Be with Allah. Victory is destined.
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Be with Allah. Victory is destined.

Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: عن عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله تعالى عنهما قال كنت رديف رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا غلام أو يا بني ألا أعلمك كلمات ينفعك الله بهن، قلت: بلى، فقال احفظ الله يحفظك، احفظ الله تجده…

Beyond the gloom… the positivity of Islam
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Beyond the gloom… the positivity of Islam

Dystopia and doom This year has had a distinctly dystopian feel. As the past year flashes through my mind, it’s hard not to feel despondent. With the earth feeling like a train hurtling and careering off the edge of a cliff, one wonders what exactly we should be celebrating and what we have to look…

The fall of the tyrant
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The fall of the tyrant

In Surat An-Nur, Allah Almighty reassures us that He never breaks His promises: ‫وَعَدَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مِنكُمۡ وَعَمِلُوا۟ ٱلصَّـٰلِحَـٰتِ لَیَسۡتَخۡلِفَنَّهُمۡ فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ كَمَا ٱسۡتَخۡلَفَ ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡ وَلَیُمَكِّنَنَّ لَهُمۡ دِینَهُمُ ٱلَّذِی ٱرۡتَضَىٰ لَهُمۡ وَلَیُبَدِّلَنَّهُم مِّنۢ بَعۡدِ خَوۡفِهِمۡ أَمۡنࣰاۚ یَعۡبُدُونَنِی لَا یُشۡرِكُونَ بِی شَیۡـࣰٔاۚ وَمَن كَفَرَ بَعۡدَ ذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ فَأُو۟لَـٰۤىِٕكَ هُمُ ٱلۡفَـٰسِقُونَ ﴿ ٥٥ ﴾ Allah…

Dua of need in our troubled times
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Dua of need in our troubled times

مناجاة إلهِي، لَقَد طَغَى الظُّلمُ وَالقَتلُ وَالتَّشْرِيدُ، وَاشْتَدَّتِ الظُّلماتُ، وَكثُرَ الطُّغَاةُ وَالموبِقَاتُ، وَازْدَادَتِ الفُرْقَةُ وَالخِلَافَاتُ.إلهِي، انقَطَعَ الرَّجَاءُ إِلَّا مِنْكَ، وَسُدَّتِ الطُّرُقُ إِلَّا إِلَيْكَ، أَنتَ الغَنِيُّ وَنَحْنُ الفُقَرَاءُ إِلَيْكَ، لَيْسَ لَنَا رَبٌّ سِوَاكَ نَدْعُوهُ، وَلَا إِلَٰهَ غَيْرُكَ نَرْجُوهُ، اَرْفَعْ عَنِ الأُمَّةِ الهَرْجَ وَالضَّيْمَ، وَالقَهْرَ وَالذُّلَّ، وَالظُّلْمَ وَالمَهَانَةَ الَّتِي نَحْنُ فِيهَا، اجْمَعْ قُلُوبَنَا عَلَيْكَ، وَوَحِّدْ صُفُوفَنَا، وَطَهِّرْهَا…

The disappearance of barakah – Signs of the Day of Judgement
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The disappearance of barakah – Signs of the Day of Judgement

One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that time will pass quickly, knowledge will be lifted and there will be a great deal of fitan (trials and tribulations). In the narration, reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, عن أبي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ…

Assisted dying: the Islamic view
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Assisted dying: the Islamic view

The impermissibility of suicide In the Quran, Allah tells us of the sacredness of human life and the inviolability of the soul. It is a core principle. Allah has explicitly forbidden taking life unjustly, and suicide is considered impermissible in all major religions. Indeed, the unlawful taking of any life is a major sin. Allah…

Don’t be happy if you got away with it. The dangers of delayed punishment
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Don’t be happy if you got away with it. The dangers of delayed punishment

One should not feel happy if they did not receive punishment when they did something wrong. It is very serious. Istidraj has been mentioned in the Quran twice – it appears in Surat al Araf and also in Surat al Qalam. What is istidraj? It is to receive blessings, wealth, success, or other worldly pleasures…

