Until recently, I had thought that all Muslims follow the Quran as the primary source of knowledge, guidance and information, as well as following the Hadith (traditions or Sunnah) of the Prophet. I then found out about a school of thought called ‘Quranism’ – the followers of this believe that the Quran should be the only source of guidance for Muslims, and disregard all Sunnah and Hadith of the Prophet. Though it might seem to...

The Hawqala is short form of saying la hawla wa la quwwata illa billah (Arabic “لا حول ولاقوة إلا بالله”) which is usually translated as “There is no power or strength except with Allah.” This short but powerful statement has many benefits. Affliction of poverty These words – ‘There is neither strength nor power save in God’ – have the striking effect of helping one to...

Nowadays when someone wants to attack Islam, there’s a few theories that will always come up such as Islam oppresses women, Muslims want to kill all the non-believers, and that Islam breeds violence and it’s Prophet Muhammad was a violent person. The following is a commonly misunderstood hadith that people use as ammo to promote their false theories. The Hadith Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “The blood of a man who...

This short but powerful speech by Hamza Yusuf covers important points Muslims and non-Muslims should know about Islam and our view on oppression, killing innocents and violence towards other faiths. Key points covered: A handful of extremists do not represent Muslims everywhere, and Muslims needs to unite to condemn these evil actions We must reject indiscriminate violence against innocents (such as on events like 9/11); this is something...

Hijab seems to be quite a controversial topic in today’s world. Whereas a less than a 100 years ago a woman choosing to cover her hair was seen as no big deal, nowadays it seems like it’s the most shocking thing a woman can do – yet wearing revealing clothes is seen as normal! Such are the times we live in, and before I get into why Hijab is important for a muslim woman, I wanted to share my story. Growing up In my family, the...

People are very quick to form judgements on others, and mostly without looking at themselves first. Being quick to criticize someone, a muslim or a non-muslim, is something to be avoided because we do not know a persons intention, and they may be far better than us. A person’s outward actions Right now, all we see are the actions that the person has done so far in their life. We do not know later on what they will be doing, or that in...

An Atheist who converted to Christianity and ultimately Islam, is one of the most knowledgeable people who can compare Prophet Isa (Jesus)’s teachings to how they have been twisted into something else. He also discusses how Muslims follow his original message more than modern Christians, and how he and his real disciples knew there would be another Prophet after him. Prophet Isa (Jesus) and his real message What he did say - He was the son...

For most people, the hardest Salah (prayer) to pray on time is the Fajr prayer, since it’s just before sunrise when most people are asleep. It also comes with huge benefits, so we should try our best to wake up on time to pray it. Insha’Allah it will become part of our routine like our other prayers. Benefits of Fajr Fard prayer It is a Fard (compulsory) prayer, and really, that should be enough for us to pray it! However, like in...

Although I grew up in an Arab country, I never really became fluent in Arabic. I always read the Quran translation in English and thought it was enough. I have now realized the value of learning Arabic, how beautiful it is in it’s depth and meanings, and that any translation will never be able to give justice to the real Quran. (Mistakenly) thinking a translation is enough If someone told me that we should read the Quran in Arabic, I...

One of the things that always amazes me is that the teachings of our Prophet are not just belief in Allah but are also life lessons that everyone can benefit from. The advice ‎”Take advantage of five matters before five other matters:  your youth before you become old;  your health before you fall sick;  your wealth before you become poor;  your free time before you become busy;  your life before your death.”  - Prophet...

One of the most misunderstood aspects of Prophet Muhammad’s life is his marriage to Ayesha. The misconception What people mistakenly believe is that the Prophet married Ayesha when she was 9 years old. This of course is seen as something controversial and immoral from today’s standard. The Prophet would never do something immoral; he was sent as an example for Muslims and so this topic requires close analyisis and clearing up. The...

This Hadith (teaching) of our Prophet relates to how to react when one gets insulted. This hadith is useful to keep in mind especially nowadays when Muslims are being attacked and insulted from people who have little or no understanding about Islam. While it is important to defend our religion and our Prophet, it is also important to keep our cool as this Hadith teaches us. While Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was sitting with some of his...

TheDeenShow.com is a really useful website with lots of interviews, discussions and lectures on Islam. It is made relevant for an audience today by having a nice energy to it. It’s also a great way to find out about popular Islamic scholars, imams and converts in today’s time. Share this:FacebookEmail

Yusuf Estes is one of the main people who really helped me understand Islam. His cheerful attitude combined with his personal experience as an ex-Christian who didn’t know much about Islam before, he sheds light on topics in a way that is easy for all to understand. He converted in 1991. According to Wikipedia “He is a former National Muslim Chaplain for the United States Bureau of Prisons as well as a Delegate to the United Nations...

As muslims we have respect for Jewish people, and consider them to be Ahl-e-Kitaab (People of the Book) and not ‘infidels’ as a lot of people mistakenly believe. We know they come from Ibraham (Abraham), the father of of the three dominant religions today, and their beliefs are very similar to ours, even more so than the Christians. However, we also believe that though the Jews were given Israel by Allah, and it was where they were...