The right to defend yourself and being smart in the fight for your rights

The right to defend yourself and being smart in the fight for your rights

Might is not everything needed in a fight In Surat al-Hajj there are many verses to reflect on, including the verse in which the oppressed are given permission by Allah to fight back: أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ Permission ˹to fight back˺ is ˹hereby˺ granted to those being fought,…

The Day you were promised – the fearful and the fearless

The Day you were promised – the fearful and the fearless

Towards the end of Surat al-Anbiya, Allah Almighty mentions a group of people who believe in Allah, and what is waiting for them in akhirah – they are far from hellfire, so far from it, that they will not hear the sound of its blazing fire. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُمْ مِنَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ أُولَٰئِكَ عَنْهَا مُبْعَدُونَ…

How heavy are your deeds?

How heavy are your deeds?

The scales On the Day of Judgement, when the scales are erected then our Books of Deeds will be weighed, even the smallest deeds will be weighed. If they are good, then our end will be good, but if they are bad, our destination will be bad. وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ…

How to deal with troublemakers and complainers
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How to deal with troublemakers and complainers

In the first couple of pages of Surat Al Anbiya, we see the complaint in the community against the prophets and messengers Allah sent them. They keep demanding that their prophets produce miracles on demand and at their command. This pattern of behaviour was not exceptional; we see it repeated with Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Eesa…

Alone with Allah and your Book of Deeds
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Alone with Allah and your Book of Deeds

Two ayahs capture my imagination: وَنَرِثُهُۥ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًۭا  ‎And We will inherit what he boasts of, and he will come before Us all by himself. (19:80) ‏وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَمَةِ فَرْدًا ‎ And every one of them will come to Him on the day of resurrection alone. (19:95) Allah is saying in the…

Balancing responsibilities and being excellent – A tall order

Balancing responsibilities and being excellent – A tall order

It has been noted that for the last 50 years, campaigns and debates have been centred on rights – but not on responsibilities. Yet one of the reasons we have rights, perhaps the very reason our rights exist, is for us to fulfil our responsibilities. When we look at the Quran, it sets out everyone’s…

Put out the fire before it reaches you. The perils of ignoring oppression.
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Put out the fire before it reaches you. The perils of ignoring oppression.

قال الله تعالى: (وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنْصَرُونَ). سورة هود:١١٣. And do not incline towards those who do wrong, or the Fire should touch you; and you will have no protectors besides God, and you will not be helped. (Holy Quran, Surat Hud,…

Seeds of Change (part 2) – Establishing the pillars of society in Madinah

Seeds of Change (part 2) – Establishing the pillars of society in Madinah

During his life in Makkah, in the early years after the revelation, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) began spreading the basic concepts of Islam, but as he (peace be on him) and his followers were met with hostility, discrimination and persecution, those 13 years were characterised by survival – at a personal level…

seeds for change

Seeds of Change (part 1). How the earliest revelations contain the blueprint for five dimensions of transformation.

Divine revelation – means for change  The revelation is a vehicle of change – inward and outward transformation. We are shown the blueprint for the five dimensions of change in the first five Quranic revelations. 1. Acquiring knowledge is the first step towards change The first verse of Surat al Alaq is Iqra (read). Since the…

ghazali on showing off
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Ghazali on showing off (riya) part 3

Ghazali lived in 5th century Hijri and his book, Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion,’ which he wrote before his death, is a summary of Ihya Ulumuddin, and his life’s works and thoughts. In purification of the heart, Ghazali mentions 10 principles. Ostentation (riya) or doing things to show off…

Duas for every day – Free Booklet
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Duas for every day – Free Booklet

Contents: Duas you should recite daily morning and eveningSayyid al istighfar – the best Dua for forgiveness Istikhara Duas to get marriedDuas to have righteous children Duas for physical healthDuas for your mental well-being, to help cope with stress anxiety and loss Duas for the akhirahDuas for success and gratitude Related posts List of prophetic…