After the takbeer and before beginning the recitation of Surat al Fatihah, the sunnah is to recite either the thana or the dua al istiftah, followed by the istiadha. These are not fard elements of salah and one’s salah would not be invalidated if one missed them out, but one would be rewarded for doing…
The more you learn the Quran, the more Allah will open your heart and eyes to see the truth and implement it in your life. The barakah will envelop your family and your life. Every letter you recite will earn you ten rewards from Allah. (Every letter, not every word!)
Salah energises us, rejuvenates us, empowers us to face the tests we go through every day. This is why we have five prayers, not just one: because we face continuous tests all day, from waking up until we go to sleep, every day until we meet Allah. We need to strengthen our salah and make it in accordance with the Sunnah. And we have an opportunity in Ramadan. Some people might not be praying regularly, but in Ramadan they keep their salah. So don’t lose this after Ramadan. We ask Allah to strengthen imaan, and make salah our mi’raj to Him during every salah. Ameen.
What will reach the deceased in their graves? As per the well-known hadith, when someone dies three things continue to benefit them in their grave. These are charity given on their behalf, beneficial knowledge and the duas of their righteous children. The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “When the son of Adam dies,…
In Surat al Ahqaf, Allah Almighty describes a circle of righteousness. It creates the blueprint of how to set your priorities straight and maintain righteousness within your family and society. وَوَصَّيْنَا الْإِنسَانَ بِوَالِدَيْهِ إِحْسَانًا ۖ ….. قَالَ رَبِّ أَوْزِعْنِي أَنْ أَشْكُرَ نِعْمَتَكَ الَّتِي أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيَّ وَعَلَىٰ وَالِدَيَّ وَأَنْ أَعْمَلَ صَالِحًا تَرْضَاهُ وَأَصْلِحْ لِي فِي ذُرِّيَّتِي…
Duas to have righteous children وَزَكَرِيَّا إِذْ نَادَىٰ رَبَّهُ رَبِّ لَا تَذَرْنِي فَرْدًا وَأَنتَ خَيْرُ الْوَارِثِينَ Wazakariyyā idh nādā rabbahu rabbi lā tadharnī fardan wa-anta khayru-l-wārithīn And (remember) Zakariyya when he called his Lord, ‘My Lord, do not leave me alone and You are the best of inheritors.’ (21:89) فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا…
The people of Jannah did sleep, but not that much. They would wake up and pray tahajjud, and do istighfar during suhoor time. They were concerned about the akhirah, over the enjoyment of the dunya – though that isn’t haram to enjoy yourself as long as it’s within the boundaries of what is permissible. However, the dunya wasn’t their main concern: Allah was their target.
Don’t sell your deen and your dignity and your akhirah for silly games in the dunya. Don’t do that, even if it’s for money, even if it’s followers. They will not carry this responsibility on your behalf on the Day of Judgement. You will carry the responsibility of your own action and their own actions which they were influenced by you. This is why we need sincerity and ikhlas in our actions which we are doing. And we ask Allah Almighty to make our actions, and our deeds, purely for His sake, and in line with the Shariah and away from the influence of the shaytan and the evil around us.
Surat al-Hujarat is a Madani Surah full of rulings about the social code for a community, setting out boundaries and etiquettes for how to deal with other people in a way that pleases Allah. It has more rulings than it has ayahs – it has only 18 ayahs. Avoid much suspicion One of the most…
Surat al-Fath is one of the very special surahs. Allah starts this surah by saying: ‘Indeed, We have granted you a clear triumph.’ [48:1] The majority of scholars have said that this refers to the Treaty of Hudaybiyah. A minority of scholars of tafseer say it refers to the Conquest of Makkah, but we go…
Surah Muhammad is a Madani surah, so it has different characteristics compared to the previous Makki surahs. Madani surahs are full of rulings – prohibition of this, permissibility of that – and they also address the new phenomenon which cropped up in Madinah, that didn’t exist in Makkah, which was hypocrisy (nifaq). Makki surahs only…
إِن يَمْسَسْكُمْ قَرْحٌ فَقَدْ مَسَّ الْقَوْمَ قَرْحٌ مِّثْلُهُ ۚ وَتِلْكَ الْأَيَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَيْنَ النَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَيَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمْ شُهَدَاءَ ۗ وَاللَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الظَّالِمِينَ If a wound should touch you – there has already touched the [opposing] people a wound similar to it. And these days [of varying conditions] We alternate among the…
As long as you are sincere with Allah, He will give you a way out of any difficult situation. The people of Makkah were not interested, so Allah sent the jinn to Rasul Allah (peace be on him) and they believed. Similarly, you might be doing something, and trying everything, but it’s not working; people are not responding. As long as you are sincere, be sure that Allah will open the way for you.
In Surat al-Jathiya, Allah Almighty says: ‘Have you seen him who has taken his desires as his god? Allah has let him go astray knowingly, and has sealed his hearing and his heart, and covered his eyes.’ [45:23] This ayah is addressing the issue of following your whims and desires, and treating them like your…
The earth where you do good deeds will miss you when you pass away. And not just your space in the mosque – at your work, in school, in the hospital, wherever you were active in doing good things. But if you didn’t do good deeds, the earth will not miss you and the heavens and earth will not weep for you.
Be sure to be among those whom the heavens and earth will weep for when you die. Leave a good legacy behind. We ask Allah to make our words and deeds righteous. Ameen.