A Sign Above My Door
January 26, 2007 by Abdur Rahman
Peace, one and all…
The sign above my door is a passage from the Quran and a saying of the Prophet (alaihi al-salatu wa al-salam):
‘My Lord, forgive me and my parents and whoever enters my house in faith…’ Surah Nuh 71:28
‘Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day should be hospitable to his guest…’
Welcome to Abdur Rahman’s Corner, my very own virtual home. Ahlan wa sahlan! I hope that you enjoy this blog, and that it is useful to you in some small way, insha Allah.
My virtual home, as with my actual home, is a welcoming and accepting place, insha Allah. I welcome all visitors to my cyber-home, regardless of background. Let me take this opportunity to offer greetings of peace. I’ll even go so far as to offer generous helpings of (virtual) tea and biscuits!
However, before you enter, please be aware of the rules of my home. There aren’t many, but such rules as exist are taken seriously.
Please note, that the views and opinions expressed by me on this website are entirely my own. I am deeply committed to the spiritual life and to my faith, which means my posts are (usually) the product of careful study and reflection. However, I’m only human. I make mistakes and get things wrong (only God is perfect). If an error is pointed out to me, I will apologise and attempt to put it right, insha Allah.
Also, this is the cyber-home of a believing, committed Muslim. I have no problems with differences of opinion (even sharp differences), but this is not a place for Islam-bashing.
The comments and ideas of others are the responsibility of their respective authors. Also, I am not responsible for the comment of other websites linked to here. My inclusion of such links does not indicate that I agree with all that they say, merely that I have found that site helpful and useful in some way.
Furthermore, please also note, that although I welcome comments from anyone who passes by, a word about appropriate conduct is in order.
Perhaps one of the only certainties in matters religious is that someone, somewhere is going to disagree with me. That’s fine. After all, I’m an adult (according to my passport at any rate) and I can handle differences of opinion easily enough. However, I will not tolerate abusive behaviour. In particular, this means that the use of foul, threatening or generally offensive language is utterly prohibited. It also means that I will not tolerate sexist or racist comments of any kind. Persistent or serious offenders (and in my home I am the sole judge) will be deleted without warning.
This blog is my cyberspace home and as with my earthly home, I expect all visitors to remain polite. If you fail to abide by the rules of my house, expect to be shown the door very quickly!
Ma’as salama,
Abdur Rahman
love the site !! having just recently converted to islam i found all your articles very informative.
i am presently trying to locate a scholar in the north east to assist me with my conversion, however i also need someone who can teach me the sufi path and i am finding this extremely difficult, surely there must be a sufi in the north east !! if there is i cannot find him / her !!
once again congrats on the site, its wonderful
isha
Salaams Isha,
Thank you for the compliment. May Allah bless you, now and always. Let me welcome you to the community of Islam (or Ummah if you prefer). May Allah guide your steps.
If I might add a word of counsel. You may find (as I certainly did) that there are many different ways of ‘doing’ Islam. Also, it seems, that many are keen to offer you their own views and perspectives. I would say, just take your time and Allah will guide you to where you need to be, insha Allah.
I’m not from the north east, though I’ve visited Durham and Newcastle in my time. So, I can’t help you. Insha Allah, when I next go to Leicester I’ll make a few enquiries regarding scholars/sufis in that part of the world.
Welcome to my virtual home. Feel free to visit as often as you like. Also, feel free to ask me any questions you may have.
My best salaams to you and yours,
Abdur Rahman
Salaam!
Long time since I’ve posted a comment on your site. I was just out and I remembered it out of the blue. At that point, I figured there must have been a reason to remember, and so I found one
There is an exhibition currently touring London that I’d really recommend you and your readers to visit, if it is at all possible. It is called ‘Spirit & Life’, selected pieces from the permanent collection of the Aga Khan Museum. There are fabulous pieces on display, including the oldest known copy (1052 CE) of Ibn Sina’s Canon of Medicine … a text used for the study of medicine for 500 years after being authored! There are also other fascinating pieces, such as pages from the North African Blue Quran, Persian miniatures, and so on. The exhibit consists of pieces from number of different areas and traditions of the Muslim world, and this is an important message.
Here are some links for you to visit to help you consider visiting:
BBC’s Newsnight - 7 Jun 07 - video clip!
http://www.iis.ac.uk/SiteAssets/video/Newsnight.wmv
BBC Radio 4’s Today programme - 10 Jul 07 - audio clip!
http://www.iis.ac.uk/SiteAssets/video/today_nf_01.mp3
Times on-line - Waldemar Januszczak
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/visual_arts/article2099511.ece
BBC - Stephanie Holmes
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/entertainment/6902755.stm
Financial Times - Robert Irwin
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/c5b7bb82-30e5-11dc-9a81-0000779fd2ac.html
Evening Standard - Nick Hackworth
http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/arts/artexhibition-20636527-details/Spirit%20&%20LIfe/artexhibitionReview.do?reviewId=23404635
Prince Charles on his web-site
http://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/speechesandarticles/a_speech_by_hrh_the_prince_of_wales_at_the_opening_of_the_ag_1254785784.html
And last but not least, the exhibits original press release and official web-site
http://www.akdn.org/museums/aktc_spirtandlife_pr.html
http://www.akdn.org/museums/index.html
Salaams A. Walli,
I am doubly blessed by the guest who returns to my door after a long absence! Ahlan wa sahlan.
Jazak Allah for the long list of sites. Insha Allah, I’ll look through them all. I’d be more than happy to visit the exhibition you refer to. There are few things I enjoy more than walking around museums and other such things.
Allah bless you always
Abdur Rahman
Greetings!
This comes from Brazil. It was a great surprise to find your page on the web. What a rich sourse to a great culture!
Hopefully, you can help me: I read that, whenever a Muslin is about to start a story, a mention to the name of Allah is made. Could you be kind enough to send me this sentence in English and in your own language? That would be very nice, indeed.
I bid you peace.
Ana Maria - São Paulo, Brazil
Peace Ana Maria,
Welcome, welcome and thrice welcome!
The phrase you refer to is an Arabic phrase (written at the top of the blog itself), which reads Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim. In English (my native tongue), it means: ‘In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful’.
Feel free to stop by anytime.
May God’s peace be with you and those you love, now and evermore.
Abdur Rahman