07
Mar 2024
The name As-Samad has only been mentioned once in the Quran. Other names of Allah Almighty have been repeated as many as 20, 30 and even 50 times, but interestingly, As-Samad only appears once, in Surat al-Ikhlas, which is among the shortest surahs in the Quran. It begins: قُلْ هُوَ ٱللَّهُ أَحَدٌ ١ Say He is Allah the One and Only, the Eternal ٱللَّهُ ٱلصَّمَدُ ٢ Allah—the Sustainer ˹needed by all˺. What does the name As-Samad mean? From an Arabic point of view, there are multiple meanings. Linguistically, ‘Samada’ means to......
Read More
07
Mar 2024
During salah the norm is to direct your gaze towards the place of prostration while standing, your feet when bowing and your nose while prostrating and on the ground while sitting. There is a hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) advised keep your eyes open during salah and this is how the Prophet (peace be upon him) prayed. Scholars have commented that the reason for this could be that the reason it protects you from being bitten by snakes or scorpions. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him)......
Read More
01
Mar 2024
الَّذِينَ يُبَلِّغُونَ رِسَالَاتِ اللَّهِ وَيَخْشَوْنَهُ وَلَا يَخْشَوْنَ أَحَدًا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۗ وَكَفَىٰ بِاللَّهِ حَسِيبًا Those who deliver the messages of Allah, and fear Him, and fear no one except Allah. Allah suffices as a Reckoner. (33:39) In this ayah Allah is explaining the importance of delivering the truth. Nothing should prevent you from delivering the truth and the Prophet (peace be upon him) set an example for all of us. He was the best of those who carried the truth and the flag of truth. Allah selected the prophets and messengers to......
Read More
28
Feb 2024
It is permissible to brush your teeth with toothpaste, as long as you only use a little and are careful to avoid swallowing any of it, just as it is permissible for a fasting person to use the siwak (tooth-stick). Shaykh Haytham Tamim...
Read More
23
Feb 2024
In Surat az-Zukhruf, Allah Almighty says: لَقَدۡ جِئۡنَـٰكُم بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَلَـٰكِنَّ أَكۡثَرَكُمۡ لِلۡحَقِّ كَـٰرِهُونَ أَمۡ أَبۡرَمُوۤا۟ أَمۡراً فَإِنَّا مُبۡرِمُونَ أَمْ يَحْسَبُونَ أَنَّا لَا نَسْمَعُ سِرَّهُمْ وَنَجْوَىٰهُم ۚ بَلَىٰ وَرُسُلُنَا لَدَيْهِمْ يَكْتُبُونَ ٨٠ Indeed We have brought the truth (the Qur’an) to you, but most of you hate the truth. Or have they plotted some plan (against you O Muhammad)? Then We too are planning (to destroy them). Or do they think that We don’t hear their secrets and their private counsel? Of course Our Messengers (angels) are recording by them. Scholars have......
Read More
16
Feb 2024
As each day brings news of fresh horrors and our hearts reel at the atrocities taking place in Gaza, we look to the Quran to guide us in these troubled times. When we open up Surat al-Kahf every Friday, the story of Musa and al-Khidr gives us hope. Musa (peace be upon him), who quite reasonably presumed he was the most knowledgeable man at the time, was informed by Allah Almighty that there was someone else endowed with special knowledge he did not have. Musa, humbled by this discovery, embarked on a......
Read More
16
Feb 2024
As we continue to seethe with anger at the hypocrisy and the silence over the appalling genocide in Gaza, we are seeing people who are blind, deaf, and dumb just as the Quran described. Their hearts are so shrouded with darkness that they watch the horrors devoid of empathy. صُمُّۢ بُكۡمٌ عُمۡیࣱ فَهُمۡ لَا یَرۡجِعُونَ Deaf, dumb, blind. They will not return. (2:18) The Quran warns us of hearts that become hardened like stones, or even harder, the more they move away from God. They become indifferent to what is right and......
Read More
15
Feb 2024
A fresh start Alhamdulillah every day is a new opportunity to excel, a new opportunity to improve ourselves, a new opportunity to rectify what we have done, and certainly we have plenty of shortcomings. We, at the end of the day, are humans so we have weaknesses as Allah Almighty stated in the Quran: وَخُلِقَ ٱلْإِنسَـٰنُ ضَعِيفًۭا For humankind was created weak. (4:28) As humans, we are inherently weak and liable to make mistakes. These weaknesses may sometimes lead us down paths we had not intended, failed projects, regrets or unfulfilled endeavours, and......
