Allah Almighty said: ‘And do not crave what Allah has given some of you over others.’ [4:32] In this ayah of Surat an-Nisa, Allah is addressing the very common disease of hasad, envy. For example, if someone is not happy with the division of inheritance that was laid out earlier in the surah, this stems…
Surat an-Nisa is a Madani surah, like almost all of the long surahs. Allah has dedicated this surah to women because during Jahiliyya times – and even today – the unfair treatment of women persists. This is a very rich surah, addressing many different kinds of relationships: between a husband and wife, between a man…
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…
Half of Surat Ale Imran is about the People of the Book, mainly the Christians. A delegation of about 70 people from Najran in Yemen came and stayed at the mosque and discussed many things with the Prophet (peace be upon him), especially about the nature of Eesa (peace be upon him). The last pages…
‘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…
Ayahs 103-105 of Surat Ale ‘Imran are very important verses about unity within the ummah. Allah mentions three main points: ‘Hold fast together to the rope of Allah and do not be divided. Remember Allah’s favour upon you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts, so you—by His grace—became brothers.’ [3:103] He is…
From ayah 69 of Surat Ale ‘Imran onwards, Allah talks about the phenomenon of People of the Book who knew the truth about the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, but refused to accept it. Allah had sent signs in the Torah and Injeel that another prophet was coming, but they hid these signs because they did not…
Surat Ale ‘Imran is the story of the family of Imran, the father of Maryam (peace be upon them). He was a dedicated rabbi in his community, and his wife was very pious, so both were at the top of their community in terms of religion. The provision of Maryam Imran’s wife, Hannah, made dua…
Source of protection: Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Ale ‘Imran ‘Recite the two bright ones, al-Baqarah and Surat Ale ‘Imran, for on the Day of Resurrection they will come as two clouds or two shades.’ [Muslim] In this hadith, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ referred to Surat al-Baqarah and Surat Ale Imran as the zahrawan, two bright…
By the grace of Allah, the first ten days of Ramadan have passed and we are nearing the middle of the month. Scholars used to divide the month into three thirds. As we approach 17th Ramadan, we recall that it is a special date in our history, as it is an anniversary of the Battle…
Charity – expect your reward from Allah alone In Surat al Baqarah, Allah talks about infaq – spending, giving for Allah’s sake. When you give in charity, you only expect reward from Allah. Giving for Allah’s sake means you give for free – you don’t give because you are expecting anything back. When you give…
Allah dedicates two and a half pages of Surat al-Baqarah to the verses of infaaq, spending, ayahs 261-274. In fact, in the whole Quran, there are more ayahs encouraging people to spend in the way of Allah than commanding people to pray. This is because it’s very difficult for people to give away their money….
‘Take due care of all the prayers, and the middle prayer), and stand before Allah in total devotion.’ [2:238] Salah was revealed gradually In this ayah, Allah is teaching the believers how to pray. Of course, the angel Jibril came down and taught the conditions, and the timings. Each salah was taught over two days:…
Limits on divorce Three pages of Surat al-Baqarah are devoted to the rules of divorce, or talaq. In Jahiliyya times, divorce was very common, but it was misused a lot, because there were no limits. Islam came to set boundaries, hudood. In Islam, divorce is permissible but it has conditions to prevent it being misused…
The history of Hajj Hajj was the last of the five pillars to be made an obligation, around the year 7 or 8AH. In the year 9AH, Abu Bakr led the Hajj, and in the tenth year, the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ made his final Hajj with the whole Ummah, which at the time was around…