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“O our Lord, do not make us a tribulation to those who disbelieved.”

Salam alaikum, I found listening to this recording very beneficial: Abu Dhabi Khutbas — Friday Sermon: Doubt & Certainty It is just over 40 minutes long, but I think it’s worth finding the time to listen, inshaAllah.

The Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed for pardon for his people, and received the reply: ‘I have forgiven them all but acts of oppression, for I shall exact recompense for the one who is wronged, from his oppressor.’ — Tirmidhi, Iman, 59.

One lesson that experience teaches me is that sincere repentance must always be followed by vigilance. In Ramadan we have the gift of being able to distinguish between two types of sins: those that come from within, from the nafs, and those that come from outside. When, in the midst of that blessed month, we [...]

A true friend, I have always thought, is the one who will always tell you the truth, even when the truth is something you do not necessarily want to hear. And in this I believe I have been blessed, for amongst my acquaintances there have always been those who would say, pull yourself together, just [...]

We all feel legitimately aggrieved when newspapers lend disproportionate coverage to fringe provocateurs in the Muslim community, magnifying the significance of their actions far beyond realities on the ground. We frequently beg for reprieve in the face of negative reporting concerning Muslims and their faith, demanding fairness in its place. Whatever happened to balance, we [...]

My hosting for this website expires in two weeks time and while renewing it will not break the bank, I do wonder whether I ought to let it lapse. An argument once put to me for continuing to publish my thoughts was that the Internet is the one platform of mass communication that Muslims have [...]

O people of the interwebs, tell me something positive! What, pray, is the purpose of the daily trawl of the online press for tales of woe afflicting the Muslims, condensed and abbreviated into bite-sized chunks for readers to absorb in a fit of never ending misery? Will nobody stand up and say enough is enough? [...]

I had only just repented for the sins of the previous days and returned to my Lord ashamed when, on my return from a brief saunter in the back garden, a name whispered its way into my mind. I did not need to respond to the surprising murmur, but all of a sudden I was [...]

Those who see only a long and drawn-out process in the preparation to adopt needy children may not fully appreciate the huge blessings that the experience has brought. There are, of course, the children: two angels from heaven, Ramadan’s offspring. But, as if this were not enough, there has been so much more. One such [...]

We learn from the Qur’an that God loves the oft-repenting. So it occurs to me from time to time that in order to be oft-repenting, one would have to be oft-sinning. And if that were the case there would be hope for me yet. But against the declarations of the heart, it is an unconvincing [...]

The Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Give charity without delay, for it stands in the way of calamity.” — Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 589 “They ask thee what they should spend (In charity). Say: Whatever wealth ye spend that is good, is for parents and kindred and orphans and those in want and for wayfarers. And whatever ye [...]