Being more pious does not mean making life more difficult Taqwa is not choosing the hardest option Some people assume that the harder a religious practice is, the more pious it must be. They believe that choosing the strictest opinion, avoiding concessions or putting themselves through additional hardship will necessarily bring them closer to Allah…
The danger of cheating, withholding people’s rights and losing barakah Allah Almighty says in Surah al-Mutaffifin: وَيْلٌ لِّلْمُطَفِّفِينَ الَّذِينَ إِذَا اكْتَالُوا عَلَى النَّاسِ يَسْتَوْفُونَ وَإِذَا كَالُوهُمْ أَو وَّزَنُوهُمْ يُخْسِرُونَ أَلَا يَظُنُّ أُولَٰئِكَ أَنَّهُم مَّبْعُوثُونَ لِيَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ يَوْمَ يَقُومُ النَّاسُ لِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ “Woe to those who give less than due! Those…
Examining hadiths on salah takes us through the fascinating history of how salah was prescribed. Many of us may not realise that the five daily prayers were not prescribed in their final form from the beginning. Rather, Allah Almighty introduced them gradually, through different stages of revelation. Yet, once their final form was established, the…
Three things that lead to Jannah Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: «يَا أَبَا سَعِيدٍ، مَنْ رَضِيَ بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا، وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا، وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا، وَجَبَتْ لَهُ الْجَنَّةُ». فَعَجِبَ لَهَا أَبُو سَعِيدٍ، فَقَالَ: أَعِدْهَا عَلَيَّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، فَفَعَلَ. “O Abu Sa‘id, whoever is pleased with…
When we read the Quran and Sunnah, we encounter different names and descriptions of Jannah: Jannaat ʿAdn, al-Firdaws, Jannaat al-Naʿīm, Daar al-Salaam and others. Each opens a window onto the home Allah has prepared for His believing servants. Some names draw our attention to its permanence, others to its peace, security or delight. Alongside them…
The difference in the verification methodology of legal rulings and seerah It is good to talk about the seerah of the Prophet ﷺ, but we should not only talk about it, we should try to learn lessons from his seerah and live by them. Anyone can pick up a book of seerah and read it….
One of the beautiful qualities of Allah Almighty is that He conceals the faults and sins of His servants. Even when we disobey Him, He does not immediately expose us. Instead, He gives us the opportunity to recognise our mistakes, repent and return to Him. In Islam, concealment (satr) is an important principle. We are…
Gathering to remember Allah is a blessed act with a clear basis in the Sunnah. Remembering Him aloud is also supported by authentic hadith. Scholars have differed over some ways of organising dhikr, particularly when everyone recites the same words in one voice, but it is wrong to dismiss all collective dhikr as an innovation….
Allah gives us many descriptions in the Quran of the people who will enter Jannah. He doesn’t just tell us what Paradise is like; He also tells us what kind of people reach it. He describes their actions, their relationship with Him, and most importantly, the state of their hearts. Towards the end of Surat…
Alhamdulillah, it has been a while since we delivered courses or talks in the north. “Finding Your Way Back” was one of our earliest courses. We delivered a course with this same title in 2001. This time, we have some different content, suitable for a different time, a different place and different people, but the…
A well-known hadith in Sahih Muslim states that the Prophet ﷺ said: “Indeed, my father and your father are in the Fire.” At first sight, the meaning appears clear. Yet this narration became the subject of detailed discussion among later scholars, especially Imam Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti, who questioned whether this particular wording was the strongest…
Lessons from the Seerah: The Birth and Family of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ In the previous sessions, we made some introductions about the society in which he lived: the people, the leadership, the different tribes and alliances, their habits, beliefs and practices. All of this was to illustrate what the world in which the Prophet ﷺ…
What have you prepared for the Hour? Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that a man asked the Prophet ﷺ about the Hour: مَتَى السَّاعَةُ؟ “When is the Hour?” The Prophet ﷺ replied: وَمَاذَا أَعْدَدْتَ لَهَا؟ “What have you prepared for it?” The man said that he had not prepared a…
Between your choice and Allah’s choice for you Qatadah ibn al-Nu’man narrated that the Prophet ﷺ said: إِذَا أَحَبَّ اللَّهُ عَبْدًا حَمَاهُ الدُّنْيَا كَمَا يَظَلُّ أَحَدُكُمْ يَحْمِي سَقِيمَهُ الْمَاءَ “When Allah loves a servant, He shields him from worldly things, just as one of you would keep water away from a sick person.” (Tirmidhi) In…
It is a great privilege to read through the Seerah of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and try to explore how things used to be: what the society was like, what the connections were, and how people lived. In the previous sessions, we covered the trade routes, the products they used to sell, the markets, and the…