Thematic Overview: Surah Al ‘Imran
The tried and tested way of teaching the Qur’an is to work through it verse by verse, striving to deepen our experience of the words of God, and to improve conscience and practice of the religion. That said, there is also some merit in stepping back…
Critical Reflections on Feminism
What I have to say is in two parts: (1) some critical reflections on the direction of contemporary feminism; and (2) an account of three perspectives on how to pursue reforms in the norms and conventions that negatively affect women in Muslim communities.
Benefitting from our Differences
When the believers are in dispute over a matter, they should defer it to God and His Messenger. We cannot obey this command if there is in our community any established institution to which religious differences and disputes among Muslims must be referred.
A New Perspective on the Hanafi Madhhab
قالوا: ما معنى الدين والمذهب؟ قلت: الدين إطاعة الله ورسوله، وهو صراط الله المستقيم الذي أوحاه إلى نبيه صلى الله عليه وسلم، والمذهب في الأصل هو المنهج التطبيقي للدين، ثم تطوَّر إلى منهج فكري كذلك، وقد حدث لدى المتأخرين من أتباع المذاهب الفقهية
The True Meaning of Ḥasan
They asked: Can you clarify for us the meaning of ḥasan ḥadīth? I replied: Experts of ḥadīth also have three usages of this term. They asked: What are they? I replied: The term ḥasan-ṣaḥīḥ is used for a report whose source is known…
The True Meaning of Ṣaḥīḥ
They asked: What is the true meaning of the ṣaḥīḥ (sound) ḥadīth? I replied: Experts of this discipline have used it for a variety of meanings, all of which have in common the reliability or verification of a report’s attribution to its source.
From the Sirah of the Prophet ﷺ – The Messenger as a Teacher
قالوا: حدِّثنا عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم معلِّما. قلت: قد حالفكم التوفيق في سؤالكم هذا نامًّا عن صفاء طبائعكم وطهارة سرائركم، فما أجهل الناس به صلى الله عليه وسلم معلِّمًا! تدنى مستواهم وهبط هبوطا، وفسد عقلهم واختل تفكيرهم أيما اختلال
The Length and Number of Units of Prayer
They asked: What are the obligatory and sunnah prayers (ṣalāh), and what is the number of their units (rakʿahs)? I replied: I have mentioned to you in a previous article that our prayers are scheduled…