THE evening dinner started as usual with casual, lighthearted banter among us sisters who were present. In one comical exchange, a sister shared with us how terribly dry her feet were, so much so that they cracked often. “Sometimes I’m praying,” she said between chuckles, “and I have to keep …
Read More »The Etiquette of Visiting Graves in Islam
Praise be to Allah. Visiting graves to pray to their occupants or seek their help or ask them to intercede – this is a reprehensible action, and indeed it is major shirk. It is not permissible to build mosques or domes etc over graves, because the Messenger (peace and blessings …
Read More »Come to prayer, Come to success
With Allah’s permission, Salah (prayers) brings success in this life. That does not, however, mean to say that it removes from the next. Nope, that’s the thinking of the uninspired, the hopeless. Allah’s Mercy is so vast that it encompasses everybody in every sphere of life. Now, how does one achieve …
Read More »Dua’ : When All Doors are Closed
In the tradition we began a few years ago with translating Sh. Jebril’s famous Ramadan du`a’ (supplication), we present the audio recording of a beautiful du`a’ by Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Shatri for this year, with accompanying translation. May Allah accept our supplications, fasts and prayers in this blessed month. O …
Read More »Ramadan : 9 Mistakes to Avoid in this Month
For many of us Ramadan has lost its spirituality and has become more of a ritual than a form of worship. We fast from morning to night like a zombie just because everyone around us is fasting. We forget that it’s a time to purify our hearts and our souls …
Read More »The Secret of Prayer : Sujood
The Secret of Prayer: Sujood Ibn Al-Qayyim described the sujood as the secret of prayer, the greatest pillar, and the seal of the ruku’. He said all the other actions we did before it were just preludes. We should step back and reflect: what do we feel when we go …
Read More »The Inheritance of Muhammad (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam)
Abu Hurayrah (radiallaahu ‘anhu) once passed by the market in Madinah. He stopped at the market and said: “O people of the market, how incapable you are!” They said, “And how is that Abu Hurayrah?” He replied, “Over there, the inheritance of Allah’s Messenger (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) is being …
Read More »A Gift for the 27th Night : Ramadan Du’a with English Translation
A Gift for the 27th Night : Ramadan Du’a with English Translation Many of us spend a good portion of our Ramadan nights with our hands raised in du`a’ (supplication), listening to the heart-felt words of our imam or shaykh calling on Allah in the witr prayer. For those of us who don’t …
Read More »Ramadan : The Night Prayers
“‘Whoever stands in prayer with the imaam until he (the imaam) concludes the prayer, it is recorded for him that he prayed the whole night.’…” [Recorded by Ibn Abi Shaybah, Abu Dawud, at-Tirmithi (who authenticated it), an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, at-Tahawi (in Sharhu Ma`an il-Athar, Ibn Nasr, al-Faryabi, and al-Bayhaqi. Their …
Read More »Picture Perfect : Moments from the Blessed month of Ramadan
Allah – the Most High – said: “The month of Ramadan in which the Quran was revealed, a guidance for mankind and clear proofs for the guidance of the Criterion between right and wrong. So whosoever of you sights the crescent for the month of Ramadan, he must fast that …
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