Remembering a beloved uncle who loved plants and children.

Dozens killed, many missing and near total-destruction in Gaza’s border city.

Accepting government orders is a losing strategy.

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20

Transcript

All thanks and praise are due to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. May His peace and blessings be upon His last and final messenger ﷺ, his family, His companions, and those who follow them until the end of times. May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala accept all the worship we have done so far during this blessed month.  

 The most important days of the year, the most important nights of the year are now upon us. One of these nights could be Laylatul Qadr. One of these nights could possibly be the night of power, the night of magnificence, the night of decree, the night of power. This night is more virtuous and better than a thousand months. 

 And if we catch this night, if we spend this night in worship, then all of our previous sins will be forgiven. May Allah make all of us among those who are able to benefit from the blessings, the rewards, and virtues of Laylatul Qadr. As you know, the human body is not simply a composition of bones, cells, flesh, and organs. We are not just a physical body. Rather, as human beings, we are composed of the physical body as well as the soul. And the soul is what truly gives life to the physical body.  

 All of us know that in order for the physical body to be healthy, we have to take care of it. It requires nourishment. It requires food, drink, nutrients. We have to take care of our health. We have to be careful about our diet. Just like the physical body requires care, the soul also requires care. It also requires nourishment. And there are certain things we can do to nourish the soul. And at the beginning of the 21st juz, in verse number 45, Allah mentions three specific acts that we can consider to be nourishment for the soul. We can classify it as soul food. Allah very beautifully instructs the Prophet ﷺ and by extension, all of us, saying, 

ٱتْلُ مَآ أُوحِىَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبِ وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ تَنْهَىٰ عَنِ ٱلْفَحْشَآءِ وَٱلْمُنكَرِ ۗ وَلَذِكْرُ ٱللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ يَعْلَمُ مَا تَصْنَعُونَ ٤٥ 

Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, ˹genuine˺ prayer should deter ˹one˺ from indecency and wickedness. The remembrance of Allah is ˹an˺ even greater ˹deterrent˺. And Allah ˹fully˺ knows what you ˹all˺ do. (Quran 29:45) 

Meaning, recite what has been revealed to you from the book and establish prayer. Surely prayer stops a person from indecency and evil. And the remembrance of Allah is greater. And Allah knows everything you do. In this verse, Allah is speaking directly to the Prophet ﷺ. He’s giving him very specific, particular instructions. And although this verse is directed to the Prophet ﷺ, by extension, it’s directed to each and every single one of us. Allah instructs the Prophet ﷺ to engage in three specific acts of worship: تِلَاوَةُ الْقُرْآن reciting the Qur’an, establishing prayer, إِقَامَةُ الصَّنَاةِ is r. And the third, ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ is remembering Allah. 

أُتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الْكِتَامِ Recite what has been revealed to you from the book. Reciting the Qur’an is one of the most virtuous and one of the most beneficial activities we can engage in. The Qur’an is a balm for our souls. It is a polish for our hearts. It’s one of the most beneficial activities we can engage in, because when we recite the Quran, we are spending time in the company of the divine speech of Allah. And the benefits of reciting the Quran are too numerous to be counted.  

There are several ahadith of the Prophet ﷺ that speak about the virtues, the rewards and benefits of reciting the Quran. The Prophet ﷺ told us: 

 مَنْ قَرَأَ حَرْفًا مِنْ كِتَابِ اللَّهِ فَلَهُ حَسَنًا وَالْحَسَنَةُ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا وَلَا أَقُولُ أَلِفْنَا مِمْحَرْفٌ وَلَكِنْ أَلِفٌ حَرْفٌ وَنَامٌ حَرْفٌ وَمِمٌ حَرْفٌ  

Whoever recites a letter from the book of Allah, gets a reward. And that reward is automatically multiplied by 10. And I’m not saying that Alif, Laam, Meem is one single letter. Alif is a letter. Laam is a letter. Meem is a letter. Every single letter of the Qur’an we recite, we are receiving unimaginable reward. Unimaginable blessings from Allah .  

The Prophet ﷺ said, 

 إِقْرَأُوا الْقُرْآنَ فَإِنَّهُ يَأْتِي شَفِيعًا لِأَصْحَابِهِ يَوْمَ القِيَامَةِ  

“Recite the Qur’an because it will come as an intercessor on behalf of its companion on the Day of Judgment.” (Mishkat al-Masabih 2120). 

When we recite the Qur’an, it increases our Iman. It strengthens our relationship with Allah. Allah describes the believer saying, 

إِنَّمَا ٱلْمُؤْمِنُونَ ٱلَّذِينَ إِذَا ذُكِرَ ٱللَّهُ وَجِلَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَإِذَا تُلِيَتْ عَلَيْهِمْ ءَايَـٰتُهُۥ زَادَتْهُمْ إِيمَـٰنًۭا وَعَلَىٰ رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ ٢ 

“The ˹true˺ believers are only those whose hearts tremble at the remembrance of Allah, whose faith increases when His revelations are recited to them, and who put their trust in their Lord.” (Quran 8:2). 

Meaning, when His verses are recited to them, it increases their faith. Our hearts become rusted. When we engage in sins and disobedience, there are spots and rust that is covering the heart. And the Prophet was asked, “What is the polish of the heart? How do we remove that rust? He ﷺ said,  

كَثْرَةُ ذِكْرِ الْمَوْتِ وَتِلَاوَةِ الْقُرْآنِ 

‘Frequently remembering death and reciting the Qur’an.’” (Mishkat al-Masabih 2168). 

The Prophet ﷺ had a regular, daily portion of the Qur’an that he would recite. The Sahabah had a portion of the Quran that they would recite daily. Similarly, all of us should have a portion of the Quran that we recite daily.  

I believe it’s time to elevate the standard of our community. At a bare minimum, all of us should aspire to reciting one juz’ a day. All of us should aspire to hit that goal. If we can do more, alhamdulillah. But all of us should be trying to reach that bare minimum goal. That I am going to recite one juz’ of the Quran every single day. So that every month, I’m going through an entire cycle of the Quran. That is something very doable. If you are fluent, if you’re proficient in your Qur’anic recitation, it can take you perhaps 20-30 minutes to recite an entire juz’. That is not a long period of time. Only 20-30 minutes of your day. For those of us who aren’t there yet, no problem. Still recite those 20-30 minutes however much you can in those 20-30 minutes. But work towards that goal that I am going to practice so much. I am going to work on my recitation, so that I can reach this goal of reciting one juz’ a day. And the amount of barakah, the amount of blessings that it’s going to bring into our lives, cannot be described. Obviously reciting it for the sake of reward is something that’s good; it’s commendable. But the main purpose of reciting is then to understand.  

The second act, وَأَقِمِ ٱلصَّلَوٰةَ, is establish prayer. This means praying properly, correctly, fulfilling all of the shurut (conditions), arkān (integrals), wajibat (mandatory acts), sunan (recommended practices), adab (etiquettes). Pray properly and correctly. Praying consistently, regularly, five times a day, every single day, establishing prayer.  

And the scholars mention that when it comes to establishing prayer, there’s actually two components: the external component (an outward component) and an internal component. The outward component of establishing prayer is praying properly, correctly, following the example of the Prophet ﷺ. The form of prayer itself. Following all the rules and regulations of salah to make sure that it’s being performed properly and correctly. As the Prophet ﷺ said,   

صَلُّوا كَمَا رَأَيْتُمُونِي أُصَلِّي  

“Pray as you have seen me praying.” (Mishkat al-Masabih 683). 

