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…
Had your Lord willed, all the people on earth would have believed in Him, without exception. So will you compel people to become believers? Yunus: 99 The ayah is asking: Are you going to force people to be believers? Allah Almighty has given the choice to people to believe or not, as in Surah Baqarah:…
Allah Almighty says; Unquestionably, [for] the awliya’ (those close to Allah) there will be no fear concerning them, nor will they grieve Those who believed and were fearing Allah For them are good tidings in the worldly life and in the Hereafter. No change is there in the words of Allah. That is what is…
Prophet Yunus (peace be upon him) was locked down in the belly of the whale and we too have been stuck in lockdown, but insha’Allah, Allah will release us soon. Like Yunus, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had been warning his people but they were not listening: Some of them appear to be…
Allah Almighty says ; “Indeed, those who do not expect the meeting with Us and are satisfied with the life of this world and feel secure therein and those who are heedless of Our signs. For those their refuge will be the fire because of what they used to earn.” Yunus 7-8 In these verses…
The Inspiring Companions Series It was narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Talha, from his father, that: The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) came one day with a cheerful expression on his face, and we said: ‘We see you looking cheerful’. He said: ‘The Angel Jibril came to me and said: ‘O Muhammad, your…
These days we have a lot of suffering – many people are struggling and many are in financial need. You yourself may be finding it hard on many levels, emotionally, physically or mentally. When things are blocked and you have tried everything, the prophetic way to unblock it, is to help someone else. Search for…
Alcohol clouds the brain Allah Almighty called alcohol Khamr (intoxicant) in Surat un-Maidah from ‘cover’. Khimar means head cover*. Therefore khamra is something which covers, clouds and befuddles the brain. When someone is intoxicated they cannot think clearly, their mind is fogged. They can’t function properly. Allah Almighty’s prohibition is clear: O you who have believed,…
It was narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Talha, from his father, that: The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) came one day with a cheerful expression on his face, and we said: ‘We see you looking cheerful’. He said: ‘The Angel Jibril came to me and said: ‘O Muhammad, your Lord says: ‘Will it…
Keep the remembrance of Allah at all times Make Allah your only concern Imam Al-Muhasibi continues. Do not dismiss the remembrance of Allah, keep His Dhikr at all times, be engaged with the remembrance of Allah in all affairs and all concerns. So if you are concerned about something, then be in the remembrance of…
Look after your heart Look after your Dameer (heart) and your intention. Purify your heart, clean it and declutter it. Untie the knots in your heart. Make your heart sound until it becomes pure, soft and free. How do you declutter the heart? Clearing the space in the heart is like clearing space on your…
Take stock of your time and activities Imam Al-Muhasibi wrote a letter to his friend [as usual, it’s framed as on the account of a wise man who wrote to his friend] offering some advice. We have mentioned before that Imam Al-Muhasibi’s close companion is Al-Junayd Al-Baghdadi. He wrote: “I advise you to… What are…