Why husbands and wives need to keep their private lives private It is quite common in our community, among our neighbours, friends, and colleagues to get together and discuss others in gossip sessions. This behaviour is so disgusting and forbidden, that in the Quran, Allah Almighty says: O you who believe! Avoid most suspicion—some…
My reflections on the social and spiritual dimensions of Ramadan and Eid Every year I have some reflections on Ramadan and these reflections keep changing. They constantly change because these reflections are connected to our mental status, our spiritual status, as well as what we see or read or hear at the time. All these…
Where’s the halal? ‘…They say trade is but like riba,’ while Allah has permitted trade, and prohibited riba. So, whoever receives an advice from his Lord and desists (from indulging in riba), then what has passed is allowed for him, and his matter is up to Allah… (2:275) No good is there in much of…
From Ramadan to Eid and back to Ramadan Celebration of the revelation of the Divine Message What Is Eid? As we know that the very first verse which was revealed to the Prophet (peace be upon him) was in the cave on the mountain of Hira. Jibreel came down and said ‘Iqra’. We tell this…
THE POWER TO FORGET Is one man equal to two women? Allah Almighty says: “Call two witnesses from among your men. If two men are not available, then one man and two women from among those you accept as witnesses, so that if one of the two women errs, the other may remind her.”…
Marriage is not a life sentence. Breaking taboos Islam is not an alien religion which puts women under threat or expects them to tolerate abuse or harm. Any abuse is haram. I am not in any way promoting or encouraging divorce, or the break up of families and upheaval of children, but if a marriage…
Tyrants vs the Truth The power of the weak and the weakness of the powerful Have you not considered the one who argued with Abraham about his Lord [merely] because Allah had given him kingship? When Abraham said, ‘My Lord is the one who gives life and causes death,’ he said, ‘I give life and…
The scope of accountability To Allah belongs what is in the heavens and what is in the earth. If you disclose what is in your hearts or conceal it, Allah shall hold you accountable for it, then He will forgive whom He wills and punish whom He wills. Allah is powerful over everything. (2:284)…
Reflecting on what you gained and hanging on to it Notice the New You We spend quite a bit of time psyching ourselves up before Ramadan. During Ramadan we direct our energy towards purifying ourselves, and all of sudden Eid comes and life, with all its myriad demands, resumes full throttle. So many of us…
Moon-fighting and Flying Goats The annual moon-fighting fiasco is a pain we endure every year first with uncertainty when it will be, guessing which day to take off from school and work and inevitably ending with families divided on the day of Eid, when half celebrate on one day and the other half, even within…
What’s the solution to atheism in the media? In surah Ghafir, Allah Almighty mentions the story of Pharaoh, Pharaoh said,: ‘Leave me to kill Moses, and let him appeal to his Lord. I fear he may change your religion, or spread disorder in the land.’ (40:26) If you read this with the name Pharaoh…
…even when it does not appeal to us When what is good for us is bitter Allah the Almighty created us, and He wrote our destiny before He created us in a book which will never change. Yet He gave us choices. Without doubt, after He sent the messengers and the prophets to clarify the…
Having the right attitude towards your teacher Trusting the teacher to guide you Once you have selected a teacher, it is incumbent on you to respect, honour and adhere to your teacher. He must not feel proud or arrogant about the knowledge he acquires. Rather, he must display humility in front of his teacher…
Emulating the teacher Being in the presence of the scholar, you can learn directly under him. Do not limit yourself to only studying from his knowledge but get to know him on a personal level; study him also by observing him. Realise his strengths and weaknesses and start imitating the behaviour that made him the…
Finding the right teacher All human behaviour begins with role models, we learn to walk, talk and feed ourselves by watching our families doing those things every day. But we learn more than simple everyday activities from the people who surround us as we grow up. We also learn how to think and behave by…