So, the form of prayer is important. That’s part of iqamat as-salaah. That’s part of establishing prayer. And that is why it is a personal obligation upon all of us to learn the fiqh of salah. All of us should be well-versed in the rules and regulations related to prayer. What makes my prayer valid? What makes my prayer invalid? What are the pre-conditions for the validity of prayer? What are the arkans (integrals) of salah? What are the wajibat (mandatory actions) of prayer? What are the sunan (the recommended practices) of prayer? What are the adab (etiquettes) of prayer? That is something all of us should learn. And that’s part of establishing salah.  

The second part is the internal aspect. The inward aspect. And that is praying with ikhlas (sincerity), ihsan (excellence), khushu’ (mindfulness and concentration). Make the prayer meaningful. When I’m praying, I’m not just going through motions. I’m not just performing a physical act. Rather, I am performing an act of worship that has deep, profound meaning. And when I’m praying, I’m praying with sincerity. And I’m praying with mindfulness and concentration. I’m praying with humility. I recognize that I’m standing in the presence of my Lord and Creator. And because of that, I am going to pray with ihsan. And the Prophet ﷺ described ihsan as the following: 

 

أَنْ تَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ كَأَنَّكَ تَرَاهُ، فَإِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ تَرَاهُ فَإِنَّهُ يَرَاكَ 

“It’s to worship Allah as if you can see Him. And if you can’t see Him, know that He sees you.” (Sahih al-Bukhari 50). 

So pray with that mindset and that attitude. And if I pray with that mindset and attitude, then I am going to be calm and collected in prayer. And I am going to be mindful. I’m going to be focused. I’m going to have humility and concentration. And that is how prayer becomes meaningful and impactful in my life. And that is how prayer becomes enjoyable. I will taste the sweetness of salah.  

And then Allah mentions one of the benefits of prayer, “ إِنَّ الصَّلَاةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الفَحْشَاءِ وَالْمُنْكَرَ Truly prayer prevents and stops indecency and evil.” الفَحْشَاء is indecency, indecent speech, indecent behavior. مُنْكَر is evil, anything that the Sharia considers to be evil, unlawful, reprehensible, disliked. That is a natural consequence of iqamat as-sana. That is the result of establishing prayer. That it’s going to help me stay away from sin. It’s going to keep me away from disobeying Allah. It’s going to help me control my tongue. It’s going to help me control my eyes. It’s going to help me control my thoughts. I’m going to have a heightened state of God consciousness. And our teachers would say that if you are praying regularly, yet you are still involved in some sin, then check your prayer. There has to be something missing in your prayer. Perhaps there’s some shortcoming, some deficiency. 

The third thing is that the remembrance of Allah is greater وَلَا ذِكْرُ اللَّهِ أَكْبَرُ. One of the understandings of this ayah is that remembering Allah is an even stronger deterrent from sinning. Engage in dhikrullah frequently.  

يَـٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوا۟ ٱذْكُرُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ذِكْرًۭا كَثِيرًۭا ٤١ 

O believers! Always remember Allah often. (Quran 33:41) 

That, O you who believe, remember Allah abundantly. Remember Allah frequently. Remembering Allah includes reciting certain phrases and expressions of praise and gratitude. It can include all of the daily supplications: waking up in the morning, entering the restroom, exiting the restroom, looking in the mirror, putting on your clothes, before eating, after eating, exiting the home, traveling, returning home, entering the masjid, and exiting the masjid. That’s all dhikrullah. And the main purpose of these practices, is to constantly be mindful of Allah. 

And if we’re constantly mindful of Allah, then we’re definitely going to be staying away from indecency, evil, and sin. Allah knows everything you do. So in this verse, Allah has mentioned three very significant, important, and beneficial acts of worship that all of us need to make part of our routine, especially during these last ten nights of Ramadan: tilawatul Qur’an (reciting the Quran), iqamatul Salah (establishing prayer), dhikrullah (remembering Allah). And this is not only in these last ten nights, but in every day of our lives.  

We ask Allah to give us the tawfiq, the ability, to implement the guidance of this verse. May Allah make us among those who recite the Quran regularly, consistently, daily. May Allah make us among those who truly establish prayer, both externally and internally. And may Allah make us among those who remember Him frequently.  

وصل اللهم على نبيينا ومولانا محمد وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم 

 

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Soul Food | Sh Furhan Zubairi appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

An hours-long wait yields bread for iftar and plenty of local lament.

EU agrees to keep letter from Israel secret.

Hamas accuses Tel Aviv of attempting to impose surrender agreement.

Masjids in Ramadan do a good job of accommodating space and food, but it’s also time for them to take measures to prevent abuse. 

Ramadan brings many special joys for children, one of which being the opportunity to stay late nights, or overnight at the masjid. The special challenge for parents though, is ensuring the safety of our children as we spend hours longer in closely packed public spaces with unfamiliar people in the masjid.

We cannot be naïve and assume that child sexual abuse could never happen in a masjid or in the month of Ramadan. Recently, in Kuala Lumpur a man snuck into the woman’s prayer area and grabbed a girl, allegedly assaulting her while other women were praying. Last year in Pakistan, a 13-year-old boy was in i’tikaaf during Ramadan, when a man allegedly raped him. The overnight environment and the extended, unsupervised contact between adults and children create a risk for abuse. It is essential that we recognize this possibility before the tragedy of abuse has already occurred.

Whether your children are staying for i’tikaaf, attending an overnight program, or just being present in the masjid during taraweeh prayers, there are things that every parent needs to be mindful of.

For Ramadan and the Masjid in General

 – Stay Visible: For younger children, the preference should be to stay within visual range of a parent at all times unless they have express permission. When permission is given, provide a bracket of time for the children to return as well. For example, you may allow your child to head to the restroom or kitchen area on their own, but let them know that if they aren’t back in ten minutes, you will come and check on them.

If children are to go outside to play, make sure it is only in areas where other children and adults are and where security or volunteers are keeping an eye on them 

 – Stay Together:  It’s natural for kids to wander or go to the back of the masjid, and it may not be realistic to keep them in view while also doing salat. However, parents should be strict to ensure their children stay within their respective side of the masjid, or if they do go play it must not be alone. During taraweeh and qiyam, many adults are not performing salaat and are also outside, and frankly, older kids or even peers can be perpetrators of abuse. 

Stay Aware: Long rakats, parental distractions, and the opportunity for repeated contact over the nights of Ramadan can give the ill-intentioned an opportunity for horrendous actions. Both parents and children need to be aware that these actions can come from either adults or other children and young adults. As always, children must be told to tell their parents if anything uncomfortable is happening. 

For I’tikaaf

“If a child is attending i’tikaaf, he or she should only be accompanied by direct relatives of their same gender.” [PC: Hung Li (unsplash)]

Itikaaf is a sunnah and one of the special acts of worship in Ramadan. It offers a transformative experience where one can focus purely on worship, spending ten days inside the masjid. While i’tikaaf is a beneficial practice for both children and adults, we must be aware of the potential risks, particularly when it comes to the safety of our young ones.

Itikaaf is open to everyone, and masajid at this time have more people than usual, with individuals staying together all night. People socialize during i’tikaf, and strangers may start ad-hoc halaqas for the youth and get to know them. While we shouldn’t assume the worst in their intentions, the fact is that in this environment, a predator can find someone more receptive to their advances, start sleeping next to them, and begin inappropriate behavior.

Masjids would do well to post guidelines and require a certain distance between bedding areas. Additionally, if there are classrooms, office rooms, or similar areas in the masjid, staff should ensure they are locked. If a masjid opens itself for i’tikaaf it must also take the necessary steps to ensure the safety of those coming for i’tikaaf. 

