Conviction

Silhouette of a Muslim in deep contemplation surrounded by tranquil settings

The Lost Art of Contemplation

Introduction Modern psychology involves the study of human cognition, affect, and behavior. These three phenomena represent fundamental components of the human experience. They are also deeply connected to the Islamic...

Dr. Zohair Abdul-Rahman

Is Islam a Death Cult? Martyrdom and the American-Muslim Imagination

Introduction In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy The topic of martyrdom in general, and certainly in Islam, is very sensitive. One can never be too clear about things these days, so...

Dr. Jonathan Brown

Does Islam Need Saving? An Analysis of Human Rights

Introduction It is a common argument, made both implicitly and explicitly in Islamophobic rhetoric, that Islam, on the whole, is antithetical to modern secular notions of human rights. Whether it is through the lens of...

Nour Soubani

The-Message-of-the-Prophet-The Proofs-of Prophethood Series-Hero-Image

The Message of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ: The Proofs of Prophethood Series (Updated)

To download the new e-book, The Final Prophet: Proofs for the Prophethood of Muhammad, click here. In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy The moral and intellectual greatness of the message...

Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy

Predestination vs. Free Will in Islam: Understanding Allah’s Qadr

How can we reconcile two apparently contradictory facts that Allah has absolute power and sovereignty over all creation, and that at the same time we are responsible for our actions? Are we forced to do what we do, or...

Anonymous Guest Author

The Infinitely Merciful and the Question of Hellfire

Introduction In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy Is Allah really more merciful with us than even our own mothers? How can that be possible when He created Hellfire and will cast some people...

Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy

Islam and Violence Against Women: A Critical Look at Domestic Violence and Honor Killings in the Muslim Community

Note Presented at the 12th Annual Conference on Crimes Against Women. Foreword by Dalia Mogahed During a November 17th, 2001 radio address, then first lady Barbara Bush sought to rally support for the war in Afghanistan...

Dr. Tesneem Alkiek, Dr. Omar Suleiman and Dr. Jonathan Brown

The Structure of Scientific Productivity in Islamic Civilization: Orientalists’ Fables

Abstract The popular analysis (promulgated by Orientalists) on the rise and decline of scientific productivity in Islamic civilization dichotomizes the events of Islamic history as a conflict between religion and reason...

Asadullah Ali Al-Andalusi

Finding Hope in Faith: An Optimistic Outlook During Hardship

Even amidst such widespread negativity, there are those voices we all naturally gravitate toward and secretly wish to adopt as our own – those of the optimists who see the proverbial glass as half full.

Roohi Tahir

Religious Minorities Under Muslim Rule

Religious minorities are often depicted as oppressed and vulnerable victims of their Muslim rulers. This portrayal, however, is far from accurate. This brief paper seeks to reorient our understanding of the rights and...

Dr. Tesneem Alkiek

how-the-prophet-rose-above-enmity-and-insult-heroimage

How Muhammad ﷺ Confronted Hate and Became The Most Influential Person in History

Introduction In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful To delegitimize the Messenger ﷺ is to call into question the entire message.[1] During his time, the Meccans called him a poet, a...

Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy and Dr. Omar Suleiman

Stoning and Hand Cutting—Understanding the Hudud and the Shariah in Islam

Introduction Often the only things people in the West associate with Islam are stoning and hand chopping. These images permeate our culture, from the trailer of hits like Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) to straight...