The Humble I

Knowing, Doing, Becoming

knowledge & learning

August 28, 2012

Did Abu Hurayrah Have Secret Spiritual Knowledge?

Al-Bukhari records in his Sahih, no.120, that Abu Hurayrah stated: ‘I preserved from the Messenger of God, peace be upon him, two vessels of knowledge. The first I have disseminated among people. If I were to circulate the other, my throat would be slit.‘ Some contend the vessel of knowledge Abu Hurayrah, may God be pleased… Continue reading

correctives & clarifications, knowledge & learning

exoticism and esoterims, Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalani, Inward and outward knowledge, spiritual knowledge, Ummayds, Yazid b. Mu’awiyah
August 23, 2012

The Seven Rules to Seeking Sacred Knowledge

The duties instated by faith are a necessary measure in order to regulate human affairs, guide man, prevent him from straying, as well as dissuade him from self-harm or harming others. By recognising that the Sacred Law (sharī‘ah) exists to guide and protect us, we can attain to a reasonable equilibrium in this world and… Continue reading

fiqh & usul al-fiqh, knowledge & learning, salafism reconsidered

Dhahabi, Ghazali, Islamic knowledge, obligatory knowledge, prioritising religious learning, sacred knowledge

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.

knowledge & learning

Did Abu Hurayrah Have Secret Spiritual Knowledge?

The Seven Rules to Seeking Sacred Knowledge