29
May 2020
There is a split of opinion among scholars on the topic of poverty and wealth – whether it is better to be poor or well off. The high status of the poor Imam Bukahri wrote a chapter on the virtues of poverty in his Sahih, called Fadlu al faqr. So scholars commented that this showed he liked the virtues of poverty. Allah Almighty also mentioned the fuqara (destitute people) in the Quran many times. Among these were the ahlu Suffah, a group of companions, who were very poor. The Prophet (peace be......
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26
May 2020
Glorify, be guided and be grateful Allah … you to complete the period and to glorify Allah for that which He has guided you; and perhaps you will be grateful. (2:185) Takbeer (say Allahu Akbar) is the essence of Eid Every Eid it is the sunnah to do takbeer, say ‘Allahu akbar’ (God is the greatest). On Eid al Fitr, it states after the confirmation of sighting the Hilal of Shawwal, and the takbeer stops when the Eid salah starts, but in Eid al Adha, the takbeer starts after Fajr salah......
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22
May 2020
It’s the end of Ramadan. What have we achieved? And how can we retain what we have learned? We ask this question every year at the end of this blessed month. In fact when you ponder on the verses of Siyam fasting in Surah Baqarah (183-187), there are three things that we can focus on. O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may have taqwa. (2:183) Allah thus clarifies His revelations to the people, that they may attain Taqwa.......
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14
May 2020
‘Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) narrated: With the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) used to tighten his belt and used to stay up all night, and he would also wake his family. (Bukhari) When the 10 nights start the Prophet (peace be on him) tightened his belt and stayed awake and he would wake up his family. There are three things mentioned here: 1- That the Prophet (peace be on him) would tighten his belt, which is an indication......
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10
May 2020
عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قَالَ رَسُولُ الله صَلَّى الله عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّم: ‘ثَلاَثَةٌ لا تُرَدُّ دَعْوَتُهُمْ: الصائِمُ حِينَ يُفْطِرُ، وَالإمَامُ العَادِلُ، وَدَعْوَةُ المَظْلُومِ يَرْفَعُهَا الله فَوْقَ الغَمَام وَيَفْتَحُ لَهَا أَبْوَابَ السمَاءِ، ويَقُولُ الرَبُ: وَعِزَّتِي لأنصُرَنَّكَ وَلَوْ بَعْدَ حِينٍ’. رواه الترمذي و ابن ماجه وابن خزيمة وقَالَ الشيخ أحمد شاكر: صحيح. Abu Hurairah narrated that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: ‘There are three whose supplication is not rejected: The fasting person when he breaks his fast, the just ruler, and the supplication of the oppressed person; Allah raises it up......
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08
May 2020
The Patience of Pious Predecessors in Seeking Knowledge Among my books, one which is very dear to me, is Safahat min sabr al-’Ulamaa by one of my late shuyukh Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah which took him more than 20 years to write. He did not set out to write it, but during the course of his life, from his young age til he passed away he was seeking knowledge and every time he found something beneficial, he wrote it down. One day in 1971, he collected all these pieces together and......
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08
May 2020
We all know that zakat is the third pillar of Islam, after shahada and salah. Though we might think there are more verses on salah in the Quran, there are many more verses on zakat and spending than on salah. The word Zakat itself has been mentioned 32 times. And it is mentioned alongside salah 8 times, wa aqeemus salah wa atuz zakah (establish prayer and pay zakat). The combination of both is something to think about. It is not just salah which is important but zakat as well, and both are......
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03
May 2020
There is a very sweet narration by Hudhaifah ibn al-Yaman which gives us beautiful insight into how the Prophet (peace be on him) prayed. We can glimpse the quality of his prayer. Hudhaifah tells us of the occasion he was praying with the Prophet (peace be on him), and we see this prayer unfold through his eyes, how he expected the Prophet (peace be on him) to stop after 100 verses of Surah Baqarah. But he continued reciting, which is 286 ayahs, to his surprise, he then began reciting Surah Nisa and......
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03
May 2020
The cycle of corruption and correction Why did Allah Almighty send messengers and prophets? In the varied stories of the prophets, we see a pattern throughout time. We see the spread of corruption, and when it reached rampant proportions, people would need guidance to restore the principles of decency. They were in need of reformation – of inward and outward cleansing and correction, so Allah would restore them and their community back to goodness and justice. In the words of the prophet Shuaib (peace be upon him), he said he only......
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01
May 2020
The month of the Quran is Ramadan. Though the Quran is not exclusive to Ramadan. However we do increase our recitation during this month. Here are some of my reflections on The effect of the Quran on us and why we should make the effort to discover it more. Tranquility Allah Almighty says: الَّذينَ ءامَنوا وَتَطمَئِنُّ قُلوبُهُم بِذِكرِ اللَّهِ ۗ أَلا بِذِكرِ اللَّهِ تَطمَئِنُّ القُلوبُ Those who believe, and whose hearts find comfort in the remembrance of God. Surely, it is in the remembrance of God that hearts find comfort. (13:28)......
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29
Apr 2020
In the beginning of Surah Baraqah Allah Almighty says beautifully: This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for the mutaqeen (those have taqwa) (2:2) The word mutaqeen has been repeated many times in the Quran and it does not really have an equivalent word in English, though it has been translated as god-fearing, mindful of God, righteous, so I prefer to keep mutaqeen as it is. Taqwa has been mentioned 258 times in different verses and on different occasions in the Quran. What does it mean? Linguistic......
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25
Apr 2020
Famously, the Prophet (peace be on him) called ‘Fasting a shield.’ The Prophet (peace be upon him) used the word ‘junna’ meaning shield, and then he explained how to practice this: ‘If one of you is fasting, he should neither indulge in obscene language nor raise his voice. If anyone tries to quarrel with him, he should say ‘I am fasting.’ (Bukhari, Muslim and Abu Dawoud). How is fasting a shield? Some scholars say fasting is a shield from hellfire, which is almost agreed upon from the majority. There are also some......
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25
Apr 2020
Change is particularly appropriate topic in Ramadan. May Allah make this month a month for change for ourselves, our families and our communities, so we become better. Apart from new year resolutions we have ongoing goals and lists. Another year comes and we renew our list. Some years we manage to achieve part of it, at other times none. Change is not just about theory but practice. And Ramadan is a month of change, which Allah gifted to our ummah. He gave us this month to reflect. But how do we make......
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18
Apr 2020
Looking at life afresh Now that we have had our normal lifestyle taken away from us, and so many of our favours, they have become apparent to us. We realise what we should be grateful for. There is reason for any test and a wisdom behind it, not just GCSES and A levels which have been postponed. We trust that there is wisdom in our test, which is a test for us at community level, ummah level, and global level, not just for us as individuals. In many verses about hardships Allah......
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18
Apr 2020
Engaging the heart, the lips and the mind The month of the Quran As we are preparing for Ramadan, we all know that Ramadan is the month of the Qur’an, so we delve more into the Qur’an. شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِّلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِّنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ ۚ فَمَن شَهِدَ مِنكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ ۖ وَمَن كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَىٰ سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِّنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ ۗ يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ وَلِتُكْمِلُوا الْعِدَّةَ وَلِتُكَبِّرُوا اللَّهَ عَلَىٰ مَا هَدَاكُمْ وَلَعَلَّكُمْ تَشْكُرُونَ Ramadan is the month in which the Quran......
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