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…
Aside from the entertaining aspect of the stories, there are many valuable lessons we can glean from Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah’s 400 page book, The Patience of the Pious Predecessors, which he divided into 8 chapters. When I re-read the lengthy (50 page!) conclusion of the book I couldn’t help thinking that it is the…
Allah Almighty talks about specific criteria for specific people. Is he who knows that what was revealed to your from your Lord is the truth, like him who is blind? Only those who reason will remember. Those who fulfill the promise to God, and do not violate the agreement. And those who join what God…
Ali ibn al Hasan (Abul Qasim) Ibn Asakir al Dimashqi The great scholar Ibn Asakir is one of the very well known scholars of the 6th century Hijri. Born in Damascus in 499AH, he passed away in 571AH. (1105–1175AD). He was so dedicated to knowledge that he was al hafidh as well as the top…
Your rizq Rizq (your provision) is mentioned in many verses of the Quran, for instance in Surat adh-Dhariyat, Allah Almighty says: I did not create the jinn and the humans except to worship Me. I need no livelihood (rizq) from them, nor do I need them to feed Me. God is the Provider(Ar-Razzaq), the One…
At the end of Surah Yusuf Allah Almighty mentioned that victory comes when you are tested to the limit. Until, when the messengers have despaired, and thought that they were rejected, Our help came to them. We save whomever We will, and Our severity is not averted from the guilty people. Yusuf:110 There are similar…
The bitter pill There are still many lessons in this surah. There is a long catalogue of troubles and trials that befell Yusuf (peace be upon him). Our perception is that these are all negative – from being thrown in the well to being falsely accused and imprisoned. Yet all these bitter events and challenges…