Foundations
الأساسياتWhat Islam is, what it asks first, and the ground the rest is built on.
Introduction to Islam
الْإِسْلَامA short introduction to Islam (الإسلام): the meaning of the word, the historical setting in seventh-century Arabia, the sources of the religion, and the distinc…
Read →The Five Pillars of Islam
أَرْكَانُ الْإِسْلَامِA plain account of the five pillars of Islam (أركان الإسلام): shahadah (الشهادة), salah (الصلاة), zakat (الزكاة), sawm (الصوم) and hajj (الحج). Each is given wi…
Read →Purity in Islam: Taharah, Wudu and Ghusl
الطَّهَارَةTaharah (طهارة) in Islam: the distinction between najasah (نجاسة) and hadath (حدث), what wudu (وضوء) and ghusl (غسل) require, when tayammum (تيمم) replaces them…
Read →The Farewell Sermon (Khutbat al-Wida)
خُطْبَةُ الْوَدَاعThe Farewell Sermon of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ at ʿArafah in 10 AH: its setting, what it abolished, what it protected, the verse revealed that day, and why it fu…
Read →Who Is Prophet Muhammad ﷺ?
مُحَمَّدٌ رَسُولُ اللَّهA complete introduction to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (محمد): pre-Islamic Arabia, his orphaning and reputation as al-Amin, the first revelation, the persecution in …
Read →The Qur'an and Science: How to Read the Claims
الْقُرْآنُ وَالْعِلْمHow to read Qur’anic verses that touch on the natural world: the āyāt (آيات) as signs rather than data, the verses that genuinely invite investigation, the stro…
Read →Worship
العباداتThe acts themselves: how they are performed and what they are for.
What Is Ramadan?
رَمَضَانRamadan (رمضان) explained: the obligation in [Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:183](/quran), what breaks the fast and what does not, the exemptions written into the same pass…
Read →Dua al-Qunut: Text, Translation and Place in the Prayer
دُعَاءُ الْقُنُوتDua al-Qunut (دعاء القنوت): the Arabic text with translation, where it falls in the Witr prayer, the difference between qunut al-witr and qunut al-nazilah, and …
Read →Ayat al-Kursi: The Verse of the Throne
آيَةُ الْكُرْسِيّAyat al-Kursi (آية الكرسي), [Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:255](/quran): why it is called the greatest verse, a clause-by-clause reading of what it establishes about Allah…
Read →Asma-ul-Husna: The Ninety-Nine Names
الْأَسْمَاءُ الْحُسْنَىٰAsma-ul-Husna (الأسماء الحسنى), the most beautiful names of Allah: the Qur’anic instruction in [Sūrah al-Aʿrāf 7:180](/quran), what the hadith of ninety-nine do…
Read →Bismillah: What the Opening Words Mean
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمThe meaning of Bismillah al-Rahman al-Rahim (بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم): the words and their grammar, the difference between al-Rahman (الرحمن) and al-Rahim (الرحي…
Read →Family & Home
الأسرةMarriage, its duties, its dissolution, and the standing of women.
Marriage in Islam: The Contract and the Customs
النِّكَاحWhat Islamic marriage actually requires: the conditions of a valid nikah (نكاح), consent, the mahr (مهر), witnesses and public announcement, the walimah (وليمة)…
Read →The Rights and Duties of Husband and Wife
حُقُوقُ الزَّوْجَيْنWhat each spouse owes the other in Islam: the reciprocity in [Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:228](/quran), maintenance and kind treatment, the wife’s independent property, …
Read →Divorce in Islam: Procedure, Waiting Period and Rights
الطَّلَاقDivorce in Islamic law: the steps required before it, the correct procedure for talaq (طلاق), the ʿiddah (عدة) waiting period and its purposes, khulʿ (خلع) as t…
Read →The Standing of Women in Islam
مَكَانَةُ الْمَرْأَةThe position of women in Islam: equality of moral standing in [Sūrah al-Aḥzāb 33:35](/quran), independent property and inheritance rights, consent in marriage, …
Read →Society & Rights
المجتمعWhat Muslims owe each other and the questions outsiders most often ask.
The Rights Muslims Owe One Another
حُقُوقُ الْمُسْلِمThe rights of one Muslim over another: the six duties listed in [Sahih Muslim 2162](/sahih-muslim), the prohibitions on suspicion, spying and backbiting in [Sūr…
Read →Jihad: What the Word Means and Where the Limits Are
الْجِهَادJihad (جهاد) in Islam: the meaning of the root, the range of its Qur’anic usage, the verses that permitted fighting and the reason given, the explicit prohibiti…
Read →Was Islam Spread by the Sword?
هَلِ انْتَشَرَ الْإِسْلَامُ بِالسَّيْف؟An evidence-based answer to whether Islam was spread by force: the ruling in [Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:256](/quran), the survival of non-Muslim communities under Musl…
Read →Love in Islam
الْمَحَبَّةHow Islam treats love: Allah as the one who loves and is loved, the test set in [Sūrah Āl ʿImrān 3:31](/quran), love between spouses and parents, love of neighb…
Read →Sayings & Reflection
الحكمةCollected sayings and the words returned to at hard moments.
Inna Lillahi wa Inna Ilayhi Rajiun: What the Words Actually Say
إِنَّا لِلَّهِ وَإِنَّا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعُونThe meaning of inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun (إنا لله وإنا إليه راجعون): its place in [Sūrah al-Baqarah 2:155-157](/quran), what each clause claims, when i…
Read →The Sayings of ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (رضي الله عنه)
أَقْوَالُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبA collection of 72 sayings attributed to ʿAli ibn Abi Talib (علي بن أبي طالب) (رضي الله عنه), arranged by theme, with an account of Nahj al-Balagha (نهج البلاغة…
Read →Aqwal e Zareen: A Collection of Golden Sayings
اَقْوَالِ زَرِّیںAqwal e Zareen (اقوال زریں), golden sayings in Urdu: a collection of short maxims attributed to prophets and companions on wealth, speech, patience, company and…
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