Faithful Reflections

Three grades of fasting It should be known that there are three grades of fasting: ordinary, special and extra-special. Ordinary fasting means abstaining from food, drink and sexual satisfaction. Special fasting means keeping one's ears, eyes,tongue, hands and feet-and all other organs-free from sin. Extra-special fasting means fasting of the heart from unworthy concerns and worldly thoughts, in total disregard of everything but Allah. This kind of Fast is considered to be broken by thinking of anything other than God, Great and Glorious is He, and the Hereafter; it is broken by thinking of worldly matters, except for those conducive to religious ends, since these constitute provision for the Hereafter and are not of this lower world. Those versed in the spiritual life of the heart have even said that a sin is recorded against one who concerns himself all day with arrangements for breaking his Fast. Such anxiety stems from lack of trust in the bounty of God, Great and Glorious ...

Islam's Rational Monotheism - The Humble "I" Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad explains: ‘In the Western milieu, converts to Islam claim that they are attracted to what they regard as its clear, rationally-accessible teachings, unobscured by elaborate mysteries. It is not only insiders who wish to take this view. Non-Muslim academic accounts … now frequently draw attention to the central role of reason in Islamic theology.’ 1 He quotes Leaman in his The Qur’an: An Encyclopedia, saying: ‘The Qur’an does indeed display an unusual commitment to argument and logic in its self- explanation.’ 2 Earlier in the same volume, Leaman says that whereas Judaism is strongly linked with ethnicity, and Christianity with a leap of faith, Islam, in stark contrast, has successfully grown by stressing its rationality and evidentiality. 3 With that being said, let us now consider a few examples of how the Qur’an employs a universal rationalist discourse – especially as it relates to its theology a...

Name of surah is from 1 st  verse:  By those who wrest violently (refers to removal of the soul). Word Naaziat refers to the angels that remove the soul. This is a Makkan surah, revealed before the Hijrah 46 verses.  Correlation to chapter that came before: both of these chapters are discussing Day of Judgement Starts with description of Yawm Qiyamah, and then emphasizes various events that are going to take place. “By those who wrest violently”. Our soul is what makes us truly human. Once soul leaves the body, then human being is dead. Soul is what determines life.  Soul’s existence in the physical body is life.  Soul has a connection to every aspect of the body. Taking of the soul  is intense. For the d isbeliever, it is not pleasant, the way that their soul is taken out. 2 nd  verse: ”By those that draw out gently. Soul of the believer is taken out gently Third Verse: By those who glide serenely There are oaths in the Qur’an....