This article originally appeared in Middle East Eye In the midst of the ongoing discussions about the link between Islam and violence, and all the different “Islams” considered, one uncomfortable yet fundamental question remains unanswered: Is a Muslim allowed in principle to be violent, should the context justify such behaviour? Based on the discourse as […]
Author Archives: Mohamed Ghilan, M.D, Ph.D.
20
Sep
Sep
In his book Knowledge and the Sacred, Seyyed Hossein Nasr has a blank page before the preface that only has the following lines written on it: يا مريم عليك السلام بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم Ya Maryam ‘alayki’l-salām Bismi’Llāh al-rahmān al-rahīm While the second part was not especially out of the ordinary […]
19
Apr
Apr
This article appeared originally in Al Jazeera English Sorry to ruin this, but when you read poetry by Jalal al-Din Rumi or any other Sufi figure’s poems, the wine is not literal, and Layla is not actually a woman. It is quite a depressing realization to witness great Sufis such as Rumi become reduced to drunkards […]
14
Apr
Apr
Ever since the beginning of Operation Protective Edge, a number of myths in the Zionist propaganda have been exposed one after another. At first, analysts were tackling one or two myths at a time. Then came articles refuting five Israeli talking points on Gaza, including the claim that Hamas provoked Israel by firing their rockets, […]
29
Mar
Mar
كنت أحاور أحد الإخوة في موضوع الدين وموجة الإلحاد الجديدة بين الشباب، وسألته: هل تعلم أي عالم ومفكر هو الأكثر تأثيرا في الغرب؟ أطرق قليلا وقال: لا أدري. قلت له: في سنة ٢٠٠٥ أجرت مجلة بروسبكت استطلاعا وكانت النتيجة تصدر نعوم شومسكي القائمة لتلك السنة. أتدري لم كان ذلك ولماذا يزال شومسكي من أكثر الشخصيات المفكرة والعلمية […]
26
Mar
Mar
Looking at how Saudis have become regular punching bags for not only Western media, but also for Muslims who want to be perceived in a certain way by Western societies, it behooves us to ask why that is. Very few people go through the numbers and dig up statistics to bolster their anti-Saudi rhetoric. Given […]
Arabic is a beautiful language. The nature of its ways of expression, which carry many multitudes of depths of meaning that can be derived from each word, makes one only grow in love and appreciation of it once they learn it. This is best demonstrated in pre-Islamic poetry and ultimately in the Qur’an where Arabic […]
12
Feb
Feb
Arabic is a beautiful language. The nature of its ways of expression, which carry many multitudes of depths of meaning that can be derived from each word, makes one only grow in love and appreciation of it once they learn it. This is best demonstrated in pre-Islamic poetry and ultimately in the Qur’an where the […]
11
Dec
Dec
This article originally appeared in ImanWire Imam Abū Hāmid Al-Ghazzāli in his Deliverance from Error talks about having investigated all the intellectual discourses in order to find certainty. The only discourse he couldn’t intellectually comprehend was that of the Sufīs. He read their books and tried to figure it out, but eventually acknowledged that this was […]
07
Dec
Dec
On the Path: Counsels of Imam Al Junayd is a journey through a number of counsels of the great Muslim sage and scholar Imam Abu Muhammad Junayd Al Baghdadi. When most Muslim scholars fall either more towards the legalistic tradition or the more spiritual tradition known as Sufism, Imam Al Junayd was known as the “Shaykh of […]
04
Sep
Sep
Our modern culture has embraced mockery of anything and everything to the extent that nothing is off limits as the idea of the Sacred has by and large been discarded. The elders, parents, teachers, religion, prophets, and even God Himself have all become regulars on comedy sketches on television and many comedy acts. Mockery has […]
01
Sep
Sep
سألني أحد الطلاب الذين أشرف عليهم في الجامعة: ألا تجد تعارضا بين إيمانك بوجود الله وكونك باحثا في علم المخ؟ هذا السؤال كثيرا ما يطرح علي من قبل الشباب المسلم وغير المسلم وإجابتي كثيرا ما تدهشهم. حقا أجد تعارضا بين إيماني بالله وكوني باحثا في علم المخ، ولكن ليس تعارضا بين الإيمان وعلم المخ. التعارض […]
31
Aug
Aug
قال الدكتور طارق رمضان في كلمة ألقاها في أحد المؤتمرات جملة ما زالت تقارنني: “أخطر سجن هو الذي لا تستطيع أن ترى قضبانه”. نعيش اليوم في عصر يحير العقول. إذا تفكر أحدنا في المبادئ التي توصل إليها بعد تأمل ذاتي، سيجد أن ما يؤمن به إنما كان نتيجة التوارث. المسلم اليوم في أغلب الأحوال لا يستطيع أن […]
