What Is Ma’rifat? In Sufism, ma’rifat (معرفة, ma‘rifah, ‘knowledge’) describes the mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired. A seeker of ma’rifa is called ‘arif, “the one who knows”.[1] In one of the earliest accounts of the Maqamat-l arba’in (“forty stations”) in Sufism, Sufi master Abu Said ibn Abi’l-Khayr lists ma’rifa as the...
What Is Haqiqat? Haqiqat (حقيقة ḥaqīqa “truth”) is one of “the four stages” in Sufism, shari’a (exoteric path), tariqa (esoteric path), haqiqat (mystical truth) and marifa (final mystical knowledge, unio mystica). The four stages Shariat Main Article: Shariat Shari’a is Islamic law or Islamic jurisprudence as revealed in the Qur’an and Sunna. The first step in Sufism is following every aspect of the law...
What Is Tariqa? A tariqa (tariqah; طريقة ṭarīqah) is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking Haqiqa, which translates as “ultimate truth“. A tariqa has a murshid (guide) who plays the role of leader or spiritual director....
The Horizons Of The Soul: Metaphysical Thought This article covers The Horizons Of The Soul: Metaphysical Thought and Spirituality. The modern Western world view is said to be founded almost entirely on materialistic notions that exclude or even deny the spiritual or metaphysical dimensions of existence. This is a controversial...
History Of Sufism This article covers the history of Sufism. Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. A Sufi is a Muslim who seeks annihilation of the ego in God. Early history The exact origin of Sufism is disputed. Some sources state that Sufism is the inner dimensions of the teachings of Muhammad whereas others say that...
What Is Divine Retribution? Divine retribution is supernatural punishment of a person, a group of people, or everyone by a deity in response to some action. Many cultures have a story about how a deity exacted punishment upon previous inhabitants of their land, causing their doom. An example of divine retribution is the story found in...
Islamic Meditation This article covers Islamic Meditation. Meditation and mindfulness are often associated with several eastern traditions such as Buddhism and Yoga, yet few know the essential position of meditative spiritual practice within Islam. In Islam, meditation serves as the core element of various mystical traditions (in particular Sufism), though it is...
What is Dhikr? Dhikr (also Zikr, Zekr, Zikir, Jikir, and variants; ذِكْر, ḏikr, plural أذكار aḏkār, meaning “mentioning”) are devotional acts in Islam in which short phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited silently within the mind or aloud. It can be counted on a set of prayer beads (Misbaha, مِسْبَحَة) or through fingers of the hand. A person who recites the...
Islam And Domestic Violence The relationship between Islam and domestic violence is disputed. Even among Muslims, the uses and interpretations of sharia, the moral code and religious law of Islam, lack consensus. Variations in interpretation are due to different schools of Islamic jurisprudence, histories and politics of religious institutions, conversions,...
Prophet Muhammad’s Marriages This article covers the Islamic Prophet Muhammad’s Marriages in detail. Some critics of Islam, either because they are unaware of the facts or are biased, revile the Prophet as a self-indulgent libertine. They accuse him of character failings that are hardly compatible with a person of average...
Women In The Quran And The Sunna This article examines the status of women in the Quran and the Sunna. In Islam, there is absolutely no difference between men and women as far as their relationship to Allah is concerned, as both are promised the same reward for good conduct...
Important Truths Of The Quran This article covers the Important Explanations To Understand Certain Important Truths of the Quran. In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate. Alif Lam Ra. A Book whose verses were established and set clear, and then distinguished, from One All-Wise, All-Aware. (11:1) In order...
Does The Qur’an Allude To Scientific Developments? This article covers the answer to the question: “Does The Qur’an Allude To Scientific Developments?” Before answering this question, we should point out one important fact: Considering science as opposed to religion and scientific study as separate from and independent of the Qur’an...
Does The Quran Contain Everything? This article covers the answer to the question: “Does The Quran Contain Everything?” Being a Book describing the man and the universe, the Quran contains ‘everything’. It declares: With Him are the keys of the Unseen. None but He knows them. And He knows what...
Did Prophet Muhammad Write The Holy Qur’an? This article covers the answer to the question: “Did Prophet Muhammad Write The Holy Qur’an?“ As this question has generated a great deal of literature, I shall confine my answer to the most pertinent points. This allegation is made by Orientalists, just as...
Divine Wisdom In The Quran’s Being Revealed In Stages Over 23 Years This article explains the Divine Wisdom In The Quran’s Being Revealed In Stages Over 23 Years. The Quran was revealed in stages over a period of 23 years, and not as a complete book in one single act...
What Is Tajwid? In the context of the recitation of the Quran, Tajwid or Tajweed (تجويد tajwīd, ‘elocution’) is a set of rules for the correct pronunciation of the letters with all their qualities and applying the various traditional methods of recitation (Qira’at). In Arabic, the term tajwīd is derived from the triliteral root j-w-d (‘to improve’). Tajweed is a compulsory religious...
Qira’at In Islam, Qirāʼah, (pl. Qira’at ) (قِراءة, lit. ‘recitations or readings’) which are different linguistic, lexical, phonetic, morphological and syntactical forms permitted with reciting the holy book of Islam, the Quran. Differences between Qiraʼat are slight and include varying rules regarding the prolongation, intonation, and pronunciation of words, but also differences in stops, vowels, consonants (leading...
Miraculousness Of The Qur’an This article covers the Miraculousness Of the Qur’an. The miraculousness of the Qur’an’s eloquence in two ways: The Quran’s challenging all to produce even a likeness of one of its chapters Miraculousness in the ways verses conclude While we have an eternal miracle like the Qur’an,...
Comprehensiveness Of Quran And Meaning This comes from the comprehensiveness of the Quran’s wording. Certainly, this comprehensiveness is apparent in the previous Words, as well as in the verses whose meanings are quoted in this Word. As pointed out in the hadith, Each verse has outer meanings, inner meanings, limits...