The sufi solution
“…The Chishti school of Sufism did not exclude any religion and gave way to a plural Indian identity. This is why the extremists in…
Ramzan – A month of Piety
Contributed by Sadia Dehlvi As children we aimed our eyes at the horizon trying to spot the small sliver and once the Ramzan moon…
Is Islamic Mysticism Really Islam?
By Omid Safi There is a lovely story from the life of the Prophet Muhammad, remembering that a mysterious visitor came upon him and…
On Raja Paurava and Alexander
In an article entitled On Raja Paurava and Alexander, Salman Rashid writes: We do not celebrate Paurava; we name no roads after him and…
Alternative narratives: History rewritten to further political ends
The view that Pakistan was conceived as soon as Muhammad bin Qasim set foot in Sindh amounts to rewriting of history, Historian Manan Ahmed…
The Martyrs of Karbala
By Sadia Dehlvi We are in the beginning of Muharram, the first month of the lunar Muslim Hijrah Calendar. According to authentic prophetic traditions,…
Baba Nanak to Baba Farid
This is how the Sufis and mystics of South Asia viewed jihad, peace and the role of religion. Surely our extremists need to read…
Baba Farid’s shrine and the barbarians within us
This morning arrived with the shocking news of the recent barbarity played out in Pakpattan (formerly known as Ajodhan) when two criminals left bombs…
That Colorless Life: Attacking Shrines and the ‘other’ Islam
An interesting policy brief by the Jinnah Institute In recent months, militant efforts have turned increasingly to operations in the heart of Pakistan’s cities,…
Saints who ruled India
‘The War that Wasn’t: The Sufi and the Sultan’ By Fatima Hussain Publisher: Manoharlal Publishers Pvt. Ltd, New Delhi Pages: 245 Book Review Last…
A secular-minded government rejects excessively religious dress in school
The Economist reports: Take it off Jul 15th 2010 | Damascus AS MEMBERS of France’s parliament voted to outlaw the public wearing of the…
A beatific vision – Nizamuddin Auliya
A beatific vision – Nizamuddin Auliya, originally uploaded by Jahane Rumi. There is something unique, almost magical about this place. Otherwise a tiny space…
The legend of Shah Ghazi of Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune By Aroosa Masroor While a good portion of the city’s residents felt compelled to move from the coastline, worried…
First woman to lead Friday prayers in UK
This is such an interesting development. Much as it is preaching to the converted syndrome. But as such scattered reformist acts occur within Islam…
Shah Hussain, Madhu Lal and the festival of lights
Lighting of lamps is a metaphor for killing the inner darkness that we live with. By invoking spiritual light through love and self-knowledge, we…
Festival of Lights at Madhu Lal’s Urs, 2010
The 3-days Urs of Hazrat Shah Hussain (March 27-29, 2010), radical Sufi saint of Punjab, gained momentum on the weekend as thousands of devotees…
A few Gems From Muhammad (P.B.U.H)
On the blessed day of birth of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), I am posting some of his sayings as we…
Mystical Form of Islam Suits Sufis in Pakistan
A NYT piece where I was quoted. By SABRINA TAVERNISE – LAHORE, Pakistan For those who think Pakistan is all hard-liners, all the time,…
The closed minds that deny a civilisation’s glories – where I was quoted
I was most pleased to read this piece by Yasmin Alibhai-Brown entitled The closed minds that deny a civilisation’s glories. I would like to…
The Message of The Quran : By Leopold Weiss [Muhammad Asad]