03
May 2019
Reflections on Ramadan By Shaykh Haytham Tamim Every year I reflect on Ramadan and try to capture its meaning. Over the years I have accumulated many reflections, here is a selection on what I think Ramadan is about. Glorify what Allah has glorified One of the great tabiyeen, Qatada bin Di’ama as- Sadusi, (61-118 AH) said that Allah Almighty glorified certain things from His creation. He selected messengers from the angels, (for example those who were allocated tasks such as Jibreel who was sent with the revelation to the prophets, or Mikail......
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29
Apr 2019
When a loved one passes away, what practices are cultural and what are Islamic? Islamic funeral arrangements can often evoke quite heated feelings. There are those who are adamant that certain practices should take place and others who are quite vocal against them. Allah Almighty wants ease, simplicity and compassion for the grieving family, yet burdensome cultural practices which have become the norm over the years often dominate what happens. What is the Islamic way? And which practices is time to end? Feeding visitors When a family member died the Prophet (peace......
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29
Apr 2019
Dimensions of Ramadan ‘O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you, as it has been prescribed for those before you, that you may be people of taqwa, people of piety’. (2:183) The obligation of siyyam was prescribed to the ummah in the second year of hijrah, in the month of Sha’ban in five verses called the ayatul siyyam (ayahs related to fasting) which are 183 – 187 of Surah Baqarah. Reason for fasting The reason for fasting is to achieve taqwa of Allah Almighty. The simple definition of taqwa is......
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14
Apr 2019
Maintaining Identity in an Ever Shifting Moral Environment Natural parental concern The common concern all parents have is the future of their children. I myself share this concern and indeed Ibrahim (peace be on him) was no different. This comes across loud and clear when we read the ayah in surah Baqarah: …when Abraham was tried by his Lord with commands and he fulfilled them. said, ‘Indeed, I will make you a leader of humanity.’ said, ‘And of my descendants?’ said, ‘My covenant does not include the wrongdoers.’ (2:124) This......
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11
Apr 2019
The Etiquette of Giving Once we overcome our hesitation in giving and open our wallets, we find ourselves at the next hurdle. In ten ayahs of Surah Baqarah below, Allah Almighty details the pitfalls of giving. We may think we are earning multiple rewards that Allah Almighty has promised for giving, but the biggest threat to us comes through our nafs and shaytan sabotaging our efforts. The conditions that make our charitable deeds collapse, that cause our potentially brilliant investments and soaring profits to plunge on the akhirah stock exchange with resounding......
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26
Mar 2019
Being Alone with Allah During my recent umrah, a couple of verses kept playing in my mind, and one of these verses was: And each one will come to Allah on the Day of Resurrection alone. (Maryam 19:95) Ironically, when you do tawaf and saee, you have plenty of people around you, but on the Day of Judgement when you meet Allah Almighty, you are completely and utterly alone. The second ayah that played in my mind was: If they had done what they had been commanded to do, it would have been......
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22
Mar 2019
Tackling Islamophobia with zeal and compassion The Prophet’s (peace be on him) Response Islamophobia is not a new phenomenon but existed at the time of the Prophet (peace be on him). 1400 years ago, Muslims endured smear campaigns and fake news as well as assaults and persecution which was both verbal and physical. At that time, the social media was poetry, which was used to discredit Islam and put people off from converting. The Prophet (peace be on him), who had been known as As Sadiq Al Amin (the truthful and trust-worthy......
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18
Mar 2019
Reflections on the Benefits of Obedience During my recent Umrah a couple of verses kept playing in my mind all the time, in particular part of an ayah from Surah Nisa: ‘…if they had done what they were advised to do, it would have been better for them and would have strengthened their imaan.’ (4:66) Though the context of this ayah is about the Battle of Uhud, the ayah is not limited to that context but applies universally to all of Allah Almighty’s commands. Allah Almighty is addressing the believers, as well as......
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11
Mar 2019
Women’s Right to Fair Treatment Women’s Day is a reminder that we still have not secured freedom from oppression for women. Isn’t it time that we deliver women the rights that Islam gave them 1400 years ago? O mankind we have created you from a male and female and we have made you into tribes and nations in order to know one another. Indeed the most honourable of you before Allah is the one who has the best conduct. (49:13) We have honoured the children of Adam (17:70) Honouring the Children of......
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10
Mar 2019
How can I get hikmah? He grants hikmah to whom He pleases, and he, to whom hikmah is granted, is indeed granted abundant good. But none remember (will receive admonition) except men of understanding. (2:269) Are we born with wisdom or can we gain it? Are wisdom and knowledge the same thing? What is the best way to offer guidance to those who constantly create trouble? Hikmah is the gift of wisdom. Hikmah is doing the right thing at the right time with the right etiquette. Merely knowing what is right and wrong doesn’t......
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04
Mar 2019
The Six Doors of the Heart Imam Al Muhasibi wrote in his Risala al Mustarshidin (Treatise for the Seekers of Guidance) that the wise men (i.e. himself) said: The heart is like a house with six doors. If you let anyone enter through these doors without your knowledge then your valuables are at risk. Hence these six doors need to be fully protected. What are the Six Doors of the Heart? The entries to the heart are the tongue, sight, hearing, smell, hands and feet. Imam al Muhasibi offers guidance on keeping......
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28
Feb 2019
Not Shooting the Messenger The Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘I do not break my covenant and I do not imprison the ambassadors or the messengers.’ (Sunan abi Dawood) Abdullah bin Masud said: The Sunnah is not to kill the ambassadors. (Ahmad) No one would quibble with this. It is common sense. Yet it is not as uncommon as we would think. We have lost common sense. An example, was the assassination of Andrei Karlov, the Russian Ambassador to Turkey in 2016 by Mevlut Mert Altinas, an off-duty Turkish police office,......
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28
Feb 2019
‘They want to extinguish the light of Allah Almighty but Allah Almighty will complete His light, even though the disbelievers dislike it’. (9:32 and 61:8) Allah Almighty is highlighting the fact that whenever we have the truth, there are always enemies against it. The truth always faces challenges. How can we identify those who are misrepresenting and tarnishing Islam by commercialising and politicising the deen? The Challenge to the Truth Throughout our history today until the Day of Judgement, there is an on-going challenge between truth and falsehood. Ever since, Allah......
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21
Feb 2019
Cornering the Cat – Why Allah Forbid Oppression Oh my servants, I have made oppression forbidden on myself and made it forbidden amongst you so do not oppress one another. (Bukhari) This is one of the fundamental rules and pillars in Islam – the prohibition of oppression (dhulm). There are different types of dhulm. The highest is to associate with Allah Almighty: Those who do believe and do not contaminate their belief with dhulm, they have guidance from Allah and they have security. (6:82) When this ayah was revealed the companions of......
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17
Feb 2019
Choosing Your Words Wisely Tell my servants to say what is best. (17:53) And say to the people what is good.(2:83) The Prophet (peace be on him) said: Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day let him say something good or let him be silent. (Bukhari) There are so many narrations which are about speaking good words and having good communication. What is the reason behind this command to ‘Say what is best?’ Choice Firstly we have the choice to say something good or something bad. The third option is to......
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