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".. admonish them & speak to them a far-reaching word." (Al-Quran) Read & reflect. Repair, then share.
[Continued]
This heat also brings to mind our sisters who remain ever relentless upon ḥijāb, the entire ḥijāb. As a man, I can honestly confess: I don’t know how you do it. The temperature soars and the comments follow: "Isn't it too hot?" but you respond:
قُلْ نَارُ جَهَنَّمَ أَشَدُّ حَرًّا ۚ لَّوْ كَانُوا يَفْقَهُون
"Say, 'The Fire of Hell is far hotter, if only they could comprehend'" (Sūrat al-Tawbah, 9:81)
They push back: "Surely you can make an exception!" But you respond:
وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ أَحَقُّ أَن يُرْضُوهُ إِن كَانُوا مُؤْمِنِينَ
"But Allah and His Messenger are more deserving of being pleased, if they are true believers." (Sūrat al-Tawbah, 9:62)
For every Muslim women who opts for obedience over convenience, I ask Allah to honour her, elevate her, and greet her with the breeze of Jannah.
Then comes the opportunity to fast the day of ʿĀshūrā’. Even the heat becomes part of the gift. Allah increases the difficulty, and through that difficulty He increases the reward. The sun scorches, the throat dries, the body weakens, and a year's worth of sins falls away by the permission of Allah. For that opportunity, we say: Alḥamdulillāh.
Perhaps above all, this weather reminds us of the Day when the sun will be brought within a mile of creation. A day when people will drown in their own sweat according to their deeds. A day when shade is sanity, becoming the most valuable possession in existence. Every prayer you guarded, every temptation you resisted, every act of service to Islam, and every effort to dismantle oppression at home and abroad is, by Allah's permission, another step towards that shade.
All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of the worlds.
And just like that, our Change of Heart series has finally come to an end. I ask Allah for His forgiveness and pardon.
We started the series almost 5 years ago - November 2021. We covered:
Introduction (two parts)
Sincerity (الإخلاص)
Certainty (اليقين)
Watchfulness (المراقبة)
Reliance (التوكُّل)
Humble submissiveness (الخُشوع)
Love of Allah (محبّة الله)
Healthy shame (الحَياء)
Gratitude (الشُّكر)
Patience — Part One (الصبر)
Patience — Part Two (الصبر)
Ever-returning (الإنابة)
Contentment — Part One (الرِّضا)
Contentment — Part Two (الرِّضا)
Neediness before Allah (الافتقار إلى الله)
Glorification (التعظيم)
Hope (الرَّجاء)
Fear (الخوف)
Repentance (التوبة)
Yā Rabb, accept this as a ṣadaqah jāriyah (continual charity), make it a means of our collective growth as we journey towards the great days that await our Ummah, and let the world share in the good that will flow from our rise.
📹 https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9OPVukugS7xZ-PY008PN6_kGInouP0rz
Look out for the Change of Heart book.
Gaza, you and the Qur'an
A new series with Tarteel | Ep. 1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fNkG5rA_3v0
What an extraordinary moment in history we find ourselves witnessing.
The political survival of Trump depends on this war with Iran coming to an end, whilst Netanyahu’s political survival depends on this war continuing, both trapped inside the consequences of their own choices.
Allah said:
وَكَذَٰلِكَ نُوَلِّي بَعْضَ الظَّالِمِينَ بَعْضًا بِمَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ
“In this way We cause some wrongdoers to prevail over others because of what they used to earn.” (Al-Anʿām 6:129)
What makes this moment even more damning is how so many people saw it coming. So much of where the world has now arrived—and how dramatically the global power structure is poised to change in the coming phase—was in fact anticipated by so many ordinary observers; commentators with no prestigious titles, no celebrated academic credentials, no institutional authority, and no diplomatic vocab.
Meanwhile, the architects of this disaster, the many graduates of elite universities, the celebrated strategists and analysts completely missed what was staring them in the face.
