Thoughts Archives - AlJumuah Magazine

Our Monotheistic Revelations: Their Central Focus and Forms

Since monotheistic religions proclaim the existence of the one and only Divine Being, the essence of their revelations would be the same. As the sage of Konya, Jalal al-Din al-Rumi writes, “Ritual prayer might differ in every religion, but belief never changes.”…

Quranic Illumination on the Phenomenon of Sexual Deviance

The rally that was held in Washington D.C. in defense of sexual deviance raised an argument among people with regards to the nature of this phenomenon and its significance. I have therefore thought it proper to present the Qur’anic answers to the…

None Too Soon

THE PRACTICES THAT give Islam its most defining character are its religious rites. These are also the habits of Muslims that, I have seen, elicit the greatest envy from people of other faiths whose hearts carry a sincerity about God. Talk to…

Islamic Views of TAHRIF and Orthodox Judaism’s View Of ORAL LAW

Jews and Muslims can take a cue from the words of Jesus as recorded in the Gospel of Mark below: “So the Pharisees and (the rabbinic) scribes questioned Jesus: “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders…

Are You a Complete Muslim? | Part 13

FIRST THINGS FIRST What are the ways and means of our Lord’s Straight Path (Ṣirâṭ al-Mustaqîn – Q1:6) ? This is the same Path well-trod by our Prophet, his Companions and their Successors. Actually, we well know the basics required of us…

Shurah and Democracy: A Conceptual Analysis

What is Shurah? Shurah comes from an Arabic word shara whose original meaning, according to classical Arabic dictionaries was to extract honey from hives. The word then acquired secondary meanings all of which are related to that original one. One of these…

Prophet Abraham is the Rope Linking us Together

The Qur’an uses the metaphor of a rope that links us to God and also links us to one another: “And hold fast, all together, to the bond with God, and do not draw apart from one another” [Sûrah Âli-‘Imrân, 3:103] This…

Our Humanness: Unalterable Essence and Changeable Actuality | Part 2

The Human Soul Human beings, according to Islam, are born good. This goodness is an attribute of the human soul; it consists in being born with a natural capacity to be aware of the fact that they are servants of God, their…

Our Humanness: Unalterable Essence and Changeable Actuality | Part 1

Developments in the science of genetics have aroused the interest of scientists, as well as the rest of us in some fundamental questions of our life and given them some urgency. What does our humanity consist in? Do we have an unalterable…

Are You a Complete Muslim? | Part 12

We have been thinking together about how we individual Muslims thrive when integrated within the intended God-conscious Straight-Path community. We continue where we left off. To help us all live, communally, in harmony with our Lord, that is the ultimate purpose for…