Fasting on Muharram 10, known as the Day of ‘Ashura’, expiates for the sins of the past year. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) arrived in Madinah in 622 CE, he found that the Jews there fasted on Muharram 10 and asked them the reason for their fasting on this day. They said,” This is a blessed day. On this day Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemy (in Egypt) and so Prophet Musa [Moses] fasted on this day giving thanks to Allah.”
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said,
“We are closer to Musa than you are.”
He fasted on that day and commanded Muslims to fast on this day. (Al-Bukhari) The following year, Allah commanded the Muslims to fast the month of Ramadan, and the fasting of ‘Ashura’ became optional. It is also reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) intended to fast on the ninth and tenth. Ibn ‘Abbas reported: The Messenger of Allah fasted on the day of ‘Ashura’ and ordered the people to fast on it. The people said, “O Messenger of Allah, it is a day that the Jews and Christians honor.” The Prophet said, “When the following year comes, Allah willing, we shall fast on the ninth.” The death of the Prophet came before the following year. (Muslim and Abu Dawud) For more on ‘Ashura’ and Muharram, please read: The Significance of Fasting the Day of ‘Ashura’ Virtues of the Month of Muharram & Fasting during It. Continue reading
This is something that is very personal and important to me. I hope that you will learn and benefit from it. Let me begin by saying “Bismillah.” When I first started University, I had met another Muslim brother. We had become good friends, but this friendship was not like any other ordinary friendship, I would have done anything for him, he was like my real brother.
During our last year of University, this brother of mine announced that he was engaged and that he was to be married after he graduates this year and finds himself a job. I was glad for him and so was he. He talked non stop about getting married, I was sort of getting jealous of him, because the brother had it made for him, finishing school, getting married and especially coming from a wealthy family. Continue reading
The final state of a person at the time of death is what matters in the Hereafter. In this article, we discuss some of the causes for both good and evil sealing states, and how a person’s inner traits will dominate at the time of death.
In a hadith transmitted by Ibn Abi ’al-Dunya in his Commanding the Good and Forbidding Evil from Abu Umama (Allah be pleased with him) the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said to his Companions (Allah be pleased with them): “How will your situation be when your women become tyrannical, your youth become transgressors and you abandon striving and jihad in the path of Allah?” They asked, “Will that really occur? The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Yes, by the One in whose hand my soul is, something even worse than that will occur.” They said, “What could be worse than that, O Messenger of Allah?” Continue reading
All praises are for Allah who has given us life, the air to sustain us and has made us from amongst the best of mankind.
Preparation! So much preparation. Everyday we prepare, either for a ceremony or a special occasion or just for our routine household activities in general. But we forget that there is an inevitable day that is coming. A day which we should be preparing for. A day we neglect to prepare for. When is that day and what time is that day is not known. It is different for each and every person, but it will definitely happen. It is a day in which a person will experience agony and pain more severe than all the agonies ever experienced in this world. Continue reading
Charity, preached by every religion of the world, is a way of bringing justice to society. And justice is the essence of religion, Islam has therefore made charity, that is zakat, obligatory and binding upon all those who embrace the faith; it has been made into an institution in order to give in permanence and regularity.
All human beings, according to Islam, have been created by one and the same God, and for this reason they belong to one great brotherhood. Continue reading
Muniba, a young Muslim university student, was home for the summer. She had gone to visit some sisters one evening & the time passed quickly as each shared their various experiences of the past year.
She ended up staying longer than she had planned. Continue reading
Here are 30 practical ways to improve and benefit from our Salat:
Today we have indeed come to treat the Prayer (Salah) as something insignificant in our lives. Very often we hear our elders say, “I will start praying when the time comes.” Others, specially the younger Muslims, do not find much comfort, and joy in their Prayers. Due to our treatment of Prayer as a burden, our love and passion for the Prayer has vanished. Our hearts have become hardened, and we have become a depressed and defeated people. As a result, Continue reading
General: It comprises all creatures as He facilitates their affairs and interests. Allah Almighty says:
{…Surely my Lord is All-Preserver over everything.}
[Surat Hūd: 57]
Special: It is a better status than the former category. It only includes the close servants of Allah as He preserves them in terms of their worldly interests, health, children, and properties. He has, thus, appointed angels to preserve them. He also preserves for them their religion from suspicions and vain inclinations and from their enemies among the humans and jinn. Then, He makes them die as believers.
Allah Almighty says:
{For each person there are successive angels in front of him and behind him, guarding him by the command of Allah…}
[Surat ar-Ra‘d: 11]
Moreover, Allah Almighty undertakes to preserve His noble Book from distortion and alteration throughout the ages. He says:
{It is We Who have sent down the Reminder, and it is We Who will preserve it.}
[Surat al-Hijr: 9]
He preserves the Ka‘bah and sustains its existence, though it was only a building made of stones and based in an uncultivated valley. He preserved it so that it remains a witness to His great preservation and to His perfect power and ability.
