Archive for the ‘Islamic Studies’ category
Small Steps to Satan
Lecture by Suhaib Webb | Transcribed by Fuseina Mohamad Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV| Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV Minor Sins The fourth attack of Shaytan (Satan) is to get us to commit minor sins. Here you [...]
Review of Gomaa’s Responding from the Tradition
Review of Responding from the Tradition: One Hundred Contemporary Fatwas by the Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Ali Gomaa (Louisville, KY: Fons Vitae, 2011) Rarely is the English language graced with a major contemporary scholar engaging a range of current concerns. Hence this work will be eagerly received in many quarters of the English-speaking world. [...]
Reasons of Revelation
Qur’anic Reflection Series: Part I | Part II | Part III We have been looking at the way the reasons of revelation can aid us in developing a sound understanding of the Qur’an. Here we look at this issue with much more depth. Imam ash-Shatibi radi allahu `anhu (may God be pleased with him) states in al-Muwafaqat: “Knowledge [...]
The Blame Game
By Othman Mohammad I attended a lecture one Saturday night at a local mosque where the speaker discussed the topic of “envy” (hasad). He went over the verses from Surat al-Falaq (Qur’an 113) that address the topic, using them as evidence that al-ayn (the evil eye) and the interference of jinn are evils that we [...]
Is Breathable Nail Polish Sufficient for Wuḍū’?
WebbStaff Note: Comments have been closed on this post. We encourage positive and fruitful discussions, which we feel has already taken place in the comments of this article. One of the most common questions asked by Muslim sisters is whether or not they are allowed to wear nail polish. The frequent query about whether nail [...]
The Winter of My Heart
By Iman Badawi The believer may also find hardness in the heart, but it is the hardness of ice, not rock. The causes for this hardness are many and we must all be vigilant about their appearance. Among them are: Preferring this dunya (life) over the Hereafter and becoming deluded by worldly pursuits. The love [...]
Developing Awareness of Allah
By Abida Aura Mustafa In our journey through this dunya (world), as human beings we are all susceptible to sinning. However, we cannot guiltlessly justify the transgressions against our souls through shameful disobedience to Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala (exalted is He) by blaming it all on our state of forgetfulness. We need to realize [...]
Why We Plead “Guide Us To The Straight Path”
Muslims plead to be guided to the straight path at least seventeen times a day due to the obligation of reciting surat al-Fatiha (Qur’an 1) in salah (the 5 daily prayers). How many of us have reflected on the nature of this guidance and the path that we are supposed to be upon? ‘Guide us’ [...]
Stairway to Heaven
By Farah Abduz-Zahir Rhythms primordial soothing, inspiring, connecting to some hidden electron’s orbit. In some inner recess synapses dance Listening. Smile plays on lips Heart alight chest heaves and inhales blessed blessed air made fragrant with the sounds of this recitation suspended in sound waves that permeate every alveolar crevice giving life suffuses into blood [...]
The Overlooked Struggle
It’s happened to many of us. We come across a friend or relative—someone we would consider fairly religious—engaging in behavior that seems shocking or out of character. You meet them on the street one day and see them dressed in a way you never would have imagined, when they were once proud to be physically [...]
On Inherent and Acquired Qualities in Da`wah
By Othman Mohammad A member of our youth group at the local masjid posed this important question to me: “Some people are born with greater talent in persuasion, more influence, and greater ability to motivate others. These individuals have the privilege to do certain things which others cannot and can acquire good deeds which without their [...]
When Islamic Principles and Leadership Part Ways
By Ali Shareef The recent upheaval in the Middle East has resulted in the fall of ruthless dictators, toppling them like dominoes. It began in Tunisia and shook the land of the pyramids. At least briefly, justice—the elusive flower—bloomed in the “Arab Spring” on the banks of the Nile. A highlight of this upheaval was [...]
Satan’s Seven Strategies
Lecture by Suhaib Webb | Transcribed by Fuseina Mohamad Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV| Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII Last time we talked about the protection that Surat Al-Faatiha provides us from Shaytan (Satan). We also discussed the [...]
The Power of Remembrance
There is a feeling that comes to the heart, a feeling of unrest. No matter what is done that feeling of unrest doesn’t leave. Sometimes we try and numb it with entertainment or by distracting ourselves, but again it returns. And it is after this constant return of this feeling of unrest that we may [...]
Top 5 Reasons for Hijabophobia
For Muslims and non-Muslims alike, there’s a new fear out there, and I call it “Hijabophobia.” This irrational fear has crept into the subconscious of the unsuspecting all over the world. What is the cause of such ill feelings against a simple piece of cloth? Below is an attempt to understand this phenomenon. The Most [...]
The Transformative Power of Recitation
Qur’anic Reflection Series: Part I | Part II | Part III Reflection Upon The Power and Change Effected by Qur’anic Recital: Readings in the Muhammadan Revelation by Imam Muhammad Rashid Rida (r) (d. 1935) & Authority of the Qur’an by Dr. Taha Jabir al-Alwani (h) In Muhammadan Revelation, Shaikh Muhammad Rashid Rida speaks of the [...]
Hajj in the Bible
A cursory analysis into the word “Hajj” as found in the Old Testament. When many Jews and Christians view Islam from the outside, they find parallels to their own faiths that usually inspire a great deal of curiosity. These parallels are often doctrinal, sometimes regarding the biographies of Prophets shared between the three Abrahamic faiths [...]
Do I Have to Perform the Friday Prayer if Eid is on Friday?
Originally posted in September 2010. I begin in the name of Allah, the most kind and merciful: Summarized Answer Scholars, past and present, have differed over this issue, so it should not be turned into a matter of dispute. It appears to me that Muslims should pray both the ʿĪd and Friday prayer. However, whoever [...]
Cutting Nails and Hair in Dhul Hijjah
Am I allowed to cut my nails and hair during the first ten days of the month of Dhul Ḥijjah? I begin in the name of Allah, the most kind and merciful: Summarized Answer Scholars, past and present, have differed over this issue, so it should not be turned into a matter of dispute. It [...]
Hajj: A Submission to God
By Noha Alshugairi I still remember myself as a young child of 6 moving from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia, struggling with a new country, language, and school. My first spoken language was the English of Nigeria; a mix of British English with an accent of the local dialect. My Arabic at the time was limited [...]
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