There are some favours in life that money cannot measure and words cannot repay – moments when someone steps in and lifts a weight off your shoulders. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), the cousin of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ and one of the great scholars of the Companions, reflected on this in…
The difference between conventional and Islamic mortgages For Muslims, one of the greatest financial challenges of our time, is purchasing a home without falling into riba (interest), which is strictly prohibited in Islam. Conventional mortgages are based on interest-bearing loans, while Islamic banks and financial institutions offer alternatives that aim to comply with Shariah. Among…
What is the sandwich generation? Modern society has given rise to the term sandwich generation, describing men and women burdened with a dual duty: supporting their ageing parents while simultaneously raising their children. With people living longer, financial demands rising, and family structures becoming more nuclear, many Muslims today feel the squeeze of being “sandwiched”…
Submission lies in not questioning Allah’s wisdom Ibn Abī al-‘Izz al-Ḥanafī (d.792) said: “The foundation of servitude (‘ubūdiyyah) and faith is submission.” Know that the foundation of servitude (‘ubūdiyyah) and faith (īmān) in Allah, His Books, and His Messengers rests upon submission (taslīm) and refraining from asking about the detailed wisdom behind the commands, prohibitions,…
What is mahr? Mahr is the obligation that the groom gives to the bride at the time of marriage. It is a sum of money or other property, which becomes payable by the husband to the wife as part of the marriage contact (nikkah). It is commanded in the Qur’an: “And give the women [upon…
Is abortion permissible in Islam? Islamic law upholds two paramount concerns in the matter of abortion: the sanctity of foetal life and the preservation of the mother’s life. The Qur’ān explicitly prohibits unjust killing: وَلَا تَقْتُلُوا النَّفْسَ الِتِي حَرَّمَ اللهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ “And do not kill the soul which Allah has forbidden, except by right.”…
Foundations of halal earning: contracts in Islamic transactions On the subject of halal earning (al-kasb al-halal), we started by exploring one of the earliest works on the topic, written by Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani, a prominent student of Imam Abu Hanifah. He was a mujtahid in his own right and wrote a short yet…
Halal income Halal earning refers to how to earn your living in a way that pleases Allah. It also includes how to avoid falling into haram, doubtful matters, disliked things, or areas that are grey and uncertain. In the previous session, we mentioned the work of Imam Muhammad ibn al-Hasan, the student of Abu Hanifah….
Seeking halal income Earning a ḥalāl living, which is called al-kasb in Arabic, is a very important topic related to everyone’s business transactions, dealings, sales, and so on. It’s essential to understand what is permissible, what is not, the boundaries, the details, and so forth. As I mentioned last time, the first to write on…
Chastity is an important topic, and we need to cover as much as possible from it to apply in our reality. We have plenty of challenges, but nevertheless, this is life, and life is full of challenges. It doesn’t mean if we have difficult topics that we stop. We continue. We do our best…
The Islamic value of chastity and protecting honour Chastity is a long and deeply layered topic in Islam. It has many branches, like a tree spreading out, and today we continue discussing its importance and the way Islam treats this concept. One of the main objectives of the Sharia is the protection of lineage (hifz…
As the media continues to distort reality feeding false narratives upon false narratives, and megalomaniacal despots continue to lie brazenly, eliciting the truth is not always straightforward. At an interpersonal level, as Shaytan comes back post-Ramadan, conflicts resume between individuals, family members, friends. Inflamed by a distorted recollection of an exchange, false narratives take root…
In the last two pages of Surat al-A’raf, Allah talks about those who worship idols, or worship anything else other than Allah – whether this is their own whims, wealth, ego, etc. No matter how hard you try to invite them to the truth, they are leading themselves to destruction. أَيُشۡرِكُونَ مَا لَا يَخۡلُقُ شَيۡـٔٗا وَهُمۡ يُخۡلَقُونَ وَلَا يَسۡتَطِيعُونَ لَهُمۡ نَصۡرٗا وَلَآ أَنفُسَهُمۡ يَنصُرُونَ وَإِن تَدۡعُوهُمۡ إِلَى ٱلۡهُدَىٰ لَا يَتَّبِعُوكُمۡۚ سَوَآءٌ عَلَيۡكُمۡ أَدَعَوۡتُمُوهُمۡ أَمۡ أَنتُمۡ صَٰمِتُونَ إِنَّ ٱلَّذِينَ تَدۡعُونَ مِن دُونِ ٱللَّهِ …
The journey of Umrah is deeply spiritual, physically demanding at times, and emotionally enriching. It is a microcosm of life itself, filled with moments of joy, struggle, and deep reflection. Alhamdulillah, my recent Umrah was all of this and more, particularly during the Sa’ee, the ritual of walking back and forth between the hills of…
What makes it so hard to keep resolutions? Is it ingrained patterns of behaviour that are hard to change? Is it that the desire for comfort and pleasure keeps trumping the ungraspable desire to be a better, fitter, more successful version of ourselves? Or is it the desire to escape pain and discomfort which we…