loving Allah’s Beloved

October 24, 2013

The Prophet’s Character ﷺ

This is a short piece translated from Ibn Qudamah’s Mukhtasar Minhaj al-Qasidin. It distills a picture the Quran and hadiths build up of the Prophet’s virtues and character, peace be upon him: integrity, honesty, steadfastness, courage, kindness, compassion, courtesy, and other qualities too numerous to list. To say the Prophet’s is a life well documented Continue reading

ethics & morals, prophetology

character traits of the Prophet Muhammad, Ibn Qudamah, love for the Prophet, loving Allah’s Beloved, Prophet’s description, shama’il, venerating the Prophet
September 20, 2012

Beholding the Prophet’s Status ﷺ

Mainstream, orthodox Islam (Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah) has long prided itself on preserving and transmitting the descriptions and distinctions of the blessed Prophet, peace be upon him. Tirmidhi’s much celebrated Shama’il, that depicts the beautiful attributes – physical and moral – of the Prophet, peace be upon him, is one such work in this heritage. Imam Continue reading

orthodoxy & ahl al-sunnah, prophetology, salafism reconsidered, theology

‘lim al-ghayb, did the prophet have knowledge of the unseen?, knowing the rights of the Chosen one, loving Allah’s Beloved, shama’il, status of the Prophet, the Prophet’s maqam, venerating the Prophet, yearning for the Prophet

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.

loving Allah’s Beloved

The Prophet’s Character ﷺ

Beholding the Prophet’s Status ﷺ