Being faithful to your pledges – Anas bin An-Nadhr
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Being faithful to your pledges – Anas bin An-Nadhr

There are many verses in the Quran that encourage us to be truthful and to stick to our principles and to cling to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and not to compromise, no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in. Allah is saying you can…

Defining Nasr: 12 ingredients for victory from the Quran
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Defining Nasr: 12 ingredients for victory from the Quran

In Arabic, the word nasr (نصر) appears 33 times in the Quran. What does it mean? Nasr is commonly understood as “victory”. However, when you turn to the linguist, Ibn Faris (395 H), in “Mu’jam maqayees Al-Lughah” whose dictionary is a key reference in Arabic, the root word nasara (نصر) means ‘bringing or facilitating goodness….

Recharging the Ummah – from weakness and despair to resilience and hope
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Recharging the Ummah – from weakness and despair to resilience and hope

In Surat al-Imran, Allah Almighty says: ‫وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَوۡنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ Don’t be weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will prevail if you are true believers. (3:129) ‫إِن یَمۡسَسۡكُمۡ قَرۡحࣱ فَقَدۡ مَسَّ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ قَرۡحࣱ مِّثۡلُهُۥۚ وَتِلۡكَ ٱلۡأَیَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَیۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلِیَعۡلَمَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَیَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمۡ شُهَدَاۤءَۗ وَٱللَّهُ…

Major principles of Islam: Obedience and its limits
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Major principles of Islam: Obedience and its limits

Today my focus is obedience.  Obedience is ta’a in Arabic. In Islam, we have the concept of obedience to Allah Almighty, obedience to His messenger, and obedience to those who are in charge, as Allah Almighty stated in the Quran in many verses. For instance, Allah Almighty says in Surat al Imran: ‘Say “Obey Allah…

When will the help of Allah come? Endurance, tests and the path to victory.
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When will the help of Allah come? Endurance, tests and the path to victory.

In Surat al Baqarah, Allah Almighty says: أَمۡ حَسِبۡتُمۡ أَن تَدۡخُلُوا۟ ٱلۡجَنَّةَ وَلَمَّا یَأۡتِكُم مَّثَلُ ٱلَّذِینَ خَلَوۡا۟ مِن قَبۡلِكُمۖ مَّسَّتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَأۡسَاۤءُ وَٱلضَّرَّاۤءُ وَزُلۡزِلُوا۟ حَتَّىٰ یَقُولَ ٱلرَّسُولُ وَٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ مَعَهُۥ مَتَىٰ نَصۡرُ ٱللَّهِۗ أَلَاۤ إِنَّ نَصۡرَ ٱللَّهِ قَرِیبࣱ Do you think that you will enter Paradise while you have not yet been visited by (difficult) circumstances…

Justice is blind. But we should not be blind to justice.
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Justice is blind. But we should not be blind to justice.

كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ أُمَّةࣰ وَ ٰ⁠حِدَةࣰ فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِیِّـۧنَ مُبَشِّرِینَ وَمُنذِرِینَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ لِیَحۡكُمَ بَیۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فِیمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُوا۟ فِیهِۚ وَمَا ٱخۡتَلَفَ فِیهِ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِینَ أُوتُوهُ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَاۤءَتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتُ بَغۡیَۢا بَیۡنَهُمۡۖ فَهَدَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لِمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُوا۟ فِیهِ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ بِإِذۡنِهِۦۗ وَٱللَّهُ یَهۡدِی مَن یَشَاۤءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَ ٰ⁠طࣲ مُّسۡتَقِیمٍ All mankind used to be a…

What made people reject  Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
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What made people reject Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?

‫أَمۡ لَمۡ یَعۡرِفُوا۟ رَسُولَهُمۡ فَهُمۡ لَهُۥ مُنكِرُونَ ‫أَمۡ یَقُولُونَ بِهِۦ جِنَّةُۢۚ بَلۡ جَاۤءَهُم بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لِلۡحَقِّ كَـٰرِهُونَ Did they not recognise their messenger and therefore they denied him?  (23:69) Or do they say, “He is suffering from madness?” No, but he has come to them with the truth, but it is the truth that most…

loving Muhammad (peace be upon him)
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How do you love the Prophet (peace be upon him) more than yourself?

In Surat At-Tawbah, Allah Almighty says: قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ آبَاؤُكُمْ وَأَبْنَاؤُكُمْ وَإِخْوَانُكُمْ وَأَزْوَاجُكُمْ وَعَشِيرَتُكُمْ وَأَمْوَالٌ اقْتَرَفْتُمُوهَا وَتِجَارَةٌ تَخْشَوْنَ كَسَادَهَا وَمَسَاكِنُ تَرْضَوْنَهَا أَحَبَّ إِلَيْكُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَجِهَادٍ فِي سَبِيلِهِ فَتَرَبَّصُوا حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ اللَّهُ بِأَمْرِهِ وَاللَّهُ لَا يَهْدِي الْقَوْمَ الْفَاسِقِينَ Say, “If your fathers and your sons and your brothers and your spouses and your clan…

New hopes need more than dua
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New hopes need more than dua

Allah described the Servants of the Rahman (Most Merciful) in Surat al-Furqan as having twelve qualities, saying: وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِینَ یَمۡشُونَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ هَوۡنࣰا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُوا۟ سَلَـٰمࣰا The Servants of the Rahman (the All-Merciful, Allah) are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the ignorant people speak to them, they reply peacefully,…

Evil in every society is a fact of life. We have to resist it.
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Evil in every society is a fact of life. We have to resist it.

وَكَذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ جَعَلۡنَا فِی كُلِّ قَرۡیَةٍ أَكَـٰبِرَ مُجۡرِمِیهَا لِیَمۡكُرُوا۟ فِیهَاۖ وَمَا یَمۡكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمۡ وَمَا یَشۡعُرُونَ And so We have placed in every society the most wicked to plot in it. Yet they plot only against themselves, but they fail to perceive it. [Al-Anʿām, 6:123] ٱسۡتِكۡبَارࣰا فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَكۡرَ ٱلسَّیِّىِٕۚ وَلَا یَحِیقُ ٱلۡمَكۡرُ ٱلسَّیِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهۡلِهِۦۚ…

Major Principles: Giving sincere advice
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Major Principles: Giving sincere advice

Naseeha is sincere advice. Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) mentioned in the very famous hadith narrated by Tamim al-Dari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said, عَنْ أَبِي رُقَيَّةَ تَمِيمِ بْنِ أَوْسٍ الدَّارِيِّ رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ: “الدِّينُ النَّصِيحَةُ.” قُلْنَا: لِمَنْ؟…

Rioters beware
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Rioters beware

As Allah stated in the Quran in Surat Anfal: وَإِذۡ يَمۡكُرُ بِكَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لِيُثۡبِتُوكَ أَوۡ يَقۡتُلُوكَ أَوۡ يُخۡرِجُوكَۚ وَيَمۡكُرُونَ وَيَمۡكُرُ ٱللَّهُۖ وَٱللَّهُ خَيۡرُ ٱلۡمَٰكِرِينَ  And ˹remember, O  Prophet,˺ when the disbelievers conspired to capture, kill, or exile you. They planned, but Allah also planned. And Allah is the best of planners. (8:30) This ayah…

How to respond to a hate march
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How to respond to a hate march

Racism rears its ugly head It is sadly ironic that the marches protesting the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza, which have been ongoing for the last 10 months were dubbed “hate marches” by a certain British politician. Ironic firstly because they were marches of compassion, highlighting the tragic loss of lives, dreams and futures,…