Today’s reflection is from Sura Balad where Allah [swt] says: Certainly We have created man to be in distress. [90:4] In this verse, Allah [swt] uses the word kabad for distress. Scholars explain that the word kabad which originally means intensity, also signifies 'a disease in the liver of a person’ and is used for any trouble and misery. This ver…

Here is today's reflection from the Quran: In Sura Maida, the Quran whilst talking about whom to take as a Wali, says: Your Wali is only Allah, His Apsotle, and the faithful of those who keep up prayers and give alms while they bow. [Quran 5:55] As we commemorate the occasion of the martyrdom of Imam Ali (as), let us reflect on this verse to remind…

For the next couple of days, we will inshallah explore the following verse from Sura Ale Imran: So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in the matter. And when you …

Continuing with this verse from Sura Ale Imran: So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in [some of] the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. In…

Today’s reflection is verse 9 from Chapter 62, Sura Juma, when Allah [swt] addresses the believers and says: O you who believe! when the call is made for prayer on Friday, then hasten to the remembrance of Allah and leave off trading; that is better for you, if you know. [62:9] 4 important points are made in this verse: 1. When the call for the Fri…

Today’s reflection is from Chapter 23, Sura Muminum where the Holy Quran says: "It is they who hasten to every good work and these who are foremost in them." [23:61] In this verse and a couple of verses preceding it, Allah [swt] points out a few qualities of the believers. One of their qualities that they “hasten to do good deeds”. This desire is b…

In Verse 39 of Sura Najm, Allah says: And that man shall have nothing but what he strives for. (Holy Quran 53:39) For today’s verse, I could not find a better title than the Urdu phrase: Harkat mein barkat, meaning there is blessing in movement/striving. One of the principles of life, taught by experience and by Divinity, is that human beings get w…

As We Wrap Up The Blessed Month Of Ramadan, We May Be Feeling A Mix Of Emotions: A Tinge Of Sadness At The Ending Of The Month Of Blessings, Mercy And Forgiveness, A Sense Of Relief That We Were Able To Fast And Pray [And That We Can Eat Again!] And Maybe Some Regret That We Did Not Or Could Not Do More During The Blessed Minutes And Hours Of This …

Yesterday we reflected on a truth about this life from the Quran: that life is full of challenges. Today, let us look at a promise of Allah [swt] that gives us confidence that we have what it takes to succeed in these challenges and find our way through these distresses. At the end of Chapter 2, Sura Al-Baqara the Quran tells us: Allah does not tas…

Continuing with this verse from Sura Ale Imran: So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you. So pardon them and ask forgiveness for them and consult them in [some of] the matter. And when you have decided, then rely upon Allah. In…

And they who say, “Our Lord! Grant us in our spouses and our offspring the joy [comfort, coolness, delight] of our eyes and make us imams [leaders] for the God-conscious” [25:74] The last quality mentioned of the Ibad ur Rahman is that they have a fervent prayer consisting of two parts: Firstly for Allah [swt] to grant them delight in their closest…

Sura Maidah verse two says: O, You who believe . . . help one another in goodness and piety. [5:2] Cooperating with others in goodness is one of the basic principles for a society build on spiritual and ethical values. When people of faith work together, they motivate and provide encouragement and enthusiasm for each other. The energies of the univ…

The verses we have been considering the last few days lay out the qualities of His special servants or the Ibad ur Rahman, some of which are the following: They are those who: Are humble in their demeanour [25:63] Do not engage with the ignorant [25:63] Worship at night [25:64] Seek forgiveness continuously [25:65] Avoid falsehood and vanity [25:72…

Continuing with painting a portrait of the Ibrad ur Rahman, verse 73 of Chapter 25, Sura Furqan points to another characteristic of these sincere believers: [25:73] and they who, when they are reminded of the signs of their Lord, fall not deaf and blind against them Scholars explain that the “falling deaf and blind” refers to the act of falling dow…

Today’s reflection is from Sura Furqan and over the next few days, we will look at selections from verses 63-76 in Chapter 25 Sura Furqan, where the Quran talks about the qualities of Ibad ur Rahman or the Servants of the Most Merciful. The verse reads: The servants of the Compassionate are those who walk humbly upon the earth, and when the ignoran…

Yesterday we started discussing the qualities of the Ibad ur Rahman [servants of the Most Compassionate] from Chapter 25, Sura Furqan. We said that we need to reflect the quality of compassion within ourselves and then we discussed the first quality from verse 63: the quality of humility. Today, let us look at verse 63 again and explore the second …

