وَلَنَبْلُوَنَّكُم بِشَيْءٍ مِّنَ الْخَوْفِ وَالْجُوعِ وَنَقْصٍ مِّنَ الْأَمْوَالِ وَالْأَنفُسِ وَالثَّمَرَاتِ ۗ وَبَشِّرِ الصَّابِرِينَ We will certainly test you with some fear and hunger, and some loss of possessions and lives and crops. But give good news to the steadfast. (2:155) الَّذِينَ إِذَا أَصَابَتْهُم مُّصِيبَةٌ قَالُوا إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونَ Those who, when a calamity…
Ascending levels of spirituality: Sabr – khawf – mahabbah Al-Imam Al-Muhasibi’s* book “Ādāb An Nufus” has very deep reflections on how to discipline yourself, and how to increase your closeness to Allah Almighty by moving higher step by step, which is unique. Level 1 – Sabr (Patience) He defined sabr as going against what you…
Being good to your neighbour. Even if he is bad to you. Being good to someone who is good to you is easy. Being good to someone who is not good to you, is hard. This is why being good to your neighbour is a sign of imaan. Allah Almighty says in Surah Fussilat: The…
Pleasure flows two ways. You earn Allah’s pleasure, rida Allahi ta’ala – when YOU yourself are pleased with Him. As we see from the Hadith Qudsi, the People of Jannah experience layers upon layers of pleasure- and Allah Almighty reveals the pinnacle of their pleasure… عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى…
Rajab and the sacred months The number of months, according to Allah, is twelve months—in the decree of Allah—since the Day He created the heavens and the earth, of which four are sacred. This is the correct religion. So do not wrong yourselves during them. (9:36) Rajab is a sacred month. One of the 4…
Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Paradise is surrounded by hardships and the Hell-Fire is surrounded by temptations. (Muslim) Abu Hurairah narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said: Hellfire is screened by desires, and Paradise is screened by difficulties. So whoever penetrates the…
Uqbah bin ‘Amir said that the Prophet (peace be on him) said: Each day, every deed [of a servant of God] has to be recorded and sealed. When a believer becomes ill, the angels say to God, ‘Oh, our Lord! You’ve confined so and so servant of yours.’ The Lord, the Almighty and Glorious replied,…
Uqba bin ‘Amir reported: When we were in Suffa, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out and said: Which of you would like to go out every morning to Buthan or al-‘Aqiq and bring two large she-camels without being guilty of sin or without severing the ties of kinship? We said: Messenger of Allah, we…
Total connectivity to Allah During one moonlit night, there was an extraordinary episode, when Abbad bin Bishr, one of companions guarding an army of believers was praying as they slept. Through the darkness a stranger shot an arrow at him, which pierced him. What happened next? Abbad pulled out the arrow and continued to…
It has been narrated by Tirmidhi and also Imam Ahmad and others that Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said: ‘Who will take these words from me, and act upon them, or teach them to somebody who will act upon them?’ The cautious vs…
Carry the knowledge We need to deliver knowledge in a prophetic manner. Make it relevant. We often lack this element when delivering Islamic knowledge. There is a deep disconnect between the knowledge in our books and mosques and every day life. As a result we do not find many people attending circles or khutbas because…
Islam came to liberate women from the abusive and oppressive mentality which had existed towards in the Arab community for centuries. Islam gave woman the freedom to express herself and to be independent, financially and socially. She could get an education, she could do business, and she had a voice. It is culture which perpetuates…
Desire is normal The instinct which Allah Almighty created in us makes it very easy for us to be tempted by the opposite sex. This is our nature and how we function and what makes us balanced and human. If we did not feel desire, it is not normal and we would need help to…
A commonly misunderstood and misinterpreted concept is whether men are superior to women. For a long time, men have enjoyed feeling that they are better than women and feeling that they are in the position of masters. Superiority? In the Quran, Allah Almighty says men have a degree (daraja) over women – which gives men…
Argumentation (jaadila) We send the messengers only as deliverers of good news and warners. Those who disbelieve argue with false argument, in order to defeat the truth thereby. They take My Verses, and the warnings, for a joke. (18:56) When we read the Quran, we come across the words jaadila, ujaadila, jadal and mujadiloon, which…