Bismillāh مَا كَانَ مُحَمَّدٌ أَبَآ أَحَدٍۢ مِّن رِّجَالِكُمْ وَلَـٰكِن رَّسُولَ ٱللَّهِ وَخَاتَمَ ٱلنَّبِيِّـۧنَ Muhammad is not the father of any of your men, but he is the Messenger of Allah and the Seal of the Prophets. And Allah is All-Knowing of everything. Sūrat Ahzab, No.33, Āyat 40 In this blessed verse of the Noble Qur’ān, … Read more
Bismillāh وَإِذْ صَرَفْنَآ إِلَيْكَ نَفَرًا مِّنَ ٱلْجِنِّ يَسْتَمِعُونَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ فَلَمَّا حَضَرُوهُ قَالُوٓا۟ أَنصِتُوا۟ ۖ فَلَمَّا قُضِىَ وَلَّوْا۟ إِلَىٰ قَوْمِهِم مُّنذِرِينَ When We dispatched toward you a team of jinn listening to the Qur’ān, when they were in its presence, they said, ‘Be silent!’ When it was finished, they went back to their people as warners. … Read more
Bismillāh عَبَسَ وَتَوَلَّىٰ أَن جَاءَهُ الْأَعْمَىٰ He frowned and turned away. When the blind man approached him. Sūrat ‘Abasa, No. 80, Āyāt 1-2 There is no difference among Muslims that this sūrah was revealed when a blind companion of the Messenger of Allah sallā Allāhu ‘alayhi wa-ālih, ‘Abdullāh ibn Umm Maktūm, once came seeking to … Read more
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