Continuing with the portrait of Ibad ur Rahman, verses 65 & 66 from Sura Furqan outline another quality: [25:65] And they who say: O our Lord! turn away from us the punishment of hell, surely the punishment thereof is lasting Servants of the Ibad ur Rahman are in continuous touch with their own humanity, with their propensity to make mistakes, to o…

Continuing with our series of drawing a portrait of the Ibad ur Rahman [the Servants of the All Compassionate], verse 64 of Chapter 25, Sura Furqan says: And they who pass the night prostrating themselves before their Lord and standing. [25:64] So the third quality mentioned of the Ibad ur Rahman is that In the pursuit of spiritual elevation and pe…

Continuing with our series of exploring some of the characteristics of the Ibadur Rahman, verse 72 from Chapter 25 [Sura Furqan] says: And they who do not bear witness to what is false, and when they pass by what is vain/idle talk, they pass by nobly. [25:72] Another two qualities of the sincere servants of the All Compassionate is that 1) they do …

Another quality mentioned in Sura Furqan of the Ibad ur Rahman is that they are “qawama”, they adopt the “just mean” in spending. Verse 67 says: And they who when they spend, are neither extravagant nor parsimonious, and (keep) between these the just mean. [25:67] Islam at its core, is the “middle path”, the path between two extremes and Prophetic …

In Sura Israa (17:26), Allah says: And do not squander wastefully. Reflection: In this verse as in other places in the Quran, Allah [swt] is commanding us not to be extravagant or wasteful. Islam encourages to be balanced in all aspects of life, including how we spend money and resources. And even, as in this verse, in giving charity. While it is e…

Let’s remind ourselves of the principles of healthy discussion and debate from the Quran which we have been exploring over the last few days Use wisdom and good admonition and dispute with them in a manner that is best [Quran16:125]. Establish common ground Establish common ground 29:46 Use logic and appeal to reason [Quran 36:77-79] Do not offend …

One of the methods frequently used by the Quran to convince the reader of its arguments is the use of logic and rhetorical questioning. Researchers into Quranic linguists assert that such rhetorical questions are used in more than a thousand verses of the Quran and each use is an invitation for the reader to shift their thinking paradigm. Let us re…

We have explored this verse from Sura Fussilat from many different aspects. Today’s exploration will be in line with our theme of using verses from the Quran to guide us when we find ourselves in the midst of an argument. Despite our best intentions, things can get heated when we are in the midst of a conflict. It is hard to hear things that go aga…

Do not revile those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they should revile God out of enmity, ignorance. [Quran 6:108] This verse from Sura Anam cautions believers not to turn to offence and aggression in the midst of an argument, especially on matters of faith. It also provides a solid reason why it is not a good idea to do so: because such be…

When we are in the midst of a conflict or a dispute, we tend to focus only on our side of the argument, ignoring or rejecting what merit or truth may be found on the other side. And when we do this, the other side gets more focused on proving us wrong and highlighting their arguments. Discussions and arguments like these seldom if ever, result in a…

Continuing with our series on inspiration from the Holy Quran for engaging in discussion and dispute, the verse today is from Sura Ankabut where Allah (swt) says: And dispute not with the People of the Book, save in the most virtuous manner, unless it be those of them who have done wrong. And say, “We believe in that which was sent down unto us and…

Today we start a series on verses from the Quran that guide us how to discuss, debate and disagree with people. In the following verse from Sura Nahl, Allah says: Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation. And dispute with them in them in a manner that is best [16:125] 4 commands are given to the Holy Prophet [as] in this ve…

Many of us are feeling angry at the injustices, the oppression, the mass murders, the brainwashing, political posturing, refusal of people to stand up and speak the truth, Islamophobia . … .there really is plenty to make and keep us mad. Our anger is pointing to the fact that we find ourselves in a situation which is unacceptable according to any s…

All of us are struggling with collective grief and vicarious trauma during these most distressing of times. While we want to help, we often feel hopeless and helpless. In these episode, we will turn to the Quran for guidance on how to manage ourselves and our strong emotions and take effective action to support our brothers and sisters in Palestine…

In this episode, we discuss the topic of asking for forgiveness. We start by talking about how to ask forgiveness from God and turn to the topic of apologizing to people and what ineffective and effective apologies look like. Please let me know what helped and was useful and do take a moment to subscribe on itunes and rate and review the show as it…

