Accelerated Arabic Programme
This unique 6-week programme will serve as an in-depth study of the core foundation of the Arabic language, covering both linguistics and practical application like no other.
Few Thoughts on Surah al-‘Ankabut
The surah begins with the question: {a hasiba n-nasu an…} It is not right to translate hasiba as ‘think’/‘imagine’ or ‘suppose’/‘conjecture’. The meaning here is ‘reckon’, ‘calculate’, to use reason to weigh up options in order to come to a judgment about…
Desire and Love in Marriage
I want to begin by trying to explain to you the difference between desire (hawa) and love (mahabba). Desire is something that happens to you; you are passive before it; it arises; it gets you; it seems strong and you seem weak. It is aroused by…
Surah Al-`Imran
The longer surahs at the beginning of the received text of the Qur’an have a complex arrangement of passages because they are simultaneously addressing three major concerns of the Qur’an, and the focus of attention alternates between these concerns.
Not being able to take a bath after menstruation
If a woman’s menstruation stops while she is at work or travelling and she is not able in that situation to take a bath (ghusl), is she allowed to miss the obligatory prayers (i.e. defer them until she can take a bath)?
Those eligible for Zakah
Who should I pay my zakah to in the West? The qualification in the question, “in the West”, does not have much significance for the answer, except that in the West, Muslims however numerous, do not (or do not yet) organise the collection and expenditure of zakah as a state function.
Who Taught You Literary Criticism?
[قالوا: ما النقد الأدبي؟ قلت: هو دراسة للأعمال الأدبية وتفسيرها وتحليلها وموازنتها بغيرها والكشف عن محاسنها ومقابحها وما فيها من قوة وضعف ولون وجمال، وهو بكلمة أخرى تقدير النص الأدبي تقديرا صحيحا وبيان قيمته ودرجته وتحليل أسلوبه قالوا: ما الأسلوب وما تحليله؟ قلت: الأسلوب هو المسلك الذي ينتهجه الأديب أو العالم أداء لمعنى من المعاني]
Taqwa
Taqwa is the root of all the virtues that adorn religious life, and the virtues in turn strengthen the root from which they grow. Without taqwa the motivation for religious life is clouded and confused, brittle, vulnerable…