FEATURES

Besides that, reference to the sense of hearing in the Quran is in the singular while that of sight or seeing always occurs in the plural. In other words, the Quran appears to call our attention to the multiplicity of perception, of the lack of exactitude in our sense of seeing, unlike that of hearing, which hardly suffers similar infirmity. It is possible for humans to see images in duality; hardly could confusion occur in what we hear. Further, humans’ ability to hear enjoys primordial priority over and above that...

Exactly what are we made of? Of sperm mixed with egg; of flesh that becomes bones that are covered with flesh; of body and soul; of materiality and eternity. “Let man ponder that from which he has been created”, so says the Almighty (Quran 86:5); “Let man therefore look at his food”, the Almighty says again (Qur’ān 80: 24). In these and many other parts of the Qur’an, the Almighty invites humanity to ponder the multiplicity of His signs and instructions in creation. The signs of the Almighty are all...

It was not in my plans to explore matters that are extremely theological in this Sermon today. In fact, I had thought of continuing our reflections on the realities of life some portents of which I discussed last week on this page. I received a call from a senior colleague from that state in the eastern part of the country. He called to inform me that he took interest in the Ayat that reads: “The likeness of the life of the present is as the rain which We send down...

Every day the sun rises, questions arise about life and living; questions that demand urgent answers and responses. It was while considering which of those questions to engage today when suddenly I chanced upon the works of one of our exemplars and scholars in this faith. I chanced upon his works and sayings on the importance of and the inherent value in forgiveness and I could not resist the urge to share same with you today. I thought doing that was germane for many reasons. Perhaps the most important of...

In a tradition, the Prophet (A.S) is reported to have said: “The affairs of the believer is always a matter of surprise for all his affairs are for his benefit and that shall be for none but the believer. Whenever ease comes to him, he is thankful and that is good for him; whenever hardship comes to him, he is thankful and that is good for him”. In other words, gratitude in Islam is not an end in itself. Rather, it is deployed as a means for ends that are...

In the name of the Almighty, the Beneficent, the Merciful “And if you should count the favors of the Almighty”, so says the Almighty, “you would not be to enumerate them; indeed, He is oft forgiving and Merciful” (Quran 16: 18). In Arab-Islamic tradition, at least two words are usually made use of as synonyms for gratitude. The first is al-Ḥamd while the second is al-Shukr. Muslim jurists, linguists, rhetoricians and exegetes have produced prodigious works on the semiotics of the two concepts and their implications in Muslims’ intellectual tradition....

At the point of washing the right hand, the worshipper is expected to supplicate thus: “Ya Rabb, Atini kitaabi bi yamini” O! my lord, grant unto me my book (book of reckoning) with my right hand”.While washing our left hand, we are expected to supplicate thus: “Ya rabb, la taj’alni ma’a ashab Shimal” – O! lord, don’t gather me together with the people of the left (inmates of the hell fire); while washing our right foot, the Muslim should say: “Ya Rabb, adkhilni al-Janat ma’a Dakhilin – O! My Lord,...

Brethren, whenever I chance upon beautifully crafted words, words of wisdom, words on marble, I am immediately attracted to it; I become like the honey bee which is forever attracted to beautiful flowers. Imagine what it would be like if the words were to be words of faith, words carefully ‘worlded’ in order to impact the soul, return our hearts back to the origin, back to our Creator. Such is the state I am presently as I read this sermon; a sermon of and on faith; a sermon which is...

Before he was commissioned as a prophet, his nudity was never seen, he never drank alcohol, never ate from a feast dedicated to idols and never sworn by other than the Almighty. He was light in complexion, his shoulders were broad, his face usually shined brightly as if on a dark night. He had black hair, tender skin, broad chest, moderate height, high forehead. Though sweet in speech, he kept silent most of the time. He usually walked rapidly and lightly with long strides. His clothing generally consisted of two...

An orphan? Yes. Who was he? No. The question should be- who is he? I see him as a text living context. Thus I prefer not to refer to him in the past since he still talks, by affiliation to the Quran, in the present. I prefer to refer to him in the present because his legacies make all allusions to him in the present a categorical imperative. In other words, though he died close to fifteen centuries ago, Muslim’s existential realities show that he did not actually die. Rather,...