How to turn an ordinary fast, into a super-fast
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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, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous – [2:183] Alhamdulillah,…

What is the connection between closeness to Allah, excellence and fasting?
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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 عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ If my servants ask you…

Could you sacrifice what you love most for Allah?
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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 has told us of different nations and prophets and messengers, to teach us different lessons. In this surah we are talking…

Ghazali – If you had just one day to live, what would you do?
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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 with others, try to convince yourself of the truth, as you try to convince your opponent. Scholars of tasawwuf (self purification)…

Psyching up for Ramadan
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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 الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was…

Loving Allah
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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 towards Him. Allah called them to His message through different prophets and messengers, and a variety of means, yet unfortunately some…

Knowing Allah through His beautiful names 1 and 2
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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 this topic because Allah Almighty is beyond our comprehension. What we know about Him is from the Quran and what we…

When desire goes wild and worshipping designer brands
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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 الْمَآبِ Adorned for the people is the love of desires, such as women, and children, and piles upon piles of gold…

Ghazali on remembering death V – carrying jewels
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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 are foolish. Why would you want to burden yourself with heavy stones? You don’t want to waste your time and energy…

How to be safe in times of Fitnah
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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. Nevertheless we have fitan so we need to get our priorities right. Ourselves, our families first[09:35, 11/03/2023] Shaykh Haytham Tamim: Keep…