Articles & Blog
Writings on jurisprudence, thought, and da'wah
461 articles — page 10 of 20
461 articles — page 10 of 20
Wisdoms & Insights
155 articlesQur'anic, educational reflections carrying the verse to the heart.
In the Company of the Companions
Companions of the Prophet shared one school yet differed in temperament: Abū Bakr, Abū Ayyūb, Abū Dharr, Abū Hurayrah and others. Each had a gift, and harmony matters before talent.
The Caller's Priorities and a Life Not to Be Gambled On
The lecture pauses at the opening of Surah Abasa and the caller's priorities in attending to people, then at the brevity of life, death and what follows, closing with a prayer about wasted time.
The Spider's House: Every Attachment to Other Than Allah Is a Flimsy Thread
The verse of the spider's house and people's attachment to positions, wealth, and persons; taking means is not the same as relying on them; and the end is "every soul will taste death." It ends with a supplication for steadfast faith and a sense of being watched by Allah.
Calls to Faith in the Qur’an: Remembering What Allah Spared Us
On the fifth call to the believers: we count what we hold but forget what Allah kept away from us. Trials, unseen protection and contentment with what was not given.
Closeness to Allah Through Obligations and Good Character
Closeness to Allah comes first through the obligations, including obligations outside the five pillars such as honoring parents, then through character and conduct. Talents and voluntary deeds differ among people.
Be Put to Use Before You Are Replaced
A pause at the warning that closes Surat Muhammad, "If you turn away, He will replace you with another people," its place between al-Ahqaf and al-Fath, and the question each of us must ask about his task in this religion and the spending by which he proves his presence.
The Might and Mercy of Allah, and the Logic of ‹Shall We Feed One Whom Allah Could Have Fed?›
A khatira on the might and mercy of Allah, and the logic of "Shall we feed one whom, if Allah willed, He would feed?" that seeps into our dealings with the poor, and on the duty of brotherhood and support.
Calls to Faith in the Qur’an: Wuḍūʾ as Preparation and Covenant
The third call to the believers asks for wuḍūʾ before prayer. The lecture reads it as preparation, humility and being clear of mind, and ties it to the covenant between servant and Allah.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam: ‹Indeed, Allah Has Prescribed Excellence in Everything›
The hadith "Allah has prescribed excellence (ihsan) in everything" from Jami' al-'Ulum wa-l-Hikam: excellence even in killing and slaughtering, in obligations, prohibitions, permissibles, and what lies within one's power, and in removing harm from the road.
What Kind of Dhikr Do We Want to Practice in Our Lives?
What remembrance makes a person fall down in prostration? A remembrance that springs from the heart and echoes on the tongue, and a call to remember Allah in deeds and situations, night and day.
Sūrat al-Nūr and the Protection of Honor: The Word That Brings Down a Society
A pause at the verse "Indeed, those who like for immorality to spread" and a clarification that the word that publicizes shame demolishes society, and the surah's method of silencing rumors through the stance of Abu Ayyub.
Trials Are a Sign of Connection, Not of Severance
A Fajr khatira that challenges are a sign of connection with Allah and that life is never free of tests, ending with the condition of obligation: reason, capacity, and resolve.
The Cave of Freedom
A reading of Surat al-Kahf that makes fear the root of the four shackles of power, wealth, knowledge and strength, and calls the Muslim to free his heart from the fear of poverty and of media pressure, certain that provision is in Allah's hand.
Joining Lawful Eating with Gratitude for Blessings
From the pairing of "Eat of what Allah has provided you, lawful and good" with "and be grateful for the favor of Allah": whoever seeks the lawful senses Allah's enabling of him, while the opposite is the arrogance of Pharaoh and the conceit of Qarun. Ingratitude for blessings breeds greed, then seeking means and falling into doubtful matters.
Pardon Is the Way of the Lord of Might, Between Plotting and Seizing
From a recitation of "Do those who plot evil deeds feel secure that Allah will not cause the earth to swallow them?": the conceit of self-reliant power breeds arrogance and tyranny, while the believers, when they err, seek pardon. The conclusion is that we are in the hands of Allah's mercy, which is gentle with the weak who seek forgiveness and turn back to Him.
Allah's Treasuries and the Heart Hung on Numbers
On the verse "And there is nothing but that with Us are its depositories," a khatira on provision as a test of faith, a warning against attaching the heart to numbers, and a counsel to work for the One in the heavens.
From Vicegerency to Leadership: The Trials of Abraham
From vicegerency to Abraham's leadership: milestones in his trials and the general divine way of testing, with reflection on inheritance and the list of prophets.
'Ghāfir' and the Bearers of the Throne
A khatira on the name "Ghafir" and its link to a father's mercy and discipline, the conditions of forgiveness, the state of the disputing disbelievers, and the supplication of the bearers of the Throne for the believers.
Those of Understanding: Who Listen Well and Follow the Best of It
From Sūrat al-Zumar: those of understanding who listen to speech and follow the best of it, how a passing thought can be a prescription from Allah, and how humble devotion accompanies true knowledge.
Overlooking the Slips of People of Merit
The soul has a strange habit: it sees the black speck on the white robe, and scarcely sees the robe. An essay on how a community should meet the lapses of those of merit — from the scene of Ḥāṭib ibn Abī Baltaʿa, where the Prophet ﷺ shielded him not only from the sword but from character assassination, invoking Badr where disgrace was meant to be invoked, to al-Dhahabī's rule that one whose correctness is abundant is forgiven his slips and whose merits are not discarded — with balances that keep the door from swinging open to every wind: no overlooking of prescribed punishments, nor of the rights of others, nor with persistence in error, nor at the cost of sincere counsel.
Du'a Is the Marrow of Worship
Supplication is the pure speech of the heart, not the repetition of words, and it is the marrow of worship because it joins presence of heart and mind before Allah. Allah teaches us how to supplicate, and His answer may come in blessings we overlook, such as walking to the mosque and remembrance.
Hijrah: Then & Now
Why did Allah give His Prophet thirteen years of hardship in Makkah before Madīnah? A khutbah on the Hijrah as graduation into responsibility, on reading one's position as khalīfah and imām, and on guarding the dignity and conscience we will bring before Allah.
Nothing Is Concealed on the Day of Presentation
A reflection on the difference between "you conceal" and "hidden" in Surat al-Haqqa, and that nothing is hidden from the All-Knowing, All-Aware on the Day of Presentation. It explains the meaning of "I was certain" for the believer and how the pleasant life is pleasing in itself.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam 10: ‹Allah Is Good and Accepts Only What Is Good›
Commentary on the tenth hadith, "Allah is Pure and accepts only what is pure": the meaning of purity (tayyib), the servant's self-scrutiny of his deeds, the difference in address to the messengers and the believers, and the effect of the unlawful on the acceptance of supplication.