Improving yourself is the real dhikr.
~Shaikh Husain ash-Shadhili ad-Darqawi
- The Real Dhikr
The Eating Place: A Short Story
Carnelian Lane was a dead end street. At the very end of the road, nestled among giant shade trees and a lovely fountain which sang its tune refreshingly, there was a very fine restaurant. As the phrase suggests, this dead…
Rumi’s Revolution: Mawlana’s First Night of Dhikr-e Samâ’, Adapted from The Forty Rules of Love
The following account of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi’s first night of dhikr-e samâ’ has been adapted from the novel "The Forty Rules of Love", by Turkish author Elif Shafak. There are those who say that dancing is sacrilege. They think Allah…
Islam Image Quotes: Spiritual Excellences
From the Islam Image Quotes series: Islamic Wisdom, Sayings and Quotes Rest assured that abstract knowledge cannot be held with the hand. For example, a man is in the wilderness. He has ten lethal swords together with other weapons and…
Islam Image Quotes: Earthly Challenges
From the Islam Image Quotes series: Islamic Wisdom, Sayings and Quotes "And We will surely test you with something of fear and hunger and a loss of wealth and lives and fruits, but give good tidings to the patient." (Al-Qur'an…
Islam Image Quotes-IQ2: Sincerity
If I had to choose the one phrase out of all of Shaikh Husain's "oft-repeated phrases" that I hear the most, it could be this one. Such a simple statement – in theory - but in practice… Whatever you do,…
Beyond Words and Weapons: Muhammad’s Message
Words in the Arabic-speaking world are powerful and effective weapons. While the Qur’an is the ultimate and unique masterpiece of the Arabic Language, Arabic poetry has been a highly influential force in Arab society and has been regarded as the…
Islam Image Quotes-IQ1: One Truth
From the Islam Image Quotes Series: Islamic Wisdom, Sayings and Quotes The truth of Muhammad’s (pbuh) message and the guidance he brought by the Way of Islam transcends all divisions and leads us back to the recognition of our Lord,…
Real-ization
Not long ago, it came up in conversation: “Saying that we have the 'Qur'an and sunnah’ is very vague. It is a cliché with no real-ity.” Because saying is saying. The quest of every soul who has been guided to…
Missed Opportunities: On My Becoming Muslim
Al hamdulillāh [i], when Allah led me to the wellspring of Islam, I recognized the sweetness of its cool, refreshing water. Al hamdulillāh after much time spent wandering the desert of my inner life, I didn’t think: “Well, maybe there…