Human beings need to extend their mercy and kindness to the whole of creation, regardless of people’s race, religion or colour. Mercy is not only limited to the human being, rather it goes beyond that, hence the rights of the animals, trees and environment, in general, have been mentioned in the divine teachings of Islam. This verse alone is sufficient to illustrate the essence of the divine message found in the Qur’an and the holy prophet, which is filled with infinite love, mercy and compassion.....

A Muslim can’t afford to lose heart or sight of Mercy and lives in a heaven that prayers create. Gestures of blessings, salutations, meeting and parting wishes are all punctuated by irruptions from the Sacred. Who says and really means God is dead in the Muslim world? Anyone who can afford to truly say Assalam u Alaikum...

One of the tenets of Tawheed (Allah’s Oneness) is to believe that He is the source of all action in this Universe. Without His leave, nothing can pass and with His might, everything is possible. Upon Him is the sustenance of every being (Quran, 11:6). No matter how high on Maslow’s hierarchy our needs may fall, He is able to fulfil them. When we realize His oneness in this manner, our fear and anxiety evaporate....

Asked how a single man converted a large population of Arabs belonging to different tribes into Islam without using force, he quoted Holy Quran's verse 'La Aqra-fi-Al-Din' (there is no place for force/compulsion) and said that Arabs were never coerced to accept Islam, rather, those who embraced it had undergone hardships and borne cruelties like being made to lie down on smouldering sand with heavy stones put on them; placed in burning coal; murdered; made to leave their country and property etc., by their rulers/headmen, but they remained undeterred from their faith in Islam....

Whatever you think is what you will feel. It’s inevitable. Far too often we blame the state of our mental and emotional health on others, on the situations we are placed in or how we were treated, but it’s all psychological. With the help of Allah (swt), you are in control of your thoughts and therefore in control of your feelings and mental wellbeing. It’s you. If someone awakens fear within you, it has nothing to do with them. It’s how you perceive whatever they did that scared you, it’s the accumulation of your thoughts....

Maintaining the bonds of kinship (Sila-i-Rahmi) indeed enjoys extraordinary importance in Islam. Conversely, severing the ties (Qata-i-Rahmi) is very high on the list of enormities. At two places in the Quran, Allah has cursed the one severing family ties. “And those who break the covenant of Allah, after its ratification, and sever that which Allah has commanded to be joined...

Sadia Dehlvi

One of the evils in modern societies is racism, believing that one is born superior and hatred for those who belong to different faiths, culture and creeds. This arrogance comes from the Devil and pushes one away from being touched by the Divine Mercy. The Quran clearly says: “I will divert My signs from those who show arrogance.” It denounces such false claims of superiority, proclaiming that the only rank that matters is one’s relationship with God....

Nikhat Sattar

Appreciating the good things, however small they may seem, and thanking God for them brings within our soul satisfaction and the ability not only to be happy but also to spread happiness around us. God has no need for our gratitude; we need to give thanks to Him so that we can find tranquillity and happiness within ourselves....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

The Creator has placed a special feature in human psyche—and that is what is called ‘repentance’. This special feature is particularly prominent in people of firm faith in God. Repentance is a wonderful means of mercy for human beings. This is referred to in the Quran (25:70) in these words: “God will change their evil deeds into good deeds.”....

It means that there really is no separateness in the world. We are all interconnected, whether we see the connections or not. We are also beings consisting of several energy layers; the thickest and most obvious of which is the physical layer, or the outer shell. We know that man is much more than a physical shell, as man’s own consciousness exists non-physically. We do not have the ability to physically observe one another’s thoughts and emotions unless expressed or manifested in some way on the outer shell....

The human being is more than just flesh and blood. The human being is a spiritual entity as well. Humans are comprised of a physical, mental, and spiritual structure.[1] Thus we exist in these separate areas. Each one of these areas coupled completes the human. These areas comprise the human consciousness. The mannerism of the human being is a culmination of these three things....

A Muslim is one who surrounds himself with beauty and cultivates beauty within and then sees all things transfigured, wrapped up in glory and utters Subhan Allah (glory to God). For the sage every sight can evoke “Glory to God!” The Prophet (SAW) ordered good grooming. It is women rather than men who follow this order more strictly. Another mode of worshipping God that women are privileged to opt for is use of jewellery. Cosmetics (the word is derived from Cosmos – ordered whole) help “bringing ourselves into line with the Cosmos itself, by maximising our small part in its order and beauty”....

Islam does not approve or ask us to permanently isolate ourselves from this world, since our test is in living here according to the Commands of our Creator. But it does ask us to take periodic breaks from it. The mandatory Salat (five daily prayers) is one example. For a few minutes every so many hours throughout the day, we leave the affairs of this world and appear before Allah to remind ourselves that none but He is worthy of worship and of our unfaltering obedience. Ramazan takes this to the next higher plane, providing intense training for a whole month....

