Islam

Conquest: History of the Khulafa Conquest: History of the Khulafa is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Muhammad Alshareef. “Follow my sunnah and the sunnah of the Khulafa Rashideen.” Advice from the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) to all of humankind–to stick to the sunnah, and follow the Khulafa Rashideen, the righteous Khalifas. But do we know who the Khulafa Rashideen are? Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmaan, and ‘Ali (رضي الله عنهم)–may Allah be pleased with them all.

Womanly ‘Awrah The topic of the ‘awrah of a woman is one of great discussion, both amongst the scholars and the laymen. In sha Allah, here is an attempt to specify what exactly is the ‘awrah of a woman in light of the evidences from the Quran and sunnah, as explained by the scholars. A few definitions: ‘Awrah – the parts of the body that are not supposed to be exposed to anyone, except your spouses.

After the battle of Uhud, ‘Aisha (رضالله عنها) lost her necklace; so while the Muslim army moved forward, she stayed behind to find it. The army had a lost-and-found guy–Sawfan ibn Mu’atib (رضالله عنه)–who travelled behind the army and picked up lost items. So when he saw her, he immediately said la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (there is no might or power except Allah), hopped off his camel, and let her go on it.

Everybody wants to read the Qur’an more–and why not? The Word of Allah, no less–unfiltered, unmodified, eternal; guidance for the entire planet. Yet many of us–even Arabs, who understand and have no problems reading and reciting–procrastinate and put off reading the Qur’an. So try this inshaAllah: every day, read and recite the Qur’an for at least one minute. Try it. I mean, one minute is hardly time enough to do anything–so you have no excuse.

In the old days, back when people used to actually use gold coins, forgeries abounded; so how do you tell the difference between a real gold coin and a fake gold coin? How can you tell the percentage that’s real or not? The answer is, you put it through a test. أَحَسِبَ النَّاسُ أَن يُتْرَكُوا أَن يَقُولُوا آمَنَّا وَهُمْ لَا يُفْتَنُونَ وَلَقَدْ فَتَنَّا الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِهِمْ فَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ صَدَقُوا وَلَيَعْلَمَنَّ الْكَاذِبِينَ Translation: Do people think that they will be left alone because they say: “We believe,” and will not be tested?

Most parents love their children so much — they sacrifice their time, wealth, and energy in ensuring all their children’s needs are met or surpassed! They pray for their well-being, and also plan in advance to give them the best educate them accordingly to have the best career, so they can get the best house and car. But how often do we see parents planning for their child’s deen? If we want the best in this life for our children, then why don’t we want the best ETERNAL life for them in the akheera?

Whether you travel by foot or by bike, by bus or by car, by train or by plane, you should recite the du’a the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) taught us — because du’as are always for our protection. This du’a, in particular, comes in handy these days, since so many people have to commute to school or work. Allah says in the Qur’an: لِتَسْتَوُوا عَلَى ظُهُورِهِ ثُمَّ تَذْكُرُوا نِعْمَةَ رَبِّكُمْ إِذَا اسْتَوَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَتَقُولُوا سُبْحانَ الَّذِي سَخَّرَ لَنَا هَذَا وَمَا كُنَّا لَهُ مُقْرِنِينَ

Space: a black, velvety landscape. It stretches infinitely in every direction, a perfect paradox, an unconquered unknown. Stars, hundreds of thousands of stars—their light usually dimmed by the effects of pollution, electric lights, and daylight—glimmer like a quilt of fireflies, shimmering and twinkling. Even the space itself shimmers and dances with colour—here, a blue nebulae with ghostly-transparent particles. There, a shimmering cascade of yellows and browns and pinks and reds that dance and weave their way through space.

In the eight year after Hijrah (8AH), the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) and his companions conquered Mecca–without a single sword-swing. 10,000 Muslim warriors arrived at the gates, and the inhabitants of Mecca raised their arms in surrender. The norm during those days was that when a land is conquered, ALL its people are killed, and its women and children are taken as slaves and property. So when the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) conquered Mecca, the Meccans became frightened.

Death. It’s inevitable. It’s one of the certainties of life. No one denies it and no one can escape it. And once you’re dead, your good deeds stop. Except in the following ways: Abu Hurayrah (رضالله عنه) reported that Allah’s Messenger (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said: “When a human being dies, all of his deeds are TERMINATED, except for three types: An ongoing charity (aka sadaqah jariyah) A knowledge (of Islam) from which others benefit,