With all praise to Allah, I am pleased to find myself again at the door of mercy. To be standing at the threshold of the most excellent month of the Islamic year, Ramadan. I find myself on this Willy Wonkaian golden ticket journey of the heart every year. I am continually inspired by the presence of this month in my life. A month of abstaining, controlling my desires in the hopes that the lessons will be instilled and I will... Read more
What is Islam? A question that confuses most. Google tries to provide answers by supplying us with about 1,520,000,000 results in 0.51 seconds. Yet, the most searched question about the religion of 1.6 billion people is, what is it? There seems to be ambiguity around this question. How do we cut through the rhetorical and hyperbolic statements concerning Islam? How can we juxtapose many positions concerning the same word, ISLAM, newly introduced into modern American vocabulary? Is Islam a peaceful... Read more
First Steps Towards Understanding Islam When I first started to study Islam, I came across the hadith of the Angel Jibreel in the forty hadith of Imam Nawawi. This was more than a hadith- this was witnessing a conversation between God’s Prophet and His Angel. The whole city of Medina was gathered around the Prophet (SAW) when a stranger appeared and begins to ask questions. My mind was shattered by the conversation and how it shaped the world we live... Read more
Enter Paradise Laughing? I long to enter paradise. To walk among the righteous, talk to the prophets, and see Allah. We all want to enter paradise, but I want to enter it laughing. Jubary ibn Nufayr reported: Abu Darda, may Allah be pleased with him, said, “Verily, one who keeps his tongue moist with the remembrance of Allah Almighty, those will enter Paradise laughing.” the one who keeps his tongue moist with dhikr of Allah will enter Paradise laughing. So... Read more
Khalwa in Arabic The word khalwa designates the place where the aspirant to inner purity (moutassawwif) withdraws with himself to devote himself to the worship of his Lord.[al-Mu’jam al-‘arabiy al-asâsiy] In the Realm of the Wali The word khalwa designates the fact to strictly stick to one’s own living tomb (the body), the individual stripping from all physical senses and the journey to the universe of Deep Senses, a journey whose provisions are the evocation of Divine name accompanied by... Read more
Two Egos Enter “In Allah’s presence, there is no room for two egos. You say “ego,” and He says “ego”? Either you die in His presence, or He will die in your presence, so there can be no duality. Yet it is impossible that He should die either in the universe or in mind, for “He is the Living, who does not die (Quran 25:58). He has grace in such measure that, were it possible, He would die for... Read more
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