In Surah An-Nazi’at, Allah Almighty says: فَإِذَا جَاءَتِ الطَّامَّةُ الْكُبْرَىٰ يَوْمَ يَتَذَكَّرُ الْإِنسَانُ مَا سَعَىٰ وَبُرِّزَتِ الْجَحِيمُ لِمَن يَرَىٰ فَأَمَّا مَن طَغَىٰ وَآثَرَ الْحَيَاةَ الدُّنْيَا فَإِنَّ الْجَحِيمَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ وَأَمَّا مَنْ خَافَ مَقَامَ رَبِّهِ وَنَهَى النَّفْسَ عَنِ الْهَوَىٰ فَإِنَّ الْجَنَّةَ هِيَ الْمَأْوَىٰ “When the great havoc happens, man will remember what he did. And the…
Asthe community is reeling from the shock, disbelief, disgust and sadness at the killing of veteran journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, at whose funeral innocent mourners were also viciously attacked and beaten, we turn to the Quran for guidance on how to bear such painful wounds, when the old scars are still fresh. It is very…
The men who stayed back The story in Surat al Tawbah, Allah mentions the story of the three people who were left behind during an expedition when the Prophet (peace be on him) and his army were proceeding to the Battle of Tabouk. He mobilised the troops as Allah had commanded him. Uthman (may…
The limits of leadership There are plenty of verses in the Quran about leadership and the importance of the leader in the community. At the same time, we also have plenty of narrations in the sunnah which define the responsibilities and boundaries of leaders. Leadership is not a blank cheque to do what you want…
Islam teaches us not to throw words without weighing them. The Prophet (peace be on him) taught us about major sins (Kaba’ir), including shirk, killing and zina (fornication/adultery). Each one of these comes with a set of punishments. These punishments have to meted out according to rules which restrict who can apply them and under…
The General Principles series This is the third in the series on General Principles of Islam- which every Muslim should know. This series started when one of my students in my Arabic class said, ‘You have mentioned the main principles of Islam many times, but what are they? Where can I read about them?’ I…
Be One Ummah in the Face of Adversity A Muslim is a Muslim’s brother. He does not wrong him, or let him down, or hand him over to his enemies, or despise him. (Muslim) Stick to principles Going back to basics, sticking to our principles makes our ummah a special ummah. Unfortunately, with all…
Women’s Right to Fair Treatment Women’s Day is a reminder that we still have not secured freedom from oppression for women. Isn’t it time that we deliver women the rights that Islam gave them 1400 years ago? O mankind we have created you from a male and female and we have made you into tribes…
Cornering the Cat – Why Allah Forbid Oppression Oh my servants, I have made oppression forbidden on myself and made it forbidden amongst you so do not oppress one another. (Bukhari) This is one of the fundamental rules and pillars in Islam – the prohibition of oppression (dhulm). There are different types of dhulm. The…
Islamic Principle of Equality not Favouritism Say, [O Muhammad], ‘If you love Allah, then follow me [Muhammad], then Allah will love you and forgive your sins. And Allah is All Forgiving and All Merciful.’ (3:31) Turning a blind eye to the crimes of people in the community due to their connections or status is easily…