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Salam. Stay Blessed and Informed. Learn Islam from the Quran and Sunnah

  • Reading Surah Al-Kahf in Contemporary Times

    Syed Sharfuddin The context Millions of Muslims recite Surah Al-Kahf every Friday all over the world to stay protected against Dajjal. Most of them believe that the portends of Dajjal have already appeared, and his physical appearance is only a matter of time. It is also the wish of every Muslim that he should not…

  • Conversations in the Quran

    CONVERSATIONS IN THE QURAN Syed Sharfuddin This essay aims to categorise the various conversations reported in the holy Quran in ten broad sections with a view to introducing the reader to the fundamental Message of the Quran. The themes in these conversations revolve around Tauheed, Worship, Belief in the Messengers of Allah, His other Creations,…

  • Why is Bani Adam’s sentencing delayed but it wasn’t delayed for Adam and Hawa

    Syed Sharfuddin The holy Quran like other Divine Scriptures tells the believers about the origin of man. It informs them that Allah created Adam, gave him a soulmate, and permitted them to live in Jannah. The purpose of Adam’s creation was to make Adam Allah’s vicegerent on earth. The only restriction that Allah put on…

  • Meaning of Allaho Akbar

    The Meaning of Allaho Akbar [English translation of a talk delivered by Shaikhul Islam Molana Mohammad Ishaq Madani, RA, entitled: ‘Allah ki Sifaat – Kun Fayakoon’. Video published on YouTube by Brother Kashif]. I would like to say a few things today about why Allah’s Messenger peace be upon him told us to say Allahu…

  • Witnesses Against Man

    Witnesses Against Man Syed Sharfuddin Have you ever wondered why Allah will have many witnesses on every man at the time of his accountability on the Day of Judgement. In his commentary of verse 54 of Sura Al Kahaf, Imam Qurtubi quotes a Hadith which describes the argumentative nature of man even when he is…

  • The High Council of Angels

    The High Council of Angels Syed Sharfuddin When a man dies people ask what has he left in his estate, but the angels ask what has he brought with him for the hereafter. [Reported in Al Baihaqi in Shab Al Eimaan]. Just like the high council of nations in this world which meets in New…

  • Comparing Prophets Yahya and Isa

    Comparing Prophets Yahya and Isa Syed Sharfuddin In Surah Maryam there are two almost identical verses about Prophet Yahya and Prophet Isa. The only difference in their wording is that in verse 19 Allah sends Salam on the birth of Yahya whereas in Verse 33 Isa sends Salam on his own miraculous birth which is…

  • Why Man is such a Foodie

    Why Man is Such a Foodie Syed Sharfuddin As we all know dietary restrictions have become a part of our daily life. I am not particularly singling out religious beliefs which forbid the consumption of certain foods such as alcohol and un-halal products. Generally, dietary compulsions kick in often due to bad eating habits, metabolic…

  • Widows Fire

    Syed Sharfuddin Last Wednesday on 21 August 2024 while driving to the local recycling centre in Merton, I accidentally tuned into BBC Radio 4 programme ‘Women’s Hour’ where women who had suddenly lost their husbands to death were discussing a strange side effect of bereavement. It was an inexplicable desire for sexual gratification resulting in…

  • An Encounter with An Ahmadi

    Syed Sharfuddin This last Friday instead of taking the car to the mosque for praying Jumma Namaz I took the local bus. After I got the seat and took out my folded head cap from my bag, the gentleman sitting next to me saw it and greeted me with Assalamoalaikum. After exchange of Salams, he…

  • Categories of People who rejected the Divine Message

    Syed Sharfuddin We learn from the reading of the holy Quran about three types of people who were responsible for rejecting the divine message brought by the divine messengers of Allah to their nations in different times. These three categories of unbelievers were: the royalty which represented the kings and emperors of the land; the…

  • Allah sustains man and feeds him from a source he never imagined.