Perhaps the only way to explain such phenomenon is through the words of the poet:
وَإِذَا أَرَادَ اللَّهُ إِنجَازَ قَضَائِهِ وَقَدَرِهِ ** أَذْهَبَ عَنْ ذَوِي العُقُولِ عُقُولَهُمْ
“When Allah wills the fulfilment of His decree and destiny, He strips the people of intellect of their intellect.”
Allah’s plan unfolds exactly as He wills, while the most obvious escapes the minds of those who were supposed to know best.
“And Allah has full power and control over His Affairs, but most of mankind do not know.” (Al-Qur’an 12:21)
وَإِذْ غَدَوْتَ مِنْ أَهْلِكَ تُبَوِّئُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَقَاعِدَ لِلْقِتَالِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ
“And when you went out early from your family to position the believers in their places for battle. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.” [3:121]
The Qur’an pauses on the early morning walk of the Prophet ﷺ as he leaves his home to the battlefield. This is deliberate. Revelation wants us to notice the pre-battle moment, the preparation before confrontation, the calm before the storm.
Notice how the Prophet ﷺ did not remain at a distance from the practical side of preparation. He personally assumed the executive, on-the-ground leadership role: organizing the believers, positioning them, and readying them. Yes, he was the conveyor of revelation and a cultivator of hearts, just as he was also a field commander who entered into the operational details of implementation.
This sets a standard for anyone who claims to inherit his mission. Scholars, imams, activists, organizers, and leaders who see themselves as bearing the banner of Islam cannot be satisfied with ideas, fatāwā, speeches alone, let alone those who reduce even speech itself to its safest corners of self-help, relationships, personal motivation, and the universally agreed upon matters that carry little cost and demand little courage.
They are called to play a concrete, executive role in managing the confrontation with evil and in preparing people for it. That involves planning and structuring, assigning roles, mentoring individuals and teams, and standing with people at points of pressure, not simply offering commentary from a safe distance.
In other words, prophetic leadership steps into the arena, absorbs part of the risk, and carries a visible share of responsibility for outcomes. That is how the Prophet ﷺ led at Uḥud, and that is the model that should inform what leadership looks like for his serious inheritors in any age.
As ʿArafah nears sunset, remember three statements
Al-Awzāʿī said:
أَدْرَكْتُ أَقْوَامًا كَانُوا يُخَبِّئُونَ الْحَاجَاتِ لِيَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ لِيَسْأَلُوا اللَّهَ بِهَا
“I met people who would save up their needs for the Day of ʿArafah, so that they could ask Allah for them on that day.”
One of the righteous predecessors said:
وَاللَّهِ مَا دَعَوْتُ دَعْوَةً يَوْمَ عَرَفَةَ، وَمَا دَارَ عَلَيْهَا الْحَوْلُ، إِلَّا رَأَيْتُهَا مِثْلَ فَلَقِ الصُّبْحِ
“By Allah, I never made a duʿāʾ on the Day of ʿArafah, and a year had not passed over it, except that I saw it appear before me like the break of dawn.”
ʿAṭāʾ ibn Abī Muslim said:
إِنِ اسْتَطَعْتَ أَنْ تَخْلُوَ بِنَفْسِكَ عَشِيَّةَ عَرَفَةَ فَافْعَلْ
“If you are able to seclude yourself from people during the latter part of the Day of ʿArafah, then do so.”
The “latter part” refers to those precious hours between ʿAṣr and Maghrib. So free up your schedule at all costs. Close your door. Switch off your phone. Step away from the noise. Sit with your Lord. Raise your needs to The Sovereign of the heavens and earth.
I was going to say, “Just in case you didn’t see it,” then realised how unlikely that was.
The assault and rape of flotilla activists who tried to deliver aid to Gaza was meant to be seen by all and heard by all. It was public by design: a spectacle, a message, a declaration that said, in effect we fear no God, and we fear no human authority.
