Status Updates From In the Shade of the Qur'an:...

“He wishes that what is kept deep on people’s hearts should first appear in action before He holds them accountable for it.
His grace means that He does not hold man answerable for his thoughts and feelings; He only holds man accountable for what he does.”

الحليم.

“Our Lord,
make us surrender ourselves to You,
and make _out of our offspring a community that will surrender itself_ to You.
Show us our ways of worship
and accept our repentance….”

“_This message takes its hue from God_;
who can give a better hue than God? ...”

The approach taken to translate the verses always leaves me mesmerized.

“The sūrah here is emphasizing one of the most fundamental Islamic principles: actions lend validity to words. Actions must be in harmony with words in order for the words to have any meaning or value whatsoever.”

When Prophet Muhammad was assigned prophethood, he said to his wife, Khadijah,
“_There is no longer any time for relaxation_”,
for he had already been told in the Quran,
“We are about to address you with grave and _weighty_ words.” (73:5)

A real deep call to The Almighty emerged from his trembling heart, “...you are the lord of the weak, and you are my lord. To whom do you leave me? To a distant person who receives me with hostility? Or to an enemy you have given power over me? If you are not displeased with me I do not care what I face, I would, however, be much happier with your mercy..”

The desperate times when migration became a requirement.

"Believers are altruistic in their approach to life; they have high hopes for humanity, and they care for the progress and well-being of others. They look beyond their selfish egotistic needs and desires and make tremendous personal sacrifices for the sake of their beliefs and ideals."

SubhanAllah, I spent today reading this, particularly the emphasis on patience in a part of surah Baqarah, and on the same day events transpire in such a way that could not be imagined, all the out of ordinary happens and a calamity hit the family. As soon as night fell, an expecting aunt had a stroke and remains in coma with baby safe.. there is quite literally nothing to do but "seek help with patience and prayer"

"Those whose souls are not purged by submission to God, at whatever time or place they may live, sink into a stinking depth of worldly desires that are unbecoming of man. In such a condition, man sinks lower than animals, controlled as animals are by their desires."

God tests people in various ways and with varying degrees of difficulty and
rigour, but the effect is not the same. Ordeals and tribulations can only bring a
believer much closer to God and enhance his God-fearing sense and his submission
to Him, while they will shake and confound an unbeliever or a hypocrite. It is the
same with prosperity and good fortune. A believer will become more conscious of,
and thankful