Al-Muqaddim and Al-Mu’akhkhir mean the Promoter and the Postponer. They go together as other pairs, such Al-Awal wal-Akhir, Az-Zaahir wal-Baatin. Not all the names of Allah Almighty are pairs, but in the sunnah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), mentioned these two names together in the beautiful hadith which Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with…
إِذۡ تَسۡتَغِیثُونَ رَبَّكُمۡ فَٱسۡتَجَابَ لَكُمۡ أَنِّی مُمِدُّكُم بِأَلۡفࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡمَلَـٰۤىِٕكَةِ مُرۡدِفِینَ When you were calling your Lord for help, so He responded to you (saying): “I am going to support you with one thousand of the angels, one following the other.” [Al-Anfāl, 8:9] وَمَا جَعَلَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشۡرَىٰ وَلِتَطۡمَىِٕنَّ بِهِۦ قُلُوبُكُمۡۚ وَمَا ٱلنَّصۡرُ إِلَّا مِنۡ…
How do you prioritise your priorities? With so many competing priorities in life, how does one decide what is the top priority? Is it your life or your wealth? Is it your dignity or your wealth? Is it your freedom or your wealth? We could go on, but this gives you a flavour. How does…
Though the verses of Surat Aal Imran were revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) 1400 years ago, when you read them you feel that these verses are speaking to our reality right now. These verses were addressing the issue of the Battle of Uhud, when the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)…
Autocratic leaders In Surat al Qasas, Allah Almighty tells us about Firaun, who has appeared in the Quran 70 times as a symbol of tyranny, oppression, and corruption etc. إِنَّ فِرۡعَوۡنَ عَلَا فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهۡلَهَا شِیَعࣰا یَسۡتَضۡعِفُ طَاۤىِٕفَةࣰ مِّنۡهُمۡ یُذَبِّحُ أَبۡنَاۤءَهُمۡ وَیَسۡتَحۡیِۦ نِسَاۤءَهُمۡۚ إِنَّهُۥ كَانَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُفۡسِدِینَ ٤ Indeed, Pharaoh had become high-handed in…
The tactic of spreading fear Allah Almighty said in Surat Aal Imran: (الَّذِينَ اسْتَجَابُوا لِلَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا أَصَابَهُمُ الْقَرْحُ لِلَّذِينَ أَحْسَنُوا مِنْهُمْ وَاتَّقَوْا أَجْرٌ عَظِيمٌ . الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ . فَانْقَلَبُوا بِنِعْمَةٍ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَفَضْلٍ لَمْ يَمْسَسْهُمْ سُوءٌ وَاتَّبَعُوا…
There’s a confusion in people’s mind about the beautiful names of Allah Almighty. To cut a long story short, in Tirmidhi and others: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ “ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا…
Abu Mas’ud al Badri’ was a companion who had witnessed Badr, and for this reason he was called Al Badri. في “صحيح مسلم” وغيره عن أبي مسعود البدري – رضِي الله عنه – قال: “كنتُ أضرِب غلامًا لي بالسَّوط، فسمعتُ صوتًا من خلفي: ((اعلم أبا مسعود، اعلم أبا مسعود، اعلم أبا مسعود))، فلم أفهم الصوت…
Abu Ad-Darda (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and be upon him) said: عَنْ أَبِي الدَّرْدَاءِ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ( بَيْنَا أَنَا نَائِمٌ إِذْ رَأَيْتُ عَمُودَ الْكِتَابِ احْتُمِلَ مِنْ تَحْتِ رَأْسِي ، فَظَنَنْتُ أَنَّهُ مَذْهُوبٌ بِه ِ، فَأَتْبَعْتُهُ بَصَرِي ، فَعُمِدَ بِهِ…
In the Quran Allah Almighty says that Firaun arrogantly set himself up as the supreme authority and shrewdly divided the people into factions and ordered the killing of their sons with a ruthless disregard for life. إِنَّ فِرعَونَ عَلا فِى الأَرضِ وَجَعَلَ أَهلَها شِيَعًا يَستَضعِفُ طائِفَةً مِنهُم يُذَبِّحُ أَبناءَهُم وَيَستَحيۦ نِساءَهُم ۚ إِنَّهُ كانَ مِنَ…
وَلَقَدۡ سَبَقَتۡ كَلِمَتُنَا لِعِبَادِنَا ٱلۡمُرۡسَلِینَ إِنَّهُمۡ لَهُمُ ٱلۡمَنصُورُونَ وَإِنَّ جُندَنَا لَهُمُ ٱلۡغَـٰلِبُونَ And Our Word has already come to pass in favour of Our servants, the messengers (that) they are the ones who will be victorious, and verily it is Our forces (of chosen servants) that prevails. [As-Saffat:171-173] In these verses of Surat As-Saffat, Allah…
Every name of Allah has its own unique reflection and divine light. The name Al Latif has been mentioned in the Quran seven times. It has been translated variously as Benevolent, The Kind One and The Subtle One depending on the context. In Surat al Anam, Allah says: لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ…
The mender of hearts The name Al-Jabbar has different meanings in Arabic. The Irresistible, The Restorer, The Mender. It means the One who mends weakness. Jabbara in Arabic, and Jabara yajburu, is to mend the weakness or broken hearts. Al Jabbar is the One who mends hearts, strengthens the broken, enriches the poor and makes…
The Battle of the Trench (Ghazwat Al-Ahzab) took place five years after the migration of the believers to Madinah. It was one of the significant military campaigns in early Islamic history. An army ten thousand strong came to attack the believers who were just three thousand. The battle lasted for about thirty-three days, during which…
In Surat Ibrahim Allah Almighty says: وَلَا تَحۡسَبَنَّ ٱللَّهَ غَـٰفِلًا عَمَّا یَعۡمَلُ ٱلظَّـٰلِمُونَۚ إِنَّمَا یُؤَخِّرُهُمۡ لِیَوۡمࣲ تَشۡخَصُ فِیهِ ٱلۡأَبۡصَـٰرُ Never think that Allah is unaware of what the wrongdoers are doing. He is but giving them respite up to a day when the eyes shall remain upraised (in terror). [Ibrahim:42] In this verse, Allah is…