Be grateful for Allah’s favours – Tarawih reflections 24
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Be grateful for Allah’s favours – Tarawih reflections 24

Your heart is the receiver of signals from Allah ‘Allah has revealed to you the Book and wisdom, and has taught you what you did not know. Allah’s favour on you is great.’ [4:113] In this ayah, Allah is addressing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, to whom He revealed the Book. In a similar ayah in…

Draw closer to Allah by loving Him – Tarawih reflections 23
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Draw closer to Allah by loving Him – Tarawih reflections 23

Obeying the Prophet ﷺ = Obeying Allah ‘Whoever obeys the Messenger obeys Allah, and whoever turns away, then, We did not send you as a guardian over them.’ [4:80] In this ayah Allah is talking about obedience to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Scholars of tafseer have commented that this was revealed when some of the…

Racing towards forgiveness
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Racing towards forgiveness

Allah Almighty says in Surat Ale Imran, وَسَارِعُوۤا۟ إِلَىٰ مَغۡفِرَةࣲ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَجَنَّةٍ عَرۡضُهَا ٱلسَّمَـٰوَ ٰ⁠تُ وَٱلۡأَرۡضُ أُعِدَّتۡ لِلۡمُتَّقِینَ Rush towards your Lord’s forgiveness and towards Paradise, which is as wide as the Heavens and the Earth, prepared for those who are Al-muttaqeen (mindful of Allah). [Ale-ʿImran, 3:133] Allah is calling us all to hasten towards…

Race towards Jannah – Tarawih Reflections 17
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Race towards Jannah – Tarawih Reflections 17

‘Race with one another towards forgiveness from your Lord and towards a paradise which is as wide as the heavens and the earth. It has been prepared for those mindful of Allah.’ [3:133] In this ayah of Surat Ale ‘Imran, Allah uses the word saari’ – meaning to race or rush. Allah is opening this…

Don’t make the dunya your priority – Tarawih reflections 4
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Don’t make the dunya your priority – Tarawih reflections 4

Allah challenges Bani Israil In ayah 94 of Surat al-Baqarah, Allah challenges Bani Israil, after they repeatedly betrayed their Messenger, Musa (peace be upon him) and reneged on their covenants with Him. Feeling a sense of superiority, they claim that Jannah is exclusively for them, and Allah asks them, ‘If the Home of the Hereafter…

Characteristics of the believers – Tarawih Reflections 1
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Characteristics of the believers – Tarawih Reflections 1

We are lucky to be witnessing Ramadan and to be able to pray in a mosque where we have a roof above our heads. The people of Gaza have no place to pray; food to eat; water to drink. Inshallah Allah will give them relief soon. We are starting with Surat al-Baqarah. Of course, this…

Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: As Samad
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Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: As Samad

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…

Knowing Allah through His beautiful names Al Wakeel and the nature of tawakkul
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Knowing Allah through His beautiful names Al Wakeel and the nature of tawakkul

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…

Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al-Muqaddim and Al-Mu’akhkhir
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Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al-Muqaddim and Al-Mu’akhkhir

Al-Muqaddim and Al-Mu’akhkhir mean the Promoter and the Postponer. They go together as other pairs, such Al-Awal wal-Akhir, Az-Zaahir wal-Baatin. Not all the names of Allah Almighty are pairs, but in the sunnah, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), mentioned these two names together in the beautiful hadith which Abu Musa (may Allah be pleased with…

I am with you. How Allah strengthens believers and responds to their call
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I am with you. How Allah strengthens believers and responds to their call

إِذۡ تَسۡتَغِیثُونَ رَبَّكُمۡ فَٱسۡتَجَابَ لَكُمۡ أَنِّی مُمِدُّكُم بِأَلۡفࣲ مِّنَ ٱلۡمَلَـٰۤىِٕكَةِ مُرۡدِفِینَ When you were calling your Lord for help, so He responded to you (saying): “I am going to support you with one thousand of the angels, one following the other.” [Al-Anfāl, 8:9] وَمَا جَعَلَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِلَّا بُشۡرَىٰ وَلِتَطۡمَىِٕنَّ بِهِۦ قُلُوبُكُمۡۚ وَمَا ٱلنَّصۡرُ إِلَّا مِنۡ…

Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Mugheeth
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Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Mugheeth

There’s a confusion in people’s mind about the beautiful names of Allah Almighty. To cut a long story short, in Tirmidhi and others: Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that Allah’s Messenger (ﷺ) said, عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏ “‏ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تِسْعَةً وَتِسْعِينَ اسْمًا…

Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Latif
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Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Latif

Every name of Allah has its own unique reflection and divine light. The name Al Latif has been mentioned in the Quran seven times. It has been translated variously as Benevolent, The Kind One and The Subtle One depending on the context. In Surat al Anam, Allah says: لَّا تُدْرِكُهُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرُ وَهُوَ يُدْرِكُ ٱلْأَبْصَـٰرَ ۖ…

Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Jabbar
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Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Jabbar

The mender of hearts The name Al-Jabbar has different meanings in Arabic. The Irresistible, The Restorer, The Mender. It means the One who mends weakness. Jabbara in Arabic, and Jabara yajburu, is to mend the weakness or broken hearts. Al Jabbar is the One who mends hearts, strengthens the broken, enriches the poor and makes…

Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Mu’izz and Al Mudhil
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Knowing Allah through His Beautiful Names: Al Mu’izz and Al Mudhil

Pairs of names Two of the beautiful names of Allah Almighty are Al-Mu’izz and Al-Mudhill. Al-Mu’izz is the One who gives honour while it’s opposite, Al-Mudhill is the One who humiliates. As we have seen with other names, they sometimes come in pairs such as Ar-Rafi, the One who elevates and Al-Khafid, the One who…