I’tikaaf Safety for Children

If a child is attending i’tikaaf, he or she should only be accompanied by direct relatives of their same gender. Even if there are other trusted adults whom the parents know well, a child’s only companions for i’tikaaf should be immediate family. This helps establish clear boundaries for the child, reinforcing an understanding of what is appropriate in terms of closeness, and it makes clear who the child’s protectors are. Masjids should also stipulate this. This will be very impactful in preventing abuse.

I’tikaaf Safety for Unaccompanied Teens

“Masjids that permit young teenagers to participate in itikaaf should keep a watchful eye on them.” [PC: Aldin Nasrun (unsplash)]

For young adolescents, parents should carefully assess whether their child is ready to attend i’tikaaf without other trusted and responsible friends or community members. Although this age group may seem ready, the reality is that they often aren’t.

If your child is more impressionable or lacks assertiveness, then they can be targeted for entrapment attempts or harassment. Parents should remind them of the possibility of inappropriate behavior even in the masjid during Ramadan. Masjids that permit young teenagers to participate in i’tikaaf should keep a watchful eye on them. Two teenagers should never be allowed to share a tent, as this could create a situation where inappropriate behavior goes unnoticed. 

Peers, or those slightly senior, can influence juveniles to engage in illicit actions, or even sexually abuse them. They can be the ones to introduce pornography and test one’s openness to homosexual acts. Frequency of contact, late night hours or sleeping over, and lack of supervision make even i’tikaaf a possibility for these actions, and we cannot be naive about this!

I’tikaaf for Women & Families

Some masjids allow all-night stays for families or i’tikaaf for women as well. The same safety measures should apply with additional security measures. Even if women are not staying the night, extended night-time hours in the masjid warrant extra precaution and protection. We have to take security seriously, especially for women and children. If a masjid does allow for children or unaccompanied women to do i’tikaaf it must also take appropriate security measures.  The women’s prayer areas should be clearly designated and separated from the men’s areas to maintain privacy and ensure a secure environment.

By implementing these precautions and maintaining vigilance, we can ensure that i’tikaaf remains a spiritually enriching and safe experience for everyone involved.

 

Related:

– From The Playbook Of A Child Predator: What Muslim Parents Need To Know

– Safeguarding Children In Today’s World: An Islamic Perspective On Child Sexual Abuse Prevention And Protection

 

 

The post I’tikaaf, Ramadan Nights, And Children’s Safety: A Call For Vigilance And Protection appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19

Transcript

Al-Naml (27): 46 

قَالَ يَا قَوْمِ لِمَ تَسْتَعْجِلُونَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ
لَوْلا تَسْتَغْفِرُونَ اللَّهَ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُرْحَمُونَ 

“Prophet Ṣāliḥ addressed his people saying, ‘My people! Why are you asking for harm and punishment instead of forgiveness and goodness? If you were to ask Allāh for forgiveness, you might be shown kindness.’” 

 Prophet Ṣāliḥ (ع) wants to help and guide his people. He encourages them to worship Allāh alone and ask for His forgiveness in hopes of reward and Paradise. He warns them about rejecting Allāh’s Oneness and being engrossed in sin and oppression lest they be punished in Hell. Yet, upon hearing this, those who were too arrogant to believe started to mock Prophet Ṣāliḥ (ع).

They say ridiculous things similar to what other disbelieving nations have said, “قَالُوا اللَّهُمَّ إِنْ كَانَ هَذَا هُوَ الْحَقَّ مِنْ عِنْدِكَ فَأَمْطِرْ عَلَيْنَا حِجَارَةً مِنَ السَّمَاءِ أَوِ ائْتِنَا بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ – They said, ‘If this message and claim of yours is true, go ahead and rain down rocks upon us from the sky, or just straight up bring us a painful punishment!”

And similar statements were said to the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ. Allāh says, “يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالسَّيِّئَةِ قَبْلَ الْحَسَنَةِ وَقَدْ خَلَتْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمُ الْمَثُلاتُ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَذُو مَغْفِرَةٍ لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَبَّكَ لَشَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ – My Prophet! They ask you to bring punishment against them instead of goodness and forgiveness – even though people before them were swallowed up into the earth! But, no doubt, your Master is extremely forgiving of people despite their evil and oppression, but He’s also extremely severe in punishment.”

Allāh mentions three times in The Qurʾān that the disbelievers asked the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ to hasten to coming of punishment, “يَسْتَعْجِلُونَكَ بِالْعَذَابِ – They ask you, O Prophet, to hasten the coming of punishment.” The ignorance and arrogance of such a request does not need to be discussed here. 

We probably do not find ourselves asking Allāh to rain down punishment upon us. However, many humans do constantly ask to hurt things or comment about their potential ruin. Many of us say things like, “dang it”, “damn this”, “eff this”, “screw you” and so on. In reality, these are actually subtle “prayers”, or wishing for the harm or destruction of something or someone. We say these out of anger, and/or when things do not go as planned, and/or when we do not like a certain thing or person. This is not the way of a believer. And we should not ask Allāh, or make comments to have things be damned. Especially when it comes to human beings, and even more so our own selves or loved ones. People, in their frustration, may say something against their own self! 

 This does not mean that we cannot ask Allāh to exact his justice on the tyrannical oppressors. That is justified, and reflects us putting our trust in Allāh. Rather, we should refrain from constantly praying against ourselves and our surroundings. A beautiful way to alter our mindset, and actually come out better, is to simply pray for the goodness in whatever it is we are not pleased with. If I failed to meet my own personal goal, instead of damning myself, let me ask Allāh to help me and make me better. Instead of cursing at the dishwasher because it is causing problems, let me ask Allāh to fix it or help me replace it. The same applies to my loved ones and all the items we use everyday. They will not always be perfect, but I can pray Allāh keeps them and us running long and healthy, and replace the items when the time comes. 

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Asking for Evil | Sh Mudassir Mayet appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Dr. Sarah Lalonde describes methods of medical care when there are no basic supplies available due to Israel’s siege.

A waitress in a small town diner encounters a Muslim family that rekindles her connection to faith and Ramadan.

Late Afternoon At The Diner

Amina swept her gaze across the diner, reviewing her tables. Who was waiting to order, waiting for food, needing more water or coffee, waiting for the check… She took all of this in at a glance, and mentally mapped her order of operations.

Every seat in the diner was taken, with a line winding out the door. It was late evening, about a half hour before sunset. The dinner rush was on, plus there was a Baptist tent revival a few miles down the road, right out there in the baking pan of the Arizona desert, and apparently it had just gotten out because everywhere Amina looked she saw families dressed in their Sunday best, even though this was a Tuesday night. The men sported off-the-rack suits with cowboy hats, and the women wore dresses that showed a lot of skin. Crosses hung around sunburnt necks.

A woman eating a salad and gesturing animatedly with a fork had dropped her cloth napkin onto the floor. Cloth napkins were a vanity for a diner, but Jug, the owner, liked to call the place a “diner plus.” You could get a burger and fries, but you could also get a gourmet tuna melt with albacore and chopped artichoke hearts, or a chocolate shake with hazelnut syrup. Hey, Amina wasn’t complaining. The prices were higher than most diners, which meant her tips were higher too.

Without a pause, and without spilling a drop of water from the four glasses she carried on a tray, she bent down and picked up the napkin, took a fresh and neatly folded napkin from a pocket in her apron, and replaced it on the woman’s lap – without the woman ever knowing. It didn’t matter that it wasn’t her table. Excellence in the job was what it was all about. Seeing it all, doing it all without breaking a sweat. She was a star performer, and this was her stage.

