Action vs Laziness ‘And say: Work; so Allah will see your work and (so will) His Messenger and the believers; and you shall be brought back to the Knower of the unseen and the seen, then He will inform you of what you did.’ (9:105) Picking the Right Actions There are no less than three…
Leadership and Justice When his Lord tested Ibrahim’s faith, (by His words) and he satisfied the test, He said, “I am appointing you as the leader of mankind.” Abraham asked, “Will this leadership also continue through my descendants?” The Lord replied, “The unjust do not have the right to exercise My authority.” (2:124)…
Knowing the Creator Through His Creation What can we know about Allah Himself? What does His creation tell us about Him? It is He who created for you all that the earth contains; then He turned to the heavens and made them seven skies – and He is the knower of all things. (2:29) Allah…
Why We Are Thankful at Eid, and the Benefits of Feeling Thankful Allah intends for you ease and does not intend for you hardship and [wants] for you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that [to] which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful. hardship (2:185) In Surah…
The Low Down on Repentance How do I erase a bad deed? Will Allah accept my repentance? How do I repent? Is my sin too great to be forgiven? The repentance accepted by Allah is only for those who do wrong in ignorance [or carelessness] and then repent soon after. It is those to whom…
Here Today. Gone Tomorrow. Who can guarantee tomorrow? We have no idea what is around the corner, less still the length of our lifespan. We all know people whose death came out of the blue – not just sudden but at a young age. ‘How is it that you deny Allah, while you were…
The Message of Love Allah the Almighty mentioned in surah Shu’ara: And indeed, the Qur’an is the revelation of the Lord of the worlds. The Trustworthy Spirit has brought it down Upon your heart, [O Muhammad] – that you may be of the warners (26:192-4) In this very verse there are many lessons, but my…
What styles are used in the Qur’an to appeal to us? Can we learn how to do dawah from them? At times we are appealed to at an emotional level. At others it is on a rational level. In our own lives, we have ups and downs, experiencing mercurial spiritual levels and from time…
Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an: ‘It is He who created for you all that is on the earth.’[i] And in another verse He says: ‘It is He who made the earth manageable for you.’[ii] And in another verse Allah the Almighty says: ‘For God’s favours to them during their summer and winter…
Why should we worship Allah? Allah Almighty does not need our worship. So why worship Him? Do we pray because we know Allah Almighty or do we know Allah Almighty because we pray? ‘O people, worship your Lord who created you and those before you, so that you may become God-fearing’ (2:21) Worship is the…
Our Responsibility to Look after the Earth In Surah al-A’raf Allah Almighty said, ‘Do not corrupt the Earth… Indeed Allah Almighty’s mercy is close to those who are doing good.’ (7:56) And in Surah al-Hud, He says, ‘He is the one who brought you from the Earth and made you to dwell in it. So,…
Two Types of Hypocrite Beware, it is, in fact, they who spread disorder, but they do not appreciate. (12) And when it is said to them, ‘Believe as people have believed,’ they say, ‘Shall we believe as the fools have believed?’ Beware, it is, in fact, they who are the fools, but they do not…
Hypocrisy – how it originated and what are the signs Hypocrisy is a disease of the heart. Just like heart disease, very often people do not even realise they have it. If they do not seek a cure for it, their disease spreads aggressively and leads to dire consequences personally, as well as for those…
What have we been entrusted with? And why we should maintain trust Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an when he was describing the believers in Surah Mu’minun, ‘And those who are faithful to their trust and pledges.’ (23:8) In Surah Anfal, He says, ‘Believe. Do not betray Allah Almighty or His Messenger and your…
When to do dawah. Knowing who will respond to Islam and who won’t. Are all disbelievers the same? Will their punishment be the same? Who are the ones whose hearts are sealed? Should our dawah be open to all disbelievers or should we focus on those who are more likely to benefit? A disbeliever is…