Imam Bayhaqi relates that Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (Allah have mercy upon him) said that someone said,
“The description of true servants of Allah is that poverty is their honour; obedience of Allah, their sweetness; love of Allah, their joy; to Allah, their need; piety their provision; with Allah, their dealing; upon Him, their trust; [...]

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Al-Quddus means holy, transcendent above everything.  As such, Allah (Exalted be He) is transcendent.  He is beyond our sight and our hearing, beyond space and time, and beyond any imperfection whatsoever. This is in stark contrast to what we find in this world.  Imam ibn ‘Ata ilah mentions in his Aphorisms that the imperfections of this [...]

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cambridge khutbas etc.: Twlight of the Islamosaurs
As an early Eid present, here’s a talk recorded five years ago by Oxford University ISoc and preserved over on IslamOnline.net. It’s not one for the audio purists unfortunately but we’ve done our best. It’s definitely worth a listen for Sheikh Abdal Hakim’s perceptive and invigorating review [...]

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In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful
According to the vast majority of Islamic scholarship–including the Hanafis, Malikis, and Shafi`is–it remains obligatory to perform the Friday prayers when Eid falls on a Friday. [Nawawi, al-Majmu` Sharh al-Muhadhdhab; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar] The Hanbalis allow skipping the Friday prayer in such circumstances, however. (Thus, one [...]

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A man came to visit Junaid Baghdadi, whose life reflected no change, even after having performed Hajj.
Junaid asked him: “Where are you coming from?”
“Sir, I have returned after performing Hajj of the House of Allah”, was the reply.
“So, have you actually performed Hajj?”
“Yes, Sir, I have performed Hajj “, said the man.
“Did you pledge that [...]

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Fath al-Mawsuli (Allah have mercy on him) said:
Doesn’t a sick person who is deprived of food and drink die?… It is the same with the heart: if it is kept from wisdom and knowledge for three days, it dies….”
Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercy on him) comments:
He has spoken the truth, for the nourishment of the [...]

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Four Keys To Successful Action
Guaranteeing Success by “True” Conditions
By Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
The idea of striving for success is a central theme of both the Qur’an and Prophetic teachings. It is something ultimately sought by every human. But how is success achieved?
Shaykh al-Islam Shabbir Usmani, one of the great Muslim scholars of the 20th century [...]

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Another one of Allah’s names is Al-Malik, the Possessor.  Allah absolutely possesses everything and nothing possesses Him. Acting according to this name entails that we acknowledge that we are Allah’s possession.
As Allah has absolute possession over everything, we must rely on none other than Allah.  After all, if a king sends a servant to perform an [...]

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Faith & Reason: Emotion is not Enough
By Faraz Rabbani
“When those bombs exploded in London, I felt my faith itself rocked,” confessed a friend of mine. Many people find their beliefs shaken by the flow of events, in their own lives or in society. Why? It would appear that most people’s religious commitment is based largely upon [...]

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