Aside from the entertaining aspect of the stories, there are many valuable lessons we can glean from Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah’s 400 page book, The Patience of the Pious Predecessors, which he divided into 8 chapters. When I re-read the lengthy (50 page!) conclusion of the book I couldn’t help thinking that it is the…
Allah Almighty talks about specific criteria for specific people. Is he who knows that what was revealed to your from your Lord is the truth, like him who is blind? Only those who reason will remember. Those who fulfill the promise to God, and do not violate the agreement. And those who join what God…
Ali ibn Hasan (Abu Qasim) Ibn Asakir al Dimashqi The great scholar Ibn Asakir is one of the very well known scholars of the 6th century Hijri. Born in Damascus in 499AH, he passed away in 571AH. (1105–1175AD). He was so dedicated to knowledge that he was al hafidh as well as the top of…
Your rizq Rizq (your provision) is mentioned in many verses of the Quran, for instance in Surat adh-Dhariyat, Allah Almighty says: I did not create the jinn and the humans except to worship Me. I need no livelihood (rizq) from them, nor do I need them to feed Me. God is the Provider(Ar-Razzaq), the One…
At the end of Surah Yusuf Allah Almighty mentioned that victory comes when you are tested to the limit. Until, when the messengers have despaired, and thought that they were rejected, Our help came to them. We save whomever We will, and Our severity is not averted from the guilty people. Yusuf:110 There are similar…
The bitter pill There are still many lessons in this surah. There is a long catalogue of troubles and trials that befell Yusuf (peace be upon him). Our perception is that these are all negative – from being thrown in the well to being falsely accused and imprisoned. Yet all these bitter events and challenges…
Temptations The trials and tests Yusuf (peace be upon him) endured during his life as a child and afterwards are well known to us. She in whose house he was living tried to seduce him. She shut the doors, and said, “I am yours.” He said, “God forbid! He is my Lord. He has given…
The story of Yusuf The story of Yusuf (peace be upon him) is very important in the Quran. In particular, Allah Almighty called it ‘ahsanal qasas’ – the best story. We relate to you, [O Muhammad], the best of stories in what We have revealed to you of this Qur’an although you were, before it,…
Allah Almighty says, O my people, let not your hostility towards me cause you to suffer what was suffered by the people of Noah, or the people of Hud, or the people of Saleh. The people of Lot are not far away from you.’ Hud:89 Reflecting on these verses, Shu’aib (peace be upon him) found…
Allah Almighty says; The notables who disbelieved among his people said, ‘We see in you nothing but a man like us, and we see that only the worst among us have followed you, those of immature judgment. And we see that you have no advantage over us. In fact, we think you are liars.’ Hud:27…
Possessing books As a student of knowledge, we should try own as many books as we need for they are our tools of learning. However, we should not get into the trap of collecting books or creating a library of books without reading them. Every book we buy, it should be read at least once,…
When you start your journey to seek knowledge what books should your read when taking your first steps to get the necessary knowledge? I often get asked this question and these are the top 10 books I would suggest that everyone serious about knowledge should read: Aqeedah – Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar by Abu Hanifa. Tahawiyyah by…
Never a wasted moment Imam Abu al-Wafa Ali Ibn Aqil ibn Ahmad al-Baghdadi (431-513AH/ 1040–1119AD) He is a top scholar in the Hanbali school and of his time. The summary of his long biography, he used to say: It is not permitted for me to waste any second of my life. It is a gift…
What is Tajweed? The word Tajweed linguistically means proficiency or doing something well. It comes from the same root letters as the word Jayyid, which means good. In order to recite the Quran correctly, it is not sufficient to be fluent in reading Arabic, but one has to be familiar with each letter of the…
Allah Almighty says; As for those who believe and do good deeds, and humble themselves before their Lord—these are the inhabitants of Paradise, where they will abide forever. Hud: 23 The word ‘akhbatu’ (humble) is unique – it appears on only two occasions, once in Surah Hud (al-ladhina akhbatu) and once in Surah Hajj, (wa…