Category Archives: Quran

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Quran Tracker & Surah Ar-Rahman Memorization Printables

Assalamualaikum Wa-rahmatullahi wa-barakatahu,

Ramadan Mubarak!!!! 🙂 May Allah make this Ramadan a month for us to wipe out all our sins, putting in all the effort we can to multiply our reward and above all to get much much closer to Al-wadood! :’)

So here’s your Ramadan treat … free Ramadan printables –  A Quran tracker, for you to schedule the amount of quran you read per day to be able to complete it during this month, inshaAllah! 🙂

And a Surah Memorization tracker for Surah Ar-Rahman,that is a suggestive schedule to memorize this amazing surah during this blessed month, inshaAllah. 🙂

Feel free, download them, print and Continue reading →

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Secrets of Surat Al-Kahf – II

View a presentation on secrets of Surat Al-Kahf here.

Source: System of Life

Ever wondered why Prophet Muhammad(SAW) asked us to recite Surat Al-Kahf every Friday?

Let’s find out today inshaAllah…

This Surah has Four stories in it,having some morals,lets see them and understand what they are saying to us:

1) The People Of The Cave
Its the story of young men who lived in a disbelieving town, so they decided to migrate for the sake of Allah and run away. -Allah rewards them with mercy in the cave and protection from the sun – They woke up and found the entire village believers.
MORAL:TRIAL OF FAITH.

2) The Owner Of Two Gardens
A story of a man whom Allah blessed with two beautiful gardens, but the man forgot to thank the One who blessed him with everything and he even dared to doubt Allah regarding the afterlife.So His garden was destroyed – He regretted ,but was too late and his regret did not benefit him .
MORAL:TRIAL OF WEALTH.

3) Musa(AS) and Khidr(AS)
When Musa(AS) was asked-“Who’s the most knowledgeable of the people of earth?”” Musa(AS) said:Me…,but Allah revealed to him that there’s someone who Knows more than him.Musa(AS) traveled to the man and learnt how the Divine Wisdom can sometimes be hidden in matters which we perceive as bad.
MORAL:TRIAL OF KNOWLEDGE.

4) Dhul-Qarnayn
Its a story of the great King that was given knowledge and power and was going around the world,helping people and spreading all that’s good.He was able to overcome the problem of Yajooj-Majooj and build a massive dam with the help of people whom he could not even understand.
MORAL:TRIAL OF POWER.

In the middle Allah mentions Iblees as the one who stirs these trials:
Behold! We said to the angels “Bow down to Adam”: they bowed down except Iblis. He was one of the Jinns, and he broke the Command of his Lord. Will ye then take him and his progeny as protectors rather than Me? And they are enemies to you! Evil would be the exchange for the wrongdoers!

 

Now let us see what’s the relationship between Surat Al-Kahf and the Dajjal (Anti-Christ)?

Dajjal will appear before Day of Judgement with the 4 trials:

***He’ll ask people to worship him and not Allah:
Trial of Faith .

***He’ll be given powers to start/stop rain and tempt people with his wealth:
Trial of with his wealth. .

***He’ll trial people with the “knowledge” and news he gives them:
Trial of Knowledge .

He’ll control huge parts of the Earth.
Trial of Power .

How to survive these trials? The answers are in Surat Al-Kahf 

# Survival Kit 1: Good companionship.
“And keep thy soul content with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, seeking His Face; and let not thine eyes pass beyond them, seeking the pomp and glitter of this Life; no obey any whose heart We have permitted to neglect the remembrance of Us, one who follows his own desires, whose case has gone beyond all bounds.” (Surat Al-Kahf, verse 28)

# Survival Kit 2: Knowing the Truth of this World .
“Set forth to them the similitude of the life of this world: It is like the rain which we send down from the skies: the earth’s vegetation absorbs it, but soon it becomes dry stubble, which the winds do scatter: it is (only) Allah who prevails over all things” (Surat Al-Kahf, verse 45)

# Survival Kit 3: Humbleness.
“Moses said: “Thou wilt find me, if Allah so will, (truly) patient: nor shall I disobey thee in aught.””(Surat Al-Kahf, verse 69)

# Survival Kit 4: Sincerity.
“Say: “I am but a man like yourselves, (but) the inspiration has come to me, that your Allah is one Allah. whoever expects to meet his Lord, let him work righteousness, and, in the worship of his Lord, admit no one as partner.” (Surat Al- Kahf, verse 110)

# Survival Kit 5: Calling to Allah .
“And recite (and teach) what has been revealed to thee of the Book of thy Lord: none can change His Words, and none wilt thou find as a refuge other than Him.” (Surat Al-Kahf, verse 27)

