Kabir Helminski

A story tells of how someone who asked Ali ibn Abi Talib, “Did you come to know God intimately through Muhammad or did you come to know Muhammad through God?” Ali replied, “Had I come to know God through Muhammad I would not have served God, and Muhammad would have been more firmly fixed in my soul than God. God acquainted me with Himself through Himself.”....

The more I read about the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, the deeper I fall in love with his exquisite character, his sensitivity, his ability to acknowledge his own and others’ emotions. To me, the beauty of his personality lies in his transparency and honesty regarding his own feelings and of those around him. If he was happy, his Companions and his family members knew, and vice-versa. If he was upset about something, they could easily tell, and vice-versa....

Daliah Merzaban

Sufism is a spiritual psychology that calls on me to be a constant witness to my states. It involves zooming out of my thoughts, feelings, emotions and sensations and observing them from a more objective vantage point. I acknowledge the grip that shame and fear had/has on me, as well as a mix of envy, pride and resentment. Then, slowly and gently, they are transformed in the alchemy that is Zikr, the repetition of Divine names and attributes that transports us into another realm of conscious awareness....

“Kibr is to knowingly reject Truth and to belittle other people.” This Hadith exposes two strains of this deadly disease, both dealing with our exaggerated ideas of self-importance. The first suggests that I am more important than the Truth. The second suggests that I am more important than other people....

The consensus between the scholars is that it is prohibited to interact casually with the opposite gender; men with women and women with men. However, if the situation calls for it, then interact on a necessity basis and do so with some respect and dignity. The guidelines mentioned above are only for our best interests. Whether it is to remove ourselves from dangerous situations if we feel temptation or to perfect our interactions to avoid marital discord; all of these instances just shine a light on the beauty of Islām and it is the traditions set from the time of our Prophet (Sall Allahu Alayhi w Sallam) that will help to safeguard us from problems that are increasing in our time....

Ayesha Siddiqa

In a world generally worried about violent extremism, it seems to be business as usual for at least some militant groups inside and around Pakistan. There are two kinds that exist—those who target the State, and others who are compliant with the State’s broader strategic goals. However, the implications of both types are dangerous for the country. A glance at some of the terrorism data—none of which is available in Pakistan...

Daliah Merzaban

Reading Rumi, we often come across the imagery of humans being akin to diamonds or rubies at our core, that is, our highest potentiality. Mining these valuable gems from the Earth requires drilling through layers of hard rock that settled over centuries and, frankly, are impossible to move without heavy machinery. Similarly, the inward spiritual journey demands burrowing through the embedded beliefs forced onto my psyche by family, religion and society that are blocking the radiance of my truest self....

To diagnose and treat the diseases of the heart normally requires the help of an expert mentor or Shaikh. Here are the qualities of a good Shaikh. (1) He possesses necessary religious knowledge. (2) His beliefs, habits, and practices are in accordance with the Shariat. (3) He does not harbour greed for the worldly wealth. (4) He has himself spent time learning from a good Shaikh. (5) The scholars and good mashaikh of his time hold good opinion about him. (6) His admirers are mostly from among the people who have good understanding of religion. (7) Most of his followers

Theology can be regarded as the science dealing with questions that deal with our concept of God, creation and humanity and the relations between them. Within this context, can Sufism be seen as an integral part of theology?

Rabi’a Basri is a classical example of how faith and love can set you free. She was the first female Sufi Saint of Islam, Rabia al-Adawiyya, also known as Rabi’a Basri. She made one of the greatest contributions towards the development of Sufism. She was a teacher of women as well as of men; a woman who called no man her master. Her reputation excels that of many Muslim men within the early days of Sufism....

Prof. Henry Francis B. Espiritu, New Age Islam

Almighty Allah reveals in the Holy Qur’an: “And the servants of the Most Merciful are those who walk upon the earth easily, and when the ignorant address them harshly and cruelly, they say words of peace (Salaam!).” (Surah Al-Furqan 25:63.). Realistically speaking, we will not come across good people at all times in our life; there will always be people who will test our patience, our moral endurance and our spiritual fortitude by vexing, taunting, troubling and persecuting us. However, according to this Qur’anic passage, it is the believer’s duty to react to our persecutors with greetings of “Salaam!” or “Peace be with you!”. Saying “Salaam” is the sign of a sound heart, of a heart at ease, as mentioned in the above Qur’anic quotation from Surah Al-Furqan. In other words, a pure and clean heart or a "heart at ease" is a heart which has reached security and peace, a heart of taqwah (piety) that respects the rights of Allah and the rights of fellow humans. Saying “Salaam!” sincerely to one-and-all is an affirmation of peace in our whole being, and a commitment of a genuine Muslim towards world peace and harmony among all peoples of good will....

