Islamic Mentalities

26/01/2026

What we really need is knowledge, noble character, and good faith towards all people and nations.

26/01/2026

Mehmed II, known as Mehmed the Conqueror (c. 1432–1481), was the Ottoman Sultan who fundamentally reshaped world history by capturing Constantinople in 1453. This monumental victory at the age of 21 ended the thousand-year Byzantine Empire and transformed the Ottoman state into a formidable, transcontinental empire. Renowned as both a ruthless military strategist and a Renaissance-style patron of learning, Mehmed revitalized Constantinople (renamed Istanbul) as his imperial capital, commissioning grand architectural projects, inviting scholars to his court, and fostering a vibrant, multi-ethnic culture. His reign marked the definitive shift of power and cultural gravity from the Christian medieval world to a rising Islamic empire, securing Ottoman dominance for centuries and permanently altering the geopolitical and cultural landscape of Europe and the Middle East.

26/01/2026

The Isra' and Mi'raj, the Night Journey and Ascension of the Prophet Muhammad, is a profound spiritual event in Islamic tradition. From a scientific perspective, its significance lies not in a literal celestial navigation, but in its powerful symbolic implications for the pursuit of knowledge. The journey transcends earthly constraints, symbolizing the limitless potential of the human intellect and spirit to ascend beyond the visible world in search of truth. It inspired generations of Muslim scientists and philosophers, like Ibn al-Haytham and al-Biruni, to see the cosmos as a coherent creation worthy of intense study. Their empirical investigations into astronomy, optics, and physics were often framed as a quest to understand the signs (ayat) of the Divine in the universe—a tangible, intellectual journey mirroring the spiritual ascent, demonstrating that faith and reason could be complementary paths to enlightenment.

26/01/2026

Do you know Shaykh Abdul Rashid Sufi, the famous Qur’an reciter known across the world? When he was young, he suffered from severe and terrifying affliction. Each time he closed his eyes, he would be tormented by jinn, leaving him unable to sleep and exhausted throughout the day. This trial continued for a long period, weighing heavily on his heart and body, until he reached a point where he could no longer bear it.

In deep humility and desperation, he turned to Allah and cried out, “O Allah, I am a hafiz of Your Qur’an, yet these jinn are terrorising me. You have told us that the devils are weak.” With complete reliance upon Allah, he made a firm resolve. He sat in one place and said to himself that he would not move until he had recited the entire Qur’an in that very spot. That day, by the will of Allah, he completed the recitation in full.

That night, he finally went to sleep and saw those same jinn in his dream. Before, they appeared to him as enormous beings, their feet on the earth and their heads reaching the sky. Now, however, they had shrunk before his eyes, weakened, defeated, and destroyed. The fear that once consumed him was replaced with tranquillity and safety by the permission of Allah.

He would later say that this was a clear manifestation of the miracle of the Qur’an. The Qur’an is not merely recited with the tongue, but it is a healing, a light, and a mercy for the hearts. For those afflicted with spiritual or physical hardship, it is a cure, a protection, and a source of strength. Whoever turns to the Qur’an with sincerity, reliance, and certainty in Allah will find that it carries a power that nothing can withstand, for it is the speech of Allah and the refuge of the believers.

O Allah, make the Qur’an the spring of our hearts, the light of our chests, and the remover of our worries and sorrows. Grant us sincerity in reciting it, understanding in reflecting upon it, and steadfastness in living by it. Heal our bodies, protect our souls, strengthen our faith, and grant us tranquillity through Your words. Make the Qur’an an intercessor for us and gather us among its people in this world and the next. Ameen.

26/01/2026

Simple Doa for self-care.

26/01/2026

Healthy Marriage Secret

26/01/2026

Baghdad, founded in 762 CE as the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate, rapidly grew into the intellectual and cultural heart of the Islamic Golden Age. At its center stood the Bayt al-Hikmah (House of Wisdom), a legendary academic institution and vast library. More than just a repository for books, it was a vibrant center of scholarship where scholars from diverse cultures—Arab, Persian, Greek, Indian, and Jewish—translated, studied, and expanded upon the world’s knowledge. Here, the works of Aristotle, Ptolemy, and countless others were translated into Arabic, preserving classical learning and sparking groundbreaking advances in mathematics, astronomy, medicine, and philosophy that would later illuminate the world.

25/01/2026

Ibn al-Haytham (c. 965–1040 CE), known in the West as Alhazen, was a pioneering Arab scientist and polymath from Basra. Often hailed as the "father of modern optics," his most influential work, the Kitāb al-Manāẓir (Book of Optics), revolutionised the understanding of light and vision. He systematically dismantled the ancient Greek emission theory of vision, proving that light rays enter the eye rather than emanate from it. Through rigorous experimentation and the scientific method—emphasizing hypothesis, testing, and evidence—he explained principles of reflection, refraction, and the camera obscura. His legacy laid the essential groundwork for the later European Renaissance in optics and the scientific revolution.

