وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّتِي نَقَضَتْ غَزْلَهَا مِنْ بَعْدِ قُوَّةٍ أَنْكَاثًا Do not be like the one who unravels her yarn, disintegrating it into pieces after she has spun it strongly (Sūrat an-Nahl, No. 16, Āyat 92) Commentary When Bibi Zaynab (a) was taken prisoner along with Imam al-Sajjad (a) and the womenfolk and children to Kufa, … Read more
ثُمَّ قَسَتْ قُلُوبُكُمْ مِنْ بَعْدِ ذَٰلِكَ فَهِيَ كَالْحِجَارَةِ أَوْ أَشَدُّ قَسْوَةً ۚ Thumma qasat qulūbukum min ba‘di dhālika fahiya kal-Hijārati aw ashaddu qaswah Then your hearts hardened after that, so that they were like rocks, rather worse in hardness; Sura al-(Sūrtual Baqarah, No. 2, Āyat 74) Commentary The above verse refers to the Banū Israel … Read more
وَإِنْ تَعْفُوا وَتَصْفَحُوا وَتَغْفِرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ Wa-in ta‘fū wataSfaHū wataghfirū fainnallāha ghafūrur-raHīm And if you pardon, and forbear, and forgive, then surely Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. (Sūratut Taghābun, No. 64, Āyat 14) This verse talks about the different stages of forgiveness. According to Tafsīr Namūne, verse 14 of Sūratu Taghābun was sent after … Read more
إِنَّ إِبْرَاهِيمَ كَانَ أُمَّةً قَانِتًا لِلَّهِ حَنِيفًا وَلَمْ يَكُ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ Inna Ibrāhīma kāna ummatan qānitan lillāhi Hanīfan walam yaku minal-mushrikīn Indeed Ibrahim was a nation, obedient to Allah, upright, and he was not of the polytheists. (Sūratun Nahl, No. 16, Āyat 120) This verse praises Abraham (Nabī Ibrāhīm), the great Prophet of Allah, the … Read more
وَإِذْ جَعَلْنَا الْبَيْتَ مَثَابَةً لِلنَّاسِ وَأَمْنًا Remember We made the House a place of assembly for men and a place of safety (Sūratul Baqarah, No. 2, Āyat 125) The holy Kaaba is described in the above verse as: 1) A place of assembly or pilgrimage. The Arabic word used is ‘mathaba’ – a place of … Read more
أَلَا لِلَّهِ الدِّينُ الْخَالِصُ Now, surely, sincere devotion is due to Allah (alone) (Sūratul Zumar, No. 39, Āyat 3) Being a true servant of Allah means to be devoted to Him and Him alone. He is the focus of life, and all else revolves around Him. Just as the pilgrims circumbulate around the Ka’ba, the … Read more
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 بِهَٰذَا مَثَلًا Indeed Allah is not ashamed to set forth a parable whether it is that of a gnat or anything above it. As for those who … Read more
فَتَقَبَّلَهَا رَبُّهَا بِقَبُولٍ حَسَنٍ وَأَنْبَتَهَا نَبَاتًا حَسَنًا Fataqabbalahā rabbuhā biqabūlin hasanin wa-ambatahā nabātan hasanā So her Lord accepted her with a gracious acceptance, and made her grow in a worthy fashion (Sūrat Āli Imrān, No. 3, Āyat 37) When the mother of Bibi Maryam (a) was giving birth she expected a male child whom she … Read more
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اجْتَنِبُوا كَثِيرًا مِنَ الظَّنِّ إِنَّ بَعْضَ الظَّنِّ إِثْمٌ Yā ayyuhaladhīna āmanūj-tanibū kathīran minaz-zanni inna ba‘daz-zanni ithm O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion. Indeed some suspicions are sins. (Sūratul Hujurāt, No. 49, Āyat 12) Suspicions, or negative assumptions, are deadly in relationships. Assumptions, both positive and negative, make up a big … Read more
ضَرَبَ اللَّهُ مَثَلًا رَجُلًا فِيهِ شُرَكَاءُ مُتَشَاكِسُونَ وَرَجُلًا سَلَمًا لِرَجُلٍ هَلْ يَسْتَوِيَانِ مَثَلًا ۚ الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ ۚ بَلْ أَكْثَرُهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ Dharaba-llāhu mathalan rajulan fīhi shurakā’u mutashākisūna wa rajulan salaman lirajulin hal yastawiyāni mathalan. Alhamdu lillāhi. Bal aktharuhum lā ya‘lamūn. Allah draws and example: a man jointly owned by several contending masters, and a man … Read more