Maulana Wahiduddin Khan

While leading his life in this world, such a person is always very cautious about an all-powerful God who knows about all his actions. At the same time, if he unknowingly commits a sin, he hopes that God is all-merciful and will forgive him;...

Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf

There are two ways to live our religions. We can live them out of their historical particularities, which divide us from each other, or we can live them out of their focus on God, which unites us. There is no doubt which of these God prefers. God commands us not to divide over our religions (Quran 42:13). The religions jointly express in different cultural languages a single eternal truth: our lives founder unless they focus on God....

Rafia Zakaria

It is a spiritual catastrophe. Solitude and its pursuit are central to Islamic history; the very origins of faith are inextricably tied to the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) search for truth in the silent deserts of Arabia. And yet while most other aspects are duly discussed in the Ramazan transmissions of every television channel and the religious columns of every newspaper, this core truth is often left out....

Sadia Dehlvi

The Prophet said, “Man is asleep and when he dies he awakens.” When a disciple is initiated by a Sufi master, it is called an “initiatic death”, that is meant to be followed by an awakening. The disciple is supposed to die to his or her old self and be born anew. The concept of detachment in Sufism is to live with purity of heart and mindfulness....

We often assume God is worried or concerned about our sins and we have a long list of them. And the funny – and tragic – part is that we keep thinking more about what God doesn’t mind. God does mind certain things that we mostly don’t mind. Let us ask if God minds about all or some percentage of around a million questions asked to jurists on daily basis by Muslims – one can find them on sites on Islam or Fiqh manuals. Let us also ask that even if God minds are we advised to mind what He minds in others’ lives.  Some think God is worried about our dressing room routine – Burqas/Hijabs/length of Shalwar/hair style....

According to many narrations, the eve of the 15th of Sha’baan, known as Laylatul-Baraa’a, is one of the most powerful nights in the Islamic calendar. The month of Sha’baan is part of a three-month long trajectory of spirituality, a banquet of opportunity to benefit in the blessings of personal development and self-realisation. This period gifted by Allah starts with the month of Rajab culminating in the crescendo of Laylatul-Qadr, or the Night of Power in the holy month of Ramadan, where the following years’ divine decrees for the universe are ordained....

Nikhat Sattar

But while dirt and grime is visible and easily removed, it is less obvious for one to observe the spots on one’s Nafs. The word is used in the Quran in the meaning of desires, attributes, feelings, emotions leading to actions. These exist also within beasts, such as anger, carnal desire, hunger and thirst. When human beings submit to their desires without putting any limits or boundaries, they are using their Nafs-I-Ammara. God has given humans the capacity to do wrong and commit sins as well as to distinguish between right and wrong and correct themselves.....

Sadia Dehlvi

It is often said that Duniya (world) is like a shadow. If you chase it, it moves further away. If you turn your back against it, it will follow you. An Islamic tradition attributed to Prophet Jesus states, “The world is a bridge; so pass over it to the next world, but do not try to build on it.” The word Duniya has a negative connotation in Islam. One of the root meanings of the Arabic word is to reach out for something you can never grasp....

Mahmoud Ahmad

It was reported that Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, said: “Whoever eats garlic, onion, then keep away from our Masjid because the angels get offended from what offends the children of Adam.”(Bukhari and Muslim). This again brings us to people who eat food, such as garlic, which leaves a stench in one’s mouth and then come to the mosque. Such careless attitude in hygiene bothers worshippers....

He may grant our prayers here; or He may reward us for it in the hereafter; or He may give us something better than what we asked for. In any case a praying person can never lose for prayer is the highest form of submission to Him. “The Holy Prophet (PBUH) was the best of mankind because he was the best in submission to Allah,” says Maulana Manzoor Naumani. “Anyone who studies his supplications cannot but be awestruck with the perfect understanding of our relationship to the Creator reflected by them.”....

Completing our first Umrah was a beautiful and joyous experience. Many group members over the course of the remaining nights performed the Umrah again on behalf of family and loved ones. Performing the rituals helped strengthen our willpower and discipline. It was a workout for the soul. Every Tawwaf (circumambulation) we completed around the Holy House was a step closer to achieving nearness to Allah (swt). We felt lighter. Cleansed.....

Islamic sources of the Qur’an, Hadith literature and Epistemology, offer some guidance as to how to navigate through the modern media.  As Imam Ja’far as-Sadiq (a) is narrated to have said, “Working without proper understanding and insight is like travelling in the wrong direction; it only takes one further away from their destination.” In this context, turning to propagandist news for guidance and insight into what is happening in the world will only send you further from the truth.....