Articles & Blog
Writings on jurisprudence, thought, and da'wah
461 articles — page 19 of 20
461 articles — page 19 of 20
Glimmers of Prophetic Light
41 articlesGlimmers from the Prophetic guidance on reform, steadfastness, and perseverance in daʿwah.
'Pleased with Their Striving' in Surat al-Ghashiyah
A reflection on "pleased with their striving" in al-Ghashiya: contentment with the effort, not the result, then the bliss of Paradise and the verses of the camel, the sky, and the mountains, and that the preacher's role is to remind, not to judge consciences.
Leave What Makes You Doubt for What Does Not: The Law Wants to Put Your Soul at Ease
"Leave what makes you doubt for what does not make you doubt" is not a ruling on wealth alone but a mercy to the believer's soul: the Law wants to free you from psychological exhaustion, in money and in people.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam 9: ‹What I Have Forbidden You, Avoid It› and Abandoning Excessive Rigor
A reading of the ninth hadith of the Forty: why the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) paired leaving excessive questioning with the command to act according to one's capacity, and how overzealousness becomes a door to ruin.
Gentleness First
Scenes of the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) gentleness with people in the prayer times and the rites of Hajj, and how he would choose for them what was easiest for them.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam 8: ‹I Have Been Commanded to Fight the People›
The eighth hadith, "I have been commanded to fight the people": between those who take it as a pretext for killing and those who ignore it, the meaning of "fight" as defending, and placing defense within the paths of da'wa. It is also a call to every Muslim to be a cog in the machinery of da'wa.
Abū Bakr and the Race of Aspirations Toward Paradise
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, as the model of one who hastens to all good deeds, and how high aspiration drives its possessor to give without regard to comfort. A call to look into the aspirations deposited within the self.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam 4: The Ḥadīth of Ibn Masʿūd on the Stages of Creation: Do We Act Because the Decree Preceded, or Did the Decree Precede Because We Act?
The hadith of Ibn Mas'ud on the stages of creation and the four words, and understanding "written for you" rather than "written against you": the Book is a mirror of Allah's knowledge, not compulsion. It distinguishes between action that springs from the self and its faith and action that is a reaction and a show, through the story of the fighter who showed off and the one who threw away the dates.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam 3: Islam as a Building That Shelters Its Owner
An explanation of the hadith "Islam is built upon five": Islam is a shelter for the mind and soul, the significance of "His servant and Messenger," and servitude as closeness, not only commands and prohibitions. Then the one who abandons prayer and the limits of judging people, fitra and the effect of the parents, and prayer, fasting, and the complementarity of the pillars.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam 2: The Ḥadīth of Jibrīl on Islam, Īmān and Iḥsān
A pause at the hadith of Jibril from the Forty of al-Nawawi: the significance of "appeared before us" and the placing of the knees, and the two testimonies as the signing of the contract of servitude. Then faith as conviction and attraction, and ihsan as certainty of Allah's watching until it is as though you see Him.
Jāmiʿ al-ʿUlūm wa'l-Ḥikam 1: Intention as the Factory of Awareness and of Grasping Outcomes
The first khatira of the series "Jami' al-'Ulum wa al-Hikam" by Ibn Rajab, on the hadith "Actions are only by intentions." Dr. Ahmed Abou Seif explains that intention is the stage of reasoning and cognitive awareness (perception, desire, will, execution), and that it is the factory of awareness and the jurisprudence of consequences.
The Day of the Prize and Ramadan as Training for the Whole Year
Eid as the day of the prize, given by Allah to those who fasted for His sake, and Ramadan understood as a training period before the year's real responsibilities.
The Chapter on Repentance in Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn: Why It Follows Sincerity
An explanation of the chapter on repentance in Riyad al-Salihin and why it follows sincerity. Repentance has three stages, its Qur'anic address is addressed to the whole society, and the Prophet's (peace and blessings be upon him) seeking of forgiveness teaches that no one is above the possibility of error.
Neglecting the Qur'an Is Allah's Neglect of the Servant
A pause at the saying: a servant's neglect of the Qur'an is among the signs of Allah's neglect of him, and a reflection that the Qur'an is guidance, mercy, light, healing, and the path to nearness. Then a recitation of verses from al-Muzzammil with no apparent explanation in the transcript.
The Saver's Mindset and the Ḥadīth of the Bankrupt
From Surat al-Takwīr, ﴿عَلِمَتْ نَفْسٌ مَّا أَحْضَرَتْ﴾ ("Each soul will know what it has brought"), the Shaykh moves to the mindset of the saver who neglects nothing small, and makes the hadith of the bankrupt a measure: a servant may come with prayer, fasting, zakat, and hajj, then lose his good deeds through an insult and a small transgression.
The Prophet's ﷺ Supplication for the Deceased
A pause with the Prophet's supplication, peace and blessings be upon him, for the deceased in the funeral prayer, the Companion's wish to be the one prayed for, and that his words, peace and blessings be upon him, issued from a soul attached to Allah.
The Supplication for Need and the Supplication of Istikhāra
The supplication of the prayer of need from the hadith of Ibn Abī Awfā, and the supplication of istikhārah from the hadith of Jābir, with an explanation of the meaning of being turned away from a matter.
Not Every Supplicant Is Answered, and Not Everyone Who Complains Is Afflicted
Not every caller is answered; it depends on the caller's certainty and soul, and the answer may be delayed for further trial that Allah loves for His servant. And not every complainant is truly afflicted, for some pains are imagined, and their cure is supplication.
Is Supplication One of the Ordinary Means?
A continuation of the art of remembrance and the secrets of prophetic supplication, under the title «هل الدعاء من الأسباب العادية؟» ("Is supplication an ordinary means?"), with evidence from the supplication of Nūḥ, peace be upon him, and the Prophet's guidance, peace and blessings be upon him, in ruqyah and at sleep.
The Prophet's ﷺ Supplications in Travel and in Distress
The Prophet's supplications, peace and blessings be upon him, when traveling, returning, and in calamities, fright, and sleeplessness: supplications that train the heart to see Allah behind every state. And reflections on istirjāʿ and on «يا حيّ يا قيّوم» ("O Ever-Living, O Sustainer").
The Travel Supplication: Righteousness and Taqwā
Travel counts as worship and an accomplishment in the servant's scale, and in the Prophet's travel supplication are the secrets of righteousness and God-consciousness, of ease, of folding up distance, and of Allah's companionship.
From the Secrets of the Prophetic Supplication: The Prophets Are Human, Their Chests Tighten, and They Turn to Allah
Did the prophets suffer as people suffer? A reflection on Yūsuf and Mūsā, peace be upon them both, and on the tightness of the Prophet's chest, peace and blessings be upon him, and on the secret of mentioning Allah before describing one's state in supplication.
From the Secrets of the Prophetic Supplication: The Battle for Bread and the Prayer for Stepping Out into the World
A reflection explaining the Prophet's supplication, peace and blessings be upon him, on leaving the house and what protects the believer in the battle of livelihood and dealing with people, and the hadith «سبحان الملك القدوس» ("Glory to the King, the Most Holy") and the hadith «إن الله يلوم على العجز» ("Indeed, Allah blames incapacity").
From the Secrets of the Prophetic Supplication: The Battle for Bread and What the Prophet ﷺ Sought Refuge in When Going Out for His Livelihood
Dr. Ahmed addresses "the battle of bread" from the book "The Art of Remembrance and Supplication": what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, seeks refuge from whenever he goes out for his livelihood: slipping, going astray, wronging, and ignorance. He explains each word with examples from the workshop, pricing, and haggling until the dispute escalates to the police.
Khatira [Voluntary Prayers Are the Believer's Provision]
On voluntary worship beyond the obligatory: the hadith «استقيموا ولن تحصوا» ("Be steadfast, though you will not be able to count"), and the benefits of the supererogatory prayer (testing one's assumption about Allah, making up for shortfalls, perfecting the obligatory, filling free time), praying the voluntary prayer at home, and the merit of lengthy standing.