26
Dec 2022

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 angry with him when he meets him (i.e. on the Day of Resurrection)’. This narration is on the topic of arrogance (kibr). Toxicity of arrogance The hadith depicts a man/woman in the community whose walk......
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26
Nov 2022

Stick to your principles Allah Almighty said in the Quran: فَاسْتَقِمْ كَمَا أُمِرْتَ وَمَن تَابَ مَعَكَ وَلَا تَطْغَوْا ۚ إِنَّهُ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ بَصِيرٌ So be upright, as you are commanded, along with those who repented with you, and do not transgress. He is Seeing of everything you do. Addressing the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), his nation, and all humanity, Allah Almighty told us to cling to His divine revelation and not to compromise our principles, values and beliefs. We have been commanded to hold fast to the ‘rope of......
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10
Apr 2022

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 did they ˹submissively˺ appeal ˹to Him˺. (23:76) The image the Quran paints here is of the disbelievers who received their punishment, but continued rebelling against Him and His commands. This is sheer arrogance. This is why Allah......
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27
Feb 2022

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 al-Kahf which demonstrates the battle between the two camps – those who believe and those who do not, the believers, and the disbelievers, the camp of evil and the camp of goodness. In this surah, Allah Almighty......
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17
Feb 2022

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 cure kibr. Three problems with arrogance There are three problems with kibr, which is a major disease of the heart. Competing with Allah Almighty. Allah is Al-Mutakabbir – the Supremely Great, The Possessor of all Rights, the......
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03
Feb 2022

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 chapters on purification of the heart, Ghazali mentions 10 principles. Pride is the eight principle. If we look at the world today and throughout history, arrogance and inflated egos of power-hungry leaders have caused endless bloodshed and wars and promoted collective arrogance in the form of nationalism, jingoism and racism. Shakespeare said: He that is proud eats up......
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23
Apr 2021

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 Firaun who he was claiming he was the highest authority and the most powerful being in the world. Musa (peace be on him) was hesitant to approach him. He gives many reasons why going to Firaun is......
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03
Aug 2020

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 sky and which produces vegetation, without which we cannot survive. We also have the alternation of the day and night, the subjugation of the moon and the stars and the sun too. All these signs are challenging the......
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30
Jul 2020

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 first rejection of Allah’s command. Allah Almighty says, O Satan, what kept you from being among those who prostrated themselves? Al-Hijr:32 He said, I am not about to prostrate myself before a human being, whom You created......
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09
Jul 2020

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 Here we see that people, when called to the message, objected because Prophet Nuh (peace be upon him) was: 1. Human 2. Those who followed him had low status – they were not classy believers. Similarly many......
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03
Jun 2020

As the Black England footballers are subjected to disgusting racial abuse in the wake of England’s Euros 2020 defeat, we are reminded again of the continuing systemic racism in our countries, which led to the protests in the US and around the world, following the tragic death of George Floyd just a year ago. Fundamentally, the issue is about the lack of respect, honour and dignity which is being shown by one set of people towards another, when Allah told us that every single life deserves it. He Himself honoured mankind. Not......
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16
May 2019

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 Prophet (peace be on him) replied: ‘Allah is Beautiful and likes beauty.’ (Muslim) What is kibr arrogance? The Prophet (peace be on him) defined kibr as: ‘Pride is rejecting the truth and despising people.’ (Muslim) There......
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19
Jul 2018

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 remain behind, to gain understanding of the religion, and to notify their people when they have returned to them, that they maybe aware.’ (9:122) Allah the Almighty says in surah Taubah, it is not necessary for all Muslims to go......
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