Who was Muhammad, may God praise him? Muhammad,was born in a noble tribe of Mecca in Arabia in the year 570 CE. His ancestry traces back to Prophet Ishmael, one of the two children of Prophet Abraham. His father died before his birth and his mother died when he was six years old. He was raised first by a nursemaid in the desert, as was customary in those days, then by his grandfather and then by his uncle. As a young man, he was known to be a good man, true to his word, never known to go ... [Continue Reading]
Articles
Principles of Fiqh: Its Meanings & Benefits
The principles [usul] of Islamic Jurisprudence [fiqh] deals with the derivation of rulings [ahkam] relating to all matters of worship ['ibadah], dealings [mu'amalat] or any type of act conducted in this life from the Qur’an and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace be upon him. In order to do this accurately, a scholar must strictly adhere to certain principles and regulations: a science termed Usul al-Fiqh (the principles of Islamic Jurisprudence). Generally, the study of Usul al-Fiqh incorporates ... [Continue Reading]
The Polar Vortex
"The great Syrian scholar Abu Sulayman ad-Darani once said: "I walk out of my home, and my eyesight doesn't fall on anything around me except that I see in it either a blessing from Allah or a warning from Him." In an edition of the Time magazine it briefly highlights one such sign. The heading reads 'The Big Chill - The polar vortex left its mark, from the Great Plains to the Atlantic.' Various photographs taken during the spell of extreme cold are displayed. Across the bottom of the two-page ... [Continue Reading]
Did God Become Man?
The vast majority of human beings have always believed in God. From the most ancient civilizations to the most primitive of modern societies, religions with God at their center have formed the foundation of human culture. In fact, the denial of God’s existence (atheism) throughout history was limited to a few individuals until the rise of communism in the 20th century. Even today, in the secular societies of the West, where modern social scientists armed with Darwinian theories have argued ... [Continue Reading]
The Divine Mercy of God
If someone were to ask, ‘Who is your God?’ A Muslim response would be, ‘The Most-Merciful, the Dispenser of Mercy.’ According to Islamic sources, the prophets, while emphasizing God’s judgment, also proclaimed His mercy. In Muslim scripture, God introduces Himself as: “He is God, other than whom there is no deity, Knower of the unseen and the witnessed. He is the Most-Merciful, the Dispenser of Mercy.” (Quran 59:22) In Islamic vocabulary ar-Rahman and al-Raheem are the personal names of ... [Continue Reading]
Can We See God?
The human mind is a true marvel, but in certain areas it is limited. God is different from anything the human mind can think of or imagine, so the mind will become confused if it tries to picture God. Nevertheless, it is possible to understand the attributes of God that do not require one to make any mental pictures of Him. For example, one of God’s names is al-Ghaffar, which means He forgives all sins. Everyone can understand this easily because that is how the human mind can think of God. ... [Continue Reading]