I am Jalal Hameed Bhatti, the sole author of Islam: My Ultimate Decision. Which means that this blog is completely solo effort developed on my quest to know Islam and Qur'an through tafsir/explanation of Qur'an by eminent Muslim scholars, both classical and of modern day.
Therefore, I do not write as a scholar, preacher, or person claiming any special degree of religious knowledge. I write primarily as a student of the Qur'an, trying to understand its message more deeply and to reflect upon how its guidance applies to our lives today.
My interest in the Qur'an has gradually developed into a continuing journey of reading, questioning, comparing interpretations, studying authentic Hadith, and reflecting upon the wisdom contained in the words of Allah. Through this blog, I try to share some of that journey with others.
The purpose is not to present myself as an authority. Rather, it is to encourage readers—and constantly remind myself—to approach the Qur'an not merely as a book to be recited, but as guidance to be understood, reflected upon, and lived.
A Learner Before Anything Else
The more one studies the Qur'an, the more one realizes how little one truly knows.
Every verse seems to open another door. A passage that appears simple may contain layers of meaning, historical context, moral instruction, spiritual insight, and relevance to circumstances entirely different from those in which it was first revealed.
That realization has taught me to approach religious knowledge with caution and humility.
What I write here represents my effort to learn and understand, supported wherever possible by the Qur'an, authentic Hadith, and the explanations of respected scholars. And whatever I learn, I share in my blog for it may answer queries of someone who is also in searh of truth and better understanding of Islam, Qur'an and Hadith. I remain conscious that my understanding can be incomplete and that my words can contain mistakes.
I therefore welcome sincere correction supported by sound evidence.
Why I Write
I write because I believe the Qur'an continually asks human beings to think.
It asks us to reflect upon creation, history, human nature, morality, justice, gratitude, arrogance, suffering, death, resurrection, and our relationship with the One who created us.
Many of the questions discussed on this blog are also questions I ask myself:
- Why was a particular verse revealed?
- Why does Allah repeat certain lessons?
- What happened to earlier nations, and why?
- How did the great scholars understand a difficult passage?
- How does a verse revealed more than fourteen centuries ago speak to life in the twenty-first century?
And perhaps the most important question: What should this verse change within me?
Writing helps me think through these questions. Sharing those reflections allows others to examine them, challenge them, benefit from them where useful, and hopefully begin reflections of their own.
I Am Not Writing From a Position of Piety
There is one point I consider especially important. A person who writes frequently about faith, morality, repentance, humility, prayer, charity, patience, sincerity, and obedience can unintentionally give readers an impression that the writer himself possesses all these qualities.
That would be a deeply misleading impression in my case.
May Allah forgive me if anything I write ever implies a degree of piety far greater than I actually possess. I am most in need of the guidance about which I write.
I struggle with weaknesses, shortcomings, distractions, and mistakes as every human being does.
- When I write about arrogance, I must first examine my own pride.
- When I write about repentance, I must remember my own need for forgiveness.
- When I write about gratitude, I must question whether I have truly been grateful.
- When I write about accountability, I must remember that I too will stand before Allah.
And when I write about guidance, I remind myself that guidance is not something we possess permanently by our own merit—it is something we continually ask Allah to grant us.
That is why Muslims repeat in every rak'ah of prayer:
اهْدِنَا الصِّرَاطَ الْمُسْتَقِيمَ “Guide us to the Straight Path.” (Qur'an 1:6)
Even the believer who already recognizes the path continues asking Allah for guidance because remaining upon it requires His mercy at every step.
Writing as a Form of Self-Reminder
Much of what appears on this blog should therefore be understood as a reminder addressed to myself before it is addressed to anyone else.
The Qur'an says: “So remind, for surely the reminder benefits the believers.” (Qur'an 51:55)
Sometimes writing about a verse forces me to confront its message more seriously than simply reading it.
- A verse about justice asks whether I have been just.
- A verse about forgiveness asks whether I forgive.
- A verse about charity asks what I give.
- A verse about controlling anger asks how I behave when provoked.
- A verse about the temporary nature of this world asks what I am pursuing.
In that sense, this blog is not simply an attempt to explain Islam to others. It is also an ongoing conversation with my own conscience.
No Claim to Religious Authority
I have no desire to place myself among scholars whose lives have been devoted to mastering Arabic, Hadith, tafsir, jurisprudence, theology, and the vast intellectual heritage of Islam.
Their scholarship deserves respect, and their works remain indispensable.
My role here is much more modest: to study, compare, reflect, simplify where possible, and share what I find meaningful.
Where matters involve formal Islamic rulings, complicated jurisprudence, or issues requiring specialist knowledge, readers should consult qualified scholars rather than depend upon personal reflections published on a blog.
A Search for Understanding, Not Arguments
I am also increasingly convinced that religious discussion should not merely become a contest over who can win an argument.
Truth deserves something better.
Islam asks people to think, observe, question, and reason. Therefore, when writing about Islam—particularly for readers who may not be Muslims—I try to present the Islamic perspective in a way that invites reflection rather than hostility.
People should be able to ask difficult questions.
Faith does not become weaker because sincere questions are asked.
On the contrary, thoughtful questions often lead to deeper understanding.
My hope is that Islam: My Ultimate Decision remains a place where belief is discussed with conviction, but also with respect, reason, humility, and fairness.
The Journey Continues
I do not regard this blog as the record of someone who has reached the end of a journey.
It is the notebook of someone still travelling.
There will always be another verse to understand more deeply, another misconception to reconsider, another lesson to learn, another weakness to correct, and another reason to ask Allah for guidance.
If these pages contain anything beneficial, I pray that Allah allows it to benefit others and counts it among whatever little good I may leave behind.
If they contain errors, I pray that they are identified and corrected before they mislead anyone.
And if my words ever appear better than the person writing them, I ask the reader to remember that a reminder may be true even when the person giving the reminder is still struggling to live by it himself.
My prayer remains:
May Allah forgive what I am, improve what I may yet become, protect me from pride in whatever little knowledge I acquire, and never allow my words to suggest a righteousness that my deeds do not deserve.
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