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by MEVLÜT KARABULUT
04 September 2010
Ankara has set a record for the most people breaking their fast together at one time — 10 platforms and nearly 100 civil society organizations banded together in an attempt to break the record with a 50,000-person iftar, and attendance far exceeded expectations.
Nearly 75,000 Ankarites showed up for the iftar (fast-breaking [...]
by Hena Zuberi
August 31st, 2010
This year Ramadan coincides with the first day of school for many families. Realizing that many of our Muslim brothers and sisters do choose the public school system for their kids’ education, this is a resource to help make the best out of Ramadan in public school. This blessed month is [...]
by Meryem Weld
Women’s liberation is a much discussed subject, can you compare the attitudes of materialist Western civilization and Qur’anic civilization towards women and demonstrate where true freedom for women lies?
It may clear from the descriptions in the first and second sections above that the aim of materialist Western civilization is not to fulfil the [...]
by Fethullah Gulen
The word “Islam” literally stems from the root “s-l-m” and the words “silm” and “salamah” which mean peace, and which indicate the “submission” or ’surrender” of oneself to God Almighty, being obedient to His commands, embarking on a safe and secure path that leads to salvation, promising a sense of trust to everyone [...]
by Fethullah Gulen
At this time when we experience occasions of much sorrow and some contentment, we sense the promise in the advent of Ramadan, the month of mercy and forgiveness. In the climate of this month of light, we feel both spring and autumn at the same time in our inner worlds, seasons of lovely [...]
Underlining the Obama administration’s respect for Islam’s diversity, Farah Pandith, the US State Department’s special representative to Muslim communities, refuses to use the expression “Muslim world,” stating that the United States is not endorsing a particular type of Islam in its efforts in building long-term dialogue and partnership with Muslim communities around the world.
The position [...]
The ties of kinship are very important in Islam, with emphasis given to the relationship between children and parents. Children are required to respect and obey their parents unless doing so involves a sin. Furthermore, adult children must continue to honor, respect and show gratitude to their elderly parents, and are expected to care for [...]
December 6, 2025 – According to the latest statistics there are now more than 1.8 billion Muslims in the world. Islam is the religion that has had the largest growth rate during the last decades, and is the second biggest in the world after Christianity. Indonesia is still the largest Muslim country in the world, [...]
by Assad Nimer Busool, Ph.D.
When one examines The Qur’an and the Tradition of the Prophet closely, one finds that the Human being by divine designation is ‘Abd li-l-Lah, a slave of God, and not a god on earth. Moreover, one learns that God created all things by His command, “Kun, Be”, but He created the [...]
By Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
On January 1st, 1995, the United Nations proclaimed 1995 as the “Year of Tolerance,” saying that the ability to be tolerant of the actions, beliefs and opinions of others is a major factor in promoting world peace. The statement issued by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, (UNESCO) on this [...]
By: Dr. Ali Shariati
The Second Night’s Lecture
AS AN INTRODUCTION to tonight’s lecture, I think it will not be irrelevant to mention a few points before starting the main subject of my lecture. These points which I will mention may not directly relate to my basic words, but they are, nevertheless, vital and essential. There is [...]
by Ali Shariati
The First Night’s Lecture
MY LECTURE is about the various approaches one can use to come to know Islam. It is an important scientific concept to review multiple approaches to the understanding of something in order to arrive at a particular methodology, which in our case is to come to understand Islam.
Arriving at a [...]
By (Dr.) I. A. Arshed
(1) Rights of Parents (and Duties of children)
Islam recognises family as a basic social unit. Along with the husband-wife relationship the Parent-child relationship is the most important one. To maintain any social relationship both parties must have some clear-cut Rights as well as obligations. The relationships are reciprocal. Duties of one [...]
SOCIAL JUSTICE IN ISLAM
by Maulana Wahiduddin Khan
A gathering of intellectuals was convened at the Law College of Ranchi on December 14, 1991, under the persidentship of Mr. Justice Satishwar Rao. On that occasion I addressed the meeting on the topic of ‘Social Justice in Islam.’ The text of my address, including some later additions, is [...]
Sociological Principles of The Qur’an
by Suat YILDIRIM
Sociology is the study of events, trends and relationships in human societies. Through such study we learn the principles that societies are based upon, how they develop and which factors strengthen or weaken them.
The Qur’an, which contains the Divine guidance necessary for humankind, gives the social dimensions of human [...]
by Mona Maisami
The relationship between Islam and globalization has been open to much interpretation and acrimonious debate. At the crux of the current debate is the idea that Islam is somehow opposed to the process of globalization. In this article, I will illustrate why this debate should more accurately be deemed as a debate between [...]
by Yusuf Qaradawi
The Prophet’s Sunnah is not only the second source, right after the Qur’an, of Islamic Shari‘ah (Law), but also the second source, again right after the Qur’an, of which both knowledge and civilization flow. Primarily, the Qur’an establishes the bases and principles of legislation, whereas the Sunnah provides theoretical interpretation as well as [...]
