Entries from January 2010
“Imam al-Ghazzali in his book “al-Arba’in fi Usul al-Deen” has enumerated ten forms which worship can take:
1. Prayers.
2. Prescribed Alms-giving.
3. Fasting.
4. Haji or pilgrimage to Makkah.
5. Reciting the Holy Qur’an.
6. Remembrance of Allah in all possible situations.
7. Earning one’s livelihood in accordance with the regulations of the Shari’ah
8. Fulfilling one’s obligations towards one’s companions and [...]
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Tags:al-Arba'in·al-Ghazzali·ibadah·worship
Tags:andalusian arts·calendar·longing for the divine·monthly donor campaign
Should Muslims be concerned about Haiti?
by Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown
(The National, Abu Dhabi)
Shaykh Jihad Hashim Brown is director of research at the Tabah Foundation. He delivers the Friday sermon at the Maryam bint Sultan Mosque in Abu Dhabi
Eleven-year-old Anna St Louis was going to be a lawyer. For three days she lay trapped beneath the rubble [...]
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Tags:Abu Dhabi·compassion·Haiti·Jihad Brown·prophet·service·sunnah·The National
The following excerpt is from the book “Islamic Manners” by Shaykh Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah (may Allah shower His mercy upon him). Although the book is short and concise, one can nonetheless acquire very deep meanings by reflecting upon its structure and themes. It is unlike other works of adab (etiquette) which often go into [...]
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Tags:Abdul Fattah Abu Ghuddah·Abu Ghudda·activism·adab·appointments·cancellations·delays·etiquette·good habits·manners·productivity·time management·workplace
Being Muslim - “Welcome to the Reading Room”
This following excerpt is from the forthcoming book “Being Muslim”. It is suitable for those who are simply curious about Islam, newly practicing, or lifelong Muslims who would like a refresher. It assumes no background knowledge in Islam and systematically covers some of the most essentials aspects needed to begin [...]
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Tags:Asad Tarsin·Being Muslim·Gabriel·hadeeth·hadith·ihsan·iman·Islam·Jibril
Malik ibn Dinar
He was a companion of Hasan of Basra. Dinar was a slave, and Malik was born before his father’s emancipation. His conversion began as follows. One evening he had been enjoying himself with a party of friends. When they were all asleep a voice came from a lute which they had been playing: [...]
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Tags:biography·Malik ibn Dinar
Justice and Its Relationship to Knowledge
By Sayyid Naquib al-Attas
The modern era has witnessed three significant developments that have created unprecedented challenges to the Muslim community: (1) public education, mass media, and mass literacy, (2) the disintegration of Islamic polities, and (3) the formation of learning institutes based on Western concepts, values, and processes. The first [...]
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Tags:Allah·covenant·hikmah·Islam·justice·Knowledge·Naquib al-Attas·secularism·wisdom
“The Surah [Fatihah] begins with the words Al-hamdulillah, signifying that all praise essentially belongs to Allah. Whosoever praises anything anywhere in the world is ultimately praising Allah.
[Everything Indicates Towards Allah]
The sensible world contains millions of things which compel man’s attention and admiration for their beauty and usefulness, but if one tries to look behind the [...]
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Tags:alhamdulillah·Allah·God·hamd·ma'ariful quran·Mufti Shafi Usmani·oneness·praise·tawheed·tawhid
Al-Muhaymin means “an overpowering authority”. Think a parent who sets rules for the child’s best interest. Recall, of course, that Allah is absolutely dissimilar from His creation and yet He Sees and Hears everything. One facet of Allah’s overpowering authority is that He controls the various trusts a human being has been given.
One of the greatest [...]
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Tags:99 names of Allah·al-Muhaymin·asma al-husna·Ibraheem Shakfeh
RAISING CHILDREN WITH DEEN AND DUNYA
by Hina Khan-Mukhtar
I still vividly remember the first night I spent by myself in the hospital after delivering my eldest son Shaan. The guests were gone for the day, the hallway lights were dimmed, the nurses were speaking outside my room in muted tones.
“Knock, knock!” came a cheerful voice [...]
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Tags:children·family·Hina Mukhtar·nurture·parenting·righteous