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…
Blame in the Quran 1. Refusal to take responsibility In the Quran, we see that blame is used frequently by disbelievers to avoid taking responsibility. They blame their refusal to believe on the fact that the Messenger (peace be upon him) was human, rather than an angel. وَقَالُواْ مَالِ هَٰذَا ٱلرَّسُولِ يَأۡكُلُ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمۡشِي فِي…
Upholding justice and responsibility in Islam In Surah an-Nisa, Allah says: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُونُوا قَوَّامِينَ بِالْقِسْطِ شُهَدَاءَ لِلَّهِ وَلَوْ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِكُمْ أَوِ الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَالْأَقْرَبِينَ ۚ إِن يَكُنْ غَنِيًّا أَوْ فَقِيرًا فَاللَّهُ أَوْلَىٰ بِهِمَا ۖ فَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا الْهَوَىٰ أَن تَعْدِلُوا ۚ وَإِن تَلْوُوا أَوْ تُعْرِضُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ خَبِيرًا “O you who…
The Prophet ﷺ warned his ummah of times that would come when clarity would fade, and truth would be mixed with falsehood. Hudhayfah ibn al-Yamān (may Allah be pleased with him) used to ask the Messenger of Allah ﷺ not about good, but about evil, fearing it might reach him. He said, “O Messenger of…
The Prophet ﷺ warned us of a trait that lies at the heart of hypocrisy: “There are three signs of a hypocrite: when he speaks, he lies; when he makes a promise, he breaks it; and when he is entrusted, he betrays the trust.” (Sahih al-Bukhari and Muslim) Betrayal (khiyana) is not a small sin….
In Surat At-Tawbah, Allah states: وَٱلسَّـٰبِقُونَ ٱلۡأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡمُهَـٰجِرِینَ وَٱلۡأَنصَارِ وَٱلَّذِینَ ٱتَّبَعُوهُم بِإِحۡسَـٰنࣲ رَّضِیَ ٱللَّهُ عَنۡهُمۡ وَرَضُوا۟ عَنۡهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمۡ جَنَّـٰتࣲ تَجۡرِی تَحۡتَهَا ٱلۡأَنۡهَـٰرُ خَـٰلِدِینَ فِیهَاۤ أَبَدࣰاۚ ذَ ٰلِكَ ٱلۡفَوۡزُ ٱلۡعَظِیمُ “And the pioneers—the first of the Muhājirīn and the Anṣār—and those who followed them with excellence: Allah is pleased with them, and they are pleased…
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 stories of A’ad and Thamud are two of the major stories in Arabic history, and they are repeated many times throughout the Quran, particularly in the Makki surahs. Allah used them as an example and a warning to the people of Makkah, that they would be punished if they spread corruption in their society….
When we read the Qur’an with reflection, one recurring theme that stands out is the warning against deception, corruption, and the plots of those who oppose the truth. Allah ﷻ does not merely recount historical plots against the prophets; He teaches us how to be alert, how to prepare, and how to respond with faith…