Muslims need to Go Green When your Lord said to the angels, I am placing a successor on earth.’ They said, ‘Will You place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we declare Your praises and sanctify You?’ He said,’ I know what you do not know. (2:30) Humans…
Protecting our youth Glorified is the One who has sovereignty and He is able to do anything. The one who created death and life in order to test you, who among you is best in conduct and He is All Forgiving Almighty. (67:1-2) Among the incidents that are sadly taking place everyday in London,…
Inspiration from the Hijra If you do not help him, God has already helped him, when those who disbelieved expelled him, and he was the second of two in the cave. He said to his friend, ‘Do not worry, God is with us.’ And God made His tranquility descend upon him, and supported…
Be One Ummah in the Face of Adversity A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother. He does not wrong him, or let him down, or hand him over to his enemies, or despise him. (Muslim) Stick to principles Going back to basics, sticking to our principles makes our ummah a special ummah. Unfortunately, with all…
Are you in control or under control? In his chapter on greed (at tama’: الطمع), long before Imam Al Ghazali wrote about spirituality, the third century scholar Imam Muhasibi (died in 857AD/243H) has his own unique take on it, and explored it in his beautiful and deep book Ādāb un Nufus. He said you should…
Transformation Hajj is not a tick box exercise. Allah Almighty uses Hajj as training for us to change our bad habits. It’s not about ticking off tawaf and sa’ee and standing in Arafat. These are not the end but the means to the end. Hajj is about personal transformation. For this reason the Prophet (peace be…
Don’t side with liars In an authentic hadith, Khabbab bin Al-Aratt reported: I was sitting next to the door of the Prophet (peace be on him) and when he came out he said ‘Listen to me’ and we replied, ‘We are listening, ya Rasul Allah’ and he said ‘There will be, after me, leaders who…
Sabr – An Active State Many people think that sabr is a passive state. Of waiting patiently. Sabr is more than this. Sabr is an active state. Sabr is a quality that grows with practice. ‘O you who believe, be patient, compete with each other in patience.’ (3:200). To get out of bed and pray fajr requires…
The Wisdom Your Difficulties in Life Why are we tested? Why me? What did I do to deserve this? The Messenger has believed in what has been revealed to him from his Lord, and the believers as well. All have believed in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers. ‘We make no…
…even when it does not appeal to us When what is good for us is bitter Allah the Almighty created us, and He wrote our destiny before He created us in a book which will never change. Yet He gave us choices. Without doubt, after He sent the messengers and the prophets to clarify the…
The Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘He will not be admitted to Jannah, the one who has in his heart an atom’s weight of pride.’ A man asked the Prophet (peace be on him): ‘We like to have beautiful dresses and shoes. Is it out of pride? Will this be classified under kibr?’…
Cornering the Cat – Why Allah Forbid Oppression Oh my servants, I have made oppression forbidden on myself and made it forbidden amongst you so do not oppress one another. (Bukhari) This is one of the fundamental rules and pillars in Islam – the prohibition of oppression (dhulm). There are different types of dhulm. The…
The Limitations of Scholars When Rebellion is Permitted The Arab spring raised many questions about the legitimacy of tackling unjust dictatorships and oppressive regimes. Is it permissible for the public to rebel when their rulers are failing them? There have been scholars throughout history who have legitimised and rubber stamped the wrong doings of rulers,…
The Recipe for Success and Unity ‘O you who believe when you meet your enemy forces, take the firm stand against them and remember Allah Almighty much so that you may be successful and do not dispute with one another, lest you will achieve failure and your power will depart from you and be patient,…
Opposing Oppression ‘Oh My servants I have prohibited oppression for myself and made it prohibited amongst you, so do not oppress one another’ (Bukhari) There are countless verses in the Qur’an on oppression and around 97 verses alone on oppressors. Human Weakness By contrast, there is a word which is mentioned three times in just…