The religion of Islam is not merely a set of rituals but a comprehensive way of life that prepares the believer for the Last Day. It calls upon individuals to see themselves as answerable for how they have lived, including how they conceive of God and how they conduct themselves in the world. In Islamic… Continue reading Faith, Family & the Future: Navigating Chaos with Purpose
History vs. Hadith
The nature of history The original meaning of the Greek word from which ‘history’ is derived is ‘inquiry’, that is, asking questions, seeking knowledge. However, history is not, and never has been, a disinterested questioning about what happened in the past, still less a disinterested, impartial recording of events. History is story-telling about the past,… Continue reading History vs. Hadith
Women’s Travel: a balanced perspective on freedom and safety
The faculty of discerning between what is righteous and what is reprehensible has been bestowed equally upon both men and women. This moral faculty of discrimination is a divine gift that forms the basis of human accountability. For this reason, the Almighty has addressed His commandments and prohibitions to women in the very same manner… Continue reading Women’s Travel: a balanced perspective on freedom and safety
The Family
Let us begin from the clear statement that male and female have same humanity, they come from a single soul. The differences between humanbeings – like different colours, different languages and different genders – are permitted and created by God so that we can know each other. It follows from the Oneness of the Creator… Continue reading The Family
The Continuity of Transmission (al-Tawātur) in Ḥadīth
Necessary knowledge and inferential knowledge Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar said in Nuzhat al-Naẓar, his commentary on Nukhbat al-Fikar: “And this is the relied upon view: that a report conveyed by tawātur imparts necessary knowledge, which is the kind of knowledge that a human being is compelled to accept such that it is impossible for him to… Continue reading The Continuity of Transmission (al-Tawātur) in Ḥadīth
The Science of History is the Key to the Science of Ḥadīth
The science of ḥadīth is, in essence, that great repository of reports and history which, by its very nature and reality, holds an unparalleled position among all the sciences of the world. It is a treasury of knowledge that elevated human consciousness, religious insight, and scholarly investigation to such lofty heights as have no equivalent… Continue reading The Science of History is the Key to the Science of Ḥadīth
Classification of Ḥadīth
Introduction: When a Hindu is told that Ayodhya is the birthplace of Rām, his heart overflows with love and reverence for that land, and he becomes restless to perform rituals of worship there. He regards it as a religious matter, forgetting that before it can be treated as a religious issue, it is first a… Continue reading Classification of Ḥadīth
What is History?
The discipline of history is among those foundational sciences without which it is difficult to regard anyone as truly learned. There are three such sciences: adab (literature), tārīkh (history) and falsafah (philosophy). Each of them plays a fundamental role in shaping human consciousness. The focus of our discussion here, however, is history. History is not… Continue reading What is History?
Correcting Hadith Errors on the Basis of al-Bukhārī and Historical Research
Introduction “Ḥadīth is a kind of history.” On this theme I have written a number of articles in Arabic and Urdu. Scholars and students of ḥadīth from the Arab world and the wider Muslim community have written to me that these articles have helped them to understand the reality of ḥadīth, and why the methodology… Continue reading Correcting Hadith Errors on the Basis of al-Bukhārī and Historical Research
Sharing Halwa in Return
On Wednesday, the 26th of Ṣafar, 1446 Hijrī, I went, as usual, to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. The place was alive with its usual bustle when suddenly my eyes fell upon our dear student and respected friend, Muḥammad ʿAlī Rasūl, sitting quietly in a corner, sipping coffee. His solitude was not mere solitude; he… Continue reading Sharing Halwa in Return