Intercession at the door of the Court of Shari’a Law

Sawt Al Umma, Issue 111, 13 January 2003 Only a person in whom servitude dwells seeks freedom. A person who does not reflect on an allusion will not be guided by a clear statement. He who digresses from his subject loses his argument. He who speaks with precision should support it with facts or otherwise […]

Did Allah create human beings before Adam?

Excuse me if I remove myself from these straitened times… these times of the  ‘canned’ interpretation of religious texts, the ready-made opinion that awaits us like early morning breakfast and the inherited answer we hear and repay like a promissory note that has become due. Excuse me if I take an extended holiday from what […]

The human self is a “bulldog” …and the human self is a “poodle”

Sawt Al Umma, Issue 109, 30 December 2002 When injustice opens fire on justice, the heart begins to darken. When ugliness murders beauty in broad daylight, the heart becomes darker. When sin sits on the throne of life mandating that the human self massages its toes in salty water, then the heart becomes extremely dark. […]

How can you be pleased with Allah?

Sawt Al Umma Issue NO. 107 16 December 2003 No matter how widespread and accepted they may be among people, false ideas and misconceptions, fixed and immovable in the minds of those who hold them, are devoid of lifeblood. They are ideas sealed with red wax. They are like pieces of dry wood. People eat […]

Nazara ya Um-Hashim … madad ya Sayedena Al-Husayn

Sawt Al-Umma, Issue No. 106 9th December 2002 Our life, no matter how long it may last, is no longer than an exciting movie. No sooner have you seen the opening scene than you find yourself close to the last. So don’t neglect your spiritual ‘fitness’ before you are surprised with the word ‘the end’..before […]

Is there revelation after Allah’s Messenger?

Sawt Al-Umma, Issue No. 105 2th December 2002 The Arabic word al-wahi usually translated as ‘revelation’ is a secret between the one who gives revelation (Ar: al-mulqi) and the one who receives it (Ar: al-mutalaqqi) The Quran says: “Raised high above ranks (or degrees), (He is) the Lord of the Throne: by His Command does […]

You don’t need to be a sufi to walk on water

Sawt Al-Umma, Issue No. 104 25th November 2002 Some people mistakenly imagine sufis are exempt from obligations. It’s a common misperception, a result of a superficial and hasty interpretation of texts or sometimes even an intentional animosity toward sufism. In fact, as is so often the case, the opposite is true. Sufism actually involves an […]

Do the Sufis Know What Is Hidden?

Sawt Al-Umma, Issue No. 103 18th November 2002 The sufi perhaps is more sensitive to and has a stronger belief in this despite the mistaken, widespread, prevalent and inaccurate ideas people have about sufis such as the ‘lifting of obligations’, ‘the people of the step’ (Ar: ahl al-khatwa), ‘the power to heal’, ‘returning missing people […]

To Every Sheikh a Tariqa

Sawt El Umma, Issue 102, 11th November, 2002 At the moment we find ourselves losing consciousness, we won’t have time to weep under domes, nor read the Book. We will be holding onto nothing but a mirage. At the moment the rain stops, there will be no moon at the end of the night to […]

Sufism …. an Obligation or a Sleight of Hand ?

Sawt ul-Umma, Issue 101 November, 4, 2002 Who can hold the desert to account for the shimmering strip of water on the horizon? Who can hold the poor man to account for dreaming of riches, if only for a few minutes? Who can hold the saints (awliya) the chosen ones and the pious to account […]