# Survival Kit 6: Remembering the HereAfter .
“ One Day We shall remove the mountains, and thou wilt see the earth as a level stretch, and We shall gather them, all together, nor shall We leave out any one of them. And they will be marshalled before thy Lord in ranks, (with the announcement), “Now have ye come to Us (bare) as We created you first: aye, ye thought We shall not fulfil the appointment made to you to meet (Us)!”: And the Book (of Deeds) will be placed (before you); and thou wilt see the sinful in great terror because of what is (recorded) therein; they will say, “Ah! woe to us! what a Book is this! It leaves out nothing small or great,but takes account thereof !” They will find all that they did, placed before them: And not one will thy Lord treat with injustice.” (Surat Al-Kahf, verses 47-49)

Source: System of Life

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Why read quran, if you don’t understand anyway?

An old American Muslim lived on a farm in the mountains of eastern Kentucky with his young grandson. Each morning Grandpa was up early sitting at the kitchen table reading his Quran. His grandson wanted to be just like him and tried to imitate him in every way he could.

One day the grandson asked, “Grandpa! I try to read the Quran just like you but I don’t understand it, and what I do understand I forget as soon as I close the book. What good does reading the Qur’an do?”

The Grandfather quietly turned from putting coal in the stove and replied, “Take this coal basket down to the river and bring me back a basket of water.

The boy did as he was told, but all the water leaked out before he got back to the house. The grandfather laughed and said, “You’ll have to move a little faster next time,” and sent him back to the river with the basket to try again. This time the boy ran faster, but again the basket was empty before he returned home. Out of breath, he told his grandfather that it was impossible to carry water in a basket, and he went to get a bucket instead.
The old man said, “I don’t want a bucket of water; I want a basket of water. You’re just aganot trying hard enough,” and he went out the door to watch the boy try in.

At this point, the boy knew it was impossible, but he wanted to show his grandfather that even if he ran as fast as he could, the water would leak out before he got back to the house. The boy again dipped the basket into river and ran hard, but when he reached his grandfather the basket was again empty. Out of breath, he said, “See Grandpa, it’s useless!”
“So you think it is useless?” The old man said, “Look at the basket.”

The boy looked at the basket and for the first time realized that the basket was different. It had been transformed from a dirty old coal basket and was now clean, inside and out..

“Son, that’s what happens when you read the Qur’an . You might not understand or remember everything, but when you read it, you will be changed, inside and out when you read time by time . That is the work of Allah in our lives.”

via Hikmah Club

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Teaching Kids the Holy Quran: Review

I recently stumbled upon a wonderful blog, Masha’allah, called “Teaching Kids the holy Quran“. This blog represents verses of the Holy Quran using toys (mostly LEGO figures), primarily aimed at teaching the Scripture to kids.

Today, being a friday, I listened to Surah Kahf in the afternoon but I think I understood it better and also learnt the story behind it after reading that chapter in this blog, Alhumdulillah!

What I personally like about this blog is the way how the Surahs are explained with context and tafsir; and it’s all done in simple words and with a wonderful quality.

Also, I came across an interview of the author-Mezba which gives a greater insight on how the blog came into being. Click here, to be redirected to the interview page!

I particularly wish that the blog is compiled into a book, Insha’allah. Recently, I have been thinking how fairy-tale story books could be replaced for kids, since I believe that kids are deceived into believing into the idea of something that stays with them for a long time. So, I guess a quran represented in the way it is in this particular blog, is easier for the kids to understand and will definitely keep them engrossed,Insha’allah! So, let’s pray that the blog is compiled soon into a book, Insha’allah! 🙂

Needless to say the blog is capable of keeping even the elders engrossed. I highly recommend visiting it.

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“Then He will not neglect us”

Today I came across a lovely article, written and shared by a brother. And on this day of Arafah, I think all of us should read this and reflect!

May Allah  accept our dua’s on this blessed day and may He clense us of our sins and keep us stead fast in his religion!

-Potential Hijabi

Source:YassarnalQuran

‘Then He will not neglect us’.

Can you recall which blessed Muslim woman in history said this uniquely inspiring statement?

If your answer was Hajar, then you guessed it right!

Yes, Hajar said this – Hajar, the great mother of Prophet Ismail and the obedient wife of Prophet Ibrahim! (Peace be upon all of them)

Do you know the background in which this bold lady uttered this revolutionary statement – a statement which I feel has assumed the shape of a dew drop that is permanently embedded in the cheek of time!

I and You, each – with a breast-feeding child in hand, must go individually to a desert to realise something of that situation and feel the taste of Iman this exceptionally bold and blessed lady had in her!

This statement is a slap on the face of all those men who degrade Muslim women just because they are the women of Islam!