Cover Queen

“You showin’ off, Ninja,” one of the busboys whispered to her as he passed. Some of the staff called her that, or sometimes they called her Cover Queen. Cover was restaurant lingo for each person who sat in your section. They called her that because she could handle more covers at once than any other server, and could do it with ease.

The busboy who’d called her Ninja was a young Honduran immigrant – legal, of course, as were all the staff at Jug’s. He was smart and handsome, but he’d never be a server, and thus would never make the big money. At Jug’s, as at most rural Arizona restaurants, white faces worked the front, while brown faces worked the back of the house, either cooking or washing, regardless of legal status.

Amina herself was a child of Turkish immigrants, but she was fair-skinned and blonde, and therefore was white as far as Jug was concerned. It was racist and illegal, and yes of course it bothered her. The back staff were colleagues and friends. But this was Arizona; and not the liberal Arizona of Tempe or Roosevelt Row in Phoenix, but northwestern Arizona, high desert, politically red as blood. Folks drove trucks with Confederate flags on the windows and rifles mounted on racks. Amina could complain about discrimination and be out of a job, or she could keep her mouth shut and work.

Lights Camera Action

“Seventeen up,” Jorge called through the pass. She barely heard him over the noise of the diner: people talking, silverware clattering, plates and glasses being set down and taken away, a baby crying, two children fighting over a crayon, a woman at thirteen laughing uproariously, and 50’s music piped in over the sound system.

None of it phased Amina. She’d been a server for ten years, and was good at it. In fact, she was the best. And why not? She had nothing else. Her home life was non-existent. Her father had died when she was nineteen. At that time they had lived in Patterson, New Jersey, which had a thriving Turkish community. Her mother decided they should return to Turkey, but Amina had never lived in Turkey and refused to go. So her mother went and left her behind. Amina dropped out of college and worked odd jobs until she met the son of an Arizona rancher, a college student. They fell in love, and when he graduated he took her back to Arizona. But his parents rejected her, and the boy cut her off. And here she had remained, alone, with no one who loved her except her dog Kebob, until he passed away from kidney disease.

So yeah, she might come to work sad or depressed, but once she put on the apron and clocked in, it was lights – camera – action. The outside world faded away. The stars moved above and the earth below, but her feet glided. She read her tables like a standup comic feeling the mood of the audience. This couple were on a date and it wasn’t going well, so Amina would make a few timely jokes to put them at ease. This guy wanted to be alone with his thoughts, so she kept the water filled and coffee coming and didn’t intrude. These young men were boisterous and flirty, so she treated them with a combination of firm motherliness and easy charm.

It was theater, and she was the star. She kept it real, though. She couldn’t stand servers who acted pretentious and fake. But yeah, it was theatrical. Make a witty comment and exit stage left. As long as she didn’t have to do it more than four days a week. That would be too much.

A Wager

A woman with a beehive hairdo, white teeth, and a pearl necklace waved her over. Part of a group of six – a six top, in restaurant parlance. Definitely tent revivalists. Amina had checked out one of these evangelical revivals once, out of curiosity. People clapping, shouting, and fainting. It had seemed bizarre to her, but she supposed it wasn’t any stranger than the dervishes of her parents’ Turkish homeland, spinning in circles with their heads tilted to the side. People did the most ridiculous things in the name of God.

“Darlin’,” the beehive lady said in a heavy drawl. “Is our food comin’ soon? We prayed our hearts out and we’re famished.”

“Very soon,” Amina stated confidently.

“You sure y’all got our order right? You didn’t write down a blame thing!”

It was true, Amina had taken their entire order verbally, without a notepad.

“I’ll tell you what,” Amina said. “How about a fun little wager?”

“I like the sound of that!” said the woman’s husband, a heavily tanned gentleman with tobacco-stained teeth. “What are we wagering for?”

“A twenty-five percent tip for me,” Amina said. “If your entire order comes in just like you asked. If there’s a single thing wrong, no tip.”

“Nah,” the man waved this off. “Gettin’ it right is what you’re supposed to do anyway.”

Amina nodded. “Alright, how about this. You see that long window over there?” She pointed to the pass window between the kitchen and front house. “Your table is number nine. I’ll bet you that in the next twenty seconds, a man will call through that window and say, ‘Nine up!’ And your food will be ready.”

The tanned man snapped his fingers. “It’s a deal, chica!”

The children began counting dramatically. “One Mississippi, two Mississippi…” They were on eighteen, and the tanned man was sitting back triumphantly, when Jorge called out, “Nine up!”

Amina snapped her fingers and grinned. “I’ll take card or cash, chico.” Exit stage left to the sound of laughter and applause.

An Unexpected Sight

The hostess, Julissa, motioned to her. “Five-top in the back booth. Interesting group.” This was a reference to the number of guests seated at the table. A two-top table had two people, a four-top table had four, and so on. It was shorthand for the hostess to alert the server when a table in their section had been sat with new guests.

Amina headed to the back booth, saw who was seated there – and stumbled over her own feet, nearly falling. The family at the booth were Muslims. Out of the corner of her eye she saw one of the other servers stop to stare. Amina never stumbled. Pausing to wipe her hands on her apron, Amina frowned, then approached the table.

The family consisted of a couple and three kids. They were white people with Caucasian features, but definitely Muslim. The mother wore a hijab, and the father wore a traditional Turkish shirt with side slits and a mandarin collar, much like Amina’s own father had worn on special occasions. The father had his hands raised in silent prayer, while the mother was fingering prayer beads as she studied the menu. The eldest girl had a copy of the Quran on the table and was reciting it in a low, sing-song voice. The younger two boys wrestled over a toy car.

Glancing around, Amina saw that this family was attracting a lot of looks. And they were not friendly looks. People around here didn’t like outsiders, immigrants, or Muslims. Three strikes, this family was out, and they didn’t even seem to know they were at bat.

“Hi, can I get you something to drink to start?”

The father glanced at her nametag. “Amina,” he said. “I am Abbas. This is my wife Nura. We are fasting. We cannot eat or drink until sunset. Could we order and then you bring the food and water just before sunset? Is that possible?”

That was a new one. “With the water, certainly. As far as the food, I’ll do my best. I can make sure you at least have bread on butter on the table. Is this, umm, Ramadan?”

A Difficult Question

The mother, Nura, smiled. “Yes, that’s right. “You have a Muslim name, are you Muslim?”

“I.. uhhh…” Amina had never been asked this before. “My parents were, sort of. They were Turkish immigrants. As for me, I’m just… nothing, I guess.” Her parents had been 99% non-practicing Muslims. They may have prayed a few times at special occasions, like at funerals, but had never taught Amina to do so, and had never fasted.

Abbas smiled. “We are neighbors in a way,” the father said. “We are Kosovars. ”

“So this fast that you do,” Amina asked, mostly out of politeness but tinged with curiosity. “What’s it really all about? What’s the point?”

“Sacrifice,” Nura replied. “Nothing meaningful comes without it Whether Allah’s Grace and Guidance, or even significant accomplishment in this world. It all comes down to sacrifice.”

Amina found herself sliding into a self-reflective stupor. This answer hit closer to home than she’d been ready for. She had often asked herself if she was mired in place in this job and in her life in general, and what it would take to get move forward. In her heart, she’d known it would take a great effort of some kind.

Interpreting Amina’s silence as a desire to hear more, Nura went on: “If I were to lose my Islam I’d lose everything. I hold on to it like a candle in the darkness. It’s a gift of truth that’s been carried down through generations of your own family, Amina. The candle may have gone out in your family’s transition to the USA, but it’s never too late for you to re-light it. Ramadan might be exactly what you need. It teaches so many lessons.”