    Syed Sharfuddin Ibn Jarir al-Tabari, may God have mercy on him, was in Mecca during the Hajj season when on one day he saw a man from Khorasan calling out and saying: “O community of pilgrims, O people of Mecca, from the front and back, I lost a bag containing one thousand dinars. Whoever returns…

  • Allocation in Paradise

    Syed Sharfuddin Paradise is mentioned in the Quran by many names. It is called Jannah, Jannah al Firdous, Jannat al Moalla, Jannaat un Naeem, Jannaat ul Alfafa, Jannat Mukramoon, Jannat wa Nahr and Jannat wa Üyün. A detailed description of Jannah is given in Surah Rahman and Surah Al Tür. We learn from the holy…

  • Islam’s Connection with Palestine

    Syed Sharfuddin Some people ask why Jerusalem is so important to Muslims, and to Palestinians. Should this city not be left to the Jews to rebuild their prophesised Temple of Solomon, since Muslims have Makkah and Madinah as the holiest shrines of Islam. Some brothers also ask where is Masjid Aqsa mentioned in the Quran…

  • Worth of a Mosquito

    Worth of a Mosquito Syed Sharfuddin إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَسْتَحْيِي أَنْ يَضْرِبَ مَثَلًا مَا بَعُوضَةً فَمَا فَوْقَهَا ۚ فَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا فَيَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّهُ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ ۖ وَأَمَّا الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا فَيَقُولُونَ مَاذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ بهذا مَثَلًا ۘ يُضِلُّ بِهِ كَثِيرًا وَيَهْدِي بِهِ كَثِيرًا ۚ وَمَا يُضِلُّ بِهِ إِلَّا الْفَاسِقِينَ “Allah does not mind giving an…

  • A survey of ancient and contemporary schools, sects, movements and cults within and outside Islam.

    The existence of various religious schools and denominations is not unique to Islam but is also present in other Abrahamic religions. Indeed, the greater the acceptability of a religion by the people, the more difference of opinion it is likely to have among its followers. It is also natural that an older religion will have…

  • Similarities between Prophet Musa and Prophet Muhammad

    Similarities between Prophet Musa and Prophet Mohammad Syed Sharfuddin “We have sent a messenger to you to be your witness, just as We sent a messenger to Pharaoh” [Al-Quran: Surah Al-Muzammil 73:15] “I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brethren like thee (Moses), and I will put my words…

  • Qualities of Man: A Combination of Goodness and Evil

    Qualities of Man: A Combination of Goodness and EvilSyed Sharfuddin In the holy Quran Allah has described the character of man, both good and bad with clear examples. The picture of man that emerges from this description is one that is black and white, punctuated with goodness and ungratefulness, and worthy of being a true…

  • Dajjal, the False Messiah

    Dajjal, the False Messiah Syed Sharfuddin Introduction In Islamic eschatology Dajjal is known as the false Messiah. Christians call him the anti-Christ. The Jews believe in the appearance of an evil king of the last generation preceding salvation. The followers of the three Abrahamic faiths also believe in the coming of the final hour and…

  • Explaining Dajjal’s Time on Earth

    Explaining Dajjal’s Time on Earth Syed Sharfuddin In the Islamic eschatology it is believed that Dajjal’s rule of extraordinary tribulations and tests for the believers which will take place as a clear sign of the end of time with last forty days before he is killed by prophet Isa with the support of the Mahdi.…

  • Was Prophet Yusuf a King or a Governor

    Was Prophet Yusuf a King or a Governor Syed Sharfuddin There is a verse in Surah Yusuf (Chapter 12) in the holy Quran in which prophet Yusuf Alaihey Salam (AS) recounts the blessings of Allah on him and asks to be re-joined with his forefathers who were among the righteous persons for whom Allah has…

  • A spider’s home is the weakest of all homes

    Syed Sharfuddin Spiders belong to a species of insects who live both in the wild and with humans in their homes and workplaces. What makes them distinct from other eight-legged creepy crawlies is their silky geometrical webs which have fascinated us for generations, as something extraordinary and awe inspiring. Few insects resemble spiders in their…

  • Nabi and Rasul: Similarities and Differences

    Syed Sharfuddin The words Nabi and Rasul have been used in the holy Quran interchangeably (2:213-214). In essence, they both mean the same thing, i.e., a Nabi or Rasul is a pious person chosen by Allah to receive divine guidance and commandments by Allah’s Will and convey these to his people during his lifetime. Only…

  • The Tablighi Jamaat: A Movement for God

    By Syed Sharfuddin The ideology of Tablighi Jamaat (TJ), the largest Islamic revivalist movement of our times is best described by Sadruddin Ansari’s introduction of the six points of Maulana Muhammad Ilyas Khandahlawi, the founder of TJ as follows: “We all know that this world is mortal. Everyone who is born here is destined to…

