How to turn an ordinary fast, into a super-fast
The aim of fasting is to achieve righteousness Allah Almighty said in Surat al Baqarah: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُواْ كُتِبَ عَلَيۡكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ O you who have believed,...
Read More
What is the connection between closeness to Allah, excellence and fasting?
They ask you… My reflection today is on a very beautiful ayah among the 5 verses on fasting in the Quran which are found in Surat al-Baqarah (183-187). Allah Almighty says: وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى...
Read More
Don’t judge based on one side of a story
In the story of Prophet Dawud (peace be upon him), Allah is highlighting the scene from his life, when two people came to him wanting a judge for their dispute. The first one came...
Read More
Could you sacrifice what you love most for Allah?
Tonight we continued with Surat as-Saffat, and we recited many stories in this surah. One of these is part of the story of Ibrahim. About one quarter of the Quran involves stories which Allah...
Read More
All oppression will come to an end one day
Alhamdulillah we are lucky enough to witness another Ramadan. May Allah have mercy on those whom we have lost, who can’t witness Ramadan with us. This is the circle of life: we receive newcomers,...
Read More
Can I pray out loud so my baby can hear me?
You can pray audibly for Fajr, Maghrib and Isha, but not Dhur and Asr which are not vocalised. Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Read More
Ghazali – If you had just one day to live, what would you do?
Munazarat an Nafs – debating with yourself The Forty Principles of the Faith ends with a debate between Ghazali and himself, and he recommends that we do this as well – rather than debating...
Read More
Psyching up for Ramadan
Allah Almighty said in the Quran that fasting is an obligation in this famous ayah, but when was this ayah revealed and when was fasting made an obligation? يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ...
Read More
Knowing Allah through His beautiful names 3 – Loving Allah, Al Wadud
The first obligation of every human being is to know his Creator. Some people accepted this invitation from Allah Almighty to find out about Him and truly knowing Him can only lead to gratitude...
Read More
Knowing Allah through His beautiful names 1 and 2
The major principles of Islam (kulliyaat al Kubra) are the main principles which we cannot live without. The first main principle is to know Allah Almighty, but it is hard to do justice to...
Read More
When desire goes wild and worshipping designer brands
Desire is a natural part of the human system زُيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ حُبُّ الشَّهَوَاتِ مِنَ النِّسَاءِ وَالْبَنِينَ وَالْقَنَاطِيرِ الْمُقَنطَرَةِ مِنَ الذَّهَبِ وَالْفِضَّةِ وَالْخَيْلِ الْمُسَوَّمَةِ وَالْأَنْعَامِ وَالْحَرْثِ ۗ ذَٰلِكَ مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا ۖ وَاللَّهُ عِندَهُ حُسْنُ...
Read More
Ghazali on remembering death V – carrying jewels
Acute regret Imagine you are in a dark cave filled with stones, and your friends urge you to pick up the stones and carry them back with you to the exit. You think they...
Read More
How to be safe in times of Fitnah
In the Quran Allah Almighty mentioned in many verses the signs of tribulations and trials (fitan). At that time, only the worst will be left, but we are not in this situation yet, alhamdulilah....
Read More
Major Principles of Islam – Imaan
How did the idea of compiling the major principles come about? Every Monday evening I hold an Arabic class, and at the end students ask questions. One of the questions a student put to...
Read More
Ghazali on remembering death IV
True life is after death وَمَا هَٰذِهِ ٱلۡحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنۡيَآ إِلَّا لَهۡوٞ وَلَعِبٞۚ وَإِنَّ ٱلدَّارَ ٱلۡأٓخِرَةَ لَهِيَ ٱلۡحَيَوَانُۚ لَوۡ كَانُواْ يَعۡلَمُونَ The present life is nothing but sport and amusement. The true life is in...
Read More