Prophets in the Qur'an: Practical Lessons from the Qur'anic Stories

In this khutba Shaykh Faraz begins by reminding the believers that the first days of Dhul Hijja are beloved to Allah, and that there is a significant reward for actions during these days. The objective of the ten days of Dhul Hijja is Allah and the love of Allah. These days are the best days of the year. It is recommended to fast all nine days of Dhul Hijja, particularly the ninth (the day of Arafa), which is an expiation for at least the preceding year. Charity has more reward during the days of Dhul Hijja. Giving brings the hearts together. These are days of opportunity to engage in more worship and remembrance of Allah. The greatest of good deeds is returning to Allah. Expressing love to Allah. On the ninth of Dhul HIjja one should start to do takbirat beginning at the Fajr prayer. On the tenth, if able, one should slaughter and give to those in need. Don’t make Eid just like another day. Make it a day of rejoicing.

 

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In this khutba Shaykh Faraz Rabbani calls the believers to reflect  on the opening verses of Surat al- Shams. In those verses Allah Most High makes oaths by the sun, the moon, the day, the night, the heavens, the earth and the self. One of the amazing aspects of the Qur’an is the swearing of oaths. The oaths in the Qur'an are for one to think and reflect on. One should reflect and know what Allah Most High is swearing by so one can pay attention to those things and the meanings behind them. Those oaths are signs around us that we should take heed of. Those signs can help us draw closer to Allah Most High. Oaths emphasis a meaning, oaths move and Inspire.

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In this podcast Shaykh Faid reminds us of shukr (gratitude) , and what it means to be included amongst the grateful. One of the greatest attributes one can have is gratitude. Being grateful is not easy. Allah Most High calls Himself al-Shakur. The foundation of gratitude is knowledge. It is a great blessing for the tongue to be busy with thanking Allah. Shaykh Faid ends by reminding all the believers not to take anything for granted, and to strive to be people who remember Allah abundantly.

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Change is a reminder of things being created. Change is a sign of Allah. Change is a proof of the oneness of Allah. Anything that changes has the necessary quality of being dependent. Anything that has a beginning couldn’t possibly not have an end.

“ Verily, in the creation of the heavens and the earth and the alternation of the night and the day are signs for those of insight.” [Surat al-Imran 3:190]. It was regular practice of Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) to recite these verses when getting up at night for night worship. Every moment all created things are changing, and in it are numerous signs for people of insight. The believer should strive to know what these signs, and know how to reflect on these signs. These signs point to Allah, the creator and sustainer of everything which is given to change. The believer sees this with the eye of the heart. Allah is the creator and sustainer at every moment. Everything besides Allah is perishing.

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In this Friday khutba Shaykh Faraz Rabbani begins by reminding that people are neglectful of death, and that life and death are from Allah Most High. Death is mentioned in the Qur’an several times, and one is called to reflect on death. Death is a point of reflection to the believers personally and collectively. The reality of death should make us reflect on: (1) what is my responsibility, (2) what is the collective responsibility, and (3) what is the more broad responsibility. Death of scholars is one of the most dangerous things that happens to the community of believers. Through scholars there are gifts of mercy. There are many lessons to heed when some scholars pass away. Anything that changes or perishes could not be eternal. At the point of death all that matters is the heart and what it contains. If the heart is sound the whole body is sound. Imam Ibrahim al-Khawwas, one of the righteous early predecessors (died 231 a.h.), said: "The medicine for the heart and healing the heart are in five things. (1) reciting Qur’an with reflection, (2) emptying of the stomach, (3) praying at night, (4) beseeching Allah in the pre-dawn time, and (5) keeping the company of the righteous. We should all take heed from the reality of death. We should strive to have a moment of reflection upon death after each of the five obligatory prayers.

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Shaykh Faraz Rabbani explores some amazing examples of the awesome humility of the Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace) from Esfahani’s work “Sharaf al-Mustafa.” Shaykh Faraz describes how the Prophet would lower a vessel for a cat, and not left it until it was finished drinking. While eating dates with his left hand, he fed a sheep the pits from his left. When his companions divided up the tasks after slaughtering a sheep, the Prophet volunteered to collect firewood. He refused to give a man his leftovers, having him eat with him instead. And he would except people’s invitations, even if the meal consisted of only barley bread.

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Since the enlightenment period, belief in God and organized religion has come under significant attack.  The unremitting question regarding the compatibility of revelation and reason continues to plague us in current times.  Atheism as a “belief” system or worldview is on the rise, and many individuals feel obfuscated and confused amidst the high levels of intellectual scepticism.

How should Muslims face and immunized themselves from these ideological challenges? How did our luminous scholars of the past respond to the various intellectual and doctrinal quagmires of their age so that they were able to preserve sound belief in the integrals of Islam?

