Being faithful to your pledges – Anas bin An-Nadhr
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Being faithful to your pledges – Anas bin An-Nadhr

There are many verses in the Quran that encourage us to be truthful and to stick to our principles and to cling to the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and not to compromise, no matter what the circumstances we find ourselves in. Allah is saying you can…

Defining Nasr: 12 ingredients for victory from the Quran
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Defining Nasr: 12 ingredients for victory from the Quran

In Arabic, the word nasr (نصر) appears 33 times in the Quran. What does it mean? Nasr is commonly understood as “victory”. However, when you turn to the linguist, Ibn Faris (395 H), in “Mu’jam maqayees Al-Lughah” whose dictionary is a key reference in Arabic, the root word nasara (نصر) means ‘bringing or facilitating goodness….

Recharging the Ummah – from weakness and despair to resilience and hope
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Recharging the Ummah – from weakness and despair to resilience and hope

In Surat al-Imran, Allah Almighty says: ‫وَلَا تَهِنُوا۟ وَلَا تَحۡزَنُوا۟ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلۡأَعۡلَوۡنَ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِینَ Don’t be weak (against your enemy), nor be sad, and you will prevail if you are true believers. (3:129) ‫إِن یَمۡسَسۡكُمۡ قَرۡحࣱ فَقَدۡ مَسَّ ٱلۡقَوۡمَ قَرۡحࣱ مِّثۡلُهُۥۚ وَتِلۡكَ ٱلۡأَیَّامُ نُدَاوِلُهَا بَیۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ وَلِیَعۡلَمَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ وَیَتَّخِذَ مِنكُمۡ شُهَدَاۤءَۗ وَٱللَّهُ…

Justice is blind. But we should not be blind to justice.
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Justice is blind. But we should not be blind to justice.

كَانَ ٱلنَّاسُ أُمَّةࣰ وَ ٰ⁠حِدَةࣰ فَبَعَثَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلنَّبِیِّـۧنَ مُبَشِّرِینَ وَمُنذِرِینَ وَأَنزَلَ مَعَهُمُ ٱلۡكِتَـٰبَ بِٱلۡحَقِّ لِیَحۡكُمَ بَیۡنَ ٱلنَّاسِ فِیمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُوا۟ فِیهِۚ وَمَا ٱخۡتَلَفَ فِیهِ إِلَّا ٱلَّذِینَ أُوتُوهُ مِنۢ بَعۡدِ مَا جَاۤءَتۡهُمُ ٱلۡبَیِّنَـٰتُ بَغۡیَۢا بَیۡنَهُمۡۖ فَهَدَى ٱللَّهُ ٱلَّذِینَ ءَامَنُوا۟ لِمَا ٱخۡتَلَفُوا۟ فِیهِ مِنَ ٱلۡحَقِّ بِإِذۡنِهِۦۗ وَٱللَّهُ یَهۡدِی مَن یَشَاۤءُ إِلَىٰ صِرَ ٰ⁠طࣲ مُّسۡتَقِیمٍ All mankind used to be a…

What made people reject  Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?
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What made people reject Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)?

‫أَمۡ لَمۡ یَعۡرِفُوا۟ رَسُولَهُمۡ فَهُمۡ لَهُۥ مُنكِرُونَ ‫أَمۡ یَقُولُونَ بِهِۦ جِنَّةُۢۚ بَلۡ جَاۤءَهُم بِٱلۡحَقِّ وَأَكۡثَرُهُمۡ لِلۡحَقِّ كَـٰرِهُونَ Did they not recognise their messenger and therefore they denied him?  (23:69) Or do they say, “He is suffering from madness?” No, but he has come to them with the truth, but it is the truth that most…

New hopes need more than dua
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New hopes need more than dua

Allah described the Servants of the Rahman (Most Merciful) in Surat al-Furqan as having twelve qualities, saying: وَعِبَادُ ٱلرَّحۡمَـٰنِ ٱلَّذِینَ یَمۡشُونَ عَلَى ٱلۡأَرۡضِ هَوۡنࣰا وَإِذَا خَاطَبَهُمُ ٱلۡجَـٰهِلُونَ قَالُوا۟ سَلَـٰمࣰا The Servants of the Rahman (the All-Merciful, Allah) are those who walk on the earth humbly, and when the ignorant people speak to them, they reply peacefully,…

Evil in every society is a fact of life. We have to resist it.
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Evil in every society is a fact of life. We have to resist it.

