You can assess your level of taqwa very easily. How do you make money? How good are your manners? Take a look at yourself and asses your level of being mindful of Allah. - aboutislam.net
Islam
Tuesday, 10 February 2026
Monday, 9 February 2026
How Can We Prepare Our Hearts for Ramadan?
There are many articles and lectures on how to prepare our bodies for Ramadan, including voluntary fasts to get our bodies used to the process by eating less proportion-wise and fewer meals.
This is wonderful advice and it’s very helpful, especially if you have days of missed fasts from the year before (like women who missed days because of menstruation/pregnancy/nursing).
But what about our hearts and minds?
How can we get our truest selves ready for the rigors of Ramadan?
Practical Suggestions
For starters, as always, we must make intention, or niyah, for welcoming Ramadan.
Just as you would get excited for the upcoming visit of a good friend or loved one, get excited for the arrival of Ramadan.
Get excited for the ways in which Allah will purify the things that don’t belong in your heart. Ask Allah to prepare your heart to welcome the cleansing of Ramadan.
Suhaib Webb said, “Ramadan is from ra ma da, an Arabic word that means “extreme heat”. That’s because the heat of the month burns away our sins.” Plan in your heart to make the most of Ramadan, and ask Allah to purify your heart in this powerful time.
There is no room in our hearts for Allah if we continually stuff everything else in there to fill the emptiness we feel. Begin a practice of sitting along with no phone, no book, nothing to distract yourself from yourself.
Sit alone and make dua. Sit alone and listen to your breath. Just sit and allow your heart to connect with your mind, and your mind to connect with Allah. Sit alone in this quiet for 10 minutes a day and I guarantee your mind and heart will be less busy, less distracted, and less easily led away from your intentions.
Think about what life will be like after Ramadan. Don’t want the typical post-Ramadan slump? Make a real plan for how you will incorporate your life goals into Ramadan.
Want to read more Quran? You must make a practical plan for it.
Want to make sure you pray all the obligatory and the sunnah prayers? Plan for it! I recommend a Ramadan Journal and planner that includes pre-Ramadan activities, like the Ramadan Battle Plan or StoriDori/SISTERS Magazine’s Ramadan Planner or Happy Muslim Mama’s Ramadan Planner.
May your Ramadan be welcomed like a beloved friend, cheer you and revive your heart and soul during its stay, and leave you and all of us better people. Ameen.
- aboutislam.net
Sunday, 8 February 2026
How Did Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) Prepare for Ramadan?
Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) had a three-faceted strategy for preparing for the blessed month of Ramadan:
(1) practical preparation (by fasting more voluntarily fasts),
(2) asking Allah, through supplication, for its blessings, and
(3) exhorting, motivating, and reminding the people around him about the arrival of the imminent month of blessings, and encouraging them to do good deeds in it.
1- Voluntary Fasting During Sha’ban
Prophet Muhammad used to fast a lot during the month of Sha’ban.
Usamah bin Zaid said:
I said, “O Messenger of Allah, I do not see you fasting any month as much as Sha’ban.” He said: “That is a month to which people do not pay much attention, between Rajab and Ramadan. It is a month in which the deeds are taken up to the Lord of the worlds, and I like that my deeds be taken up when I am fasting.” (Sunan Al-Nisai)
The same has also been recorded on the authority of the wife of the Prophet, `Aishah:
The month which the Messenger of Allah most liked to fast was Sha’ban; indeed, he used to join it to Ramadan. (Sunan Al-Nisai, Sahih A similar report has also been recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud)
The exact number of days that he fasted during Sha’ban have not been recorded, but we can safely assume that by the time Ramadan arrived, he was already in the habit of daily fasting.
However, he did not fast the whole month.
