Mysticism is generally called tasawwuf in India and irfan (realization) in Iran. To me irfan is the most appropriate word, for mysticism, in actual fact, is another name for the realization of inner…

The Times of India | December 09, 2024 The Prophet Muhammad is reported by Abu Hurayrah as having said: “One who sits in an excessively noisy meeting, then before leaving the meeting says: ‘Glory…

When an engineer sets out to build a bridge, he chooses steel as the principal material to be used in its construction (as opposed to wood, bamboo, weaker types of metals, etc) for he knows in…

From the Islamic viewpoint, human character is either noble or ignoble. Those who fall into the latter category do not acknowledge any hard and fast principles which are to be adhered to at all times…

Say someone hires a taxi and, at the end of his journey, is asked to hand over fifty rupees for his fare. Now, if the passenger has only fifty rupees in his pocket, he is likely to argue that the…

In the chapter Al-Waqi‘ah (The Inevitable Event) the Quran tells us about Paradise. How people will live in Paradise is portrayed as follows: They will not hear therein any vain or sinful talk, only…

The Times of India | March 10, 2024 Promise means to commit oneself by a pledge to do or give. Fulfilling a promise is the most positive and greatest quality of a person. There is nothing comparable…

The Times of India | February 05, 2024 An elderly British citizen once told me that during the Second World War, Sir Winston Churchill, Britain’s Prime Minister and popularly acclaimed military…