Articles & Blog
Writings on jurisprudence, thought, and da'wah
461 articles — page 3 of 20
461 articles — page 3 of 20
Objective-Based Tafsīr
61 articlesA series on reading the Qur'an in light of its higher objectives.
‹Allah Is the Ally of Those Who Believe›: Allah's Guardianship over the Believers
Allah's guardianship (walāyah) of the believers in the verse of al-Baqarah, and linking the three models (Ibrāhīm's disputation, the one who passed by the village, the request for reassurance) with spending and Āyat al-Kursī. It concludes that the believer seeks greater certainty, including through night prayer.
Reflections on the Recited Quarter of Sūrat al-Baqarah
Pauses with the Fajr quarter of Surat al-Baqarah: causes, rebellion against blessing and raising children, and choosing with the mind and the heart. Then the covenant and the raising of the mountain, the story of the cow, and the limit of courtesy toward the people of disobedience.
The Trials of Ibrāhīm, Peace Be Upon Him, and the Fulfilling of the Words: Leadership Is an Obligation to Be Fulfilled
A pause at the saying of the Exalted «وإذ ابتلى إبراهيم ربه بكلمات» ("And when his Lord tried Ibrāhīm with words"): trial is a law of life, leadership (imāmah) is attained by completing the charge, and Ibrāhīm's concern for his offspring, his house, and its security. Then reflection on his supplications and the close of the story: acceptance and perfection, generations, discord and guidance, and return to the creed of Ibrāhīm.
The Provision That Bursts Forth and the Story of the Cow: Pauses with the Children of Israel in Sūrat al-Baqarah
Pauses with Surat al-Baqarah (60–74): provision that gushes forth and is not deemed slow in coming, using blessing in gratitude not in ingratitude, and that Allah may drive His servants to obedience through trial. Then the story of the cow: trust and mockery, that whoever makes things hard, Allah makes them hard for him, and that the first aim of da'wah is hearts.
Khatira [ Guidance from Sūrat al-Fātiḥah ]
From the guidance of Surat al-Fātiḥah: praise and lordship, the difference between al-Raḥmān and al-Raḥīm, the effect of keeping both names in mind on tranquility, then Master of the Day of Judgment and seeking help in guidance. The reflection ends with the speaker's supplication.
Laylat al-Qadr: Why Allah Concealed Its Date and What Descends Upon Hearts
Why did Allah conceal the date of Laylat al-Qadr? A reflection on the purpose of worship, which is growth and purification, and on Surat al-Qadr, the descent of the angels and the Spirit, and its peace. The heart is a vessel that must be purified to receive Allah's giving on this night.
The Qur'anic Dialogue with Non-Muslims
How does the Qur'an address non-Muslims? From Surat al-Qalam's comment on the story of the owners of the garden to its logical questions to dissenters: a binding argument, and fairness that reaches the level of grace (faḍl). And teaching the Muslim to argue in the best way, both in initiating and in replying.
Khatira [ Ranking Among the Messengers ]
Preference among the messengers detracts from none of them: distinction in particulars with equality in rank, and what relates to it of the affliction of disagreement after clear proofs and the standing of spending.
Guideposts of Guidance in Sūrat al-Ḥujurāt
In Surat al-Ḥujurāt are guideposts of guidance addressing society, not individuals alone, the first being that nothing be put before the command of Allah and His Messenger. The speaker shows, with examples from congregational prayer, truthfulness, and the heart's scale, how society is set upright.
Reflections on Sūrat al-Aʿlā
Pauses with Surat al-Aʿlā after Surat al-Ṭāriq: from the greatness of the cosmos to the believer's mission of glorification and reminding. And a note on purifying the self before judging people.
Trial and Movement: Between the Verse of Trial and the Verse of Ṣafā and Marwa
He asks about the link between the verse of trial in al-Baqarah and the verse of Ṣafā and Marwah that follows it, and answers that the believer has no time to weep over ruins; calamities are obstacles on the road that he crosses with patience and prayer, then moves at once. He pauses at Hājar and Ismāʿīl as a model of movement and production, and concludes that earlier trials should not stop us from new work.
Sūrat al-Naṣr and Its Requirements: After Victory and Conquest
A reflection on Surat al-Naṣr: the end of the Prophet's personal presence, peace and blessings be upon him, after completion of the message while the method remains, and the meaning of the command to glorify after victory. Then the limits of responsibility in conveying the message and forms of practical glorification.
Pauses with Sūrat al-Masad: Recompense Matches the Deed
Educational and da'wah pauses with Surat al-Masad: recompense matches the deed, wealth falls before Allah's decree, the law of mutual repulsion (sunnat al-tadāfuʿ), and the wife's influence on uprightness. It comes after the last three surahs, with their declaration of Allah's transcendence and seeking refuge in Him.
