Islamic Self Help – Page 26 – Islam + Self Help = Success in Both Worlds

May

2020

Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā and Sūrah ash-Sharḥ

These two Sūrahs were revealed one after the other, and share a common theme. In fact, their style, prose, and theme are so similar, that they flow together like one Sūrah. The theme of Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā and Sūrah ash-Sharḥ is optimism during times of difficulty. Both Sūrahs inspire hope and optimism in the heart of the reader during difficult times. This is why it has become a common practice to recite these two Sūrahs in Salah during times of hardship.

Both of these Sūrahs are early Makkan Sūrahs. They are from the earliest revelation and were sent to comfort the Prophet (peace be upon him) as he began his difficult mission. The early days of Islam were a difficult time to preach the message. The number of believers were less than a hundred, and the idea that Muslims would one day be more than a billion people was unheard of.

It was during this difficult time that the Prophet (peace be upon him) faced harassment from his critics. The revelation had stopped for a short period of time and this made the Prophet (peace be upon him) anxious. His enemies began to ridicule him, claiming that his Lord had forsaken him. It was during this dark time of uncertainty, harassment and new beginnings, that these two wonderful messages of hope were revealed.

Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā and the brighter future

Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā is a message of hope and optimism about the future. Allah begins the Sūrah by taking an oath on the dawn and the night. Just like the dawn brings light after a dark night, likewise the revelation brings hope to mankind after the darkness of ignorance. This oath creates a powerful image of Islam lighting up the horizon as the age of ignorance draws to a close.

Allah informs the Prophet (peace be upon him) in this Sūrah that He has not forsaken him and is not displeased. This verse is a direct refutation to the critics and enemies who were harassing the Prophet (peace be upon him). Allah then informs the Prophet (peace be upon him) that the future will be better than what has passed.

This verse carries a double meaning. It can refer to both the future in this life and the next. For the majority of people, it refers to both. The majority of believers face difficult tests in this life followed by brighter futures. But some people face a lifetime of difficulty and the brighter future only comes in the Afterlife. The choice of words in this verse allow for both meanings to be derived and understood.

Allah then reminds the Prophet (peace be upon him) of several times in the past when difficulty was followed by ease. He was an orphan, but Allah blessed him with an amazing family. He was born into poverty but Allah provided for him and made him content. He was searching for a way to reform his society and Allah blessed him with prophethood.

In our own lives, we face many similar trials followed by periods of ease. When we reflect on our lives, we will realize that over and over again the dawn always came after a dark night. The future was always better than what came before. And our Lord has not forsaken us as long as we remained firm on the straight path.

Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā ends with a call to action. The way to show gratitude to Allah for His Blessings is to share it with others. So Allah calls on us to give to the poor, assist the orphans and spread the message of Islam. These relate back to the three blessings mentioned earlier in the Sūrah. Allah has blessed us with wealth, so let us use it to uplift the poor. Allah has blessed us with family, so let us not forget to help the orphans. Allah has guided us to the straight path, so let’s share the message of Islam with the world.

Sūrah ash-Sharḥ and the promise of ease

Sūrah ash-Sharḥ continues the same style and theme, flowing from Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā. Allah continues to comfort the Prophet (peace be upon him) by reminding him of His favors.

Allah reminds the Prophet (peace be upon him) that He gifted him with prophethood, forgiveness and praise. These three gifts are unique to the Prophet (peace be upon him). He was the final messenger, with that position came forgiveness for any human mistakes he made. With it also came more praise than any human before or after him would ever receive.

The name of the Prophet (peace be upon him) would become the most popular name of earth. People all over the world name their children after him. They send salutations upon him day and night, and even mention his blessings in the call to prayer and the Salah itself. No other human has been gifted with such praise by the Creator.

These unique gifts to the Prophet (peace be upon him) are gifts to us as well. Because these gifts led to Islam reaching us, and to our guidance. Therefore, it is a reminder to us too that Allah gifted us with being followers of the praiseworthy and final messenger, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).

The flow of this Sūrah is the same as the one before it. Both Sūrahs remind us of Allah’s blessings on the Prophet (peace be upon him), promise us a brighter future and end with a call to action. The promise of a brighter future in this Sūrah is so profoundly worded that it has become a common proverb among Muslims all over the earth.

