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Select a Month October 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 November 2020 August 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016

June 2021

June 19, 2021

Beyond Gain and Loss: Rumi’s Teaching on Surah Ash-Sharh

In Book III of the Masnavi, Mevlana tells the story of an eagle taking...

February 2021

February 01, 2021

The Blessings of 2020 and Riding the Waves of Despondency

I was feeling hopeful in December; reflecting back on 2020 all I could see were...

November 2020

November 22, 2020

How Awake Are We? When Waking Up is Falling Asleep

Are we asleep? Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi can really challenge us on this issue: This...

January 2020

January 07, 2020

Considering Time: New Year Reflections

The movement into a new year naturally makes us reflect on the passage of time....

August 2019

August 27, 2019

Step Back and See: Quran, Hadith, and Rumi

A human being is essentially an eye; the rest is merely flesh and skin...[1] Recently...

August 02, 2019

What the Fireflies Know

Just before sunset, we met in a parking lot adjacent to a marshy field. Two...

July 2019

July 03, 2019

What if Allah is Beautiful and Loves Beauty?

What if Muslims who are in positions of religious authority acted as if Allah...

June 2019

June 15, 2019

Following Unexpressed Pain Into the Arms of Mercy

More than previous Ramadans, this year the holy month felt like a journey with my...

May 2019

May 28, 2019

The Mystical Heart of Ramadan

As we enter the last ten days of Ramadan, my thoughts turn to Laylatul Qadr,...

May 16, 2019

Swimming in Divine Abundance: The Ninety-Nine Names of God

I have written previously about my fasting challenges and how I try to focus on...

February 2019

February 11, 2019

Unveiling the Qur’an

I grew up with an Islam that seemed only about hellfire and damnation. The gardens...

November 2018

November 16, 2018

The Meaning of Awe: An Agoraphobic’s Journey into Nature

Once upon a time, I was terrified of views – distant hills, valleys, woodlands seen...

August 2018

August 12, 2018

Countering Islamic Extremism With Radical Love: Book Review

While reading Omid Safi’s new book, Radical Love: Teachings from the Islamic Mystical Tradition, I...

July 2018

July 22, 2018

Soul-Birds of Solomon

I was walking along the river when I spotted a crow on the railing. Cautiously,...

July 02, 2018

Rumi and the Vision of the Qur’an

In our tradition, it is sometimes said, “Although Mevlana is not a prophet, he does...

June 2018

June 18, 2018

Truth Is From Your Lord

“O My God, show us Truth as truth and bless us with following it and...

February 2018

February 02, 2018

Patience: The Key to Joy

Patience has been on my mind a lot recently, perhaps because I realise it’s a...

January 2018

January 17, 2018

If the Quran Were a Film

The opening scenes of the film show men made of mud, their backs bowed under...

October 2017

October 25, 2017

Bob Dylan and the Beloved

When I ask myself who or what the Beloved is in Sufi terminology, I have...

February 2017

February 20, 2017

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and the Women in His Life

Dearest M, Where do we go from here? For the last...

January 2017

January 13, 2017

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and His Battles, Then and Now

Dearest M, My heart is heavy as I write this. Not because of anything between...

December 2016

December 12, 2016

Before the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) Became the Messenger

Dearest M, I’ve been thinking about something you said: “Islam began as something strange and...

November 2016

November 10, 2016

On Animal Companions

Dearest M, Before I came to Islam, the only story I’d ever heard about...

October 2016

October 21, 2016

Feminine Symbols in Islam

Islam and the Divine Feminine? Really? Yes, as improbable as it may seem,...

October 03, 2016

Coming home to the heart

Dearest M, Expatriates are supposed to fall into one of three categories: missionary, mercenary or...

August 2016

August 29, 2016

Finding Guidance in Dreams

My dearest M, There’s the Hadith that says, “Anyone who sees me in a...

August 22, 2016

A smile’s worth

He smiled at me, revealing a row of impeccable pearly white teeth. I’m not normally...

August 16, 2016

Turning to the Quran: Reflections on Learning to Whirl

When we think of a whirling dervish, we might automatically think of somebody in...

June 2016

June 27, 2016

The night of a thousand months

In the name of God, the Infinitely Compassionate, the Infinitely Merciful We sent it (the...

May 2016

May 30, 2016

Of Saints and Matchmakers

As I was growing up, Islam’s benevolent female saints existed in my imagination as otherworldly...