  • Destiny and Free Choice

    Syed Sharfuddin The philosophical debate about destiny and choice has enchanted many people, including the believers. There is a view that if the outcome of every action is already predetermined and is in the knowledge of the Creator, then where is the freedom of choice for human being to act on his own and be…

  • Evolution and Relevance of Fatwa in Islam

    Syed Sharfuddin Fatwa in Islam means a legal opinion given by a Muslim scholar on a matter of concern or interest to Muslims, both individually or collectively, at a set time, situation, location or circumstances. In Islam the institution of fatwa has had a significant impact on the interpretation of Sharia law which governs the…

  • Thoughts on the Validity of a Second Hijrah

    Syed Sharfuddin There are three types of emigration (Hijrah). One form of emigration results from persecution of a person or group on grounds of faith and endangers its life, property and values which are different from those of the dissenting population. The persecuted individual or group may or may not share the ethnic or tribal…

  • The Concept of Ruh in Islam

    Ruh is energy, which can activate human body and deactivate it without any apparent source that can be observed or measured through a physical instrument. Imam Abu Abdullah Al-Qurtubi said Ruh may have a form, but we do not know it. It enters human corpus through divine breath. “Then He [Allah] moulded him [man]; He…

  • Why is Islam Uncompromising on Apostasy

    Syed Sharfuddin Critics of Islam often put Muslims on the defensive by pointing out that Islam is the most intolerant religion among all other faiths on the question of apostasy. They point out that its uncompromising attitude on punishment by death has no place in the civilised world where freedom of religion is a fundamental…

  • Our Journey through a ten dimensional Universe: an Islamic perspective

    Syed Sharfuddin The string theory of universe states that there are at least ten dimensions that enable a complete view of the cosmos. Humans can see an object in only three dimensions. For example, a one-dimension object is a line. It has only length. To see this, you need to be standing very close to…

  • The ungrateful nation of Saba

    Syed Sharfuddin In Surah Saba (Chapter 34) Allah Subhanuhu wa Taala compares the life of two types of people – those who are humble and grateful for His blessings and those who are ungrateful and impatient. To illustrate the former, Allah gives the examples of two of His great peygambers (messengers) who were blessed with…

  • The End of Time

    The End of Time Syed Sharfuddin In Surah Muhammad in the holy Quran, Allah says: “are (nonbelievers) waiting for the Last Hour to take them by surprise? Yet, some of its signs have already appeared. When the Last Hour befalls them, will it not be too late for them to submit?” [47:18]. In Surah Al-Ahzab,…

  • Keep the Quran but abandon Hadith: A new salvo against Islam

    Syed Sharfuddin There is a gentle  but mischievous campaign going on in some young Muslim internet chat rooms that they should focus on the Quran as the source of Muslim faith but reject hadith (sayings of the holy Prophet) because these were collected several centuries after the demise of the Prophet, peace be upon him…

  • Blowing of Wind: A Sign from Allah

    Syed Sharfuddin Every year before the start of summer, strong winds blow over the mountains and plains of southern Turkey that faces the Mediterranean. It is the sea which links Turkey to the land of past prophets and their nations who lived in Egypt and adjoining lands all the way to the Red Sea on…

  • Bound in Mortgage

    Syed Sharfuddin In the holy Quran a very interesting word appears twice which has become a part of our everyday living. This word is ‘raheen’ meaning collateral. These are the two verses where the word ‘raheen’ has been used: وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَاتَّبَعَتْهُمْ ذُرِّيَّتُهُم بِإِيمَانٍ أَلْحَقْنَا بِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَمَا أَلَتْنَاهُم مِّنْ عَمَلِهِم مِّن شَيْءٍ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ…

  • The Parable of Sinners

    Syed Sharfuddin In Surah Al-Qalam, Chapter 68, Allah mentions two types of people: those who accept the faith and those who deny it. In verse 68:35 the faithful are called Muslimeen and the sinners Mujrimeen. The subsequent verses challenge the sinners. They are asked if Allah has sworn a covenant with them that on the…

  • The Parable of Orchard Owners

    This parable also addresses us directly about our own nature. How many of us do not despise the company of the poor when we are celebrating success or are at a feast. On the contrary we change our walkways to avoid encountering them in our good time. We think the empty and dark ‘world’ of…

