Muslims will often read hadith on a regular basis as a devotional practice to be connected to the Prophet and his traditions. Hadith serve as great reminders of how to live Islam both internally as well externally. God calls on people to remember Him in all of their actions and purify their hearts so that they can live a truly balanced life. Spirituality in Islam is about nurturing tolerance, kindness, control, righteousness, and forgiveness while shunning arrogance, pride, ego, anger and selfishness. This spirituality and God-consciousness should be reflected in a person’s interactions with other people. Therefore, Islam stresses the importance of treating people with respect, mercy, and dignity. Islam: A Way of Life That Promotes Spirituality, Humanity, and Community To that end, our courses seek to educate students in the main disciplines of Islamic learning including Arabic language, Quran, Hadith, Law, Islamic History and Spirituality, as well as offer Islamic knowledge on lifestyle issues pertinent to contemporary Muslims – all in a manner that is easy to comprehend and practical to implement in one’s life. Our classes also highlight the importance of using sacred knowledge as a means of increasing our connection with Allah (swt) and furthering our spiritual development. O mankind! Be dutiful to your Lord, Who created you from a single person, and from him He created his wife, and from them both He created many men and women, and fear Allaah through Whom you demand your mutual (rights), and (do not cut the relations of) the wombs (kinship) Surely, Allaah is Ever an All-Watcher over you).’ [al-Nisaa’ 4:1], The Prophet Muhammad ? encouraged Muslims to accept invitations to attend marriage ceremonies and marriage feasts: “…and he who refuses to accept an invitation to a marriage feast, verily disobeys Allah and His Prophet”. [Ahmad & Abu Dawood]

ISLAM: EXTREMISM AND MODERATION ISLAM: EXTREMISM AND MODERATION

He used to bind a stone around his waist out of hunger. He would eat what was brought, and would not refuse any permissible food. If there was dates without bread, he would eat, if there was roast meat, he would eat; if there was rough barley bread, he would eat it; if there was honey or something sweet, he would eat it; if there was only yogurt without even bread, he would be quite satisfied with that. It is a form of Islamic divorce which is instant in nature. It allows any Muslim man to legally divorce his wife by stating the word “ Talaaq ” three times in oral, written, or more recently, electronic form. This is prevalent among the Muslims in India, especially among the adherents Hanafi school of Islam. This is also known as “Triple Talaaq” and has been a subject to debate and controversy. He was not satiated, even with barley-bread, for three consecutive days, until the day he met his Lord, not because of poverty, or avarice, but because he always preferred others over himself. However, after the prophets delivered the divine guidance to their people, their message was lost, abandoned, or changed over time, with only parts of the original message intact. God then sent another prophet to rectify their beliefs.The contract is written and signed by the bride and the groom and their two respective witnesses. This written marriage contract (“Aqd-Nikah) is then announced publicly. Anticipation of the wedding night can be a cause of wedding day nerves for most newlyweds, but do try not to let any apprehension spoil your special day. If you know what is expected on this special night, you can reduce the feelings of uncertainty. The Study Quran: A New Translation and Commentary, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, Caner K. Dagli, Maria Massi Dakake, Joseph E.B. Lumbard, Mohammed Rustom, 2015.

The Muslim Nikah - A Step by Step Guide - Zahid Law The Muslim Nikah - A Step by Step Guide - Zahid Law

From a Qur’anic perspective, this is covenant is not at all limited only to human beings. The sun, the moon, the clouds, the mountains, the trees, the entire heavens and earth are all described as being in a state of Islam or being Muslim. The marriage sermon (Khutbah-tun-Nikah) is a way of blessing the marriage and begins by praising Allah “There is none worthy of worship except Allah and Muhammad is His servant and messenger”, the Muslim confession of faith, is then declared.Prohibited relationship for purposes of marriage is created between the husband and wife and each of them is prohibited to marry the relations of the other within prohibited degrees. All programs at Shariah Essentials draw upon the rich scholarly tradition based on the Quran and the Sunnah as understood by the Sahabah (Companions) and the Salaf Saliheen (Pious Predecessors), with a respect for all scholars of the Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama’ah. In addition, our course materials are also informed by current research in modern sciences and are taught using a modern educational approach, making Shariah Essentials distinct in its embrace of tradition and technology. Mutual rights of inheritance between husband and wife are established. That is to say, after the death of the husband, the wife is entitled to inherit the husband’s properties and after the wife’s death, husband may also inherit her properties.

Islam: Islam at a glance BBC - Religions - Islam: Islam at a glance

Fasting ( Sawm):Muslims fast during the month of Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim lunar calendar, by refraining from eating, drinking, and sexual interaction from dawn to sunset. It is an act of self-restraint and spiritual cleansing that increases one’s empathy for the less fortunate and enables one to consciously control bad habits such as foul language, idle talk, and anger. Fasting also helps people develop strong willpower as they overcome the essential desires of their body and the damaging acts of their tongue. Testimony of Faith ( Shahadah) : The first of the five basic foundations is knowingly and voluntarily asserting that, “There is nothing worthy of worship except God, and Muhammad is the Messenger of God.” This statement is the basis of faith in Islam, affirming that no partners can be associated with God and Muhammad is His final prophet. As a result of this belief, Muslims seek guidance in life through God’s revelation (the Quran) and the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Al-Nisaa’i reported that ‘Abd-Allaah ibn Mas’ood (may Allah be pleased with him) said: “The Prophet ? taught us Khutbat al-Haajah: Al-hamdu Lillaahi nasta’eenahu wa nastaghfiruhu, wa na’oodhu billaahi min shuroori anfusinaa wa sayi’aati a’maalinaa. Man yahdih Illaahu falaa mudilla lahu wa man yudlil falaa haadiya lahu. Wa ashhadu an laa ilaaha ill-Allaah wa ashhadu anna Muhammadan ‘abduhu wa rasooluhuThe biography of Muhammad is known as seerah. The earliest written seerah was penned 150 years after the passing of the Prophet – a heavy collection of all the oral traditions that existed about Muhammad from Muslim and non-Muslim sources. A shorter version of that initial biography was written some 50 years later. The seerah does not possess the same rigor as hadith when it comes to verifying the historical accuracy or authenticity of stories and traditions. As such, there are key details in the biography of the Prophet that are debated in terms of historical accuracy to this day. New books of seerah continue to be written every year that draw on past works, but also offer new lessons from the Prophetic life or revisions to historical accounts. But, beyond the constant reminder of the Qur’an as to who the Prophet Muhammad is, there is also the collective memory and imagination of Muslims that have been passed down from one generation to the next for fourteen centuries through stories and sayings. These traditions are written down, but even more powerfully they continue to be orally transmitted from teacher-to-student and parent-to-children in formal and informal religious settings. Muslims believe the Sunnah is the practical example of Prophet Muhammad and that there are five basic Pillars of Islam.