In Islamic theology, an accurate English interpretation of the expression al-insān al-kāmil, Arabic الإنسان الكامِل , translates as “the perfect human” or “the perfect being.” In Sufism, this expression is closely linked to Ibn ʿArabī, who identified The Prophet Muḥammad as “the perfect man”[1] and is viewed by Muslims as the archetype of the perfect... Continue Reading →

“The cultivation and embodiment of a perfect balancebetween jamāl and jalāl are exactly the same for male and female aspirants” - Sa’diyya Shaikh Sa’diyya Shaikh situates her research by interjecting Islamic and Gender Studies, which involves gender-sensitive readings of Hadith, Quranic exegesis, and Sufi texts; theoretical and political debates on Islam and feminism; religion and... Continue Reading →

A reading Response to Professor Rory Dickson's Paper Just as the answer to the quintessential question about ‘culture’ is that “There is not such a thing as pure culture,”[1] one can get the same gist when Professor William Rory Dickson ponders what Sufism is. His writing style, filled with passion for the subject he presents,... Continue Reading →

تحليل ودراسة، لكتاب "ما هو الأسلام" فصل: ست أسئلة عن الإسلام ( أهمية آن تكون أسلامياً ) لأحمد شهاب. في الفصل الأول من ما هو الإسلام: أهمية أن تكون إسلاميًا وبعنوان "ست أسئلة عن الإسلام"، يطرح شهاب أحمد ست أسئلة تأخذ القارئ في طريق الصعب لتعريف "الإسلام". من المهم مراعاة أنه مع ازدياد اختلاف وتنوع... Continue Reading →

An Interpretation of the Hijab’s Symbolic Meaning: Perspectives of Islamic Scholars and the Colonial Remains That Influence Modern Western Discourses ________________________ Contemporary debates surrounding women in Islam and الحجاب, the hijab or the veil often revolve around a homogenized view that groups an entire community under one single definition. In addition, it is concerning to... Continue Reading →

In the first chapter of What is Islam: The Importance of Being Islamic entitled “Six Questions About Islam,” Shahab Ahmed asks six questions that take the reader on the challenging path of defining “Islam.” It is important to consider that as societies, persons, ideas, and practices become more diverse, the more difficult is to circumscribe... Continue Reading →

The Secular, Religious, and Cultural Essentializationsof the Hijab in France and Quebec Rawdah Mohamed, wearing a hijab, holding up her hand, which says "Hands off my hijab." (Photo: Rawdah Mohamed) The predominant concern Seyla Benhabib stresses in The Rights of Others, The Claims of Culture, Another Cosmopolitanism, and Dignity and Adversity is the essentialization of... Continue Reading →