Category: Articles
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Understanding Modesty in Islam: A Clear Guide for New Muslims
For many new Muslims, modesty can feel like one of the most confusing parts of Islam. People speak about it with strong opinions. Some reduce it to clothing alone. Others turn it into a long list of severe rules. Still others dismiss it as something cultural, flexible, or unimportant. A new Muslim can easily feel…
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How We Are Failing New Muslims — and How We Can Do Better
If you have been Muslim for a long time—whether you were born into Islam or came to it years ago—you may not realize how overwhelming our communities can feel to someone who has only just entered the faith. A person takes shahada, and we rejoice. We smile, hug them, congratulate them, tell them they are…
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From Israel to the World: How Islam Restored Pure Monotheism
There is, from the Islamic point of view, one great river of revelation running through human history. It begins not with many competing faiths, but with one call repeated by prophet after prophet: worship God alone, obey Him sincerely, and do not associate partners with Him. Islam teaches that the religion of all the prophets…
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Polygamy in Islam: Its Place, Its Limits, and Its Challenges in the West
Polygamy in Islam, more precisely polygyny, remains one of the most misunderstood subjects in contemporary Muslim discourse. Some critics portray it as proof of female oppression, while some Muslims speak of it too casually, as though it were little more than a male privilege waiting to be claimed. Neither view does justice to the Islamic…
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Imam Malik ibn Anas: The Scholar of Madinah
There are some men in Islamic history whose names do not merely belong to the past. Their names still carry weight in the soul. They still evoke reverence, still call the heart toward seriousness, still remind us that sacred knowledge is not a game, not a performance, and not a ladder for worldly status. Among…
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The Ashʿarī School of Theology
Among the great intellectual and spiritual inheritances of Sunni Islam, the Ashʿarī school of theology holds a place of enduring importance. It is not merely a historical school remembered for technical disputes, nor simply one method among many for discussing doctrine. Rather, it stands as one of the most significant Sunni efforts to defend, clarify,…
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The Special Characteristics of the Maliki Madhhab
By Shaykh Muḥammad al-Ta’wīl Scholar and Teacher at Al-Qarawiyyīn Central Mosque Fes, Morocco Translated by Abdullah bin Hamid Ali 7 Ramadan 1425 / October 21, 2004 The following translation has been adopted from the annual Ramadan lectures delivered in the presence of the King of Morocco, Muḥammad VI. The lessons were originally initiated by his father, King…
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How to Study the Maliki Madhab
The Maliki madhab is a wonderful legal system, whose contribution to Islamic fiqh is huge and influential. Many have asked about a clear way to approach studying the school. What follows below is my own suggestion, based on my own experiences and consultations with local scholars in my home of Arabia. I know that the…
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The Muslim’s Belief
By Shaikh Muhammad as-Saleh Al-‘UthaiminTranslated by Dr. Maneh Al-Johani Chapter I: Our CreedBelief in Allah’s Lordship, Oneness, and Attributes Allah’s Will Universal and Legal – More of Allah’s Attributes – Describing Allah by His Revelation. Chapter II: The Qur’an and SunnahSources of His Attributes – Free From Contradictions. Chapter III: AngelsBelief – Angel’s Functions. Chapter…
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Halal Is Not Kosher
An Introduction to Islamic Dietary Rules for New Muslims One of the first practical changes many new Muslims begin to think about is food. Very quickly, you start hearing words like halal, haram, zabiha, and sometimes even, “Kosher is basically the same thing.” But while Islamic and Jewish dietary laws do share some similarities, they…