The Gift of Now: Islamic Wisdom on Time

“Allah took two things out of my hands. The past and the future. The scars, mistakes, regrets, choices, and failures of the past cannot be undone. The future, as much as I like to think I have a plan for, is entirely out of my hands. But Allah gave me the gift AND the responsibility of the present. So how do I make the most of it?” These reflections resonate deeply with the Islamic understanding of time, a concept beautifully articulated in the Quran and the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Allah, in His infinite wisdom, has designed our existence to free us from the burdens of what was and what will be, entrusting us instead with the precious present.

The Past: A Source of Lessons, Not Regret

The past is a chapter closed to alteration. Its events—whether joyful or painful—are beyond our reach. Allah reminds us in the Quran:

"So that you may not grieve over what has escaped you, nor exult [in pride] over what He has given you." (Surah Al-Hadid, 57:23)

This verse teaches us to release attachment to past losses or gains. Dwelling on mistakes or regrets drains the energy we could use today. Instead, the past serves as a teacher. Its lessons—on patience, gratitude, or resilience—equip us to navigate the present with wisdom. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) exemplified this by reflecting on experiences without being consumed by them, always turning back to Allah in repentance and trust.

The Future: In Allah’s Hands Alone

The future, with all its uncertainties, belongs solely to Allah. We may plan, dream, or worry, but ultimate control rests with Him. The Quran reassures us:

"But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not." (Surah Al-Baqarah, 2:216)

This profound truth invites us to surrender our anxieties about tomorrow. The Prophet (peace be upon him) reinforced this in a hadith:

"If you ask, then ask Allah, and if you seek help, then seek help from Allah. And know that if the entire nation were to gather to benefit you with something, they would only benefit you with something that Allah has decreed for you." (Narrated by Ibn Abbas, reported in Tirmidhi)

Rather than wasting the present fretting over what’s to come, we are called to entrust the future to Allah through dua (prayer) and tawakkul (reliance), freeing ourselves to act purposefully now.

The Present: A Gift and a Responsibility

Allah has granted us the present—a fleeting, precious moment to shape. The Prophet (peace be upon him) urged us to seize it:

"Take advantage of five before five: your youth before your old age, your health before your illness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before your busyness, and your life before your death." (Narrated by Ibn Abbas, reported in Al-Hakim)

This hadith is a clarion call to action. Every breath is an opportunity to worship, serve, and grow. Yet, how often do we squander it by replaying the past or fearing the future? Such habits yield nothing but “more of the same”—regret and anxiety. The Quran underscores the value of time:

"By time, indeed, mankind is in loss, except for those who have believed and done righteous deeds and advised each other to truth and advised each other to patience." (Surah Al-Asr, 103:1-3)

To make the most of the present, we must focus on righteous deeds—prayer, charity, kindness—performed with mindfulness and sincerity.

Living as a Traveler in the Present

The Prophet (peace be upon him) offered a powerful perspective:

"Be in this world as if you were a stranger or a traveler." (Narrated by Ibn Umar, reported in Bukhari)

A traveler doesn’t cling to every stop along the way or fret over every mile ahead. They focus on the journey itself. Likewise, we are to live lightly, detached from excessive worldly concerns, and anchored in the present with our sights on the eternal. This mindset liberates us to give our best effort today—praying as if it’s our last salah, helping others as if it’s our final chance, and seeking Allah’s pleasure in every moment.

Practical Steps to Embrace the Present

So, how do we honor this gift? Here are some steps rooted in Islamic teachings:

1. Reflect and Repent: Use the past to learn, then turn to Allah in istighfar (seeking forgiveness) to cleanse its weight.
2. Make Dua for the Future: Entrust tomorrow to Allah with heartfelt prayer, then release worry.
3. Act with Intention: Begin each day with a renewed niyyah (intention) to please Allah in all you do.
4. Be Mindful: Practice dhikr (remembrance of Allah) to stay present and connected.
5. “Give Your Best Effort: Strive in worship, work, and relationships as if today defines your legacy—because it just might.

Conclusion

Allah has lifted the burdens of the past and future, leaving us with the present—a sacred trust. By learning from yesterday and praying for tomorrow, we can dedicate our energy to today. Let us not waste this gift. Instead, let us live it fully, as travelers seeking Allah’s mercy, guided by the Quran and Sunnah, until we meet Him.

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Protect Your Children: Essential Du'a for Parents

The Importance of Reciting Du'a for Children's Protection: A Parental Responsibility

A Parent who does not read and blow on their children for protection from the evil eye and all other harm is really failing in their responsibility as a parent and neglecting the rights of their kids.

What is the appropriate dua to recite ?

The Du ‘ā that Ibrāhim (a.s) made for his two children and the Prophet (ṣallAllāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) would make for his grand children:

أَعُوذُ ‌بِكَلِمَاتِ ‌اللَّهِ ‌التَّامَّةِ، مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْطَانٍ وَهَامَّةٍ، وَمِنْ كُلِّ عَيْنٍ لَامَّةٍ .

‘I seek refuge for you two with Allah’s perfect words from every Shaytaan (devil) and poisonous creature and every evil eye.’

  (صحيح البخاري – 4 / 386)

—Mufti Ismail Moosa

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Preserving Authentic Islam: The Role of Scholars

The Continuity of Islamic Knowledge: Debunking the Myth of Lost Truths

The Myth of Rediscovering Sahih Islam:

To believe that the truths of Islam existed among the salaf, the early Muslims, but then “ sahih”, “ authentic” Islam was lost or neglected for the next thousand years or so, only to be rediscovered in recent decades, is nothing but a dangerous myth. And it's a myth that flies in the face of decisive proofs from the Qur'an and the Sunnah; these include:

[1] Allah has promised to guard this religion, both its knowledge and practice, throughout all time: إِنَّا نَحْنُ نَزَّلْنَا الذِّكْرَ وَإِنَّا لَهُ لَحَافِظُونَ - ‘Indeed, it was We who sent down the Reminder, and We will indeed preserve it.’ [15:9]

[2] The Prophet ﷺ guaranteed the infallibility of this ummah as a collective whole: إِنَّ اللَّهَ لاَ يَجْمَعُ أُمَّتِي عَلَى ضَلاَلَةٍ - ‘My ummah will never unite upon misguidance.’ 

[Al-Tirmidhi, no.2167] 

That is, at no time can every learned person in the ummah miss the mark or be in error; as the next hadith demonstrates:

[3] While scholars can and do err; can and do individually miss the truth on given issues, the Prophet ﷺ said: لَا تَزَالُ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أُمَّتِي ظَاهِرِينَ عَلَى الْحَقِّ - ‘There will not cease to be a group of my ummah evidently upon the truth.’

 [Muslim, no.1921] 

[4] There is also this telling hadith: يَحْمِلُ هَذَا الْعِلْمَ مِنْ كُلِّ خَلَفٍ عُدُولُهُ ، يَنْفُونَ عَنْهُ تَحْرِيفَ الْغَالِينَ ، وَانْتِحَالَ الْمُبْطِلِينَ ، وَتَأْوِيلَ الْجَاهِلِينَ - ‘This knowledge shall be carried by the trustworthy ones of every generation. They will rid from it the distortions of the extremists; the false claims of the liars; and the mistaken interpretations of the ignorant.’ 

[Al-Bayhaqi, Sunan al-Kubra, 10:209]

What these proof-texts collectively tell us is that God has promised that knowledge of Islam will always be kept intact and be carried from one generation of scholars to the next, in an unbroken chain, or sanad, of learning and transmission. To think otherwise is to oppose the above proof-texts, be outside the sanad tradition, and wittingly or unwittingly abet the enemies of Islamic orthodoxy. 

While it is true that individual scholars can and do err; and while it is also true that individual scholars can and do espouse aberrant/odd (shadhdh) opinions that are excluded from the umbrella of legitimate scholarly differences; it is utterly preposterous to believe that many truths and sunnahs were unknown, lost or neglected by the entire scholarly community for many centuries (even a millenium), only to be revived or rediscovered by a certain clique of scholars in our time! Such a belief could only be held by one whose heart is plagued either with ignorance (jahalah), innovation (bid‘ah), hypocrisy (nifaq), deviation (zandaqah) or disbelief (kufr). And we seek refuge in God from such things.

© Shaykh Abu Aaliyah

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Fiqh's Foundation: Prophetic Era to Sahabah

Understanding the Stages of Fiqh: From the Prophetic Era to the Time of the Companions

USUL UL FIQH-1

INTRODUCTION:
This encompasses several important issues for the student of knowledge who wishes to study Fiqh. This is because a person in his study of Fiqh embarks on the study of Fiqhi and Shri'i issues related to deeds of mukallifeen (worshippers).

A problem with beginner students of knowledge: they study the Fiqh while deep down they believe that it is nothing but the opinions of men and words of jursists.
They say: "we accept from it what agrees with the Qur'an and sunnah and anything that contradicts Qur'an and sunnah is ignored and disregarded..." They presume within themselves that part of this science is derived from shari' evidence and is based upon it while it also includes some of the issues that are not derived from shari' evidence. They think that part of Islaamic Fiqh is purely based on personal opinions.

They should be aware of the origins, sources and development of this knowledge.
They should know that existing schools of Fiqh (Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi' and Hanbali) are extensions of the school where the prophet sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wasallam taught Fiqh to his companions.

Every single issue in Fiqh is based on shari' evidence!

We do not claim that the result must be absolutely correct as every school of Fiqh has aspects that are correct and others that may contain errors.

-Meanings of Fiqh-
1) Linguistic meaning
2) Religious (shari') meaning
3) Technical meaning

Linguistically: Understanding. Can be about the understanding of mathematics, engineering, chemistry, or shari'.

Religious: knowledge of the issues pertaining to the Religion in GENERAL. Understanding the Attributes of Allaah, knowing the stories of prophets, description of hell and paradise, falls under the religious definition of Fiqh. All of them, whether practical rulings or others.  As the prophet sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wasallam said: "when Allaah wishes good for anyone He bestows upon him Fiqh (understanding) of the Religion."  Sometimes, seeking knowledge in some matters not related to deeds might be of greater benefit and more worthy of learning.

Technical definition: Understanding of the practical religious rulings related to the deeds of mukallafoon (worshippers).

The Religious definition is wider.

USUL UL FIQH- 2

THE SUBJECT MATTER OF FIQH:
The subject matter of fiqh is the actions of worshippers in relation to the legal rulings that pertain to them (actions), deeds of the worshipper like the subject matter of the medicine Is the human body. This is why 'aqeedah is not incorporated  into the science of fiqh despite some scholars may refer to AQEEDAH as 'Fiqh al-Akbar' (Major Fiqh).

VIRTUES OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF FIQH:
Every evidence mentioned in the Qur'an and sunnah regarding the virtue of religious knowledge serves as evidence for the virtue of Fiqh.

Unique virtue of Science of Fiqh
Ibn Jawzi: "the greatest evidence of the virtue of something is to look at its fruits and whoever contemplates over the fruits of fiqh knows that it is the best of sciences."

We understand from this, you will find people's needs for fiqh issues are one of them most pressing needs from the scholars of shari'a. We do not say it's their most significant needs, if significant, it's correcting their beliefs. In terms of quantity, it's always related to fiqh.

Despite the great importance of the science of Fiqh, many students of knowledge have fallen short in Learning it

SOURCE OF FIQH:
Source of Science of Fiqh is based on the science of Usul ul Fiqh. Usul ul Fiqh shows that Fiqh is derived from Quraan sunnah, ijma (consensus) and other sources.

As for the ruling on learning fiqh then it's of Two Types:
•Some issues must be learned by every muslim, fard al 'ayn, obligation on every muslim (eg. Learning the description of prayer)

•There are things that are not an individual obligation, not incumbent upon all worshippers (fard al kifayah), they are communal. However, it might become an individual obligation on some people.

STAGES OF FIQH
1ST STAGE:
Stage of legislation which is specific to the time of the Prophethood. After his death legislation ceased. 

2ND STAGE:
Stage of fiqh before the coming of schools of fiqh. Includes the Fiqh during the time of companions, successors and the early followers of successors. This was before the schools of Fiqh became established.

3rd STAGE:
stage of schools of fiqh encompassing all of it until present time

LAST STAGE:
dedicated to the modern era, Contemporary era.

These dates (of stages) are all approximate except for the first stage, which is the stage of legislation.

USUL UL FIQH- 3

STAGES OF FIQH

1st STAGE:
This stage begins with the mission of the prophet sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wasallam when he was sent by Allaah and received revelation. Stage of legislation which is specific to the time of the prophet and ended with his passing away, as legislation ceased at that point.

Two main phases under this stage: Makkan and Medinian phase.
Makkan phase: focused on the fundamental principles of the religion. "Focused" and not limited as there were legislations pertaining to actions as well.
Medinian phase: Medinian stage: emphasized on fundamentals and the detailed legislations increased after the migration

The sources of legislations under this stage:
sources of legislations under this stage are the Quraan and Sunnah.

Consensus (ijma') and analogy (qiyas) during this stage:
If Ijma' occurs during the time of prophet sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wasallam and is perceived to have taken place during the prophetic era and if the prophet affirms it, then it becomes a sunnah.

The scholars differed on this issue in the science of Usul ul Fiqh. If the prophet judged based on ijtihad (independent reasoning ) or he only judged based on divine revelation. But whether he practiced ijtihad or not, is to be based on sunnah. In other words it falls within the realm of the prophetic sunnah.

Some important points regarding the stage of legislation:
• Legislations that is establishing legal rulings is specific to this stage.

Companions or tabioon who issued fatwas after the death of prophet sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wasallam, this is not legislation rather this is ijtihaad.
The legislation comes ONLY from Allaah and His messenger sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wasallam.

Saying the statement of a companion is authoritative does not imply that the companion can legislate in his own accord. Rather we say it is authoritative because they have a better understanding of the Quraan and the sunnah.

Scholars like al Tilmisaani and others divided the evidence into 2 types:

1) Evidence that legislates rulings by itself, which is Quraan and sunnah

2) evidence that contains or implies other evidence such as statement of a companion and ijma'
Even ijma' does not establish a ruling, rather,  it manifests the ruling.

• During this stage, the differences in fiqh were relatively limited and were not prominently apparent.

Differences existed at this stage  such as the story of Banu Qurayzah,
When the prophet ﷺ said: " no one should perform asr until we reach Banu Qurayzah...."
One of the groups said that they must not pray until reached while the other group said that they can pray because what was intended was to hasten the traveling. And the prophet did not rebuke either of them.
But the disagreements were limited as the companions used to refer back to the prophet.
The companions used to make ijtihad when there was no instruction from the prophet like Muadh ibn Jabal when he was sent to Yemen as judge.

The prophet ﷺ  asked: How will you judge when the occasion of deciding a case arises ?" Muaadh replied: " I shall judge in accordance with Allaah's Book."

He was further asked: "what if you don't find any guidance in Allaah's Book ?"
Muaadh replied: "I shall act in accordance with the sunnah of the prophet."

He ﷺ then asked: "what if you do not find any guidance in the sunnah of the prophet ?"
Muaadh Replied: " I shall do my best to form an opinion and I shall spare no effort."
There is some debate concerning the isnad (chain of transmission) of this narration but the point is that the prophet sallaAllaahu 'alayhi wasallam appointed Muaadh as a representative to Yemen.

And the companions used to make ijtihaad in some situations and there were no direct means of communication. They may encounter certain circumstances that require immediate judgements.

USUL UL FIQH-4

THE STAGE OF PRE SCHOOLS OF FIQH
Represented by the era of sahabah and the tabi'een.

Some sources of jurisprudence at this stage:
Sources narrated with an isnaad like the Musannaf of 'Abd ar- Razzaq al San'ani and some without isnaad like books of comparative jurisprudence. You will find a range of juristic opinions attributed to the sahabah. In these books, you will find the opinions of Ibn 'Umar,  Ibn Mas'ud, and other sahabah.

The sahabah who left behind recorded fatawa were 130 individuals as determined by Imaam Ibn Hazam and imaam Ibn al Qayyim.

The Reign of Abu Bakr
Abu Bakr as-Siddeeq is regarded as the most knowledgeable and the most learned one among all sahabah in all aspects as affirmed by the scholars. It is unanimously agreed that Abu Bakr is the most knowledgeable companion.
However, the duration of Abu Bakr's Caliphate after the prophet was not lengthy (was approximately two years and three months ) therefore not much has been transmitted from him in terms of fatawa, fiqh and judgements.

Umar's Caliphate extended for ten years and six months and many fatawa and judgements have been transmitted from him in various matters. The same applies to 'Ali, he was the last of the four rightly guided caliphs to pass away. The fiqh attributed to 'Ali whether before or after assuming the Caliphate, has been extensively transmitted.

AMONG THE SAHABAH WHO GAVE A LARGE NUMBER OF FATAWA:

Ibn Mas'ud:  had a school of Fiqh and a distinct legal approach that had disciples and followers as mentioned by Ibn al Madini.
He stated that there were three sahabah who had followers adhering to their madhhabb. These three sahabahs are: 'Abdullah ibnu Mas'ud Zayda Ibnu Thabit and Abdullah ibnu 'Abbas.

The school of Fiqh attributed to Ibn Mas'ud was prominent in Kufah. 'Umar sent Ibn Mas'ud to Iraq, Kufah and said to the people: "Learn from him, for by Allaah, I have preferred him over myself." So he became a teacher in Kufah and had students and a madhhabb of Fiqh.
The people of kufah and Iraq followed the madhhabb of 'Abdullah ibnu Mas'ud. So it is very natural for people to gather around a knowledgeable person and follow his fatawa. This is neither surprising nor condemnable.

Also among them who gave many fatawa was 'Aishah the daughter of Abu Bakr as Siddiq. She was a knowledgeable teacher and jurist.

Zayd ibnu Thabit: Zayd ibnu Thabit had a followed madhhabb of Fiqh in the city of Madinah. In Madinah during the time of sahabah, the prevailing madhhabb of Fiqh that had followers was the school of Zayd Ibnu Thabit.

When Zayd passed away, the people of Madinah adopted the school of 'Abdullah ibnu 'Umar and some scholars said that Abdullah ibn Umar followed the madhhabb of Zayd Ibnu Thabit. Doesn't mean he imitated the madhhabb of Zayd. Both of them were Mujtahids. He was a Mujtahid who followed the opinions of other Mujtahid.

Abdullah ibn Abbas:
He also had a followed madhabb in the city of Makkah. So the people of Makkah followed the madhhabb of 'Abdullah ibnu 'Abbas. After his death, the most prominent jurists of Makkah were his students.

Likewise 'Abdullah ibnu 'Umar in Madinah.

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The Fear of Hypocrisy by the Sahabah (رضي الله عنهم أجمعين)

Imam Ibn Abi Mulaykah (رضي الله عنه) narrated:

I met 30 companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) all of whom feared that they might be guilty of hypocrisy, and not one of them said that his faith was like that of Jibreel and Mika’eel.

(Narrated by Imam al-Bukhari)

The Companions! They were the ones who fought at Badr and Uhud, many of them were given the good news of Paradise, they are the ones about whom Allah says "They are pleased with Him, and He is pleased with them!"

The Prophet (ﷺ) taught us the following dua to protect us from shirk;

اللَّهُمَّ إِنِّي أَعُوذُ بِكَ أَنْ أُشْرِكَ بِكَ وَأَنَا أَعْلَمُ ، وَأَسْتَغْفِرُكَ لِمَا لَا أَعْلَمُ

Allaahumma inni a’oodhu bika an ushrika bika wa ana a’lam wastaghfiruka lima laa a’lam 

(O Allah, I seek refuge with You from associating anything with You knowingly, and I seek Your forgiveness for that of which I am unaware).”

[Narrated by Imam Ahmad 4/403].

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Embracing Difficult Emotions: A Path to Healing and Freedom

Facing Fear, Grief, and Sadness: A Journey to Emotional Healing

When facing difficult emotions of fear, grief, or sadness, sit with those feelings and hold space for them. Acknowledge them. Don't step around them just because they're uncomfortable. The more we push them away, the longer they remain a roadblock. But the minute we sit with them, as hard 

as it is in the moment, the faster they pass through.

Think of a cloud in an airplane ride. You ride through the turbulence and the cloud eventually passes. Had we not worked through the cloud, it would have remained.

The next time those heavy feelings come, work through them. Cry, feel, and give yourself permission to hold them. On the other end of that space is your relief and your freedom.

This is a hard lesson we learn .

But I think we all need it for so many aspects in our life, be it pain, grief, longing, regret, and so much more.🤍

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Humble Yourself: Understanding the Struggles of Others

Recognizing the Hidden Struggles and Humbling Ourselves

If your feet have never touched the battlefield, then you know nothing about the fight.

You don’t know the traumas that people have lived through. The aches in the pit of their stomach that accompany them everywhere they go. The threads of passion and pain and guilt that are woven into their bodies.

You know nothing.

When you turn your nose up at someone who has committed a sin that you haven’t, know that if you had faced the same circumstances, temptations, or traumas as they have, you might have ended up a hundred times worse.

You proclaim judgment when you have no right to. You sneer at the choices of bruised and bloodied warriors on the battlefield while you’ve been sitting on the sidelines, untouched and unharmed.

Know that if you’ve been saved from a sin, it wasn’t you who saved yourself. It was The Most High who protected you. 

And then know, too, that the person you see as “so sinful” might deeply connect to God on a level you will never understand. 

Humble yourself. Take a seat. You know nothing.

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Turning Stress into Strength with Allah’s Help

Managing Stress: Let Allah's Guidance Lead You to Peace

🎐 Stress can be your enemy or you can make stress your friend by learning to emotionally regulate, by learning to journal, by learning to brain dump, by learning to pause when upset or angry, by learning to be silent, by learning to decide peace is more important than being right, by going on a walk, taking a cold shower, hugging a loved one.

🎐 Instead of letting stress discourage you, you should let it motivate you to focus more on productive things, to focus on things that are in your control and to let go of things that aren't.

🎐 Please take better care of your mental health. Please take better care of your body. Please go easy on yourself. And when stress in your life gets overwhelming remember to knock at the door that is ALWAYS ANSWERED! *The door of Al Fattah.*

🎐 As long as you pray, you knock on the door of Al fattah. As long as you pray, you knock on the door of Allah. And whoever knocks at the door of Allah, He will open it for him."

- Ibn al-Qayyim رَحِمَ اللهُ عَلَيْهِ [Al-Fawa'id, p.248]

Allah, Al Fattah will open a door you desperately thought never even had a key.

*"..And whoever fears Allah - He will make for him a way out. And will provide for him from where he does not expect. And whoever relies upon Allah - then He is sufficient for him. Indeed, Allah will accomplish His purpose. Allah has already set for everything a [decreed] extent." {Surah At-Talaq 65: Verses 2 & 3}*

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