Coming out of her fugue, Amina smiled. “I have to get to my other tables, but…” She hesitated. “Can I now give you a bit of advice? As – well – let’s say, as a fellow Muslim?”

Abbas tipped his head. “Of course.”

Amina lowered her voice. “People around her are not friendly to immigrants and Muslims. You need to be a little more discreet.”

He smiled kindly. “We’re not worried about that.”

Amina lifted her hands as if to say something, then dropped them. “Let me know if you need anything.” Then she walked away.

Dust to Dust

Checking her tables, she saw that a well-dressed young black couple had been seated at a table adjoining that of the beehive lady’s group. She went to greet the black couple, but before she could get to them, beehive lady flagged her down.

“Darlin’, could you seat them somewhere else?” Beehive gestured to the black couple.

Amina raised her eyebrows. “Why? Is there a problem?”

“No problem, we’re just not comfortable. We feel people should stick with their own kind.”

Amina was shocked, but not terribly surprised, unfortunately. Such attitudes were not uncommon in these parts. She was about to make an excuse, such as telling the woman that the restaurant was full and the African-American couple would stay where they were, when she found Abbas standing at her side.

“Madam,” the Muslim man said. “You are Christian, are you not?”

“That’s right,” the woman affirmed. “Saved by the blood. But that don’t mean that -”

“And the Lord God,” Abbas intoned, “formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Genesis chapter two, verse seven.”

“Amen…” Beehive said uncertainly.

“Think about that,” Abbas continued. “Dust. What you would brush from your coat -” he made a brushing motion on his chest – “or clean from your shoe. That’s what we’re made of. All of us.”

“See here now,” Beehive’s husband began, but Abbas cut him off.

“Look out there.” Abbas swept his arm toward the windows. “Desert and dust, as far as you can see. How much of that dust comes from the remains of the millions of human beings who have lived on this earth before us? Ashes to ashes, dust to dust. Yet when you look out there, do you see Caucasian dust? Native American dust? African-American dust? Do you begin to see how ridiculous it is to think that one race is superior to another? Shame on you! We all come from Adam, and Adam came from dust.”

An Uproar and a Letter

An uproar ensued. Some patrons applauded Abbas’s speech. Someone said, “Amen!” and someone else, “Hear hear!” while someone else barked, “Terrorist!” Beehive and her husband spewed a torrent of insults at Abbas and Amina. Jug intervened, and Beehive and her group were told to leave – not because they were racists, but because of the bad language. A few other guests left as well in protest, but most seemed pleased and entertained. The African-American couple shook Abbas’s hand. Throughout it, Amina found herself grinning. This was one of the cooler things she’d witnessed. Ah, the life of a server.

Abbas and his family broke their fast and ate, and Nura gave her a hug as they left. A few minutes later, Amina glanced out the window and saw the family praying in the parking lot, prostrating right on the asphalt. People gawked, but no one bothered them. When they finished they got into a slightly battered, older-model Subaru, and drove west.

At the end of the night, after closing, Amina was doing her side work – rolling silverware for tomorrow, sweeping her section, refilling salt and pepper shakers – when Julissa approached. “I almost forgot! That Muzlim family left you this.” An envelope. Amina tucked it away and started refilling the salad dressing bottles.

In her car, Amina opened the envelope. There was a hundred dollar bill, and a note. The note read:

“Sister Amina, please accept this tip for your gracious service. It was wonderful to meet such a charming and brilliant woman. There is much more to you than meets the eye. Please remember: Never give up on Allah, for He will not give up on you. He created you with love and deliberate intention. You have a glorious purpose in this world. And if there is anything you find lacking, any deep question you have, any persistent sadness or pain, remember that this is Ramadan, a holy month. Open yourself to Allah and ask.”

It was signed, “Nura Obeidullah.” After the signature, there was a postscript with a phone number and the words, “Call me anytime.”

Amina read the letter over twice. The hundred dollars was an incredibly generous gesture, especially since the Muslim family had not seemed wealthy. Her hands shook slightly as she put the letter away, though she wasn’t sure why.

More Than Meets the Eye

At home, she opened the door and paused. Coming home was always a disconcerting and slightly sad moment. Her beloved dog, Kebob, had passed away a month ago. For years he had run to her when she opened the door. Now, nothing greeted her but the hum of the refrigerator.

She looked around. There, by the kitchen counter, was where she had kept Kebob’s food and water bowls. Over there, on the sofa, had been his dog bed. There, on a hook by the door, his leash had hung. Amina had removed all of these things after his passing, thinking it would be easier not to have reminders. But actually it was worse.

Dust to dust, Abbas had said. At the time she had found those words inspiring, but now they stirred forlorn echoes inside her. She kicked off her shoes, sat on the sofa, and read Nura’s letter again. “Never give up on Allah… any persistent sadness or pain… this is Ramadan…”

Amina had never given much thought to religion. But that Muslim family had been so courageous. Never give up on Allah, she thought. Had she given up? Not only on God, but on everything? She was so proud of her ability to read her tables, and memorize orders. She was the Cover Queen. But what was that, really, in the end? What was she achieving? There is much more to you than meets the eye, the letter had said. Could she be more? Could she do more?

I Think I Am

The next day Amina outdid herself by taking an order on a seven top, including appetizers, meals, drinks, and all, and memorizing it. A while later, during a lull, Julissa motioned to her. They often took their breaks together. Amina nodded, and a few minutes later the two of them were seated on plastic chairs out back, with a sweeping view of the desert before them.

Julissa took out a BLT that Jorge had made her, a bottle of Evian, and a vape. “Aren’t you eating?” she asked.

“I’m, uhh.. I’m fasting, actually.” This was a decision that Amina had made last night, after reading over the letter several times. She had a feeling about the family from yesterday, that they had been sent to her for a reason. She didn’t imagine that fasting would magically solve her problems, but if it was true that Ramadan was a sacred and blessed month, then maybe this could be a new beginning for her. Nura had written that there was much more to Amina than met the eye. Maybe she could discover what that was.

“What? Why?”

“For Ramadan. It’s a holy month.”

“Isn’t that a Muzlim thing?”

Amina nodded. “Mm-hm.”

“Wait. You’re Muzlim?”

“I’m not sure. But I think I am.”

“Oh. Well, that’s cool.” Julissa took a hit off the vape and offered it to Amina.

“I can’t do that, either.”

“Seriously?”

Amina shrugged. “They say nothing good comes without sacrifice.”

“Well, you know what.” Julissa put away the vape and packed up the sandwich. “I’m fasting too, then.”

Amina laughed. “You don’t have to do that.”

“I want to support you.”

Amina rubbed Julissa’s back. “Okay. Thanks.”

Coyote

Julissa went back inside, but Amina remained, looking out over the desert. It was hot outside, but there were scattered clouds in the sky. The clouds moved quickly, and their shadows sailed across the desert floor like battleships speeding to war. There was no hint of rain, but in the desert it could come as quickly as death.

She thought about the Muslim family. Where were they going? They’d headed west on the road. Out to California? Maybe she too should go to Los Angeles, or San Francisco. See the Golden Gate Bridge and the Pacific Ocean.

In the distance, amid the tall saguaro cacti, Amina saw a coyote. She placed her fingers in her mouth and whistled, for no particular reason, and the coyote stopped and turned to regard her, ears alert. Its image wavered in the heat. With its reddish coat, it was nearly invisible.

