September 2014

September 20, 2014

Political Violence & the End Days

One of the enormous achievements of our Prophet, peace be upon him, is that in less than twenty years he managed to bring law and order to a land that had hitherto been plagued with lawlessness and the absence of any political organisation whatsoever. In the event of a crime or injustice being committed, the norm was for Continue reading

activism, contemporary concerns, eschatology & the end days, politics & society

al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, civil war, end of days, establishing shari’ah, evils of takfir, fitnah, ISIS, Islamic State, jahiliyyah, Muslim unity, Salafis, Salafism, takfir, Wahhabis, Wahhabism
September 5, 2014

Time Waits for None: Reflections on Surat al-‘Asr

In one of the shortest chapters or surahs of the Qur’an, we read: By Time! Verily man is in [a state of] loss; except those who believe and perform righteous deeds, and enjoin one another to [follow] the truth, and enjoin one another to patience. [103:1-3] This chapter, or surah, is known as Surat al-‘Asr. I hope to Continue reading

qur’an, tafsir, tadabbur, sufism, suluk & spirituality, theology

al-Ghazali, avoiding spiritual loss, Einstein on time, Ibn al-Qayyim, making use of time, meaning of time, quantum physics, quantum time, relativity, surat al-‘asr, tafsir surat al-‘asr, time management

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.

September 2014

Political Violence & the End Days

Time Waits for None: Reflections on Surat al-‘Asr