The Quran is God’s final word to mankind. It contains all that humans need in order to worship God and live a good and fulfilling life while preparing for their life in the Hereafter. The Quran does this by teaching us about the major topics we need to know about.
The second annual Muslim celebration of the year is called Eid al-Adha, the Celebration of Sacrifice. Muslims across the world mark this day of celebration by worshipping God and glorifying Him. One of the major acts of worship highly encouraged on this day is the act of ritual slaughter of specific animals. The Messenger Muhammad would offer this ritual slaughter and encouraged his followers to do so, if they were financially able. Muslims may ritually slaughter certain animals throughout the year for a variety of reasons, like the feast for a wedding, or upon the birth of a child, in gratitude to God. One also may slaughter an animal for food consumption. Most people will not slaughter a whole animal for meat consumption, but rather will go to their local Halal or Kosher butcher and purchase whatever meat they need. Read More
The Quran consists of 114 chapters and over 6,000 passages. The scholars of Islam have always looked at the first revelation to see how the message of Islam began. We know that the first revelation took place in the month of Ramadan as mentioned by God in the Quran. As Muhammad neared 40 years of age, he used to go to the mountain of Hira for successive nights. He would go to a cave towards the peak of this mountain in order to worship God and show devotion. He did not approve of the evil practices of his people and the widespread paganism and this retreat practice became appealing to him. Read More
The month of Ramadan ends when the crescent moon is sighted for the month of Shawwal (10th Islamic lunar month). The first day of Shawwal is the day of Eid al-Fitr (lit. the celebration of breaking the fast). This is a day of happiness and celebration for the achievement of fasting and devotion the previous month. It is forbidden to fast on this day. There are a number of important acts that you can do on this day:
The experience of fasting for a new Muslim may present a number of challenges. This blog post will look at some of those challenges:
Fasting Around Non-Muslim Family Members
Muslims refrain from food, drink, and intimacy during the hours from dawn to sunset throughout Ramadan. Muslims also stay away from sins and unlawful desires during Ramadan. This is not something many non-Muslims will be familiar with. When surrounded by people who are eating and drinking or committing sins, the new Muslim may feel some discomfort. Read More
You may hear a number of Arabic words and terms during and around the month of Ramadan. Here is a glossary for the main words you’re likely to come across connected to Ramadan. Read More
Ritual cleansings are always performed with water. This is under normal circumstances. However, sometimes water cannot be used. This can be due to the absence or scarcity of water, whether due to drought or while travelling and a person only has enough water to drink and cook with and not enough for ritual cleansing. It may also be that a person cannot use water on their body or parts of it due to an injury, and water would exacerbate the harm of the injury. Read More
The Story of Job is repeated in the Quran due to its importance and the lessons we can derive from it. These are some of the main lessons from this story: Read More
The human body belongs to Allah and we are entrusted with it. We are expected to care for it and not abuse it. The regulations of Islam regarding what we consume are about taking care of the body according to the guidelines given by Allah. In Islam, the consumption of intoxicants, such as alcohol and drugs, is strictly prohibited. Read More
There are several reasons why Muslims should not celebrate New Year’s Eve, or any other holiday that is not specifically recognized in Islam. Some of the main reasons include: