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…
As the world’s eyes turned to Paris for the opening ceremony of the Olympics in anticipation – what would France, which prides itself on its style, values, and history, display to the world? How would it showcase its renowned talent and creativity when it had the world’s attention? By most accounts, as a grotesque spectacle….
يَـٰٓأَهۡلَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ قَدۡ جَآءَكُمۡ رَسُولُنَا يُبَيِّنُ لَكُمۡ كَثِيرٗا مِّمَّا كُنتُمۡ تُخۡفُونَ مِنَ ٱلۡكِتَٰبِ وَيَعۡفُواْ عَن كَثِيرٖۚ قَدۡ جَآءَكُم مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ نُورٞ وَكِتَٰبٞ مُّبِينٞ يَهۡدِي بِهِ ٱللَّهُ مَنِ ٱتَّبَعَ رِضۡوَٰنَهُۥ سُبُلَ ٱلسَّلَٰمِ وَيُخۡرِجُهُم مِّنَ ٱلظُّلُمَٰتِ إِلَى ٱلنُّورِ بِإِذۡنِهِۦ وَيَهۡدِيهِمۡ إِلَىٰ صِرَٰطٖ مُّسۡتَقِي O People of the Scripture, there has come to you Our Messenger making clear…
Dealing with interest is haram Dealing with interest (riba) is haram. Some might not consider this haram, but it is completely prohibited, because Allah Almighty stated in the Quran, in Surat al Baqarah: Allah has made trading lawful and forbidden usury (2:275) The prohibition of taking interest is very clear not only from the Quran…
“Simplifying Life: The Minimalist Path in Islam” A deceased wise relative once said, “Only buy what you need and then visit a shop, do not got go to the shops and create a need.” The synergy between Minimalism and Islam is a profound one, offering a path to simplicity and contentment in a world often…
Food of People of the Book There is some confusion in people’s minds over whether it is permissible for Muslims to consume the food of the People of the Book (Jews and Christians). This is due to the two different ayahs in the Quran. One saying that the food of the People of the Book…
Once, Umar bin Khatab (may Allah be pleased with him) presided over a court case where he was dubious about the credibility of a witness so asked to speak to someone who knew him, to obtain a reference. One of the men present volunteered that he knew the witness. A man once gave his testimony…
Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an: إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ Surely We revealed the Message, and We will surely preserve it. (15:9) Allah Almighty has promised that He will protect the Quran – the final message. Allah Almighty promised clearly to preserve it. He never promised to protect any other previous revelation…
Mulla Ali now moves on to the topic of debate among the schools, which is hadith al mursal. He refers to ‘our’ scholars (ulemauna) meaning the scholars of the Hanafi school and makes the statement that Hanafi scholars adhere to the Sunnah more than the other schools. This statement reflects what was happening at that time. 400 years on, it is still the case that the Hanafi school is accused by other schools for not using proper hadith and that their rulings are based on weak rulings or qiyas (analogy). In other words that they use their own intellect rather than relying on hadith. Mulla Ali is addressing this accusation, as scholars from the Hanafi school are still doing today. Mulla Ali argues that the Hanafi school follows the Sunnah more than other schools because it follows the salaf, (the first and second generation of believers) because they accept the hadith al mursal. Until the 2nd century, mursal hadith were quoted and accepted in fiqh rulings by all schools. After that the Hanafi, Maliki accepted them but the Shafi refused. The Hanbalis accepted it in one narration and rejected it in another. Before the 2nd century people were not that concerned by the chain of narrators they were happy to write down and pass on narrations as long they emanated from the Prophet (peace be upon him). The narrators were well known to them but it was not until hadith began to be fabricated around the beginning of the 2nd century, that the practice of asking for the chain of transmitters became an important aspect of conveying the hadith.
Belief in angels is an article of faith One of the pillars of faith is to believe in angels. We know from the very famous hadith of Jibreel, that he came to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) in the form of a mysterious stranger whom no one recognised. He came and sat down right…
Belief in Jinn Jinn are a very hot topic. Are Jinn real or an illusion or fairy tales? They are definitely not an illusion or creatures from fairy tales. Belief in Jinn, as Muslims, is part of our faith. How do we know Jinn exist when we cannot see them? Our senses do not enable…