Circle back, for a moment, to the story of Prophet Lūṭ.
His people had lived upon their ways for a long time. But then things escalated. Sin became culture, shame vanished and appetite became identity. They reached the point where they even attempted the rape of Lūṭ’s guests without fearing scandal, heaven, earth, or anything in between.
At that moment, when they seemed high, mighty and quite untouchable, Prophet Lūṭ was reassured:
إِنَّ مَوْعِدَهُمُ الصُّبْحُ ۚ أَلَيْسَ الصُّبْحُ بِقَرِيبٍ
“Indeed, their appointment is the morning. Is the morning not near?” (Al-Qur’an 11:81)
What a verse for the exhausted heart.
When a people no longer hide their crimes, when they openly challenge the heavens and the earth, when brutality is intentionally broadcasted, that is far from a sign of strength.
It is the final arrogance before the appointment arrives.
It is a morning that is near.
Devils chained v Devils stoned
Ramadan is the season of receiving revelation, retreating with it, studying it, and living beneath its shade. It is the month in which the soul is liberated from distraction, and the believer steps back from creation in order to receive the words of Allah with a cleaner heart and a quieter world.
In many ways, Ramadan is a reenactment of the first descent of revelation in the cave. When the Qur’an first came down, the devils were driven away from the heavens and barred from stealing a hearing. In Ramadan, Allah chains them again as His servants return to the Qur’an, allowing its light to reach the heart with greater focus.
Then, almost immediately after Ramadan, the season of Ḥajj begins.
The heart has been washed. Apologies have been offered to Allah. The destination has become clearer. The will has been renewed. Now, the journey must begin.
Ḥajj is the season of acting upon revelation. It is the season of movement with the Qur’an, pursuit of Allah’s pleasure, and striving against injustice. Perhaps this is why jihād — the disciplined effort to uphold truth and resist oppression — is so often mentioned alongside ḥajj in the Qur’an. Hajj is the season in which the religion was completed, and no way of life reaches completion without necessitating movement and deliberate action from its people.
Ḥajj represents that exact movement. It is not an individual retreat of seclusion like iʿtikāf in Ramadan but a collective movement, and so it demands immense patience, the restraint of harm, and the abandonment of argumentation; a yearly reminder of the key pillars in the Ummah’s revival.
So, with the reformation achieved in Ramadan, the renewed bond with the Qur’an and refreshed sense of purpose, Muslims unite in Hajj, overcome their differences, move in a unified direction, and stone Shayṭān themselves, instead of needing him chained for them. They’ve grown. They’re stronger. They’re reformed. They’re unified. They’re now capable of subduing their enemies in life
Ya Rabb, bring our hearts nearer to you. Then, bring our hearts nearer to one another.
Episode 3 | Dhul Hijja series
https://youtu.be/WcMYaveKv1E?si=a5lPbd9dxqOTHfRy
Episode 1 | Dhul Hijja series
https://youtu.be/mAQXT313dfA?si=tLJbloRFfkD6CTA4
Ponder over the verse:
مَن يَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى اللَّهِ فَهُوَ حَسْبُهُ ۚ
“And whoever puts his trust in Allah, then He is sufficient for him…”
Then, immediately after it:
إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَالِغُ أَمْرِهِ
“Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose…” (Al-Qur’an 65:3)
Whether the heart accepts or resists, whether the tongue complains or praises, whether a person trusts or refuses to trust, nothing changes; Allah’s command will still come to pass and will not wait for anyone's approval.
Part of human dignity and intelligence, therefore, is to meet Allah’s decrees with patience, complete surrender and, if possible, contentment. The opposite is to wrestle with anxiety, frustration and bitterness towards the path written him.
Either way, Allah will still accomplish His purpose. The only difference is whether we pass through His decree crowned with reward, tranquillity and nearness, or suffer the same decree, deprived of them all.
