وَيَسْأَلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنْفِقُونَ قُلِ الْعَفْوَ Wayas’alūnaka mādhā yunfiqūn, qulil-‘afw And they ask you what they should spend. Say, ‘al-afw’ (Sūratul Baqarah, No.2, Āyat 219) Once a group of people came to the Holy Prophet (s) and asked what they should give others. They knew that God wanted them to give from what they had. But … Read more
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَ تَقُولُونَ مَا لَا تَفْعَلُونَ O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do? (Sūratus Saff, No.61, Āyat 2) One of the qualities of a true believer is harmony between speech and action. When speech is sincere it is implemented and carried out. Speech conveys what … Read more
إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ فِي سَبِيلِهِ صَفًّا كَأَنَّهُمْ بُنْيَانٌ مَرْصُوصٌ Innallāha yuhibbul-ladhīna yuqātilūna fī sabīlihi saffan ka-annahum bunyānun marsūs Surely Allah loves those who fight in His way in ranks as if they were a firm and compact structure (Sūratus Saff, No.61, Āyat 4) Two qualities of those who strive in the way of … Read more
وَإِنِ اسْتَنْصَرُوكُمْ فِي الدِّينِ فَعَلَيْكُمُ النَّصْرُ If they seek your help in religion then it is your duty to help (Sūratul Anfāl, No.8, Āyat 72) Assisting the oppressed for whoever is able to, is a responsibility established in the fitrat or inner instinct of the human being, in the aql (human intellect), and in the … Read more
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ فِي لَيْلَةٍ مُبَارَكَةٍ Innā anzalnāhu fī laylatin mubārakah Surely We revealed it on a blessed night (Sūratud Dukhān, No.44, Ayat 3) The Holy Quran was revealed on a night that is described as mubārakah. The root word barakah signifies something that is beneficial, that multiplies in good, and has a continuous flow of … Read more
ادْعُوا رَبَّكُمْ تَضَرُّعًا وَخُفْيَةً Ud‘ū rabbakum tadarru‘an wa-khufyatan Call on your Lord humbly and secretly (Sūratul A‘rāf, No. 7, Āyat 55) When a human being supplicates to God he acknowledges that he is the needy servant who is asking from the source of all good and bestowal. Supplication thus strengthens the relationship between the Creator … Read more
فَبِذَٰلِكَ فَلْيَفْرَحُوا هُوَ خَيْرٌ مِمَّا يَجْمَعُون Fabi dhālika falyafrahū huwa khayrun mimmā yajma‘ūn In that they should rejoice; it is better than that which they gather. (Sūrat Yūnus, No. 10, Āyat 58) Almighty Allah talks about the different roles of the Holy Quran in verse 57 of Sūrat Yūnus. He says it is an admonition, … Read more
شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ هُدًى لِلنَّاسِ وَبَيِّنَاتٍ مِنَ الْهُدَىٰ وَالْفُرْقَانِ Shahru ramadānal-ladhī unzila fihil-qur’ānu hudan linnāsi wabayyinātin minal-hudā wal-furqān The month of Ramadan is that in which the Quran was revealed, as guidance to mankind and with clear proofs of the guidance and the Criterion (Sūratul Baqarah, No. 2, Āyat 185) Believers are … Read more
يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ قَدْ جَاءَتْكُمْ مَوْعِظَةٌ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ وَشِفَاءٌ لِمَا فِي الصُّدُورِ وَهُدًى وَرَحْمَةٌ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ Yā ayyuhan-nāsu qad jā-atkum maw‘izatun min rabbikum wa-shifā’un limā fis-sudūri wa-hudan wa-rahmatun lilmu’minīn O mankind, There has certainly come to you an advice from your Lord, and a cure for what is in the chests, and a guidance, and a … Read more
الَّذِينَ يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ Alladhīna yu’minūna bilghayb Those who believe in the unseen (Sūratul Baqarah, No.2, Ayat 3) Belief in the unseen is described in this verse as the first essential quality of pious believers (the muttaqīn). It is the foundation of religion and is the basis of all the roots and branches of religion. Although … Read more