Jan-e-Alam Khaki

THE ‘heart’ and religion are two human domains that accommodate each other well. It thus may not be wrong to say that the heart is the ‘heart’ of religion. The heart is seen as the repository of human emotions, and emotions relate to religion in a very personal and profound way. Some use these emotions more powerfully to delve deep into the oceans of meanings, using them to generate knowledge and gnosis, while many others float on the surface restricting the meanings to only the literal domain.

Islam came to set all our relationships right. This includes our relations with Allah as well as with other human beings. Today, unfortunately, these teachings can mostly be found in Muslim societies in their violation. The best we do today is reciprocate; more commonly we backbite, cheat, and hurt our relatives and continue the spiral of hurt and humiliation as they respond. And we just abandon those of our relatives who are economically unfortunate. There are three reasons for this sad situation....

The best among all people, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) who is sinless, repented to Allah more than 70 times a day. Hence we should be hasty to genuinely seek repentance and forgiveness for all our mistakes, misdeeds and sins that are committed overtly or covertly. Today, with the dominance of technology, some or a few of us can commit mistakes intentionally or otherwise....

Sadia Dehlvi

Through centuries the heart-breaking events of Karbala are remembered every Muharram. Imam Hussain’s values of justice, truth, courage and sincerity to God are commemorated. Throughout Muharram and particularly in the first 10 days, Muslims have religious gatherings at homes and in public spaces to remember the story of Karbala. Elegies are recited where listeners are moved to tears.... 

Rahima Nasa

Days before his murder, Alauddin recorded a video of himself reciting the passage from the Quran known as An-Naba. Its 40 verses capture the wonders of the earthly world, but they also describe how all of Allah’s creations will be accountable for their transgressions in life after their death....

Zulhijjah is the last month of the Islamic calendar. Literally, it means ‘hajj.’ Obviously, this name of the month indicates that the great annual worship of ‘hajj’ is performed in this month, which gives it special significance. The 9th day of Zulhijjah is called ‘Youm-ul- Arafah’ (The Day of ‘Arafah). This is the date when the Hujjaj (Haji pilgrims, plural of Haajj) assemble on the plain of ‘Arafat, six miles away from Makkah al-Mukarramah, where they perform the most essential part of the prescribed duties of hajj, namely, the ‘Wuqoof of’Arafat...

The Quran asks us to see signs of God’s Qualities in the book of nature, and it’s worth contemplating the spider a little further in order to get a better perspective on patience. Web-weaving spiders patiently wait for their prey to come to them – they are receptive in a deadly way. Females are generally the most prolific web-weavers, and are also more deadly than the male. Interesting to note, too, that like patience itself, spiders are often something we would prefer to overlook.....

The notorious “sex education” and “family welfare education” schemes are just one example of this effort. The NGO’s (Which are in fact FGO’s or Foreign Government Organisations), the international “aid agencies”, and the UN have been working feverishly to introduce all the wrongs in the name of “rights”. Together they act as one big Commission for the Elimination of All Forms of Haya and Morality from the World....

Sadia Dehlvi

The hearts of those who have never known truthfulness, humbleness, generosity, compassion or struggles in the way of God are what are referred to spiritually dead hearts. When the heart becomes pure, serene and sound, it is able to hear the call of God, the call of the Prophets, Sufis and sages....

Related Article:

 'Only In the Remembrance of God Is the Solace of Hearts' (Quran13:28)

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

Who dare rebel against God when He appears before one? Everyone will submit to Him then. But the only creditable submission to God is that which comes before He makes Himself manifest. Those who do wrong will bow to God when He reveals Himself before them. But a sincere person bows to Him while He is still invisible....

A final thing you should know about Muslims who do get radicalised (literally no more than 0.01 percent of us) – they tend to know little or nothing about the faith (as above) and would just as easily leave the faith (also as above). These are highly unstable individuals who are very easily manipulated and find some emotional crutch for being the ‘toughest kid on the block’. I have had the unpleasant experience of debating some of this lot....

Ejaz Naqvi

Ever wonder if your heart gets filled with so much kindness and compassion, then how could the Most Kind and the Most Compassionate allows it happen? After all God is All-Powerful and certainly can prevent it if He wanted to. Does He want to punish someone’s sins? If so, why do the rest of us have to suffer? Moreover why can’t He wait till the Day of Judgment to serve justice?...

If the Book is studied and its meanings are pondered upon in an authentic quest for truth, all the veils of darkness shall be lifted from our heart, and the inner self – the soul – will get illuminated by the light of true faith.  Note that faith is not something that can be planted in us from the outside. It is an embodiment of fundamental truths that already exist inside us; the practice of pondering over the ayahs of the Qur’an serves to bring them to the surface of our consciousness....

It should be borne in mind that just as rewards are multiplied in a holy month, punishment is also increased if a sin is committed in a holy month. Respect the month of Ramazan because it is the month of Allah. In this month, Allah has ordered His servants to emulate His practice by abstaining from food and drink. Allah has given you eleven months in which you can eat, drink, and indulge in other Halal pleasures. He has set aside just one month for Himself in which He has ordered you to abstain from food, drink, and other Halal pleasures.....