Understanding ‘Abdiyyah’ by Ibn Taymiyyah
“Servitude” by Ibn Taymiyyah Authored The book “Servitude” by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah stands as one of the…
Character and Ethics
Character sits at the heart of the Islamic tradition, and these articles ask what it means to live well among others. Shaykh Akram Nadwi writes here on sincerity, restraint, the dangers of excess, and the conduct that faith calls for in ordinary dealings. The emphasis is practical: knowledge is measured by how it shapes a person’s manners and heart.
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Sincerity and the Search for Validation
As a person progresses upon this path, they must guard themselves against seeking validation from others regarding the quality of their īmān or the depth of their spirituality. No scholar, teacher, or community can truly…
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Servitude: Ibn Taymiyyah on Worship and Human Existence
The treatise Al-‘Ubūdiyyah (Servitude) by Ibn Taymiyyah is regarded as one of the most important Islamic works to…
The Essence of Humility and Knowledge
O Dust Particle One day, the Caliph Harun al-Rashid invited the esteemed blind scholar, Abu Muawiyah Muhammad ibn…
Guidance for Muslims living as minorities
An academic recently asked me to reflect on the situation of Muslims who live as minorities and are…
Lost Souls in a Tumultuous Era
In this era, humanity is inundated with sounds unheard by its ancestors for centuries: the clamor of metal…
Bring Me Someone Who Has Himself Fallen from a Roof
The tales of Khwaja Nasiruddin are peculiar. At first glance, they provoke laughter, but if one pauses to…
Isolation in the Age of Communication
Isolation in the Age of Connectivity How often does modern man boast of his ability to shorten distances,…
Reflections of Bitter Yet True Realities
Through enduring blow after blow, dignity was attained, Amir’s shattered heart became a unique gem. It was a…
The Importance of Gentle Criticism
Not calling someone bad does not mean there is no fault within them. Refraining from labeling someone as…
The Voice of ‘Qala Allah’
Every seeker of truth who traverses the madrasas and spiritual retreats of the Indian subcontinent often finds themselves…
Human identity, responsibility, and the path of self-purification
The question “Who am I?” cannot be meaningfully addressed within the confines of a purely worldly or material…
A Mind for Display
* It is said that in a certain city there lived a scholar whose reputation for knowledge far…
Questions & Answers on Character and Ethics
View all Q&A →Knowing oneself through returning to the Dīn
My student, Abu Hanifah Dilawar, forwarded to me the following question: Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuhu, Shaykh. This is a question from a Bangladeshi reader of the Bangla Facebook page who regularly reads your articles. They wrote: “I could…
“A bedding for a man, a bedding for his wife, a third for a guest, and the fourth is for the shayṭān”
Sunan Abi Dawud, Hadith 4142, narrated by Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah. The hadith says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned bedding and said: “There should be bedding for a man, bedding for his wife, and a…
Balancing birr, patience, and self-protection
My student Dr Areeg asked me the following question: Assalamu alaykum Shaykh Akram, Islam places great emphasis on maintaining family ties and showing birr al-walidayn. However, I struggle to understand how this can be reconciled with situations involving abusive parents,…