Ramadan
Shaban
Shawwal
Muharram
Dhul Hijjah
Hajj
Eid
Special nights and days
Moonsighting
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…
In the verses of fasting in Surat al-Baqarah, Allah says that He wants ease for us, not hardship, and that we should complete the prescribed days and glorify Him for guiding us — and that we may be grateful. وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ“…and so that you complete the prescribed period,…
If you travel during Ramadan, it’s possible that the place you arrive at is celebrating Eid a day earlier than where you started. In that case, you should celebrate Eid with the local community and not fast while they are celebrating. You should then make up the missed fast after Ramadan, as soon as possible.
Surat at-Tawbah is a Madani surah in which Allah talks about Hajj. Hajj was the last of the five pillars of Islam that Allah made obligatory: it was only mandated in the year 9 AH, compared to fasting and zakat in 2 AH, salah being made obligatory 18 months before Hijrah, and of course the…
This year Ramadan has fallen in spring. The shoots are peeping out of the ground and the blossoms are unfurling on the trees. In his poem Rising Five, Norman Nicholson said: Around him in the field, the cells of springBubbled and doubled; buds unbuttoned; shootAnd stem shook out the creases from their frills,And every tree…
How closely the Companions observed the Prophet (peace be upon him) Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: عن أُسَامَة بْن زَيْدٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لَمْ أَرَكَ تَصُومُ شَهْرًا مِنَ الشُّهُورِ مَا تَصُومُ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ! قَالَ :” ذَلِكَ شَهْرٌ يَغْفُلُ النَّاسُ عَنْهُ، بَيْنَ رَجَبٍ وَرَمَضَانَ، وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ تُرْفَعُ فِيهِ الأَعْمَالُ…
One of the signs of the Day of Judgement is that time will pass quickly, knowledge will be lifted and there will be a great deal of fitan (trials and tribulations). In the narration, reported by Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), he narrated that the Prophet (ﷺ) said, عن أبي هُرَيْرَةَ عَنِ…