10
Apr 2022
Ramadan: victory against your nafs and your enemy Praise be to God, we have received an honourable guest, Ramadan, which will stay with us for around a month. Guests usually brings gifts, and Ramadan generously brings with it forgiveness and mercy in abundance. In Ramadan, God has made it compulsory for us to fast, as He stated in the Quran: O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will gain taqwa. (2:183) The verse ends with you will achieve ‘taqwa’, in the second person “you”.......
Read More
10
Apr 2022
Arrogance and rebellion In Surat al-Muminoun, Allah Almighty tells us He punished the disbelievers, but despite this they did not turn back to Him, nor did they supplicate to Him. وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَـٰهُم بِٱلْعَذَابِ فَمَا ٱسْتَكَانُوا۟ لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ And We have already seized them with torment, but they never humbled themselves to their Lord, nor did they ˹submissively˺ appeal ˹to Him˺. (23:76) The image the Quran paints here is of the disbelievers who received their punishment, but continued rebelling against Him and His commands. This is sheer arrogance. This is why Allah......
Read More
09
Apr 2022
Among the verses of Surat al-Muminoun, Allah Almighty talks about the creation of mankind and the states from the womb, to childhood, adulthood and eventually death. Then Allah Almighty says that we will be resurrected: And indeed, We created humankind from an extract of clay, then placed each ˹human˺ as a sperm-drop in a secure place, then We developed the drop into a clinging clot ˹of blood˺, then developed the clot into a lump ˹of flesh˺, then developed the lump into bones, then clothed the bones with flesh, then We brought it into being......
Read More
08
Apr 2022
Might is not everything needed in a fight In Surat al-Hajj there are many verses to reflect on, including the verse in which the oppressed are given permission by Allah to fight back: أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ Permission ˹to fight back˺ is ˹hereby˺ granted to those being fought, for they have been wronged. And Allah is truly Most Capable of helping them ˹prevail˺. (22:39) The importance of timing This verse was revealed in Madinah. In Makkah the situation had been different, as the Muslims were......
Read More
06
Apr 2022
Towards the end of Surat al-Anbiya, Allah Almighty mentions a group of people who believe in Allah, and what is waiting for them in akhirah – they are far from hellfire, so far from it, that they will not hear the sound of its blazing fire. إِنَّ الَّذِينَ سَبَقَتْ لَهُمْ مِنَّا الْحُسْنَىٰ أُولَٰئِكَ عَنْهَا مُبْعَدُونَ But those to whom We have already promised blessings will be far away from hell. (21:101) لَا يَسْمَعُونَ حَسِيسَهَا ۖ وَهُمْ فِى مَا ٱشْتَهَتْ أَنفُسُهُمْ خَـٰلِدُونَ not even hearing the slightest hissing from it. And they will......
Read More
05
Apr 2022
The scales On the Day of Judgement, when the scales are erected then our Books of Deeds will be weighed, even the smallest deeds will be weighed. If they are good, then our end will be good, but if they are bad, our destination will be bad. وَنَضَعُ ٱلْمَوَٰزِينَ ٱلْقِسْطَ لِيَوْمِ ٱلْقِيَـٰمَةِ فَلَا تُظْلَمُ نَفْسٌ شَيْـًٔا ۖ وَإِن كَانَ مِثْقَالَ حَبَّةٍ مِّنْ خَرْدَلٍ أَتَيْنَا بِهَا ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِنَا حَـٰسِبِينَ We will set up the scales of justice on the Day of Judgment, so no soul will be wronged in the least. And......
Read More
04
Apr 2022
In the first couple of pages of Surat Al Anbiya, we see the complaint in the community against the prophets and messengers Allah sent them. They keep demanding that their prophets produce miracles on demand and at their command. This pattern of behaviour was not exceptional; we see it repeated with Nuh, Ibrahim, Musa, Eesa and Muhammad (peace be on them all). There are always troublemakers in every community. Nothing satisfies them. The always find something to complain about. Unfortunately we have these people amongst us. In every nation, neighbourhood and house......
Read More
03
Apr 2022
The story of Musa (peace be on him) and Firaun has been mentioned many times in the Quran. Indeed Musa (peace be on him), the most mentioned messenger in the Quran, appears 136 times. The rest of the prophets are mentioned much less. In the exchange between Musa and Firaun, we see a very common story. In the time of Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) the Firaun of the Ummah was Abu Jahl. Each era has its own tyrant. Although Firaun has passed away, the mentality and character lives on in......
Read More
03
Apr 2022
Two ayahs capture my imagination: وَنَرِثُهُۥ مَا يَقُولُ وَيَأْتِينَا فَرْدًۭا And We will inherit what he boasts of, and he will come before Us all by himself. (19:80) وَكُلُّهُمْ ءَاتِيهِ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَمَةِ فَرْدًا And every one of them will come to Him on the day of resurrection alone. (19:95) Allah is saying in the first verse that everything you do will be documented in your record. In the second verse, Allah is saying that every single person will come to Allah alone (fardan). This is very scary. At that time, you......
Read More
01
Apr 2022
In Surat Maryam, one of the beautiful lessons is the story of Prophet Zakariyya (peace be on him) and the story of Maryam. They are connected, as Zakariyya was Maryam’s guardian, and his wife was the sister of Maryam’s mother. Zakariyya was over 80 but had no children. When he noticed that Maryam had unseasonal fruit in her room, he asked her where had she obtained it from. Discovering that this was a miraculous gift from Allah, he instantly made a special dua beseeching Allah for a child. When he called to......
Read More
31
Mar 2022
It has been noted that for the last 50 years, campaigns and debates have been centred on rights – but not on responsibilities. Yet one of the reasons we have rights, perhaps the very reason our rights exist, is for us to fulfil our responsibilities. When we look at the Quran, it sets out everyone’s rights, in particular in Surah an-Nisa, which is a catalogue of rights and responsibilities. It tells us how to create a just society and balance the needs of various groups within it. Allah clearly sets out rights......
Read More
30
Mar 2022
26
Mar 2022
قال الله تعالى: (وَلَا تَرْكَنُوا إِلَى الَّذِينَ ظَلَمُوا فَتَمَسَّكُمُ النَّارُ وَمَا لَكُمْ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءَ ثُمَّ لَا تُنْصَرُونَ). سورة هود:١١٣. And do not incline towards those who do wrong, or the Fire should touch you; and you will have no protectors besides God, and you will not be helped. (Holy Quran, Surat Hud, 11:113) The Quran was revealed at a time of oppression This verse is from Surat Hud, a chapter of the Quran which was revealed in Makkah with the possible exception of a few verses. However this verse......
Read More
24
Mar 2022
During his life in Makkah, in the early years after the revelation, the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) began spreading the basic concepts of Islam, but as he (peace be on him) and his followers were met with hostility, discrimination and persecution, those 13 years were characterised by survival – at a personal level to survive the constant psychological attacks, physically staying alive while under threat of assassination and during the severe hunger during the Boycott of the Muslims between 616-619 AD. Islam was a fledgling religion in an antagonistic environment.......
Read More
23
Mar 2022
Divine revelation – means for change The revelation is a vehicle of change – inward and outward transformation. We are shown the blueprint for the five dimensions of change in the first five Quranic revelations. 1. Acquiring knowledge is the first step towards change The first verse of Surat al Alaq is Iqra (read). Since the beginning of the Revelation, the very first communication between the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the angel, Jibril was about knowledge and the acquisition of knowledge. Allah Almighty could have revealed any other verse such as:......
Read More