The Christian World Celebrates the Birth of Jesus
As with every year, the streets in cities from New York to London and from Sydney to Berlin are decked out in Christmas enthralling all who see them. The streets are illuminated, Christmas trees are decorated and the shop windows compete with each other to attract the attention of passers-by. While the Santa Clauses are ringing their sleigh bells, the capitalist economy brings this wind to the re...

Jesus through a Muslim Lens
Christians may be surprised to learn that Muslims believe in the Virgin Birth and Jesus' miracles. But this shared interest in his message goes much further. In our scientific age, the miraculous side of Jesus' story has greatly obscured his role in the prophetic tradition. In this sense, there may be more important questions for Muslims and Christians than whether he walked on water or raised th...

What is Christmas About?
  The pressure on parents each year to buy bigger and better toys for their children is so great. Many have to borrow money to cope with the financial burden Christmas brings.   Christmas, celebrated in December, is surrounded by so much media hype that many of the shops have begun to display their Christmas range from as early as October. After three months of "jingle bells," shopper...

My Dearest Prophet
Sir! My connection with you began the day I was born! They called me rose so I could remember you, and they gave me the name Aysegul (Aisha Rose). I do not know if that is why I think of you every time my name is called. My dearest Prophet, I never get tired of calling you to my dreams every night. When I wake up without having seen you, dawn does not break for me. I console myself every morning ...

Valentine's Day: Origins & Islamic View
The Origin of "Valentine Day" or "Festival of Love" The Festival of Love was one of the festivals of the pagan Romans, when paganism was the prevalent religion of the Romans more than seventeen centuries ago. In the pagan Roman concept, it was an expression of "spiritual love". There were myths associated with this pagan festival of the Romans, which persisted with their Christian heirs. Am...

Why do human beings feel the need for Supplication?
A believing individual does not leave his belief on a mental plane and he develops a close relationship with the Being he believes in. One of the relationships between the believer and He Whom he believes in is supplication. In the supplication relationship, the believer and Allah appear as the two main elements. This relationship between Allah and man frequently gets our attention in the Quran, ...

Who Should Eyes See, Who Should Tongues Speak Of?
Since the time the first light shone on this earth until now, how many human beings have had this much praise and have been the vehicle for the most celebrated atmosphere of love ever? It is no other than that "Beloved" who has been constantly on people's tongues and in their hearts since the time he lived and as a result, has been the inspiration for epic written works. The feelings of love, ded...

Search for “Footprints” in Life Stories
It has always been said that listening to the life stories of the sahaba or the legends of great people plays an important role in man's attaining perfection. Why is this so? I will try and answer my own question by asking another question. Can a person understand his existence on earth without knowing the story of Adam? Other than the story of Adam is there any better method of explaining and fi...

Concepts of Love used in Islamic Culture
There are many words, terms and concepts used to express love in Arabic, particularly in Islam’s basic sources, the Quran and sunnah (practices of the Prophet). Some writers who have compiled books related to this subject say that the number is as great as sixty. A number of these have been used in both the Quran and hadiths (sayings of the Prophet). Some of these are words and terms that, even t...

How should we talk about the Prophet Today?
We know that Islamic world has experienced a regression period in the last 200-300 years and it has not yet scored much progress. Many reasons can be counted for this significant problem and in my opinion the most important one that fostered others is the fact that the Islamic world has torn apart the bonds between the messages of its religion and prophet and the realities that people experienced...

Prayer is the Ascension of Believers
Salah (ritual prayer) is unarguably the foundation of Islam. Having been commanded during the Night of Ascension (Mi‘raj), it is a blessing granted to Muslims by Allah. Muslims approach the wisdoms of Mi‘raj through a genuinely felt and performed prayer, and thereby reach the zenith of servitude before Allah.

Our daily prayers constitute training grounds for such a glorious exaltation; all believe...

Reciting Salat and Salam
Reciting salaat and salaam for Prophet Muhammad (Alayhi's-Salaatu wa's-Salaam) and for other Prophets (Alayhimu's-Salaam) is a reflection of the commitment, affection and respect felt towards them. This task can be performed anywhere anytime. In fact, the only deed Almighty Allah commands His servants to perform and acknowledges of Himself performing is the act of reciting salaat and salaam. In o...