Video link to a discussion of: Vanquisher of the Kingdom of Fear How 18th & 19th century North and West African scholars gave us a way out of this darkness through a living connection with the Prophet ﷺ Farah el-Sharif, Sermons at the Court A knowledgable elder in my family posited this thought-provoking rhetorical question on his social media page:…
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YouTube link A New Book (short and compact) by Charles Upton: Meditations in Time of War The wars now burning in our world are reflected within us as invisible fire—and the steel and the flint that first lit that fire are hidden behind the dark curtain of it. War, in the end, always returns to the place where it was…
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On Rumi, meeting, and the places where our categories dissolve DIYAR-E-GHAYR I often wonder whether we have truly grasped the depth of Rumi’s words: “Somewhere beyond right and wrong, there is a garden. I will meet you there.” And perhaps the moment we think we have exhausted their meaning is precisely the moment we drift furthest from it. These words…
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STUDIO OF MEANING Peace and love, Welcome to the Studio of Meaning book club, where we will be sharing important books on Ibn ʿArabi’s life and thought as well as community discussions about these works in the future. For our first post in this series, we respond to a query which quite a few people have asked about recently, an…
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NAOKI YAMAMOTO MAR 21 A diagram of the “Heart” (心) from the Han Kitab tradition, a classical Sino-Islamic intellectual heritage. The Arabic word for Allah is written within the Chinese character for “heart” (心). At its core, East Asian thought may be understood as a sustained reflection on the harmony of the Three Powers (三才): Heaven, Earth, and Humanity. Heaven…
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By Zafar Bangash, Crescent International Given the intellectual decline in the Muslim world, Muslims have adopted practices that are contrary to the teachings of Islam. Who is unaware of the destructive role played by al-Qaeda, the takfiris and ISIS over the last 30 to 40 years? Propped up by the west, primarily the US, they have served as a cover…
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People are more likely to follow rules of good behavior if they can directly sense, intuit, or even know that there is a divine Reality behind those rules. Mysticism teaches direct encounters with the Reality at the heart of religion.
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Today, the mystical dimension of Islam continues to attract seekers worldwide. In an age of noise, speed, and spiritual hunger, the call of the mystics—to slow down, remember, and open the heart—feels more relevant than ever. In mosques, in gatherings of dhikr, and even online, people are rediscovering the beauty of Islamic mysticism: a path of presence, surrender, and divine intimacy.
Mysticism in Islam is not a retreat from the world but a deep dive into its sacredness. It teaches that the greatest journey is not across continents, but within—toward the heart, where the Beloved waits.