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Beliefs and Practices of Islam, Page 2

Find a way to forgive yourself

By Lily Mohsen
“Your answer is everything Allah needs to know about your state of worship. It’s a feeling of remorse, so real and so palpable; your tears will literally have the power to cleanse your soul. With your ‘Tawba’ comes a newfound humility, that yes, you are human. You are weak. But if you’re not going to run back to Allah every time you fall, who will you run to?….
… The opportunities are endless. Allah does not hold grudges. He wrote it upon Himself to be Loving, Merciful, Supporting and Forgiving.  All it takes is one moment of sincerity to delete a lifetime of sins. I know it sounds impossible, but it’s true. Allah doesn’t want you to wither away because of your mistakes. He wants you to learn your lessons and keep striving towards Him.

He wants you to believe, beyond the shadow of a doubt, that He will never reveal your sins or expose you after guiding you back to His path.”

Eid Khutbah: Be true to yourself, be true to Allah…

By Essam Mahgoub
“Say what you mean, mean what you say. Be absolutely sincere to Allah, and you won’t be deceiving yourself. Allah loves those who are truthful and sincere. Being true to yourself and being true to Allah simply means that you have no delusions, no devious agendas. Your heart should be pure and transparent. Having a “Qalb Saleem (a pure, sound heart) is the only way to ensure Allah’s good pleasure. The Quran warns us of a Day when neither wealth nor sons will avail us, except those who come to Allah with a sound heart.” (Quran 26:89) …

Those whom Allah loves, will be tested with hardship

By Essam Mahgoub
“”Every Prophet, every Messenger of Allah was tested with extreme hardship. Allah did this to set up role models, inspiring examples of patience, endurance, and complete reliance on Allah swt. When we are faced with trials and tribulations, we ought to accept it as a test from Allah. If we follow the Prophetic examples, Allah will reward us from His limitless Bounty, in this life and the eternal life to come.”

Srebrenica: Remember the past to protect the future

By Dr Husni Hammuda
”
The cold-blooded murder of 8,000 Bosnian Muslim men and boys by Serb nationalists in 1995 has become known as the Srebrenica Genocide. Dr Husni reminds us of the lessons to be learned. The rising far-right nationalism and Islamophobia in Europe today suggests that many have not yet taken the lessons of history…”

Hajj, The Inward Spiral

By Shaykh Abdal Hakim Murad (Tim Winter)

“Labbaik! Here I am, (at your service) O Allah!” is the heartfelt chanting of the Hajj. It is a logical echo of that original Shahada, (bearing witness) of that moment before time and space, when Allah called forth the souls of every human being that ever was and ever will be, to testify concerning themselves.  “Alastu bi Rabbikum?” (Am I not your Lord?), asked Allah. We all replied in one thunderous voice: “Bala shahidna!” (Yes we bear witness! lest we say on the Day of Awakening, that we were not mindful of this!)”

Modern Challenges to the spirit of Hajj

By Aslam Abdullah
“When the Prophet performed his only Hajj, the only provision that he had with him was worth of no more than four dirham as narrated in several books of ahadith.
Hajj was meant to teach the pilgrims endurance and perseverance for higher causes, yet it has been turned into an exercise in convenience. Hajj was meant to express the utmost humility in the presence of the rest of humanity by declaring that “Here I am, Here I am, I will not make anyone Allah’s partner. Allah is the one who is in control of everything and He alone is the one who is the source of all blessings and praise.” Yet, today, Hajj, for many has become, a badge, a symbol of spiritual pride…”

A short khutbah on the Hajj

By Arshad Gamiet
“Hajj is an outward journey tracing the spiritual history of Islam. It is also the inward journey each and every one of us must undertake, to find our own centre, in the Kaaba of our heart. What desires, what emotions and passions are still circling, making tawaaf around our spiritual heart? Thespiritual heart, the qalb is the locus of our personality. This is our real driving force. Let’s make sure that it is surrounded by loving thoughts of Remembrance of our most Beloved, Allah…”