Bismillāh وَإِذْ تَقُولُ لِلَّذِي أَنْعَمَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِ أَمْسِكْ عَلَيْكَ زَوْجَكَ وَاتَّقِ اللَّهَ وَتُخْفِي فِي نَفْسِكَ مَا اللَّهُ مُبْدِيهِ وَتَخْشَى النَّاسَ وَاللَّهُ أَحَقُّ أَن تَخْشَاهُ When you said to him whom Allah had blessed, and whom you [too] had blessed, ‘Keep your wife for yourself, and be wary of Allah,’ and you concealed within … Read more
Bismillāh اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ Read in the name of your Lord who created. Sūrat al-‘Alaq, No. 96, Āyat 1 The first word revealed from the Qur’ān was a command: iqra’ — read! To appreciate the meaning of this opening instruction, it is helpful to examine what qirā’ah means from a linguistic perspective. The … Read more
Bismillāh وَتَوَلَّىٰ عَنْهُمْ وَقَالَ يَا أَسَفَىٰ عَلَىٰ يُوسُفَ وَابْيَضَّتْ عَيْنَاهُ مِنَ الْحُزْنِ فَهُوَ كَظِيم And he turned away from them and said: ‘O my sorrow for Yūsuf!’ And his eyes had become white (blind), because of the sorrow that he suppressed. Sūrat Yūsuf, No. 12, Āyat 84 Tragic events in life can leave people overwhelmed … Read more
Bismillāh إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا …Indeed, Allah only desires to remove from you all impurity, O Ahl al-Bayt, and to purify you with a thorough purification.? Sūrat al-Ahzāb, No. 33, Āyat 33 In an earlier reflection, we established—through extensively transmitted (mutawātir) narrations—that the five figures referred to in this … Read more
Bismillāh أَمَّنْ هُوَ قَانِتٌ آنَاءَ اللَّيْلِ سَاجِدًا وَقَائِمًا يَحْذَرُ الْآخِرَةَ وَيَرْجُو رَحْمَةَ رَبِّهِ Is one who is devoutly obedient during the hours of the night, prostrating and standing, fearing the Hereafter and hoping in the mercy of his Lord — [equal to one who does not]? Sūrat Az-Zumar, No.39, Āyat 9 The above verse of … Read more
Bismillāh وَفَدَيْنَاهُ بِذِبْحٍ عَظِيمٍ And We ransomed him with a great sacrifice.. Sūrat As-Sāfāt, No.37, Āyat 107 After Prophet Ibrāhīm ‘alayhis salām demonstrated complete submission to Allah’s command by preparing to sacrifice his beloved son, Ismā‘īl (a), Allah miraculously intervened before the sacrifice was carried out. Ismā‘īl (a) was replaced with a ram, which Ibrāhīm (a) … Read more
Bismillāh وَلَمَّا رَأَى الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْأَحْزَابَ قَالُوا۟ هَـٰذَا مَا وَعَدَنَا ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ وَصَدَقَ ٱللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُۥ ۚ وَمَا زَادَهُمْ إِلَّآ إِيمَـٰنًۭا وَتَسْلِيمًۭا But when the believers saw the allied forces, they said, “This is what Allah and His Messenger had promised us. The promise of Allah and His Messenger has come true. And this only increased them … Read more
Bismillāh مَنْ كَانَ يُرِيدُ الْعِزَّةَ فَلِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا Whoever seeks honour [should know that] honour belongs entirely to Allah. Sūrat al-Fātir, No. 35, Āyat 10 ‘Izzah is often translated as “honour” or “dignity,” but in order to understand the above verse more, let’s investigate a bit deeper. In Arabic, the same root is used to … Read more
Bismillāh إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا …Indeed, Allah only desires to remove from you all impurity, O Ahl al-Bayt, and to purify you with a thorough purification. Sūrat al-Ahzāb, No. 33, Āyat 33 At first glance, this verse presents a puzzle. The term Ahl al-Bayt linguistically means “people of the … Read more
Have a look at the revamped Hadith Database.Bismillāh. وَاجْعَل لِّي وَزِيرًا مِّنْ أَهْلِي هَارُونَ أَخِي اُشْدُدْ بِهِ أَزْرِي وَأَشْرِكْهُ فِي أَمْرِي Appoint for me a minister from my family, Hārūn, my brother. Strengthen my back through him and make him my associate in my task. Sūrat TāHā No. 20 Āyat 29-31 When Nabī Mūsā ‘alayhis-salām … Read more