The Humble I

Knowing, Doing, Becoming

Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani

October 16, 2020

Adab’s Golden Rule & Its Minimum Rule

SHAYKH ‘ABD AL-QADIR AL-JILANI’S “golden rule” is the height we must aspire to in how to be sincerely devoted to God, intending only His good pleasure without others sharing in our worship of Him; and how to be of sincere service to people: كُنْ مَعَ الْحَقِّ بِلا خَلْقٍ وَ مَعَ الْخَلْقِ بِلا نَفْس ‘Be with… Continue reading

ethics & morals, short read, short texts for reflection

Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, akhlaq of a Muslim, golden rule of behaviour, Islam’s adab and akhlaq, minimum rule of behaviour, true adab, Yahya b. Mu‘adh al-Razi
October 27, 2015

Turning to God After All Else Has Failed Us

Isn’t it the height of bad faith if we turn to God only after everyone else, or after everything else, has failed us? Isn’t that trivialising God’s greatness that we’ve put Him last on our list? If so, will He still listen to my plea for help? Should I still turn to Him? Or will it be a case of: ‘The cheek of it!’? ♦ In… Continue reading

short read, short texts for reflection, sufism, suluk & spirituality

Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, divine mercy, Divine mercy gives hope, God is All-Forgiving, God is the Eraser of Sins, God turns to the broken-hearted., God’s kindness, monotheism nurtures hope, never despair of God’s forgiveness
September 4, 2012

‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani: See[k]ing God in the Shopping Mall

In our second visit to the discourses of the saintly shaykh, ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (the first outing may be read here), we find him discussing the issue of going to the market place: or, in our time, the shopping mall. While it is beyond doubt that markets and commerce have played a critical role in Muslim… Continue reading

sufism, suluk & spirituality, wealth & trade

Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani, buying & selling, markets, trade in Islam

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.

Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani

Adab’s Golden Rule & Its Minimum Rule

Turning to God After All Else Has Failed Us

‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani: See[k]ing God in the Shopping Mall