Detailed Counsel

The following was extracted from my translation of Abu ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī’s Detailed Counsel. Each of these counsels is explained in the translation, which—in sha Allah—will be published during 2013.

  • Be mindful of God
  • Prefer obedience and avoid disobedience
  • Do not be distracted away from God

    Read more

Collection of Maqasid

The following list of maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah—overarching objectives and purposes of Islam[ic Legislation]—was extracted from Ibn ‘Āshūr’s Maqāṣid al-sharī‘ah. For more information, please consult the Arabic original or its English translation. This list is by no means exhaustive, though it does include the main ones mentioned in the book.

The maqāṣid include:

  • preservation of the order of the world & regulating human conduct
  • preventing our inflicting harm and destruction upon the world
  • preservation of religion, life, the intellect, property, lineage, & dignity

    Read more

Antiprotips Collected

The #antiprotip series includes existing patterns or behavior that need to be avoided. If you find yourself inclining towards any of these things, please reconsider.

  • #antiprotip Harm to others is trumped by serious profits in pockets.
  • #antiprotip Take the quick road to mastery by declaring irrelevant all you don’t already know.
  • #antiprotip Want your subjects to do something they aren’t already? Declare it illegal.

    Read more

Protips Collected

The #protip series includes recommendations and reminders.

  • Train yourself to generate pro- & counter- scenarios—a major fiqh need is matching masa’il & ‘ilal to the contemporary context.
  • For every x, adjust x to suit Islam, not Islam to suit x.
  • Beware of sloppily switching topics while using a term: “sunnah” changes meaning in usul al-fiqh, mustalah al-hadith, and fiqh.

    Read more

Infamies of the Soul and Their Treatment

The following was extracted from my translation of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān al-Sulamī’s ʿUyūb al-nafs wa adwiyātuhā (Infamies of the Soul and Their Treatment). The entries are listed in the following format:

infamy
treatment

You can obtain a copy of the book here.

Audio recordings from a course taught in 2004 are available here.


Expecting salvation despite violations
Travel the path of guidance, eat wholesome food, and seek complete protection from God
Comfort by the form of repentance
Adhere to grieving & crying so the nafs does not apply itself to feeling comforted

Read more