Trust Allah’s plan and have a good opinion of Him
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Trust Allah’s plan and have a good opinion of Him

Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him) said, “I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) say, three days before his death: ‎وَعَنْ جَابِرٍ قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَبْلَ مَوْتِهِ بِثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ يَقُولُ:  «لَا يَمُوتَنَّ أَحَدُكُمْ إِلَّا وَهُوَ يُحْسِنُ الظَّنَّ بِاللَّه». رَوَاهُ مُسلم ‘None of you should die except…

Being faithful to your pledges – Anas bin An-Nadhr
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Being faithful to your pledges – Anas bin An-Nadhr

There are many verses in the Quran that encourage us to be truthful and to stick to our principles and to cling to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and not to compromise, no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in. Allah is saying you can…

Defining Nasr: 12 ingredients for victory from the Quran
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Defining Nasr: 12 ingredients for victory from the Quran

In Arabic, the word nasr (نصر) appears 33 times in the Quran. What does it mean? Nasr is commonly understood as “victory”. However, when you turn to the linguist, Ibn Faris (395 H), in “Mu’jam maqayees Al-Lughah” whose dictionary is a key reference in Arabic, the root word nasara (نصر) means ‘bringing or facilitating goodness….

Recharging the Ummah – from weakness and despair to resilience and hope
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Recharging the Ummah – from weakness and despair to resilience and hope

In Surat al-Imran, Allah Almighty says: ‫وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَوۡنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ Don’t be weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will prevail if you are true believers. (3:129) ‫إِن یَمۡسَسۡكُمۡ قَرۡحࣱ فَقَدۡ مَسَّ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ قَرۡحࣱ مِّثۡلُهُۥۚ وَتِلۡكَ ٱلۡأَیَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَیۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلِیَعۡلَمَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَیَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمۡ شُهَدَاۤءَۗ وَٱللَّهُ…

Those who are expelled from their homes unjustly
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Those who are expelled from their homes unjustly

Allah Almighty mentions about those who are being driven and expelled from their homelands in three surahs – Surat Ale Imran, Surat Hajj and Surat al Hashr. In Surat Ale Imran, He says: ‫ فَٱلَّذِینَ هَاجَرُوا۟ وَأُخۡرِجُوا۟ مِن دِیَـٰرِهِمۡ وَأُوذُوا۟ فِی سَبِیلِی وَقَـٰتَلُوا۟ وَقُتِلُوا۟ لَأُكَفِّرَنَّ عَنۡهُمۡ سَیِّـَٔاتِهِمۡ وَلَأُدۡخِلَنَّهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتࣲ تَجۡرِی مِن تَحۡتِهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ ثَوَابࣰا مِّنۡ…

When will the help of Allah come? Endurance, tests and the path to victory.
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When will the help of Allah come? Endurance, tests and the path to victory.

In Surat al Baqarah, Allah Almighty says: أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُوا۟ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا یَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِینَ خَلَوۡا۟ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَاۤءُ وَٱلضَّرَّاۤءُ وَزُلۡزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ یَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَاۤ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِیبࣱ Do you think that you will enter Paradise while you have not yet been visited by (difficult) circumstances…

Justice is blind. But we should not be blind to justice.
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Justice is blind. But we should not be blind to justice.

كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ أُمَّةࣰ وَ ٰ⁠حِدَةࣰ فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِیِّـۧنَ مُبَشِّرِینَ وَمُنذِرِینَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ لِیَحۡكُمَ بَیۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فِیمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُوا۟ فِیهِۚ وَمَا ٱخۡتَلَفَ فِیهِ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِینَ أُوتُوهُ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَاۤءَتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتُ بَغۡیَۢا بَیۡنَهُمۡۖ فَهَدَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لِمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُوا۟ فِیهِ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ بِإِذۡنِهِۦۗ وَٱللَّهُ یَهۡدِی مَن یَشَاۤءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَ ٰ⁠طࣲ مُّسۡتَقِیمٍ All mankind used to be a…