Imagine a young man coming to the Imam of your neighboring mosque with this strange request: "Can I get a fatwa that permits me to commit Zina (fornication/adultery)?" What kind of response he will receive? I think that shocked and angry reproach is the most likely reaction of the attendees and the Imam; you would hear yells like, "Shame on you! How dare you mention such despicable things in the mosque and, even worse, request to commit it?" Well,

Abdullah ibn Salam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated: When the Prophet arrived for the first time in Madinah, I went with everyone to see him. When I saw him, I knew his face was not that of a liar. The first words he said were, “ O people, feed the hungry, spread Salam (greeting of peace), maintain your kin relationships, and pray at night while others are asleep. With this, you shall enter Heaven in peace. ”  (Al-Bukhari) Community

Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported that the Messenger of Allah said: Allah will say on the Day of Judgment, 'Son of Adam, I was sick but you did not visit Me.' 'My Lord, How could I visit You when You are the Lord of the Worlds?'  'Did you not know that one of My servants was sick and you didn't visit him? If you had visited him you would have found Me there.' Then Allah will say, 'Son of Adam, I needed food but you did not feed

Abu Hurairah reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah does not look at your appearances or your financial status, but He looks at your hearts and your actions."  (Al-Bukhari) In any community, there must be a means to measure and evaluate each other. The lack of evaluation and feedback on how we are doing and where we stand creates an environment of carelessness and a lack of accountability. The question

IBN UMAR reported that Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: “All of you are shepherds and each of you is responsible for his herd. A man is the shepherd of the people of his house and he is responsible. A woman is the shepherd of the house of her husband and she is responsible. Each of you is a shepherd and each is responsible for his herd; and will be answerable in respect of it.” The specification in the Hadith is to clarify the idea

"Allah says, 'I am as my servant expects Me to be, and I am with him when he remembers me. If he thinks of Me, I think of him. If he mentions Me in company, I mention him in an even better company. When he comes closer to Me by a handspan, I come closer to him an arm's length. If he draws closer to Me by an arm's length, I draw closer by a distance of two outstretched arms nearer to him. If my servant comes to Me walking, I go to him running." (Al-Bukhari)

On the Day of Resurrection, all people that ever lived will be gathered before God to await His judgment for all they have done or said during their lives. During this time, the sun will come very close to the people (as close as one mile according to some narrations). People will want to get away from the heat of the sun but there will be no shade or shelter to go to and they will start sweating in proportion to their sins. The more sins a person

Abū Hurayrah relates that The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: “Islam began strange, and it will become strange again just like it was at the beginning, so blessed are the strangers.” [Sahīh Muslim] When the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) was first sent, he was alone, a stranger in a world full of idolatry, heresy, and corruption. The Prophet (peace be upon him) was sent to change these circumstances and to bring the people back to the

Teaching stories have been used throughout time as a way to transmit wisdom. In Hadith literature there are a number of stories that have been related by Prophet Muhammad saws in the context of teaching valuable lessons for humanity. The following story is related in Sahih Bukhari (004.056.670) Translated by Thomas Cleary   Allah willed to test three who were a leper, a blind man and a bald-headed man.   So, he sent them an angel who came

The Prophet (peace be upon him) was returning to his house, accompanied along the way by Anas ibn Malik. We can imagine how he felt upon approaching the door of his home after a particularly exhausting day disseminating the message of Islam and managing the affairs of his community. He wanted nothing more than to rest in the informal comforts of his home. He was wearing a simple, coarse cloak with an unfinished hem, which was barely more than a large