وَكَذَ ٰ⁠لِكَ جَعَلۡنَا فِی كُلِّ قَرۡیَةٍ أَكَـٰبِرَ مُجۡرِمِیهَا لِیَمۡكُرُوا۟ فِیهَاۖ وَمَا یَمۡكُرُونَ إِلَّا بِأَنفُسِهِمۡ وَمَا یَشۡعُرُونَ And so We have placed in every society the most wicked to plot in it. Yet they plot only against themselves, but they fail to perceive it. [Al-Anʿām, 6:123] ٱسۡتِكۡبَارࣰا فِی ٱلۡأَرۡضِ وَمَكۡرَ ٱلسَّیِّىِٕۚ وَلَا یَحِیقُ ٱلۡمَكۡرُ ٱلسَّیِّئُ إِلَّا بِأَهۡلِهِۦۚ…

Global IT outage. When systems go down…
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Global IT outage. When systems go down…

In Surat al-Isra, Allah Almighty says: كُلّٗا نُّمِدُّ هَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ وَهَـٰٓؤُلَآءِ مِنۡ عَطَآءِ رَبِّكَۚ وَمَا كَانَ عَطَآءُ رَبِّكَ مَحۡظُورًا To each [category] We extend – to these and to those – from the gift of your Lord. And never has the gift of your Lord been restricted. (17:20) This verse expresses the continuous help and support…

The law of trials
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The law of trials

Allah mentioned trials and tribulations (ikhtilaf) in the Quran many times. In Surat al Baqarah, He said: يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اسْتَعِينُوا بِالصَّبْرِ وَالصَّلَاةِ ۚ إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَعَ الصَّابِرِينَ      O you who believe, seek help through patience and prayer. Surely, Allah is with those who are patient. [Al-Baqarah, 2:153] وَلَا تَقُولُوا۟ لِمَن یُقۡتَلُ فِی…

The law of alternation. What goes up must come down
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The law of alternation. What goes up must come down

Anas (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Prophet (peace be upon him) had a she-camel, whose name was al ‘Adba, who never lost a race. He said: عَنْ أَنَسٍ ـ رضى الله عنه ـ قَالَ كَانَ لِلنَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم نَاقَةٌ تُسَمَّى الْعَضْبَاءَ لاَ تُسْبَقُ ـ  أَوْ لاَ تَكَادُ تُسْبَقُ ـ…

The Ummah Upgrade
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The Ummah Upgrade

Smashing the idols Allah Almighty said towards the end of Surat Zumar, أَلَيۡسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبۡدَهُۥۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦۚ وَمَن يُضۡلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنۡ هَادٖ Is not Allah sufficient for His Servant [Prophet Muhammad]? And [yet], they threaten you with those [they worship] other than Him. And whoever Allah leaves astray – for…

The forces of Allah and the fate of the falsifiers
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The forces of Allah and the fate of the falsifiers

The story of Ibrahim (peace be upon him) is mentioned many times in the Quran, as is the story of Musa (peace be upon him). In Surat Maryam, Allah recounts the the conversation between Ibrahim and his father, when Ibrahim invites him to worship Allah, the true and only God instead of the idols. He…

How Allah strengthens the hearts of believers
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How Allah strengthens the hearts of believers

An-Nu’man bin Bashir (may Allah be pleased with him) reported God’s Messenger (peace be upon him) as saying, عَنِ النُّعْمَانِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «أَلَا وَإِنَّ فِي الْجَسَدِ مُضْغَةً إِذَا صَلَحَتْ صَلَحَ الْجَسَدُ كُلُّهُ وَإِذَا فَسَدَتْ فَسَدَ الْجَسَدُ كُله أَلا وَهِي الْقلب». متفق عليه. “Verily, there is a piece…

Do not be divided – Tarawih Reflections 16
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Do not be divided – Tarawih Reflections 16

Ayahs 103-105 of Surat Ale ‘Imran are very important verses about unity within the ummah. Allah mentions three main points: ‘Hold fast together to the rope of Allah and do not be divided. Remember Allah’s favour upon you when you were enemies, then He united your hearts, so you—by His grace—became brothers.’ [3:103] He is…