Irada, Murid, and Murad (Will, the Willing One, and the Willed One)
Irada (will) is the mental power by which a person can direct his or her thoughts and actions…
Belief
755 articles
The Means of Detecting Potential Errors and Sins
Question: If a person’s self recognition of errors or sins is the first step to the path of…
What It Means to Be Human
My friend, shut the doors of your feelings, thoughts, and heart against every kind of evil as long…
Love in Sufi Poetry
The enduring resonance of the poetry of thirteenth-century Islamic poet, Mevlana Jalal al-Din Rumi, extends across cultures and…
Compatibility of Modern Psychology and Muslims
“Surely God changes not the conditions of a people, unless they change what is with their selves.” Qur’an…
Liberating Theology from Alphabetic Writing’s Reductionistic Reign
The words on this page are squiggly black ink pressed onto white paper. You could run your fingertips…
Qast and Azm (Decision And Resolution)
Qast means confidence, determination, choosing, and advancing straight toward a destination, thinking and reasoning moderately and deliberately, and…
Our Sole Duty Is to Communicate the Truth
Question: Given that God may cause us to act as a means for guidance of people to truth,…
Love for Truth
Truth means the essence and reality of a thing. It is to know clearly what a thing is,…
Can Spirituality Help Recover From Cancer?
Dr. Jean Kristeller is Professor of Psychology and the Director of the Center for the Study of Health,…
Inbisat (Expansion)
Literally meaning growing larger and deeper, spreading and expanding, Sufis use inbisat to signify the relaxing of one’s…
The Prophet Muhammad’s Illiteracy
Question: Was the Prophet illiterate throughout his life? Or did he-the one for whom veils were lifted with…
Virtue and Happiness
Those who promise happiness to people must equip them with virtues first. Happiness is out of reach for…
The Freedom of Religion, the Concept of War, and Gulen
Scholars have put forward varying ideas on the legitimacy of war in Islam. While there is consensus on…
Forgiveness: A Prophetic Example
The compelling conditions of our time offer human society two paths to choose from. We will either continue…