Reviewed by Abdul Hai Amir Shakib Arslan (1869–1946) appeared in a cloudy chapter of Islamic history. To many, it was the last chapter of a religion, a civilisation and, most importantly, an empire, namely the Ottoman Empire. However, Arslan represented a different view. He was a natural-born politician, writer, poet, historian and known as Amir…
Reviewed by Abdul Hai World history is a history of colonisation and displacement. All empires are guilty of this. However, there is something particularly unique and disturbing about Western colonisation, especially that of the British Empire, which scarred human history so deeply that its echoes remain within our collective consciousness. The West did not colonise…
Reviewed by Abdul Hai Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, first published in 1899, is a novella about Charles Marlow, a sailor who travels deep into the Congo in Africa to work for a European ivory-trading company. The story begins with an unnamed narrator recounting Marlow’s story to a group of men who are sitting…
Reviewed by Abdul Hai أُحِبُّ الصَّالِحِينَ وَلَسْتُ مِنْهُمْلَعَلِّي أَنْ أَنَالَ بِهِمْ شَفَاعَةً وَأَكْرَهُ مَنْ تِجَارَتُهُ الْمَعَاصِيوَلَوْ كُنَّا سَوَاءً فِي الْبِضَاعَةِ “I love the righteous, though I am not one of them… perhaps I may attain their intercession.And I hate those whose trade is sin… even if we were equal in merchandise” -Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin…
Reviewed by Abdul Hai Professor George Makdisi, in his article “The Significance of the Sunni Schools of Law in Islamic Religious History,” observes that “one of the more interesting phenomena in Islamic religious history is the development of the schools of law.” This observation is indeed correct. The development of Islamic legal scholarship brought about…
Review by Abdul Hai أُولَئِكَ آبَائِي فَجِئْنِي بِمِثْلِهِمْ إِذَا جَمَعَتْنَا يَا جَرِيرُ الْمَجَامِعُ”- الفرزدق” There is a well-known prophetic tradition in which the Holy Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) said:“The best people are those of my generation, then those who come after them, and then those who come after them.” For…
Reviewed by Muminah Khan Within contemporary discourse particularly across social media, Western news outlets, propagandistic sources, and far-right political rhetoric several narratives are propagated to incite fear and hostility towards Islam. One of the most persistent is the assertion that Muslim women are inherently oppressed, devoid of autonomy, and condemned to passive, meaningless lives, and…
Reviewed by Abdul Hai In the contemporary global landscape, the term “madrasah” has become a lightning rod for political debate and cultural war, often reduced to a caricature of religious isolationism, anti-process or, more darkly, a breeding ground for radicalism. Since the events of 9/11, Western policymakers have frequently viewed these traditional Islamic institutions through…
By Abdul Hai Introduction The term al-Waṣiyya (الوصيّة) conveys the meaning of ‘to counsel, advise, and provide final guidance’ and is derived from the Arabic triliteral root w–ṣ–y (و–ص–ي) . In al-Qāmūs al-Muḥīṭ (القاموس المحيط) Imām al-Fīrūzābādī defines w–ṣ–y as: “وأوصاه ووصّاه صفاتها: عهد إليها‘Awsāhu and wassāhu (he gave him a tawṣiya): he entrusted or…
Reviewed By Dr. Abdul Wahid There is something to be said for a book that is short and sweet. This is a book with concise yet clear advice, which uses ayaat and ahadith that whilst familiar, are presented in the context of this most contemporary of topics in a way that resonates. It is a…
by Adnan Mahmud There is a malaise in our hearts that we dare not name. We who have borne the standard of Islam through decades, even centuries, of defeat, through a narrative of failed revolutions, broken promises, and the gradual erosion of our civilisational confidence, find ourselves today caught between rage and numbness. We may…
Allama IqbalReviewed by Abdul Hai Poets have long employed provocative language that divides their audience, generating both admirers and critics. What is particularly intriguing about this skill is that poets often withhold the true meaning of their work, allowing readers or listeners to construct their own interpretations. In this duality of meaning and interpretation, both the…
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