“They said, ‘Shu’ayb, does your prayer tell you that we should abandon what our forefathers worshipped and refrain from doing whatever we please with our own property? Indeed you are a tolerant and sensible man.’ He answered, ‘My people, can you not see? What if I am acting on clear evidence from my Lord? He […]
25
Aug
Aug
“They said, ‘Shu’ayb, does your prayer tell you that we should abandon what our forefathers worshipped and refrain from doing whatever we please with our own property? Indeed you are a tolerant and sensible man.’ He answered, ‘My people, can you not see? What if I am acting on clear evidence from my Lord? He […]
In his autobiography Deliverance from Error (Al-Munqidh Min Adh-Dhalal), Imam Abu Hamid Al-Ghazālī explains how he dealt with his skepticism on the path to attaining certainty regarding what beliefs he adopted. He mastered the tenets of the major intellectual movements of his time and authored books in each, garnering the praise of figures within these movements […]
08
Aug
Aug
Philosophy matters. Yet, we find some people steeped in self-assured ideologies, whether it is scientism or zealous religion, continuing to declare that philosophy is a waste of time. Both sides cry out for practicality, and claim philosophy has no real-life applicability. Hence, they declare it a form of idle mental exercise that leads to obfuscation […]
06
Jul
Jul
“The most dangerous prison is the one where you can’t see the bars.” Dr. Tariq Ramadan These are confusing times. A short reflection on what one stands for and what they believe in is bound to generate a self-induced state of anxiety. This is especially the case for many of those raised in traditional households […]
25
May
May
This article originally appeared in Al Jazeera English The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life recently released their latest results from a survey of Muslims around the world on religion, politics and society. Although there is wide variability, it seems that most Muslims want Sharia (Islamic Law) to be the governing law of their countries and […]
10
May
May
After a slow start, Fuller does a very good job of taking down the facile “Islam is the problem” charge when it comes to addressing terrorism. Bringing together a history of social and political developments from across the globe was a good strategy to show with evidence how violence and geopolitical struggles can’t be reduced […]
09
Mar
Mar
The first Hadith any student of the Islamic Tradition will learn is the Hadith of Mercy. In it, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ gives us the recipe for receiving the Mercy of God by saying, “Those who are merciful, the Merciful will have mercy upon them. Have mercy upon those inhabiting the Earth, and the Merciful […]
06
Jan
Jan
يعيش الكثير من الشباب المثقف في دول العالم العربي في وهم حول الغرب و ما آلت إليه مناهجهم في التعامل مع الحياة. الكثير يقرأ عنهم ويرى التقدم العلمي والعملي وما صدر عنهم من موثوقات في حقوق الإنسان وحقوق المرأة والمساواة بين البشر واحترامهم للقوانين في دولهم وعدم وجود الكذب والخداع في التعامل بينهم وحرية المرء في […]
06
Jan
Jan
لا يكاد مسلم يعرف شيئا عن دينه في هذه الأيام إلا وأن يكون قد سمع عن الحديث النبوي الشريف الذي رواه أبو داود عن أبي هريرة رضي الله عنه أنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: إن الله يبعث لهذه الأمة على رأس كل مائة سنة من يجدد لها دينها في بيان معنى التجديد […]
06
Jan
Jan
نعيش الآن في عصرنا الحديث وقد تبنينا الكثير من أساليب الغرب في التفكير والنظرة إلى الحياة التي إذا توقفنا قليلا لقياسها مع تعاليم ديننا، لوجدناها تخرج عن المنظومة الفكرية التي كانت موجودة لدينا قديما حين ازدهار حضارتنا الإسلامية. فقد كثر الحديث في أيامنا هذه عن الإعجاز العلمي في القرءان والحديث النبوي وكذلك البحث عن أساليب […]
05
Jan
Jan
كثيرا ما يسأل الملحد أو المقبل على الإلحاد أسئلة يظن أنها منطقية في حين أنها إن دلت على شيء فإنها تدل على خلط بين الأمور وعدم انتباه إلى القواعد الواهية التي بنيت عليها هذه الأسئلة من الأسئلة التي يكررها الملحد الغربي والتي للأسف أخذ بها الشاب العربي الشغوف بالقرائة والفلسفة الغربية الملحدة هو الاستفسار عن […]
03
Jan
Jan
إذا ما أردت أن تصف العصر الذي نعيشه الآن من ناحية الفكر أو النظرة إلى ماهية المقصود من وجود الإنسان على هذه الأرض، لوجدت أن الشعور السائد عند الكثير من الشباب هو قول الشاعر إننا في زمان لفرط شذوذه *** من لا يجن فيه ليس بعاقل بعد ظهور شبكات الإنترنت وسهولة التواصل بين الناس من […]
13
Feb
Feb
One of the most bewildering things for non-Muslims, especially in the West, is the utter less than zero tolerance of Muslims for anything that could be deemed as disrespectful towards the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. What makes it more puzzling is the generally somber reaction a non-Muslim would receive if they made fun of a Muslim’s […]