Shahada
Salah (prayer)
Ramadan and fasting
Zakat
Hajj
Delivering the Friday khutbah in the language of the congregation is not just permissible according to recognised scholarly opinions and established fatwas, but important. It is not imperative that the Jumu’ah khutbah be delivered in Arabic. The khutbah is intended to remind people of Allah and strengthen their imaan. It is also meant to guide…
Examining hadiths on salah takes us through the fascinating history of how salah was prescribed. Many of us may not realise that the five daily prayers were not prescribed in their final form from the beginning. Rather, Allah Almighty introduced them gradually, through different stages of revelation. Yet, once their final form was established, the…
Can You Pray in a Car? Is it permissible to pray in a car? What should you do if you are on a long journey and the prayer time is running out? Does it make a difference if you are on a motorway, a train or an aeroplane? The basic rule is that an obligatory…
Guide on performing Umrah Umrah is a highly rewarded act of worship performed by entering the state of ihram, completing tawaf around the Kaʿbah, praying two rakʿahs, performing saʿi between Safa and Marwah, and finally trimming or shaving the hair. This guide is written to be practical, simple to follow, and based on mainstream Sunni…
Explaining Islam to non-Muslims – beyond the myths and misconceptions Two billion people, (about a quarter of the globe) are Muslim. Muslims believe in one God, who is called Allah, the Arabic word for God, which is also used by Arabic-speaking Christians. Muslims believe that God is the Creator of everything, including the universe, and…
Hajj is not only a physical journey to Makkah, but a journey of the heart. It is a reminder of sacrifice, submission, equality, forgiveness and the believer’s return to Allah Almighty.
Hajj is one of the pillars of Islam, and it has a very special status. The main difference between Hajj and the other four pillars is that Hajj is only obligatory once in a lifetime. That is it. The other pillars are continuous or repeated. The shahadah is something we carry throughout our lives. We…
Facing the qiblah is an essential condition of a valid salah. It is a requirement mentioned clearly in the Quran. Allah says: فَوَلِّ وَجْهَكَ شَطْرَ الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ ۚ وَحَيْثُ مَا كُنتُمْ فَوَلُّوا وُجُوهَكُمْ شَطْرَهُ “So turn your face towards al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you are, turn your faces towards it.” (Surat al-Baqarah 2:144) This command…
Performing wudu with a bandage or cast If you have an injury on a body part that must normally be washed in wudu, then the ruling depends on what will cause harm. Washing, wiping with wet hands or tayammum over the body part The first option is washing the area if the cast or bandage…
Eid salah is performed twice a year at Eid al-Fitr (after completing the month of Ramadan) and at Eid al-Adha (after Hajj) as a way of expressing gratitude to Allah for enabling us to worship Him. The majority of scholars consider Eid salah to be highly emphasised (Sunnah Mu’akkadah), while others (such as the Hanafi…
Definition of sujud ash-shukr – the prostration of gratitude The definition of sujud ash-shukr is a single prostration performed out of gratitude to Allah for a favour received or for the removal of harm. It is connected to shukr, thankfulness to Allah, either because He granted you something pleasing or because He protected you from…
Allah says in Surat al Baqarah: یَـٰۤأَیُّهَا ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَیۡكُمُ ٱلصِّیَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۡ لَعَلَّكُمۡ تَتَّقُونَ ﴿ ١٨٣ ﴾ O you who believe, fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may practice taqwa. (Al-Baqarah, 2:183) Fasting was made an obligation…
Refreshing the Soul in Ramadan Striving Any achievement requires hard work. It needs sacrifices and it needs commitment. But we live in a world of instant and constant self-gratification. So, we have to strive to reach our potential, we have to strive against the pulls in a world of social media, surplus food, constant stream…
A simple guide to working out your zakat Checklist identify the date you first reached nisab (your zakat start date) one lunar year later, total your zakatable assets (cash, gold/silver, shares as applicable, business inventory as applicable) subtract immediate debts that are actually due (and apply your chosen view on longer-term debts consistently) if you…
The Prophet ﷺ said: قال رسولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : «بُنِيَ الإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: شَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَإِقَامِ الصَّلَاةِ، وَإِيتَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ، وَصَوْمِ رَمَضَانَ». “The religion of Islam is built on five: the testimony that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and…