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Writings on jurisprudence, thought, and da'wah
461 articles — page 7 of 20
461 articles — page 7 of 20
Concepts of Faith
86 articlesA study of the major concepts of faith between their meaning in language and revelation and their application in life.
Concepts of Faith
Divine Luṭf in the Qurʾan: Gentle, Hidden Planning
A Qurʾanic study of the divine name al-Laṭīf and Yusuf’s closing words, «my Lord is subtle in what He wills».
Shirk in the Qurʾan: Making a Partner in What Belongs to God Alone
The root sh-r-k occurs 168 times in the Qurʾan, and shirk has a distinct meaning there: setting up a partner in what belongs to God alone. A reading of the Qurʾanic usage, of what the partner is given a share in, and of where tawḥīd stands against it.
Imān in the Qurʾan: A Trust in Which the Heart Finds Rest
Imān in the Qurʾan is drawn from amn, security: a trust in which the soul finds rest and fear departs, not a mere statement on the tongue. A study of the root, the words of the lexicographers, and what enters the heart before it appears in speech and deed.
Hidāya in the Qurʾan: Guidance by Gentleness, and Divine Success Reserved to God
Between ﴿You do not guide whom you love﴾ and ﴿You surely guide to a straight path﴾: how the Qurʾan distinguishes the guidance of direction that messengers and callers possess from the guidance of divine success that God alone grants, and what follows for da‘wa and upbringing.
Ināba in the Qurʾan: A Return with No Direction but God
The root n-w-b occurs eighteen times in the Qurʾan, always in the fourth form: eleven times as anāba and seven as munīb. A reading of what it means to return to God with a single direction, and of how ināba is paired with islām and tawakkul.
Duʿāʾ in the Qurʾan: The Servant Calls and the Lord Answers
Duʿāʾ in the Qurʾan is a call from the servant and an answer from the Lord: ﴿When My servants ask you about Me, I am near﴾. A reading of the term and its Qurʾanic occurrences, and of the manners of intimate address between servant and Lord.
Dhikr in the Qurʾan: A Presence Set Against Forgetting
Dhikr in the Qurʾan widens from the presence of heart and tongue until it becomes a name for revelation itself. A reading of the term, of its opposite — forgetting — and of its principal occurrences.
Hawā in the Qurʾan: When Inclination Is Taken as a God
In the Qurʾan, hawā does not stop at natural inclination; it is taken as a god: ﴿Have you seen him who takes his own desire as his god?﴾ A study of the root and of what the verses set against hawā: truth, knowledge, revelation, and fear of standing before the Lord.
Ghafla in the Qurʾan: A State Lived In Until the Veil Is Lifted
Ghafla in the Qurʾan is a state in which a person lives without seeing it until the veil is lifted. A reading of the term, its Qurʾanic scenes, and what awakens from it.
Īthār in the Qurʾan: Putting Before Yourself What Deserves Precedence
The verb āthara occurs five times in the Qurʾan with one meaning, preferring one thing over another, while the subject and object change: from God preferring Yūsuf, to the Anṣār preferring others over themselves, to those who prefer this world over the next.
Ibtilāʾ in the Qurʾan: A Test by Hardship and by Favour Alike
The root b-l-w occurs thirty-eight times in the Qurʾan, meaning a test by evil and good alike. A reading of the purpose of the test, ﴿which of you is best in deed﴾, of the double sense of balāʾ as trial and favour, and of the testing of Ibrāhīm.
The Qur'an Builds a Mentality of Giving More Than Taking
A reflection on a Quranic surah that builds the mentality of giving more than one takes: trust as the root of dealings, examples from business, work, home and daily manners.
The Story of Sabaʾ: How Turning Away Begins from a Small Point in the Heart
In the story of Saba', the speaker pauses at the word "so they turned away" to show that complete reversal begins with a small shift in heart or mind, then becomes conduct, and that saying "we are able" is a form of self-sufficiency from Allah.
The Christians Who Wept on Hearing the Qur'an
A short recoverable fragment: Qur’an 5:82-83 on the Christians who wept, the Negus, and the prayer “write us among the witnesses.” Most of the transcript is garbled.
The Calls of Faith in the Noble Qur'an: Sūrat al-Māʾida and the Call to Justice
Surat al-Ma'ida and its name, its calls to the believers, the call "Be steadfast in justice" and the difference between qist and 'adl. Then "and fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Aware of what you do."
Supplication Is the Bond That Cannot Be Allowed to Break
A reflection on the verse of al-Furqan "Say: My Lord would not concern Himself with you were it not for your supplication": supplication is the bond that must never be severed, however much error is borne.
Calls of Faith: ‹Do Not Violate the Rites of Allah› in Sūrat al-Māʾida
The call "O you who believe, do not violate the rites of Allah" at the start of Surat al-Ma'ida: the rites, the covenant of servitude, and the postponement of sacred months (nasi'), preventing hatred of an opponent from leading to wronging him, and cooperation in righteousness. From an Isha khatira in the series on the calls of faith.
Glorify the Name of Your Lord, the Most High
On glorifying the Most High: perfect creation, ordaining and guiding (including the speaker's own path away from medicine), and choosing the hereafter over this world.
Wronging Oneself and the Overpowering of Wretchedness: ‹Do Not Place Me Among the Wrongdoing People›
A khatira on the supplication "My Lord, do not place me among the wrongdoing people," the kinds of individual and societal wrongdoing, and its link to the saying of the people of the Fire, "Our wretchedness overcame us."
Dhū al-Qarnayn: The Means We Were Given and the Task Upon Us
A short khatira on the story of Dhu al-Qarnayn in Surat al-Kahf: the means Allah has granted us in these lands, and the question of the mission and the contribution.
The Complementarity of the Beautiful Names at the End of Surat al-Hashr
A reflection on the gathering of fourteen of Allah's Most Beautiful Names at the end of Surat al-Hashr, and why understanding them is granted to those firmly grounded in heart. With examples that one who has not experienced something does not know the meaning of its word, and a presentation of how the Names complement one another.
Calls of Faith: 'Do Not Approach Prayer While Intoxicated' and the Principle of Gradual Legislation
The third call in Surat al-Nisa', "Do not approach prayer while you are intoxicated": the gradual prohibition of wine, the application of the name of faith to one engaged in sin, and whether gradualism applies today. Then linking the three calls to the meaning of trust and protecting society, and the rule "whoever is self-sufficient abstains."
Allah's Promise and Satan's Promise
Allah's promise and Satan's promise.
Calls of Faith: The Last Call of Faith in Surat Āl ʿImrān
The last call of faith in Al Imran, "Be patient, persevere in patience, and remain stationed," and its place in the architecture of the calls: six to the People of the Book and seven to the believers. Al-Baqara is for building and Al Imran for steadfastness, and the Qur'an draws intellectual methodologies for the Ummah, not details of rituals.