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Verse of Light

Date: June 22, 2016

One of the most commented verses in Quran is the “Verse of Light” (24th Surah - An-Nur). The Surah unveils how Allah is the light of heaven and earth. Allah says the so called light in him is a niche and within which is a candle. The candle is placed in a glass which twinkles like a star in the sky. Olive tree’s oil from the blessed land of Quds is used for fuel to light the candle. This is very bright itself even without fire. With this, Allah guides to his light whomsoever he wills. There are a number of commentaries on this verse and the most famous comment is that this verse is a parable of faith. Here the candle refers to the light of Iman. The ultimate message of this Surah is that light of Iman and how to attain it. Verse 2 incorporates the topic of chastity and modesty and it talks about the punishment of fornication. Verse 27 is all about the modesty of seeking permission while entering to someone’s house. Verse 30 and 31 are the command of Allah for the believing men and women to lower their gazes and guard their chastity. Verse 58 speaks about the need to ask permission to enter parent’s room at special times by a person under the age of maturity. In short, all the verses talks about modesty. If a person preserves their modesty and stays away from anything that diminishes this, they preserve the light of Allah which He places in the hearts of the believers. Allah combines between light, modesty which means that if anyone preserves modesty, there will be blessed light, and if the modesty lacks, the light becomes dimmer.

Precious Gifts a Person Leaves Behind

"The best of what a man leaves behind are three: a righteous child who supplicates for him, ongoing charity the reward of which reaches him, and knowledge that is acted upon after him."

Sunan Ibn Mājah

Angelic Daily Prayers for Generosity

"Every day two angels come down from Heaven and one of them says, 'O Allah! Compensate every person who spends in Your Cause,' and the other (angel) says, 'O Allah! Destroy every miser.'"

Sahih Bukhari

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Learn from Quran the year round

A human being’s caliber and knowledge lies in his bio and gene. Some of us excel in mathematics, some in social studies etc. by profession we will be doctors, engineers, scientists, politicians etc. by hobby, we will be coin collectors, riders, cookers etc. profession, wishes, character and everything may be different. But ultimately, each Muslim has a clear singular goal. It is nothing but, aspiring to the character of Prophet Muhammed. If you are physically clean for the day, you should read Quran on that day. If it is possible, a Muslim should read Quran every day. And there is a belief that Muslim should read Quran during the holy month of Ramadan. But you should read it before, during and after the holy month of Ramadan. Ramadan is meant for intense character training and its lessons are applicable for the year round. In the holy month of Ramadan and there after we should attempt to focus on the wisdom of Quran and the idealistic ways of Prophet Muhammed. In addition, we should engage with two greatest miracles of life through prayer, those are reflection and action. We should always be in remembrance of Allah and we should learn Quran and its teachings before, during and after Ramadan.

What is Hijra?

The Arabic word Hijra means migration. It marks the beginning of the new year in the Islamic calendar and refers to the migration of Muhammad (SAW) and his companions, from Mecca to Madina. The Hijra was a great historical event marking a significant change in Islamic history. The early Muslims gained a position of strength and authority following the Hijra. The Hijri calendar was adopted during the Khilafah (successorship) of Umar Ibn-Khathab (RA). Umar (RA) rejected many other suggestions to start the Islamic calendar, including the birth and death of the Muhammad (SAW). He stated, "The Hijra has separated truth from falsehood, therefore, let it become the Epoch of the Era" (Fath Al-Bari, Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani). Muhammad (SAW) publicly preached Islam in Mecca for more than a decade when the opposition was at its peak. The believers were harassed, abused and even cruelly tortured. Afraid for their safety, Muhammad (SAW) sent a group of Muslims to Abyssinia (now known as Ethiopia) where the Christian ruler extended protection to the Sahabahs. Shortly after that, Muhammad (SAW) sent seventy others to Yathrib (later re-named Madina) with the hope of establishing a new beginning for Islam. When Muhammad (SAW) set off for Yathrib with his closest friend, Abu-Bakr as-Siddique (RA), the leaders of Mecca decided to have him killed. They put a bounty on his head and sent people in pursuit. Muhammad (SAW) and Abu Bakr (RA) hid in a cave where Allah protected them from their assassins. Allah says,�"_It does not matter if you believers do not support him, for Allah did in fact support him when the disbelievers drove him out of Mecca, and he was only one of two. While they both were in the cave, he reassured his companion,�'Do not worry; Allah is certainly with us'. So, Allah sent down His serenity upon the Prophet, supported him with forces you believers did not see, and made the word of the disbelievers lowest, while the Word of Allah is supreme. And Allah is Almighty, All-Wise."_ (Quran, 9:40) The early Muslims made great sacrifices to move to Madina (Hijra) to begin the first ever Islamic community. Allah says,_"As for those who emigrated in the cause of Allah after being persecuted, We will surely bless them with a good home in this world. But the reward of the Hereafter is far better, if only they knew."_ (Quran, 16:41) Muhammad (SAW) and his followers were joyously welcomed by the people of Madina (the Ansar or "helpers"). Muhammad (SAW) established a concept of brotherhood among the Muslims and unity with the non-Muslim communities, including the Jewish tribes. The Hijra from Mecca to Madina marked the Muslims' transition from one stage to another on several different levels. They went from a position of weakness to one of strength. In Mecca, they were humiliated and abused at the hands of Quraysh, in Medina they were the ones with power. They went from spreading Islam individually in Mecca, to converting whole nations at a time in Medina. From implementing Islam individually in Mecca, to implementing a full, comprehensive, political, and economic system that governed a nation in every aspect of life. From being a small group of believers in Mecca to, becoming the heart of an Islamic nation encompassing Muslims in multiple countries. The Alim Foundation: NPS / NH; September 29, 2020

