To a Devoted Reader Letter: Peace be upon you, and the mercy and blessings of Allah, respected Shaykh, teacher of teachers… I am writing from India. I am not sure whether this number actually belongs to the renowned Dr Akram Nadwi or not. Today, after joining the community, I received this number as the community… Continue reading Message to Shaykh Akram Nadwi
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 for display. Likewise, if there are no questions in an educational institution, one fears that education itself may have been… Continue reading The Educational Institution Where the Questioner Is Hunted
Reflections on Arabic Language Learning
Abī and Akhī—or Abūy and Akhūy When I was nine, I joined the Ḍiyāʾ al-ʿUlūm school in Mani Kalan, Jaunpur—the very school where our revered teacher, the ḥadīth-scholar Shaykh Muḥammad Yūnus al-Jaunpūrī, may Allah have mercy on him, had once studied. For two years I learned Persian there. A child at that age knows of… Continue reading Reflections on Arabic Language Learning
The Third Type of People Who Do Nothing
Our Business Is: To Do No Business There are two kinds of people in the world: those who work and those who watch them work. Yet our latest research—painstakingly conducted from the corner paan-seller to the armchair savants of social media—has uncovered a third species. This breed neither does anything itself nor lets anyone else… Continue reading The Third Type of People Who Do Nothing
Language as a Sign: Ibn Taymiyyah’s Insights
Language as Indication: Ibn Taymiyyah and Contemporary Theories of Meaning Throughout the history of human thought, scarcely any theme has held scholars’ attention as persistently as the question of language. Language is not merely a collection of sounds, words, and sentences; it is the mirror of human consciousness in which we reflect our inner and… Continue reading Language as a Sign: Ibn Taymiyyah’s Insights
Bashir Badr: The Last Lamp of the Urdu Ghazal
Today, on 28 May 2026, with profound sorrow and grief, came the news that the celebrated and renowned Urdu poet, the magician of the ghazal, the Alexander of words, Janab Bashir Badr, has departed from this world. His Death and the Loss of the Last Lamp Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we… Continue reading Bashir Badr: The Last Lamp of the Urdu Ghazal
Importance of Learning Arabic Language
Arabic—The Highway to Understanding the Qur’an and Sunnah Honoured students, All praise belongs to Allah, Who has directed your attention to a field of learning that is far more than the study of a language; it is a blessed means of connecting directly to the primary fountains of Islam. The programme our respected student and… Continue reading Importance of Learning Arabic Language
Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 8
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim I awoke for the Fajr prayer at a quarter past four, and at that hour a strange feeling overcame me, in which activity was mixed with fatigue, and wakefulness with longing for rest. When I had performed the prayer I found no way to sleep, and I did not wish to force my soul… Continue reading Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 8
Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 7
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim We set out with the breaking of morning, at eight o'clock, to Srebrenica, on two coaches that cut through the mountains of Bosnia with a gentle parting, as if they feared to wake this deep silence that wraps the earth. The cold was light, penetrating to the spirits more than to the bodies, and… Continue reading Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 7
Understanding Bakra Eid and Its Name
Bakra Eid In India, Eid al-Adha is commonly referred to as “Bakra Eid.” In our villages, the fate of the letter ‘qaf’ is often similar to the fate of honesty in government offices—gradually disappearing. Thus, “Bakra Eid” slowly became “Bakri Eid,” with the ‘qaf’ vanishing like tax deductions from a salary, and the ‘kaf’ settling… Continue reading Understanding Bakra Eid and Its Name