In this lecture, Mufti Taha Karaan succinctly articulates a systematic overview of the various components that contribute to the Islamic science of belief ('aqeeda) and dialectical theology (kalam). By contextualizing the various challenges that historically confronted Islamic doctrine, he provides a lucid methodology in comprehending the integral epistemic avenues that contribute to correct belief in Islam.

Biography of Mufti Taha Karaan:

Mufti Taha Karaan is a Shafi’i scholar born in Cape Town, South Africa, to a family renowned in both its maternal and paternal lineage for Islamic scholarship. His father, the late Mufti Yusuf Karaan (may Allah have mercy on his soul), was one of the most distinguished Islamic scholars in the Cape.

Mufti Taha completed his Qur’anic memorization in one year at the Waterfall Islamic Institute, the oldest Islamic seminary in South Africa. During his stay, he assisted in the editing of the Qur’anic prints that the Institute has become famous for the world over. After finishing four years of the ‘alim course in two years, he journeyed to the Indian sub-continent and Dar al-Uloom Deoband, graduating from there in 1991 with the highest of distinctions, as did his father, in a class of over 700 students. He then travelled to the Middle East and completed a two-year graduate diploma at the Higher Institute for Islamic Studies in Cairo, Egypt.

Mufti Taha is the recipient of numerous chains of transmission (ijazaat), from well-respected scholars in India, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among others, in numerous fields of Islamic study.

Currently, Mufti Taha is the Mufti of the Muslim Judicial Council. He is a sought-after speaker at Islamic symposia and conferences but attends them sparingly, preferring to spend most of his time at the Islamic seminary, Dar al-Uloom al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah, that he founded in 1996. The educational thrust of the seminary reflects Mufti Taha’s own pioneering vision and commitment to squarely interface with the challenges of the modern age through the twin objectives of preservation and progress.

In his teaching, writing and legal verdicts (fatawa), Mufti Taha regularly addresses contemporary issues such as the challenges of post-modernity, feminism, Islamic economics and finance, the old and new Orientalisms, and fiqh issues affecting Diaspora Muslim communities.

His students describe him as divinely-gifted with encyclopaedic knowledge; possessed of a near photographic memory; an insatiable bibliophile within the Islamic sciences and without; a teacher that never ceases to inspire; endowed with an elegant calligraphic hand and a penchant for poetry; thoroughly unassuming, pleasant, brilliant and tender-hearted

 

For more SeekersHub podcasts and podcast shows, visit seekersguidance.org/podcasts.

Help SeekersGuidance build a Global Islamic Seminary and spread the light of guidance to millions around the world by supporting us through monthly donation by going to https://seekersguidance.org/donate – your donations are tax deductible in the US and Canada.

Since the enlightenment period, belief in God and organized religion has come under significant attack.  The unremitting question regarding the compatibility of revelation and reason continues to plague us in current times.  Atheism as a “belief” system or worldview is on the rise, and many individuals feel obfuscated and confused amidst the high levels of intellectual scepticism.

How should Muslims face and immunized themselves from these ideological challenges? How did our luminous scholars of the past respond to the various intellectual and doctrinal quagmires of their age so that they were able to preserve sound belief in the integrals of Islam?

In this lecture, Mufti Taha Karaan succinctly articulates a systematic overview of the various components that contribute to the Islamic science of belief ('aqeeda) and dialectical theology (kalam). By contextualizing the various challenges that historically confronted Islamic doctrine, he provides a lucid methodology in comprehending the integral epistemic avenues that contribute to correct belief in Islam.

Biography of Mufti Taha Karaan:

Mufti Taha Karaan is a Shafi’i scholar born in Cape Town, South Africa, to a family renowned in both its maternal and paternal lineage for Islamic scholarship. His father, the late Mufti Yusuf Karaan (may Allah have mercy on his soul), was one of the most distinguished Islamic scholars in the Cape.

Mufti Taha completed his Qur’anic memorization in one year at the Waterfall Islamic Institute, the oldest Islamic seminary in South Africa. During his stay, he assisted in the editing of the Qur’anic prints that the Institute has become famous for the world over. After finishing four years of the ‘alim course in two years, he journeyed to the Indian sub-continent and Dar al-Uloom Deoband, graduating from there in 1991 with the highest of distinctions, as did his father, in a class of over 700 students. He then travelled to the Middle East and completed a two-year graduate diploma at the Higher Institute for Islamic Studies in Cairo, Egypt.

Mufti Taha is the recipient of numerous chains of transmission (ijazaat), from well-respected scholars in India, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among others, in numerous fields of Islamic study.

Currently, Mufti Taha is the Mufti of the Muslim Judicial Council. He is a sought-after speaker at Islamic symposia and conferences but attends them sparingly, preferring to spend most of his time at the Islamic seminary, Dar al-Uloom al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah, that he founded in 1996. The educational thrust of the seminary reflects Mufti Taha’s own pioneering vision and commitment to squarely interface with the challenges of the modern age through the twin objectives of preservation and progress.

