We praise Allah that we have witnessed the day of Eid. There are those among us who could not witness it, because of the pandemic – some are in hospital and some are in their grave. Some of them are at home and cannot go to the mosque, as many of us. Two Eids! Alhamdulilah,…
Forced marriages are haram in Islam. In Islamic law, it is strictly prohibited (haram) for a father or mother to compel their son or daughter to marry someone against their will. A marriage brought about through coercion is considered religiously invalid, particularly in the case of a daughter. The right to choose a spouse is…
The first ten days of Dhul Hijjah are the best ten days of the year and the month of Hajj. The Prophet (peace be on him) highly recommended that we should fast during the first 9 days. The 9th day is the Day of Arafah, and the Prophet (peace be on him) said: There is…
Is it permissible to trim your nails and cut your hair if you intend to do a sacrifice (qurbani) on Eid? When a person enters a state of ihram for Hajj, they are not allowed to trim their hair or clip their nails since these are among the things prohibited while in ihram. This includes…
The etiquette of seeking knowledge In Islam, it is not just knowledge which we are interested in, but how we seek knowledge is also important. Our attitude towards learning, and our teachers and fellow students. There is a huge body of literature and learning on the etiquette of learning itself, which has been passed down…
Aside from the entertaining aspect of the stories, there are many valuable lessons we can glean from Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah’s 400 page book, The Patience of the Pious Predecessors, which he divided into 8 chapters. When I re-read the lengthy (50 page!) conclusion of the book I couldn’t help thinking that it is the…
Ali ibn al Hasan (Abul Qasim) Ibn Asakir al Dimashqi The great scholar Ibn Asakir is one of the very well known scholars of the 6th century Hijri. Born in Damascus in 499AH, he passed away in 571AH. (1105–1175AD). He was so dedicated to knowledge that he was al hafidh as well as the top…
Your rizq Rizq (your provision) is mentioned in many verses of the Quran, for instance in Surat adh-Dhariyat, Allah Almighty says: I did not create the jinn and the humans except to worship Me. I need no livelihood (rizq) from them, nor do I need them to feed Me. God is the Provider(Ar-Razzaq), the One…
When you start your journey to seek knowledge what books should your read when taking your first steps to get the necessary knowledge? I often get asked this question and these are the top 10 books I would suggest that everyone serious about knowledge should read: Aqeedah – Al-Fiqh Al-Akbar by Abu Hanifa. Tahawiyyah by…
Never a wasted moment Imam Abu al-Wafa Ali Ibn Aqil ibn Ahmad al-Baghdadi (431-513AH/ 1040–1119AD) He is a top scholar in the Hanbali school and of his time. The summary of his long biography, he used to say: It is not permitted for me to waste any second of my life. It is a gift…
What is Tajweed? The word Tajweed linguistically means proficiency or doing something well. It comes from the same root letters as the word Jayyid, which means good. In order to recite the Quran correctly, it is not sufficient to be fluent in reading Arabic, but one has to be familiar with each letter of the…
The Inspiring Companions Series It was narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Talha, from his father, that: The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) came one day with a cheerful expression on his face, and we said: ‘We see you looking cheerful’. He said: ‘The Angel Jibril came to me and said: ‘O Muhammad, your…
These days we have a lot of suffering – many people are struggling and many are in financial need. You yourself may be finding it hard on many levels, emotionally, physically or mentally. When things are blocked and you have tried everything, the prophetic way to unblock it, is to help someone else. Search for…
Alcohol clouds the brain Allah Almighty called alcohol Khamr (intoxicant) in Surat un-Maidah from ‘cover’. Khimar means head cover*. Therefore khamra is something which covers, clouds and befuddles the brain. When someone is intoxicated they cannot think clearly, their mind is fogged. They can’t function properly. Allah Almighty’s prohibition is clear: O you who have believed,…
It was narrated from Abdullah bin Abi Talha, from his father, that: The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) came one day with a cheerful expression on his face, and we said: ‘We see you looking cheerful’. He said: ‘The Angel Jibril came to me and said: ‘O Muhammad, your Lord says: ‘Will it…