Anas ibn Malik reported: Fifty prayers were obligated upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he was taken on his night journey. Then, it was reduced until it was set at five and an announcement was made, “O Muhammad, My word is never changed, so these five prayers will be counted as…
Imam Ghazali’s 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 purification of the heart, Ghazali mentions 10 principles. Self-admiration which is closely connected to pride is the ninth principle. Self-admiration could be…
Allah Almighty mentions in the Quran in different surahs, and on different occasions the continuous fight between truth and falsehood, since Adam was sent down to earth. There has been a battle between shaytan and his followers and Adam and his offspring, which will continue till the Day of Judgement. Every Friday, we read Surat…
Storms batter the globe As storms become an increasingly familiar part of our lives across the globe – the names of storms are whizzing through the alphabet with increasing speed, the howling winds rip through the country, bringing down trees and powerlines, decimating roofs, and whipping up the floods – we are reminded of Allah’s…
Imam Ghazali’s 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 section on purification of the heart, Ghazali mentions 10 principles. Pride (kibr) is the eighth principle and Ghazali proposes how to…
عَنْ عَوْفِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ” خِيَارُ أَئِمَّتِكُمُ الَّذِينَ تُحِبُّونَهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَكُمْ وَيُصَلُّونَ عَلَيْكُمْ وَتُصَلُّونَ عَلَيْهِمْ ، وَشِرَارُ أَئِمَّتِكُمُ الَّذِينَ تُبْغِضُونَهُمْ وَيُبْغِضُونَكُمْ وَتَلْعَنُونَهُمْ وَيَلْعَنُونَكُمْ ” . . رواه مسلم. It has been narrated on the authority of ‘Auf bin Malik that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The…
What is sajda tilawah? Sujud Tilawah is a single prostration which one makes after reciting certain ayahs of the Quran. These are marked with an arrow in the Quran. It can be performed within the salah, if you recited one of these ayahs in your salah, or out of the salah, if you were reciting…
Mu’awiyah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه و سلم مَنْ يُرِدْ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ فِي الدِّينِ “To whomever Allah wills goodness, He grants him understanding of the religion. (Bukhari and Muslim) This hadith begins with ‘whomsoever’. Whomsoever: No restriction on colour, race, age, gender, wealth, health and status. It is an open invitation for every individual to participate….
The first five surahs that were revealed were Iqra, Al Qalam, Al Muzzammil, Al Muddaththir, Al Fatihah. We derive lessons in how to transition from each one and it is not coincidental that the first revelations are about change, which is ghayara in Arabic. Iqra (the first five ayahs of Surat al Alaq) is about…
Why do we need to think about culture? Over time, practices change, societies change and customs change, which is why Allah Almighty sent messengers to bring people back on track, back to the straight path. When they went off track, Allah Almighty would send guidance to clarify what was acceptable and what was not. In…
In Surat al Kahf Allah mentioned four stories and one of them is the story of Dhul Qarnayn. Why does Allah Almighty tell us about Dhul Qarnayn? The story of Dhul Qarnayn appears in Surat al Kahf and is an answer to one of the three questions posed by Quraysh to the Prophet (peace be…
Imam Ghazali’s 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 chapters on purification of the heart, Ghazali mentions 10 principles. Pride is the eight principle. If we look at the world…
How did the Prophet (peace be on him) handle pessimism from people around him? The Quran refers to pessimism, which is atirah, in many ayahs. When you recite Surat Yaseen, it mentions the fear of bad omens: They (people) said: “For us, we see an evil omen from you; if you cease not, we will…
Imam Ghazali’s 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 his chapters on the purification of the heart, Ghazali mentions 10 principles. Love of dunya is the seventh principle. Love of status…
How do we deal with sins and mistakes when we make them? Certainly we are not angels and we make mistakes but what do we do when we make a mistake? In these verses and similar verses in the Quran, Allah is teaching us how to deal with sins and mistakes. Allah Almighty said in…