How long is the mourning period in Islam Mourning lasts for three days for everyone except the widow. The widow has to mourn four months and ten days, as stipulated in the Quran: And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four…
Verses of the Qur’an revealed in Makkah challenge the intellect and are a wake up call for thinkers whose minds have been buried in the sand of culture, materialism and worldly concerns. The following verses are calling for independent thinking; pondering the creation of the heavens and the earth, the water which falls from the…
The Day of Arafah is the most important day of the year. 1. The completion of the revelation It has many virtues and one of these is that it was the day on which the revelation was completed. the first thing is that this is the day on which the revelation was completed. Laylatul Qadr…
We praise Allah that we have witnessed the day of Eid. There are those among us who could not witness it, because of the pandemic – some are in hospital and some are in their grave. Some of them are at home and cannot go to the mosque, as many of us. Two Eids! Alhamdulilah,…
Allah Almighty commanded Iblis to prostrate to Adam (peace be upon him) but he refused. The first sin was arrogance. Although the worst sin is to believe Allah Almighty has partners, Iblis did not commit shirk; it was arrogance which lead to Iblis being expelled from paradise. The details of the story are based on the…
Forced marriages are haram in Islam. In Islamic law, it is strictly prohibited (haram) for a father or mother to compel their son or daughter to marry someone against their will. A marriage brought about through coercion is considered religiously invalid, particularly in the case of a daughter. The right to choose a spouse is…
Every verse in the Qur’an has plenty of lessons. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is saying: Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a valley of no vegetation, by Your Sacred House, our Lord, so that they may perform the prayers. So make the hearts of some people incline towards them,…
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the best ten days of the year and the month of Hajj. The Prophet (peace be on him) highly recommended that we should fast during the first 9 days. The 9th day is the Day of Arafah, and the Prophet (peace be on him) said: There is…
Is it permissible to trim your nails and cut your hair if you intend to do a sacrifice (qurbani) on Eid? When a person enters a state of ihram for Hajj, they are not allowed to trim their hair or clip their nails since these are among the things prohibited while in ihram. This includes…
The etiquette of seeking knowledge In Islam, it is not just knowledge which we are interested in, but how we seek knowledge is also important. Our attitude towards learning, and our teachers and fellow students. There is a huge body of literature and learning on the etiquette of learning itself, which has been passed down…
Allah Almighty says ; There is none in the heavens and the earth but comes unto the Beneficent as a slave. Maryam 19:93 And each one of them will come unto Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone. Maryam:95 No matter what position, wealth, bodyguards, throne or shield anyone has in this world, no one will…
Maryam and the tree Why did Maryam AS have fruits from the unseen but had to shake the tree during her delivery? Maryam AS was not the same before and after her pregnancy. Before her pregnancy her heart was purely attached to Allah. And He provided her rizq from the unseen without her having to…
Surah Kahf was revealed in Makkah. The reason behind the revelation was that Quraysh wanted to refute the message, so they sent two of their leaders to the Jewish tribe in Madina to ask about the truth of the Prophet’s message (peace be upon him). Was he a real prophet or not? They told Quraysh…
Allah Almighty says, And nothing has prevented Us from sending signs except that the former peoples denied them. And We gave Thamud the she-camel as a visible sign, but they wronged her. And We send not the signs except as a warning. Al-Isra:59 Allah Almighty is saying that He sent signs as warnings. This pandemic…
Allah Almighty says; We never sent any messenger except in the language of his people, to make things clear for them. God leads astray whom He wills, and guides whom He wills. He is the Mighty, the Wise. Ibrahim:4 Clarity of the message and communication What has been sent has to be clear in order…