In this Sūrah, Allah promises that with difficulty comes ease. He makes this promise twice, and scholars have interpreted this in different ways. Some say that the repetition is for emphasis. Others state that it means an ease to accompany to test and an ease after the test. A third opinion is that after each test, the period of ease that follows it is twice as long. Allah knows best, but it seems that each interpretation is true and different people will experience ease in different ways.

The Sūrah again ends with a call to action. This time the call is to follow up our obligatory good deeds with optional good deeds, and to dedicate our lives to our Lord. Allah created us, guided us, and takes care of us. In return, He only asks that we worship Him and dedicate our lives to Him. It is in doing so that we will experience ease with every hardship, and a bright dawn after every dark night.

May

2020

Sūrah ash-Shams and Sūrah al-Layl

The remaining Sūrahs of the Quran are short and powerful, mostly Makkan, Sūrahs. These Sūrahs are often recited in Salah and more Muslims have memorized these Sūrahs than any others, due to their brevity. The first two Sūrahs in this set share similar themes and lessons, so they will be discussed together here.

Sūrah ash-Shams is the 91^st Sūrah in the Quran. It is a short powerful Makkan Sūrah focused on the contrasting oaths, and the importance of the soul. Sūrah al-Layl is the 92^nd Sūrah in the Quran. It is also a Makkan Sūrah and has twenty one verses. Its focus is also on contrasting oaths, and the two paths in life. Together, these two Sūrahs teach us that life is made up of opposites. These opposites include the straight path and the paths of misguidance.

The Contrasting Oaths

Both of these Sūrahs begin with a series of oaths highlighted contrasting forces in this universe. In Sūrah ash-Shams, Allah takes an oath on the sun and the moon, the day and the night, and the sky and the earth. These three sets of opposites lay the framework for the message of this Sūrah. Everything in this world has an opposite. The seventh oath is on the soul, which the message of the Sūrah revolves around.

Sūrah al-Layl also begins with oaths on contrasting opposites, the night and the day, and the male and the female. This is followed by showcasing the two paths in life, the path towards ease i.e. Paradise, and the path towards hardship i.e. Hellfire. The themes and oaths of these two Sūrahs are very similar creating a double emphasis on the fact that this world is made up of opposites.

Just as the earth and the sky are not the same, the sun and the moon are not the same, the day and the night are not the same, and the male and the female are not the same. Similarly, the straight path and the paths of misguidance are not the same. They are distinct from each other in many ways, and every human needs to choose their path in life for themselves.

The Soul and its states

In Sūrah ash-Shams, Allah takes an oath on the soul, and its two paths; lust or piety. He then says that whoever purifies it will be successful and whoever corrupts it will go astray. In these four short verses, Allah summarizes the entire field of Islamic Spirituality (Tazkiyyah). The entire science of purification of the soul revolves around these four realities.

The soul was created by Allah and has the potential for great good and great evil. When left unbridled, it leads down the path of lust and animalistic behavior. When it is purified of evil, it releases its potential for piety and elevates a person to the path of success. Therefore, all success lies in the purification of the soul.

In some circles, purification of the soul is overlooked. These groups focus too much time and attention on philosophical debates or technical legal differences. In doing so, they forget to work on their own souls. When the soul is ignored, it strays down the path of lust. This is why it is common to find in such groups people of great ‘book knowledge’ who can’t control their desires.

Islam requires that we make time to focus on every important aspect. We need to learn theology and legal theory. But we also need to work on purifying our soul, and controlling our lust. Success lies in being able to make time for each of these, but priority should lie in the purification of the soul.

The Two Paths of Life

Mirroring the message of Sūrah ash-Shams, Sūrah al-Layl teaches us that there are two paths in life. One leads to ease in both worlds, while the other leads to difficulty in both worlds.

The path of righteousness in this Sūrah is described as the path of charity, piety and true belief. Allah says that whoever follows that path in life, Allah will make easy for him the path towards ease. Ease in this verse refers to Paradise. It does not mean that we will not face challenges in this world.

Rather the beauty of Islam helps us cope with the challenges of life, bringing with it ease in the form of Tawakul, Sabr and Contentment. But the path of righteousness ends with eternal ease in Paradise. This is the path we must choose to walk in life.

Its opposite is described as the path of miserliness, self-reliance (as opposed to Tawakul) and rejecting the truth of Islam. These three qualities reflect the mirror opposites of the three listed in the path of piety. This continues the theme of opposites found throughout the Sūrah. Allah warns that this path leads to the opposite end, difficulty for all eternity in Hell.