This statement is also a slap on the face those Mullahs who lecture about the ‘virtues’ of being a man brushing aside the power in women!

This statement, mind you, is powerfully loaded with an extra-ordinary determination of a noble Muslim woman who had put her total reliance on none but Allah!

This was said by a lady with a breast-feeding child in her hand while her husband was leaving her all alone in the desert sands of Arabia!

Her husband was leaving her at a place where no water was available!

He was leaving her at a place where no human population was found around!

He was leaving her all alone in the desert at that point in history when there was no light, no electricity – nothing to enjoy!

Before we proceed further, let me quote the starting part of this hadith:

“…(Prophet) Ibrâhîm brought her (Hajar) and her son Ismail while she used to nurse him at her breast, near the Ka‘bah under a tree on the spot of Zamzam, at the highest place in the mosque. During those days there was nobody in Makkah, nor was there any water. So he made them sit over there and placed near them a leather bag containing some dates, and a small water-skin containing some water, and set out homeward. Ismail’s mother followed him saying:

“O Ibrâhîm! Where are you going, leaving us in this valley where there is no person whose company we may enjoy, nor is there anything (to enjoy)?” She repeated that to him many times, but he did not look back at her.

Then she asked him, “Has Allâh ordered you to do so?”

He said, “Yes.” She said, “Then He will not neglect us”.

Subhanallah! I glorify Allah! If Allah has ordered you to leave us all alone in this desert, then He will not neglect us!

What an inspiration Hajar is! Peace be upon her.

History is witness to the fact that not only ‘Allah did not neglect her and her family’ when she was alive but He has also blessed Hajar with infinite blessings – blessings that continue till this day – despite the passage of thousands of years, and will continue as long as this world is in existence!

When Allah blessed Hajar with cool and refreshing waters of Zam Zam in the midst of heat and dust of a desert, Allah did not neglect her.

When Allah caused the tribe of Jurhum to go and settle in Makkah, giving Hajar the blessing of living with people, Allah did not neglect her.

When her son, Ismail, was provided the opportunity of learning the language and culture from the people of Jurhum, Allah did not neglect her.

When Ismail, her son, grew up to marry one of the girls of Jurhum tribe, Allah did not neglect her.

When Allah gave Ibrahim and Ismail – her husband and her son – the honour of raising the foundations of Ka’bah, the glorious House of Allah, indeed Allah did not neglect her.

When Allah answered the du’aa of her husband by blessing the land of Makkah with such blessings that no piece of land on earth has, Allah did not neglect her.

When Allah announced the good news of her husband passing the hardest test of willing to sacrifice their very son by making it the cause of celebration of Eidul Adha for posterity, He did not neglect her.

When Allah elevated the status of her son by making him one of His Prophets, He did not neglect her.

When Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), the last and final Messenger, was destined to be born in the progeny of her son, Ismail, indeed Allah did not neglect her.

When Allah revealed this verse in the Qur’an:

وَأَذِّنْ فِي النَّاسِ بِالْحَجِّ يَأْتُوكَ رِجَالًا وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ ضَامِرٍ يَأْتِينَ مِنْ كُلِّ فَجٍّ عَمِيقٍ

“and publicly proclaim Pilgrimage for all mankind so that they come to you on foot and mounted on lean camels from every distant point”, making it mandatory for all affording Muslims to visit Makkah at least once in their life time – that Makkah whose first citizen was Hajar, Allah did not neglect her.

When Allah dedicated her act of running between Safwa and Marwa as one of the main acts of Hajj, making men and women run in her memory – and run till the end of time – indeed Allah did not neglect her.

When Allah granted her husband, Ibrahim (peace be upon him),  the distinction and honour of being the grand father of many Prophets, He did not neglect her.

When Allah earmarked her husband’s place – the Maqam Ibrahim – as a place of prayer, He did not neglect her.

When Allah made the mention of her husband’s name mandatory in the Tashahhud of every Salah, He did not neglect her.

When Allah liked the act of her husband’s resistance to the temptations of Satan so much that He made it an obligatory act of Hajj – the act of throwing pebbles at Jamrat – Allah did not neglect her.

There is so much about Hajar, and you thought Muslim women are fit for nothing!

Hajar is an inspiration for all of us.

Hajar’s faith and trust in Allah were as solid as the mountains of Makkah!

If we have strong faith and unshakeable reliance on Allah, like Hajar, then He will not neglect us.

Allah assures us in the Qur’an:

وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ

Do not, then, either lose heart or grieve: for you shall surely gain the upper hand if you are true believers. (3: 139)

May Allah guide us to the Straight Path. Aameen.

