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…
Khawarij Ideology, ISIS Savagery: the Wahhabi Inspiration?
It has now been four years since I started this three part instalment. It's been over three years since I wrote the rough outlines for this third and final part. One thing or another, however, stopped me from completing it. But given Saudi Arabia's current socio-religious changes or transition under the Crown Prince Muhammad b.…
Duty of Muslims & the Scholars to Right Wrongs and Oppression
Q. What is our Islamic duty when one Muslim mistreats, exploits, oppresses or tyrannises another? And what should the role of Muslim scholars be in addressing the tyranny and injustices perpetrated by the state? A. Alhamduli'Llah, wa'l-salatu wa'l-salamu 'ala rasuli'Llah. In theory, the answer is pretty straightforward. In practice, it may often be tricky - especially…
Islam’s Five Big Questions of Life
Just about everyone, at one time or another, wonders about life's big questions: How did we get here? Why are we here? And where are we going? In these five short presentations, Shaykh Surkheel Abu Aaliyah address these Big Questions from the point of view of Islam and the Qur'an. These short videos address some…
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…