The contrasting paths of life work together with the two states of the soul. Purifying the soul is part of the path of piety, while indulging the soul’s base desires leads down the path of impiety. Together, these Sūrahs remind us of the most important choice in our life; to choose the straight path over all other paths.

The Examples of the two paths

Concluding the theme of opposites, there is a final contrast made at the end of the Sūrahs. But this contrast cannot be made out from reading the Sūrahs individually. Rather, the endings of the two Sūrahs contain opposing examples. Sūrah ash-Shams ends with an example of people who chose the path of misguidance, while Sūrah al-Layl ends with an example of someone who chose the path of guidance.

Sūrah ash-Shams ends with a brief reminder that the people of Thamūd chose their own desires over the message. They were destroyed because of this. Allah warns that He can destroy us too if we choose a similar path.

Sūrah al-Layl ends with a reminder that Abū Bakr chose the path of righteousness over everything else. He embraced every quality of the straight path and become an embodiment of it. Because of this, Allah promises that He will be happy in the next life. The two examples conclude the beautiful poetic nature of these two Sūrahs. They both revolve around the theme of opposites. The sun and the moon, the day and the night, the earth and the sky, the male and the female, and most importantly the straight path and the path of misguidance.

May

2020

Sūrah al-Balad: Allah’s Blessings

Sūrah al-Balad has twenty verses all of which were revealed in Makkah by consensus. The Sūrah focuses on the gifts that Allah has given us and the correct way to use these gifts. These gifts include our wealth, eyesight, mouths and guidance. The primary focus of the Sūrah is on wealth because of its relevance to the Quraysh.

The Quraysh were blessed with a lot of wealth and status. Throughout Arabia, they were looked up to due to their wealth and lineage. Over time, they grew arrogant about their status. In their arrogance, they rejected the message of Islam. They saw Islam as a threat to their wealth and status. In their blindness, they turned their backs on righteousness.

Sūrah al-Balad was revealed to remind them of Allah’s favors upon them, to show them the correct usage of these blessings and to warn them about the punishment of continuing down the wrong path in life. The reminders in this Sūrah are timeless, and apply to all of us as well.

Blessed Land and Lineage

The Sūrah begins with an oath on “this land” and “the father and the offspring”. This land refers to Makkah. There are several opinions regarding the father and the offspring. The most popular is that it refers to Adam and humanity. Another possible interpretation is Ibrahim (AS) and his descendants. Either way, Allah is drawing the attention of the Quraysh to two favors of His upon them; Makkah and noble lineage.

The people of Makkah were blessed with a noble lineage that contains many prophets. Yet instead of following the message of these prophets, they turned to paganism. Likewise, they were blessed to be citizens of Makkah, a land founded by prophets as a place to worship Allah. Yet they turned that land into a land of idolatry.

Allah reminds them through these oaths of these blessings, and the prophetic roots of their land and lineage. Choosing to follow the Prophet (peace be upon him) would simply mean returning to the original teachings of their land and forefathers.

Life is meant to be hard

The oath is followed by a profound statement. In fact, our entire Tafsir could just focus on this one statement and we would still not do it justice. Allah says, “Definitely, we created mankind to work hard.” (90:4) Kabad is a very difficult word to translate, I chose ‘work hard’ because it covers many of the meanings of this word.

This verse means that humans were created to live a difficult life. Life is difficult in every phase. We are born through the painful process of labor. Growing up isn’t easy as we learn about the world and make many mistakes along the way. By the time we are mature, our tests and challenges have evolved, along with our responsibilities.

Then when we finally figure it all out, old age hits and with it comes new challenges. Finally, we leave this world to face the questioning of the grave, potential punishment, and then resurrection and judgment. Only then, if we pass, do we finally rest and enjoy eternal bliss. After a lifetime, or even more, of hard work, challenges and hardships, then only comes eternal ease and relaxation.

This verse puts life into context for us. Modern culture pushes us to pursuit happiness in this world. In our attempt to have a perfect happy stress-free life, we grow frustrated as the challenges of life. This frustration drives us to wonder why we exist and if we will ever be happy. Happiness, however, doesn’t lie in the pursuit of worldly pleasure. Happiness lies in making peace with the nature of this world and our role in it.

