يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ ٱلصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى ٱلَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ ١٨٣ “O believers! Fasting is prescribed for you—as it was for those before you—so perhaps you will become mindful ˹of Allah˺”. — Quran 2:183 Allah tells us specifically that Ramadan is a chance for us to turn back to him and…

۞ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْىِۦٓ أَن يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًۭا مَّا بَعُوضَةًۭ فَمَا فَوْقَهَا ۚ فَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ ٱلْحَقُّ مِن رَّبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأَمَّا ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا۟ فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَآ أَرَادَ ٱللَّهُ بِهَـٰذَا مَثَلًۭا ۘ يُضِلُّ بِهِۦ كَثِيرًۭا وَيَهْدِى بِهِۦ كَثِيرًۭا ۚ وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِۦٓ إِلَّا ٱلْفَـٰسِقِينَ ٢٦ “Surely Allah does not shy away from using the parable…

In Part 4 we looked at times of mindfulness and how to focus on being our best selves throughout our day. Maintaining this at all times can be a struggle however. Even the best generation of Muslims, the companions of the Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ), complained that they didn’t always feel that they were doing their…

وَمَا ٱلْحَيَوٰةُ ٱلدُّنْيَآ إِلَّا لَعِبٌۭ وَلَهْوٌۭ ۖ وَلَلدَّارُ ٱلْـَٔاخِرَةُ خَيْرٌۭ لِّلَّذِينَ يَتَّقُونَ ۗ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ This worldly life is no more than play and amusement, but far better is the ˹eternal˺ Home of the Hereafter for those mindful ˹of God. Will you not then understand? — Quran 6:32 In Part 3 we looked at how…

In Part2 – we looked at presence with Allah, being thankful and making dua (prayer) in all situations. In ease or hardship in sickness or health. One can always rely on Allah, being thankful for what one already has and also continuing to seek help and support from Him. This mindset of gratitude and mindfulness…

Introduction In Part 1 of this series we explored presence with Allah and the value of being mindful of Allah at all points throughout our day. The serenity we find through taqwa & mindfulness, both in this life and the next insha’Allah. “And those who were mindful of their caring Lord will be taken to…

Envelopes we’re sending 📨 Fatih Camii (mosque), Istanbul When we’re praying or doing acts of worship it can sometimes feel like we’re offering a prayer to get it out of the way, or for it to be judged later. As if our deeds won’t be viewed until the Day of Judgement. Like sending an envelope…

Yunus (Jonah) in the Qur’an The events of Prophet Yunus’s life in the Qur’an are somewhat lesser-known compared to the lives of the Prophets Musa (Moses), Isa (Jesus) and Muhammad(ﷺ). The story of Yunus (Jonah) is nonetheless profound and provides us valuable lessons on perseverance, repentance (tawbah) and of course trust in Allah (tawakkul). وَإِنَّ…

“Every person I meet is my superior in some way ; and in that, I learn from them” —Ralph Waldo Emerson A buddy of mine has a beautiful way of interacting with everyone he meets. He’s always friendly and affable — treating everyone with dignity, respect and an open mind. It seems like a simple…

What is the meaning and purpose behind the things we do in life? Life can sometimes feel like we’re doing things out of habit, just following a routine. When was the last time we stopped to check that we’re truly fulfilled? We may be very happy and having fun doing whatever we are doing, but…

Introduction ذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those who are mindful of Allah — Quran 2:2 The Qur’an is the unaltered word of Allah and the message of Islam is a timeless guidance to all of mankind. A source…

In a sound hadith we learn from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم :  “من يرد الله به خيرًا يفقه في الدين” “When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him correct understanding of the religion.” — Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) Seeking knowledge is a life long journey of…

“قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم :  “من يرد الله به خيرًا يفقه في الدين” The Messenger of Allah said, “When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of the Deen.” [Sahih] Recently a friend asked me what he can best do to learn more about the faith in his…

I think for all people, even those brought up with faith, there is a moment where they take their faith into their own hands. Something that makes them want to learn further and convinces them that they want to learn/practice their faith more deeply. With so many places to learn and such a wide breadth…

“Detachment is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you.” — Ali Ibn Ali Talib As people living in this world we want to be both successful and pious in this life and the next, balancing our worldly loves with our otherworldly loves. Is it better to be rich and successful…

Du’a takes many forms. Beseeching Allah — relying on Him and trusting in His plan — we ask for guidance and goodness. Looking at the dua of istikhara (seeking goodness) we ask Allah to make us happy and content with his plan; even if at the outset it doesn’t seem like what we desired. We…

Patience ٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ “Guide us to the straight path – the path of those upon whom You have bestowed favour, not of those who have earned [Your] anger or of those who are astray.” —Qur’an 1:6-7 The opening chapter of the Qur’an Al-Fatiha, is something…

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا۟ بِى لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ When My servants ask you ˹O Prophet˺ about Me: I am truly near. I respond to one’s prayer when they call upon Me. So let them respond ˹with obedience˺ to Me and believe in Me, perhaps…

This week marked the beginning of the Islamic New Year, Muharram and soon Ashura, but for those of us who aren’t so familiar what do all these terms mean? Muharram — The New Year & The Sacred Months Muharram is simply the first month of the lunar calendar; marking the start of the new year…

In my previous posts for “Ten Tips for Taqwa in Today’s Times” I explored some apps, techniques and extra litanies we can inculcate into our day — all with the aim of improving our quality of life and drawing closer to Allah. In the final post we look at the most important of all of…