O Amani! Listen well and take heed (A word to my granddaughter Amani, the daughter of my daughter Hālah, on the occasion of her thirteenth birthday – 4th August 2025) My beloved granddaughter, Today you arrive at a new milestone in your life and take your first steps into a stage that signals your growing… Continue reading To My Granddaughter Amani
The Nation Whose Sun Still Stands at Noon
They claimed that the sun never set over the British Empire. They lied. It has come to pass that days go by in which the sun does not rise at all over it. The same is true of the Mughal, Ottoman, ʿAbbāsid, Umayyad, Roman, and Persian empires — and before them, the kingdoms of the… Continue reading The Nation Whose Sun Still Stands at Noon
Mawlānā Abū al-ʿIrfān Nadwī (رحمه الله عليه)
The name of my esteemed teacher, Mawlānā Abū al-ʿIrfān Nadwī (رحمه الله), is not merely an identifier of an individual; rather, it represents a scholarly temperament, an intellectual tradition, and a refined civilisational awareness. To speak of him is not simply to praise a person, but to recall that legacy of knowledge which, over generations,… Continue reading Mawlānā Abū al-ʿIrfān Nadwī (رحمه الله عليه)
Learn to Walk Alone
A Counsel to the Students of Al-Salam Institute You are among the fortunate ones who have been blessed with the opportunity to breathe in an atmosphere illuminated by sacred knowledge. Around you lies the shade of the āyāt of your Lord, and the radiant light of the aḥādīth of the Prophet (ṣallallāhu ʿalayhi wa-sallam) is… Continue reading Learn to Walk Alone
Standard
A mi‘yār is a defined measure, an agreed-upon principle, or an established point of reference against which other things are assessed, weighed, or judged. It is a symbol of consistency, unity, and reliability—whether in time, weight, length, or ethical principles. The defining trait of a mi‘yār lies in its singularity: it is one, constant and… Continue reading Standard
Mercy upon Those Women
Ah! Those women— They were not of those who merely passed through our lives in passing, nor did they pass by as strangers. Rather, they dwelled in our lives—in every detail—and gave life to every corner. They were not ordinary women. They were the soul of the home, the pulse of the rooms, the warmth… Continue reading Mercy upon Those Women
The Light of Verification and the Defeat of Speculation
Verification (taḥqīq) is that refined and precious faculty of human consciousness through which civilisations progress and attain excellence. It is this very power that breathes new life into ideas and confers stability upon doctrines. Not a few notions once regarded as unassailable truths were later seen, in the light of verification, to open new horizons… Continue reading The Light of Verification and the Defeat of Speculation
The Light of Research and the Defeat of Speculation
Research is the noble and invaluable faculty of human consciousness through which civilisations progress and attain excellence. It is this very faculty that breathes new life into ideas and grants strength and coherence to intellectual doctrines. That which was once deemed incontrovertibly true in one era can, through the light of research, reappear in another… Continue reading The Light of Research and the Defeat of Speculation
My Daughter Denies That I Am Growing Old
“I am as you see me—not as time sees me.” There was nothing in advancing age that frightened me when I used to count its days as a lover counts the beats of his heart. Grey hairs were never, to me, a sign of extinguishment, so long as I felt within myself a glow untouched… Continue reading My Daughter Denies That I Am Growing Old
Tablīghī Jamāʿat deserves our appreciation
In the history of Islam, Tablīghī Jamāʿat occupies a luminous and effective chapter that bears witness to sincerity, simplicity, and a deep connection with Allah. This movement is neither a battleground for jurisprudential disputes, nor a platform for political or ideological clashes. It is a quiet, selfless, and non-representational movement that came into existence to… Continue reading Tablīghī Jamāʿat deserves our appreciation