The Prophet s.a.w.s said (translation): Every morning there is [due] on the bones and joints of any of you a sadaqa. [Muslim] In another hadith, the Prophet mentioned that there are three hundred and sixty joints in the body. So there is a total of 360 charities due on us every morning. Many of us … Read more
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, It’s so easy to say to others, “Don’t be angry,” but not quite so easy to control yourself when your own anger is provoked. There are ways prescribed by the Prophet of controlling one’s anger, including seeking refuge in Allah from Shaytan, doing wudu and changing one’s physical position. How to neutralize … Read more
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, He is the Leader of the Believers, a title given to him by the Companions of the Prophet when he became the second Caliph. When Abu Bakr was in his death bed, he asked some of his advisors among the companions to choose a new Caliph to succeed him. When they urged … Read more
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, Islam is the way of life prescribed by Allah, the creator of nature. It logically follows that Islam is the most environmentally friendly way of life. Let us look at some aspects of this line of thought. Taking care of nature Allah Azza wa Jall has made this universe in the most … Read more
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, Depression is one of the major illnesses affecting us today. It is one of the main causes of death, from suicide. Alhamdulillah, there are several well-researched ways of dealing with it, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, and SSRI antidepressants. But perhaps the easiest and most effective solution is dua. Since it gets … Read more
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim Among the most ascetic and bravest of the Companions of the Prophet s.a.w.s. was a man called Abu Dharr al Ghifari. The story of his conversion to Islam is really amazing, and in one sense amusing. His tribe, al Ghifar, were a group of bandits. They would attack any caravans that would … Read more
Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim, When we hear the words Iman, Ihsan, Islam or Ikhlas, we think of a man with a long beard praying Qiyamul Layl. But in fact our deen is not just about prayers and fasting, it encompasses every imaginable aspect of life on this Earth. This is clear from the following hadith of … Read more
Caution and Remembrance Imam ibn al Jauzi rahimahullah explains this beautifully with an example which I’ll quote briefly here: The heart is like a fort. The angels frequent the fort. Next to the fort are places of desires, where the devils come and go as they wish. The walls of the fort prevent the shayateen … Read more
Many years ago while teaching Quran in my spare time, I was asked by my elder brother to prepare a list of commonly occurring words in the Quran. In about a year, that list grew from a few words to almost 500 words that occur in the Quran 63,000 times which is 80.7% of Quranic … Read more