In Surah Āl ʿImrān, Allah Almighty commands: وَأَطِيعُوا ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ “Obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may be shown mercy.” (3:132) This is a direct command – fiʿl al-amr – from Allah. In Arabic, a command denotes obligation. Just as when Allah says, أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ (“Establish the prayer”), it means the…
In Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, Allah describes in vivid detail the events of the Battle of the Trench, also known as the Siege of the Parties. This took place in the fifth year after Hijrah, when the Prophet ﷺ and the believers faced one of the most severe trials in the early history of Islam. A confederation…
Islamic teachings are unequivocal on the matter of sustenance. In Surah al-Aʿrāf, Allah commands: “Do not spread corruption on the earth after it has been set in order” (7:56). Corruption, or fasād, takes many forms, and one of the gravest is denying people the means to survive. Provision is part of the divine balance, and…
Blame in the Quran 1. Refusal to take responsibility In the Quran, we see that blame is used frequently by disbelievers to avoid taking responsibility. They blame their refusal to believe on the fact that the Messenger (peace be upon him) was human, rather than an angel. وَقَالُواْ مَالِ هَٰذَا ٱلرَّسُولِ يَأۡكُلُ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمۡشِي فِي…
Upholding justice and responsibility in Islam In Surah an-Nisa, Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا ۚ وَإِن تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا “O you who…
A daughter-in-law is not a doormat Islam is not just a set of beliefs but a way of life. It is religion in which we are encouraged to help and serve others. However, it is not a religion in which we accept being exploited. Unfortunately, there are cultural practices which oppress daughters-in-law that have no…
If your mother or father is unjust, their injustice does not nullify their rights over you. The rights of parents (both the mother or father) over their child are immense. Allah has commanded the child to treat his parents kindly, even if they are polytheists and urge him to associate partners with Allah. Allah says:…
The Prophet ﷺ warned his ummah of times that would come when clarity would fade, and truth would be mixed with falsehood. Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (may Allah be pleased with him) used to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ not about good, but about evil, fearing it might reach him. He said, “O Messenger of…
The Prophet ﷺ warned us of a trait that lies at the heart of hypocrisy: “There are three signs of a hypocrite: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim) Betrayal (khiyana) is not a small sin….
The Tragedy of Karbala The very sad event that took place in the month of Muharram is the martyrdom of Al-Husayn (may Allah be pleased with him). It is a long and tragic history, but I will do my best to summarise what happened. My sources are based primarily on authentic Sunni narrations. While…
In Surat At-Tawbah, Allah states: وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُهَـٰجِرِینَ وَٱلۡأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِینَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحۡسَـٰنࣲ رَّضِیَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنۡهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتࣲ تَجۡرِی تَحۡتَهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِینَ فِیهَاۤ أَبَدࣰاۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِیمُ “And the pioneers—the first of the Muhājirīn and the Anṣār—and those who followed them with excellence: Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased…
Muharram and the beginning of the Islamic Year Reflecting on the sacred month In the Islamic calendar, there are four months that are considered sacred (ash-hur ḥurum). As Allah says in the Qur’an: إِنَّ عِدَّةَ الشُّهُورِ عِندَ اللَّهِ اثْنَا عَشَرَ شَهْرًا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ… مِنْهَا أَرْبَعَةٌ حُرُمٌ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ الدِّينُ الْقَيِّمُ…
The stories of A’ad and Thamud are two of the major stories in Arabic history, and they are repeated many times throughout the Quran, particularly in the Makki surahs. Allah used them as an example and a warning to the people of Makkah, that they would be punished if they spread corruption in their society….
The Islamic value of chastity and protecting honour Chastity is a long and deeply layered topic in Islam. It has many branches, like a tree spreading out, and today we continue discussing its importance and the way Islam treats this concept. One of the main objectives of the Sharia is the protection of lineage (hifz…
Mental health The growing conversation around trauma, healing, therapy, and where it sits within Islamic practice deserves a nuanced and careful discussion. Across Muslim spaces today, there’s a noticeable rise in both the uptake of secular therapy and a reactionary rejection of it, often due to perceptions that it is unscientific, overly focused on victimhood,…