  • Prophets, Angels, Jinns and Women mentioned in the Quran

    Syed Sharfuddin Prophets and messengersIn the holy Quran prophets are of two kinds: human beings such as Nuh and angels such as Jibreel. The former are human and live among their nations. The latter are angels and do not live among people. At another level, they are also bearers of the divine scriptures such as…

  • An Index of Parables, Similitudes, Miracles and Events in the Holy Quran

    Syed Sharfuddin The main themes of the holy Quran revolve around monotheist belief and good action [2:3]. Belief concerns faith in Almighty Allah, the angels, the divine scriptures, the divine messengers, destiny and the final hour [4:136]. Action requires worship [6:162], charitable giving [9:60 and 2:177] and good conduct in society [5:93]. Muslims are required…

  • The Story of Bal’am bin Ba’ra

    Syed Sharfuddin In Surah Al-A’raaf, verses 175-76, Allah asks Prophet Mohammad, peace and blessings be upon him, to relate to the Jews an account of the man to whom Allah gave His signs but he followed Shaitan and became one of the perverse. Allah would have raised this man to the heights of attainment, but…

  • A Model Salat for All

    Introduction There was a time in the history of Islam when there used to be several congregational prayers (salat with jamaat) organised in the Haram at the time of the annual Hajj. Ibn Jubair, a nobleman from Muslim Andalusia, wrote in his memoirs that he saw the Hanafi praying their slalat on one side of…

  • An Essay on Jinns

    Humans occupy the middle ground between angels and jinns. Their constituent material, clay has the flexibility to withstand extreme variations in temperature. When it is too hot, it becomes molten lava and acquires the characteristics of fire. When it is too cold it freezes and wears a layer of ice, which is reminiscent of celestial…

  • Allah’s Instructions to Muslims: A Guidance for Mankind: Comparing Surah Al Isra and Al Hujarat.

    Syed Sharfuddin The holy Quran is a beautiful tapestry of repeating parables, divine guidance, biblical warnings, and holy commandments, assertions and prohibitions which, if understood and acted in letter and spirit with full sincerity and faith, can make a Muslim a complete human being serving Allah and following His prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him,…

  • Limits of Knowledge: Lesson from Surah Al-Kahaf

    Syed Sharfuddin Every Friday millions of Muslims recite Surah Al-Kahf, as recommended in Ahadith as an anti dote to the fitna of Dajjal’s coming, as well as for blessing and guidance in this world and for reaping the reward of reading the holy Quran in the hereafter. There are many messages in the parables mentioned…

  • Wahi and Waswasa: Explaining two important meanings in the holy Quran

    By Syed Sharfuddin Wahi The root word وحى and its derivatives اوحى and اوحينا have been used in the holy Quran in a number of verses. The word wahi has various meanings. It is used as a sign, a signal, an inspiration, an awakening or a biblical commandment from the Lord Almighty. Allah Tabarak wa…

  • The power of imagination: A biblical perspective

    By Syed Sharfuddin When we read the translation and tafseer of Surah Waqea we come to know that the lucky dwellers of Paradise will remember events of their earthly life and recall their past episodes, conversations and feelings in their heavenly discourse with each other in a manner of surprise or reference for a new…

  • The Sole Purpose of Human Life is to Worship Allah

    Syed Sharfuddin As we are moving deeper into the cyber age, it is becoming harder to manage our daily commitments and keep up with family and social obligations. When we read in our religious texts that the sole purpose of life is to worship Allah we wonder who will pay our mortgages and put food…

  • Reason takes a back seat in Faith

    Reason and logic are great instruments which sharpen the understanding of religion but to suspend faith completely and place every single aspect of religion under science and technology will leave you with the a major handicap of revising your belief every now and then as new discoveries are made and science throws away its old…

  • Peygambers as Shepherds for their Flock

    Syed Sharfuddin Allah Subhanuhu wa Taala sent peygambers (prophets) to different communities of people in different epochs so that no community could say on the day of Judgement they did not receive divine Guidance to be accountable for their deeds. This stopped with the coming of prophet Muhammad, may Allah preserve him and protect him,…

  • President’s Trump is right about using a Very Powerful Light to eradicate the new Coronavirus

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