Mosques are sacred places. Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ أَحَبُّ الْبِلَادِ إِلَى اللَّهِ مَسَاجِدُهَا وَأَبْغَضُ الْبِلَادِ إِلَى اللَّهِ أَسْوَاقُهَا “The most beloved of places to Allah are the mosques, and…
Reciting the bismillah What does it mean to say ‘Bismillah’ – In the name of Allah? Bismillah is invoking Allah at the beginning of an action. We attach Allah’s name to that action. And we begin that action mindful of Allah. For instance, ‘iqra bismillah’ (I read in the name of Allah) means you are…
Imam Ghazali who was a great theologian and usuli has written brilliantly about usul al fiqh, says 99% of rulings come with ‘ila’ – the explanation of the wisdom behind them, but there is 1% where we do not have the explanation. One of these is why we perform 7 tawaf. Allah Almighty did not…
Recommended fasts In general, as per the sunnah of the Prophet (peace be on him) it is recommended to fast on Mondays and Thursdays and the three white days i.e. the days of the full moon (13,14,15th of the lunar month). Fasting on Mondays It is also recommended to fast on Mondays: He was then…
In the summer when the days are very long and the nights are short, isha is often past a child’s bedtime and it is tricky to wake them up for isha and then again for fajr. In those situations, let the child combine maghrib and isha. Shaykh Haytham Tamim
Are feet part of a woman’s awrah? There are two opinions on this. The Maliki and Shafi schools of thought consider it is necessary for a woman to cover her feet. Some say the top part, but not the bottom part, are part of a woman’s awrah. However among some scholars in the Hanafi school…
Fasting is an obligation for all Muslim believers, as ordained by Allah in Surat al-Baqarah: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, that you may become righteous. (2:183) أَيَّامًا مَّعْدُودَاتٍ…
Is 15th Sha’ban, which is known as Shab-e-barat in South Asia important? The Prophet (peace be on him) said that Allah grants forgiveness during the night in the middle of Sha’ban. وَعَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: «إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَيَطَّلِعُ فِي لَيْلَةِ النِّصْفِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ فَيَغْفِرُ لِجَمِيعِ خَلْقِهِ…
The Prophet (peace be on him) was engaged in the remembrance of Allah throughout the day and night, either through dhikr or reciting the Quran or performing salah. What should we recite from the Quran on a daily basis? Our daily practice should be to recite a portion of Quran every day and thereby regularly…
Anas ibn Malik reported: Fifty prayers were obligated upon the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, when he was taken on his night journey. Then, it was reduced until it was set at five and an announcement was made, “O Muhammad, My word is never changed, so these five prayers will be counted as…
What is sajda tilawah? Sujud Tilawah is a single prostration which one makes after reciting certain ayahs of the Quran. These are marked with an arrow in the Quran. It can be performed within the salah, if you recited one of these ayahs in your salah, or out of the salah, if you were reciting…
Firstly there is a difference between a bathroom and a toilet. Some bathrooms do not have a toilet in them. Here it is acceptable to say bismillah before you do your wudu. With regards to bathrooms which have a toilet in them, or a toilet, one simply has to think about what sort of space…
Those who start of life with an adverse upbringing, are much more likely to have bad outcomes. Those who abuse others, have often been abused themselves. Does this mean that we do not have free will because our actions are the result of our environment which is beyond our control? Our environment has an impact…
The default position is to pray at the prescribed time. This is because Allah commanded us to pray at designated times. He did not say that we could pray all our salah for one day in one go. When there are exceptional circumstances, we are permitted to combine Dhur and Asr, or Maghrib and Isha…
There are various duas for a good end to one’s life. Ibn ‘Umar heard a man wishing for death, and said: Do not wish for death, for you will surely die; rather ask Allah for well-being. A timely end We ask Allah for our life span to be good and to take our souls when…