The strength to end well
In a time where marriages often end with bitterness, accusation, and a violent rewriting of every good memory, the Qur’an trains for dignity in divorce and the grace of clean partings. It teaches the believer to remember virtue even when the marriage cannot continue, to honour the good that once existed even when pain remains, and to let a chapter close without setting fire to the whole book.
وَلَا تَنْسَوُا الْفَضْلَ بَيْنَكُمْ
“Do not forget the kindness between you…”
(Al-Qur’an 2:237)
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Fattāḥ Abū Ghuddah used to say:
الوظيفة تضعف العقيدة
“Employment weakens one’s ʿaqīdah.”
They asked him, “How is that?” He said: “Have you ever seen an employee say in the morning: O Allah, provide for me?”
So many aspects of modern life eat away at our iftiqār, the sense of utter poverty and need of Allah.
Salaries arrive at the end of the month, same date, same amount time. We slowly link provision with an employer, not with Allah.
Navigation apps tell us exactly where to go. We stop asking Allah for direction.
Calendars control time better than ever before. We stop asking Allah for barakah in time.
Pensions provide security for tomorrow. We lose reliance on Allah concerning our latter years.
Whilst life, today, is more organised, efficient, and predictable, it is easy for essential parts of a believer’s inner life to slowly die; the sense of inner collapse before Allah, the urgent duʿā of a drowning person, the state of trembling need, and the instinct to crawl back to Allah in desperation.
Monitor this in yourself and guard your iftiqār, your sense of utter dependency on Him which He loves so much.
In today's world, it won’t survive by itself.
Episode 14: Contentment (Al-Riḍā, Part 1) | Change of Heart Series
The modern machine feeds on discontent, as it is precisely what keeps people consuming, scrolling, chasing, and never arriving. Here, Islam calls the believer to something far higher: al-riḍā, serene contentment with Allah.
We explore: How does riḍā differ from ṣabr (patience), tawakkul (reliance), and shukr (gratitude)?
And what are the signs that a heart is truly content with Allah?
https://youtu.be/M6-pcWw-_EQ?si=840L7y-U2R20mYN-
“Are you better now?”
A man once said in the presence of al-Muʿāfā ibn ʿImrān,
ما أشدَّ البرد اليوم
“It’s so cold today!”
Al-Muʿāfā turned to him and said,
استدفأت الآن؟
“Are you warm now?” (Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ)
Imam al-Dhahabī commented on this exchange, saying:
“Saying such things is permissible, but they disliked unnecessary speech.”
How much of our speech is just that?
“I hate being poor.” So, are you rich now?
“I hate this flu.” Are you better now?
“Stupid traffic.” Has the road opened up now?
“The world is a horrible place.” Has it become better now?
Such tantrums don’t solve problems, lift hardships, or change Qadar (decree). Instead, they just deepen agitation, train the tongue to speak pointlessly, and – worse still - disguise objection to Allah’s decrees.
By all means, search for a way out of the predicament, but restrain your speech until you can speak well, and train your heart to find contentment in Allah’s decrees.
That way, hearts rest today and honoured with Allah tomorrow.
Fasting during two heats; summer and genocide
In light of this intense heat that is gripping many parts of the world, as we fast the day of ‘ʿĀshūrā, several realities are impossible to ignore.
Every scorching afternoon, every sleepless night, every moment when the body longs for shade and relief reminds us that what we are feeling is only the faintest breath of a punishment Allah has prepared for those who persist in rejecting īmān, oppressing His servants, and waging war against Him and His allies.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
«نَارُكُمْ هَذِهِ جُزْءٌ مِنْ سَبْعِينَ جُزْءًا مِنْ حَرِّ جَهَنَّمَ»
“This fire of yours is one part of seventy parts of the heat of Hellfire.”
The sun above us this afternoon is a reminder that, even if some have evaded worldly accountability today, the occupiers, genociders, their financiers, propagandists, facilitators, and the Epstein-class of this world are running towards a justice from which there is neither escape nor appeal.
