theology

May 14, 2025

Islam’s Five Big Life Questions

‘THE STARTING POINT of any religion is wonderment. The sheer mystery of our lives demands an explanation. From the gas clouds floating in interstellar space, to the tiniest subatomic particles, the realm of action into which we have been thrust must be understood if we are to know how to live. “The unexamined life is Continue reading

consider Islam, da’wah & muslim apologetics, theology

defining true belief, Islam’s epistemology, Islam’s existential question, proofs for God, the big questions
September 18, 2022

A Few Thoughts On the Death of Non-Muslims

SOME MUSLIMS LABOUR under the mistaken notion that given the enormity of disbelief in Allah’s final Prophet ﷺ and Revelation, one must not speak well of a non-Muslim (kafir) when they pass away on disbelief. Islamic teachings do not, however, require or insist upon such an uncharitable approach. Many non-Muslims died during the lifetime of Continue reading

contemporary concerns, short read, theology

how should we behave when non-Muslims die, Queen’s death, sending condolence on death of non-Muslims, the three ways Prophet spoke of deceased non-Muslims
April 12, 2022

Learning Tawhid in Ten Minutes Or Ten Years?

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 Continue reading

contemporary concerns, knowledge & learning, salafism reconsidered, theology

can tawhid be learnt in five minutes?, false salafism and blinkered tawhid, Islamic monotheism, learning iman before Quran, nurturing the realities of faith, tawhid
July 25, 2021

Islam’s Evolution Question

Is Islam’s account of Man’s origin true, or has the Theory of Evolution shown it to be false? This article takes Evolution’s core mainstream claims and inspects them in the light of orthodox Muslim theology. In doing so, we will come to see that the Islamic view on Evolution isn’t one of wholesale rejection (as is often assumed), Continue reading

contemporary concerns, correctives & clarifications, da’wah & muslim apologetics, science & religion, theology

How do Muslims square the fossil record with Islam?, Is evolution just a theory?, Is the Quranic story of Adam a metaphor?, is theistic evolution in agreement with Islam?, what does Islam say about evolution?
June 3, 2021

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 Continue reading

contemporary concerns, correctives & clarifications, knowledge & learning, orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, salafism reconsidered, theology

al-albani and salafi manhaj, difference between salafi ‘aqidah and manhaj, difference between true and false salafism, signs of false salafism, what is true salafism?, when did the term salafi start?, when didi Hilmi invent the term salafi manhaj?, who invented salafi manhaj?, why salafi manhaj?
May 24, 2021

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 Continue reading

contemporary concerns, knowledge & learning, orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, salafism reconsidered, short texts for reflection, theology

are most Muslims in hellfire?, are today’s salafis the real saved sect?, is the saved sect a tiny clique of people?, meaning of salafism, place of ijma‘ in Sunni orthodoxy, salafi ‘aqidah v. salafi manhaj, splitting over ijtihadi issues is hallmark of deviants, true salafism v. false salafism, who are the innovators?, who or what is a salafi?
February 22, 2021

Denying the Hadiths About Jesus’ Second Coming

Q. As a Muslim, must we believe in the return of Jesus, peace be upon him, and also in the Dajjal? Why are such matters not mentioned in the Qur’an? And is it true that the ahadith which mention them are all lies and fabrications? ♦ A. Alhamduli’Llah wa’l-salatu wa’l-salamu ‘ala rasulillah. Before launching into a Continue reading

correctives & clarifications, knowledge & learning, orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, theology

ahl al-Sunnah on Jesus and the Dajjal, etiquette of refutation culture, Hanbali position on ahad hadiths, Islamic ruling about rejecting the descent of jjesus during the End Days, Islamic ruling on denying a mutawatir hadith, peace be upon him, proofs for the return of Jesus, reality of tadlis in the hadith science, replying to the objection about Jesus’ return and fighting the Dajjal, scholarly consensus about Jesus’ return, status of al-Zuhri in Islam, tadlis and the mudallisun, was Imam al-Zuhri a mudallis?, what islam says about the second coming of Christ
December 19, 2020

The Hanbalis & Merry Christmas: To Greet or Not To Greet?

Q. Is it true that Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal and classical Hanbali scholars allowed Muslims to offer Christmas greeting to Christians? Based on this, a few fatwas today now allow us to wish our Christian friends, family or colleagues a Merry Christmas. Is this correct? A. I’ll address the issue of whether Hanbali jurists allowed offering Christmas greetings Continue reading

contemporary concerns, correctives & clarifications, fiqh & usul al-fiqh, hanbali fiqh, theology

Bin Bayyah’s fatwa on Christmas greetings, Can a Muslim take part in Christmas parties and celebrations?, can Muslims wish others a Merry Christmas?, Hanbalis forbid Christmas greetings, Islamic ruling on giving Christmas greetings, the Hanbali view on offering Christmas greetings, what does the shari’a say about offering Christmas greetings?
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
June 9, 2020

Kalam & the Hanbalis: Is It Really Relevant Today?

Often rendered into English as ‘theology’, ‘ilm al-kalam (or kalam, for short) is the science which establishes and elaborates upon matters of doctrine and belief. Because it depends upon reason-based arguments, it is ‘discursive’: hence ‘ilm al-kalam is sometimes referred to as discursive theology. In its more conjectural or philosophical form – a form where it Continue reading

contemporary concerns, correctives & clarifications, hanbali fiqh, knowledge & learning, modernity & muslimness, orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, reason, religion, rationality, theology

Al-Ghazali on kalam, brief history of kalam in Islam, challenges of Muslim theologians today, contemporary issues in Islamic theology, difference between kalam and ‘aqidah, good books to critique modernity from traditional faith perspective, how a Muslim can best learn their ‘aqidah or beliefs?, Ibn Juzayy on kalam, Ibn Taymiyyah on kalam, is kalam relevant today?, Is the science of kalam obsolete today?, Islam and rationality, Islamic critiques of the post-modern secular world, proofs for God’s existence, questioning scientism, verifying the two premises of the kalam cosmological argument, what is the hanbali stance on kalam theology?, what is the kalam cosmological argument?, what relevancy does kalam have in the 21st century?

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.