What can Islam offer us today? Connect people to God You could talk for volumes on this question, but let me summarise. Firstly, we must understand that Islam is a divine revelation, so the first thing the revelation does is to connect people with God. Continuity of the divine message since time began From the…
Should the menopause be taboo or not? The topic of menopause has been taboo for centuries and particularly within culture, it is not a topic that one likes to discuss publicly. Yet the Quran never shies away from uncomfortable or embarrassing topics, rather it broaches them in a positive way. We certainly need more awareness…
We are living in uncertain times. We have witnessed huge losses of life worldwide, through the pandemic and world disasters, and personally we have all experienced the death of close family and friends. None of us knows how long we have therefore we need to be prepared for the eventuality we will all inevitably face…
Man is created with the innate disposition to tell the truth. Over time and through one’s environment, one can fall into the habit of telling little white lies, or gradually giant porky pies, lies. One lie often takes more lies to cover up. Eventually one is likely to be tangled in a web of deceit….
The argumentative one Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said, ‘The most detested of people[i] to Allah is the obstinate argumentative (person).’ [Imam Muslim] Setting the social code of behaviour This one-line hadith is a very comprehensive hadith. The Prophet (peace be upon him) is highlighting…
Is it permissible to pray in impure clothes out of necessity (such as the clothes on which urine has fallen), if one cannot change one’s clothes and will end up missing the salah? Salah requires purity of one’s body, clothes and place of worship The conditions of a valid salah are that one prays with…
As temperatures soar, breaking records, the parched earth thirsts for water, and wildfires burn, smoke and smoulder in multiple countries around the world, we are reminded of the unrelenting blazing fire of hell. May Allah protect us all from hellfire. The Prophet (peace be on him) taught the Ummah the recipe for how to protect…
Abu Sa’id Al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘Avoid sitting by the roadside.’ They (the Sahaba) asked, ‘O Allah’s Messenger, we cannot do without those meeting places in which we converse,’ so he said, ‘Well, if you insist (on that) give the road its dues?’…
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) said: ‘Avoid (you people) suspicion for indeed suspicion is the worst form of false speech.’ [Agreed upon – narrated by Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim] Avoiding suspicion is part of having good character, while being suspicious of other’s motives…
Mosques are sacred places. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَحَبُّ الْبِلَادِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَسَاجِدُهَا وَأَبْغَضُ الْبِلَادِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَسْوَاقُهَا “The most beloved of places to Allah are the mosques, and…
Reciting the bismillah What does it mean to say ‘Bismillah’ – In the name of Allah? Bismillah is invoking Allah at the beginning of an action. We attach Allah’s name to that action. And we begin that action mindful of Allah. For instance, ‘iqra bismillah’ (I read in the name of Allah) means you are…
Continual struggle The Prophet (peace be on him) had given dawah (invited people to Islam) tirelessly for 13 years until 610 CE, and withstood escalating torture and persecution and threats during this time. Only a very tiny minority had accepted the divine message he had brought. We do not have accurate statistics, but we estimate…
The manual for building a harmonious society as per the Sunnah Summarising compassion and brotherhood in Islam is a mammoth task, but this booklet will give a brief overview of the topic. The Quran says: Believers are but a single Brotherhood: So make peace and reconciliation between your two (contending) brothers; and fear Allah, that…
In this long narration there are many lessons. Jabir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: I was told about a hadith from a man who heard it from the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him), so I bought a camel, prepared my baggage, and travelled for a month to…
Ghazali lived in 5th century Hijri and his book, Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion,’ which he wrote before his death, is a summary of Ihya Ulumuddin, and his life’s works and thoughts. In the last ten principles of the forty, he looks at good traits. The first is tawbah….