One of the ayahs in Surat Az-Zumar is: ‘Every soul will be rewarded according to their actions.’ [39:70] Nothing is wasted, everything is written and recorded. The surah also says: ‘The best reward is for those who work hard.’ [39:74] Notice however, that in the hadith, the Prophet (peace be on him) said: …None of…
The word Zumar, from Surat Az-Zumar means ‘the crowds’, because Allah Almighty talks about two groups in this surah. ‘Those who disbelieved will be driven to Hell in crowds… And those who were mindful of their Lord will be led to Paradise in crowds.’ [39:71,73] Who are the righteous people? In another of the verses…
In Surat Az-Zumar, Allah Almighty talks about those who do qiyam (voluntary night prayers) and supplicate to Allah, and how they are not equal to those who deny Allah and reject the akhirah, and are only concerned with the dunya. Makki vs Madani surahs This is a Makki surah. Like other, similar surahs, it addresses…
They ask you… My reflection today is on a very beautiful ayah among the 5 verses on fasting in the Quran which are found in Surat al-Baqarah (183-187). Allah Almighty says: وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ If my servants ask you…
Munazarat an Nafs – debating with yourself The Forty Principles of the Faith ends with a debate between Ghazali and himself, and he recommends that we do this as well – rather than debating with others, try to convince yourself of the truth, as you try to convince your opponent. Scholars of tasawwuf (self purification)…
The major principles of Islam (kulliyaat al Kubra) are the main principles which we cannot live without. The first main principle is to know Allah Almighty, but it is hard to do justice to this topic because Allah Almighty is beyond our comprehension. What we know about Him is from the Quran and what we…
Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: عن النُّعْمَان بْن بَشِيرٍ، يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم “ تَرَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فِي تَرَاحُمِهِمْ وَتَوَادِّهِمْ وَتَعَاطُفِهِمْ كَمَثَلِ الْجَسَدِ إِذَا اشْتَكَى عُضْوًا تَدَاعَى لَهُ سَائِرُ جَسَدِهِ بِالسَّهَرِ وَالْحُمَّى ”. متفق عليه. “The believers in their…
The importance of Justice Justice is a very important principle in Islam – so much so that it is one of the main pillars, not just of Islam, but any system. If any system fails to deliver justice, it will collapse. The divine message which God revealed to mankind from the first man, Adam till…
Sahl ibn Sa’d reported: عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ السَّاعِدِيِّ قَالَ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ دُلَّنِي عَلَى عَمَلٍ إِذَا أَنَا عَمِلْتُهُ أَحَبَّنِي اللَّهُ وَأَحَبَّنِي النَّاسُ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ ازْهَدْ فِي الدُّنْيَا يُحِبَّكَ اللَّهُ وَازْهَدْ فِيمَا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ يُحِبُّوكَ A man came to the Prophet and…
The art of questioning To ask a question is actually an art. To answer the question requires experience, understanding and knowledge. Not everybody can answer the right question, not everybody can ask the right question. This is why we have the etiquette (adab) of questioning (suwal) known as adab suwal in Arabic, which are the…
Ghazali lived in 5th century Hijri and his book, Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion,’ which he wrote before his death, is a summary of Ihya Ulumuddin, and his life’s works and thoughts. In the last ten principles of the forty, he looks at good traits. The first is tawbah….
Ghazali lived in 5th century Hijri and his book, Kitaab Al-Arba’in Fi Usul ad-Din, ‘The Forty Principles of the Religion,’ which he wrote before his death, is a summary of Ihya Ulumuddin, and his life’s works and thoughts. In the last ten principles of the forty, he looks at good traits. The first is tawbah….
Rising prices As the cost of living soars towards the stratosphere at the speed of a rocket, we need to revive the Qur’anic Ummah which spends for Allah’s sake and supports one another. In this current climate of acute, growing and widespread need we look to the Quran to find out how we should respond….
In Surat al-Furqan the disbelievers wonder why the Messenger (peace be upon him) walks in the street and in the marketplaces like an ordinary person. Their assumption is that anyone who is important should not be accessible to the public. He should be aloof, dwell in an ivory tower surrounded by bodyguards, travel in fancy…
Might is not everything needed in a fight In Surat al-Hajj there are many verses to reflect on, including the verse in which the oppressed are given permission by Allah to fight back: أُذِنَ لِلَّذِينَ يُقَـٰتَلُونَ بِأَنَّهُمْ ظُلِمُوا۟ ۚ وَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ عَلَىٰ نَصْرِهِمْ لَقَدِيرٌ Permission ˹to fight back˺ is ˹hereby˺ granted to those being fought,…