Qur'an & Civilization
50 articlesA structural reading of the laws of nations' rise and fall in the Qur'an.
The Qur'an and Civilization
The Qur'an and the Foundations of Civilization
Sūrat al-Kahf is not merely a chapter recited on Fridays in pursuit of blessing — it is a complete blueprint for the pillars of human civilization: the righteous human, rightly stewarded wealth, continuous knowledge, and just leadership. A fresh reading in the Kahf lexicon and the Qur'anic prophets of civilization.
Sūrat Yūsuf and the Curve of Civilizational Ascent
The eleven stars bowed to Yūsuf in his dream long before his brothers bowed before his throne. The curve of ascent is born in vision before it manifests in event. Episode Two of the 'Qur'an and Civilization' series extracts from Sūrat Yūsuf four pillars of ascent (chastity, knowledge, foresight, ambition), diagnoses three crises of the Muslim community in the West, and proposes the model of 'sowing in the land of diaspora' — the four centuries that lay between Yūsuf and Mūsā.
The Hoopoe's Wing and the Flood of al-ʿArim — The Law of Rise and Fall in the Qur'an
In the same Arabian land, two civilizations arose: Sulaymān's expanding and exploring, and Sabaʾ's withdrawing and scattering. Episode Three of the 'Qur'an and Civilization' series extracts from Sūrat al-Naml and Sūrat Sabaʾ three organizational pillars (distribution of roles, exploration, technology transfer), and presents the dialectic of the Sulaymanic vs. the Sabaʾi mosque in the West today.
The Sunan of Civilization in the Qur'an — Six Laws That Govern the Rise and Fall of Nations
After three episodes on al-Kahf, Yūsuf, and Sulaymān, this episode extracts six divine sunan governing the rise and fall of nations: succession, self-change, trial, alternation, pressing-back, and reform of the earth. Each is drawn from a binding verse and corroborated by what we have seen in the three sūras. A synthesizing pause, not a closing — preparing the ground for further sūras to come.
The Isrāʾ Before the Miʿrāj — The Constitutional Sūra and the Civic State Model
Why did the Qur'an name the sūra after the horizontal movement (Isrāʾ) rather than the vertical movement (Miʿrāj)? Because the Truth names with what humans can imitate. Episode Five of the 'Qur'an and Civilization' series extracts from Sūrat al-Isrāʾ — at the center of the muṣḥaf — the constitutional articles of the civic state, three models of civilizational movement (the Burāq, the Ark, the Staff), and diagnoses the pressures of compromise and expulsion, exposing the logic of impossible-demands in dominant societies.
The Philosophy of Displacement in the Noble Qur'an
Among the most significant civilizational scenes at which the Qur'an pauses us is the scene of the forced displacement of reformers. This sixth episode of the "Qur'an and Civilization" series extracts from five Qur'anic models (Shu'ayb, Lot, Muhammad ﷺ, Pharaoh, al-Isrāʾ) seven fixed laws in the philosophy of expulsion, diagnoses the psychological architecture of tyrannical power, the signs of its grip slipping, and three laws of deliverance. A foundational reading that moves the Muslim in exile from the position of emotional reaction to the position of jurisprudential reflection.
The Island of the Qur'an
On our planet there are countless islands — but in essence only two: an island crossed by permission from the heavens where the human recovers his dignity, and an island sneaked into to hide one's shame. This seventh episode of 'The Qur'an and Civilization' extracts from the bāʾ of 'In the name of God' the law of permission for entering the island of revelation, reads the Qur'an's opening with 'Read' before 'Believe' as a law of human protection from failure, diagnoses that the world's crisis is not technological but a crisis of moral emptiness, and presents Ramadan as a revolution against inner chaos and a training in self-sovereignty.
Calls to Faith in Surat al-Ma'idah: Seeking the Means and Repentance
A pause at the Ma'idah call to seek the means to God and the surrounding calls of the surah, the question of righteous deeds in al-Furqan, and a warning against treating repentance as a license.
Educational Objectives in Qur’anic Stories: Speech Worth Having
The lecturer explains the three kinds of speech that carry benefit, the occasion behind the verse, and why we should do what we ask of others, speak well to people, and care for the orphan and the needy.
Between the Kingdom of Solomon and the Arrogance of Pharaoh
تأمل في الجمع بين خاتمة سورة النمل ومطلع القصص: مملكة سليمان القائمة على القانون والعدل والمواطنة الفاعلة، في مقابل علوّ فرعون وتقسيمه أهل الأرض شيعًا، ثم اختلاف العاقبتين.
Educational Objectives in Qur’anic Stories: Taqwā and Justice in al-Nisāʾ
The lecture places Sūrat al-Nisāʾ among the sūrahs, lists its nine calls to the believers, asks what taqwā means, and follows how fear of Allah shapes the sūrah's teachings point by point.