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The New Year

Having just completed the year 2014, the ‘New Year’ is seen and heard all around us. However, the question remains as to what should be a Muslim’s take on these events.

Upon the passing of a year, the common trend is to celebrate; people have birthday parties, wedding anniversaries etc. However, in certain spheres this is not the case; take the example of a businessman who at the end of the (financial) year will first take stock of the past year. He will meticulously go through the accounts of the past year taking into account every single penny. He will check to see if he made a profit, and if so then how can he make more in the coming year. He will check his expenses: where did he spend his money? Can he make further savings? All of this is done so that he can make the coming year more profitable than the one that has passed. Read more

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Istikhārah-Its Method and Some Misconceptions

Istikhārah means to turn to Allāh ta‘ālā and seek goodness from Him. This is because Allāh ta‘ālā knows what we do not know. As Allāh ta‘ālā is fully aware of the end result and consequence of every matter and we merely speculate, we should ask Allāh ta‘ālā to guide us towards goodness in our endeavours or tasks that we are about to embark on. It should be understood that istikhārah is simply a du‘ā like any other du‘ā. However, it has more chance of acceptance in the Court of Allāh ta‘ālā as it has been specifically taught by Rasūlullāh sallallāhu ‘alayhi wasallam to his Ummah. It is a prayer offered to Allāh ta‘ālā before embarking on a particular course of action or choosing from a number of options, asking Him to guide us towards goodness and the correct and better choice, and to save us from that course of action or choice if goodness lies elsewhere. Read more

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A Simple Format for ‘ibadah on Auspicious nights

A Simple Format for ‘ibadah on Auspicious nights

Our Beloved Nabi (sallallahu’alaihiwasallam) has mentioned:
“Indeed your Lord has reserved certain special moments in time (in which he emits abundant/special mercy)
Be sure to avail yourselves for these opportunities.” (Majma’uz Zawaaid)
We are usually aware of the significant occasions that present themselves each year. The crucial thing is how do we “avail ourselves” and maximise our benefit from these blessed nights?
Here under is a suggested format for “What to do on Blessed nights?” Read more

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