consider Islam

June 8, 2021

Nurturing Love for God

The above is the first in a series of “Qur’an Reflections” which aims to explain (in visual format) some of the ideas, practical wisdoms and subtleties that are found and embedded in the Holy Qur’an. This first one expresses eight practical ways in which we can actualise the reality of the above verse, based upon… Continue reading

consider Islam, qur’an, tafsir, tadabbur, visual qur’an reflections

Jawziyyah Institute, Qur’an reflections, quranic reflections, surkheel sharif, visual Qur’an reflections
October 30, 2020

Islam, Freedom, Modernity: Mastery of the Self v. Slavery to the Self

Believer must realise that, at root, there’s a parting of ways between Islam and the liberal monoculture when it comes to what human beings fundamentally are, what it is possible for them to be or become, and what it means to be liberated or free. Islam teaches that the human person is imbued with a… Continue reading

consider Islam, modernity & muslimness, short read

Isam’s victory comes with patience, Islam and human flourishment, Islam and self-mastery, Islam and true freedom, Islam is about liberation from the lower self, modernity is about slavery to the self
September 11, 2020

Man, Meaning & Modernity

This is a short five minute video, done in conjunction with Ustadhah Uzma Jung, about how human beings are meaning-seeking creatures who have an inner urge to want to find purpose and meaning. No matter how much our needs are catered for, we humans have a hunger to find meaning and to ask: Why are… Continue reading

consider Islam, da’wah & muslim apologetics

finding fulfilment, Islam and the meaning of life, purpose of life, short reminder about life’s meaning
August 25, 2020

Rethinking Our Da‘wah in Post-Monotheistic Britain

Given that the knowledge the ‘ulema and du‘at teach and convey is sacred, majestic and noble: That this is indeed a noble Qur’an [Q.57:77], then they too are expected to exemplify nobility and dignity in terms of character and how they carry themselves. The message is noble, its carriers must be noble too. It’s as short and… Continue reading

activism, consider Islam, contemporary concerns, da’wah & muslim apologetics, modernity & muslimness

avoiding da‘wah dramas and cultivating sincere concern, between tabshir and tahdhir, da‘wah to Allah not ego, dawn in the British context, inviting atheists and humanists to Islam, pillars of da‘wah in atheistic Britain, rules of da‘wah in today’s society, the call to tabshir and taysir, what should be our focus of da‘wah in Britain?, wisdom in da‘wah in a post-religious British context
June 24, 2020

Is Din ‘Private’ Religion & Is Iman ‘Blind’ Faith?

This article revolves around three questions: (1) Does translating din as ‘religion’ imply that it is only a private matter, having nothing at all to do with the public sphere – which is what people usually associate with the term religion? (2) If iman is translated as ‘faith’, does that not suggest it is ‘blind… Continue reading

consider Islam, contemporary concerns, correctives & clarifications, da’wah & muslim apologetics, knowledge & learning, theology

is faith in Islam blind faith?, Is iman the same as faith?, Islam insists on reason-based faith, islam is not just va religion but a way of life, Islam the way of life, Islam’s theology insists we should believe by way of reflection, justification for God’s existence, meaning of din in Islam, meaning of iman in Islam, proofs for the existence of God
February 12, 2020

The Soul of Islam is a Vigilant and Mindful Heart

Revelation tells us that muraqabah, vigilance of Allah, is one of the sublimest spiritual stations. We are told too that habituating our heart to such vigilance requires training the heart gradually and step-by-step. Masters of the heart instruct us to accustom ourselves to being mindful and shy of Allah, even if it be for short periods at a time… Continue reading

consider Islam, heart matters, short read, sufism, suluk & spirituality

being mindful of Allah, cultivating a mindful heart, divine vigilance, God is closer to us than our jugular vein, heart of Islam, muraqabah, spiritual vigilance, the soul of Islam is muraqabah, vigilance of God
January 23, 2020

Man, Universe & Macro Theology: Created in God’s Image

Apart from being story-telling creatures, we humans are also meaning-seeking creatures. Once we’re fed, clothed and sheltered, we have an inner tendency to want to find purpose and meaning in things. No matter how much we’re surrounded by comforts, or how much our needs and wants are catered for, we have an innate drive and… Continue reading

consider Islam, ethics & morals, science & religion, theology

adoring g yourselves with the attributes of God[liness], al-Suyuti on Man’s theomorphic nature, explaining the hadith of man being created in God’s image, hadith about beginning of creation, how was the Big Bang discovered?, human hearts are mirrors for God’s attributes, Ibn al-Qayyim on adorning ourselves with Allah’s attributes, Ibn Taymiyyah on Man being a small universe or microcosm, is the Hidden Treasure hadith sound?, islam and Man’s theomorphic nature, takhalluq bi akhlaqillah
October 6, 2019

The Veiling of Islam & Modern Muslimness

With everyone offering their opinion about what Islam is really about, with even far-right voices cashing in on the furore, Muslims are in danger of allowing the essential message of their religion to be drowned out in all the hullabaloo. And while it’s not always easy to essentialize the faith, to sort out Islamic principles… Continue reading

consider Islam, modernity & muslimness, orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, theology

Abdal hakim Murad on not changing religion to please people, calling to Islam with beauty and wisdom, image of Islam in the West, Islam’s image after 9/11, islamophobia, Qur’an on watering-down religion
September 16, 2019

Most Comprehensive Verse in the Qur’an: A Brief Reflection

This Five Minute Meditation is a short reflection on, possibly, the most comprehensive, all-inclusive verse in the Qur’an. It touches upon the meaning of justice and what Islam sees as the greatest and most obligatory act of justice, as well as its opposite: injustice and oppression. It also deliberates on the Islamic obligation to show… Continue reading

consider Islam, ethics & morals, qur’an, tafsir, tadabbur

dangers of normalising sins, definition of injustice and oppression, highest justice in Islam, kindness to family and relatives, meaning of justice, worst type of injustice
September 10, 2019

Limericks to Engage the Faith-Based Mind: 1

Here are a collection of limericks, short and snappy, through which a variety of religious themes and faith-based issues are served-up as quirks, curiosities and, of course, food for thought: I A lad who watched Starsky & Hutch, Then got the Khawarij-like touch. As his raged unfurled, He said: ‘I must change the world. ‘I… Continue reading

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

counterterrorism, Islam and terrorism, khawarij, sufis and salafis, taqlid

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.