In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Humiliation

Toil to glory, ambitions raise,
dream your story, chase their praise,
win, succeed, defeat, amaze,
speed on in heady, hazy daze.
“Witty!”, “Smart!”, “Strong!”, “O, so wise!”
Seize that heart, delight those eyes!
More! Again! Go on! Devise!
Their pleasure has a seemly guise!
“Avenge!” “Defeat!” “Don’t let that go!”
(You feel the heat.) “You teach [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
My son learned an initial version of this rhyme at an Islamic children’s story group in Kharabsheh. The heroic story of the great Muslim general, Tariq b. Ziyad–which I tell in my course on the history of Muslim Spain–inspired me to tinker with the rhyme a little, [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “There was once a merchant who would sell on credit. Whenever he saw someone who didn’t have enough money to pay him back, he would tell his servants, “Forgive his debt; perhaps Allah will then forgive us,” [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Fire and Garden
When the fire of rage screams madly its din,
consuming its fuel of angry chagrin
and tempts you to drink from the poison of sin
then gaze at the Fire and the Garden within.
Feel how revenge and contempt fan its flame,
how it explodes and then spits out its [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
The shari`a has both letter and spirit. Terse and technical manuals of Islamic Law rarely bring out the spirit on their own. Students normally learn the spirit by studying these manuals from godfearing shaykhs.
When a student has awe and reverence for a godfearing shaykh, he learns more [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Imam Bukhari narrates that a certain Companion heard a man recite qul huwa allahu ahad repeatedly at night. When morning came, he went to the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) and told him about what he had heard, deeming slight and paltry [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Treasure
Have you ever seen a beggar?
Have you ever heard a mourner?
Have you ever wondered, ever,
how everything you have’s a treasure?
Yes, that bite of bread’s a treasure.
Yes, that roof and wall’s a treasure.
Your healthy, laughing child’s a treasure.
Your peaceful, restful sleep’s a treasure.
The next time you complain, remember.
When [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
Last night marked the completion of the Living the Hadith program here in Virginia, where I have been teaching Introductory Arabic, Hadith and its Disciplines, and Nawawi’s 40 Hadith for the last two weeks. Students traveled long distances to be a part of the program and the [...]

I’m teaching a new course this semester called The Pearl of Divine Oneness. Every week, I spend several hours preparing for the class, and every week, I am struck by the intellectual confidence of the Muslim theologians (mutakallimin).
No issue is beyond debate. No objection is taboo. Nothing to hide. No censorship.
The response to critique is [...]

In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate
The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Traveling [away from home] is a piece of punishment: it keeps you from your food, drink, and sleep. So when you accomplish your need, make haste to return to your family.” (Bukhari and Muslim)
Shaykh `Izz b. `Abd [...]