SURAH AL-RUM BEGINS with an emphatic statement: غُلِبَتِ الرُّومُ The Romans have been defeated. (2) The Arabs at the time of the Prophet ﷺ were aware of the rivalry between the two great powers of the age, the Byzantine Romans and the Persians. They followed closely events between the two as their own trade and … Continue reading How Did We Become Unable to Imagine Muslim Victory?
IT IS EASY to overlook small details when reading the Book of Allah. Many of us read Surah al-Kahf on Fridays, and recently, I noticed something in ayah 18. وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًۭا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌۭ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ ۖ وَكَلْبُهُم بَـٰسِطٌۭ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًۭا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًۭا “And … Continue reading The Detail a Doctor Notices in Surah al-Kahf
WILDFIRES HAVE RAGED across many parts of Britain this summer in the exceptionally dry conditions. The government’s response to these wildfires has been to ban disposable BBQs. That makes sense. These can provide the spark that ignites a rapidly spreading fire. Individual responsibility matters. But there is something uncomfortable about the way we often talk … Continue reading When We Look in the Wrong Place
I RECENTLY WROTE ‘Two Years On: Why Removing a Tyrant is Not Enough,’ about the way Surah al Qaṣaṣ exposes the architecture of tyranny. The Qur’an does not present Pharaoh’s oppression as the work of one powerful individual. It shows us a system. Pharaoh stands at the centre of political power. Hāmān represents the bureaucratic … Continue reading Tyranny Has a Direction
THERE ARE MOMENTS in the Qur’an when a few verses seem to contain an entire lifetime of guidance. One such passage is the journey of Mūsā (as) from Egypt to Madyan in Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ. Mūsā has just left Egypt. He is frightened. He has killed a man. Pharaoh’s people are now searching for him. He … Continue reading Four Duʿās, One Journey
THE QUR’AN HAS a remarkable way of teaching profound lessons through seemingly ordinary words. One such example appears in the story of Prophet Ṣāliḥ (as). Allah says: وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَـٰلِحًا أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَإِذَا هُمْ فَرِيقَانِ يَخْتَصِمُونَ Indeed, We sent to Thamūd their brother Ṣāliḥ, saying, ‘Worship Allah.’ Then at once they … Continue reading Their Brother
Towards the end of Surah al Mu’minun, Allah paints a remarkable scene from the Day of Judgement. He asks humanity a question that seems simple, yet quietly dismantles the way we think about life: قَـٰلَ كَمْ لَبِثْتُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ عَدَدَ سِنِينَ He will ask, “How many years did you remain on earth?” (112) The choice of … Continue reading A Day, or Part of a Day
SURAH ANBIYA OPENS with an unexpected urgency and force. Something momentous is drawing near, yet people are acting as though nothing is happening. ٱقْتَرَبَ لِلنَّاسِ حِسَابُهُمْ وَهُمْ فِى غَفْلَةٍۢ مُّعْرِضُونَ (The time of) people’s account has drawn near, yet they are heedlessly turning away. (al Anbiya 1) It is a wake-up call. It confronts a common … Continue reading Inside Ghaflah
SURAH ṬA HA opens with a striking reassurance: مَآ أَنزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ ٱلْقُرْءَانَ لِتَشْقَىٰٓ “We did not send down the Qur’an to you to cause you distress.” (Ṭā Hā 2) The word translated as “distress” is shaqāʾ (شقاء). The root (ش ق و) conveys a sense of wretchedness, suffering, distress, and the absence of blessing. The … Continue reading Seeing Revelation Through the Wrong Lens
THERE IS SOMETHING deeply moving about a spring garden. After months of cold, darkness, and bare branches, the earth suddenly begins to breathe again. Tiny green shoots push through the soil. Crocuses appear almost overnight. Hyacinths and daffodils take a little longer. Tulips come next and slowly unfold their colour toward the sky. Every morning … Continue reading From Green to Dust