ربّنا تقبّل منّا إنّك أنت السّميع العليم وتب علينا إنّك أنت التّوّاب الرّحيم

‘O our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily, You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.’” (2:127)

P.S. Also do check out the brother’s blog, Click here. It consists of huge resources which will help in understanding the Quran better and guide us to various other beneficial links, Insha’allah!

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Life Principles : Lessons from Surah Al-Noor

Tafseer of Surah Al-Noor

Life Principles:

  • Never believe a rumour, if you are unsure just say “I do not believe this”
  • Do not gossip & back bite. Staying quiet when someone gossips is amounting to joining hands with the evil do’ers.
  • Adultery /physical relationship between a man & a woman without marriage is totally forbidden & is the biggest sin after disbelief in One true God.
  • Grave punishment is for unlawful love affairs so that they become an example for all to behave. Also those who are punished may not be accountable for this sin in the hereafter.
  • Anyone putting blame & falsely accusing & defaming a woman should be given the same grave punishment.
  • Do not even take that path which “might” attract you towards an unlawful relationship
  • Do not consume Alcohol, it is unpure & leads to sins
  • Keep guard of children & the sanctity of their innocence
  • Donot enter anyones house without permission, go away & donot mind if unpermitted.
  • Teach children/servants (applies to everyone also )not to enter other’s bedrooms without permission at sleeping/nap times esp.,before dawn/Fajr, afternoon/Zuhr & at night/after isha time.
  • Do not go to people’s houses at odd hours or before appointed time.
  • A Muslim is not a muslim if he does not care or work for community. Muslim or non Muslim Community work is a must.
  • You can eat & use things without hesitation from your own house & your Aunty/ Uncles & Grandparents houses with good manners. People with special needs may also do so furthermore they also have a right upon the whole community and should be included in all occasions.
  • Women should cover all parts of their body & accessories that are attractive & gain attention. This is their Hijab
  • Men should not look at any woman. This is their Hijab
  • Perfect Hijab for Men & Women is one which is inclusive of keeping eyes, hearts & thoughts pure from any evil.
  • There is no restriction of dress code between a husband & wife.
  • Men can be in company of their Mothers, Grandmothers, Mother-inlaw, sisters, nieces, aunties & daughters freely within good manners & proper dress. These are the women he can never Marry.
  • Women can show their dress & accessories to other women & their Mehram – brother, father, grandfather, father/mother’s brothers, son & nephews – these are the men she can never Marry.
  • Staying awake unnecessarily after Isha prayers/late at night is a detested habit
  • Momin are those only who submit & abide by God’s commands immediately. Samaina wa Ataina.
  • Do not take lightly a command from the Prophet it is also a “Must Do”.
  • Hypocrites are those whose words & actions oppose each other.

 

We all possess a Soul which is an essence of God Almighty, this is the Noor/Light everyone of us has at birth by gaining true knowledge & living righteously then only one can become completely Enlightened. Noor –un ala –Noor.

May God Almighty help us attain true Noor/Enlightenment and help us leave our bad/hypocrite ways. Aameen

 

Source: Major Sins in Islam

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The most beautiful gift…. :)

Assalamualaikum wa-rahmatullah 🙂

I received this gift via e-mail during Ramadan and you bet, I ABSOLUTELY loved it, Alhumdulillah!

I thought I’d share it here, in the blogosphere too! 🙂 .. Click on the image below to claim your gift! 😉 

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Beautiful ain’t it? The best gift I’ve received, Alhumdulillah! 🙂 and moreover it’s free of cost BUT worth lots and lots of blessings.. AND it comes straight from the Most Merciful! 🙂

Feel free to pass it on! 🙂 Let’s share the ajar, Insha’allah!

Love you all for the sake of Allah,

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Quran for busy people!

I’ve been really wishing to take up courses to understand Quran but since most of the classes are on the weekdays and since I have to attend college at that time, I had convinced myself that I’ll take up these courses once I’m done with college, Insha’allah.

But Allah made it easy for me, Alhumdulillah. I found this super cool and easy course today, by the mercy of Allah, Alhumdulillah, via ProductiveMuslim newsletter! I just HAD to blog about it.

Firstly check out this video: http://www.time-for-quran.com/tfq-2/video1/

3 secrets:

  • Learn Basic Arabic Grammar
  • Learn vocabulary from Arabic to english only
  • Only Learn the Arabic words that are actually in Quran itself (approx about 300 Arabic words make up 80% of the Quran,Alhumdulillah)
Basic Course for understanding Quran. It has 60 lessons. Each lesson has a pdf, powerpoint presentation, video and audio available, Masha’allah. I just took the first lesson and Alhumdulillah, I loved it. It was just for about 30 mins. Please do check it! Insha’allah, let’s put an effort to understand the Quran better. Check it out NOW!! Click Here.