04
Jun 2018
Two Types of Hypocrite Beware, it is, in fact, they who spread disorder, but they do not appreciate. (12) And when it is said to them, ‘Believe as people have believed,’ they say, ‘Shall we believe as the fools have believed?’ Beware, it is, in fact, they who are the fools, but they do not know. (13) When they meet those who believe, they say, ‘We have entered Faith;’ but when they are alone with their satans, they say, ‘Indeed, we are with you; we were only mocking.’ (14) It is Allah......
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02
Jun 2018
Hypocrisy – how it originated and what are the signs Hypocrisy is a disease of the heart. Just like heart disease, very often people do not even realise they have it. If they do not seek a cure for it, their disease spreads aggressively and leads to dire consequences personally, as well as for those around them who suffer from their machinations. And of the people are some who say, ‘We believe in Allah and the Last Day,’ but they are not believers. (2:8) They deceive Allah and those who......
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31
May 2018
How can you worship Allah as if you are seeing Him? Love As we cannot physical see Allah Almighty we can feel His presence strongly in the heart. The realisation of Allah’s presence, by His knowledge and mercy, is so great that the person feels he is witnessing Allah Almighty in front of him. The person’s thought and mind become completely attuned to the act of worship that he is performing. So in essence it is as if he is worshipping Allah while seeing Him. This leads to an enhanced obedience as......
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29
May 2018
What have we been entrusted with? And why we should maintain trust Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an when he was describing the believers in Surah Mu’minun, ‘And those who are faithful to their trust and pledges.’ (23:8) In Surah Anfal, He says, ‘Believe. Do not betray Allah Almighty or His Messenger and your trusts.’ (8:27) So there are plenty of verses in the Qur’an and hadith, in the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be on him) which confirm the importance of amanah: keeping your trust. The word amanah is a......
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27
May 2018
When to do dawah. Knowing who will respond to Islam and who won’t. Are all disbelievers the same? Will their punishment be the same? Who are the ones whose hearts are sealed? Should our dawah be open to all disbelievers or should we focus on those who are more likely to benefit? A disbeliever is obvious to spot. Though he is instantly recognisable, it is not always obvious where he is in the spectrum of disbelief. Just as believers come in all shapes and sizes, with differing levels of belief, from those......
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24
May 2018
How to Spot a True Believer What should we be like and how should we behave? What are the characteristics that any two believers, regardless of age, gender or ethnicity will have in common? ‘Who believe in the Unseen, and are steadfast in Salah (prayer), and spend out of what We have provided them; And who believe in what has been revealed to you and what has been revealed before you; and they have faith in the Hereafter. It is these who are guided by their Lord; and it is just......
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21
May 2018
Attaining excellence with the right foundation From the hadith Jibreel found in the collection of Imam Bukhari, we can ascertain the basics of our religion. The religion of Islam in a simplistic view can be separated into three categories. Firstly, Imaan – the belief in Allah, His Angels, His divine books, His Prophet’s (peace be on him), belief in destiny and the belief in the Hereafter. Imaan is the theological aspect of the religion. Secondly, Islam – The testimony in the belief of Allah, the Salah, Fasting in Ramadan, Zakat and Hajj.......
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19
May 2018
Levels of Knowledge True knowledge leads to insight which in turn raises our rank in the eyes of Allah and confers a level of responsibility and leadership. Not everyone, however, who acquires knowledge attains this level. A closer examination reveals what differentiates the ranks of those who seek knowledge. Above every possessor of knowledge there is one who knows more and the One who knows all. When the Angels were gathered and Allah said to them: ‘Tell Me the names of these things if you are truthful.’ The Angels replied, ‘Glory be......
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17
May 2018
#Glorify the Word of Allah Say NO to Ferrari tarawihs! The time has come for the ummah to rise up against the annual scourge of fast-paced recitations in some masjids across the world. At the time of year when people most yearn for a deep spiritual experience, some mosques are doing a disservice to worshippers AND to the Words of Allah Almighty. The danger of such tarawihs is that tradition is destroyed and people are disconnected from the Qur’an, particularly when they have come seeking Allah’s pleasure. From every angle such recitation is wrong. That......
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17
May 2018
The Truth – only if you seek it How do we know that the Qur’an is the truth from Allah Almighty? What assurance do we have that the Qur’an can help us in our lives? How do we know that it is still relevant to us today? This Book has no doubt in it – a guidance for the God-fearing (2:2) Anyone searching for an explanation to their existence, and wanting to know how to proceed on their life-long journey and how to pick their way through the rocky terrain that is......
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13
May 2018
Why has Allah not defeated the perpetrators of evil? Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says in the Qur’an: “Had Allah willed it, He could have defeated them by Himself, but it is His test. He is testing you by the means of others. And for those who were killed for the sake of Allah, Allah will not let their good deeds go to waste. He will guide them and improve their state of mind and will admit them to Jannah, which he chose for them.” (47:4) Why is there so much suffering? In......
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13
May 2018
Our Amanah (trust) from Allah It has been narrated in Imam Nasa’i’s Sunan Al-Kubra and Ibn Hibban on the authority of Anas bin Malik (Radiallahu Anhu) that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: “Indeed, Allah will ask every guardian about the Amanah which he has been given. Did he keep it or did he lose it? Even the man will be asked about his family.” Amanah: Family There are plenty of narrations in the Sunnah of the Prophet (ﷺ) which speak about the importance of looking after......
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11
May 2018
Should we seek any knowledge? What are the signs of beneficial knowledge? When we say ‘My Lord, increase me in knowledge’ we are not specifying the type of knowledge we want Allah to grant us, as Allah did not want to restrict the knowledge to any particular science but rather left it open to include all knowledge that benefits you and your community. The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) used to say after the dawn prayer: ‘O Allah, I ask You for beneficial knowledge, acceptable action, and good provision.’ ......
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11
May 2018
The connection between knowledge and spirituality How does knowledge lead to illumination? Why knowledge is a lifelong quest. Why we need knowledge more than food and water And say (Muhammad): ‘My Lord! Increase me in knowledge.’ The more we know the more we feel closer to Allah. And for this reason, the Messenger of Allah used to make this supplication as it was mentioned in the Qur’an. When Allah mentions increase in the Qur’an, He refers to two things; knowledge and piety. The more knowledge you have, the more......
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11
May 2018
The enigmatic letters and what they teach us What do we know about the mystery of the opening letters of Surah Baqarah? Can we ever know their real meaning? Alif. Laam. Meem. (2:1) These letters are the puzzling opening of Surah Baqarah. Though there is some discussion it is generally agreed that the basmallah is not part of the surah. Mystifyingly, the very first statement we are given in answer to the request for guidance posed by Surah Al Fatiha is this collection of three letters, whose meaning is unknown to us.......
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