Allah created us to work hard and earn our Paradise. When we realize this, then it becomes easier to live in this world accept our role in it. Our role is to work hard. Our role is to face and overcome our challenges. Our role is to use the blessings of Allah to earn Paradise. When we understand this, it is easier to cope with the daily stressors and challenges of life. We were created to work hard, so we will do so until we leave this earth.

The Great Blessings

In the next few verses, Allah reminds us of His blessings upon us. People feel that their wealth is their own and they are not accountable for how they use it. They fail to see that Allah is watching them and will call them to account for how they spent their wealth.

Allah has blessed us with many other things besides wealth that we take for granted. In these verses, He reminds us that He has also given us two eyes and a mouth. Our eyes and mouth are among the greatest blessings that Allah has gifted us with. Yet it is these very limbs that we use to commit the majority of our sins. Gratitude lies in using these limbs in a way that is pleasing to Allah.

Allah then reminds us of His greatest blessing; guidance. Guidance from Allah is the greatest blessing He can give a human. It is through Allah’s Guidance that we are saved in both worlds from all kinds of difficulties and punishment. Just as we take time to thank Allah for our wealth and health, we must thank Allah every day for guiding us to the straight path.

Using Wealth Properly

After highlighting His favors upon us, Allah teaches us the correct way to spend our wealth. Allah reminds the Quraysh, and us, that the correct way to use this blessings is to uplift others. Allah blesses some people with wealth to test them in how they will spend it. He allows poverty for others as a test to both groups too.

In these verses, Allah reminds us that the poor, orphans and slaves all have rights to our wealth. A true believer spends his wealth in freeing slaves, empowering the poor, and rescuing orphans. His concern is for his fellow humans, and he does not view this as a waste of money. Some of the Quraysh viewed these acts of kindness as a waste of money. This is considered as a reason for revelation of this Sūrah by some commentators.

The Sūrah ends with a reminder that those who reject this message will face eternal damnation. In our times, it has become politically incorrect to talk about eternal damnation as a punishment for disbelief. But the Quran is very clear on this topic; anybody who receives the true message of Islam, then rejects it, will face eternal damnation in the Afterlife.

Allah created us and set the criterion for entering his Paradise. That criterion is the belief in the message of his prophets and following the revealed law. When people consciously choose to reject this message, they are choosing the Hellfire for themselves. This is a reality that every human needs to reflect on. Our final destination depends on it.

To learn more about the Quran this Ramadan, check out all our Ramadan resources by clicking here.

Apr

2020

Sūrah al-Fajr: Redefining Success

Sūrah al-Fajr is a Makkan Sūrah. It contains thirty short and powerful verses, and its theme relates to the rise and fall of nations and their accountability on the Last Day. The primary audience of this Sūrah was the pagan leaders of Makkah. They had grown arrogant in their power and this caused them to reject the message.

The Sūrah begins with a series of oath on various aspects of creation that indicate the passage of time. Allah takes an oath on the dawn, the blessed ten nights (first ten nights of Dhul Hijjah), the concept of odd and even numbers, and the passage of night. All of these concepts relate to time. In this way, the reader is drawn to reflect on the passage of time and the reality of death.

The Fate of Tyrants

The leaders of Makkah were arrogant and did not take the message seriously. So Allah draws their attention to the arrogant leaders before them. In the next few verses, Allah lists various nations that were destroyed due to their arrogance. These include ʿĀd, Thamūd, Iram and the Pharaoh. The stories of ʿĀd, Thamūd and the Pharaoh are repeated throughout the Quran and are well known.

The reference to Iram, however, is a matter of controversy and a lot of differences of opinion. Some commentators say that Iram is simply an adjective describing the buildings of Ad. While others say it refers to another lost city that was also destroyed for its arrogance. Allah knows best. The identity of Iram is not relevant to the message of these verses. The message is clear; nations before you were destroyed because of their arrogance, so do not think that you will get away with it.

The Alternating Tests of Life

The next two verses remind us that life is a series of tests. These tests alternate between good times and bad times. In these verses, Allah refers to both times as tests.

As for man, whenever his Lord tests him, and honors him, and prospers him, he says, “My Lord has honored me.” But whenever He tests him and restricts his livelihood for him, he says, “My Lord has insulted me.”
Sūrah al-Fajr 89:15-16

These two verses show us how most of humanity views good and bad times, and contrasts this with the Islamic view. The majority of people view wealth and success as honor and gifts from God. They see it as validation that what they are doing with their lives must be right. It doesn’t even cross the mind of the average person that wealth and success are tests from God.

