A Holy Month spent in the City of Jasmine — The month of Ramadan — following, as it does, the lunar calendar — is a wandering month, coming earlier and earlier with each passing year. Ten years ago, before it coincided with spring, it came during the middle of summer. And so it was that my family and I, having…

Stress, tone, and their relation to meaning — Words carry meaning — that’s obvious enough. But the sound of our words, what deserves to be called the voice, also carries meaning, and sometimes does so in a much more significant way. This is clearly important for psychotherapists. We’re in the business of recognizing meanings — not just those…

Spiritual reflections on truth — It is said that the prophet Mohammad, upon entering the holy shrine of the Kaaba and destroying the idols which had been worshipped there, recited the following verse from the Quran: Say, “The truth has come, and falsehood passed away. And falsehood always passes away” What motivated the prophet to…

A translation of a poem by as-Samaw’al — A culture’s poetry is a glimpse into its world, acquainting us with the lives of its people. The miracle of classical Arabic poetry is that it has preserved, through oral tradition alone, a rich testament of a people who would have otherwise been lost to history: the Arab warriors of…

According to Freud, it may not be what you think — We’ve always been fascinated with dreams — especially the ones that surprise and confuse us. And probably none are as striking as dreams about nakedness: whether it’s showing up to work in our underwear, or standing in front of our class butt-naked. What does a dream like that mean? In…

ِAnd how it guides the composition of verses — Poetry is the jewel of Arabic culture, an ancient and refined tradition which developed over thousands of years, leaving the modern Arabic speaker with volumes of beautiful descriptions, heartfelt expressions, and upbuilding wisdoms. But besides its content, one of the most remarkable qualities of classical Arabic poetry is its adherence…

How hijacking our immune response could lead to future medical treatments — At chemotherapy treatment centers, healthcare professionals tell a common anecdote. Patients will often experience nausea while being treated with chemotherapeutic drugs. But for some, the nausea comes prematurely: the simple act of sitting down for the treatment can trigger it. The explanation for this ‘anticipatory nausea’ is most likely conditioning…

The dream interpretation method of Clark Moustakas — There are two common, but completely opposite, views on dreaming. The first sees dreams as random fluctuations, the product of an erratic and uncensored mind. The second sees dreams as meaningful phenomena, wise inspirations from which we can learn and grow. The psychologist Clark Moustakas subscribed to the second view…

An existential description of being Muslim — We hear a lot about the ‘Five Pillars of Islam’ — the testimony, prayer, charity, fasting, and pilgrimage — and these are often used to give an introduction to the faith. But any understanding of Islam derived from them remains superficial, if not misleading, so long as it neglects its…