25/09/2025

Islam: a compact explanation. Islamic Mentalities

13/12/2017

20/11/2016

“Don’t treat your Imams like a slave”

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Amr bin Al-'As:
that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "Indeed Allah does not take away knowledge by removing it from the people, but He takes away knowledge by taking the scholars, until there remains no scholar and the people begin to ask the ignorant leaders, so they give their verdict without knowledge. They will go astray and lead the people astray."

It was narrated that Kathir bin Qais said:
"I was sitting with Abu Darda' in the mosque of Damascus when a man came to him and said: 'O Abu Darda', I have come to you from Al-Madinah, the city of the Messenger of Allah, for a Hadith which I have heard that you narrate from the Prophet.' He said: 'Did you not come for trade?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'Did you not come for anything else?' He said: 'No.' He said: 'I heard the Messenger of Allah say: "Whoever follows a path in the pursuit of knowledge, Allah will make easy for him a path to Paradise. The angels lower their wings in approval of the seeker of knowledge, and everyone in the heavens and on earth prays for forgiveness for the seeker of knowledge, even the fish in the sea. The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the moon above all other heavenly bodies. The scholars are the heirs of the Prophets, for the Prophets did not leave behind a Dinar or Dirham, rather they left behind knowledge, so whoever takes it has taken a great share.'"

حَدَّثَنَا هَارُونُ بْنُ إِسْحَاقَ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدَةُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ عُرْوَةَ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ "‏ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ انْتِزَاعًا يَنْتَزِعُهُ مِنَ النَّاسِ وَلَكِنْ يَقْبِضُ الْعِلْمَ بِقَبْضِ الْعُلَمَاءِ حَتَّى إِذَا لَمْ يَتْرُكْ عَالِمًا اتَّخَذَ النَّاسُ رُءُوسًا جُهَّالاً فَسُئِلُوا فَأَفْتَوْا بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ فَضَلُّوا وَأَضَلُّوا ‏"‏ ‏.‏ وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ وَزِيَادِ بْنِ لَبِيدٍ ‏.‏ قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ ‏.‏ وَقَدْ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ الزُّهْرِيُّ عَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو وَعَنْ عُرْوَةَ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مِثْلَ هَذَا ‏.

Reference : Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2652
In-book reference : Book 41, Hadith 8
English translation : Vol. 5, Book 39, Hadith 2652

حَدَّثَنَا نَصْرُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْجَهْضَمِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ دَاوُدَ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ رَجَاءِ بْنِ حَيْوَةَ، عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ جَمِيلٍ، عَنْ كَثِيرِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ، قَالَ كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ فِي مَسْجِدِ دِمَشْقَ فَأَتَاهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا أَبَا الدَّرْدَاءِ أَتَيْتُكَ مِنَ الْمَدِينَةِ مَدِينَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ لِحَدِيثٍ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تُحَدِّثُ بِهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَمَا جَاءَ بِكَ تِجَارَةٌ قَالَ لاَ ‏.‏ قَالَ وَلاَ جَاءَ بِكَ غَيْرُهُ قَالَ لاَ ‏.‏ قَالَ فَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يَقُولُ ‏ "‏ مَنْ سَلَكَ طَرِيقًا يَلْتَمِسُ فِيهِ عِلْمًا سَهَّلَ اللَّهُ لَهُ طَرِيقًا إِلَى الْجَنَّةِ وَإِنَّ الْمَلاَئِكَةَ لَتَضَعُ أَجْنِحَتَهَا رِضًا لِطَالِبِ الْعِلْمِ وَإِنَّ طَالِبَ الْعِلْمِ يَسْتَغْفِرُ لَهُ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَالأَرْضِ حَتَّى الْحِيتَانِ فِي الْمَاءِ وَإِنَّ فَضْلَ الْعَالِمِ عَلَى الْعَابِدِ كَفَضْلِ الْقَمَرِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْكَوَاكِبِ إِنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ هُمْ وَرَثَةُ الأَنْبِيَاءِ إِنَّ الأَنْبِيَاءَ لَمْ يُوَرِّثُوا دِينَارًا وَلاَ دِرْهَمًا إِنَّمَا وَرَّثُوا الْعِلْمَ فَمَنْ أَخَذَهُ أَخَذَ بِحَظٍّ وَافِرٍ ‏"‏ ‏.

Reference : The Book of the Sunnah - كتاب المقدمة »
English reference : Vol. 1, Book 1, Hadith 223
Arabic reference : Book 1, Hadith 228