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2 November 2021

When I got married on June 23, 2001, I had no idea or concept that my marriage could/would last for twenty years (alhamdulilah!). Of course, I didn’t get married with the thought that it would end, I just never actively conceptualized what 20 years of marriage would look like. And now that I am about to celebrate this unbelievably awesome milestone with the love of my life, I want to pass on...

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June 21, 2021

7 Keys to a 20 Year Marriage

January 27, 2021

40 Acts of Paradise

‘Abdallah Bin ‘Amr Bin ‘Āṣ said that he heard the Messenger of God (God bless him and give him peace) say, “There are forty acts, the best of which is giving food, if any are done seeking their reward and believing in their promise, God will grant them Paradise by this act.” (Bukhari). Shaykh ‘Abdullah Bin Siddīq al-Ghumārī (d. 1993) wrote a small book enumerating these forty acts and finding all the supporting hadith for them. I took the liberty of distilling this book in the following list, finding the appropriate modern English equivalent of the Prophetic expressions so as to make these acts easy to do and incorporate in our day-to-day life.

December 7, 2020

Hadith Reading List

For many people life is an endless quest for the elusive. We seek success, advancement, and wealth. We crave ultimate and unending happiness through the acquisition of material things. We desire the perfect companion, friend, and lover. The list goes on, and on. Without having a map, however, and without having rules and principles to guide you along the way, this can oftentimes lead to the opposite desired effect: frustration and grief. You never seem to actually get what you want, so you give up believing that the quest is impossible, and the dream is unachievable. However, if you understand that the quest itself is the reward, you can shift your paradigm and dramatically alter your relationship with the things you want. The key is in understanding how to be mindful of the process instead of the goal

August 18, 2020

Hijri New Year

The Islamic New Year is an event filled with great stories, meanings, and blessings. It is a time for renewal, reflection, and restoration. In this article, however, you will find special prayers and devotional acts to mark this occasion and get your New Year started right!

April 6, 2020

The Eve of the 15th Sh’aban

The eve of the 15th of Sh‘aban is one of the most significant and spiritually important times in the Muslim liturgical calendar. It is a night that the salaf used to seek out and honor with intense devotion and sweet supplication.

January 13, 2020

Devotional Acts for Ashura (10th of Muharram)

This is a short, convenient list of devotional acts for the occasion of ‘Ashura, the 10th day of the month of Muḥarram: 1. Fast the ninth and tenth of Muḥarram.1 2. Expand on yourself and your family by way of making some extra food, buying small presents, inviting family over for dinner, etc.

April 7, 2020

The Birth (Mawlid) of the Prophet

Celebrating the birth of our beloved Prophet ﷺ has been a custom of Muslim communities ever since the time of the Companions. To celebrate and commemorate his birth is to ultimately show thanks and gratitude to God for sending him ﷺ to us as a mercy.

January 13, 2020

Devotional Acts for the month of Safar

Ṣafar is the second month of the Islamic lunar calendar. There is a weak hadith narrated by Ibn ‘Abbās that states, “On the last Wednesday of the month [of Ṣafar] there is a continual calamity.”

April 7, 2021

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, Part 4: The Political Activist

A citizen of a Western republic or commonwealth nation is familiar with the concept of having their voice count. From a young age it is ingrained into us that without having our voices heard, our rights will be trampled upon and that we have a civic obligation to vote and actively participate in the political process. This type of rhetoric might be even more common if, like me, you are part of a minority community. However, this concept is not 100% accurate. In fact, it’s a common misconception that Westerners, both minorities and majorities alike, have regarding their government. Our individual voices really don’t count for much because there are existing political superstructures that control the political process. Maybe our voices can count within these superstructures if they are numerous enough. However, to get to that point you have to compromise so much that by the time you have a critical mass of voices within an existing superstructure, your individual opinion is lost in the new majority. If you don’t believe me, read this Princeton study that demonstrates that the Unites States is no longer, by definition, a democracy.

March 23, 2021

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, Part 3: The Untrained

Of all the types of Islamologists that I will cover in this series, this type is perhaps the most numerous, making their damage the greatest and most threatening. The danger of the untrained person is not in the lack of training and study. In fact, many of them have undergone a degree of training. The danger, rather, is that their training is not complete and comprehensive. They know a little about a little, and since they were touched by the experience of learning, even if incomplete, they mistake this feeling with a notion that they can handle most aspects thrown their way. Specialists in the Islamic sciences are few, especially in the English-speaking world, and it is easy for these untrained Islamologists to parade themselves as the real Mckoy and be taken by the general population as experts (this is essentially a lengthy restating of the hadith quoted above).

March 1, 2021

Six Books that Introduce Islam

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that I am asked a lot about what the best books are to read about Islam. To be honest, this question is a lot harder than it might seem to answer. People have different interests and what might be good for one, is not necessarily good for another. That being said, I do make an effort to make recommendations that I feel offer a fair 360-degree view of the tradition.

