By the late eighties, or maybe the early nineties, ‘‘Aqidah comes first’ started to become something of a slogan in certain Muslim quarters here in Britain. It can’t be dismissed that ‘aqidah, ‘creed’ or ‘belief’ (from ‘aqada: to tie, bind, fasten securely - out of which comes the idea of tying certain beliefs to the heart in utter conviction of…
Modernity & Compulsory Schooling: the Theft of Children’s Minds?
‘We don't need no education We don't need no thought control No dark sarcasm in the class room Teachers leave them kids alone Hey teachers leave them kids alone! All in all it's just another brick in the wall.’ [Pink Floyd, Brick in the Wall] IN 1800 ONLY five percent of Britain had any formal…
Milk for Babes, Meat for Men: The Three Kinds of Tafsir
In Dan Brown’s novel, The Lost Symbol, the book’s central character, Professor Robert Langdon, is told that the Biblical ‘manna from heaven’ - the food God sent down to the Israelites during their long desert travels - is actually a code word for a profounder scientific truth understood only by those initiated. As part of…
On True Salafism, False Salafism & Ijma‘ Theology (2/2)
Keen readers of the blog might realise that the last time I addressed the issue of Salafism and orthodoxy was when this blog first started, back in 2012. I haven't returned to the subject till now. The reason for that is straightforward. This is a day and age, and it's probably been like this for…
On True Salafism, False Salafism & Ijma‘ Theology (1/2)
Much has been written about Salafism (salafiyyah) over the past half a century or so, particularly after 9-11. Among Muslims who ascribe to Sunni Islam, the whole concept of Salafism and what it stands for (and what it has done at the ground level) continues to be a source of great contention. While some see…