Gratitude Ann enormous principle of wellbeing is gratitude. Allah says: لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ “If you are grateful, I will certainly give you more.”(Surah Ibrahim, 14:7) And Allah leaves that increase open. It may be an increase in the blessing itself, or in our ability to recognise it. Sometimes the circumstances have not changed at…
The Prophet ﷺ said: الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ، وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ “The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, although there is good in both.”(Sahih Muslim) I would not limit “strong” here to somebody who is physically strong. There is strength of faith,…
Let me give you just a snapshot of some of the foods that have a particular place in the Quran and Sunnah. I cannot go into all their nutritional properties because we would be here all day, but there are a few that are worth looking at. Dates Dates are an obvious place to…
Hospitals – bimaristans There is another concept which is not directly tibb al-Nabawi, but I think it follows very naturally from this idea of holistic healing, and that is the bimaristan. Dr Rania Awaad has done a great deal of work recovering the history of these institutions. Bimaristans were hospitals in the Muslim world…
What is tibb al-nabawi? What do we actually mean by tibb al-nabawi, or prophetic medicine? There are detailed classical works devoted to the subject, and it can be approached as a field in its own right. But for the purposes of this discussion, I want to keep it practical. I am using the term…
Healing with the Quran and Sunnah I was looking recently at some of the Hikam, the aphorisms of Ibn Ataillah al-Iskandari, and one of them really stayed with me: من أشرقت بدايته أشرقت نهايته “Whoever has a luminous beginning will have a luminous end.”(Ibn Ataillah al-Iskandari, al-Hikam al-Ata’iyyah) I thought that was very powerful….
Today, a country of almost 260 million people, will celebrate independence. Pakistan is one year shy of 80. If Pakistan was a man, he would have grown ripe in years – silver-haired and wisened by life’s experience. Would his be face be wrinkled by all the worries of the difficult life he had led? Filled…
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…
The ears are adorned by hearing the words of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. وَلاَ حَسَنٌ إِلاَّ سَمَاعُ حَدِيثِكُمْ …. مُشَافَهَةً يُمْلَى عَلَىَّ فَأَنْقُلُ “Nothing is truly beautiful except hearing your narrations firsthand — received directly from your lips, dictated to me, and then faithfully transmitted by me.” This is a verse from the poem…
We are all fed up with the headlines. With constant bad news and a worsening geopolitical situation, random and absurd threats of aggression that make Lex Luther look tame, and barefaced lies every time we hear politicians make statements, it’s hard not to feel down. Add to that the rising cost of living…the doom and gloom…
Explaining Islam to non-Muslims – beyond the myths and misconceptions Two billion people, (about a quarter of the globe) are Muslim. Muslims believe in one God, who is called Allah, the Arabic word for God, which is also used by Arabic-speaking Christians. Muslims believe that God is the Creator of everything, including the universe, and…
One of the questions people ask today is whether Islam is compatible with modern life. Everything seems to be changing at an incredible pace – technology is advancing, cultures are shifting, lifestyles are becoming busier, and every day brings a new trend, a new opinion or a new way of thinking. And there is a…
How did Imam al-Bukhari gather and verify thousands of hadith without modern technology? This article explores the rigorous science behind Sahih al-Bukhari, including oral preservation, narrator verification, written documentation, and the methodology that made his collection the most respected hadith compilation in Sunni Islam.
Can non-Muslims eat halal meat? Yes. Halal meat can be eaten by anyone, including non-Muslims. It is simply meat prepared according to Islamic dietary laws, slaughtered in a similar fashion to kosher meat in Judaism. Eating halal food does not make someone Muslim or involve them in Islamic worship. In Islam, life is sacred. Muslims…
In order to understand beauty as Allah describes it, first we should know that the Qur’an does not speak about beauty as something shallow or decorative. When it uses the word jamal, it directs the heart. It teaches us that true beauty is connected to tranquility, purpose, and spiritual growth. I traced the word jamal…