Amina envied the coyote. Its reality was fundamental. Find food, water, shelter. Life was distilled to its most basic components. No worries about who to love or where to live. Was it possible the coyote had a religion? If so, then she imagined it must be a pure belief in Allah, without a shred of doubt.

She snorted at her own foolishness. She was a waitress, not a philosopher. But if what she’d seen from the Muslim family was representative of Islam, then that was something she could stand with. She thought of Abbas speaking up for truth in a crowded room full of people who regarded him with suspicion. And Nura’s inspiring letter. These were the actions of good people. Oh Allah, she thought. I ask you for guidance. Nothing more.

Julissa stuck her head out the door. “You got four-tops on nine and ten. Jug says to tell the Cover Queen to get her royal self in gear.”

Amina stood, and entered stage right. Lights, camera, action.

THE END

 

Reader comments and constructive criticism are important to me, so please comment!

See the Story Index for Wael Abdelgawad’s other stories on this website.

Wael Abdelgawad’s novels – including Pieces of a Dream, The Repeaters and Zaid Karim Private Investigator – are available in ebook and print form on his author page at Amazon.com.

Related:

A Wish And A Cosmic Bird: A Play

Uber Tales #8 – The Ramadan (In Colombia) Edition

 

The post Cover Queen: A Ramadan Short Story appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Vast majority of Jenin refugee camp streets destroyed.

More questions than answers as relatives grapple with “ambiguous loss.”

The Columbia graduate and student leader dictated this message from ICE detention in Louisiana.

The Indian Muslim community lost a distinguished leader in late February 2025 with the demise of Mustafa Rifai, an active and much-loved Muslim preacher and activist. Over a fifty-year career in both education and social work, he left a strong legacy in the often-embattled lives of Indian Muslims, the world’s biggest religious minority.

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Syed Mustafa Rifai Jilani Nadvi grew up and studied in the southern subcontinent, completing his primary school in Bengal and then studying at the prestigious Baqiyath Salihath Seminary in Vellore. He came from a family that claimed descent from the renowned Islamic scholar Abdul-Qadir Gilani, after whom the Qadri Sufi order is named. In addition to his education and social work, Rifai was an advocate of tasawwuf as a means of spiritual enrichment on the established practices of Prophet Muhammad, may Allah give him blessings and peace.

Mustafa Rifai studied with a number of renowned scholars including Ali Hassani Nadwi of the prestigious Nadwatul-Uloom Seminary, as well as Mohammad Rabai and Zakaria Kandhlawi. In 1973 he co-founded the All-India Muslim Personal Law Board led by Rabay, which advocated for the promotion and defense of Islamic law in the personal lives of Indian Muslims. This has been a particularly hard-pressed issue in recent years with the increased incitement against Muslims by far-right and even many liberal circles in India.

A longstanding yet humble and approachable pillar of the Indian Muslim community, Mustafa Rifai passed away in February 2025 and was buried in Bengaluru. His life was another chapter in the rich history of Muslim leaders, preachers, and educators in the Indian subcontinent.

Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Rajioun

 – by Ibrahim Moiz

 

Related: 

– Renowned Scholar Abu-Ishaq Hegazy Passes Away

– Studying Islam Overseas: Nadwatul ‘Ulama in India | The Motherland – Prelude

The post Indian Muslim Leader Mustafa Rifai Passes Away appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The irresistible pull towards tahajjud is by the permission of Allah , but it is a part of our lives for as long as we actively strive for it. The floodgates of Allah’s Mercy are hidden in the last third of the night for those who seek it. 

Tahajjud, or the night prayer, is often related to quick fixes and miraculous events. Forums and reels abound with success stories after praying tahajjud. People eagerly probing, “did it work?”, perhaps affirming the scale of the miracles for themselves before embarking on less sleep than desired. Allah’s Words are promises that should always suffice us, but the exchange of affirmations is an endearing way to gain comfort. A personified miracle in someone else’s life can feel incredibly reassuring that Allah is in fact the Hearing and Responsive. But eventually, that feeling must journey to our own conviction of what is possible for ourselves to be of value. To believe in the unseen workings of our prayer and supplication is part of our test on earth. 

I must admit, it was not a verse of the Quran or a hadith that alerted me to the blessedness of tahajjud prayer. It was one of those reels with a night-sky ambiance and slow reverb background nasheed that caught my attention. I had been freshly hit with a calamity in the winter of 2022 and desperately searching for a way to release my pent-up fears. I was going through something else at an unprecedented level – religious inadequacy. A sin was replaying in my mind and feelings of hypocrisy, regret, and self-loathing made a perfect nest in my heart. 

Years later, I become emotional at the thought of being led to tahajjud. Every move, every interaction, every reaction, was leading to that night when I prayed tahajjud for the first time. The room was scarcely lit, save a crack of light from the corridor. I was alone with my thoughts in a way that differed from the daytime or even the early part of the nighttime, there was something extra spirited about pre-dawn. Every sajdah gripped my heart. I felt an overwhelming sensation of being lifted from within, and I am convinced to this day that I failed to make the one supplication that I had arranged for that night. I just kept repeating “Please forgive me”. I kept coming back, wanting to reinforce that connection. My faith had been shattered, and tahajjud was erecting new pillars. No later than a week, I realized that striving to be consistent seemed non-negotiable; when you find a rare beauty after a long and arduous journey, how can you turn back and abandon it?

“The irresistible pull towards tahajjud is by the permission of Allah [swt], but it is a part of our lives for as long as we actively strive for it.” [PC: Jon Tyson (unsplash)]

Imagine what can be achieved by the version of yourself who converses with Allah before anyone else upon waking up. What inner battles can be conquered when rushed mornings are replaced with stillness, built in by the blessed gap between the last third of the night and the break of dawn? How many people can say they get to witness the literal switch from night to day as a regular part of their routine? Are you not curious about who you would be as a vigilant observer of tahajjud? How enticing that there is hidden potential, a version of yourself that you have yet to discover, that can only be unlocked with tahajjud. 

The night prayer held a special station with the Prophet , the Companions, and the Revivers (Mujadidin) in the centuries after Prophethood. What made this prayer spiritually irresistible at night is deeply experiential. Even the full extent of the reward is a mystery. We know that habitual worship for Allah’s Sake is a spring well for both hidden and recognizable blessings, and what we are privy to in this world is just a small allotment (including those “tahajjud miracles”) of what awaits in the Hereafter. The reward is fully concealed as if to say, that the fruits of tahajjud can only be appreciated in another realm of existence. In Surah Al-Sajdah, Allah promises a concealed reward for those who perform good deeds:

“They arise from [their] beds; they supplicate their Lord in fear and aspiration, and from what We have provided them, they spend.” [32;16]

 

 

“And no soul knows what has been hidden for them of comfort for eyes as reward for what they used to do.” [32;17]

I often sway between experiencing the spiritual and tangible benefits of tahajjud. The best way that I can describe its imprint on my life is the ability to walk lightly upon the earth, this effect lasting for as long as I prayed it. Problems and grief are lifted from the heart, a sweet departure from the captivity of this fleeting world. The events of the day that seemed so heavy before shrunk to their rightful value. That is because closeness to Allah fills a bigger space in the heart, and the heart is a vessel with a finite capacity. We could unwittingly allow multiple masters to compete for that precious space as our desires fluctuate, but the heart that is true to its Master will be completely sufficed and guard itself from any other. Tahajjud creates a refined clarity towards situations that the most acclaimed self-help books cannot tap into, each prayer cultivating a stronger inner voice that understands its covenant towards Allah and does not want to teeter off the right path once it has been firmly guided. 