But when times are tough, and when people face poverty and hardship. They see it as God being angry with them. They see it as disgrace, humiliation and being abandoned by God. These two reaction reflect a materialistic outlook of life. Relying on worldly success as an indicator of one’s spiritual status is folly.

Rather, Allah draws our attention subtly to the reality. He refers to both wealth and poverty as tests. This is the reality of life. A pious person could be either wealthy or poor, neither affect his piety in any way. A rebellious sinner could also be rich or poor, neither wealth nor poverty reflect his position in the sight of Allah.

Wealth and poverty are not indicators of piety or acceptance. They are simply tests from the tests of life. Allah tests some people with wealth and He will hold them accountable for what they do with that wealth. He tests other people with poverty and will hold them accountable for how they react to that poverty. And He tests some people with both at alternating stages of their lives.

How to pass the test of wealth

The verses that follow teach us how the pagans of Makkah were failing the test of wealth. Passing the test, therefore, lies in doing the opposite of what they did.

Not at all. But you do not honor the orphan. And you do not urge the feeding of the poor. And you devour inheritance with all greed. And you love wealth with immense love.
Sūrah al-Fajr 89:17-20

In these verses, Allah draws our attentions to five ways in which people fail the test of wealth; abandoning orphans, disregarding the poor, stealing inheritance, greed, and loving wealth in an unhealthy manner. The last point is really the core of the matter. An unhealthy obsession with wealth leads to greed, miserliness and oppression in the name of amassing wealth.

Each of these on their own, however, are signs of failing the test of wealth. Allah tests some people with wealth to show how they will use it. Passing the test lies in remain spiritually detached from the wealth (Zuhd), avoiding greed, and being generous to those less fortunate. Failing it lies in the opposite.

The love of wealth is natural, and it cannot be removed completely from the hearts of people. What is condemned is an unnatural love of wealth, an obsession with it. Obsessing over wealth is unhealthy and opens the doors to various evils. This makes the test of wealth more difficult for many people than the test of poverty.

Spiritual Success

If wealth and fame are not signs of success, how then do we define success? The Sūrah ends with a reminder about the Day of Judgment, the day when we will receive the results of the test of life. It is the Day when Allah will hold people to account and people will wish they spent their lives preparing for that day.

The final verses of this Sūrah redefine success for us. Success is not wealth, fame or power. Success lies in purifying our souls, earning the pleasure of Allah and entering Paradise. These closing verses are extremely powerful and touch the soul on a deep level. It is the custom in many parts of this Muslim world to recite these verses when a believer passes away.

These final four verses are a summarized formula for real success; a pure soul, contentment, the pleasure of Allah and entrance into Paradise. What more could any believer ask for? Wealth and poverty are part of the test of life, success lies in having a good ending. The best ending is for your soul to be greeted with these beautiful words;

O Soul that is in a state of inner peace. Return to your Lord, happy and accepted (by Allah). So enter among my worshippers, and enter my Paradise.
Sūrah al-Fajr 89:27-30

Apr

2020

Sūrah al-Ghāshiya: The Design Argument

Sūrah al-Ghāshiya is a Makkan Surah comprised of 26 verses. This Sūrah has two main themes. It begins with a description of the Last Day, and the fate of both disbelievers and believers on that day. Allah then draws our attention to the proofs of His Existence i.e. the perfection of His Creation. It concludes by circling back to the original topic, preparing for the Last Day.

The word al-Ghāshiya is mentioned in the first verse of this Sūrah. It is one of the names of the Last Day. It means the Overwhelming Event. The Last Day has many names in the Quran. Each of these names gives us a different description of that day. The name al-Ghāshiya teaches us that on that day people will be overwhelmed by stress and anxiety. Worrying about whether they will enter Paradise or Hell will drive people crazy. It is an overwhelming event the likes of which nothing we experience on earth can be compared to.

The Balance between Hope and Fear

This Sūrah balances between hope and fear in a profound way. Allah describes the state of mind and the punishment of the disbelievers for six verses. Then He describes the state of mind and reward of the believers for nine verses. In this way, the warning is done clearly while leaving the reader on a high note reflecting on Paradise and hoping in Allah’s Mercy.

