Ramadan
Shaban
Shawwal
Muharram
Dhul Hijjah
Hajj
Eid
Special nights and days
Moonsighting
Nearly there… The believers, having endured the wait for the reckoning to begin, some shaded beneath the Throne of Allah, others standing in sweat that reached their ankles, knees or even their necks, will have witnessed the intercession of the Prophet ﷺ until reckoning began. They would have been sorted into groups, had their deeds…
Hell is brought forth For disbelievers and sinners, the angels will drag Hell itself into view. Allah says: وَجِاْيٓءَ يَوۡمَئِذِۭ بِجَهَنَّمَۚ يَوۡمَئِذٖ يَتَذَكَّرُ ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ وَأَنَّىٰ لَهُ ٱلذِّكۡرَىٰ And Hell, that Day, will be brought forth. On that Day man will remember, but what will remembrance avail him then? (Al Fajr 89:23) The Prophet ﷺ said: عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ…
The end of death Finally, after the people of Paradise have entered Paradise and the people of Hell have entered Hell, death itself will be brought in the form of a ram and slaughtered. Allah’s Messenger ﷺ said: ؤْتَى بِالْمَوْتِ كَهَيْئَةِ كَبْشٍ أَمْلَحَ فَيُنَادِي مُنَادٍ يَا أَهْلَ الْجَنَّةِ، فَيَشْرَئِبُّونَ وَيَنْظُرُونَ فَيَقُولُ هَلْ تَعْرِفُونَ هَذَا فَيَقُولُونَ…
Al Araf Who are the people of Al Araf? In Surat Hadid (57:13), Allah mentions there is a barrier partitioning the believers and disbelievers. In Surat al Araf, Allah mentions people who are positioned in a high place, Al Araf. This can be imagined as a plain or watchtower above the border that allows the…
The Bridge (Sirat) After the judgment, everyone will have to cross the Bridge (Sirat), which is placed over the top of Hellfire. The Prophet ﷺ described it as: بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ الْجِسْرَ أَدَقُّ مِنْ الشَّعْرَةِ وَأَحَدُّ مِنْ السَّيْفِ It is thinner than a hair and sharper than a sword. (Muslim) Every person will cross according to…
The Scales (Al-Mizan) When judgment begins, Allah will set up the scales of justice so that every deed is weighed with complete fairness. The mizan (scales) of the Day of Resurrection are real and physical, not metaphorical. Prophet Muhammad ﷺ told us that they will have two pans (kiffatan), just like ordinary scales, but their…
Reckoning begins Finally, the great judgment begins. Every person will be shown their deeds, nothing will be forgotten or hidden. Allah says: يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلۡإِنسَٰنُ إِنَّكَ كَادِحٌ إِلَىٰ رَبِّكَ كَدۡحٗا فَمُلَٰقِيهِ فَأَمَّا مَنۡ أُوتِيَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ بِيَمِينِهِۦ فَسَوۡفَ يُحَاسَبُ حِسَابٗا يَسِيرٗا وَيَنقَلِبُ إِلَىٰٓ أَهۡلِهِۦ مَسۡرُورٗا وَأَمَّا مَنۡ أُوتِيَ كِتَٰبَهُۥ وَرَآءَ ظَهۡرِهِۦ فَسَوۡفَ يَدۡعُواْ ثُبُورٗا وَيَصۡلَىٰ سَعِيرًا إِنَّهُۥ…
The second blast of the trumpet The second blast of trumpet will be the beginning of the creation of each new body for each soul. After we die, our bodies decay and turn to dust, but one small part of our body never disappears, no matter what happens. The Prophet ﷺ said: كُلُّ شَىْءٍ مِنَ…
Names of the Final Day The Day of Resurrection is known in the Qur’an by many names, each showing a different stage of that great event. Yawm al-Qiyamah (the Day of Rising) refers to when all people are brought back to life from their graves and stand before Allah for judgment, while Yawm al-Hashr (the…
The Friday prayer (ṣalat al-Jumuʿah) is an obligation upon Muslim men, as well as an opportunity for huge reward. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, gave us guidance on how to maximize the reward as well remain focused and have khushoo (concentration and tranquilty). Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an: “O you who…
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…
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 Prophet (peace be on him) used to reciteSurat Al-‘Ala and Surat Al-Ghashiyah at Eid. These are Makkah surahs, which characteristically mention imaan, the challenges of society and the temptations of dunya and reward for obedience contrasted by the punishment for ignoring or defying Allah. The same theme is repeated in both surahs. This way…
The ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the best days of the year The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated in a Hadith: “There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” (Bukhari) These ten days of Dhul Hijjah are very special. Scholars have even…
The topic of the signs of the Day of Judgment is a very huge topic, and scholars, such as Imam Qurtubi have written books on it. There are indeed many books dedicated to these signs based on verses in the Quran as well as narrations from the Sunnah. Here, I will focus on some of…