Meditation: The Single Most Important Life Skill

As we advance upon the course of history, it is increasingly becoming evident that meditation and mindfulness are not simply luxuries or esoteric practices for the spiritual devotee, but an increasing necessity in the lives of ordinary human beings. With perpetually increasing levels of stress and disconnection, meditation and mindfulness are becoming preeminently necessary not […]

What God Hates Second Most

In this short series upon what God hates most, this article will discuss what God hates second most. Remembering that the means to drawing nearer unto the Divine Presence of Light and Beauty is the purifying and developing of our character and personality, it is essential to know both what God loves and what God […]

What God Hates Most

The Prophet Muhammad ﷺ taught that the means to drawing nearer unto the Divine Presence of God is the purification and perfection of one’s character. Towards this end, it is important for us to know what God hates most in addition to what is most pleasing to the Cherisher, Lord and Sustainer of the Universe. […]

The Difference Between Surrender and Apathy

What is the difference between surrender and apathy? At the heart, soul and essence of spiritual growth and development is the cultivation of the capacity to surrender. Islam, by name and by definition, is surrender. Yet often, spiritual surrender becomes confused with apathy. In this article entitled the Difference Between Surrender and Apathy, I will […]

5 Life Lessons Learned from the River

I recently had the opportunity to learn 5 vital life lessons while participating in a camping and whitewater river rafting excursion with my two younger sons and a group of friends organized by a dear friend, Ahmed Pierstorff of Dust & Tribe. There are many life lessons to be learned from the natural world, which […]

Marriage in Islam: How to Choose a Spouse

The noble and blessed Messenger of God ﷺ stated that “Marriage is half of the religion,” and so in Islam great importance is placed upon the sacred union between a man and a woman. Hence, it is of great importance to know how to choose a spouse in Islam so as to ensure happiness and […]

How to Process Negative Emotions: 3 Steps

As human beings we often experience negative emotions such as anger, fear, frustration, jealousy and the like. Yet more often than not, we do not properly process these emotions and tend to either act them out or suppress them, in both cases leading to unhealthy consequences for us and others. If we do not intelligently […]

Hadith: Haste is from Shaytan

[x_video_embed no_container=”true”][/x_video_embed] In a vital hadith, which is a statement or tradition of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, he is reported on the authority of Abdullah Muhaimin bin ‘Abbas bin Sahl bin Sa’d as-Saidi as having said, “Calm is from God, and haste is from Shaytan.“ This blessed teaching from the noble Messenger and Prophet of God ﷺ […]

Islam and the Law of Attraction

Although the principles of the Law of Attraction have in recent years become widely popularized by the work of Rhonda Byrne in The Secret, relatively few have as of yet commented on the relationship between Islam and the Law of Attraction. Yet the role of the Law of Attraction in Islam is of paramount importance, […]

Why Do Muslims Go To Hajj in Mecca?

Every year, millions of Muslims go to Hajj in Mecca, fulfilling one of the Five Pillars of Islam, namely to make the Hajj in the holy and sacred city of Mecca at least once in a lifetime if able to do so. Yet in addition to the requirement of simply fulfilling one of the Five […]

Laylatul Qadr: The Night of Power and Destiny

[x_video_embed no_container=”true”][/x_video_embed] Laylatul Qadr, or the Night of Power and Destiny, falls within an odd night in the last ten days of the holy and sacred month of Ramadan, and carries within it the blessings and grace of an entire lifetime. It was on the holy night of Laylatul Qadr that the Holy Qur’an was […]

Imam Fode Drame on the Book of Knowledge

[x_video_embed no_container=”true”][/x_video_embed] Imam Fode Drame is a current and contemporary teacher of the Holy Qur’an. Although he is deeply rooted in classical spiritual tradition, he is uniquely able to convey the heart and soul, the essence of the Qur’an to those seeking light, knowledge, guidance and wisdom in the modern age. Originally from Sene-Gambia, Imam […]

A Heartfelt Interview with Sheikha Maryam Kabeer

[x_video_embed no_container=”true”][/x_video_embed] Sheikha Maryam Kabeer is one of those rare individuals who from a young age was called and guided by the light of God to seek truth and to continue journeying towards the Divine Presence regardless of the challenges and obstacles that face they who sincerely seek awakening. Her quest for knowledge, wisdom and understanding […]

On the Seeking of Pleasure

As human beings, we are naturally inclined towards and driven to seek pleasure. Yet the type of pleasure we seek and what one finds as pleasurable is largely determined by his or her state of consciousness. For one whose consciousness is localized in the lower self and based in ego (the mind and body), pleasure is the satiation of […]

Two Essential Conditions of Repentance

Repentance is an integral component in the life and path of the believer, and is based upon the light and teachings of the Holy Qur’an as well as the noble example, way and sunnah of the beloved Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. There are two essential conditions for repentance to be true, valid and effective, and by deepening our […]

The Universe is Love

Although it may not appear as such when we tune to the media and the constant negative news, the truth is that we live in an Ocean of Divine Love and Mercy, and that fundamentally the Universe is Love. By healing and correcting our perception, and by increasing our level of awareness and consciousness, we […]

The Universe is Alive

Although seldom spoken about, Islam is a way and a path that is deeply connected to the natural world and the cycles of the Universe. One of the most important realizations that come directly from the teachings of the blessed and noble Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and the Holy Qur’an is the fact that the entire Universe […]

Be In the World as a Traveler

On the authority of Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (ra), the blessed Messenger of God ﷺ is reported as having stated, “Be in the world as a traveler or a stranger,” [Bukhari]. In this simple statement, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ communicates the essence and summary of the journey of a human being as a traveler or wayfarer […]

The Secret Behind the Face of the Buraq

In the unique event known as the Night Journey, which is commemorated as Laylatul Isra wal-Mi’raj on the 27th night of the blessed month of Rajab, the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was carried upon the back of a winged spiritual steed possessing a human face known as Buraq in a profound mystical journey first to Jerusalem and then into the heavens […]

How to Eliminate Stress in 60 Seconds

The unfortunate consequence of a life and culture immersed in the pressures and burdens of the world, or dunya, is that we as human beings are chronically stressed. If unchecked, this perpetual pressure eventually takes a significant toll on the body, heart and mind. Although pervasive, stress can be overcome, and in this brief article and […]