Sufyan b. ‘Uyaynah, one of the saintly scholars of early Islam, would frequently recite this following couplet: al-mar'u idha kana lahu fikrah/fa fi kulfi shay'in lahu ‘ibrah - ‘A person, if he is given to [frequent] contemplation / Will draw a valuable lesson from everything.’ This visual Quranic reflection highlights one verse of the Holy…
To Give When One Sees A Need, Not Just When Asked
Culled from Imam al-Tabari's tafsir, this Qur'an Reflection explains that those with means are responsible for seeking out those in need, whether they ask or not, recognising that part of their surplus wealth is a right that must be put in the service of the poor and the needy. For in Islam, true generosity isn't…
How Did We Get Here?
This Qur'an reflection tackles, in an uncomplicated way, life's big question: how did everything come to be? When damaged hearts are invited to confront the question of why there is something rather than nothing; when they are urged to consider that the overwhelming impressions of design in us, around us, and also above us in the starry…
The Garments of Necessity, Beauty & Piety
Having explained how Satan deceived Adam and his wife, peace be upon them, to eat of the tree, thereby exposing their nakedness [Q.7:22-25], this verse speaks of God's grace in how he teaches us to cover our nakedness and adorn ourselves with clothes. It also teaches us that there is a close link between the…
The Aim Behind Reciting Allah’s Book
Based on the words of a famous seventh century master Qur'an reciter, ‘Ilm al-Din al-Sakhawi, this Qur'an Reflection visually sets out the aims for reciting the Holy Book and benefiting from its guidance. (Previous Qur'an Reflections can be seen here and here).