How do you deal with waswasa and OCD in worship?
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How do you deal with waswasa and OCD in worship?

Many people experience passing doubts in worship. A person may wonder whether their wudu is still valid, whether they pronounced a letter correctly in al-Fatihah, whether they made a mistake in their salah or chose the correct scholarly opinion. For most people, the doubt comes and goes. They continue and move on. For some people,…

How to successfully survive times of trial
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How to successfully survive times of trial

Who is the lucky one? عَنِ الْمِقْدَادِ بْنِ الْأَسْوَدِ قَالَ : ايْمُ اللَّهِ، لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ : ” إِنَّ السَّعِيدَ لَمَنْ جُنِّبَ الْفِتَنَ، إِنَّ السَّعِيدَ لَمَنْ جُنِّبَ الْفِتَنَ، إِنَّ السَّعِيدَ لَمَنْ جُنِّبَ الْفِتَنَ، وَلَمَنِ ابْتُلِيَ فَصَبَرَ فَوَاهًا “. أبو داود. Al-Miqdad ibn al-Aswad (may Allah be pleased with him)…

Can you pray Salatul Janaza for a missing person?
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Can you pray Salatul Janaza for a missing person?

When a person has been missing for a long time, it is natural for people to begin wondering whether they have passed away. Yet, in Islamic law, Salatul Janazah can only be performed if there is certainty. Therefore, as long as the death of the missing person has not been established, Janazah prayer cannot be…

When silence becomes complicity – levels of dhulm
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When silence becomes complicity – levels of dhulm

The limits set by Allah Allah Almighty has not left us without guidance. He did not leave us to decide for ourselves what is right and wrong according to changing moods, pressure, or convenience. He laid down obligations, set boundaries, prohibited what is harmful, and out of His mercy remained silent on certain matters. The…

If you don’t stop the fire, do not be surprised when it reaches you
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If you don’t stop the fire, do not be surprised when it reaches you

The duty of the Ummah is to prevent harm Allah stated in Surat Ale Imran, ‫كُنتُمۡ خَیۡرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخۡرِجَتۡ لِلنَّاسِ تَأۡمُرُونَ بِٱلۡمَعۡرُوفِ وَتَنۡهَوۡنَ عَنِ ٱلۡمُنكَرِ وَتُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِۗ You have been the best community that was ever brought forth for mankind: you command to what is fair and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah….

These are troubled times, but I am optimistic about what lies ahead
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These are troubled times, but I am optimistic about what lies ahead

At our Utrujj Iftar, we had a full house, not just full of guests but also full of the mercy of Allah, full of happiness, full of love. Alhamdulillah, as Pakistani, Bengali, Lebanese, Iraqi, Palestinian, French, German guests sat side by side, with all their different languages, different cultures, different histories, they were united by…

How to overcome negative people in your life
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How to overcome negative people in your life

De-constructing the types of people who spread negativity from the Qur’an In every community there are people who hold you back. You want to move forward, but they pull you backwards. All of us have experienced such people at different points in our lives. Some are within our own families, some in our mosques, some…

Four lessons from the opening of Surat al Ahzab
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Four lessons from the opening of Surat al Ahzab

In Surat al-Ahzab, Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا ٱلنَّبِيُّ ٱتَّقِ ٱللَّهَ وَلَا تُطِعِ ٱلْكَافِرِينَ وَٱلْمُنَافِقِينَۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ كَانَ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمًا O Prophet, be mindful of Allah and do not obey the deniers and the hypocrites. Indeed, Allah has always been All-Knowing, All-Wise (Surat al-Ahzab, 33:1) Surat al-Ahzab was revealed at the end of the fifth year…

When holding on to faith is like a burning coal
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When holding on to faith is like a burning coal

The Prophet ﷺ said: يَأْتِي عَلَى النَّاسِ زَمَانٌ الصَّابِرُ فِيهِمْ عَلَى دِينِهِ كَالْقَابِضِ عَلَى الْجَمْرِ “A time will come when the one who patiently bears the pain and trials of staying true to his religion will be like someone grasping a piece of burning coal.” (Tirmidhi) We are familiar with this hadith, which the Prophet…

Surat al Kahf: An exposition of 4 trials and the intoxication of power
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Surat al Kahf: An exposition of 4 trials and the intoxication of power

Trials in Surat al Kahf Allah says in Surat al-Kahf: أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ آيَاتِنَا عَجَبًا “Or did you think that the companions of the cave and the inscription were among Our wondrous signs?” (18:9) إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا…

Falsehood may appear strong but it is fragile
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Falsehood may appear strong but it is fragile

Allah begins Surat al-Isra: سُبْحَانَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلٗا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَى ٱلَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَاتِنَآ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ “Glory be to the One who took His servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We might show him some of…

Racism is never the answer to any problem
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Racism is never the answer to any problem

Human equality in the Qur’an Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ “O mankind, indeed We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble…

A call for unity in a time of rising unrest
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A call for unity in a time of rising unrest

In Surat al-ʿAnkabūt, Allah asks whether people think they will not be tested simply because they believe. He says: الۤمۤ Alif, Lam, Meem. ‫أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن یُتۡرَكُوۤا۟ أَن یَقُولُوۤا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمۡ لَا یُفۡتَنُونَ “ Do people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ without being tested ?” ‫وَلَقَدۡ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۖ…

When is the Hour? When amanah is lost
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When is the Hour? When amanah is lost

Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : بَيْنَمَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَجْلِسٍ يُحَدِّثُ الْقَوْمَ، جَاءَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ : مَتَى السَّاعَةُ ؟ فَمَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُحَدِّثُ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ : سَمِعَ مَا قَالَ فَكَرِهَ مَا قَالَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ : بَلْ لَمْ…