One of the well-known wise counsels of ʿĪsā ʿalayhi al-salām is: “If anyone would sue you and take your shirt, let him have your cloak as well” (Matthew 5:40). In a similar vein, he said: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matthew 5:39). This is an extraordinary… Continue reading If someone would take your shirt, let him have your cloak as well
The Human Prophet
Divine Election The figure of the Prophet holds a unique place in the religious consciousness of believers. Unlike kings, philosophers, or poets whose greatness may be recounted through achievements or inherited through lineage, the Prophet is defined first and foremost by divine election. As Islamic tradition asserts, it was God Himself who chose the Prophet,… Continue reading The Human Prophet
Surat al-Baqarah
Surat al-Baqarah is the longest and most comprehensive surah in the Qur’an. This two-year course represents a serious commitment to go through it in detail so that we understand the breadth and depth of the message of the Qur’an. The aim of tafsir is to connect inwardly and outwardly with the guidance of our Lord,… Continue reading Surat al-Baqarah
Expressions in the Qur’an and Sunnah
Expressions in the Qur’an and in the sayings of the Prophet should not be isolated from their whole context. Doing that means that their general purpose is obscured. In the later period of Islam, jurists, as well as theologians and Sufis, did this in order to extract what they wanted to extract from the texts… Continue reading Expressions in the Qur’an and Sunnah
Taqlīd
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم I once put a question to a distinguished Indian muftī and jurist: in some ṣaḥīḥ aḥādīth there is mention of praying nafl before ṣalāt al-maghrib. Yet in practice people neither pray at that time nor allow others to do so. He replied: we are Ḥanafīs, and in our madhhab there is… Continue reading Taqlīd
A Condition for the Mustaftī and a Condition for the Muftī
Yesterday, I wrote an article under the title “Taqlīd.” It was found very useful not only by Muslims of the subcontinent but also by those in Europe and America. Some friends expressed the intention to publish it separately. Wa’l-ḥamdu lillāh ʿalā dhālik. In this context, the perceptive scholar Mawlānā Muḥyī al-Dīn Ghāzī posed an important… Continue reading A Condition for the Mustaftī and a Condition for the Muftī
If someone wishes to take your shirt, let him have your cloak as well
One of the well-known wise admonitions of ʿĪsā ʿalayhi al-salām is: “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well” (Gospel of Matthew 5:40). In the same sense is another of his counsels: “If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also”… Continue reading If someone wishes to take your shirt, let him have your cloak as well
A Letter: The Tale of My Student Days at the Nadwah
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم My dear one, You asked a simple question that, like a sudden spring upon an autumn-stripped tree, flung open the closed shutters of my heart: what were my days as a student like? Is it really true that we lived for knowledge day and night, heedless of sleep, food and comfort?… Continue reading A Letter: The Tale of My Student Days at the Nadwah
Richard M. Weaver’s Famous Book Ideas Have Consequences
During my recent journey to America (September 2025), I had the opportunity, at the invitation of Dr Abu Zayd in New Jersey, to speak directly on Kitāb al-Ḥiyal of Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. At the outset of that lecture, I explained the relationship between the lafẓ (word), maʿnā (meaning) and ḥaqīqah (reality), and clarified the distinction between… Continue reading Richard M. Weaver’s Famous Book Ideas Have Consequences
The Method of Teaching Arabic Language and Literature
Our esteemed colleague, Mawlānā Ṣafwān Aḥmad Ḥalīmī Qāsimī, has asked what is the correct method for teaching Arabic language and literature. The Arabic language is not merely a collection of words; it is the cradle of civilisation and thought. It is the language in which the Qurʾān was revealed, without which access to the true… Continue reading The Method of Teaching Arabic Language and Literature