Muslim Festivals Calendar 2010
FEB 2010 26 Friday Milad un Nabi (Birthday of the Prophet), Sunni
MAR 2010 03 Wednesday Milad un Nabi, Shia
AUG 2010 11 Wednesday Ramadan Begins
SEP 2010 10 Friday Id-Ul-Fitr, Ramadan Ends
NOV 2010 16 Tuesday [...]
Islamic teachings on the Importance of Parents
Say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honour. – Quran 17:23
In Islam it is obligatory for us to show kindness, respect, and obedience to our parents. The position of parents, and the mutual obligations and responsibilities, have been [...]
“Hurt no one so that no one may hurt you. Remember that you will indeed meet your Lord, and that He will indeed reckon your deeds.”
This sermon was delivered on the Ninth Day of Dhul Hijjah 10 A.H. in the ‘Uranah valley of Mount Arafat’ (in Mecca).
After praising, and thanking God he said:
“O People, [...]
He was an extraordinary husband, a perfect father, and a unique grandfather. He was unique in every way. He treated his children and grandchildren with great compassion, and never neglected to direct them to the Hereafter and good deeds. He smiled at them, caressed and loved them, but did not allow them to neglect matters [...]
by Fethullah Gulen
The Muslims are those from whose tongues and hands other Muslims are safe and sound. The emigrants are those who leave behind and abandon those things God has prohibited.[1]
Let us briefly analyze the above hadith. Notice the presence of the definite article (al in Arabic) before Muslim. What can be extrapolated from this [...]
Groups formed by disorganized and sinful (disobedient) individuals are merely crowds with no moral or esthetic values, people who are far removed from the thought of doing good. On the other hand, ideal, or complete, people carry the qualities of angels, and are monuments of human foresight and comprehension.
We see these qualities in the following [...]
by Fethullah Gulen
Since “real” life is only possible through knowledge, those who have neglected learning and teaching are considered to be “dead,” even when they are biologically alive. We were created to learn and to communicate what we have learned to others.
Real life is lived at the spiritual level. Those whose hearts are alive, those [...]
by Fethullah Gulen
Religion, particularly Islam, has become one of the most difficult subject areas to tackle in recent years. Contemporary culture, whether approached from the perspective of anthropology or theology, psychology or psychoanalysis, evaluates religion with empirical methods. On the one hand, religion is an inwardly experienced and felt phenomenon, one that, for the most [...]
Everyone takes up the matter of a new world order and evaluates it from a different point of view, according to their own thoughts. This is quite natural. For example, people who have suffered from an internationalism disagreeable for many might accept chauvinism as a form of salvation and be inclined toward it. As a [...]
I do not like to make claims and I have a poor memory, but in spite of this I can recite tens of verses, one after the other, that are concerned with forgiveness, dialogue and opening one’s heart to all. This demonstrates the allembracing nature or universality of Islam.
For example, the Qur’an states, “peace is [...]
Life is the foremost and most manifest blessing of God Almighty, and the true and everlasting life is that of the Hereafter. Since we can deserve this life only by pleasing God, He sent Prophets and revealed Scriptures out of His Compassion for humanity. While mentioning His blessings upon humanity, He begins:
All-Merciful. He taught the [...]
Dialogue means the coming together of two or more people to discuss certain issues, and thus the forming of a bond between these people. In that respect, we can call dialogue an activity that has human beings at its axis. Undoubtedly, everyone is rewarded according to their sincerity and intention. If people direct their actions [...]
Humans are creatures with both exceptional qualities and faults. Until the first human appeared, no living creature carried such opposites within its nature. At the same time as humans beat their wings in the firmaments of heaven, they can, with sudden deviation, become monsters that descend to the pits of Hell. It is futile to [...]
It is open season on Islam these days, with conservative critics making remark after remark that attack Islam, Muslims, the Qur’an, and the Prophet Muhammad as pervasively and inherently bad. An essential argument these conservatives and others have against Islam is that the Qur’an preaches violence.
The most popular verse quoted is the fabled Verse of [...]
Has the Muslim world gone that mad? Do a billion Muslims really want to kill a few uncouth cartoonists because they violated Muslim religious sensibilities, however dear they may be?
Luckily, the answer to both questions is no. In fact, what some Islamic scholars are calling “cartoongate”–the publication in more than a half-dozen European papers of [...]
By Prof. Shahul Hameed
There are three essential criteria that we need to apply to judge any religion that claims to have universal appeal. Let us consider them, and see whether Islam qualifies for being a universal religion:
One Creator
First and foremost, a universal religion should be based on an unqualified belief in the One and Only [...]
by Nehal El-Hadi
Muslims believe the world is God’s gift to mankind and that there is proof of His existence in every natural object. The finest grain of sand, with its patterned arrangements of atoms, displays the minute detail of His reckoning. From the smallest of viruses to the largest of plants and animals, every living [...]
