Salam alaikum and Jummah Mubarak! This week I read and discuss verses 168–177 in Surah Al-Baqarah, from the Quran translation by Dr Safi Kaskas. These verses capture a lot of the spirit and essence of Islam, and it's good to read and reflect upon them. https://youtu.be/2q9K9yh2vd0
Islam
Iman: The Greatest Blessing
By Mawlana Shaykh Muhammad Adil “Thank Allah ﷻ for His blessings for the faith that He ﷻ has given to us. The greatest blessing is the blessing of Iman (faith), whilst that exists everything else is easy. If that does not exist nothing is easy that is what is important. Today people do not have…Read more Iman: The Greatest Blessing
Friday Reflections 09.10.2020
Salam alaikum and Jummah Mubarak! We are approaching Rabi al-Awal, when many Muslims celebrate Mawlid an-Nabi (the Birthday of the Prophet). So I felt it would be a good idea to discuss the topic of praising the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, and whether there is any evidence to back this up in classical sources. As always,…Read more Friday Reflections 09.10.2020
Rihanna Hadith Controversy
By Paul Salahuddin Armstrong Muslims need to remember Rihanna, Coucou Chloe (and other people) are not Muslims and wouldn't necessarily know or understand our sensitivities on certain matters... In addition, they wouldn't necessarily even recognise something is a hadith or Quranic verse, especially after it has been turned into samples and remixed. As Muslims, it…Read more Rihanna Hadith Controversy
Friday Reflections 02.10.2020
Salam alaikum and Jummah Mubarak! I have often been asked what to look for in a spiritual teacher. This week I read and discuss a chapter from Idries Shah’s book, “Learning How To Learn” to help to answer this question. Though this is one of those topics we could discuss at length on many occasions…Read more Friday Reflections 02.10.2020
Moses and the Shepherd
By Mevlana Jalal ad-Din Rumi Image: Moses and the Shepherd by Hossein Behzad Moses once heard a shepherd praying as follows: “O God, show me where thou art, that I may become Thy servant. I will clean Thy shoes and comb Thy hair, and sew Thy clothes, and fetch Thee milk.” When Moses heard him…Read more Moses and the Shepherd
Friday Reflections 11.09.2020
Many people ask me about Islam in Britain and about British Muslims, so today I discuss some early history of British Muslims from the 16th and 17th Centuries CE, referring to a truly fascinating book “Islam in Britain, 1558–1685” by Nabil Matar. If only this history was more widely known, it shatters the us versus…Read more Friday Reflections 11.09.2020
Khatm Khwajagan 10.09.2020
Sohbet on adab (manners), especially the adab in tariqat a murid should have with their shaykhs. Followed by the weekly dhikr/meditation of the Naqshbandi tariqat. https://youtu.be/o6uX7x3J4As
Oxford and Mecca in 19th and 21st Centuries
Why don't we take more care to preserve the history and heritage of the holiest places in Islam?
Friday Reflections 04.09.2020
Salam alaikum. Jummah Mubarak. I read the chapter, “The Wisdom of the Spirit” in the the “Bezels of Wisdom” by Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-Arabi, translated by Ralph Austin (1980). In the chapter, Ibn al-Arabi discusses his views on the nature of religion, and how it is of two types. The discussion that follows is deep,…Read more Friday Reflections 04.09.2020
Paul Salahuddin Armstrong 