Question: If a parent always damns their child and prays that Allah damn them and that he always be angry with them, so they never succeed in this dunya or in the hearafter Does Allah accept their duas? Answer: A parent’s supplication carries significance, and the Prophet ﷺ explicitly warned parents not to supplicate against… Continue reading A parent’s curse and Allah’s justice
An Era of Nadwat al-Ulama Has Passed Away
The finest flower in the whole garden, Whose radiance illumines the colourful air, Which never witnessed the tyranny of autumn, Which spring nurtured with the blood of its own heart— That single flower now rests within the flower-picker’s eye. I joined Nadwat al-Ulama in 1978. When I heard the Friday sermon, I heard, for the… Continue reading An Era of Nadwat al-Ulama Has Passed Away
Introduction to Philosophy for Students
Al-ḥamdu li-llāhi Rabb al-ʿālamīn, and blessings and peace upon the Master of the prophets and messengers, and upon all his family and Companions. Philosophy is that branch of knowledge which concerns itself with the fundamental questions of the human being—his mode of thinking, his conception of knowledge, the reality of existence, and the relationship between… Continue reading Introduction to Philosophy for Students
If Only Cameras and Loudspeakers Had Remained Forbidden
Yesterday I received a question from a student at a madrasa. He asked for my opinion about a recently published book. The book dealt with the subject of Nasibism, and scholars are divided into two camps on this issue: one group refutes the other, and the other refutes the first. It is as though an… Continue reading If Only Cameras and Loudspeakers Had Remained Forbidden
The Harm of Gossip and Its Impact
Munīr, the client of al-Faḍl b. Abī ʿAyyāsh, relates: “I was sitting with Wahb b. Munabbih when a man arrived and said, ‘I passed by So-and-so and found him reviling you.’ Wahb became displeased and said, ‘Has the shayṭān not found a messenger other than you?’ I had barely risen from his company when the… Continue reading The Harm of Gossip and Its Impact
Eating Less: An Agreed-Upon Sunnah
One of the strange tragedies of our religious life is that we continue to debate and argue with extraordinary enthusiasm over issues on which the imams and jurists have differed for centuries, while giving very little attention to matters whose basis and virtue are not subject to any significant disagreement among scholars. Whether it is… Continue reading Eating Less: An Agreed-Upon Sunnah
Criticism and Derision
Criticism and derision are two behaviours that may appear similar on the surface, but in reality there is an enormous difference between them in their purposes, motivations, and methods. Criticism is based on knowledge and insight, fairness and justice, and the desire for improvement and sincere advice, whereas derision is an expression of ignorance, prejudice,… Continue reading Criticism and Derision
The Intellectual Project of Imam al-Bukhari’s Sahih
Questions of authentication, interpretation and the practical authority of prophetic tradition: the intellectual project that underlies al-Bukhari’s Sahih.
From Oxford to Sheffield: A Day of Faith, Unity, and Intellectual Fellowship
Some journeys may appear short, yet they return carrying within them many memories, encounters, thoughts, and emotions. A person travels from one city to another, but on returning, he feels that it was not merely distances that were covered along the way. He had the opportunity to meet certain hearts, to look into certain minds,… Continue reading From Oxford to Sheffield: A Day of Faith, Unity, and Intellectual Fellowship
The Psychology of Crowds and Religious Movements
According to Le Bon, the first conspicuous feature of the collective mind is a temporary eclipse of certain dimensions of the individual personality. By entering the crowd a person forfeits part of his individuality and of his sense of personal responsibility. Because his deeds are lost among the actions of thousands of others, his awareness… Continue reading The Psychology of Crowds and Religious Movements