26
Sep 2021
We hear the word kafir in the media all the time. What does the word kafir mean? Who can it be applied to? Kafara and satara are synonyms which mean to conceal or cover. In Arabic one might say, the night covers the fields meaning that in the darkness of the night one cannot see the fields, and thus kafir is the terminology used to describe a disbeliever, because he is denying the truth – rejecting the reality and covering it with darkness. A kafir is someone who denies Islam is the......
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24
Sep 2021
As it is Great Big Green week, I thought it is important to talk about the environment from an Islamic point of view. Allah Almighty said in the Quran that He placed man on earth, beginning with Adam as trustees on earth. He appointed us, Adam’s offspring, to this role and gave us this responsibility. Humans were appointed guardians and trustees of the earth وَإِذْ قَالَ رَبُّكَ لِلْمَلَائِكَةِ إِنِّي جَاعِلٌ فِي الْأَرْضِ خَلِيفَةً ۖ قَالُوا أَتَجْعَلُ فِيهَا مَن يُفْسِدُ فِيهَا وَيَسْفِكُ الدِّمَاءَ وَنَحْنُ نُسَبِّحُ بِحَمْدِكَ وَنُقَدِّسُ لَكَ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي أَعْلَمُ مَا......
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23
Sep 2021
Following the Sunnah In Imam Ghazali’s Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, The Forty Principles of the Religion, which is a summary of his great work, Ihya Ulum ad-Din, he has a chapter on Following the Sunnah. He discusses the importance of following the Prophet (peace be on him) and establishing a bondship with him. Not just following him in ibadah but in all spheres of our life. Importantly, he emphasises that we should do this even if we do not understand the wisdom behind and refers to three secrets why we should......
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21
Sep 2021
I am frequently asked whether it is permissible to donate organs in Islam. The answer is that apart from certain restrictions, it is a matter of personal choice. What is organ donation? Organ donation is the removal of any ‘organ’ (tissues, cells, blood and so on, such as the cornea) from the donor and its transplant to the recipient in order to keep the beneficiary alive or to keep some essential or basic function of his body working. There are four types of organ transplant: Transplant of an organ from a living......
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18
Sep 2021
We are still reading from the book of Imam Ghazali Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, The Forty Principles of the Religion, which is a summary of his great work, Ihya Ulum ad-Din. In his chapter on Following the Sunnah, he talks about the importance of following the Prophet (peace be on him) and establishing a bondship with him. Not just following him in ibadah but in all spheres of our life. Internal and external aspects of following the sunnah Ghazali mentioned how wudu has an impact on the soul. Its effect......
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15
Sep 2021
Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: ‘There are three signs of a hypocrite; when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is trusted, he betrays his trust.’ In another narration as well, in Bukhari and Muslim but a different companion narrated it Abdullah bin ‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), he added a fourth one: ‘and when he quarrels, he abuses.’ This means that the hypocrite crosses the boundaries......
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14
Sep 2021
Kindness and patience is paramount. Children respond to the tone of your voice. Your tone makes or breaks your communication. A harsh tone pushes the red button. It triggers a barrage of resentment. When a child hears a nagging tone, it makes them rebel and resist what you are asking them to do. If your voice is angry and you say ‘I told you don’t do this!’ ‘Don’t wear this!’ ‘How many times have I said this?!’ it is like a hammer banging relentlessly on their head. Bang! Bang! Bang! They hate......
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10
Sep 2021
Today’s reminder is that having a good opinion about people brings tranquility. In Arabic we say: حسن الظن بالناس يجلب الطمأنينة Every now and then we have rumours and accusations in the community and the common practice among the vast majority of Muslims, let alone non-Muslims is to believe the rumours are a fact and proof of guilt. I have spoken about his topic many times, but I feel that there is a need to clarify the position of how to deal with rumours or how to react when you hear something......
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09
Sep 2021
In Imam Ghazali’s Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, The Forty Principles of the Religion, the summary of his great work, Ihya Ulum ad-Din, he examines the concept of Following the Sunnah, in chapter 10. The key to happiness is following the Sunnah Itiba as-sunnah as-mifahu as-sa’ada We can write reams and reams on this topic and indeed there is a 5th century book called the ‘Key to Happiness’, Miftahu as-Sa’ada. It is a beautiful concept and great motto that the key to happiness is to follow the Prophet (peace be on him).......
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05
Sep 2021
Excessive laughter The Messenger (peace be upon him) said: “Do not laugh too much, for verily excessive laughter kills the heart.” (Bukhari, Adab al-Mufrad; Sunan Tirmidhi; Sunan Ibn Maja; Musnad Ahmad) And in some narrations, there is an addition, “For verily excessive laughter kills the heart and removes the light of one’s face,” or in another version, “For verily excessive laughter corrupts the heart.” (Bayhaqi, Shu’ab]) Some people laugh so loudly in public that they draw attention to themselves which is not good. Laughter must not be out of control. If you......
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04
Sep 2021
In Imam Ghazali’s Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, The Forty Principles of the Religion, he examines the concept of commanding what is good and reprimanding others from doing what is wrong, amr bil marouf wa al nahil anil munkar. Condition 1: Gentleness vs the whip The one who commands good and forbids evil, is called muhtasib. There are conditions on how they can perform this. One of these is being kind and gentle towards everyone, even those you are reprimanding. You might think that there are people whom a kind and gentle......
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03
Sep 2021
In the Quran, we read many verses on the topic of actions and deeds. In many verses Allah is commanding humanity to do good. Are your actions acceptable? In Surat Tawbah, Allah Almighty tells us that He is aware of what you are doing: ﴿١٠٥﴾ وَقُلِ اعْمَلُوا فَسَيَرَى اللَّهُ عَمَلَكُمْ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ ۖ وَسَتُرَدُّونَ إِلَىٰ عَالِمِ الْغَيْبِ وَالشَّهَادَةِ فَيُنَبِّئُكُمْ بِمَا كُنْتُمْ تَعْمَلُونَ Say, “Act. Allah will see your actions, as will His Messenger and the believers. Then you will be returned to the Knower of secrets and declarations, and He will inform......
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