The need to be organised in groups in following their teachings is common to all the traditional religions. It was especially during the VI-VII/XII-XIII centuries that the Sufi orders or ways saw their greatest flowering. Many believers had, in fact, developed the need to have a sure and experienced guide (shaykh) for their mystical journey.…
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God is the direction (qibla) of the intention (niyya), the intention is the direction of the heart (qalb), the heart is the direction of the body (jism), the body is the direction of the members, the members are the direction of the created universe (kawn). This saying, attributed to Sahl al-Tustarî (m. 283/896), expresses well…
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The ascetic movement (I-II/VII-VIII). – Sufism emerges in early Islamic times as an ascetic movement, a reaction against the life of luxury and corruption at the courts of the Moslem Caliphs and princes enriched by recent Islamic conquests. It was also a fidelity protest calling for a return to the original Koranic message, against the…
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In the sea of divine manifestations (VI-VII/XII-XIII) – Starting from the III/IX century, many currents in philosophical and religious thinking such as Platonism, Gnosticism and Hermetism had become part of Islamic thinking. Especially during the VI-VII/XII-XIII centuries, their influence is seen more clearly in Sufi thought. Sufism was increasingly the character of a sort of…
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Misleading interpretation of the Koran may lead to violence. The commitment of Muslim women theologians and the search for the common good. We spoke with Shahrzad Houshmand, a Muslim theologian of Iranian origins, professor of Islamic studies at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Boko Haram in Nigeria, the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria,…
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Muslims in the world are currently more than one and a half billion, the majority of whom are not Arabs, and not all Arabs are Muslims, even if Islam sinks its roots in the culture and history of Arabs. The Arabia land was, in fact, the place where Islam started in the seventh century AD.…
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Modernity is an issue that involves all cultures and religions. It is a mandatory step which doctrines of all religions have to deal with. It implies a deep review of history, culture and religion. The debate between science and faith is expected to continue in the future. The fundamentalist guidelines within modern Islam, can be…
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The longest list of articles regarding the Islamic faith in the Koran, is in Surah 2, verse 177 ,’Faith is Belief in God, Belief in His Angels, Belief in His Books, Belief in His Prophets and Messengers, Belief in the Day of Judgment, Belief in God’s Divine Decree. The theological debate, which can sometimes have…
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The institutions of any religious belief, are expressions of faith and fulfill the task of passing down their religion’s belief across generations. The Sunni Islam (followed by 90% of Muslims) has no clergy, nor specific hierarchies. The figure of the caliph (literally, “vicar” of the prophet) was important in the first six centuries, especially in…
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Dialogue with Islam represents a special challenge for all those who want to engage in inter-religious dialogue. Father Joseph Scattolin, a Comboni missionary, underlines three fields which are important for a dialogue between Christianity and Islam. In the dialogue between Christianity and Islam, it is first of all important to have a rational investigation. History…
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Art – Islamic vibes The Louvre, a museum which has been a beacon for art lovers for centuries (it opened in 1793 and today has more than 35.000 objects on display) has had a Muslim Art section since 1893. The collection grew in time and occupied different areas of the large museum and changed…
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Tunisia has always been a crossroad of cultures. The Arab-Muslim identity of many Tunisians cannot hide the Berber culture surviving beneath it, and now battling to acquire official status. Other minorities are equally part and parcel of the Tunisian landscape: Jews, Italians (especially Sicilians), and French communities have been present in the country for…
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St. Basil the Great, in the 4th century would call money ‘the devil’s dung,’ an epithet reused by Pope Francis last year. Oscar Wilde said…
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The hare and the hippo were great friends. They walked together in the veld and visited each other in their homes. The hippo was very proud…
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The world is seeing once again the upsurge of a vicious “virus” that has spread to every corner of the world. This time, the “virus” is…
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