Read More
09
Feb 2024
سُبْحَانَ الَّذِي أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِ لَيْلًا مِّنَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ إِلَى الْمَسْجِدِ الْأَقْصَى الَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُ لِنُرِيَهُ مِنْ آيَاتِنَا إِنَّهُ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ “Glory be to Him, Who took His servant during the night from the Sacred House to the farthest mosque of which We have blessed the precincts, so that We may show to him some of Our signs; verily He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.” As the people of Gaza continue to defend their lives, their loved ones and their land under brutal attack, the Isra wal Miraj which took......
Read More
02
Feb 2024
Muslim brotherhood Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اَللَّهِ - صلى الله عليه وسلم: “اَلْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو اَلْمُسْلِمِ, لَا يَظْلِمُهُ, وَلَا يَخْذُلُهُ, وَلَا يَحْقِرُهُ”. مسلم. “A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim. He neither oppresses him nor humiliates him nor looks down upon him”. عن عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عُمَرَ ـ رضى الله عنهما – أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ :” الْمُسْلِمُ أَخُو الْمُسْلِمِ، لاَ يَظْلِمُهُ، وَلاَ يُسْلِمُهُ، وَمَنْ......
Read More
30
Jan 2024
It’s good to reflect on the names of Allah Almighty and His attributes in order to improve our practice and increase our knowledge and our closeness to Him. Al-Wakeel, from a linguistic point of view, means the Trustee, the One to whom all matters are entrusted. The linguistic root also gives another meaning, which is the One who is looking after you and on whom you rely. Where is al-Wakeel mentioned in the Quran and the Sunnah? When you open the Quran and use the search engine to find al-Wakeel, it appears......
Read More
26
Jan 2024
Allah Almighty said in Surat al Hadid: لَقَدۡ أَرۡسَلۡنَا رُسُلَنَا بِٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتِ وَأَنزَلۡنَا مَعَهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡمِیزَانَ لِیَقُومَ ٱلنَّاسُ بِٱلۡقِسۡطِۖ وَأَنزَلۡنَا ٱلۡحَدِیدَ فِیهِ بَأۡسࣱ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَـٰفِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِیَعۡلَمَ ٱللَّهُ مَن یَنصُرُهُۥ وَرُسُلَهُۥ بِٱلۡغَیۡبِۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ قَوِیٌّ عَزِيزٌ﴿ ٢٥ We have indeed sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and sent down with them the Book and the Balance, so that people may uphold equity. And We sent down iron in which there is strong power, and benefits for the people; and (We did it) so that Allah knows (shows) the one who helps Him (i.e......
Read More
19
Jan 2024
Real imaan gives you superstrength Al-‘Abbas bin ‘Abd al-Muttalib (may Allah be pleased with him) reported God’s Messenger as saying, وَعَن الْعَبَّاس بن عبد الْمطلب قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «ذَاقَ طَعْمَ الْإِيمَانِ مَنْ رَضِيَ بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ رَسُولًا» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ “He who is well-pleased with God as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as messenger will experience the savour of faith” From this hadith we see that the Prophet (peace be upon him) was teaching the Ummah to focus on the quality......
Read More
12
Jan 2024
In Surat al Kahf Allah says وَیُجَـٰدِلُ ٱلَّذِینَ كَفَرُوا۟ بِٱلۡبَـٰطِلِ لِیُدۡحِضُوا۟ بِهِ ٱلۡحَقَّۖ وَٱتَّخَذُوۤا۟ ءَایَـٰتِی وَمَاۤ أُنذِرُوا۟ هُزُوࣰا ٥٦ 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) This ayah shows us that people of falsehood have the audacity to present their falsehood and promote it as the truth, perpetuating their lies and false narratives as the truth. This recurring pattern has been a constant in the lives of prophets and messengers since Shaytan declared his......
Read More
05
Jan 2024
Allah Almighty said in the Quran: لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ Surely, in the narratives of these, there is a lesson for the people of understanding. Almost a third of the Quran is stories of previous nations. They are not just for entertainment, although there is nothing wrong with halal entertainment, but they contain deep lessons for us to understand. The story of the People of the Cave There are three stories I wish to share with you. The first is the story of the People of the......
Read More