The Evolution of Ideas

By: Mustafa Umar About a thousand years ago, Imam Ghazzali wrote in his autobiography, ‘Deliverance from Error’: “a clumsy and stupid person must be kept away from the seashore, not the proficient swimmer; and a child must be prevented from ha...

By: Mustafa Umar Introduction Imam An-Nawawī said regarding the tongue: “Whoever wishes to speak should reflect before saying anything. If any benefit is found, then let him speak. Otherwise, let him remain silent.”[1] In a world where politi...

A common misconception among many people is that they believe the texts of the Qur’an and Hadith are intended for all of mankind and are so clear that anyone fairly literate should be able to read them and understand what they mean. The first part of this idea is correct, the Qur’an and the teachings of the Prophet are intended for everyone. However, the idea that anyone reading the texts irrespective of their background knowledge will be able to fully understand each and every intended meaning is very wrong.

It has become a common practice in many parts of the world for men to stand and urinate. The presence of urinals in almost every male bathroom has not only taught, but encouraged, people to stand up while relieving themselves. What does Islam say about this behavior?

One of the common phrases you hear some Muslims utter nowadays when it comes to the issue of lawful/prohibited meat is: “just say bismillah and eat.” While this statement, on the surface, may seem innocent, it’s usually otherwise. This statement is a direct quote of Prophet Muhammad who said these exact words to his Companions. However, the problem lies in the fact that it is usually quoted out of context.

First, the accusation was: “All Muslims are terrorists.” When the bigots who made this statement realized that no one in their right mind would believe that all 1.6 billion Muslims in the world could be terrorists, they reversed their statement to sound more objective and fair: “All Muslims may not be terrorists, but almost all terrorists are Muslims.” Really?

One of the common, yet groundless, accusations being made against Islam is that it forces itself on others. The picture presented is that if someone doesn’t stop Islam, it will forcefully convert everyone, even at gunpoint. Find out the truth.

Arabic is radically different from English, even in its letters. This causes a difficulty in transliteration. Learn how to type Unicode characters like "ā" on your computer...

It's very easy to type Arabic on your computer. Here's how...

To get certain Arabic programs, like the priceless Maktaba Shamila, to display correctly on Windows 7, you must change a setting on your system...