Alim.org migrated to new platform

Asalam-o-alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatahu. Uthman bin Affan (R) reported: عَنْ عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ خَيْرُكُمْ مَنْ تَعَلَّمَ الْقُرْآنَ وَعَلَّمَهُ صحيح البخاري كتاب فضائل القرآن باب خيركم من تعلم القرآن و عَلَّمَهُ The Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, said: “The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it.” Sahih al-Bukhari 5029 https://www.alim.org/hadith/sahih-bukhari/6/ Alhamdulillah! The journey of the Alim Foundation Inc. started in early 1991 on a CD-ROM followed by its transition to the Alim.org online platform in mid-2010. Since then, the Alim Foundation has been consistently delivering authentic Islamic knowledge resources – Quran (Arabic, Translations, Tafasir), Ahadith, Islamic History, Islamic News and Articles – to the global community through its web and mobile resources. During our analysis of the incoming traffic and user demographics of our audience worldwide, we realized we could use this time to upgrade our web platform to meet the next level of usability and accessibility demands. To achieve these performance metrics, we have renovated the design, layout, and technology of this valuable resource for your benefit. We have also ported the website to a better infrastructure, while retaining all the existing Islamic Knowledge resources we have been known to provide. We have done the platform migration to make Alim.org faster and more user-friendly. In accordance to the request of many users, our new layout offers a smoother design and clean UI . All the sections in the old site – Arabic Quran, Mushaf, Quran Translations, Quran Tafasir, Ahadiths, History and News and Views – are implemented in our new and improved site. There are navigation menu items that lead to all the sections and you should be able to access your desired content within a few hours. Here are the URLs for a few regularly visited sections: Quran home page for all sections including Arabic Quran, Mushaf, Translations, and Tafsir: https://www.alim.org/quran/ Quran with translation: https://www.alim.org/quran Mushaf: https://www.alim.org/quran Asad Translation: https://www.alim.org/quran Tafsir Ibn Kathir: https://www.alim.org/quran Hadith home page: https://www.alim.org/hadith/ Sahih Bukhari: https://www.alim.org/hadith/sahih-bukhari/1/ Sahih Muslim: https://www.alim.org/hadith/sahih-muslim/1/ Islamic History home page: https://www.alim.org/history/ Khalifa Abu Bakr (RA): https://www.alim.org/history/khalifa-abu-bakr/before-and-after-conversion-to-islam Please continue to use the new alim.org(https://www.alim.org/) and as you become familiar with the new navigation. We will quickly make it easy to locate and access your desired sections, insha Allah. Please feel free to let the alim.org team know regarding any issues that you may encounter. We truly value your feedback and suggestions. The Alim Foundation is at your service to facilitate this excellent resource for you as quickly as practically possible. Additionally, the Alim team requests that you please share Alim with your family, friends, and relatives. As always, your user and financial support makes this blessed endeavor possible, inshaAllah. Stay tuned for bright things in the coming future! May Allah SWT Guide us all to attaining and spreading His Knowledge, ameen. Walaikum Asalam. The Alim Foundation, Inc.