2- Supplicating for Blessings on the Sighting of the Crescent Moon
Whenever the Prophet sighted the crescent moon signaling the start of any new lunar month, including Ramadan, he would make a special supplication:
Talhah bin Ubaidullah (May Allah be pleased with him) reported:
At the sight of the new moon (of the lunar month), the Prophet used to supplicate: “O Allah, let this moon appear on us with security and faith; with safety and Islam. (O moon!) Your lord and mine is Allah. May this moon be bringing guidance and good”. (Jami` Al- Tirmidhi)
3- Reminding People of the Blessings of Ramadan & Encouraging Them to Perform More Good Deeds
The Messenger of Allah said:
There has come to you Ramadan, a blessed month, in which Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has enjoined you to fast. During it, the gates of heavens are opened and the gates of Hell are closed, and every devil is chained up. In it, Allah has a night which is better than a thousand months; whoever is deprived of its goodness is indeed deprived. (Sunan Al-Nisa’i)
So you can see, how the Prophet encouraged Muslims around him to increase in worship during Ramadan, before it actually arrived, by mentioning the extra rewards for doing good deeds during it. He tried to motivate them in advance.
This is what has been narrated in authentic Prophetic narrations, about how Prophet Muhammad used to prepare for the month of Ramadan.
And Allah knows best.
- aboutislam.net
Saturday, 7 February 2026
Prayer Movements Reduce Back Pain
Muslims are obligated to pray five times a day, giving them the chance to temporarily disconnect from this world to reconnect with their creator.
“And when you have completed the prayer, remember Allah standing, sitting, or [lying] on your sides. But when you become secure, re-establish [regular] prayer. Indeed, prayer has been decreed upon the believers a decree of specified times” (Qur’an, 4:103).
This act can be beneficial in numerous ways.
Psychologically, it provides a break from daily routines and momentary freedom from the mental stress that comes with the burdens of daily life, allowing the realignment of priorities at regular intervals during the day.
Spiritually, prayer provides the chance to reconnect with Allah and remember what is most important.
Research at Binghamton University in the US is now showing that praying can benefit physical health.
The researchers say that the physical motions completed during salat, if performed regularly and as prescribed, can reduce lower back pain in a manner similar to other common therapeutic interventions.
In addition to its physical movements, prayer could be inducing a state of relaxation as one connects with Allah.
This relaxing effect on the body can reduce blood pressure and heart rate, ultimately helping muscles to relax.
‘Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.’ (Qur’an, 13:28).
The researchers found that the most stress on the lower back happens during the ‘bowing’ movement known as ruku`. But if people with lower back pain position the knee and back correctly, that pain can be significantly reduced by the movement.
Prayer Physical Benefits
The study highlighted the physical benefits of each posture during salat.
- Standing: Body weight is evenly distributed.
- Ruku`: Fully stretches the muscles of the lower back, thighs, calves and neck. Blood flows into upper portions of the body.
- Rising from ruku`: Tension is released in muscles as they relax.
- Prostration or sujood: Increases the elasticity of joints. Furthermore, the increased blood flow to the head as it is lowered below heart level can reduce high blood pressure. It also have a positive effect on brain functions such as memory and concentration.
- The repeat sujood: Balances and cleanses the various systems of the body including the respiratory, circulatory, and nervous systems by increasing and encouraging continued blood flow and oxygenation of the entire body. It also assists digestion by encouraging movement of contents down the digestive tract.
With all the numerous physical benefits of each position, it is no wonder that those who practise prayer regularly are less likely to experience health problems, specifically those of the spine and joints.
- aboutislam.net
Friday, 6 February 2026
Prophet Musa and Opposite Sex Interactions
In Surat Al-Qasas, Allah Almighty recounts the journey of Prophet Musa (peace be upon him) when he ran away from Egypt after having accidentally killed a person by punching him.
The journey took Prophet Musa to the water of Midian where he found a bunch of people giving water to their sheep and, beside them, two women were having trouble with their animals, pulling and tugging as if they were at war with the sheep and not really winning.
It looked weird for Musa that these women were struggling in this way while everybody was comfortably feeding their animals. He went up to the ladies and asked, what is your problem? What’s going on here?
