Releasing the Cage from the Heart of the Bird
Our esteemed friend, Dr Muhammad Salim, once recited a verse in Urdu that still echoes in my ears: “I released a bird from its…
Spirituality
Spirituality, in this tradition, is the inward dimension of a faith lived outwardly. This large collection gathers Shaykh Akram Nadwi’s writing on the heart, sincerity, restraint, and the ordinary struggles of the soul. The articles keep the inner life tied to knowledge and conduct, treating spiritual growth as inseparable from how a person thinks and behaves.
Featured in Spirituality
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Formation of thoughts: an inquiry into the pre-discursive
Human cognition, though commonly associated with rationality, linguistic structure, and the articulation of concepts, is rooted in layers of experience that precede reflective thought altogether. Before cognition becomes available to introspection or deployable as inferential…
Duʿāʾ
An Illustration There is a famous tale from Alf Laylah wa-Laylah (The Arabian Nights): “ʿAlī Bābā and the Forty Thieves.” We have all read…
Is There Blind Imitation in This Too?
You pray — yet your prayer is nothing but hollow movement, empty words devoid of humility and submission, without spirit and without light. You…
If someone wishes to take your shirt, let him have your cloak as well
One of the well-known wise admonitions of ʿĪsā ʿalayhi al-salām is: “And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have…
Balancing Confidence and Humility in Serving the Dīn
A student’s questions My student, a sincere seeker of knowledge and dedicated teacher, Nilofer Ahmadi, wrote to me: Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuh,…
Who Are You?
You say that with but a single gesture of yours lamps are extinguished, lanterns go dark, stars hide themselves, the moon vanishes into eclipse,…
The Golden Age of Letter Writing: Faint Memories of a Lost Civilisation
“I called you, but you did not pick up.” “I sent you a WhatsApp message, but you did not think it proper to reply.”…
You are the Proof
All praise is due to You that we have known You. It is by Your favour alone that we have recognised You. How did…
Three Whose Supplications Are Not Answered – An Analysis of the Ḥadīth
A respected query was conveyed to me from Maulana Miṣbāḥ Aḥmad Qāsimī, through the kind offices of Ḥāfiẓ Maḥmūd Karīm Ṣāḥib: Maulana Dr Akram…
Which Aspect of the Intellect do I Admire Most?
Ordinarily, Muftī Ṣāḥib and I engage in debates on a daily basis, and almost every matter becomes a point of contention between us. Yet…
Horizons of Silence: Flight from Heathrow to Chicago
It is the morning of the 28th of August 2025. I am seated in the lounge of London Heathrow Airport. Every passing moment feels…
Sharing Halwa in Return
On Wednesday, the 26th of Ṣafar, 1446 Hijrī, I went, as usual, to the hotel restaurant for breakfast. The place was alive with its…
Questions & Answers on Spirituality
View all Q&A →Knowing oneself through returning to the Dīn
My student, Abu Hanifah Dilawar, forwarded to me the following question: Assalāmu ʿalaykum wa raḥmatullāhi wa barakātuhu, Shaykh. This is a question from a Bangladeshi reader of the Bangla Facebook page who regularly reads your articles. They wrote: “I could…
Seeking help, crowdfunding, and mortgage
Assalamu Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh Shaykh. I pray you are well in sha Allah. I have a question. Can we apply for crowdfunding, or can we raise fund through such platforms once end up in financial hardship? Is it…
The nature of waswasah
Assalamu Alaykum Shaykh, My question is about how Shayatin can adversely impact our lives with their waswasahs? Do all mental health issues, such as overthinking and panic attacks, emerge from waswasah? How can we stop it? Are they signs of…