Most of us, we never really intend to break a promise when we make one. That’s why it is a promise in the first place; a confirmation to someone of a future action we pledge to do. A verbal guarantee. As children, we grow up learning about keeping promises from our parents, teachers and the children’s books with their moral stories that mold our instincts to believe breaking a promise is morally wrong. Now, as human beings we are prone to making mistakes in every department known to man so it Read more [...]

This this is important question which has come to the fore in recent times, and which has been the cause of confusion for many people. Here are some important points to take into consideration when learning about this issue: It is absolutely haram (unlawful) for a man to harm his wife. The Prophet SAW prohibited harming others in general, (4:21); who is one’s “garment” (2:187), and who lives under one’s ri’aaya, care and shepherdship, as mentioned in a prophetic tradition? (30:21), Read more [...]

There was a time when words spoken were binding contracts; pledges held and honored, where an individual would act as a testimony to his character.  Speech was not just words of folly, but rather true and honest communication between individuals. Often times we utter words heedlessly without realizing the impact it has on our hearts and in our lives, failing to comprehend the weight of what we have just spoken.  We tend to abuse or misuse certain words as we throw them around, to the point where Read more [...]

“Why are you majoring in that field?” I asked a sister in college. She sighed, “To be honest, I just want to get married. I don’t really care about what I’m studying right now. I’m just waiting to get hitched so I can be a wife and a mother.” “It’s awesome that she wants to be a wife and a mother, but why would she put her life on hold?” I wondered. Why would a skilled, passionate young woman create barriers to striving for self-improvement and her ability to be socially transformative Read more [...]

  I spent my time at a recent wedding listening to people’s marriage problems. As the guests danced the night away in celebration, I sat in the back of the hall talking about shattered dreams and unfulfilled expectations. Sometimes, we had to scream to hear each other over the music. There was the young woman whose husband wouldn’t let her finish her education. Then, a friend wanted advice about dealing with her in-laws. And a mother cried as she shared her worries about welcoming Read more [...]

I was walking through the streets of a city that I have been blessed to visit—except it didn’t really feel like a blessing. Everywhere I looked people were yelling, people were fighting and worst of all they were invading my little bubble of privacy that had been unaltered all the years that I was in the United States. I couldn’t even begin to comprehend why there were so many annoying, disrespectful people in one place, and I couldn’t help but ask myself, “Why are there no nice welcoming Read more [...]

A few months ago, I was sitting with Shaykh Mohsen Al’Najjar in the Mosque of our Messenger Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him and his family), preparing to make the blessed ziyara (visitation).  As we sat, I could not help but marvel at the amazing Ottoman calligraphy decorating the mosque.  My eyes and spirit quickly fixated on an ornate inscription from the Messenger ﷺ: “My Intercession is for the Major Sinners of my Nation.” (Sunan Tirmidhi) I contemplated this for a while.  Why Read more [...]

“A spoonful of humility a day, keeps the ego away.”  Well, it’s not the original saying, but it sends a clear message.  Truly realizing the benefits of being humble can assist us in achieving success not only in this life, but also in the hereafter. According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, to be humble is to not be proud, arrogant, or assertive.  In Arabic, tawaada (humility) literally means to lower one’s self or to submit.  Taking these definitions together and adding the characteristic Read more [...]

We all want to have a productive day. We strive hard in figuring out our interests and potential and learn to manage that precious commodity, time. We set goals and develop strategies to accomplish them. Now, the point to ponder is, are these “goals” really aimed at gaining the Pleasure of Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (glorified is He)? What goals should we set for ourselves to achieve in a day that are aimed at gaining the pleasure of Allah (swt) and inching closer to Jannah (Paradise) insha’Allah Read more [...]

When Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) loves someone, He honours them both in this life and in the Hereafter. As such, we find in the Qur’an that Allah (swt) always lovingly addresses His Messengers and Prophets in the way that a mentor addresses his student. The Prophets and Messengers are essentially the students of Allah (swt) – He is the one guiding them and mentoring them through the task they have been honoured with by means of wahi (revelation). There is a certain level of love Read more [...]