The Sahih hadith collections – between Sunnis and Shi‘is
THIS IS HARDLY SURPRISING, in that each call the other by opprobrious names: Sunnīs call the Shī‘a Rāfiḍīs. The Rāfiḍa group arose when…
Spotlight on falsified history
AS FOR THE HISTORICAL narrative on scientific, literary and cultural progress in Islamic lands, from the Rightly-Guided Caliphate through the…
Within the mind
THERE IS NO CREATIVITY, progress or civilizational growth – cultural, technological or scientific – while thinkers remain boxed in by…
On the jihad of captive women
IN SHARĪ‘A IT HAS two aspects: collective and individual. The collective aspect is to do one’s best to remove everything…
Fatwās – human rule in the name of the Lord of Mankind
THE WORD FATWĀ is mentioned in a number of Qur’ānic verses including: Then ask them whether they are stronger in creation or those…
Islam and the concepts of mercy and revenge
THE ALMIGHTY SAID: Surely the religion with Allah is Islam[1] while the concept of mercy linguistically basically denotes tenderness, kindness and sympathy,…
Between renewing Islamic discourse and doctrinal reform
BUT IS IT LOGICAL to reduce the entire issue to these Islamic centres, and can they actually perform this act?…
The Hur al-‘Ayn fantasies – 2
A MAJOR CONTROVERSY has erupted in Egypt following the denial by a preacher named Khālid al-Jundī, a member of the…
The Hur al-‘Ayn fantasies – 1
THE ḥūr al-‘ayn theme populates most Islamic sources and references, and here I will just summarise these by focusing on two…
Verse 10 of Surat Al-Fath and its role in consolidating power
CONSIDERED FROM ANOTHER angle this is one of the verses that strengthens the authority of the sovereign and establishes his…