Shariah has three objectives. It came to reform the individual, society and the system. In order to have a functional society and functional relationships we need to focus on these three. Allah said in the Quran: Truly he succeeds that purifies it. (91:15) The one who succeeds therefore purifies ‘it.’ What is ‘it’? It is…
Sa’d bin Abi Waqqas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that one day Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him) came from Al-‘Aliyah: a high place in Madinah. He passed by the mosque of Banu Mu’awiyah, went in and observed two rak’ahs there and we also observed prayer along with him (peace be upon him)…
Allah Almighty says, Whatever blessing you have is from God. And when harm touches you, it is to Him that you groan. An-Nahl:53 In this verse we see Allah Almighty is confirming the obvious – which is not always obvious to us! All the blessings we have are from Allah but we often overlook them….
Can you hold a Khatam al Quran or recite the Quran for the deceased Widespread practice The practice of holding khatams is so widespread in the community. Probably more than 80 percent of people do this. Is it permissible? In a nutshell, in our time, the entire ummah, barring a small minority, say that it…
Praying the salatul janaza (janaza prayer) Praying the janazah (funeral) prayer is prescribed for both men and women, because the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: “Whoever attends the janazah until he offers the prayer will have one qirat (of reward), and whoever attends until (the deceased) is buried will have…
How long is the mourning period in Islam Mourning lasts for three days for everyone except the widow. The widow has to mourn four months and ten days, as stipulated in the Quran: And those of you who die and leave wives behind them, they (the wives) shall wait (as regards their marriage) for four…
Verses of the Qur’an revealed in Makkah challenge the intellect and are a wake up call for thinkers whose minds have been buried in the sand of culture, materialism and worldly concerns. The following verses are calling for independent thinking; pondering the creation of the heavens and the earth, the water which falls from the…
The Day of Arafah is the most important day of the year. 1. The completion of the revelation It has many virtues and one of these is that it was the day on which the revelation was completed. the first thing is that this is the day on which the revelation was completed. Laylatul Qadr…
We praise Allah that we have witnessed the day of Eid. There are those among us who could not witness it, because of the pandemic – some are in hospital and some are in their grave. Some of them are at home and cannot go to the mosque, as many of us. Two Eids! Alhamdulilah,…
Allah Almighty commanded Iblis to prostrate to Adam (peace be upon him) but he refused. The first sin was arrogance. Although the worst sin is to believe Allah Almighty has partners, Iblis did not commit shirk; it was arrogance which lead to Iblis being expelled from paradise. The details of the story are based on the…
Forced marriages are haram in Islam. In Islamic law, it is strictly prohibited (haram) for a father or mother to compel their son or daughter to marry someone against their will. A marriage brought about through coercion is considered religiously invalid, particularly in the case of a daughter. The right to choose a spouse is…
Every verse in the Qur’an has plenty of lessons. Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is saying: Our Lord, I have settled some of my offspring in a valley of no vegetation, by Your Sacred House, our Lord, so that they may perform the prayers. So make the hearts of some people incline towards them,…
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the best ten days of the year and the month of Hajj. The Prophet (peace be on him) highly recommended that we should fast during the first 9 days. The 9th day is the Day of Arafah, and the Prophet (peace be on him) said: There is…
Is it permissible to trim your nails and cut your hair if you intend to do a sacrifice (qurbani) on Eid? When a person enters a state of ihram for Hajj, they are not allowed to trim their hair or clip their nails since these are among the things prohibited while in ihram. This includes…
The etiquette of seeking knowledge In Islam, it is not just knowledge which we are interested in, but how we seek knowledge is also important. Our attitude towards learning, and our teachers and fellow students. There is a huge body of literature and learning on the etiquette of learning itself, which has been passed down…