Both receiving and paying interest (riba) are a major sin, as riba is strictly prohibited in Islam and Allah has declared war against those who deal with riba. Ask your bank not to deposit interest in your account. However, if this is not possible, take out the interest and give it in charity to a…
By the grace of Allah, the first ten days of Ramadan have passed and we are nearing the middle of the month. Scholars used to divide the month into three thirds. As we approach 17th Ramadan, we recall that it is a special date in our history, as it is an anniversary of the Battle…
What is the ruling for the one who has a sensation that they have emitted drops of urine during their salah? Firstly, salah is invalidated by the emission of urine, whether it is one drop or more because it breaks your wudu and nullifies your salah. If you are praying and emit drops of urine,…
If a non- Muslim visits you during Ramadan would it be permissible to offer them food during fasting hours in Ramadan? Can you share dates in your office among non-Muslims while you yourself are fasting? Or should you avoid this because it is encouraging people to ignore Allah’s command to fast during Ramadan? In Surat…
Charity – expect your reward from Allah alone In Surat al Baqarah, Allah talks about infaq – spending, giving for Allah’s sake. When you give in charity, you only expect reward from Allah. Giving for Allah’s sake means you give for free – you don’t give because you are expecting anything back. When you give…
Allah dedicates two and a half pages of Surat al-Baqarah to the verses of infaaq, spending, ayahs 261-274. In fact, in the whole Quran, there are more ayahs encouraging people to spend in the way of Allah than commanding people to pray. This is because it’s very difficult for people to give away their money….
‘Take due care of all the prayers, and the middle prayer), and stand before Allah in total devotion.’ [2:238] Salah was revealed gradually In this ayah, Allah is teaching the believers how to pray. Of course, the angel Jibril came down and taught the conditions, and the timings. Each salah was taught over two days:…
Limits on divorce Three pages of Surat al-Baqarah are devoted to the rules of divorce, or talaq. In Jahiliyya times, divorce was very common, but it was misused a lot, because there were no limits. Islam came to set boundaries, hudood. In Islam, divorce is permissible but it has conditions to prevent it being misused…
The history of Hajj Hajj was the last of the five pillars to be made an obligation, around the year 7 or 8AH. In the year 9AH, Abu Bakr led the Hajj, and in the tenth year, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made his final Hajj with the whole Ummah, which at the time was around…
Righteousness is not in turning your faces towards the East or the West. Rather, the righteous are those who believe in Allah, the Last Day, the angels, the Books, and the prophets; who give wealth, despite (their) love for it, to relatives, orphans, the poor, travellers, those who ask (for help), and for freeing captives;…
Alhamdulilah we are blessed that we could witness Ramadan. Many people departed from this world to the akhirah, some passed away just before it started and some will not make it to the end. We are fortunate therefore, that we have been given the opportunity to fast, to pray and to recite the Quran. Life…
Ayahs 142-144 of Surat al-Baqarah, at the start of the second juz, talk about the change in the qibla from Jerusalem to the Kaba. The original qibla The angel Jibril came down and taught the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ how to perform salah in the second year after the revelation. This was before the five daily…
Spread good news In ayah 119 of Surat al-Baqarah, Allah says ‘Surely, We have sent you with the truth, as a bearer of good tidings, and a warner, and you will not be asked about the people of Hell.’ Allah is referring to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, one of whose names is al-Bashir, the one…
Allah challenges Bani Israil In ayah 94 of Surat al-Baqarah, Allah challenges Bani Israil, after they repeatedly betrayed their Messenger, Musa (peace be upon him) and reneged on their covenants with Him. Feeling a sense of superiority, they claim that Jannah is exclusively for them, and Allah asks them, ‘If the Home of the Hereafter…
Tonight we recited the central story of Surat al-Baqarah – the story of the cow, from which the surah takes its name. The story of the cow We know from historical narrations that a very rich man from Bani Israil was killed one night by his nephew, who was his only heir. In the morning,…