degrees of hope

January 13, 2013

The Doors of Faith, Fear & Hope

The Qur’an says: And call on Him in fear and hope. Indeed God’s mercy is near to the doers of good. [7:56] In depicting the believers, the Qur’an declares: They hope for His mercy yet fear His torment; the torment of your Lord is something to be avoided. [17:57] It is said that the heart, in its worship of God, Continue reading

sufism, suluk & spirituality

degrees of fear, degrees of hope, fear of God, hope in God’s mercy, ibn juzayy, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

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.

degrees of hope

The Doors of Faith, Fear & Hope