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The Purification Act is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Abdul-Bary Yahya. If you think you know wudoo, think again! This course teaches you the ins and outs of tahara (purity and purification) and salaah (prayer)–everything from whether one adhaan or two is more correct, to the proper way to purify dog-slobber from your best china, to whether a pigskin football (or for that matter, a leather jacket) is najas or not. In addition, you get a firm grasp of scholarly opinions, and learn which opinion–or opinions–are the strongest, and why.

Surah Baqarah. The name conjures to mind the story–the cow, Bani Israeel, Prophet Musa (عليه السلام), the creation of Adam (عليه السلام), the origin of magic, and others. The longest surah in the Qur’an.

Breach of Covenant is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Muhammad Alshareef. It teaches tafseer–the text, the lessons, the gems. Explore Surah Baqarah in a light you’ve never seen it through before. Learn, ayah by ayah, the meanings of the first juz of the Qur’an, and open your eyes to the deeper patterns, the deeper lessons, the deeper benefits.

Awrah: islamically, this refers to the area of a human being that is considered private, and, for lack of a better description, “not for public consumption.”

We know of many reports that the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) said, “once a woman achieves puberty, it is not befitting that she show anything except this (indicating his face) and this (indicating his hands up to the wrists).” So we know about a woman’s awrah … but how about a man’s awrah? Know that the scholars divided this issue into two parts–awrah in prayer, and awrah out of prayer. And the main proof of a man’s awrah is a hadith where the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) states that a man’s awrah is between his navel and his knees in prayer.

Rizq Management is an AlMaghrib Institute course taught by Muhammad Alshareef. The course focuses on three pillars of Islam: Zakaah, Siyaam, and Hajj. Which moon opinion is correct–one of them? _All_of them? Does chewing gum break your fast? (Why or why not?) Does a woman pay zakaah on her gold jewelry?

Learn about these three fundamental pillars of Islam, and how to not only perform, but how to benefit from them at the highest level!

Salmaan Al-Farasi (رضي الله عنه) said: I expect Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) to reward me in my sleep as he rewards me in my tahajjud.

Why would he expect that? Because he unlocked the secret: Allah rewards all normal deeds, if done with the intention to please Him, the same as acts of ‘ibaadah. Why? Because the right intention upgrades it to the next level!

“So,” you might ask, “what kind of intentions might someone have to reap this reward in their sleep?” Allahu ‘alim, you can try these on for size, and see which one fits you best:

The day the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) died, what was the last thing he did? He used siwak to clean his mouth. Then he raised his hands and said “Allahumma ar-rafeeq al-‘ala” (o Allah, the highest friends — the closest companions to Allah (سبحانه وتعالى) in the Hereafter)–and then he died (صلي الله عليه وسلم).

Commenting on this, his beloved wife ‘Aisha (رضي الله عنها) said: no Prophet lives except he is given a choice between the dunya (this word) and the akhira (the next life), and all of them chose the next life.

There are three conjunctions you can use in Arabic (among others)–wa (and), thumma (then), and fa (which is difficult to translate, think of it as “and”). They are all used to group multiple items. What are the differences between these three?

Wa indicates grouping, but doesn’t specify order or timing. For example: Ahmed and Ghufran and Yusuf travelled to the masjid. It doesn’t indicate what order they arrived in, or anything about how long the people who came first waited for the people who came after then. It just groups them together.

When the Messenger of Allah (صلي الله عليه وسلم) appeared on the scene in Mecca to proclaim the message of Islam, the Muslims faced ridicule, mockery, opposition, propoganda, and even severe torture up to the point of death–to the point where Muslims would walk through the streets, see their brothers and sisters being severely tortured in front of their eyes.

And Allah revealed the commandment not to fight back. Not in Mecca, not for ten years until they migrated to Medinah.

When the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) arrived in Medina, he built a masjid before doing anything else! The masjids the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) built were more than places to pray! Their functions included:

1. A place for children: not a place where they cried and ran around but a place where they were accommodated. There are several narrations of how when the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) was praying, the children would come and climb on his back or he (صلي الله عليه وسلم) would hold them while praying salah. The masjid was a cool place to hang out, it was where they learned the basic adaab and akhlaaq and principles of the Muslim society.
2. Educational Center: The masjid acted as a school where the Sahaba were educated and were encouraged to learn more.
   • Organization of the community: the masjid is where all the organizational events took place. It was in the masjid where the Sahaba learnt to become organized people – how the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) would walk between the saff of the Muslims before every salah, to straighten and correct their saffs.
   • Hospital: Many who were wounded or sick were tended in the masjid, such as Sa’d ibn Mu’adh (رضي الله عنه) after the Battle of Khandaq.
   • Shelter: it was a shelter for the poor and needy (nicknamed As-Saffa). This is where people would bring in dates and hang them on the wall of the masjid, so any hungry person could eat from them.
   • Social life: The Muslims met each other at the masjid five times a day, they got to know each other and were able to actively participate in each others’ lives. If someone was missing, they understood that there was a problem, so they would ask about it. Likewise, the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) used to sit with the companions after Fajr sometimes and ask them about their dreams.
   • Think-Tank: The masjid is where shura and brainstorming took place.
   • Welcome Centre: Chiefs, delegations and visitors were all met and welcomed at the masjid.
   • Serenity Spa: if someone had anything bothering them, they would go to the masjid. Like the Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم)–when he was upset with his wives, he went to the masjid. The Prophet (صلي الله عليه وسلم) would call to Bilal (رضي الله عنه) to make the adhaan and start the prayer.
   • Bedouin Retreat: Bedouins would come, sit in the majalis, learn the Qur’an, ask their questions, go back home, and teach their people the deen. Whole tribes became Muslim from one or two bedouins!

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  References
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  Muhammad Alshareef. Lecture. AlMaghrib. <a href="/shepherds-path/">The Shepherd&#8217;s Path</a>. University of Ryerson, Toronto. March 2007.
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Human nature is insatiable. No matter how much you get, you will never be happy with it. That is the way we have been created. The key to happiness is not to get it all, but rather, to be content with little.

“O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from incapacity, from sloth, from cowardice, from miserliness, from decrepitude, and from the torment of the grave. O Allah, grant to my soul the sense of righteousness and purify it, for Thou art the Best Purifier thereof. Thou art the Protecting Friend thereof, and Guardian thereof. O Allah, I seek refuge in Thee from the knowledge which does not benefit, from the heart that does not entertain the fear (of Allah), from the soul that does not feel contented, and the supplication that is not responded to.” [Muslim Book 035, Number 6568]