This year Ramadan has fallen in spring. The shoots are peeping out of the ground and the blossoms are unfurling on the trees. In his poem Rising Five, Norman Nicholson said: Around him in the field, the cells of springBubbled and doubled; buds unbuttoned; shootAnd stem shook out the creases from their frills,And every tree…
Signs of the end of time عَنْ أَنَسٍ رضي الله تعالى عنه قَالَ: لأُحَدِّثَنَّكُمْ حَدِيثًا لاَ يُحَدِّثُكُمْ أَحَدٌ بَعْدِي، سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ: “مِنْ أَشْرَاطِ السَّاعَةِ أَنْ يَقِلَّ الْعِلْمُ، وَيَظْهَرَ الْجَهْلُ، وَيَظْهَرَ الزِّنَا، وَتَكْثُرَ النِّسَاءُ،وَيَقِلَّ الرِّجَالُ، حَتَّى يَكُونَ لِخَمْسِينَ امْرَأَةً الْقَيِّمُ الْوَاحِدُ ”.البخاري. Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) said,…
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,…
It is the Sunnah to recite Surat al-A’la and Surat al-Ghashiyah during the Eid salah. These surahs are Makki surahs, and as typical of Makki surahs, they dwell on themes of monotheism, belief in the akhirah, and renewing our covenant with Allah. We praise Him and are reminded to consider the outcome of our actions…
Allah Almighty said: ‘And do not crave what Allah has given some of you over others.’ [4:32] In this ayah of Surat an-Nisa, Allah is addressing the very common disease of hasad, envy. For example, if someone is not happy with the division of inheritance that was laid out earlier in the surah, this stems…
We are lucky to be witnessing Ramadan and to be able to pray in a mosque where we have a roof above our heads. The people of Gaza have no place to pray; food to eat; water to drink. Inshallah Allah will give them relief soon. We are starting with Surat al-Baqarah. Of course, this…
In Surat Tawbah, Allah summarised the story of the Battle of Tabouk, which took place in the ninth year after the migration. The Prophet (peace be upon him) mobilised an army of 30,000 soldiers which was the largest Muslim military campaign in his lifetime against the formidable Roman army, who were 100,000 troops. The believers…
Surat al-Qalam was one of the earliest revelations to the Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him). Of course, it wasn’t the whole surah: as with most revelation, the surah was revealed a few verses at a time, the Quran was not revealed surah by surah as we know it now. The Prophet (peace be on…
The Prophet Muhammad (peace be on him) described divorce as ‘the most hated of permissible acts’ to Allah [Abu Dawood] It’s disliked, but it’s still permissible: if you hit a dead end, you have an exit, and this is out of Allah’s mercy. If two people came together with right intention, but then discover that they have personality clash, or cultural clash, or whatever it may be, talaq is the way to leave with ihsan. In Jahiliyya times, they used to divorce their wives and then take them back, and go through cycles over and over again. This just caused extra pain, so in Surat al-Baqarah Allah places a limit of three talaqs, and in this surah He explains the valid forms.
Be careful who you let in to your community Surat al-Mumtahinah is another Madani surah, all about who to take as your allies, and where to draw the line between the camp of the believers vs the disbelievers and their supporters. The context of surah is that it was revealed during the period when the…
Whatever is made haram in the authentic hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is haram. Some people might say we do not see this prohibition in the Quran. If it is in the authentic Sunnah, it applies. Not every ruling is mentioned in the Quran – the Sunnah is a complementary revelation, and also provides commentary on the Quran.
The story of Khawla bint Tha’laba Surat al-Mujadilah, which is a Madani surah with has an interesting story behind it. Khawla bint Tha’laba was a female Companion of the Prophet (peace be on him), who was married to a man named ‘Aws ibn as-Samit. They had had an argument, and he said to her ‘You…
Surat al-Hadid is another Madani surah with plenty of lessons. One of the most important verses is: ‘He is with you wherever you are, and sees whatever you do.’ [57:4] This is a very scary verse, but it’s also good news. If Allah is with us wherever we go, it means we need to be…
In Surat ar-Rahman, Allah describes Jannah more than Hellfire. Although description of Hellfire do come up in some verses, the majority of surah is addressing the description of Jannah, and the favours which Allah will offer the people of Jannah. Categories on the Day of Judgement The following surah is Surat al-Waqiah, where Allah gives…
The more you learn the Quran, the more Allah will open your heart and eyes to see the truth and implement it in your life. The barakah will envelop your family and your life. Every letter you recite will earn you ten rewards from Allah. (Every letter, not every word!)