I recall my corporate job, when murmurings of budget cuts grew as the fiscal year was closing and jobs were at risk. I had every reason to panic as the newest and outsourced staff. Earlier that year, I had taken on new financial responsibilities based on my position. But I was somehow able to compartmentalize the situation, the dramatized version swirling in the office and the version that I would create for myself. My attitude probably felt overly nonchalant to my colleagues, but I explicitly remember thinking, “I had not slacked off in the slightest, now when is that quarterly report due again?” on my way to the prayer room for noon prayer. I elongated my prayers more, kept my head cool, and fixated on my deliverables. It became evident that giving very little consideration to the layoff threats – on account of Allah being the true Bestower of material wealth – made me stand out as an employee. My contract had not only been extended but changed altogether; I was on track to become permanent on the team and a 20 percent bonus was on the horizon. I had been on a daily tahajjud streak that month and the month before. It was certain that repetitive nightly prayers had subtly transformed my mindset towards everyday situations and moments of ease that I had not prayed came in abundance. 

Conquering impossible situations and experiencing the aura of nighttime are starting points. But if you stick around, the most rewarding dimension of tahajjud cannot be seen but felt. Tahajjud is pleasing to Allah and may that be enough for aching souls that have wandered, who feel unseen in the world, and who long to prepare for a pleasing return to their Creator. In those initial moments when the eyelids feel heavy and the body feels glued to the bed, I am moved by the part in Prophet Musa’s story where Allah asks him why he came to the Mount with such haste ahead of his people. Prophet Musa gave the most endearing response:

“He said, “They are close upon my tracks, and I hastened to You, my Lord, that You be pleased.” [Surah Taha; 20;84]

Building a Tahajjud Habit

There is no better time to begin a tahajjud ritual than the last 10 nights of Ramadan. 

Beyond the month of Ramadan, establishing consistency upon tahajjud is an honorable way to please Allah , have a disciplined morning, and develop a strong and sound heart. My journey has taught me several tried-and-true steps for making tahajjud a mainstay habit in life.

“There is no better time to build a tahajjud habit than during the last 10 nights of Ramadan.” [PC: Austin Chan (unsplash)]

Set a clear intention

Affix a strong intention to your tahajjud journey. Is it spiritual discipline you desire? Do you have a mountain of worries and want to fill the restlessness with worship? Do you have someone in your life who could use the unfailing arrow of a tahajjud dua’? Do you want nothing other than to say to Allah , “I was here. I got up for no other reason than to be recognized by You”?

Your intention will be your close companion on this journey. One of my teachers taught me this core principle for consistency: If the intention weakens or ceases to move you, renew the intention instead of ceasing the practice. Perhaps the supplication that once excited you is no longer in your heart or has become half-hearted and needs to be revived with more powerful words. If tahajjud begins to feel like an impossibility in your life, my advice is to tap into the most hopeful part of yourself and revive a heartfelt dua that has been sitting in your heart.

Construct a pre-tahajjud ritual

Setting your alarm and sleeping at a decent hour is just the start of habit-stacking for tahajjud. I made the mistake of slipping into an “it happens if it happens” mindset and had to course-correct in other ways when sleeping early did not suffice. 

Waking up for tahajjud, like any other habit, thrives with planning and attempting many steps until you find a personal rhythm. What do you need to add, change, or omit from your bedtime routine to make it possible? For omissions, think about shunning devices, avoiding caffeine several hours before bed, and eliminating a late-night habit. Then, add a beneficial habit before habit. I recommend picking up a sunnah habit to anchor you in worship and add barakah to your sleep. I personally found that sleeping in a state of purity (i.e. fresh wudu) helped me to wake up with mysterious energy even if I had slept a mere 3 hours.

Conceal your habit

Tahajjud is a sincerity builder, you are in a position where no one is truly around to witness the prayer. If you share the household with others, you are likely doing your best to avoid disturbing their sleep. Guard that sincerity by keeping it to yourself as best as you can. There is a way to share your habit with others with motivational intent, but even in that situation, it could be encouraged without sharing the exact details of your consistency or praising yourself. Just as with material bounties, good deeds are best kept private. A keepsake between you and Allah that will be waiting for you in your book of deeds with sincerity intact. 

Consistency, not perfectionism 

For those who experience its gems for even one night, the desire to pray tahajjud daily can become a fixation. A missed night can feel heartbreaking, which demonstrates a close attachment to this incredible deed. However, when it comes to voluntary deeds, there is nothing Shaytan wants more than for you to develop all-or-nothing thinking towards them, and ultimately abandon them when you fall short. 

Consistency may not mean every single day, but that someday you return to it. In this way, the constant return is what makes it consistent. It is inherently beneficial to strive for a daily habit; meanwhile, where there is submission, there is worship. When you miss a prayer, take solace that the intention earned you the deed and take the opportunity to revive the intention with this affirmation: “I am imperfect but here I try again. I did not leave it altogether”. That is a demonstration of consistency, free from the shackles of perfectionism.

 In what is left of Ramadan and nearing the last ten nights, may Allah attach our hearts to tahajjud prayer through which we grow to love Him and connect to His Mercy. When this blessed month leaves us, may He grant us the wisdom to use our days as a passageway to stand before Him at night, and our nights as a burst of spiritual energy that lingers in the day.

 

Related:

– A Tahajjud Journey To Inspire Your Own: A Ramadan Goal That’s Not As Hard As It Seems

– Show Up As You Are: Overcoming Ramadan Guilt For The Last 10 Nights

The post How An Instagram Reel Kickstarted My Tahajjud Habit – Open The Floodgates Of Allah’s Mercy Before The Last 10 Nights Of Ramadan appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18

Transcript

Al-Shuʿarāʾ (26): 96-102 

قَالُوا وَهُمْ فِيهَا يَخْتَصِمُونَ (٩٦) تَاللَّهِ إِنْ كُنَّا لَفِي ضَلالٍ مُبِينٍ (٩٧) إِذْ نُسَوِّيكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ (٩٨) وَمَا أَضَلَّنَا إِلا الْمُجْرِمُونَ (٩٩) فَمَا لَنَا مِنْ شَافِعِينَ (١٠٠) وَلا صَدِيقٍ حَمِيمٍ (١٠١) فَلَوْ أَنَّ لَنَا كَرَّةً فَنَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (١٠٢) 

“As the people of Hell argue and debate with one another, a group says, ‘We swear to God! We were truly lost and astray for having compared and equated all of you (false gods) to The Master of Humanity (Allāh). It was all the evil people and criminals who led us astray and misguided us. Today, we have no one to help us or speak up for us, no do we have any close friends who will defend us… If only we had another chance… We would be believers…’” 

 Allāh describes this seen from Hell. People are arguing with the people they took as false gods. People are blaming each other claiming that someone other than themselves misguided them. But one statement of theirs is the ultimate key to their disbelief and eternal failure. “نُسَوِّيكُمْ بِرَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ – We compared you and considered you equal to The Master of Humanity.” This defines shirk – paganism, associating partners with Allāh – in the simplest yet most comprehensive way. They viewed other things, be it people or objects, to be comparable to Allāh. 

In the past, people would rightly praise the pious people who have left this. As the generations passed, people would continue to honor them. But over time, people would initiate questionable practices to show their veneration. And soon enough, people started to worship them, hoping that their worship of this pious person will bring them closer to Allāh. Sometimes they would make paintings and statues of those people. Sometimes they associated great powers to nature or animals. In the past, and especially today, people equate great power and an intrinsic ability to bring benefit or deter harm to material things.

