Imam Muhammad al-Baqir (peace be upon him) narrated that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“If moderation and gentleness were physical creations that could be perceived, there would be nothing more beautiful, out of all that Allah has created, than these two attributes.”
– “Jihad al-Nafs” (from Wasa’il al-Shi’a) by  Shaykh Muhammad b. al-Hasan […]

Here is a site that predicts the date you’re going to die.  Of course, it assumes you don’t get hit by a car, sucked up by a tornado, swallowed in the ground by an earthquake, seized by an incurable genetic disease, or any of the other myriad of things that could separate you from your […]

From OneUmmah.Net:

The New One Ummah Network 
by Tavis Adibudeen, Director of Publishing
“Verily, this community (ummah) of yours is one community (ummah), and I am your Lord, therefore, worship only Me.” (Qur’an 21:92)
For the past decade, One Ummah Network has striven to uphold this principle of unity (tawhid). As is narrated from the Messenger of Allah, the […]

Apparently, Tavis Adibudeen (that was me last time I checked) has a blog on blogspot. It has part of my conversion story, the old one that has been circulated all over the net despite its deficiencies.
The only problem is, I didn’t make this blog, yet the user wears my name. No other information […]

I just checked my mail…that is, snail mail…at my Library. Anyway, I got my usual assortment of book catalogs and magazine renewal warnings. Along with all that was a catalog from Learning Media of America with “Free DVDs” written in big letters. I think these are the same people who normally send […]

Tired of the same US government spoonfed “news” from Fox News, CNN, Newsweek, and most other mainstream media?

Here is my personal list of independent news sources:
Democracy Now
Black Agenda Report
The Nation
Common Dreams
AntiWar.com
truthout
IndyMedia
These are, I’m sure, just a few of the great ones out there. Feel free to comment and add to the list. I […]

We just finished watching a film that is worth watching many times over, the story of the life, struggle, and eventual realization of Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali. Not only is the story one that anyone seeking spiritual awakening should consider deeply, but it is also an incredibly well produced film. The style is […]

My domain name, lanterntorch.org, was originally registered under the now defunct EV1.net.  They merged with The Planet.  I carelessly allowed my domain to expire, but with any other registrar, fixing such a mistake is simple.  Registrars hold onto a domain for quite some time after it has expired, giving the owner time to re-register.  That […]

Allah says in the Qur’an:
“Oh you who believe, remember Allah, remembering often.” (33:41)
Imam Ja’far b. Muhammad as-Sadiq (peace be upon him) reportedly said:
“There is a limit to everything, but there is no limit to the remembrance of Allah. Excess in anything is disliked by Allah, but Allah’s love increases proportionately to the degree of His […]

She calls this masterpiece “Exploding Dragon.”