Tag Archives: al-jilani
Qasidah Al-Khamriyyah
The use of symbolism to illustrate devotional acts, spiritual states and mystical terminologies is primeval. In this regard, the use of wine, goblets, tavern, cupbearers, and intoxication as metaphors is ubiquitous in Sufi discourse and literature. It will appear blasphemous to the uninitiated to find symbols of immorality given such an extraordinary rank. It is [...]
Du’a Nisf Sha’ban – 2
According to ‘Ikrimah, one of the renowned students of Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them both), the 15th of Sha’ban is the night in which “is made distinct every precise matter,” (Al-Qur’an, 44:4) i.e. the night in which the destiny for the coming year is written. It is perhaps due to this interpretation that [...]
Jihad – A Sacred Struggle
The term Jihad, etymologically derived from the word “mujahada“, is primarily used in contemporary discourse to describe martial resistance. This is an unfortunate post-modern phenomenon, for Jihad as “holy war” – while being a valid part of the Islamic tradition in the face of persecution, oppression and foreign aggression - is but one aspect of this panoptic [...]