This heat also reminds us of countless workers who spend their days beneath the blazing sun. Men and women who cannot retreat into air-conditioned offices or cooled homes. If they don’t work, they don’t eat. For them, we ask Allah to grant ease, provision, strength, and protection.
It also reminds us to thank Allah for so many of His gifts that only become visible the moment they’re absent. As the hundreds of thousands in Gaza or Sudan today huddle within overcrowded plastic tents that only multiply heat and magnify humidity, what would they give for a shaded home, a working fan, a cold cup of water, a cool breeze, a working vehicle, electricity, a little assurance about tomorrow, or just the dignity to close a door to escape the elements and the gaze of people?
Allah said:
وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُم مِّمَّا خَلَقَ ظِلَالًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُم مِّنَ الْجِبَالِ أَكْنَانًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ سَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُمُ الْحَرَّ وَسَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُم بَأْسَكُمْ ۚ كَذَٰلِكَ يُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْلِمُونَ
"And Allah has provided you shade from what He has created, and has given you shelters in the mountains, and has provided you with garments that protect you from the heat, as well as garments that protect you in battle. This is how He perfects His favour upon you, so perhaps you will fully submit to Him." (Sūrat al-Naḥl, 16:81)
For every roof over our heads, every shaded room, every glass of cold water, we say: Alḥamdulillāh. Alḥamdulillāh. Ya Rabb, have mercy on our siblings in Islam.
What does a trillion dollars buy Elon Musk?
Elon Musk has become the first trillionaire in history. Having crossed the one-trillion-dollar mark (so that’s one million million), it’s almost impossible to visualise that figure. But the real question, however, is this:
What does that number actually mean in real life?
1. Has it made Musk freer?
Absolutely not.
Many will remember the positions once described as “bold” and “courageous” at the beginning of the genocide. We remember that famous on-stage interview in 2023, when he said: “If somebody’s going to try to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go f*** yourself.”
Then came the pressure, almost overnight, and like so many others, he bowed, began amplifying support for oppression, and made Islam one of his primary targets.
This is, for so many, the tragedy of vast wealth. The more a man owns, the more he fears losing. His fortune becomes his master, and he spends his life guarding the very thing that was supposed to liberate him.
2. Does it add a single second to his life?
Can a trillion dollars buy Musk one extra minute when his appointed time arrives? Can it push away a decreed illness or accident, or the inevitability of old age and death?
Allah says:
فَإِذَا جَاءَ أَجَلُهُمْ لَا يَسْتَأْخِرُونَ سَاعَةً وَلَا يَسْتَقْدِمُونَ
“When their appointed time comes, they cannot delay it for a moment, nor can they bring it forward.” (Al-Qur’an 7:34)
3. Does immense wealth create virtue and character?
Reality often tells a different story.
Take, for example, the warning issued by Australia’s online safety regulator, eSafety, which stated that child sexual exploitation material was “systemically” present on X, the platform owned by Musk.
Allah said:
كَلَّا إِنَّ الْإِنسَانَ لَيَطْغَىٰ أَن رَّآهُ اسْتَغْنَىٰ
“No indeed. Man becomes tyrannical. When he sees himself as self-sufficient.” (Al-Qur’an 96:6–7)
4. Will a trillion dollars, on its own, rescue Musk in the Hereafter?
Quite the opposite.
Allah said:
يَوْمَ لَا يَنفَعُ مَالٌ وَلَا بَنُونَ إِلَّا مَنْ أَتَى اللَّهَ بِقَلْبٍ سَلِيمٍ
“On the Day when neither wealth nor children will benefit anyone, except the one who comes to Allah with a sound heart.” (Al-Qur’an 26:88–89)
And He said:
وَمَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ مَالُهُ إِذَا تَرَدَّىٰ
“And what will his wealth benefit him when he falls?” (Al-Qur’an 92:8–11)
And our Prophet ﷺ said:
إنَّ الأكثَرينَ هُمُ الأقَلُّونَ، إلَّا مَن قال بالمالِ هَكَذا وهَكَذا
“The wealthy will be the lowest on the Day of Resurrection, except those who give like this and this and this…” (Al-Bukhari and Muslim)
Meaning, those Muslims who spend their wealth generously in all the different paths of goodness.
