Blame in the Quran 1. Refusal to take responsibility In the Quran, we see that blame is used frequently by disbelievers to avoid taking responsibility. They blame their refusal to believe on the fact that the Messenger (peace be upon him) was human, rather than an angel. وَقَالُواْ مَالِ هَٰذَا ٱلرَّسُولِ يَأۡكُلُ ٱلطَّعَامَ وَيَمۡشِي فِي…
Surat Al-A’raf recounts the stories of five prophets: Nuh, Hud, Salih, Lut, and Shuayb (peace be upon them all). As a Makkan surah, it offers consolation to Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), reassuring him that he was not alone in facing rejection, hostility and ridicule. Every prophet before him endured similar opposition from their…
Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: عن عبد الله بن عمر رضي الله عنهما قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : مَنْ تَعَاظَمَ في نَفْسِهِ، واخْتَال في مِشْيَتِهِ، لَقيَ اللهَ وهُوَ عليهِ غَضْبَانُ. ‘Whoever exalts himself and walks proudly, Allah will be…
Arrogance and rebellion In Surat al-Muminoun, Allah Almighty tells us He punished the disbelievers, but despite this they did not turn back to Him, nor did they supplicate to Him. وَلَقَدْ أَخَذْنَـٰهُم بِٱلْعَذَابِ فَمَا ٱسْتَكَانُوا۟ لِرَبِّهِمْ وَمَا يَتَضَرَّعُونَ And We have already seized them with torment, but they never humbled themselves to their Lord, nor…
Allah Almighty mentions in the Quran in different surahs, and on different occasions the continuous fight between truth and falsehood, since Adam was sent down to earth. There has been a battle between shaytan and his followers and Adam and his offspring, which will continue till the Day of Judgement. Every Friday, we read Surat…
Imam Ghazali’s 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 section on purification of the heart, Ghazali mentions 10 principles. Pride (kibr) is the eighth principle and Ghazali proposes how to…
Towards the end of Surat al Qasas, Allah Almighty mentions the story of Qarun. He says: Indeed Qarun was from the people of Musa – he then oppressed them; and We gave him so many treasures that their keys were a heavy burden for a strong group; when his people said to him, “Do not…
The debate between Musa (peace be on him) and Firaun features in different places in the Quran and is very interesting when it is collected together. It also appears in Surat Ash Shu’ara, which is a Makki surah with a few Madani verses. Allah Almighty commanded Musa (peace be on him) to got to…
Verses of the Qur’an revealed in Makkah challenge the intellect and are a wake up call for thinkers whose minds have been buried in the sand of culture, materialism and worldly concerns. The following verses are calling for independent thinking; pondering the creation of the heavens and the earth, the water which falls from the…
Allah Almighty commanded Iblis to prostrate to Adam (peace be upon him) but he refused. The first sin was arrogance. Although the worst sin is to believe Allah Almighty has partners, Iblis did not commit shirk; it was arrogance which lead to Iblis being expelled from paradise. The details of the story are based on the…
Allah Almighty says; The notables who disbelieved among his people said, ‘We see in you nothing but a man like us, and we see that only the worst among us have followed you, those of immature judgment. And we see that you have no advantage over us. In fact, we think you are liars.’ Hud:27…
The Prophet (peace be on him) said: ‘He will not be admitted to Jannah, the one who has in his heart an atom’s weight of pride.’ A man asked the Prophet (peace be on him): ‘We like to have beautiful dresses and shoes. Is it out of pride? Will this be classified under kibr?’…
The Importance of Being Open Minded Islam is far greater than any school, any imam, any sect and any opinion. It is the Divine Revelation to perfect human character and conduct to spread peace and justice. ‘It is not advisable for the believers to march out altogether. Of every division that marches out, let a group…