The Humble I

Knowing, Doing, Becoming

March 2013

March 31, 2013

What of Those to Whom Islam Does Not Reach?

The response to this delicate, but frequently asked question does more than just state Islam’s doctrinal position on the issue. Shaykh Abd Allah b. Bayyah’s responsa or fatwa demonstrates the much required balance between the letter of the law and its spirit; and between theological precision and spiritual humility. The fatwa also reminds us of… Continue reading

theology

conveying Islam, fate of non-Muslims, Islam reaching all humanity, peaceful coexistence, the final religion
March 23, 2013

You Have Wings to Fly, So Don’t Crawl

In January of this year, I had the opportunity (the good fortune) to accompany Shaykh Jaleel Ahmad Akhoon on one of his travels in the UK. My reasons for wanting to do so were simple: Shaykh Jaleel isn’t only a scholar of the outward shari‘ah sciences, he is a profound spiritual guide too. Keeping company with those who… Continue reading

sufism, suluk & spirituality

Jaleel Ahmad Akhoon, loving God, muraqabah, presence of heart, spiritual companionship
March 19, 2013

How the Qur’an Justifies Itself

In a previous posting about Islam’s rational monotheism (which can be read here), we saw how the Qur’an utilises a rationalist discourse to substantiate some of its main theological doctrines. As for how the Qur’an vindicates itself and rationalises its claim of truly being the Word of God, it deploys the following line of argument: ♦ Firstly,… Continue reading

consider Islam, da’wah & muslim apologetics, qur’an, tafsir, tadabbur, reason, religion, rationality, theology

how does the Quran claim to be God’s word, proof for the truth of the Qur’an, Quran free of contradictions, the Quran’s challenge
March 16, 2013

Seven Steps for Salvation

The Qur’an says: Whoever is removed from the Fire and admitted into Paradise has surely triumphed. The life of this world is nothing but the comfort of illusion. [3:185] Contrary to shallow-minded people – whose measure of success is determined by the size of their wallets or houses, or how far they’ve climbed up the… Continue reading

sufism, suluk & spirituality

dhikr, God-conciousness, guarding the tongue, piety, salvation in Islam, tawhid, worldly renunciation, zuhd
March 11, 2013

Islam’s Rational Monotheism in a Nutshell

Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad explains: ‘In the Western milieu, converts to Islam claim that they are attracted to what they regard as its clear, rationally-accessible teachings, unobscured by elaborate mysteries. It is not only insiders who wish to take this view. Non-Muslim academic accounts … now frequently draw attention to the central role of reason… Continue reading

consider Islam, da’wah & muslim apologetics, reason, religion, rationality, theology

abdal hakim murad, converts to islam, Islam and reason, islamic theology, Qur’an and rationality, rational arguments in the Qur’an, Tim Winter
March 9, 2013

Big Brother: Who Watches Who?

During the first half of the twentieth century, many books were written which warned about the dangers of giving the state control over new and powerful technologies. The nightmare visions of society these books conjured up have left an indelible mark upon our collective consciousness and subsequent social and historical development. George Orwell’s 1984, and Aldoux… Continue reading

modernity & muslimness, poetry, limericks, literature, politics & society, short read

1984, Big Brother, consumerism, dunya as distraction, huxley, Orwell
March 3, 2013

Reason, Revelation, Religion: How Do They Fit Together?

The Qur’an undoubtedly requires human beings to accept the authority of religion for whatever lies beyond the scope of reason or ‘aql. It never demands that he accept what is against reason. ‘The messengers,’ said Ibn Taymiyyah, ‘came with knowledge that reason is incapable of attaining to: never did they come with what reason deems… Continue reading

contemporary concerns, orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, reason, religion, rationality, theology

‘aql, Hanbalis and rationalism, Ibn ‘Aqil, Ibn Taymiyyah, intellect, is religion irrational?, reason and religion, refuting atheism

About Me

My name is Surkheel Sharif (aka Abu Aaliyah). Born and raised in London, England, I began my more formal, but gradual studies of the Islamic sciences around the late 1980s (just a few years after having quit my degree in Astrophysics). I also gained an MA in Islamic Studies from Birkbeck College, University of London, in 2009.

I’ve translated a few Islamic works from Arabic into English; one of them, a short text on Muslim spirituality, called The Exquisite Pearl (2000). I have also authored a few books, including: More Fish Please & the Earth’s Complaint (2011); Fussing Over the 15th of Sha’ban & the Golden Rule of Differing (2011); A Muslim’s Guide to Modernity (2025); and Salafism Reconsidered (forthcoming)

I am the founder and current Director of the Jawziyyah Institute (est. 1999): a non-profit organisation dedicated to cultivating an Islam true to its time-honoured tradition, relevant to its current context, and of benefit to wider society.