By Marzia Hassan

In Sura Nisa, we are given a simple and powerful command: to return another person’s greeting in a better or at least equal way. In this episode, we discuss the role greetings play in our relationships and how we can offer sincere greetings to each other.By Marzia Hassan

This verse from Sura Saff reminds us to practise integrity in our speech and action, that is to say and do the same thing. In this episode we discuss the importance of keeping our word and how this impacts all aspects of our lives.By Marzia Hassan

The verse from Sura Isra speaks about the body language of humility and arrogance. In this episode we discuss the challenges of humility in the modern age and what we can do to keep ourselves grounded.By Marzia Hassan

As we have discussed, the true impact of our actions will only be made apparent to us at the final accounting. We can help ourselves have a good outcome by paying attention to how we are spending our time and what return we will get for the time and energy we are spending in this lifetime.By Marzia Hassan

Verses 7 & 8 of Sura Zilzal remind us to pay attention to our small deeds and how we will encounter the impact of these actions on the Day of Judgement. In this episode we explore the idea that we may be able to see the impact of our actions even in this world and we discuss how we can benefit ourselves by consistently doing small acts of goodness …

Sura Ankabut, which we have been reflecting on ends with a promise from God: that He will guide us to Him if we strive. In this episode we talk about what that means and what we need to do in order to access this guidance. More resources and reflections on Sura Ankabut can be found in this link: https://www.livingthequran.org/blog/Resources%20for%2…

Verse 65 of Sura Ankabut reminds us that under very difficult situations, human beings tend to turn to God and vow to change their lives if they get through this challenging time. But human beings are forgetful creatures and we often go back to our habitual ways once crises have passed. In this verse, we explore and try to understand this human ten…

Verses 2&3 of Sura Ankabut declare a fact of life: that we will be tried. In this episode, we reflect on the role of trials and hardships in our lives and discuss how we can best prepare and go through them in an effective way More resources and reflections on Sura Ankabut can be found in this link: https://www.livingthequran.org/blog/Resources%20f…

Sura Ankabut [The Spider] gets its name from verse 41 which talks about the frailty of the spider’s web. In this episode we reflect on what makes the house of the spider so different and what lessons we may derive from this example More resources and reflections on Sura Ankabut can be found in this link: https://www.livingthequran.org/blog/Resource…

In preparation for the upcoming nights of Qadr, let us reflect on the verse from Sura Qadr and discuss some ways we can expand our consciousness on this blessed night. More resources for Laylatul Qadr can be found on this link: https://www.livingthequran.org/blog/Resources%20for%20Laylatul%20QadrBy Marzia Hassan

The verse from Sura Maida encapsulates the philosophy of Islam, which is to worship Him and to serve His creation. We go into a bit of background on this verse and narrate the story behind its revelation while reminding ourselves how we cannot separate worship to Him and meeting the needs of His creation.…

Verses from Sura Nur were revealed when a person was accused of unchaste behaviour by a group of gossip mongers. The community believed the rumours and the gossip spread. The verse deals very strongly with both the spreaders and believers of the rumours. In this episode we discuss how we can practise adopting kinder and more helpful assumptions abo…

Verse 12 from Sura Hujarat cautions believers from falling prey to negative assumptions and suspicions about each other. In this episode, we try and understand the brain’s tendency to do this and discuss first steps in counteracting this very human tendency.By Marzia Hassan

Verse 5 which is repeated in verse 6 of Sura Inshirah is familiar to many of us. We discuss what does it mean to have ease along with difficulty and how can we become more intentional in beginning to notice the ease while we are going through a challenging period in life.By Marzia Hassan

The command in verse 11 of Sura Mujadilah is so simple and practical and it has a profound impact on community relationships. We discuss what stops us from following this command and what we get in exchange for following it.By Marzia Hassan

In this episode we reflect on the famous verse from Sura Ale Imran where Allah swt asks us to give from that which we love. We discuss what that means, what stops us and how we can inculcate this habit of generosity within ourselves by learning from the Beloveds of Allah swt.By Marzia Hassan

In this episode, we explore the conversation from Sura Ibrahim when Shaytan tells mankind that they need to stop excusing their behaviour by blaming him and that he did not have the power to compel them to take actions.By Marzia Hassan

In this episode we discuss the benefits and barriers to seeking guidance and advice from others and why we need to get into the habit of consultation which is amongst the Sunnah of the Holy Prophet (saw).By Marzia Hassan