Ahmad Raza

Intuition, intellect and direct observation all corroborate the existence of multiplicity and plurality of creative expression of life in tangible and intangible realms. There exist multiple human cultures, languages, habitats and ecosystems. This multiplicity drives one to appreciate the inherent beauty and creativity of life....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

God’s might is indeed manifest in a thousand ways, but it is only those who open their minds and hearts to Him who can be truly aware of His blessings. Only those who ponder and reflect over the creation and the numerous phenomena of nature can discover the Creator in such profound and thrilling manner....

Another significant feature of the month of Sha’ban is that it consists of a night which is termed in Shariah as “Laylatul-Bara’ah” (The night of freedom from Fire). This is the night occurring between 14th and 15th day of Sha’ban. There are certain traditions of Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu Alayhi Wa Sallam, to prove that it is a meritorious night in which the people of the earth are attended by special Divine mercy....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

This creation plan of God is mentioned both in the Bible and the Quran. The Bible says: “The righteous shall inherit the land, and dwell in it forever.” (Psalms 37:29) Similarly, the Quran says: “My righteous servants shall inherit the earth. Herein, surely, is a message for true worshippers.” (21:105-06)...

The disease pride and haughtiness is prevalent in all levels of society, and even the seemingly pious people, scholars and intellectuals fall prey to this disease. Pride is usually displayed when people refuse to confess to their errors and argue that only they are right. They may pass a wrong ruling or spread incorrect information, but will adamantly oppose anyone who corrects them.  Allah loves humility in a person. Perfect belief [Iman] will dictate to a person that he should show appreciation for all Allah’s bounties and behave humbly towards all mankind....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

If one pauses at this stage to take note of what the Quran has to say, one will find that it gives us clear guidance in this matter. The purpose in life has been explained in the Quran in the following words: “I created the jinn and mankind only so that they might worship Me: I seek no sustenance from them, nor do I want them to feed Me—it is God who is the great Sustainer, the Mighty One, the Invincible.”(51:56-57)...

Dr A Q Khan

He said: “O people, perhaps you are afraid of my death”, to which they replied in the affirmative. He then said: “O people, this world is no longer our meeting place. We will meet again at the Hauz-e-Kausar. By Allah, I can see it right now from here. O people, I am not afraid that you will be short of wealth, etc, but of the over-abundance of wealth. I am afraid that you might indulge in a competition of acquiring wealth, just as past generations have done, and that you might be destroyed, as happened to them. O people, be afraid regarding prayer, be afraid of Allah, promise that you will abide by the performance of prayers.”...

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The cosmos is entirely predictable because the events in this cosmos are governed by immutable laws. Everything in the universe functions with such precision that every event can be predicted. God has thus provided in the cosmos a model of predictable character. Man should follow the cosmic pattern of predictability. This must be an essential element in his character....

Nikhat Sattar

“Allah accepts the repentance of those who do evil in ignorance and repent soon afterwards; to them will Allah turn in mercy: For Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom” (4:17). God has complete knowledge of what we intend and do; His absolute wisdom in the planning and fulfilment of His scheme for humans and His promise of justice — all three are predominant factors that come into play when dispensing His mercy to humans. God has vowed to Himself that He shall be merciful to us: “…He hath inscribed for Himself (the rule of) Mercy. ...” (6:12).

Religions command us to pray for all or help access/ invite all to the Beauty and Joy one has access to. Prophets, saints and artists are those who take upon themselves the burden of the suffering masses. The Prophet (S.A.W) insisted that we must help a brother (Aren’t strangers also our brothers or who is not our brother according to traditions?) whether he is an oppressor or the oppressed one (by “preventing him from oppressing others.”) The Prophet (S.A.W) keeps night vigils, weeps, prays until feet swell and prostrates for long hours to help suffering people....

None of them ever celebrated Prophet’s birthday. They did not need to have a day or a month devoted to the Holy Prophet (PBUH) because they had devoted their entire lives to him.  Today our lives and our outlooks bear little resemblance to theirs. We praise but do not listen to him; we claim to love, but refuse to follow; we claim to believe but lead lives like those who don’t. We emphasize what the Companions ignored and ignore what they emphasized....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

His infinite power reaches to the furthermost corners of the universe, and no object of His will is too great or too small to escape its force. And quite independent of all objects of creation, God has His ego.....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

When people discover the truth and learn of the plan of the Creator, their lives enter a new phase, that of building their personalities according to spiritual principles. It is such a personality that will be held deserving of being settled in the noble society of heaven in the Hereafter....

