14
Oct 2019
Main principles in Islam: Know Allah (part 3) What does it mean to know Allah, love Allah, and call on Allah? What does remembering Him entail? Obligation to know Allah Knowing Allah is an obligation for every human. We know this but we need to dig deeper for it to impact our lives. In his poem, Ibn Rislan (may Allah have mercy on him), the Palestinian Shafi scholar who passed away 844 Hijri, said the first obligation on every human being is to know Allah the Almighty with certainty (istiqān). Istiqān comes......
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07
Oct 2019
Muslims need to Go Green When your Lord said to the angels, I am placing a successor on earth.’ They said, ‘Will You place in it someone who will cause corruption in it and shed blood, while we declare Your praises and sanctify You?’ He said,’ I know what you do not know. (2:30) Humans were appointed guardians of the earth Allah Almighty mentioned that He was appointing a guardian on earth and He created man from the earth and there are plenty of verses, in the same vein, talking about humans......
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30
Sep 2019
The People of Jannah The Prophet (peace be upon him): ‘The people of Jannah will be of three kinds: 1- A just, muwaffaq, successful and charitable ruler, 2- a man who shows mercy to his relatives and Muslims with a soft heart, 3- and a dignified person who has a large family and refrains from begging.’ (Muslim) Do only these three types get into jannah? In this hadith the Prophet (peace be on him) is talking about the people of Jannah and scholars have a big discussion on whether all the people......
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30
Sep 2019
Catch it. Bin it. Kill it. Allah does not like the public mention of evil except by one who has been wronged. And ever is Allah Hearing and Knowing. (4:148) This ayah is one of the main Quranic ayahs on social discipline and how to deal with gossip and rumours. There are five main principles to follow on this issue. When scholars and community leaders have allegations made against them, many people are swift to condemn them without the full facts. There is often no evidence – but a rapid detonation of......
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15
Sep 2019
Protecting our youth Glorified is the One who has sovereignty and He is able to do anything. The one who created death and life in order to test you, who among you is best in conduct and He is All Forgiving Almighty. (67:1-2) Among the incidents that are sadly taking place everyday in London, we tragically lost a 17 year old boy from the Kurdish community. Of course our heart goes with his family and friends. May Allah have mercy on him and shower him with blessings. Death can claim us......
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07
Sep 2019
Inspiration from the Hijra If you do not help him, God has already helped him, when those who disbelieved expelled him, and he was the second of two in the cave. He said to his friend, ‘Do not worry, God is with us.’ And God made His tranquility descend upon him, and supported him with forces you did not see, and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the Word of God is the Highest. God is Mighty and Wise. (9:40) This ayah refers to the story......
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23
Aug 2019
Be One Ummah in the Face of Adversity A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother. He does not wrong him, or let him down, or hand him over to his enemies, or despise him. (Muslim) Stick to principles Going back to basics, sticking to our principles makes our ummah a special ummah. Unfortunately, with all the challenges our ummah faces, we have lost our principles. The Prophet (peace be on him) confirmed the importance of the unity of the ummah on an individual, community and national level. The Muslim is the brother......
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21
Aug 2019
Are you in control or under control? In his chapter on greed (at tama’: الطمع), long before Imam Al Ghazali wrote about spirituality, the third century scholar Imam Muhasibi (died in 857AD/243H) has his own unique take on it, and explored it in his beautiful and deep book Ādāb un Nufus. He said you should keep occupied and engaged with asbab al alkhirah (the means of the hereafter) and protect your heart from the means of the dunya. Dealing with the means without relying on it Dealing with the means is not......
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17
Aug 2019
Realising the mundane is extraordinary In the creation of the heavens and the earth, and in the alternation of night and day, are signs for people of understanding. (3:190) Those who remember God while standing, and sitting, and on their sides; and they reflect upon the creation of the heavens and the earth: Our Lord, You did not create this in vain, glory to You, so protect us from the punishment of the Fire. (3:191) The neglected form of worship – Observation and awe To ponder on the creation of Allah......
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14
Aug 2019
Allah Almighty Almighty mentioned in numerous verses in the Quran that we are tested. In one of these verses He said: We have created death and life to test which of you is best in his conduct. (67:2) The challenging nature of life Without doubt our tests, tribulations and calamities from Allah Almighty are ongoing till we meet Him. This earth is a dunya of test. So never ever imagine that life can be entirely hassle-free. The akhirah is. But not dunya. Allah Almighty is preparing us to live in the......
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13
Aug 2019
How trust and love can lead to great things During the preparation for the Battle of the Ditch (when Madinah was surrounded) one big rock could not be moved when digging the ditch. The Prophet (peace be on him) just stroked it once and it sparked, he then said ‘Allahu Akbar, I can see the castles of Shaam.’ The companions (may Allah be pleased with them) were shocked that in the midst of the fear of more than 10,000 enemies approaching to wipe out the Muslims in their homes, he remained......
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13
Aug 2019
How the event of Hudaibiyah changed history The Prophet (peace be on him) had names for things such as his swords, shields and camel. The Prophet (peace be on him) rode a camel called ‘Al-Qaswa’ during Umrah, which was a very fast and reliable camel. Not all camels can be used for travel – only about 1% can be used for travel and the rest are not that useful. Ibn Umar reported Allah’s Messenger (peace be on him) as saying: You would find people like one hundred camels and you would not......
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07
Aug 2019
Getting a grip on Anger, Fear and Sadness Is shaytan more powerful than us or not? Shaytan has the ability to disappear, but you don’t. He can take different shapes but you can’t. He can see you, but you can’t see him. He can influence you, but you can’t influence him. He can come and whisper to you. He can ruin anything you are doing. Without doubt he is powerful. The jinn can also fly. They get from one place to another in a flash. They move things. For instance, in the......
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06
Aug 2019
The Day of Gathering Stopping (wuquf) at Arafah is a crucial part of Hajj. Hajj is not accepted if this part was missed. It is one of the 3 pillars or fards of Hajj. The pillars are: Ihram, Wuquf at Arafah and tawaf al-Ifada. If any of these are missed, or there is a mistake in them, it is impossible to rectify it and the Hajj is not accepted. There are an additional 6 wajibs (obligations) in Hajj. however, can be rectified if a mistake is made in them. The Prophet (peace be on him) went from Mina to......
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05
Aug 2019
Transformation Hajj is not a tick box exercise. Allah Almighty uses Hajj as training for us to change our bad habits. It’s not about ticking off tawaf and sa’ee and standing in Arafat. These are not the end but the means to the end. Hajj is about personal transformation. For this reason the Prophet (peace be on him) said ‘The reward for accepted Hajj is nothing but Jannah’. (Musnad Ahmad) Abu Hurairah narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: Whoever performs Hajj for Allah’s pleasure and does not have sexual relations......
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