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
His death and the loss of the last lamp 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. Indeed, to Allah we belong and to Him we… Continue reading Bashir Badr: The Last Lamp of the Urdu Ghazal
Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 8
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim I woke for the Fajr prayer at a quarter past four, and at that hour a strange feeling came over me, one in which energy was mixed with tiredness, and wakefulness with a longing for rest. Once I had prayed I could find no way back to sleep, and I did not wish to… Continue reading Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 8
Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 7
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim We set out at eight o’clock, with the breaking of morning, towards Srebrenica. Two coaches carried us, cutting through the mountains of Bosnia with a gentle parting, as though they feared to wake the deep silence that wraps the earth. The cold was light, reaching the spirit more than the body, and scattered clouds… 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
Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 6
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim We took our breakfast at the hotel restaurant slowly and in peace. The sun had begun to spread its gentle rays over Mostar, entering softly through the windows, as though it were waking the place quietly and without any violence. Some of the people in the restaurant sat in silence, contemplating their new day,… Continue reading Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 6
Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 5
Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim The Eid Prayer at Half Past Six Sheikh Abu Talib, who had come from America, led us in the Eid prayer at half past six in the morning. There was a quality in his takbir that awoke in the soul meanings of peace and reverence, and a dignity in his presence that belongs to… Continue reading Bosnia Journey 2026 — Day 5