Reflection by Umm e Maham We all have a natural desire to feel joy and experience life in a positive way. We are aware that the true expression of life is love, delight and joy. Life is not about darkness, depression, disapproval and sour, stern faces. All of us, who have gone through depression, know...

Reflection by Dawood Vally Man imagines himself to be an existence alongside Allah, albeit by Allah’s permission. This means man has autonomous existence for a moment, with a moment having the duration of a lifetime. Herein lies the source of all angst, for this is an existential plane mired in lack. Since man is a...

Reflection by Umm e Maham Allah has created a state of separation for humans, so that they strive to find meaning and purpose, and hence serve to find true connection – love! We see the world as we are. As Shaykh Ebrahim discusses, Allah says in a hadith qudsi, “I am My slave’s opinion of...

Reflection by Nick Hobbs What we are engaged in, is the gardening of the soul. We endeavour to create the perfect climate and environment in our psychological functioning, from which beautiful actions may grow. If we tend to the soil through philosophical understanding, but also supply the life giving nutrients of regular prayer and remembrance,...

  Reflection by Umm e Maham  Our way of seeing life determines our experience with life. The perception that we have of the world around us could either be contending, rooted in the ideology of “survival of the fittest”, or we could feel fullness within ourselves, rooted in “gratitude”. The first condition will create feelings...

This gem was sent to a student of Shaykha Shahbano’s in November 2018 – the audio is available at the bottom of this post. You’ll find, often, that situations and people transform when your intent transforms – without you having to say or even do anything. They just seem to intuit it. Allah knows your...

The following tribute was given by Shaykh Ebrahim Schuitema at the zawia on the 9th of February, 2019. The audio is available at the bottom of the post. Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim The obviously appropriate thing to talk about this evening is Shaykha Shahbano’s passing. For all of us in our extended circle and beyond, this...

  Many times every day we utter the names of Allah, glorified be He, ‘ar-Rahman, ar-Raheem’, yet how easy is it to quickly say the words without pausing and fully reflecting on what it means to call on the Compassionate, the Merciful One.  Imam al-Ghazali wrote: ‘Mercy requires an object of mercy, and no-one is an...

  Extract from a discourse delivered by Shaykh Ebrahim on 30/06/18 – audio available at the bottom of post What is true for your life, is that you will have gain. Over the period of your life you’ll gain more relationships, you’ll gain more wealth, you’ll gain more knowledge. We view our lives through that...

  A piece by Yusuf Abdulrahman Just in case you forgot or didn’t know… His Mercy is not hidden from those who do not know how to use big words or speak foreign tongues. His Mercy is not limited to those with respectable middle-class lifestyles who attend expensive international retreats to demonstrate their piety. You...