salafism reconsidered

June 20, 2013

Fussing Over the 15th of Sha‘ban

Question: Is marking out the 15th night of Sha‘ban (laylat al-nisf min sha‘ban) for extra prayers and devotion sanctioned by Islam, or is doing so judged to be a reprehensible innovation (bid‘ah)? Answer: Each year a fair amount of fussing and fighting takes place over the issue. Yet the truth of the matter is that scholars have long… Continue reading

correctives & clarifications, fiqh & usul al-fiqh, salafism reconsidered

15th night of Sha’ban, fasting the 15th of Sha’ban, fifteenth of Sha’ban, Ibn Taymiyyah and Sha’ban, Prayer of One Thousand Quls, salat al-alfiyyah, Shab-e-Barat, virtues of Sha’ban, what a muqallid can and cannot do
February 15, 2013

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Firasah

Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah remarked: ‘O you who are defenceless! Beware the spiritual insight of the godly one, for he sees your hidden deeds from behind a veil: “Beware the spiritual insight of a believer, for he sees with the light of God.”1‘2 Spiritual insight, or firasah, is a faith-based insight that God casts into the hearts… Continue reading

salafism reconsidered, sufism, suluk & spirituality

firasah, Ibn Taymiyyah’s miracles, karamat, spiritual intuition
February 12, 2013

The Seventy-Three Sects: Is Most of this Ummah Deviant?

The Qur’an goes to great lengths to stress the need and obligation of Muslim unity. For instance, it states in a celebrated verse: Hold fast, altogether, to the rope of God and be not divided. [3:102] It also says: Be not like the idolaters; who split up their religion and become sects, each party rejoicing… Continue reading

correctives & clarifications, orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, salafism reconsidered, theology

ahl al-bid’ah, ahl al-sunnah wa’l-jama’ah, firqat al-najiyah, following the salaf, innovators, Islamic orthodoxy, saved-sect
January 29, 2013

‘Aqidah Comes First! Doesn’t It?

“‘Aqidah comes first” is a phrase which has, over the last quarter of a century, become a slogan in some Muslims quarters. Yet there can be no denying that ‘aqidah or belief (from ‘aqada: to tie, bind, fasten securely; from which comes the idea of tying certain beliefs to one’s heart in utter conviction of them), is the single most important aspect… Continue reading

salafism reconsidered, theology

‘aqidah, creed, holistic Islam, Ibn Hajr al-‘Asqalani, Islam & ethics, message of Islam’s early revelations, societal obligations
January 18, 2013

The Prophet ﷺ and His Lovers

Believing men and women down the centuries have not just affirmed the Prophet Muhammad’s prophethood and teachings, they experienced him as an intimate and intensely beloved presence in their lives too. ‘None of you truly has faith,’ said the Prophet, peace be upon him, ‘until I become more beloved to him than his father, son and… Continue reading

prophetology, salafism reconsidered

al-Dhahabi on veneration of the Prophet, exaggeration about the Prophet, limits of love and veneration, loving the Prophet, obligation to revere the Prophet, venerating the Prophet
December 11, 2012

Yearning for the Prophet ﷺ

The Prophet said, peace be upon him: ‘Among those of my nation (ummah) that most fervently love me will be a people who shall come after me, and who would give up their family and property in exchange for being able to see me.’1 The lady ‘A’ishah related: A man came to the Prophet, peace be upon… Continue reading

prophetology, salafism reconsidered

Al-Dhahabi, date-palm tree, Hasan al-Basri, Imam Ahmad, love of the Prophet, relics of the Prophet, the Prophet’s hair
November 28, 2012

“We Only Follow the Qur’an & Sunnah.” Really?

In an earlier post (it can be read here), I discussed how the words of the Four Imams (Abu Hanifah, Malik, al-Shafi‘i and Ahmad bin Hanbal) concerning taqlid (incorrectly translated as “blind following”) continue to be misunderstood and misused by many groups and individuals today. In this post, I wish to tie-up some loose ends on the subject of… Continue reading

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

blind-following, ijtihad, madhhabs, taqlid
November 9, 2012

Reading Qur’an for the Deceased

Question: Is it permitted to donate the reward of one’s recitation of the Qur’an to a deceased person, and will they benefit by such recitation? Or is this an innovation (bid‘ah) that opposes orthodox Islam, as claimed by certain people? Answer: Unfortunately, this issue has become a cause of great controversy and fiery disputes between Muslims in… Continue reading

correctives & clarifications, fiqh & usul al-fiqh, qur’an, tafsir, tadabbur, salafism reconsidered

can the Qur’an be read for the dead?, is reading Qur’an for the dead a bid’ah?, isal al-thawab, Islamic ruling of Qur’an khatam, passing on the rewards to the deceased
October 17, 2012

Practical Steps for Learning Fiqh

According to Imam al-Nawawi (d.676H/1277CE), there are two opinions whether a lay person is obligated to follow one school of law (madhhab) or not. He stipulates: ‘What the proof necessitates is that a layman is not required to adhere to a specific madhhab. Instead, he seeks a fatwa from whomsoever he chooses or whomsoever he encounters… Continue reading

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

advantages of following a madhhab, does a layman have to follow a school of thought, seven steps to learning a madhhab, should we follow a madhhab, studying fiqh, taqlid and madhhabs
October 9, 2012

The Four Imams: Did They Forbid the Layman from Taqlid?

Let me clarify two issues before I explain the point of this post. The first issue that needs clarifying is: what is taqlid? The second one is: who are the Four Imams? [1] As an Arabic word, taqlid stems from qallada, meaning: ‘To place a collar (qiladah) around the neck.’1 It is called this because the person who does taqlid, the muqallid, entrusts his affair… Continue reading

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

Abu Hanifah, Ahmad bin Hanbal, al-Shafi’i, blind-following, Four Imams, Hanafi, Hanbali, Imam Malik, madhhabs, Maliki, medieval Muslim law colleges, Muslim schools of law, Shafi’i, 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.