I said to my soul—seeing it wandering aimlessly, unsure of where to set its steps, glancing about without finding any refuge, seeing before it nothing but a mirage and behind it nothing but smoke—”Busy yourself. Occupy yourself before your emptiness preoccupies you; before your loneliness overwhelms you; before you fall into abysses from which there… Continue reading O My Soul, Preoccupy Yourself
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Muḥaddith Dihlwī
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq b. Sayf al-Dīn al-Dihlawī al-Bukhārī, an eminent Indian scholar and author in both Arabic and Persian, was born in Delhi in Muharram 958 AH / January 1551 CE, during the reign of Islam Shah Sūrī. He adopted the poetical appellation “Ḥaqqī”. Among his distinguished ancestors was Āghā Muḥammad Turk, who had migrated… Continue reading Shaykh ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Muḥaddith Dihlwī
Description of the Creation of Woman in Certain Indian Myths
It is claimed that a certain Indian philosopher, seated one gentle evening among his students and companions—his mind matured by the passage of time, the earth hushed from its clamour, and the night descending with its veil—spoke to them in a voice that flowed like soft music: “At the dawn of eternity, when the universe… Continue reading Description of the Creation of Woman in Certain Indian Myths
The Final Academic Day and Farewell Ceremony at Al-Salam Institute
Indeed, today is not merely a formal announcement marking the end of an academic year; rather, it is a moment that calls for reflection, self-accountability, and an invitation to a renewed spiritual awakening. The annual online farewell ceremony of Al-Salam Institute—an elegant link in the tradition of each year—was held once again with the same… Continue reading The Final Academic Day and Farewell Ceremony at Al-Salam Institute
Clear Expression is, in Itself, Evidence
Reason is that trust bestowed by the Lord of all creation, which distinguishes man from all other creatures, and it is on account of this reason that Allah, the Majestic and Exalted, has addressed His guidance and commands to humanity. When reason maintains its innate soundness, uprightness, and balance—remaining free from the pressures of base… Continue reading Clear Expression is, in Itself, Evidence
A Scholarly Gathering in Oxford
I returned from the mosque after the ‘asr prayer, as evening cast its veil over Oxford, that city which pulses with knowledge and thought, enwrapped in a gentle breeze that caressed the soul as it stirred the fallen leaves. It was then that the esteemed delegation knocked at my door, carrying with them the fragrance… Continue reading A Scholarly Gathering in Oxford
A Scholarly Gathering in Cambridge
By the grace of Allah, today I delivered an extensive academic lesson on “al-Sīrah al-Nabawiyyah” as part of the programmes of Cambridge Islamic College. The session ran from ten in the morning until six in the evening and was attended by a distinguished group of students of knowledge and researchers, both men and women. Studying… Continue reading A Scholarly Gathering in Cambridge
Why Has the Culture of Questioning and Critical Thinking Receded in the Arab and Islamic World?
It is neither surprising nor unnatural that great civilisations are founded upon the shoulders of questioning, nor that advanced nations ascend by virtue of that first moment when a person casts a searching, restless gaze upon what surrounds him, and asks: why? how? when? The question, at its root, is not merely a word uttered,… Continue reading Why Has the Culture of Questioning and Critical Thinking Receded in the Arab and Islamic World?
Why?
One of the great truths of human history is that questioning and research are the very factors that lay the foundations for any nation’s progress, intellectual awakening, and scholarly development. When a person loses the ability to think, to examine, and to arrive at the truth on the basis of evidence, decline becomes his inevitable… Continue reading Why?
Nadwat al-ulama: As a Project of Ecumenism in the Early Modern Period
In the final decades of the nineteenth century, Indian Muslims confronted a complex array of internal and external challenges that critically undermined their communal cohesion and collective advancement. Paramount among these were entrenched theological and jurisprudential divergences that fragmented the ummah into competing sectarian and legal factions. These internal fissures frequently escalated into acrimonious disputes,… Continue reading Nadwat al-ulama: As a Project of Ecumenism in the Early Modern Period