November 23, 2020

The Hidden Things in Our Lives

November 14, 2020

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, part 2: Fundamentalists & Salafis

In the first part of this series I introduced the concept of the Islamologist based on Robert Pirsig's notion of the philosopholigist articulated in his book Lila: An Inquiry into Morals. Following this, I began to outline one type of Islamologist; the western academic who studies Islam. My choice in so doing reflects not the chronology of various types of Islamologists, but rather a personal belief that this particular type of Islamologist is the most dangerous kind and that their threat will emerge as the most pressing in the coming generation. With regards to the beginning of the making of fake Islam, this ignoble prize belongs to the fundamentalist/salafi Islamologist. From the first generation of Islam until our time today, this type of fake Islam has plagued, tormented, defiled, and sought to destroy our faith. This second article in this series is dedicated to explaining their way of thinking.

October 21, 2020

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, Part 1: Western Academics

August 14, 2020

Thoughts on Zakat

One of the unique features of Islam as an intellectual system is that it possesses a mechanism for renewal and revival within itself. This mechanism is the instrument of ijtihād- independent legal reasoning- that allows a trained and licensed jurist to develop new rulings and judgements for situations that are unprecedented, nuanced, and, in a way, of a troublesome nature. There is a lot of literature within Islamic legal tradition that explains the vast contours of ijtihād. Familiar discussions outline the common set of must-know legal rules and principles, interpretive tools used to unlock meanings within the primary texts, and auxiliary disciplines needed in order for one’s ijtihād to be effective and within the broad limits of orthodoxy. These are standard in any work that discuss the instrument of ijtihād. There are other discussions, however, that one comes across from time to time that shed a little more light on the phycology and mindset behind the person engaging in ijtihad, namely the mujtahid. One interesting description, courtesy of Imam Ghazali (d. 505/1111), is the need for the mujtahid to have vast amounts of creativity. The more creativity a mujtahid has, the more creative thinking they can bring to bear on a particular issue, the better they will be able to come up with right solutions and right answers; especially solutions that will last the test of time. To be creative in this context, therefore, is to think outside the box and dare to be innovative. It is to ask the right questions, not just memorize standard answers.

July 29, 2020

Truth, Lies, and Social Media

July 9, 2020

Innovation & Creativity: How to Get Islam Moving Forward

June 18, 2020

Islam is Greater than the Muslims

What role, if any, does and should religion play in politics? In an age when we see many, many religious leaders linked with politics and political parties, I make the argument that this is dangerous and a misuse of religion.

May 20, 2020

Expressing Gratitude

In the beginning of his Meditations, the Roman Emperor and Stoic philosopher Marcus Aurelius begins with a section on debts and lessons. He thanks specific family members, tutors, teachers, and friends for a myriad of reasons. For moral lessons like, “not to waste time on nonsense” and “to recognize the malice, cunning, and hypocrisy that power produces” as well as the mundane like, “introducing me to Epictetus’s lectures-and loaning me his own copy.” In just a few pages Marcus Aurelius manages to run the path from the profane to the sacred and acknowledge the debt he owes to all these acts of kindness and moral examples that helped make and form him. Even though he would end up becoming one of the most powerful men in the world, he still found the time to remember, reflect, and express gratitude to the things that helped him along the way.

May 2, 2020

God & Caesar

April 15, 2020

On Keeping a Ramadan Journal

Ramadan is the biggest event in the Muslim liturgical calendar. It lasts an entire month (the 9th lunar month), and there are extra devotional acts performed every day and every evening. It is the month in which we commemorate the revelation of the Quran, providing a special evening (the Night of Power) sought out in the last ten days-a mega event inside a mega event. It is the month of great spiritual benefits, forgiveness, and opportunities for renewal.

April 9, 2020

Time in the Age of COVID-19

There is a well-known quote by the famous jurist and polymath Imam al-Shāfi‘ī (d. 204/820): “I learned from the Sufis that time is like a knife. If you don’t cut it first, it will cut you.” This quote, perhaps more than any, was always a source of fascination for me.

January 13, 2020

A Framework for Understanding Violence and Extremism within the Family of Islam

Since I first confronted the subject of violence and extremism as a research topic about two years ago, I noticed that there was no coherent framework dealing with extremism arising from within the “family of Islam.” It has been difficult to wrap my head around this topic due to a lack of clear definition of terms, boundaries, etc.

