannerism of the human being is a culmination of these three things....

A Muslim is one who surrounds himself with beauty and cultivates beauty within and then sees all things transfigured, wrapped up in glory and utters Subhan Allah (glory to God). For the sage every sight can evoke “Glory to God!” The Prophet (SAW) ordered good grooming. It is women rather than men who follow this order more strictly. Another mode of worshipping God that women are privileged to opt for is use of jewellery. Cosmetics (the word is derived from Cosmos – ordered whole) help “bringing ourselves into line with the Cosmos itself, by maximising our small part in its order and beauty”....

Islam does not approve or ask us to permanently isolate ourselves from this world, since our test is in living here according to the Commands of our Creator. But it does ask us to take periodic breaks from it. The mandatory Salat (five daily prayers) is one example. For a few minutes every so many hours throughout the day, we leave the affairs of this world and appear before Allah to remind ourselves that none but He is worthy of worship and of our unfaltering obedience. Ramazan takes this to the next higher plane, providing intense training for a whole month....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

While leading his life in this world, such a person is always very cautious about an all-powerful God who knows about all his actions. At the same time, if he unknowingly commits a sin, he hopes that God is all-merciful and will forgive him;...