Articles & Blog
Writings on jurisprudence, thought, and da'wah
461 articles — page 13 of 20
461 articles — page 13 of 20
Wisdoms & Insights
155 articlesQur'anic, educational reflections carrying the verse to the heart.
‹Until the Messenger Said›: The Price of Paradise Is a Recurring Trial
The speaker explained ﴿حتى يقول الرسول﴾ ("until the Messenger says") as meaning that trial is a recurring law, like a match replayed, and that «مستهم» ("touched them") and «زُلزلوا» ("they were shaken") describe inner clinging and collapse. He then linked it to the verse on spending and to the transaction of ﴿إن الله اشترى﴾ ("Indeed, Allah has purchased"): no Paradise without sacrifice, and sacrifice includes mind, heart, body, and wealth.
‹Among the People Are Those Who Take Rivals Besides Allah›
The speaker distinguished between one deceived by the world and one who worshipped it, making it a rival to Allah, then compared the address ﴿يا أيها الناس﴾ ("O people") with ﴿يا أيها الذين آمنوا﴾ ("O you who believe") in the verses on eating. He showed that the good (ṭayyib) is higher than the lawful, that gratitude is a condition for realizing servitude, and that scrupulousness (wara') forbids selling a lawful thing known to be harmful.
Faith Between Claim and Commitment
A khutbah distinguishing the claim of faith from its commitment, presenting the Meccan stage as a formation in faith, and calling for faith to run through dealings, home and work, linking acts of worship to training in commitment.
‹This Is Our Gift›: The Blessing of Faith and the Qur'an
A pause at ﴿هَٰذَا عَطَاؤُنَا﴾ ("This is Our gift") and ﴿لَرِزْقُنَا مَا لَهُ مِنْ نَفَادٍ﴾ ("Indeed, it is Our provision; it has no depletion"): looking at the blessing of faith, the Qur'an, and a living conscience, not at numbers alone.
Address People According to Their Minds and Souls
A continuation of the discussion on dealing with people: «خاطبوا الناس على قدر عقولهم ونفوسهم» ("Address people according to their minds and souls"), patience with people is worship, gentle forbearance is like a hot morsel, and the mindset of the policeman, the judge, and the doctor.
Doing Good for Allah's Sake: What Kind of Striving Is It?
What is the striving meant at the end of the verses of al-ʿAnkabūt? A reflection on ingratitude, on gently handling people, on the verse ending with «المحسنين» ("the doers of good"), and on not expecting thanks from people.
We Remember People's Merit After Losing Them, and We Fix Our Gaze on Paradise
A reflection on avenging oneself, on how we do not know one another's worth until after loss, and on ordering priorities for one who has Paradise in sight.
Pleasing People Is a Goal That Cannot Be Reached
A reflection on rancor in hearts and denial of kindness, on why people's pleasure cannot be attained, and a counsel to act for Allah, who is aware of the heart.
Patience Without Reckoning: Night Devotion, Seeking Knowledge and Living with People
The patience meant in the verse of al-Zumar is not night prayer nor seeking knowledge alone, but settling the soul upon one's circumstance and upon people. And since the reward is without reckoning, patience is without reckoning.
The Parable of Worldly Life: Water from the Sky, of Which You Own Nothing
The parable of water sent down from the sky shows that man owns nothing of water or wealth. In the story of the owner of the two gardens and of Yūnus, peace be upon him, is a reminder that guidance is in Allah's hand.
Seeking the Face of His Lord, the Most High: Where Does All This Striving Go?
A question about the aim of all striving: the Face of Allah, the self, or people? Illustrated by "the slave of the dinar" and by Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him.
Guidance to Obedience Is a Granting of Success from Allah: Do Not Rely on Your Alarm
Guidance to the Fajr prayer and to all acts of obedience is success granted by Allah (tawfīq); neither an alarm nor ability can replace it, and means are not to be neglected.
And Keep Yourself Patiently with Those Who Call upon Their Lord Morning and Evening
On the distress of the caller at people's constancy in their state and the increase of evil, Allah's direction to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, to be patient with the few who remember Him, and the image of the small boat that survives when the great ship sinks.
Drawing Feeling from Words in the Opening of the Prayer
An explanation of the meanings of «الحمد لله كثيرًا» ("Praise be to Allah abundantly") and «سبحان الله بكرةً وأصيلًا» ("Glory be to Allah morning and evening") in the opening supplication of prayer, and how feelings are drawn from repeated words. Contentment with creation and decree, and glorification that includes Allah's giving to all His creation.
Then Let Them Complete Their Rites
Starting from the rare Qur'anic word al-tafath in Surat al-Hajj, the khutbah reads the pilgrim's cleansing as a break between a past life and a new one, then turns to raising a generation that carries Islam forward.
The First Ten Days: Provision for Seekers of the Lord's Pleasure
The first ten days of Dhū al-Ḥijjah are numbered, known days in which the angels await what people do; their provision is turning back to Allah, seeking forgiveness, and takbīr. Takbīr is a slogan that fills the heart with the sense that Allah is above all things, so the believer dares to face challenge.
Faith First: Īmān as the Foundation of Everything
Why Allah begins with īmān before any instruction: faith as the foundation of civilisational pillars and personal habits, what the community fears, and how to increase īmān, beginning at home.
And He Has Not Attempted the Steep Path
From Sūrat al-Balad: the steep path of the Hereafter is crossed only by freeing a neck and feeding the needy, and how neglecting spending on those in need becomes a mark of the disbelievers and a flaw in the unity of the community.
Our First Steps Toward Ramadan: Preparing from Shaʿbān
The lecturer asks the room what Ramadan is for, then gives the first steps of preparation: repentance, recognising others' rights over us, and what the Prophet did in Shaʿbān.
Where We Die, and Who Will Bear Witness for Us or Against Us
A short Isha khatira on not knowing where we will die, on places as witnesses on the Day of Judgment, and on spouses as the first witnesses to our true character.
The Wonder of Death: Permanence, the Final Outcome, Paradise and Hell
A Fajr reflection on the wonder of death and its news in the morning, questions of remaining and of one's end, and a reminder of Paradise and the Fire, with the models of Pharaoh, Qārūn, and Hāmān against the prophets and the righteous.
Moral Education Through the Prophetic Biography - The Prophet's ﷺ First Sermon in Medina
The Prophet's ﷺ first sermon in Medina moves from planning for tomorrow and vigilance in every moment, to considering the consequences of deeds, to the question of the real product: what have you sent ahead? Then half a date and the good word when money is scarce.
The False Concept of Limited Responsibility
The first false concept: limited responsibility. The vicegerent is responsible for all that comes before him, from a paper on a desk to a harm on the road, with Abraham and the Prophet ﷺ as models.
The Ten Nights and What You Know of Them
What the Prophet ﷺ did in the last ten nights: reviving the night, tightening the waist-wrapper, waking the family, spiritual retreat and generosity, and how to apply this at home during the pandemic.