Surat al-A’raf is a Makki surah, which is untypically lengthy, with 206 verses. It opens with the story of Iblis and Adam – a story that Allah has repeated many times in the Quran. Don’t put your ego first Allah commands the angels and Iblis to prostrate; the angels obey, but Iblis refuses, thinking he…
Surat al-An’am is a Makkan surah, and it is one of the exceptions to the general principle that most Makkan surahs tend not to be very long. Remember that this was a time of transformation for the community, from Jahiliyya (pre-Islamic ignorance) to Islam. It is difficult for a community to develop new discipline, and…
The beauty and timelessness of the Quran is evident in Surat al Anam, when Allah says: وَذَرُوا۟ ظَـٰهِرَ ٱلْإِثْمِ وَبَاطِنَهُۥٓ ۚ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ يَكْسِبُونَ ٱلْإِثْمَ سَيُجْزَوْنَ بِمَا كَانُوا۟ يَقْتَرِفُونَ ١٢٠ Shun all sin—open and secret. Indeed, those who commit sin will be punished for what they earn. (6:120) Throughout all generations and nations, the path…
Seek forgiveness from Allah in the morning and evening ۞وَعِندَهُۥ مَفَاتِحُ ٱلۡغَيۡبِ لَا يَعۡلَمُهَآ إِلَّا هُوَۚ وَيَعۡلَمُ مَا فِي ٱلۡبَرِّ وَٱلۡبَحۡرِۚ وَمَا تَسۡقُطُ مِن وَرَقَةٍ إِلَّا يَعۡلَمُهَا وَلَا حَبَّةٖ فِي ظُلُمَٰتِ ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَلَا رَطۡبٖ وَلَا يَابِسٍ إِلَّا فِي كِتَٰبٖ مُّبِينٖ With Him are the keys of the Unseen. No one knows them but He. He knows what is in the land and the sea. No leaf ever falls but that He knows about it, and there is no grain in the dark…
Have hope in Allah’s justice Many of the verses in Surat al-An’am are about the challenges faced by the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him), which are not that different from what we are facing in our communities today: people twisting and changing reality, and pronouncing truth as falsehood and falsehood as truth. In these…
Heavenly Food Blessed are the ones who seize the opportunity of Ramadan. They improve themselves and they become closer to Allah. The ayahs of fasting were revealed in the 2nd year after Hijra in Madinah when it became an obligation to fast for the whole month of Ramadan. It is our chance to rejuvenate and…
Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: : ”الصلوات الخمس،والجمعة إلى الجمعة، ورمضان إلى رمضان، مكفراتٌ ما بينهن إذا اجتُنبت الكبائر”. ((رواه مسلم)). The five daily prayers, from…
Throughout history, the Ummah has faced trials that have tested its resilience, patience, and faith. Allah reminds us in Surat al-Baqarah: أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تَدْخُلُوا۟ ٱلْجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا يَأْتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِينَ خَلَوْا۟ مِن قَبْلِكُم ۖ مَّسَّتْهُمُ ٱلْبَأْسَآءُ وَٱلضَّرَّآءُ وَزُلْزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ يَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصْرُ ٱللَّهِ ۗ أَلَآ إِنَّ نَصْرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِيبٌۭ ٢١٤ “Do…
What is haya? One of the main principles of Islam is al-haya. Al-haya is an Arabic term, which has three different translations in English. One is shyness, and we refer to someone shy as hayee. This is one translation. The other translation is modesty, depending on the context, as the translation of the word depends…
How closely the Companions observed the Prophet (peace be upon him) Usama bin Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: عن أُسَامَة بْن زَيْدٍ، قَالَ قُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، لَمْ أَرَكَ تَصُومُ شَهْرًا مِنَ الشُّهُورِ مَا تَصُومُ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ! قَالَ :” ذَلِكَ شَهْرٌ يَغْفُلُ النَّاسُ عَنْهُ، بَيْنَ رَجَبٍ وَرَمَضَانَ، وَهُوَ شَهْرٌ تُرْفَعُ فِيهِ الأَعْمَالُ…
سَیَقُولُ ٱلسُّفَهَاۤءُ مِنَ ٱلنَّاسِ مَا وَلَّىٰهُمۡ عَن قِبۡلَتِهِمُ ٱلَّتِی كَانُوا۟ عَلَیۡهَاۚ قُل لِّلَّهِ ٱلۡمَشۡرِقُ وَٱلۡمَغۡرِبُۚ یَهۡدِی مَن یَشَاۤءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَ ٰطࣲ مُستَقِيم The foolish among the people will ask, “Why did they turn away from the direction of prayer they used to face?” Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ “The east and west belong ˹only˺ to Allah. He guides…
Did you visit Me? Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said that Allah Almighty will say on the Day of Resurrection: عن أبي هريرة رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: “إنَّ اللَّهَ عزَّ وجلَّ يقولُ يَومَ القِيامَةِ:…
Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him) said: عن عبد الله بن عباس رضي الله تعالى عنهما قال كنت رديف رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فقال لي رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم: يا غلام أو يا بني ألا أعلمك كلمات ينفعك الله بهن، قلت: بلى، فقال احفظ الله يحفظك، احفظ الله تجده…
What is wafa? Usually al wafa is translated as loyalty, but depending on the context, it can have more meanings. We will see this from examples from the Quran and the Sunnah and the practice of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). To define al wafa as loyalty is to restrict its meaning, as wafa…
Rifa’ah ibn Rafi’ (may Allah be pleased with him) said that Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) stood on the pulpit and then cried, saying: عن رفاعة بن رافع رضي الله تعالى عنه قال: قامَ أبو بَكرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رضي الله تعالى عنه على المنبرِ ثمَّ بَكى فقالَ: قامَ رسولُ اللَّهِ صلَّى اللَّه…