Here is a huge lesson: We are supposed to have modesty and to guard our tongues and eyes but when someone is in trouble, there’s nothing wrong with you going and asking: Can I be at your service? What is going on here?
You have to remember, though, that Musa (peace be upon him) did not go to have an elaborate conversation or to make a small talk. He just went and asked: What is going on with both of you?
More insights about the ethics of dealing with the opposite sex, as revealed in the story of Prophet Musa and the two ladies, in this episode of Qur’an Weekly, Hosted by Nouman Ali Khan.
- aboutislam.net
Thursday, 5 February 2026
Why Islam Prohibits Drinking Alcohol
Islam’s holistic approach to health and well-being means that anything that is harmful or mostly harmful, is forbidden. Therefore, Islam takes an uncompromising stand towards alcohol and forbids its consumption in either small or large quantities.
Alcohol is undoubtedly harmful and adversely affects the mind and the body. It clouds the mind, causes disease, wastes money, and destroys individuals, families, and communities.
Researchers[1] have proven that there is a strong link between alcohol and gambling. Drinking impairs judgement, lowers inhibition, and encourages the type of risk taking involved in gambling and dangerous activities.
God tells us in the Quran that intoxicants and gambling are abominations from Satan and orders us to avoid them. (Quran 5: 90)
In Australia, a country with a population of around 20 million, about 3,000 people die each year from alcohol abuse while 65,000 others are hospitalized.
Health Research Data
Studies have consistently revealed a link between heavy drinking and brain damage and around 2500 Australians are treated annually for alcohol related brain damage.
Research in the United Kingdom indicates that 6% of cancer deaths are related to alcohol abuse and Harvard Center for Cancer Prevention says that drinking greatly increases the risk for numerous cancers.
Alcohol is considered highly carcinogenic, increasing the risk of mouth, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, liver, and breast cancers. Drinking it during pregnancy can lead to Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, causing the child to be small at birth, have some facial malformations, small eye openings, webbed or even missing fingers or toes, organ deformities, learning disabilities, mental retardation and much more.
Crime & Social Issues
Researchers in Australia have also estimated that 47% of all those who commit violent crimes, and 43% of all victims of these crimes, were drunk prior to the event.
Alcohol is responsible for 44% of fire injuries, 34% of falls and drownings, 30% of car accidents, 16% of child abuse instances, and 7% of industrial accidents.
Even though it is clear that alcohol is responsible for a great many evils it is legal and even encouraged in most societies. In Muslim countries where alcohol is forbidden, many people still find it difficult to resist temptation and fall prey to the disease that is alcoholism.
Amazingly even in the light of such startling evidence against alcohol, people around the globe continue to consume it in ever-increasing amounts. Why?
Satan’s Tool
It is one of the tools Satan uses to distract humankind from the worship of God. God states clearly in the Quran that Satan is an open enemy towards humankind yet by drinking alcohol, we invite Satan into our lives and make it easy for him to distract us from our real purpose in life, to worship God.
Surely, Satan is an enemy to you, so treat him as an enemy. He only invites his followers that they may become the dwellers of the blazing Fire. (Quran 35:6)
Alcohol affects the mind and makes sinful behavior and evil actions fair seeming. It creates enmity and hatred between people, prevents them from remembering God and distracts them from praying, and calls them to participate in unlawful sexual relationships.
It generates shame, regret, and disgrace, and renders the drinker witless. It leads to the disclosure of secrets and exposure of faults.
Satan wants only to excite enmity and hatred between you with intoxicants (alcoholic drinks) and gambling, and hinder you from the remembrance of God and from the prayer. So, will you not then abstain? (Quran 5:91)
In pre-Islamic Arabia, alcohol use was widespread. To eradicate this evil, God in His mercy revealed the prohibition in stages. First, He made it clear to them that the harm of drinking alcohol is greater than its benefit, next He told the Muslims not to come to prayer while intoxicated and finally, He revealed a verse totally prohibiting alcohol.
