Eid salah is performed twice a year at Eid al-Fitr (after completing the month of Ramadan) and at Eid al-Adha (after Hajj) as a way of expressing gratitude to Allah for enabling us to worship Him. The majority of scholars consider Eid salah to be highly emphasised (Sunnah Mu’akkadah), while others (such as the Hanafi…
When you hire someone to do something for you, when they have finished you check what they have done, and then pay them for it. Sometimes, if they haven’t done it exactly right, you might only pay them part of the agreed fee. This is similar to Allah accepting our deeds, and only giving partial…
Why didn’t Allah send angels as prophets? وَقَالُوا۟ مَالِ هَـٰذَا ٱلرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِى فِى ٱلْأَسْوَاقِ ۙ لَوْلَآ أُنزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌۭ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُۥ نَذِيرًا They also say, ‘What sort of messenger is this? He eats food and walks about in the marketplaces! Why has no angel been sent down to help him with his warnings?…
فِى بُيُوتٍ أَذِنَ ٱللَّهُ أَن تُرۡفَعَ وَيُذۡڪَرَ فِيہَا ٱسۡمُهُ ۥ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ ۥ فِيہَا بِٱلۡغُدُوِّ وَٱلۡأَصَالِ (٣٦) رِجَالٌ۬ لَّا تُلۡهِيہِمۡ تِجَـٰرَةٌ۬ وَلَا بَيۡعٌ عَن ذِكۡرِ ٱللَّهِ وَإِقَامِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةِ وَإِيتَآءِ ٱلزَّكَوٰةِۙ يَخَافُونَ يَوۡمً۬ا تَتَقَلَّبُ فِيهِ ٱلۡقُلُوبُ وَٱلۡأَبۡصَـٰرُ (٣٧) [God has full knowledge of everything] shining out in houses of worship. God has ordained that they be…
Surat an-Nur Surat an-Nur is named after the famous ayah: ٱللَّهُ نُورُ ٱلسَّمَـٰوَٰتِ وَٱلْأَرْضِ ۚ مَثَلُ نُورِهِۦ كَمِشْكَوٰةٍۢ فِيهَا مِصْبَاحٌ ۖ ٱلْمِصْبَاحُ فِى زُجَاجَةٍ ۖ ٱلزُّجَاجَةُ كَأَنَّهَا كَوْكَبٌۭ دُرِّىٌّۭ يُوقَدُ مِن شَجَرَةٍۢ مُّبَـٰرَكَةٍۢ زَيْتُونَةٍۢ لَّا شَرْقِيَّةٍۢ وَلَا غَرْبِيَّةٍۢ يَكَادُ زَيْتُهَا يُضِىٓءُ وَلَوْ لَمْ تَمْسَسْهُ نَارٌۭ ۚ نُّورٌ عَلَىٰ نُورٍۢ ۗ يَهْدِى ٱللَّهُ لِنُورِهِۦ مَن يَشَآءُ…
Don’t follow the crowd One of the major themes of Makkan revelation is pushing back against cultural norms of the Quraysh that contradicted Islam, such as idol-worship. We are told repeatedly in the Quran of people who denied revelation by saying, ‘We have not heard of this religion among our forefathers,’ or similar. Allah reminds them…
In Surat Muminoon, Allah Almighty says: وَأَنزَلْنَا مِنَ ٱلسَّمَآءِ مَآءًۢ بِقَدَرٍۢ فَأَسْكَنَّـٰهُ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ ۖ وَإِنَّا عَلَىٰ ذَهَابٍۭ بِهِۦ لَقَـٰدِرُونَ And We sent down water from the sky in due measure, then We lodged it in the earth, and of course, We are able to take it away. [23:18] We don’t notice our blessings This…
Last night we talked about the mukhbiteen, the people of humility who are given good news of Paradise from Allah. Later in Surat al-Hajj Allah goes on to talk about the people who are the opposite. وَإِذَا تُتْلَىٰ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُنَا بَيِّنَـٰتٍۢ تَعْرِفُ فِى وُجُوهِ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ ٱلْمُنكَرَ ۖ يَكَادُونَ يَسْطُونَ بِٱلَّذِينَ يَتْلُونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتِنَا ۗ…
It is permissible to put Islamic calligraphy on walls as decoration, as long as it is treated with respect. Many scholars have said that there is nothing wrong with hanging Qur’anic verses, hadiths, or Islamic reminders in the home, office, or other suitable places if the aim is to remember Allah and benefit from the…
One of the miracles of the Quran is that every surah has at least one unique word which is not found in any other surah. This applies even to the shortest surahs – for example the word kawthar, abundance, only appears in Surat al-Kawthar, and the word kufu’an, equal, only appears in Surat al-Ikhlas. In…
At the end of Surat al-Anbiya, Allah talks about the people of Jannah. إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ سَبَقَتۡ لَهُم مِّنَّا ٱلۡحُسۡنَىٰٓ أُوْلَـٰٓٮِٕكَ عَنۡہَا مُبۡعَدُونَ (١٠١) لَا يَسۡمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَاۖ وَهُمۡ فِى مَا ٱشۡتَهَتۡ أَنفُسُهُمۡ خَـٰلِدُونَ (١٠٢) لَا يَحۡزُنُهُمُ ٱلۡفَزَعُ ٱلۡأَڪۡبَرُ وَتَتَلَقَّٮٰهُمُ ٱلۡمَلَـٰٓٮِٕڪَةُ هَـٰذَا يَوۡمُكُمُ ٱلَّذِى ڪُنتُمۡ تُوعَدُونَ (١٠٣) But those for whom We have decreed Paradise will be…
In Surat Anbiya, most prophets are only mentioned briefly, but the theme common to all of them is how Allah heard their duas and answered them, or saved them from whatever difficulty they were going through. Stories of the prophets For example, we have the story of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and how he…
خُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ مِنْ عَجَلٍۢ ۚ سَأُو۟رِيكُمْ ءَايَـٰتِى فَلَا تَسْتَعْجِلُونِ Man was created hasty: I will show you My signs soon, so do not ask Me to hasten them. [21:37] This ayah from Surat al-Anbiya is one of several verses in the Quran which talk about hastiness and human beings’ desire to rush things, almost wanting…
قَالَ ٱهۡبِطَا مِنۡهَا جَمِيعَۢاۖ بَعۡضُكُمۡ لِبَعۡضٍ عَدُوٌّ۬ۖ فَإِمَّا يَأۡتِيَنَّڪُم مِّنِّى هُدً۬ى فَمَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ هُدَاىَ فَلَا يَضِلُّ وَلَا يَشۡقَىٰ (١٢٣) وَمَنۡ أَعۡرَضَ عَن ذِڪۡرِى فَإِنَّ لَهُ ۥ مَعِيشَةً۬ ضَنكً۬ا وَنَحۡشُرُهُ ۥ يَوۡمَ ٱلۡقِيَـٰمَةِ أَعۡمَىٰ (١٢٤) God said, “Descend, both of you, from here together ˹with Satan˺ as enemies to each other. Then when guidance comes…
Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) appears many times in the Quran, but the longest continuous part of his story is in Surah Taha. One of the episodes described in this set of ayahs is the incident of the golden calf, when Musa (peace be upon him) left his people for a short while to…