Following the International Conference held in Cairo from 19 to 21 October 2009 on “The Future of Reform in The Muslim World: Comparative Experiences with Fethullah Gulen’s Movement in Turkey”, Dr. Jill Carroll, Adjunct Associate Professor of Religious Studies at Rice University, who participated in this three day conference in Egypt, answered these questions from [...]
A fascinating new book has just been issued by The Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center (in Jordan) in concert with Georgetown’s Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding.
The book lists the 500 most influential people in the Muslim world, breaking the people into several distinct categories, scholarly, political, administrative, lineage, preachers, women, youth, philanthropy, [...]
The gist of the well-known story of Job is as follows:
There are many ways leading to Almighty God; all of these true ways have been derived from the Holy Book, but some of them are safer, and more comprehensive and lead to the destination more directly than others. The way I have derived from the [...]
As in the past, there are some conjectures being made about the future today as well. One of these is the claim regarding the future as an age of information. Those people who are discussing the future in this way are basically futurists.
There are many who see the people who are making these kinds of [...]
Islam as the religion for the whole of the universe
We see that the universe is an orderly universe, a cosmos, whose parts are linked together and are working together towards the same purpose and common goal. Everything in the universe is assigned a place in a grand scheme which is working in a magnificent and [...]
And why did you not, when you heard it, say? “It is not right of us to speak of this: Glory to God, this is a most serious slander” (Quran 24:16)
A commentary on one of the most destructive of major sins
Islam is a religion of peace, love and compassion. Lies, suspicion, back biting, slander and [...]
Commentary by Adil Salahi
A report that Abdullah ibn Amr, a companion who was well versed in Hadith had a sheep slaughtered. He repeatedly asked his servant: “Have you sent some meat as a present to our Jewish neighbour?” When he said that several times, he added: “I have heard Allah’s messenger (Pbuh) saying: “Gabriel has [...]
by El-Sayed M. Amin
The neighbor holds a special status in Islam. Islam encourages Muslims to treat their neighbors in a gentle way that reflects the true and genuine spirit of Islam as exemplified in its tolerant aspect especially with people of other faiths. It makes no difference whether the neighbors are Muslim or non-Muslim. ‘A’ishah, [...]
Sayings of the prophet Muhammad (pbuh) regarding to neighbors:
Narrated Samurah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: A neighbour has the best claim to the house or land of the neighbour. – Sunan Abu Dawood, 1556
Narrated Jabir ibn Abdullah: The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: The neighbour is most entitled to the right of [...]
by Eric Curren
“In the Koran, God said that He created nature in a balance or mizam, and that it is mankind’s responsibility to maintain this fragile equilibrium,” says Richmond-based Islamic leader Dr. Imad Damaj. “We cannot maintain it by blaming each other, but must do so by working together.”
Last week, the faith-based movement to fight [...]
Religious Tolerance before it was Hip
Medieval Muslims, Jews, and Christians built a rich culture
By Jane Lampman
Once upon a time long ago in a place on the edge of the known world, Muslims, Jews, and Christians lived together in peace and created a vibrant, extraordinary civilization.
A fairy tale for our troubled times? Much more intriguing, this [...]
Turkish Toleration
One of the most noteworthy attributes of Ottoman Turkish rule was Ottoman toleration of different religious beliefs. The Turks of the Ottoman Empire were Muslims, but they did not force their religions on others. Christians and Jews in the Empire prayed in their own churches or synagogues, taught their religion in their own schools [...]
New York Sunday Times Editorial, 12 April 2009
On his visit to Turkey last week, President Obama made important progress toward recalibrating America’s relations with the Islamic world. The president steered away from the poisonous post-9/11 clash of civilizations mythology that drove so much of President George W. Bush’s rhetoric and disastrous policy.
He told Turkey’s Parliament [...]
On that still-quiet Tuesday morning, the sales staff was in a basement room eating breakfast, waiting to open the doors to the first shoppers at 10 a.m.
There was no immediate sign of the fiery cataclysm that erupted overhead starting at 8:46. But out of a baby-blue sky suddenly stained with smoke, a plane’s landing-gear assembly [...]
By: Ian MacWilliam
BBC News* -
In an obscure corner of the Uzbek capital, Tashkent, lies one of Islam’s most sacred relics – the world’s oldest Koran.
It is a reminder of the role which Central Asia once played in Muslim history – a fact often overlooked after seven decades of Soviet-imposed atheism.
The library [...]
The true, faithful Muslim believes in the following principal articles of faith:
“1. He believes in One God, Supreme and Eternal, Infinite and Mighty, Merciful and Compassionate, Creator and Provider. This belief, in order to be effective, requires complete trust and hope in God, submission to His Will and reliance on His aid. It secures [...]
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