Within the long and sophisticated tradition of Islamic scholarship, several technical terms have emerged to describe the processes through which the Qurʾān is understood, interpreted, and internalised. Among these, three concepts have acquired particular prominence: tafsīr (exegesis), taʾwīl (interpretive return or interpretive determination), and tadabbur (reflective contemplation). Although discussions of Qurʾānic interpretation often concentrate on… Continue reading Tafsīr, taʾwīl, and tadabbur
Nadwa’s Lentils
It is often said that whoever has not lived in the hostel of Nadwa cannot truly be a Nadwi. At first glance, this sentence appears to be a cheerful exaggeration, yet within it lies a very subtle thread of truth. The hostel life at Nadwa was not merely a story of teaching, learning, books, and… Continue reading Nadwa’s Lentils
The Earliest Manuscript of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim in the Handwriting of Ibn al-Khāḍibah
The book Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim by the Imām, ḥadīth master Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj al-Naysābūrī (d. 261 AH) is regarded as one of the most eminent compilations of the Prophetic Sunnah and, after Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī by Imām Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī, it is considered by scholars to be the most authentic book of ḥadīth. Since its composition,… Continue reading The Earliest Manuscript of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim in the Handwriting of Ibn al-Khāḍibah
Reminder: Despair is more hideous than the fire of hell
O soul! Beware, beware of despairing of the Spirit of God, and beware, beware of losing hope in His mercy. Truly, the heart’s turning towards despair and hopelessness is far more hideous than its turning towards the fire of Hell. For the fire of Hell, though fierce and dreadful, torments the body, whereas despair is… Continue reading Reminder: Despair is more hideous than the fire of hell
See the World Through the Eyes of Mawlānā Abū al-ʿIrfān Nadwī
In the history of human societies there is a strange yet repeatedly recurring tragedy: when a weakness becomes widespread, people begin to regard it as a standard. If the majority is ignorant, ignorance is renamed simplicity; and if most people avoid reflection, that lack of thought is disguised under the title of peace of mind.… Continue reading See the World Through the Eyes of Mawlānā Abū al-ʿIrfān Nadwī
Reminder: How ignorant you are of the beauty of Joseph!
How ignorant you are of the beauty of Joseph! You imagined that Joseph’s beauty was confined to the image, and you assumed that the outward appearance encompassed the whole meaning. How mistaken you were, and how misguided was your soul in its fascination with the surface! Know that if you sought to emulate Joseph’s outward… Continue reading Reminder: How ignorant you are of the beauty of Joseph!
Reminder: I made the Scale ashamed
When I presented my deeds on the Scale of God on the Day of Judgment, my soul trembled with shame, and the Scale itself seemed to shudder with embarrassment. For I beheld the works I possessed—feeble, insubstantial, carrying no weight in the sight of the Most Merciful, and I had never imagined that I would… Continue reading Reminder: I made the Scale ashamed
Reminder: The stranger who loses the path of his journey
I was born in Paradise, beside the Lord of all worlds, and it was for me a homeland untouched by decay, a dwelling unchallenged by fear, and a companionship unmarred by solitude. I was accustomed to its bliss, its ease, its shade, and to its perfection, so pure that words could never fully convey it.… Continue reading Reminder: The stranger who loses the path of his journey
Reminder: Do not be angered if you are called ignorant
Do not be angered if you are called ignorant; for does a person truly resent a title that he deserves? Indeed, the acknowledgement of ignorance may well be the first gate to knowledge and the most truthful path to wisdom. Do you not see that you are ignorant of the Creator, ignorant of creation, and… Continue reading Reminder: Do not be angered if you are called ignorant
Reminder: Then—death
What is life but a fleeting moment between dawn and sunset: it begins with a cry and ends in silence, passing like a drifting cloud that never settles in one state. A person runs after hopes and gathers from the world whatever he can, imagining that tomorrow stretches endlessly before him. Yet suddenly he realises… Continue reading Reminder: Then—death