One of the names of the Day of Judgment mentioned in the Quran is the Day of Regret. It is the Day when every human being will experience remorse. Allah (swt) says, “And warn them of the Day of Regret, when the matter will have been decided, while they are in heedlessness and do not believe” (19:39). On that Day, evildoers will regret their sins and acts of disobedience, while the righteous will regret not having done even more good deeds. Allah says: “On that Day, man will r

There can be no one more astray than those who elevate their own desires to the status of a deity. The Quran describes such people as being among the farthest removed from the path of guidance: “And who could be more astray than those who follow their desires with no guidance from Allah?” (28:50). And, “Have you seen the one who takes as his god his own desire? Then would you be responsible for him? Or do you think that most of them listen or understand? They are only like ca

In the noble verse — “If you do not aid him, Allah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us’” (9:40) — Allah draws our attention to the cave in which the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, and his companion, Abu Bakr, sought refuge during the prophetic migration (Hijrah). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upo

The elite among the believers are those whom Allah Most High has singled out for His special love. He loves them, and they love Him. They are those with whom Allah is pleased, and who are pleased with Him. Allah Most High says: “O you who believe! Whoever among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him; humble toward the believers, dignified toward the disbelievers; striving in the path of Allah and fearing not the blame

With the convergence of the acts of worship during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah — days in which gratitude to the Creator, Glorified and Exalted, reaches its fullest expression — Allah, the Most High, bestowed upon His servants the perfection of His bounty through the completion of the religion and the perfection of His favor: “Today I have perfected for you your religion, completed My favor upon you, and have chosen Islam as your religion” (5:3). The servant, therefore,

There is nothing more powerful and wondrous in the life of a human being than the power of sincere Iman in a truthful heart. The latter literally transforms the entire soul, rendering it a shining light guiding to the truth, “And is one who was dead and We gave him life and made for him light by which to walk among the people like one who is in darkness, never to emerge therefrom? Thus, it has been made pleasing to the disbelievers that which they were doing.” (6:122). The ou

The greatest of the grants of Allah’s Mercy (swt) upon His servants are contained in His commands. In fact, all His (swt) words are Guidance, Mercy and Healing for that which is in the hearts. Adhering to His guidance and observing His commands is the way to unlock the grants of Allah’s infinite Mercy.“O, humanity! Indeed, there has come to you a warning from your Lord, a cure for what is in the hearts, a guide, and a mercy for the believers. Say, ˹O Prophet,˺ 'In Allah’s gra

Just take a pause to think about the very essence of life and existence, the present and future, the pre-eternity and eternity, your position in this mega cosmos and your destiny unto the eternity … The first words a believer would utter after a deep dive into his/her thoughts on this matter would be: “AlHamdulillah (Praise be to Allah) the One Who has guided me to know that He (swt) is my Lord, the Originator and Creator of the universe, the Owner of death, life and resurrec

The following Ayat and others like them — “Do not grieve; indeed, Allah is with us” (9:40), “Do not fear; indeed, you will be superior” (20:68), and “Do not fear, nor grieve. Indeed, We will return him to you and make him one of the messengers” (28:7) — inspire the reflective reader to recognize a tremendous reality: a command from Allah neither to fear nor to grieve. But is this command merely intended to soothe the heart and calm one’s distress, or is it a command meant to

Out of his longing to see Jibreel, peace be upon him, more frequently, and the comfort and reassurance he found in his presence, the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, asked him: “Will you not visit us more often than you do?” Thereupon, Allah commanded Jibreel, peace be upon him, to convey the following message: “And we do not descend except by the command of your Lord. To Him belongs what is before us, what is behind us, and what is between them, and your Lo

Among the distinguishing qualities of the people of Paradise is seeking forgiveness, mainly before dawn, as Allah says: “And those who seek forgiveness before dawn” (Quran 3:17), and He says: “And in the hours before dawn, they would ask forgiveness” (Quran 51:18). This act of worship is described in Surah Aali-Imran using a nominal form, indicating that their adherence to seeking forgiveness is constant and intrinsic — so much so that it becomes part of their identity. In Su

There is no doubt that surrendering to the judgment of Allah is a central element of Tawhid in its essence and scope. Yet, for this submission to become the foundation of true uprightness, it must be grounded in a deep understanding of what Allah’s judgment means. Such understanding shapes how a person perceives life and its unfolding events in light of Allah’s decree. It prevents the servant from relying solely on the outward appearances of the worldly life, as Allah says: “

It is a principle in the Islamic creed that prior to beseeching Allah (swt) to guide and help in any matter, one needs to put in the maximum effort to concretize it. Invoking Him for a good harvest, requires one to first invest actively and wholeheartedly all efforts of plowing the earth, sowing seeds and using all possible skills, as if the good harvest depends solely upon these efforts. And only then must one turn to Allah in humility, invoking His blessings and help to pro

The utmost gratefulness to the gift of life is to attain a level of understanding in which one would beseech continuously Allah (swt) with profound humility to allow him/her to remember and worship Him. This was the way of the Prophet (pbuh), who used to say upon waking: “AlHamdulillah (all praise is for Allah), Who returned my soul, restored to me my health and allowed me to remember Him.” The profound humility, immeasurable gratitude and complete submission one can sense in

The human being was created, honored, dignified, and has been given the keys to the eternal, blissful life: “to whoever of you wills to take the Straight Way.” (81:28) Even in the short life of this world, and despite the constant struggle and toiling inherent within it – “O, Humanity! Indeed, you are laboring restlessly toward your Lord, and will ˹eventually˺ meet the consequences” (84:6) – a person can live a blissful life, if he/she just adheres to the divine truth of exis

Traditions and culture – an interweaved mix of beliefs and customs deeply rooted in the conscience of society – define the identity of the society, as well as the social contract through which social cohesion is sought to be established. In modern societies, traditions are becoming more of a symbol, losing their status of a creed regulating the social contract. The new prevalent creed shaping the social lifestyle is a global materialistic view, dominated by consumerism. Musli

Human consciousness is in a constant metamorphosis, as it continues to suffer the effects of the clash of political agendas/powers, colliding new cultures and the boom of ways of communication. Perception and thinking, facts and concepts, are being redefined to reflect a world drowning in the love of the self, glamour, and power, and the absurd craving of eternity on earth. This “modern” consciousness regards mischief as reform, evil deeds as good, and true believers as wretc

The bliss of good news is that it produces a great relief, joy and happiness in one’s soul, whether the person is undergoing tough times or not. In fact, good news carries within it a powerful, positive effect that quakes one’s emotions. At the hearing of the glad tidings, one feels transported by euphoria and overwhelmed by sweet feelings. But, does the Muslim sincerely have such a euphoria when he/she hears the glad tidings from Allah (swt) or from His Messenger (pbuh)? The

“To Allah belongs all honor, and to His Messenger, and to the believers — but the hypocrites do not know” (63:8). All honor belongs to Allah, for He alone is the Subduer, the Ever-Victorious. Honor belongs to His Messenger through the divine support and victory granted to him, peace and blessings be upon him, and it belongs to the believers, for the allies of Allah are never truly defeated when He wills victory for them and has promised it. The believer’s honor is rooted in t

“As We have sent among you a Messenger from yourselves, reciting to you Our verses (Ayat), purifying you, teaching you the Book and wisdom, and teaching you what you never knew” (2:151). What is recited is the speech of Allah. It is called verses (Ayat) because each of its parts is, in itself, a sign and a miracle. It is called the Book because it contains divine legislation. Wisdom derived from it encompasses the foundations of virtue — teachings that guard one from falling