Shahada
Salah (prayer)
Ramadan and fasting
Zakat
Hajj
Month of mindfulness Ramadan is about becoming more mindful of your Lord, mindful of your duties towards Him and towards His creation as well. All the messages that were sent by God to humanity since Adam and Noah and Abraham, Moses, Jesus, and Muhammed (peace be upon them) were sent to make the human race…
We all know that zakat is the third pillar of Islam, after shahada and salah. Though we might think there are more verses on salah in the Quran, there are many more verses on zakat and spending than on salah. The word Zakat itself has been mentioned 32 times. And it is mentioned alongside salah…
There is a very sweet narration by Hudhaifah ibn al-Yaman which gives us beautiful insight into how the Prophet (peace be on him) prayed. We can glimpse the quality of his prayer. Hudhaifah tells us of the occasion he was praying with the Prophet (peace be on him), and we see this prayer unfold through…
Looking at life afresh Now that we have had our normal lifestyle taken away from us, and so many of our favours, they have become apparent to us. We realise what we should be grateful for. There is reason for any test and a wisdom behind it, not just GCSES and A levels which have…
Total connectivity to Allah During one moonlit night, there was an extraordinary episode, when Abbad bin Bishr, one of companions guarding an army of believers was praying as they slept. Through the darkness a stranger shot an arrow at him, which pierced him. What happened next? Abbad pulled out the arrow and continued to…
O you who have believed, when you stand up to pray, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one…
عَنْ عُمَرَ –رضي الله عنه– قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ –صلى الله عليه وسلم-: “مَا مِنْكُمْ مِنْ أَحَدٍ يَتَوَضَّأُ فَيُسْبِغُ الْوُضُوءَ, ثُمَّ يَقُولُ: أَشْهَدُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَحْدَهُ لَا شَرِيكَ لَهُ, وَأَشْهَدُ أَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا عَبْدُهُ وَرَسُولُهُ, إِلَّا فُتِحَتْ لَهُ أَبْوَابُ الجَنَّةِ الثَّمَانِيَةُ، يَدْخُلُ مِنَ أَيِّهَا شَاءَ“. أَخْرَجَهُ مُسْلِمٌ، وَالتِّرْمِذِيُّ, وَزَادَ: “اللَّهُمَّ اجْعَلْنِي مِنَ التَّوَّابِينَ,…
The Prostration of Forgetfulness There are two methods of performing sajda al sahw (the prostration of forgetfulness): The Hanafi Method When you reach the last rakat, recite at-tahiyaat till the end innaka Hameedun Majeed. Make a single salam to the right. Perform 2 additional prostrations (with subhana rabiyal a’la three times). Complete your salah: Recite at-tahiyaat till…
How trust and love can lead to great things During the preparation for the Battle of the Ditch (when Madinah was surrounded) one big rock could not be moved when digging the ditch. The Prophet (peace be on him) just stroked it once and it sparked, he then said ‘Allahu Akbar, I can see…
How the event of Hudaibiyah changed history The Prophet (peace be on him) had names for things such as his swords, shields and camel. The Prophet (peace be on him) rode a camel called ‘Al-Qaswa’ during Umrah, which was a very fast and reliable camel. Not all camels can be used for travel – only…
The Day of Gathering Stopping (wuquf) at Arafah is a crucial part of Hajj. Hajj is not accepted if this part was missed. It is one of the 3 pillars or fards of Hajj. The pillars are: Ihram, Wuquf at Arafah and tawaf al-Ifada. If any of these are missed, or there is a mistake in them, it…
Transformation Hajj is not a tick box exercise. Allah Almighty uses Hajj as training for us to change our bad habits. It’s not about ticking off tawaf and sa’ee and standing in Arafat. These are not the end but the means to the end. Hajj is about personal transformation. For this reason the Prophet (peace be…
Spiritual dimension of Ihram (over the dimension of desires) Hajj is a special journey to al-akhirah (the life Hereafter) just as salah is a journey to heavens. When performing Hajj it is as though you are going to al-akhirah and you never know if you will return from Hajj. You might as well not say to friends and family that you are going to…
My reflections on the social and spiritual dimensions of Ramadan and Eid Every year I have some reflections on Ramadan and these reflections keep changing. They constantly change because these reflections are connected to our mental status, our spiritual status, as well as what we see or read or hear at the time. All these…
Reflecting on what you gained and hanging on to it Notice the New You We spend quite a bit of time psyching ourselves up before Ramadan. During Ramadan we direct our energy towards purifying ourselves, and all of sudden Eid comes and life, with all its myriad demands, resumes full throttle. So many of us…