The Tyranny of Popularity or the Sovereignty of Reason
This discourse is not confined to the personal stance of an individual but pertains to the fundamental principle of human civilization upon which the…
Scholarship and Method
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The Educational Institution Where the Questioner Is Hunted
The relationship between education and questioning is much like that between a lamp and its light. If a lamp exists but gives no light, one begins to wonder whether it has been placed there merely…
Methodology in Islamic Research and Fatwa Writing
Peace be upon you, Sheikh. This is Hameem. Following up on yesterday’s question—what is your methodology for researching a topic? The question of methodological…
Arabic Literary Criticism in the First Four Centuries
The book “The History of Arabic Literary Criticism from the First to the Fourth Century Hijri” is a scholarly work that significantly contributes to…
Mobile Phone Ban: Nadwa to UK
Mobile Phone Ban: From Nadwa to Britain The decision by Nadwatul Ulama, Lucknow, to impose a ban on the use of mobile phones by…
Introduction to Arabic Sciences
Praise All praise is due to Allah, who has honored the Arabic sciences and made them the key to understanding His noble Book and…
Nadwah: Engaging with the Modern Era
A meeting of the Majlis-e-Shura (Advisory Council) of Nadwatul Ulama was scheduled for 5th April 2026. I arrived in Lucknow a day earlier and…
Importance of Recognizing Young Scholars
Imam Ibn al-Jazari, may Allah have mercy on him, narrated from his teacher’s teacher, Taqi al-Din al-Saigh, who said: When I reached the study…
A Mind for Display
* It is said that in a certain city there lived a scholar whose reputation for knowledge far exceeded his actual knowledge. At the…
Malfūẓāt: Contextual Guidance, Not Permanent Sources
Within the Sufi tradition, malfūẓāt have held a particular significance. However, it is essential to understand the nature of this significance in its proper…
Sighting the Crescent
They said: The scholars have differed greatly regarding the sighting of the crescent, dividing the Muslims in determining the beginning of the month of…
Scholarly Disagreement: Limits, Etiquette, and Responsibilities
The very nature of knowledge and research is founded upon disagreement. Among scholars, there is sometimes agreement and at other times disagreement, and this…
Nadwa’s Lentils
It is often said that whoever has not lived in the hostel of Nadwa cannot truly be a Nadwi. At first glance, this sentence…
Questions & Answers on Scholarship and Method
View all Q&A →Imām al-Bukhārī and Imām Muslim on the meeting of narrators
Assalamu Alaikum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh Sidi Shaykh Akram I pray this message finds you in good health and I ask Allah SWT to shower you with His favours in both worlds. Beloved Shaykh this is your student Jawed Tarin…
The meaning of ‘ummi’
Dr Amsha Nahid from Australia asked the following question: Assalamu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh, Dear Shaykh, I read an article claiming that the word ‘Ummi’ in the Qur’an means “gentile” (non-Jew) or someone unfamiliar with the Law of Musa…
al-Jāḥiẓ on the definitions of balāghah
Assalamo Alaikum, I pray Almighty to find you in good health. Of late, I was studying up. It was Al-Bayan wa-Al-Tabyeen of Al-Jahiz (775-868 A.D.). An erudite para stuck me up. I was, indeed, at a loss. I could not…
Books on Scholarship and Method
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Usul al-Shashi
Usul al-Shashi is a well-known compendium on the principles of Islamic jurisprudence according to the Hanafi school. Despite…
Lessons Learned: Treasures from Nadwah’s Sages
I joined Nadwat al-ʿUlamāʾ and felt as if I had been raised from the dusty ground to the…
Foundation to Hadith Science
This primer on understanding and studying hadith was authored by Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi after the realization that…