In his teaching, writing and legal verdicts (fatawa), Mufti Taha regularly addresses contemporary issues such as the challenges of post-modernity, feminism, Islamic economics and finance, the old and new Orientalisms, and fiqh issues affecting Diaspora Muslim communities.

His students describe him as divinely-gifted with encyclopaedic knowledge; possessed of a near photographic memory; an insatiable bibliophile within the Islamic sciences and without; a teacher that never ceases to inspire; endowed with an elegant calligraphic hand and a penchant for poetry; thoroughly unassuming, pleasant, brilliant and tender-hearted

 

For more SeekersHub podcasts and podcast shows, visit seekersGuidance.org/podcasts.

Help SeekersGuidance build a Global Islamic Seminary and spread the light of guidance to millions around the world by supporting us through monthly donation by going to https://seekersguidance.org/donate – your donations are tax deductible in the US and Canada.

In this podcast Mufti Taha Karaan will explain how do Muslim minority communities in various parts of the world create meaningful spaces and environments to flourish as religious communities, and as beneficial members of their societies? The intersection between religious identity and citizenship is a nuanced and complex topic for many Muslims living in Non Muslims countries.

Mufti Taha Karaan provides an insightful overview of how Muslim minority communities engaged with the geo political realities of their times in order to consolidate their presence and growth in various locations around the world.  By analyzing and discussing the critical topics of migration, citizenship and the preservation of faith, in a coherent historical chronology and context, Mufti Taha Karaan proffers a refreshing and inspirational approach of understanding the Fiqh of Citizenship and Minorities in contemporary times.

The Muslim community of South Africa, specifically Cape Town, has a rich and dynamic history which spans more than 300 years. Mufti Taha Karaan proposes that Muslim minority communities around the world should scrupulously analyse how the Muslims of the Cape preserved their faith when confronted with the various challenges of slavery, colonialism and apartheid, and how they succeeded in developing into a vibrant, confident and socially contributing community within South African society.

Biography of Mufti Taha Karaan:

Mufti Taha Karaan is a Shafi’i scholar born in Cape Town, South Africa, to a family renowned in both its maternal and paternal lineage for Islamic scholarship. His father, the late Mufti Yusuf Karaan (may Allah have mercy on his soul), was one of the most distinguished Islamic scholars in the Cape.

Mufti Taha completed his Qur’anic memorization in one year at the Waterfall Islamic Institute, the oldest Islamic seminary in South Africa. During his stay, he assisted in the editing of the Qur’anic prints that the Institute has become famous for the world over. After finishing four years of the ‘alim course in two years, he journeyed to the Indian sub-continent and Dar al-Uloom Deoband, graduating from there in 1991 with the highest of distinctions, as did his father, in a class of over 700 students. He then travelled to the Middle East and completed a two-year graduate diploma at the Higher Institute for Islamic Studies in Cairo, Egypt.

Mufti Taha is the recipient of numerous chains of transmission (ijazaat), from well-respected scholars in India, Pakistan, South Africa, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, among others, in numerous fields of Islamic study.

Currently, Mufti Taha is the Mufti of the Muslim Judicial Council. He is a sought-after speaker at Islamic symposia and conferences but attends them sparingly, preferring to spend most of his time at the Islamic seminary, Dar al-Uloom al-Arabiyyah al-Islamiyyah, that he founded in 1996. The educational thrust of the seminary reflects Mufti Taha’s own pioneering vision and commitment to squarely interface with the challenges of the modern age through the twin objectives of preservation and progress.

In his teaching, writing and legal verdicts (fatawa), Mufti Taha regularly addresses contemporary issues such as the challenges of post-modernity, feminism, Islamic economics and finance, the old and new Orientalisms, and fiqh issues affecting Diaspora Muslim communities.

His students describe him as divinely-gifted with encyclopaedic knowledge; possessed of a near photographic memory; an insatiable bibliophile within the Islamic sciences and without; a teacher that never ceases to inspire; endowed with an elegant calligraphic hand and a penchant for poetry; thoroughly unassuming, pleasant, brilliant and tender-hearted.

For more SeekersGuidance podcasts and podcast shows, visit seekersguidance.

In this Eid sermon, Shaykh Faraz Rabbani contrasts people who see just this world—a place of sorrow and suffering—with those who see this world as the creating of Allah, a gift, and the first step in an eternal journey. He outlines the Prophetic model of joy and rejoicing, and how to find mercy in hardship: responding by turning to Allah, striving to be a “grateful servant.”

Shaykh Faraz exposits how the Prophet was constantly cheerful, as his joy was with Allah. He closes by reminding of the sunnas of smiling and celebration, particularly on Eid.

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This sermon was delivered following the Ramadan 2018 program at SeekersHub Toronto.

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For more SeekersHub podcasts and podcast shows, visit seekersguidance.org/podcasts.

Help SeekersHub build a Global Islamic Seminary and spread the light of guidance to millions around the world by supporting us through monthly donation by going to https://seekersguidance.org/donate - your donations are tax deductible in the US and Canada.