Saturday, May 30, 2009

Imam al-Ghazali in his autobiography on sincerity and intention

"Then I reflected on my intention in my public teaching, and I saw that it was not directed purely to God, but rather was instigated and motivated by the quest for fame and widespread prestige. So I became certain that I was on the brink of a crumbling bank and already on the verge of falling into the Fire, unless I set about mending my ways.

I therefore reflected unceasingly on this for some time, while I still had freedom of choice. One day I would firmly resolve to leave Baghdad and disengage myself from those circumstances, and another day I would revoke my resolution. I would put one foot forward, and the other backward. In the morning I would have a sincere desire to seek the things of the afterlife; but by evening the hosts of passion would assail it and render it lukewarm. Mundane desires began tugging me with their chains to remain as I was, while the herald of faith was crying out: "Away! Up and away! Only a little is left of your life, and a long journey lies before you! All the theory an practice in which you are engrossed is eyeservice and fakery! If you do not prepare now for the afterlife, when will you do so? And if you do not sever these attachments now, then when will you sever them?"-pg. 78-79 of Deliverance from Error (al-Munqidh min al-Dalal) from the translation by R.J. McCarthy 

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

Dr. Umar and Abdal Hakim Murad on Reason

Two papers to check out:

Abdal Hakim Murad (TJ Winter) has "Reason as Balance: the evolution of 'aql" as a paper for the Cambridge Muslim College while Dr. Umar Faruq Abd-Allah's first "operational principle" in the Nawawi paper "Living Islam with Purpose" is Trusting Reason.

What do you think?

Monday, May 25, 2009

The case for an American madrassah

Article by Junaid M. Afeef about Zaytuna College:
The dearth of American Islamic scholars in America is palpable. This is a real problem. Islam and the Muslim world have both become critically important in the national and international affairs of America. The lack of American Islamic scholars creates a barrier to properly understanding Islam and its relationship to modern American society.

Read the rest here

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Washington Post: A Place to Explore Muslim American Life: Altmuslim.com

Saturday, May 23, 2009

From his home in Austin, Shahed Amanullah, 41, runs six popular Web sites that explore topics of interest to Muslims -- with two more to go online shortly. A senior project manager at an engineering firm by day, the American-born Amanullah has built a mini-Internet empire. His sites include one that reviews restaurants that meet Islamic dietary restrictions and another that reviews mosques. On a more esoteric note, he has a Web site for the best Muslim writing on the Web and a site that explores gender issues in Islam. But his highest-profile Web site is

Alt.muslim.com, a forum for Muslims and non-Muslims to explore contemporary, often controversial, topics as they intersect with Islam: terrorism, politics, culture and comedy. Washington Post staff writer Jacqueline L. Salmon interviewed Amanullah about his work. Here is an edited transcript: