We are fast to write to our beloved ones, we can write lengthy messages for their birthdays, on special occasions, we can write lengthy good morning messages for them to see when they awake or good night messages filled with emotions.

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī is a ḥadīth collection from the Kutub al-Sittah (six canonical ḥadīth collections), authored by Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī رحمه الله (d. 256).

Supplications (duʿā) has been called the essence of worship for two main reasons. First, by supplicating to Allah, a person fulfils his obligation of calling on Allah, which is understood from the verse “And your Lord says, ‘Call on Me, I will answer you (your prayer)’” (Qur’ān 40:60). This is worship in its purest form. Second, by invoking Allah, one realizes that only He can fulfil one’s needs. The servant who calls upon his Lord abandons hope in everything else and turns his full attention to Allah, bumbling himself in front of Him. This is the essence of worship. Another desires result of worship is to attain reward from Allah. Because there is such great reward in supplication, it has been called the essence of worship.

(Mazād al-Rāghibīn, pg. 7)

Title: The Khulāsa

Author: Sheikh Muhammad ‘Abd al-Hayy al-Kattānī

Editor: Muftī Javed Iqbāl

Translator: Ustādha Āisha Bewely

Publisher: Turāth Publishing

As the new Islāmic academic year approaches, students of knowledge are moving into the higher years at every Islāmic institute of learning (dār al-ʿulūm). Many are prone to becoming overwhelmed by the volume of their studies and speed of their teachers’ lectures. At this point, they fall prey to making a ‘rookie mistake’ they later realise and regret. That is, the error of taking inefficient notes.

Years ago, I sat in Dar al-Ifta in Cairo reading with a teacher, and he asked, “Have you ever thought why the scholars use the word bāb (door) to title what you call chapters in English?” I responded, “Yes, but I did not give it a lot of thought.”

What followed was eye opening…

Reading is a fundamental aspect of one’s learning. It develops a individuals way of thinking and perception. Listed below are eleven benefits of reading:

If you’ve been blessed with passion to constantly learn and with courage to face the truth and accept it, make sure you learn a way to heal yourself of trauma and emotional issues that you may be carrying with you and make sure you face the truth about your issues and accept it.

Imagine a world where you are a talib ‘ilm but no one else will ever know what you’ve studied and no one else thinks anything special about specific religious studies.

It is extremely sad seeing young people connected to sacred knowledge wasting their time, as well as the time of others, in endless debates, arguments, polemics and argumentation.