Allah (سبحانه وتعال) says in the Qur’an: فَأَمَّا مَن أَعْطَى وَاتَّقَى وَصَدَّقَ بِالْحُسْنَى فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْيُسْرَى وَأَمَّا مَن بَخِلَ وَاسْتَغْنَى وَكَذَّبَ بِالْحُسْنَى فَسَنُيَسِّرُهُ لِلْعُسْرَى وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّى إِنَّ عَلَيْنَا لَلْهُدَى وَإِنَّ لَنَا لَلْآخِرَةَ وَالْأُولَى Translation: “So for him who gives in charity, fears Allah, and testifies to goodness, We shall facilitate for him the Path of good. As for him who is stingy and considers himself independent of Allah and rejects the goodness, We shall facilitate for him the Path to evil.

Arabic has something called the “calling ya” in it. The closest thing we have in English is the “calling o”–as in “o my teacher” or “Oh God!” (As you can tell from the examples, we don’t use it much anymore these days–though, in Arabic, it’s quite common.) The rules are quite simple–just like English, it’s “O so-and-so”. So for example, you could say “ya ummiy” (o my mother) or “ya taajiru” (o merchant).

We go through our entire lives looking for that perfect investment; whether it be our education, our jobs or our wealth. We put in so much time to gather information and to make sure that our investment will yield a satisfying return. In the end though, there is no certainty of the return on investment that we will gain, it could be 5%, 10%, or even -10%. We never know whether we will gain or lose from the investment that we make.

60 Ways to Keep Your Husband’s Love Behave like a female, i.e. all the tenderness of a female–a man doesn’t want a man for his wife! Dress pleasantly/attractively. If you are a home-maker, don’t stay in your sleeping suit all day. Smell good! Don’t lay out all your problems on your husband as soon as he walks in. Give him a little mental break. Don’t keep asking him, “what are you thinking?

The Evils of Interest, with Practical Examples Why is interest evil? Allah Forbade Interest Allah says in the Qur’an: الَّذِينَ يَأْكُلُونَ الرِّبَا لاَ يَقُومُونَ إِلاَّ كَمَا يَقُومُ الَّذِي يَتَخَبَّطُهُ الشَّيْطَانُ مِنَ الْمَسِّ ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّهُمْ قَالُواْ إِنَّمَا الْبَيْعُ مِثْلُ الرِّبَا وَأَحَلَّ اللّهُ الْبَيْعَ وَحَرَّمَ الرِّبَ Translation: Those who devour usury will not stand except as stand one whom the Evil one by his touch Hath driven to madness. That is because they say: “Trade is like usury,” but Allah hath permitted trade and forbidden usury.

Prophet Muhammad (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, “the best amongst you are the ones who are best to their wives.” So dear Muslim brother! Your obligations towards your wife are not limited to earning money and supporting her financially. A wife needs love from her husband, and emotional support too! 10 Tips on How to Be a Successful Husband Note: Additions in brackets are notes from a sister. Prepared by Muhammad Alshareef, reprinted from Islamway.

In Surah Lahab, Allah says: وَامْرَأَتُهُ حَمَّالَةَ الْحَطَبِ فِي جِيدِهَا حَبْلٌ مِّن مَّسَدٍ Translation: And his wife, the wood-carrier. Upon her neck is a twisted rope of Masad (palm fibre). Abu Lahab and his wife were some of the most severe opponents to the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم). They fully understood his message and recognized him as a Prophet, and still they opposed him, until the end of their days.

Touched by an Angel Touched by an Angel: Tafseer Juz ‘Amma is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Muhammad Alshareef. Most Muslims learn the Qur’an starting with Juz ‘Amma–the shortest chapters of the Qur’an. But, most of us also have no idea what these verses we recite–day after day, and prayer after prayer, for many of us–actually mean, and what lessons they impart. Touched by an Angel: Tafeer Juz ‘Amma cures that, by giving Muslims what each and every one of us desires: understanding of the Qur’an.

The Shepherd’s Path The Shepherd’s Path is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Muhammad Alshareef. While many of us claim to love the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم), few of us follow his path, and fewer still know more then snatches of information about him. How did he live, and how did he die? What key lesson did the angel Jibreel send by squeezing him three times before the first revelation?

One of the best things about Islam is that it’s a deen–a total, comprehensive, complete, and perfect way of life, and it governs every aspect of life from large-scale social phenomena (such as marriage) to the way you eat and sleep. For people who are dating, subhanallah, they say they’re looking for that “special someone” or “the right person.” But they continue dating for 6 months, a year, two years, five years, TEN years, they have kids–they’re still just dating–and they STILL don’t know!