Lastly, let us be clear that this trillion-dollar figure is not just a story about Musk’s genius, but an indictment of the entire unjust system that produced it. A capitalist, usury-soaked, speculation-based order with no reverence for justice, sacred limits, or moral red lines. A system that can inflate one man into a trillionaire while millions are left drowning in rent, debt, hunger, illness, homelessness, and genocides only makes the fall of such systems more visible.
يَمْحَقُ اللَّهُ الرِّبَا وَيُرْبِي الصَّدَقَاتِ
“Allah destroys ribā (usury) and causes charity to grow.” (Al-Qur’an 2:276)
[Adapted]
The newly appointed commander of the battalion responsible for Hind’s murder - Battalion 52 of the 401st Armored Brigade - was killed in Lebanon at dawn on Friday.
Both the killed and killer will stand before Allah, Al-'Adl (The Just), and all scores shall be settled.
So much of a Muslim's success and ability to remain active in pursuit of the hereafter returns to one central question:
How great is Allah in your heart?
https://youtu.be/GxSznXeod-E?si=m1C2hWFfDWw-CaWW
[Ep. 17]
“Arafa tomorrow? I don’t think I’m that guy”
For anyone who feels they wasted the past few days, read carefully:
You have not missed the train. In fact, not only is the door still wide open, but the most precious day is still ahead of you. Tomorrow is the Day of ʿArafah.
This is the day about which the Prophet ﷺ said:
صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ، إِنِّي أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِي بَعْدَهُ
“Fasting the Day of ʿArafah: I hope from Allah that it will erase the sins of the year before it and the year after it.”
One day = Two years of sins vanish, by His mercy.
And the Prophet ﷺ said:
خَيْرُ الدُّعَاءِ دُعَاءُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ
“The best Du’a is the Du’a of the Day of ʿArafah.”
So bring your entire life to Allah tomorrow.
The worries you keep replaying in your head, bring them. The duʿāʾ you have almost given up on, the marriage issue, the family tension, the child you are worried about, the debt, the scandal, the illness, the fear of the future, the guilt of the past, the private sin, the hard heart, the dreams that feel too far away, your pain that no one knows of, bring them all.
Tomorrow is ʿArafah: a day on which, quite literally, a new beginning may be written for you, provided you do not treat it like an ordinary day.
The Prophet ﷺ said:
مَا مِنْ يَوْمٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْتِقَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ عَبْدًا مِنَ النَّارِ مِنْ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ
“There is no day on which Allah frees more servants from the Fire than the Day of ʿArafah.”
Therefore, it makes perfect sense that the day after ʿArafah is ʿEid, a day of celebration after a day of forgiveness, a day of joy after a day of pleading and healing.
Lastly, in Ramaḍān, Laylat al-Qadr — the greatest night of the year — is hidden from us, so we search for it across the last ten nights. But ʿArafah — the greatest day of the year — has been named for you, dated for you, and placed clearly before you.
So do not let Shayṭān tell you, “Ah, you’ve been lazy. You’ve wasted the first days. You’re not spiritual enough. People like you don’t suddenly become close to Allah.”
That’s one of his oldest doors, weaponizing your guilt to keep you away from the One who forgives guilt.
So fast if you are able to, and make the intention if you can’t. Guard your tongue. Give something in charity. Make a list of your duʿāʾs. Sit alone for a while. Raise your hands before Maghrib. Beg Allah like someone who is drowning, who knows that the King is generous and the door is open.
