How to Escape the Clutches of the Nafs Seek help through patience and prayer. It is indeed exacting, but not for those who are humble in their hearts, (45) Who bear in mind that they are to meet their Lord, and that to Him they are to return. (2:45-46) What prevents us from caving into…
Letting Go Memory is a funny thing. There some things we can’t forget and some things we can’t remember… The role of memory in our lives plays an important role but we need to make an active effort to retain what is important and to delete what is not. O Children of Isra’il (Israel), remember…
The Lessons from Adam and Eve And when We said to the angels: “Prostrate yourselves before ’Adam!” So, they prostrated themselves, all but Iblis (Satan). He refused, showed arrogance and became one of the infidels. (34) And We said, “O Adam, dwell, you and your wife, in Paradise; and eat at pleasure wherever you like,…
What is Fitnah and What can I do to Protect Myself from It? We hear the word all the time. But what is the definition of fitnah, what fitnahs are we not aware of? And what did Allah the Almighty give us to save us from it? Once Umar bin Khattab asked a question: ‘Who…
The Fool Proof Way to Achieve Failure Obey God and His Messenger. Do not quarrel with each other lest you fail or lose honour. Exercise patience; God is with those who have patience. (8:56) Fool Proof Way to Weaken the Ummah We have all read this ayah, and memorised this ayah but unfortunately we have…
The Courage to Recognise the Truth ‘O Children of Israel! call to mind the (special) favour which I bestowed upon you, and fulfil your covenant with Me and I shall fulfil My covenant with you and fear none but Me. (40) And believe in what I reveal, confirming the revelation which is with you, and…
Gluing the Ummah Back Together Allah the Almighty mentions in Surah Al Imran one of the fundamental verses in the Qur’an concerning the unity of the ummah: And hold firmly to the rope of Allah all together and do not become divided. And remember the favour of Allah upon you – when you were enemies…
What is the Best Way to Cope with Family Politics? Indeed in Yusuf and his brothers, there are lessons for men of understanding’ (12:111) Extreme Sibling Rivalry The main focus of the story of Yusuf (peace be on him) and his brothers is the conflict between them. Allah the Almighty says in this story there are many…
Allah’s Special Plan Lessons from the Seerah The benefits of reciting darood When travelling to Madinah, as the Prophet (peace be on him) did, we do not experience hardship as he did, but we can utilise that time for dhikr. One of the best types of dhikr is to say salaam upon him. Ubayy bin Ka’b…
Fake News The REAL danger of compromising your akhirah by indiscriminately hitting the forward button… Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an, ‘Oh People of the Book! Why do you mix truth with falsehood and conceal the truth while you know?’ (3:71) And in another verse, Allah says, ‘And there are a group of people from the People of…
The Essence of the Day of Arafah Increasing Khushu and attaining tranquility To achieve full focus (khushu) and sincerity (ikhlas) and block out thoughts of our daily affairs during salah is a generally struggle,. This is precisely why we start our prayer with takbirat-ul-ihram, to focus our minds on what we are saying, doing and reciting in our prayer, to grasp the…
What We Can Learn from Allah’s Conversation with His Angels Should you speak up if you disagree with your boss? Do you have to listen to those who are under you? And how important is it to be able to have an open discussion? (Remember) when your Lord said to the angels, ‘I am going…
Investing in our Children this Summer ‘Truly they were young men who believed in their Lord and we increased them in guidance And We made their hearts firm and strong with the light of faith in Allah) and bestowed upon them patience…’ (18:13-14) We are all longing for change… to make our life better, our…
Yawm At Tarwiyah On the 8th of Dhul Hijja when Hajjis go to Mina, it is known as the Yawm At Tarwiyah. This name originates from: 1. The process of filling bottles with water to take to Mina. Therefore, when someone is thirsty and then drinks until they are full they are Irtawa i.e. full. 2….
Optimism vs Pessimism It has been narrated that the Prophet (peace be on him) used to love optimism and hated pessimism. He himself was always optimistic and encouraging. The Prophet’s (peace be on him) Optimism We can see the positivity of the Prophet (peace be on him) reflected clearly in his sunnah on so many…