15
Feb 2020
Uqba bin ‘Amir reported: When we were in Suffa, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) came out and said: Which of you would like to go out every morning to Buthan or al-‘Aqiq and bring two large she-camels without being guilty of sin or without severing the ties of kinship? We said: Messenger of Allah, we would like to do it. Upon this he said: Does not one of you go out in the morning to the mosque and teach or recite two verses from the Book of Allah, the Majestic and Glorious?......
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13
Feb 2020
Total connectivity to Allah During one moonlit night, there was an extraordinary episode, when Abbad bin Bishr, one of companions guarding an army of believers was praying as they slept. Through the darkness a stranger shot an arrow at him, which pierced him. What happened next? Abbad pulled out the arrow and continued to pray. The enemy shot another arrow, and again, Abbad undeterred, pulled out the arrow and then continued to recite. When a third arrow struck him, conscious of his duty to alert the men he was guarding of the......
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13
Feb 2020
It has been narrated by Tirmidhi and also Imam Ahmad and others that Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) once said: ‘Who will take these words from me, and act upon them, or teach them to somebody who will act upon them?’ The cautious vs the courageous Then Abu Hurairah came forward, although he didn’t know what it would entail, and said: Me, O Messenger of Allah!’ I will take these words. Taking the words Taking the words was a big responsibility.......
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07
Feb 2020
Carry the knowledge We need to deliver knowledge in a prophetic manner. Make it relevant. We often lack this element when delivering Islamic knowledge. There is a deep disconnect between the knowledge in our books and mosques and every day life. As a result we do not find many people attending circles or khutbas because they have no bearing on their lives. When I delivered my first Utrujj course, it was on the origin of fiqh (Islamic law), and I discovered not everyone knew what fiqh meant as one of the students......
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06
Feb 2020
Islam came to liberate women from the abusive and oppressive mentality which had existed towards in the Arab community for centuries. Islam gave woman the freedom to express herself and to be independent, financially and socially. She could get an education, she could do business, and she had a voice. It is culture which perpetuates the myth that women, like Victorian children, should not be seen or heard. Ironically Islam gave women more rights than Victorian women, let alone children. During the time of the Prophet (peace be on him) women were not......
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05
Feb 2020
Desire is normal The instinct which Allah Almighty created in us makes it very easy for us to be tempted by the opposite sex. This is our nature and how we function and what makes us balanced and human. If we did not feel desire, it is not normal and we would need help to fix this. Our tendency towards the other sex is what leads us to get married and have children which keeps the human race going; otherwise humanity would die out. Yet, it is not healthy to have pure......
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04
Feb 2020
A commonly misunderstood and misinterpreted concept is whether men are superior to women. For a long time, men have enjoyed feeling that they are better than women and feeling that they are in the position of masters. Superiority? In the Quran, Allah Almighty says men have a degree (daraja) over women – which gives men a special status ‘above’ women: And due to the wives is similar to what is expected of them, according to what is reasonable. But men have a degree (daraja) over them . And Allah......
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04
Feb 2020
Argumentation (jaadila) We send the messengers only as deliverers of good news and warners. Those who disbelieve argue with false argument, in order to defeat the truth thereby. They take My Verses, and the warnings, for a joke. (18:56) When we read the Quran, we come across the words jaadila, ujaadila, jadal and mujadiloon, which mean argumentation and they crop up in more than 20 verses. What constitutes an argument The definition of argument (jidaal) is an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically in a heated or angry way, though not......
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03
Feb 2020
Islam is not theoretical, it’s practical. Our obligations are towards Allah Almighty and towards the people with whom we inhabit the world. Our relationships with people begin with our immediate families. Our immediate families are composed of those with whom we are related by blood. There are many verses in the Quran and hadith about the importance of connecting blood ties (maintaining family relationships). This is silat-ar-rahim or silat- al-arhaam. Allah Almighty mentions the womb (rahim) in the opening of Surah Nisa, which is concerned to a great extent with how we......
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02
Feb 2020
We send the messengers only as deliverers of good news and warners. Those who disbelieve argue with false argument, in order to defeat the truth thereby. They take My Verses, and the warnings, for a joke. (18:56) When we read the Quran, we come across the words jaadila, ujaadila, jadal and mujadiloon, which mean argumentation and they crop up in more than 20 verses. Sadly, argumentation has become a profession. We have spin doctors, whose job it is to change the truth. To twist it and come up with arguments to prove......
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01
Feb 2020
Argumentation (Jidaal) We send the messengers only as deliverers of good news and warners. Those who disbelieve argue with false argument, in order to defeat the truth thereby. They take My Verses, and the warnings, for a joke. (18:56) When we read the Quran, we come across the words jadala , ujaadilu, jadal and mujadiloon, which mean argumentation and they crop up in more than 20 verses. What constitutes an argument The definition of argument (jidaal) is an exchange of diverging or opposite views, typically in a heated or angry one, though......
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30
Jan 2020
Goodness extends to all mankind Allah Almighty commanded us to be good to each other throughout the Quran and specifically in Surah Nisa, when he said: Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbour, the neighbour farther away, the companion at your side, the traveller, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful. (4:36) Are in laws the same as blood ties? Allah Almighty has also commanded us to......
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29
Jan 2020
The majority of food is halal The list of what is haram is not long. In fact, Allah Almighty is saying that everything is halal except the few things which are prohibited. There are 10 prohibitions mentioned in the Quran and some more from the Sunnah – all in all not more than 20 things. Everything else is allowed. We derive the 10 prohibitions from this ayah in Surah Maidah: Prohibited to you are dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah, and......
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28
Jan 2020
O you who have believed, when you stand up to pray, wash your faces and your forearms to the elbows and wipe over your heads and wash your feet to the ankles. And if you are in a state of janabah, then purify yourselves. But if you are ill or on a journey or one of you comes from the place of relieving himself or you have contacted women and do not find water, then seek clean earth and wipe over your faces and hands with it. Allah does not intend to......
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27
Jan 2020
As Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) observed, ‘If religion was based on opinion the bottom of the khuff (leather socks) would take preference for being wiped to the top of the khuff, but I saw Allah’s messenger (peace be on him) wipe the top of his khuff.’ (Abu Dawud) This is a very important hadith. Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) was nurtured in the household of the Prophet (peace be on him). His comment is important and unambiguous, directing us to follow the instructions of the Prophet (peace be on him)......
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