People chase money and will do anything to get it. Some will idolize celebrities. Others are on the brink of bowing their heads before all star athletes. Others would spare nothing to ensure the success of their political campaign, and view it as the single ultimate goal. Some think education and degrees are the only things that matter for one’s success.

People worship, idolize, and sacrifice everything for these things. They will sell their souls to get an MD. They will take the lives of others to get a selfie with so and so. They will stop at nothing to earn fame and power. They are ready to wholeheartedly submit everything they have for these things. This kind of sacrifice is only for Allāh, or for His Sake. Or they think money and degrees are able to change one’s fate – again comparing material things to Allāh. 

Allāh says that “إِنَّ اللَّهَ لا يَغْفِرُ أَنْ يُشْرَكَ بِهِ وَيَغْفِرُ مَا دُونَ ذَلِكَ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ – Allāh will not forgive the paganism of those who knowingly died on it, but, out of His kindness, can forgive anything and everything else for whomever He chooses.” Never view anything as similar, let alone equal, to Allāh. As Allāh says at the end of Sūrah Al-Ikhlāṣ, “وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ – No one and nothing has ever or will ever be comparable to Allāh.” He says in Sūrah Al-Shūrā, “لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ – Nothing is even like the likeness of Allāh.” He says in Sūrah Al-Rūm “لَهُ الْمَثَلُ الأعْلَى – Only the most perfect examples are suitable for Him.” meaning that even what seems to be a comparison is made, it is still nothing like the perfection, greatness, supremacy, and divinity of Allāh. 

May Allāh allow us to believe in Him and worship Him as He deserves. Āmīn. 

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Allah Is Perfectly Incomparable | Sh Mudassir Mayet appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The famous Salafi scholar Abu-Ishaq Hegazy of Huwain has passed away in Qatar after a decades-long career in Islamic studies and proselytization. Abu-Ishaq’s major impact both at home and abroad had stirred the unease of Egypt’s military regime, and he spent the last years of his life in Qatar whose state mosque held his funeral yesterday.

PC: Theislamicinformation.com

Abu-Ishaq Hegazy Mohamed Youssef Sharif Huwainy came from a farming family in Huwain, a village in the Kafrel-Sheikh countryside of the Nile Delta. Having learned the Spanish language he briefly studied in Spain before returning home. In the mid-1970s he was influenced by the prominent scholars Abdel-Hamid Kishk and the Albanian Muhammad Nasiruddin to study hadith, to which he would devote his years. Abu-Ishaq was not an actual patronymic nickname; he adopted it as his name in respect for the Sahabi Saad b. Abi Waqqas and the scholar Ibrahim b. Musa Shatibi, both of whom had the patronymic Abu Ishaq. Abu-Ishaq adopted Nasiruddin’s Salafi school of Sunni Islam in his studies. He studied under Naguib Mutiey and Sabiq Tihami, and later moved to the Arabian Peninsula where he studied under Abdullah Qaud and the Saudi mufti Abdul-Aziz Baz. He also met his role model Nasiruddin, who showed great appreciation for his work.

Like much of his generation, Abu-Ishaq was involved in public proselytization and was not shy in commenting on public affairs: he was a staunch proponent of a public role for Islam and of support for Palestine. When added to a dictatorship in Cairo and a securitized international atmosphere in the twenty-first century, this made him a prime target of considerable misinformation by anti-Islamic outlets, which have freely and frequently twisted his words in league with Arab rivals. Abu-Ishaq’s widespread popularity prompted Cairo to crack down on his work after a military coup in the mid-2010s. Like other sociopolitically active preachers, Abu-Ishaq relocated to Qatar where he passed away. His village at home mourned him while the Qatari state mosque in Doha held his funeral. The smear campaign against Abu-Ishaq as a “khariji” or extremist by both his local rivals, as well as by anti-Islamic media abroad was belied by the considerable regard for his works by Muslims well beyond his Salafi school.

by Ibrahim Moiz

 

Related:

– Renowned Muhaddith And Scholar Shaykh Umar Bin Hassan Fallatah Passes Away

– Shaykha Munira bint Hamdi Qubaisi [1933-2022]: Pioneering Mujaddida, Learned Scholar, And Beloved Mentor – An Obituary

 

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Hospitals struggle to cope with casualties and fuel shortages hinder rescue efforts.

This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17

Transcript

Al-Muʾminūm (23): 71 

وَلَوِ اتَّبَعَ الْحَقُّ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ لَفَسَدَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالأرْضُ وَمَنْ فِيهِنَّ 

“If the truth (revelation/reality) the whims, desires, and beliefs of the disbelievers, the skies and earth and everything in between would be ruined.” 

If The Truth, referring to either (a) Allāh, (b) The Qurʾān, (c) Al-Islām, or maybe even (d) reality were to follow, obey, and listen to the whims, desires, and beliefs (ahwāʾ) of the people who reject Allāh, The Qurʾān, and the Prophet Muḥammad ﷺ, meaning the disbelievers, more specifically the pagans of Arabia, then the universe as we know it would not function, it would entirely collapse and fail (fasadat). 

Classically, this has been understood as follows: if the religion was according to whims of the disbelievers who want to worship false gods and continue in their evil and oppression, then there would be nothing but chaos, corruption, and havoc. This is in line with the āyah from Sūrah Al-Anbiyāʾ (21:22) “لَوْ كَانَ فِيهِمَا آلِهَةٌ إِلا اللَّهُ لَفَسَدَتَا – If there was another god aside from Allāh or beside Allāh, then the skies and the earth would fall into destruction and ruin.” The reality of that is obvious to all who think and reflect. 

But if we extend the meaning of this āyah to more than just the concept of paganism, and include people’s own concocted versions of truth and justice, the world again would fall into chaos as ruin. 

1. If Allāh were to give us rules pertaining to men and women, young and old, rich and poor the way humans want, society would be upside down. Allāh ﷻ is The All Knower, and Infinitely Wise: He knows best how to create a universe, creation, creatures, and how to balance in their age, gender, and resources. Allāh also knows how to be the most kind when giving respective guidelines for each category. 

1. We see extremes of people who do not think the poor, the homeless, immigrants, or people with physical or mental issues are deserving of our physical and financial help. And on the opposite side, there are people who think people’s wealth should be capped, the rich should be – God bless you – eaten, and other ideas. Yet again, Allāh knows how to create humans and what is best for them to be commanded to do in terms of earning permissible wealth and spending it on their own selves, families, those in need, and beneficial programs. 

1. There are people who think that a single accusation of any crime warrants the death penalty without evidence, whereas others want everyone to be free without any laws. Both of these would destroy society. Allāh ﷻ’s guidance to deal with personal and communal sins is best. 

There are many examples. Remind yourself to know that Allāh ﷻ’s perfect wisdom in creation is no less than His perfect wisdom in His commands. How can someone claim that the creator of the universe, the one who designed and created such an intricate human – from its eyes, ears, heart, and ability to reproduce – did a great job with the biology, but – aʿudhu bi Allāh, may God save us from claiming the following – teach us anything less than perfect in terms of how the human being, man or woman, should act (be it marriage, prayer, fasting, or any other guidance, regardless of whether it is the same for men and women or different). 

 If the world and laws were as we want it, the world would be in ruin. Much of the world is in ruin. It’s only the grace of God and His kindness that His religion and universal decree keeps everything whole. He is The Eternal, Perfect Maintainer, All Knower, and Infinitely Wise (Al-Ḥayy Al-Qayyūm Al-ʿAlīm Al-Ḥakīm)! 

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Allah Knows What He’s Doing| Sh Mudassir Mayet appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.