In the famous hadith, the Prophet ﷺ said: قال رسول الله ﷺ: مَن يُرِدِ اللَّهُ به خَيْرًا يُفَقِّهْهُ في الدِّينِ، وإنَّما أنا قاسِمٌ واللَّهُ يُعْطِي، ولَنْ يَزالَ أمْرُ هذِه الأُمَّةِ مُسْتَقِيمًا حتَّى تَقُومَ السَّاعَةُ، أوْ: حتَّى يَأْتِيَ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ. When Allah intends good for someone, He gives him understanding of the religion. I am only…
The Prophet ﷺ wrote a letter to Caesar during the period following the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah, between the sixth and eighth year after his migration to Madinah. Around this time, the Prophet ﷺ sent letters to the rulers and governors of surrounding regions, inviting them to Islam. Caesar was in Sham (the region that now…
The impossible In Surat Maryam, Allah Almighty talks about Zakariya and his request for a child. In the first story, Allah Almighty highlights the status of Zakariya and describes his supplication. He said: قال رب انى يكون لي غلام وكانت امرأتي عاقرا وقد بلغت من الكبر عتيا He said, “My Lord, how can I…
When the Muslims were besieged in Madinah by a confederation of tribes, their faith was tested to its limits. The Qur’an describes that terrifying moment: إِذْ جَاءُوكُم مِّن فَوْقِكُمْ وَمِنْ أَسْفَلَ مِنكُمْ وَإِذْ زَاغَتِ الْأَبْصَارُ وَبَلَغَتِ الْقُلُوبُ الْحَنَاجِرَ وَتَظُنُّونَ بِاللَّهِ الظُّنُونَا “When they came upon you from above you and from below you, and when…
We recite this surah every Friday, because it brings the light of guidance. One of the ways it guides us is by showing us the different types of people we come across in daily life. Surat al-Kahf as a Mirror of Society This surah speaks not only of four trials but shows us an array…
Trials in Surat al Kahf Allah says in Surat al-Kahf: أَمْ حَسِبْتَ أَنَّ أَصْحَابَ الْكَهْفِ وَالرَّقِيمِ كَانُوا مِنْ آيَاتِنَا عَجَبًا “Or did you think that the companions of the cave and the inscription were among Our wondrous signs?” (18:9) إِذْ أَوَى الْفِتْيَةُ إِلَى الْكَهْفِ فَقَالُوا رَبَّنَا آتِنَا مِنْ لَدُنْكَ رَحْمَةً وَهَيِّئْ لَنَا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا رَشَدًا…
Allah begins Surat al-Isra: سُبْحَانَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلٗا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَى ٱلَّذِي بَارَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَاتِنَآ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ “Glory be to the One who took His servant by night from al-Masjid al-Haram to al-Masjid al-Aqsa, whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We might show him some of…
Human equality in the Qur’an Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنَّا خَلَقْنَاكُم مِّن ذَكَرٍ وَأُنثَىٰ وَجَعَلْنَاكُمْ شُعُوبًا وَقَبَائِلَ لِتَعَارَفُوا ۚ إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِندَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ “O mankind, indeed We created you from a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes so that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble…
In Surat al-ʿAnkabūt, Allah asks whether people think they will not be tested simply because they believe. He says: الۤمۤ Alif, Lam, Meem. أَحَسِبَ ٱلنَّاسُ أَن یُتۡرَكُوۤا۟ أَن یَقُولُوۤا۟ ءَامَنَّا وَهُمۡ لَا یُفۡتَنُونَ “ Do people think that they will be left to say, ‘We believe’ without being tested ?” وَلَقَدۡ فَتَنَّا ٱلَّذِینَ مِن قَبۡلِهِمۡۖ…
Prophetic mercy in action It has been 1454 years (1500 Hijri years) since our beloved Prophet ﷺ was born – a mercy gifted to this world. As Allah Almighty stated in the Quran in Surat al Anbiya (ayah 107), “We have sent you as a mercy to the worlds” – not just to world of…
Allah Almighty stated in Surat al-Jumuʿah that His greatest favour to this Ummah was that He sent us the final, perfect Messenger ﷺ with the final, perfect message for humanity. He reminds us not to take this blessing for granted: هُوَ ٱلَّذِی بَعَثَ فِی ٱلۡأُمِّیِّـۧنَ رَسُولࣰا مِّنۡهُمۡ یَتۡلُوا۟ عَلَیۡهِمۡ ءَایَـٰتِهِۦ وَیُزَكِّیهِمۡ وَیُعَلِّمُهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ وَٱلۡحِكۡمَةَ وَإِن…
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ ، قَالَ : بَيْنَمَا النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي مَجْلِسٍ يُحَدِّثُ الْقَوْمَ، جَاءَهُ أَعْرَابِيٌّ فَقَالَ : مَتَى السَّاعَةُ ؟ فَمَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يُحَدِّثُ، فَقَالَ بَعْضُ الْقَوْمِ : سَمِعَ مَا قَالَ فَكَرِهَ مَا قَالَ، وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ : بَلْ لَمْ…
In Surah Āl ʿImrān, Allah Almighty commands: وَأَطِيعُوا ٱللَّهَ وَٱلرَّسُولَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ “Obey Allah and the Messenger so that you may be shown mercy.” (3:132) This is a direct command – fiʿl al-amr – from Allah. In Arabic, a command denotes obligation. Just as when Allah says, أَقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ (“Establish the prayer”), it means the…
In Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, Allah describes in vivid detail the events of the Battle of the Trench, also known as the Siege of the Parties. This took place in the fifth year after Hijrah, when the Prophet ﷺ and the believers faced one of the most severe trials in the early history of Islam. A confederation…
Islamic teachings are unequivocal on the matter of sustenance. In Surah al-Aʿrāf, Allah commands: “Do not spread corruption on the earth after it has been set in order” (7:56). Corruption, or fasād, takes many forms, and one of the gravest is denying people the means to survive. Provision is part of the divine balance, and…