Hypocrites who side with the disbelievers بَشِّرِ ٱلۡمُنَـٰفِقِینَ بِأَنَّ لَهُمۡ عَذَابًا أَلِیمًا ٱلَّذِینَ یَتَّخِذُونَ ٱلۡكَـٰفِرِینَ أَوۡلِیَاۤءَ مِن دُونِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِینَۚ أَیَبۡتَغُونَ عِندَهُمُ ٱلۡعِزَّةَ فَإِنَّ ٱلۡعِزَّةَ لِلَّهِ جَمِیعࣰا ‘Give the hypocrites the ‘good’ news that for them there is a painful punishment – those who take the disbelievers for allies instead of the believers. Are they…
Your heart is the receiver of signals from Allah ‘Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom, and has taught you what you did not know. Allah’s favour on you is great.’ [4:113] In this ayah, Allah is addressing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, to whom He revealed the Book. In a similar ayah in…
Obeying the Prophet ﷺ = Obeying Allah ‘Whoever obeys the Messenger obeys Allah, and whoever turns away, then, We did not send you as a guardian over them.’ [4:80] In this ayah Allah is talking about obedience to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Scholars of tafseer have commented that this was revealed when some of the…
The story of the key to the Kaaba ‘Allah commands you to return trusts to those entitled to them, and when you judge between people, judge with justice.’ [4:58] Scholars of tafseer have commented that this ayah was revealed after the Conquest of Makkah, when Prophet Muhammad ﷺ called ‘Uthman bin Talha (may Allah be…
Allah Almighty said: ‘And do not crave what Allah has given some of you over others.’ [4:32] In this ayah of Surat an-Nisa, Allah is addressing the very common disease of hasad, envy. For example, if someone is not happy with the division of inheritance that was laid out earlier in the surah, this stems…
Surat an-Nisa is a Madani surah, like almost all of the long surahs. Allah has dedicated this surah to women because during Jahiliyya times – and even today – the unfair treatment of women persists. This is a very rich surah, addressing many different kinds of relationships: between a husband and wife, between a man…
Allah Almighty says in Surat Ale Imran, وَسَارِعُوۤا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغۡفِرَةࣲ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرۡضُهَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰتُ وَٱلۡأَرۡضُ أُعِدَّتۡ لِلۡمُتَّقِینَ Rush towards your Lord’s forgiveness and towards Paradise, which is as wide as the Heavens and the Earth, prepared for those who are Al-muttaqeen (mindful of Allah). [Ale-ʿImran, 3:133] Allah is calling us all to hasten towards…
Half of Surat Ale Imran is about the People of the Book, mainly the Christians. A delegation of about 70 people from Najran in Yemen came and stayed at the mosque and discussed many things with the Prophet (peace be upon him), especially about the nature of Eesa (peace be upon him). The last pages…
‘Race with one another towards forgiveness from your Lord and towards a paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth. It has been prepared for those mindful of Allah.’ [3:133] In this ayah of Surat Ale ‘Imran, Allah uses the word saari’ – meaning to race or rush. Allah is opening this…
Ayahs 103-105 of Surat Ale ‘Imran are very important verses about unity within the ummah. Allah mentions three main points: ‘Hold fast together to the rope of Allah and do not be divided. Remember Allah’s favour upon you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts, so you—by His grace—became brothers.’ [3:103] He is…
From ayah 69 of Surat Ale ‘Imran onwards, Allah talks about the phenomenon of People of the Book who knew the truth about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, but refused to accept it. Allah had sent signs in the Torah and Injeel that another prophet was coming, but they hid these signs because they did not…
Surat Ale ‘Imran is the story of the family of Imran, the father of Maryam (peace be upon them). He was a dedicated rabbi in his community, and his wife was very pious, so both were at the top of their community in terms of religion. The provision of Maryam Imran’s wife, Hannah, made dua…
Source of protection: Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Ale ‘Imran ‘Recite the two bright ones, al-Baqarah and Surat Ale ‘Imran, for on the Day of Resurrection they will come as two clouds or two shades.’ [Muslim] In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ referred to Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Ale Imran as the zahrawan, two bright…
By the grace of Allah, the first ten days of Ramadan have passed and we are nearing the middle of the month. Scholars used to divide the month into three thirds. As we approach 17th Ramadan, we recall that it is a special date in our history, as it is an anniversary of the Battle…
Charity – expect your reward from Allah alone In Surat al Baqarah, Allah talks about infaq – spending, giving for Allah’s sake. When you give in charity, you only expect reward from Allah. Giving for Allah’s sake means you give for free – you don’t give because you are expecting anything back. When you give…