November 2, 2021

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

In the origin story of Japan, it is written that the sun goddess Amaterasu was once found hiding in a cave, refusing to come out. Avoiding the potential disaster of having no sunlight, no sun rise, and no sun set, the deity Ishikoridome placed a mirror at the cave’s entrance to distract her. Upon seeing this new shiny object, Amaterasu was intrigued and slowly emerged from the darkness following the shiny reflections in the mirror. When Amaterasu was ultimately sent by her family to rule over Japan (literally the land of the rising sun), she was given three objects to serve as a sign of her power and authority: the mirror symbolizing truth, a jewel symbolizing benevolence, and a sword symbolizing virtue. These three objects, collectively referred to as the Imperial regalia of Japan [LINK], are considered the most sacred objects to the Japanese people and a sign of the both the legitimacy and continuity of the Chrysanthemum throne: the oldest, continually running monarchy on earth. These objects are so important to the Japanese people that they have never been seen, not even by the emperor himself! They are always presented at imperial coronations [LINK] in boxes covered with beautiful Japanese silk as a sign of authority and Imperial rule. They are also kept in three different locations throughout the country to provide maximum protection. As long as these three objects exist and remain safe, so too is Japan her people.

June 21, 2021

7 Keys to a 20 Year Marriage

September 17, 2020

The ‘Ulamā’ and Political Rulers

September 10, 2020

Three Questions that Help me Focus

July 25, 2019

What is Usuli Islam?

In The Clock of the Long Now, Stewart Brand argues that religion is one of the most durable institutions of civilization that helps ground us all in timeless values. In his concept of the forces of innovation (rapidly changing) and durability (slow changing) of civilization, religion would definitely be amongst the more slow adapting forces.

April 7, 2020

The Birth (Mawlid) of the Prophet

December 23, 2019

Islam is More than Just the Muslims

One of the most important things I learned throughout my studies is that religion as a concept and discipline is much greater and more expansive than what practitioners make it out to be. This is certainly true for Islam and Muslims.

January 12, 2021

Traveling to Japan

About two years ago, an opportunity to travel to Japan emerged from some of the consultancy work I do. Since my approach to preventing violence and extremism is unique and effective (I hope to share something about this soon), and since my background in comparative religions is well known amongst the people I work for and with, there was interest for me to travel and meet with Japanese religious leaders, especially Muslims, and share information and lessons learned. It was supposed to be a simple, straightforward trip, and from a business point of view it was. However, even though I travel frequently, at that point I had never been to Japan, and since this seemed like a onetime opportunity, I decided to make the most of it. What follows is how I took this simple opportunity and developed it into a long-term, fruitful relationship that will forever be a part of me.

November 2, 2021

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

October 4, 2021

Towards Islamic Mindfulness

It was a perfect spring afternoon in Kyoto, Japan. The light rain of the morning subsided, and the sun began to shine through the droplets on the leaves and trees. I entered a local Buddhist temple with great anticipation as I was eager to meet one of the head monks to learn about Zen practices in mindfulness. We took our seats on comfortable cushions provided by the temple and the monk guided us through a meditation session. As I closed my eyes, settled my breath, and took in the sounds and smells of my surroundings, a great calm swelled inside me. I was at ease, happy, grateful, and most importantly completely content with the here and now. I don’t get many picturesque moments in my life, but that day was certainly one of them. It left a mark I carry till this day because it was at that temple and in conversation with the monk afterwards over a warm cup of matcha that a light of inspiration struck and from whence was born the Making Sense of Islam platform.

June 21, 2021

7 Keys to a 20 Year Marriage

April 3, 2021

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Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

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7 Keys to a 20 Year Marriage

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How-To

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Show More No post found

7 Keys to a 20 Year Marriage

40 Acts of Paradise

Hadith Reading List

Hijri New Year

The Eve of the 15th Sh’aban

Devotional Acts for Ashura (10th of Muharram)

The Birth (Mawlid) of the Prophet

Devotional Acts for the month of Safar

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, Part 4: The Political Activist

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, Part 3: The Untrained

Six Books that Introduce Islam

The Hidden Things in Our Lives

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, part 2: Fundamentalists & Salafis

Islamology and the Making of Fake Islam, Part 1: Western Academics

Thoughts on Zakat

Truth, Lies, and Social Media

Innovation & Creativity: How to Get Islam Moving Forward

Islam is Greater than the Muslims

Expressing Gratitude

God & Caesar

On Keeping a Ramadan Journal

Time in the Age of COVID-19

A Framework for Understanding Violence and Extremism within the Family of Islam

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

7 Keys to a 20 Year Marriage

The ‘Ulamā’ and Political Rulers

Three Questions that Help me Focus

What is Usuli Islam?

The Birth (Mawlid) of the Prophet

Islam is More than Just the Muslims

Traveling to Japan

Mirror, Mirror on the Wall

Towards Islamic Mindfulness

7 Keys to a 20 Year Marriage

Advice for all Seasons by Sayyid Muhammad Siddiq al-Ghumari (d. 1354/1936)

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