So our sleep reminds us of our death and all through the waking hours we keep on refreshing that remembrance. In regular prayers and while reading the Quran it is impossible to continue for any length of time without being reminded that this life is temporary and our permanent abode is in the Hereafter. A beautiful Dua (supplication) further highlights a Muslim’s concerns: “O Allah, do not make this world our greatest worry, the sum total of our knowledge, and the object of our desires.”…

Dr John Andrew Morrow

The Prophet and the Imāms, peace be upon them, did not only speak about loving our women: they spoke of loving all women. They did not say that we should only love our children: they said that we should love all children. As the Messenger of Allāh, ṣallalahu ‘alayhi wa alihi wa sallam, taught: “Love children and be compassionate with them, and when you promise them something, always fulfil it, because they certainly consider you their benefactors”...

Dr John Andrew Morrow

Muslim theologians, however, avoid using terms such as father or mother when describing the divinity since they denote duality as opposed to divine unity. Although God is neither male nor female, Muslim theologians describe the Divinity in terms of attributes of power and beauty, namely, between feminine and masculine qualities. God, for example, is both Merciful and Wrathful, both Gentle and Severe, and both Beautiful and Majestic. Although a mother is all mercy, explains Rumi, there is also mercy in the father’s severity for Allah’s mercy prevails over his wrath. In Islam, justice is tempered by love, mercy, and forgiveness....

Sameer Arshad Khatlani

The faithful have been chanting the Aurad-ul-Fatiha in Kashmir’s mosques since the 14th century saint Mir Syed Ali Hamdani, who popularised Islam among the masses, introduced the practice. The converts, Tully wrote in India In Slow Motion, missed “their temple worship with its occasional singing and dancing”, so Hamdani collected an anthology of Quranic verses and the Prophet’s sayings for them to chant in mosques. This was a departure from the Muslim practice of silent worship.....

Shagufta Gul

The recent events in which religious extremist groups that follow a twisted version of the religion have appeared powerful before the state have pushed us back to square one. More focus and energy will be needed to undo what such groups have done by misleading the less educated people. The people need to be educated that the narrative being presented by the religious extremist groups and incitement to violence against religious minorities contradict the essence of Islam, which is based on the principles of tolerance and harmony....

Nikhat Sattar

“When I have fashioned him (in due proportion) and breathed into him of My spirit, fall ye down in obeisance unto him” (15:29). This is one of the Mutashabihat verses of the Quran about the creation of Hazrat Adam, the reality of which is known only to God, but it implies the breathing of a spirit from Him, making humans unique to all other creations....

Today almost every nation claims to be standard-bearer of female rights but history is testimony the Holy Prophet (PBUH) is first in defending rights of women. In pre- Islamic era the women was not more than a serf and experienced every sort of discrimination. Taking them as mark of contempt people even practiced female infanticide by burying them alive. After advent of the Holy Prophet (PBUH), prohibition was enforced on this despicable practice. the Holy Prophet (PBUH) denounced the practice of female infanticide, safeguarding the repute and rights of women....

Nikhat Sattar

Death is a return to our Creator. A return signifies going back to where we came from: in short, our real home. “To Allah We belong, and to Him is our return” (2:156). Our stay in this world is a mere journey, to be lived briefly, but with constant reminders of our origin. Returning to God is returning home, and we will find that it was our stay in this world that was strange. Our real and natural abode is the one promised to us when we have exited to the afterlife....

Dr A Q Khan

His poetic collection, Masnavi, is regarded as a divine work. This is because when he recited his verses in Persian, he would go into a trance and his disciples would write them down. Rumi’s own devotion to the Almighty and His apostle was expressed in this verse: “When I am praying, by God I don’t know what and which part of it I am following and I don’t know who the Imam is”….

Death is a reality that no one can deny, whether you believe in God or not. We witness people departing this world around us all the time, in the news, on social media, even in our communities and families. Death knows no age and no race. Healthy or unhealthy, no human being can ever know when they shall taste death but as the Almighty reminds us, “Every soul shall taste of death; and We try you with evil and good for a testing, and unto Us you shall be returned.”…

Prof. Henry Francis B. Espiritu, New Age Islam

A great Sufi saint of Sunni Islam, Hazrat Imam Al-Sana’i once said: “God loves and values you more than you can ever love and value yourself” I find this short sentence pregnant with profound truths on the immeasurable value of our own human existence—of the existence of each human person. We need to be reminded time and again that it is God, the Necessary Existence Himself that willed us to existence. God finds immense worth in our existence, even though our earthly existence is ephemeral and impermanent....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan for New Age Islam

Terrorism is today a global menace, and much of this terrorism is by Muslims. Terrorism must be condemned and opposed by all peace-loving people. Today, the world is crying for peace. And one question vast numbers of people are asking is: how can we establish peace in the world? If we want peace, there is no way other than to change our way of thinking. We have to become positive thinkers. Peace and positive thinking are closely inter-related. They are intertwined. Positive thinking is the inner content of peace, and peace is the external expression of positive thinking....