O you who believe! Intoxicants (all kinds of alcoholic drinks), gambling, idolatry, and divining arrows are an abomination of Satan’s handiwork. So avoid that so that you may be successful. (Quran 5: 90)
When this was revealed, the Muslim citizens of Madinah immediately began to destroy and empty their alcohol containers into the streets. Even those who were guiltlessly enjoying cups of wine spat the alcohol from their mouths. It is said that the streets of Madinah ran with alcohol.
Dealing With Alcohol Today
Why then is it so difficult to expunge this evil in the 21st century?
Believers today must completely trust God, in the same way that the first Muslims trusted God and understood that He was their only Protector and Provider.
All power and strength comes from God and a scourge like alcohol can be eradicated only when those affected by alcohol turn to God with complete submission.
The Quran is a book of guidance sent to all of humankind. It is a set of instructions from the Creator for His creation. If we follow these instructions, our lives will be easy and tranquil, even in the face of disaster and mishap.
God links alcohol and gambling to idolatry and declares it filthy and evil; however, He is merciful and generous towards the believers and acknowledges the power of addiction.
Islam is committed to encouraging and facilitating those who wish to repent from evil doing and sinful behavior. God accepts repentance from those who are truly sorry for their actions and committed to staying away from sin.
Muslim communities do not ostracize those who have made mistakes but keep them within the fold of Islam encouraging them to seek the closeness to God that will allow them to leave sinful behavior.
Friends, family, and neighbors do not just look away while a person destroys himself or his family.
Islam is a community-oriented faith. There is no place for an individual to do what he wants to do, if it hurts others.
Alcohol abuse affects not just the alcoholic but also his or her family, and community. There is great wisdom in the prohibition of alcohol.
________
Footnotes:
[1] All research in this article is taken from http://salvos.org.au/need-help/thefacts/documents/Bingedrinking.pdf
Source: Islam Religion
Wednesday, 4 February 2026
Mosque of the Two Qiblahs – Read the Story
(The fools among the people will say, “What has turned them [Muslims] from the qiblah to which they were used?” Say: To Allah belong both East and West; He guides whom He pleases to a Way that is straight.)- (Al-Baqarah 2:142)
Qiblah Change
Nearly 18 months after the establishment of the Islamic state in Madinah, new Quranic revelations instructed the Prophet and the Muslims to turn towards the Kabah in Makkah when they prayed instead of Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa in Jerusalem.
Before changing the Qiblah (Arabic for: the direction of the Ka`bah — Islam’s holiest mosque — that Muslim turn to when praying), Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in his heart, was longing to face Ka`bah in his Prayers.
Answering his invocation, Almighty Allah ordered the change of Qiblah, from Jerusalem to Makkah.
( We have seen the turning of your face to heaven (for guidance, O Muhammad). And now verily We shall make you turn (in prayer) toward a qiblah which is dear to you. So turn your face toward the Inviolable Place of Worship, and ye (O Muslims), wheresoever you may be, turn your faces when you pray) toward it.) (Al-Baqarah 2: 144)
This happened in the middle of Sha`ban.
History of the mosque
The name of the mosque goes back to the event of Qiblah change. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was leading the prayer when he received a revelation from Allah instructing him to take the Kaaba as the Qiblah.
According to traditional accounts, Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), who had been facing Jerusalem during the prayer, upon receiving this revelation, immediately turned around to face Mecca, and those praying behind him also did so.
After this, the mosque in which this incident occurred came to be known as Masjid al-Qiblatain (i.e. ‘Mosque of the Two Qiblas’).
Masjid Al-Qiblatain used to uniquely contain two mehrabs (niches), one in the direction of Al-Aqsa mosque and the other towards Makkah. However, the old mehrab has now been removed.
Many pilgrims who go to Mecca for hajj often visit Medina where some end up visiting the notable Qiblatain because of its historic significance.
- aboutislam.net
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