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…
Islam is not theoretical, it’s practical. Our obligations are towards Allah Almighty and towards the people with whom we inhabit the world. Our relationships with people begin with our immediate families. Our immediate families are composed of those with whom we are related by blood. There are many verses in the Quran and hadith about…
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 mean argumentation…
Argumentation (Jidaal) 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 jadala , ujaadilu, jadal and mujadiloon,…
Goodness extends to all mankind Allah Almighty commanded us to be good to each other throughout the Quran and specifically in Surah Nisa, when he said: Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbour, the neighbour farther away, the companion at your…
The majority of food is halal The list of what is haram is not long. In fact, Allah Almighty is saying that everything is halal except the few things which are prohibited. There are 10 prohibitions mentioned in the Quran and some more from the Sunnah – all in all not more than 20 things….