As you do so, do not forget your siblings in Islam in Gaza, Palestine, Sudan, and everywhere the Ummah is bleeding. Ask Allah to relieve them, strengthen them, protect them, honour them, and use you in their support in a way that removes from you the shame of abandonment.
O Allah, grant me and my global Muslim family the ability to do good tomorrow.
Episode 5 | Dhul Hijjah series
How You Will Be Resurrected
How You Will Be Resurrected | Dhul Hijjah Series | Dr. Omar Suleiman & Sh. Ali Hammuda | Ep.5
Episode 4 | Dhul Hijja series
https://youtu.be/O2Q_4bY_kc4?si=EK9OZtOnl1V-rZcB
Episode 2 | Dhul Hijja series
https://youtu.be/yaEK-Ia7KyI?si=T-mtfYGkyD0N_-YE
Trailer | Dhul Hijja series
https://youtu.be/jOcDbMtwU6w?si=qtoIq52UqQgY7Q91
Episode 15: Contentment (Al-Riḍā, Part 2) | Change of Heart Series
The modern machine feeds on discontent, as it is precisely what keeps people consuming, scrolling, chasing, and never arriving. Here, Islam calls the believer to something far higher: al-riḍā, serene contentment with Allah.
We explore: How does riḍā differ from ṣabr (patience), tawakkul (reliance), and shukr (gratitude)?
And what are the signs that a heart is truly content with Allah?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MtdfwgVXeP0
From his arrogance, man attempts to put Allah on trial because life did not follow the tiny script that he’d written for himself. He tries summoning the Lord of the worlds to the court of his expectations, to measure Allah's wisdom against his five-year plan, mood, salary, marriage timeline, health of children or imagined version of how life was “supposed” to be.
We write a list of expectations: “I should be married by this age.” “I should earn this much by now.” “My children should turn out like this.” “My health should remain untouched.” “My work should be recognised.” “My pain should end by this date.” Then life comes differently, and suddenly the servant becomes the prosecutor. Suddenly, the one who cannot control his own heartbeat is cross-examining the One who controls the heavens and the earth and sets conditions upon Allah. That is nothing but a contract we drafted in our ego and expected the Lord of Majesty to sign.
No.
Allah was All Knowing before your name was ever uttered. He was Ever Wise before you took your first steps. He knew your life inside out before you shed your first tear, and knew the end of your road while you were still figuring out the first step.
Everything that your soul recoils from is layered with networks of immense wisdom. The fact that you can’t see it doesn’t change this reality. Your hardship is either the consequence of a sin, a debt that you incurred and never settled through Tawbah. Or it’s serving as a cure for an inner illness that was festering in you which was on the verge of ruining you. Or it’s a shield from a far bigger calamity you never saw coming, a door closed in your face only because there was a fire behind it. Or it’s the elevation of your rank, because there are stations in Paradise that your deeds alone would never have carried you to, so Allah sends you the ladder of difficulty.
The hardship passes, fades, and disappears, but the blessing it leaves behind endures.
فمن رَضِيَ فله الرِّضَى، ومن سَخِطَ فله السُّخْطُ
“.. So whoever is pleased shall have pleasure, and whoever is displeased shall have displeasure.” (al-Tirmidhi)
Laziness is how people, nations, states, and entire civilisations begin to collapse.
That is why, when one of the Barmakids (who rose to power around 750 CE and fell in 803 CE) was asked why their power disappeared, he said:
نوم الغدوات وشرب العشيات
“Mornings lost to sleep and evenings lost to indulgence.”
(Rawḍ al-Akhyār al-Muntakhab min Rabīʿ al-Abrār)
Episode 13 | Change of Heart Series
The Station of Ever-Returning (Inābah)
Why do some hearts crumble under minor inconveniences, while others endure immense loss and even grow in strength? This video investigates another action of heart - al-Inābah: the soul’s constant return to its Lord, and why it is the key to many of life's endless challenges.
https://youtu.be/vPyzKKorTZo
Trump announces he is "permanently opening" the Strait of Hormuz
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