It is common throughout the Quran to find descriptions of Hellfire followed by descriptions of Paradise. The descriptions of Paradise are usually longer and more detailed. In this way, the focus is primarily on hope while providing enough fear to motivate people towards righteousness. This balance is essential for establishing a pious mindset.

When the focus is only on warnings and punishment, it can cause both hopelessness and extremism. Some people may be so overwhelmed by the warnings that they lose hope in Allah’s Mercy. While others grow so accustomed to fear that it is the only paradigm from which they can preach Islam. Both of these attitudes are not healthy and can be avoided by balancing fear with hope.

On the opposite end of the spectrum is focusing only on hope. This too can lead to either laxity or liberalism. Some people become so comfortable in their hope in Allah’s Mercy that they stop taking sin seriously. This opens the door to mass sins. Others may build a liberal paradigm out of hope in which everything is fine and everything is permissible because God is All-Loving and Merciful. This false understanding of Allah’s Love and Mercy has led many modernists astray.

Balance lies in grounding one’s faith in love of Allah, and balancing that love with both fear of His Punishment and hope in His Forgiveness. When this balance is established, a believer can grow in his love of Allah, and worship Allah with a healthy balanced mindset. To facilitate this, the Quran often follows up its warnings with good news.

Reflecting on the signs of Allah

The middle section of this Sūrah calls on us to study the Creation and reflect on the signs of Allah in His Creation. These verses have inspired many Muslim scientists to study various creations and make breakthrough discoveries.

“Do they not look at the camels, how they were created? And at the sky, how it is raised? And at the mountains, how they are established? And at the earth, how it is spread out?” (88:17-20)

This is one of many sets of verses throughout the Quran that call on us to reflect on the creation as assigns of the existence of the Creator. This is the main Islamic argument for the existence of the Creator; the perfect design of every creation in existence is proof itself that the Creator exists. From the unique design of the camel to the vastness of space, to the majesty of the mountains, and the homeliness of earth. All of these are signs that the Creator is real and All-Powerful.

One of the reasons why humans are straying from belief in Allah is because we spend too much time surrounded by the inventions of man. And we do not spend enough time with the Creation of Allah. People who spend more time in nature are more likely to be firm in their belief in a Creator, and have a deeper sense of spirituality.

If a believer begins to experience doubts in Allah’s existence, there are two common remedies; recite and reflect on the Quran, or spend time in nature and reflect on the creation. Both the verses of the Quran and the creation of Allah are called āyāt (signs) because reflecting on either of these causes an increase in faith. Just as we take time to reflect on the book of Allah, we should also make time to reflect on the creations of Allah.

A reminder of our ending

The Sūrah begins with a description of the Last Day, then calls on us to reflect on the signs of Allah around us. It ends where it begins with a reminder that we all will return to Allah. And that every human will be held accountable to Allah for their lives.

Accountability is one of the core themes of early Makkan revelation. The pagans of Makkah were not accustomed to the idea of an Afterlife or the idea of being held accountable for their lives after death. This concept was foreign to many of them, and so this theme is repeated many times over throughout these Sūrahs. The goal is to drive home the importance of this concept and establish a consciousness of the Afterlife in the believers.

Many of the Sūrahs towards the end of the Quran focus on the theme of the Afterlife. Whenever we recite these Sūrahs, we should reflect on these descriptions. This reflection should create a consciousness in us that leads to deeper piety, practice, and purpose. The belief in the Afterlife should make us people who live Islam and live with purpose, knowing that; “To Us is their return. Then upon Us is their reckoning.” (88:25-26)

Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā and Sūrah ash-Sharḥ

Sūrah ad-Ḍuḥā and the brighter future

Sūrah ash-Sharḥ and the promise of ease

Sūrah ash-Shams and Sūrah al-Layl

The Contrasting Oaths

The Soul and its states

The Two Paths of Life

The Examples of the two paths

Sūrah al-Balad: Allah’s Blessings

Blessed Land and Lineage

Life is meant to be hard

The Great Blessings

Using Wealth Properly

Sūrah al-Fajr: Redefining Success

The Fate of Tyrants

The Alternating Tests of Life

How to pass the test of wealth

Spiritual Success

Sūrah al-Ghāshiya: The Design Argument

The Balance between Hope and Fear

Reflecting on the signs of Allah

A reminder of our ending

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