The Finality of Islam – With Reference to Perennial Philosophy

Finaility of Islam: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi, in From the Depth of the Heart in America, noted that “Islam is more sensitive than any other faith . . . Its limits are marked out very clearly.” This sentiment has remained true until our day, even in western universities that teach Islam. [...]

Entering Paradise

Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII Allah paints a picture in the Qur’an of the most successful person: “So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, ‘Here, read my record! Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting [...]

The Entrance into Hell-Fire

Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII Allah (swt) paints a picture for us in the Qur’an of one of the greatest losers: “But as for he who is given his record in his left hand, he will say, “Oh, I wish I had not been given my [...]

Glimpses of Paradise

by Raiiq Ridwan Glimpses into the World of the Unseen: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII Close your eyes and imagine this: Eternal bliss; Your every wish at your finger tips and more… Perched on a throne, near a stream; So serene and exquisite a scene You’ve [...]

Paradise: Safe and Sound

Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII After enduring the hardships of the dunya (this world) and the horrors of the grave and Last Day, Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) will bless the believers with something that will make their worries [...]

Who can escape the Fire?

Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII Hell-Fire is filled with torments and punishments beyond our imagination, but the main characteristic of Hell is fire. Many of the various names of Hell show us different aspects of this Fire, giving us a complete picture of [...]

Understanding Paradise

Paradise and Hell: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII A place like we have never seen. A place we can hardly imagine. A place of no sadness, no hardships, no heartache. Eternal bliss. A place that we crave and that craves us. Allah subahanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) [...]

Paradise and Hell

Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII Imagine that you knew the angel of death was coming to you in a few hours. What would your first thought be? For most of us, it would be: What have I prepared for the next life?! Doctors today [...]

Description of Hellfire

by Raiiq Ridwan Glimpses into the World of the Unseen: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII My fingers tremble and my mind is uneasy as I begin writing. However, it is a reality that the Hellfire exists and it is indeed the logical consequence for those [...]

11 Anchors for the Beginner

Shaykh ‘Ali Rajab al-Salihi’ al-Azhari’s Approach Towards Building a Student Shaykh ‘Ali was from the great scholars of al-Azhar. He wrote that 11 sciences (‘Uloom) should be mastered by anyone who truly wanted to start on a path towards becoming from the people of knowledge and da’wah (the call to Islam). This curriculum is still taught in [...]

The Day of Judgement

by Raiiq Ridwan Glimpses into the World of the Unseen Part: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII Death is a reality that hits every man and woman, even the animals. The world and all its contents are temporary, and they all have a fixed time. Yet, Allah subhana wa ta`ala (Glorified is He) says in the Qur’an in Surah at-Takathur ”Competition [...]

Where the Day of Judgement Begins

by Raiiq Ridwan Glimpses into the World of the Unseen Part: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII In the previous article, we put together the various names Allah uses for the Day of Judgement. Insha’Allah (God willing), we will be moving on today. However, moving on is not necessarily moving forward. What we will do is step back a bit and look [...]

The Chemistry of Faith

By Iman Badawi I never liked chemistry because I wasn’t good at it.  Even now, as I fully admit, that it is unfair to have judged the messy subject by my own personal limitations, I still feel stress every time I hear the word “lab” or see someone wearing goggles. Most people love mixing things, a [...]

Glimpses into the World of the Unseen

By Raiiq Ridwan Glimpses into the World of the Unseen Part: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII On the 14th of May, the first Islamic course at Al-Kauthar Institute in Bangladesh, entitled “World of the Unseen,” ended. The course instructor was Shaykh Tawfique Chowdhury, founder of Al-Kauthar. I feel so very thankful to Allah (swt) that Allah has blessed me with [...]

The Reality of Faith and Its Branches

by Sheikh Mahmoud Abdul Rahman Abdul Monim1 | Translated by Osman Umarji The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) said, “Faith has approximately seventy branches (or sixty some in another narration). The highest branch is [living] the statement ‘There is no god except for Allah’; the lowest branch is removing anything harmful from the [...]

Constants on the Path: 5 levels of Taqwa and 4 Ways to Acquire it!

Being mindful of one’s relationship with God is an individual obligation whose foundation is knowledge, and whose life is practice according to Islam. Allah call’s the believers, ordering them to be cautious: “Oh you who believe, be cautious of Allah.” 5 Stations of Taqwa (God-consciousness) Ibn Juzay al-Maliki a great classical scholar, wrote, “The degrees [...]

The “Sheikh Google” Phenomenon

Islam and the Internet Series: Intro | Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IV Googling The Sheikh The term ‘Sheikh Google’ generally refers to an amateurish approach of studying Islam, more specifically to the study of Islamic Law (fiqh) and [...]

The Shahadah

Put Out the Fire of Doubt

How often do we encounter an ayah (verse) in the Qur’an that we do not understand or are puzzled at how to apply it? Though we have access to tafsir books in masjid libraries, Islamic bookstores, online, and oftentimes, in our own homes, how frequently do we research the question until we find the answer? [...]

Revisiting the Tahawiyya with Shaykh Akram Nadwi

The winter break of December 2009 offered another chance to spend some blessed time in the company of Shaykh Akram Nadwi (may God increase him in good and reward, and continue to benefit us through him) in Batley, England – arranged skilfully by our dear brother in Islam, Sulayman Kazi. The pretext was to study [...]