Do not revile those whom they call upon besides Allah, lest they should revile God out of enmity, ignorance. [Quran 6:109]

This verse from Sura Anam cautions believers not to turn to offence and aggression in the midst of an argument, especially on matters of faith. It also provides a solid reason why it is not a good idea to do so: because such behaviour will most likely lead to a retaliation of like for like.

When we are in the midst of an argument, it can be easy to become triggered and angry. If we sense we are losing an argument, we can become aggressive, attacking that which is most sacred to the other in an effort to prove our point, hurt the other or to defend ourselves.

Such tactics never work. Behaviour like this will lead to a tit for tat competition that will only increase anger, bitterness and hostility between the arguing parties.

A verbal assault has the same impact on our physiology that a physical attack does. When human beings are thus attacked, their rational bra...

Continuing with our series on inspiration from the Holy Quran for engaging in discussion and dispute, the verse today is from Sura Ankabut where Allah (swt) says:

And dispute not with the People of the Book, save in the most virtuous manner, unless it be those of them who have done wrong.

And say, "We believe in that which was sent down unto us and was sent down unto you; our God and your God are one, and unto Him are we submitters." [Holy Quran 29:46]

This verse is an injunction to the Prophet and Muslims to not argue with Jews and Christians, except in a beautiful manner that calls them through God's signs and draws evidence from God's proofs or in a manner that invites them to good, as in the verse we discussed yesterday [16:125: Call unto the way of thy Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation. And dispute with them in the most virtuous manner] which taught us that even if others speak poorly, Muslims should still speak well.

Today's verse from Sura Ankabut adds another principl...

One of the methods frequently used by the Quran to convince the reader of its arguments is the use of logic and rhetorical questioning. Researchers into Quranic linguists assert that such rhetorical questions are used in more than a thousand verses of the Quran and each use is an invitation for the reader to shift their thinking paradigm.

Let us remind ourselves that a rhetorical question is one that is asked without expecting or needing an answer but for the sake of emphasis or effect. Linguists say that a rhetorical question is “a forceful statement which has the form of a question but which does not expect an answer.’’ i.e., the rhetorical question has an interrogative structure but does not seek information. The speaker has some purpose in his mind, either to give a command or to make a statement indirectly.

In the Holy Quran, Allah [swt] uses such questions to
emphasize a point,
to show the logic of the argument
and to jolt the reader into reflecting
to help the reader understand th...

Today we start a series on verses from the Quran that guide us how to discuss, debate and disagree with people.

In the following verse from Sura Nahl, Allah says:

Call unto the way of your Lord with wisdom and goodly exhortation.

And dispute with them in them in a manner that is best [16:125]

4 commands are given to the Holy Prophet [as] in this verse.

1. "(0' Prophet!) call (mankind)..."
2. "...to the path of your Lord..."
3. "...with wisdom and good admonition..."
4. "...and dispute with them in a manner that is best..."

Scholars explain that "To call... with wisdom" may mean 1.

That the one inviting towards God should use knowledge, reason, and understanding to attract people towards God. He should appeal to the natural instinct and the intellect of human beings.

People are more likely to respond to arguments which are rational and logical.

Hazrat Luqman (as) when advising his son, said: My son, learn wisdom and you will become noble, for verily wisdom directs towards religion

Before we dive into today's reflection:

Wishing you and your loved ones a Blessed Eid. May all of our efforts be accepted by the Beneficent inshallah and may we be guided to continue some of the good habits and efforts that we undertook this month. Ameen.

I am so grateful that you decided to join us on this month long journey of reflecting on some verses from the Quran and I am deeply appreciative of your attention. If you have found these beneficial, I would love to hear how and what specifically. If you have any suggestions for improvement, please do share those as well. If you have missed some or would like to review them at any point, the posts are archived on the blog, the podcast and YouTube (links below).

Some of you have reached out to request that we continue beyond the month of Ramadan and so inshallah, we will continue with these brief reflections once a week so please look out for those.

For those who would like a deeper dive into the Quran, we have been running a Quran...

Here is today's reflection from the Quran:

In Sura Saff (61:2), Allah says: O you who believe! Why do you say that which you do not do?

And He continues in the next verse: It is most hateful to Allah that you should say that which you do not do (61:3)

In reference to this verse, Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (as) says: A promise of a believer is an oath, although it does not have a kaffära (penalty) for breaking it. Whoever fails it has failed Allah and is the subject of dislike by Allah.

Reflection: One of the qualities of the faithful is that there is integrity and harmony between their speech and their actions. This means that they can be counted on practice what they preach, to tell the truth and to carry out what they promise or intend to do.

Scholars explain that to promise a thing which one intends not to do is a sign of hypocrisy whilst to promise and intend an action but be unable to carry it out is a sign of weakness.

Being your word then, that is carrying out what you pledge an...

Here is today's reflection from the Quran:

In Sura Isra (17:37) Allah savs: Do not strut arrogantly about the earth, you cannot break it open, nor match the mountains in height.

We live in a culture which encourages self-aggrandization and promotes "strutting our stuff". This verse from Sura Isra reminds us that such arrogance in thinking and posture, and self-congratulatory behaviour is not compatible with leading a spiritual life.

Scholars explain that insolence, or arrogance, or undue elation at our powers or capacities, is the first step to many evils. Pride as the old saying is, goes before a fall. Pride and arrogance keeps our focus on ourselves and prevents us from seeing the big picture and from connecting to others in service. It also gives us a very skewed perspective of our own importance and leads us to devalue others.

Keeping a realistic perspective on our strengths and limits becomes harder when you lead a public life as so many of us do on social media and when you g...

Here is today's reflection from the Quran:

In Chapter 59 of the Quran, Sura Hashr, Allah says: O you who believe! be careful of (your duty to) Allah, and let every soul consider what it has sent on for the morrow [Holy Quran 59:181

Scholars explain that this verse means that everyone should reflect upon their deeds and evaluate how they may fare on the Day of Judgment. According to the Islamic worldview, our brief existence in this lifetime is an important means to gather provisions for our eternal life which begins after we have left this world.

This verse advises us to reflect on what we are gathering and "sending ahead" for our eternal life. Which of our actions are going to count as provision for our eternal home?

I came across a lovely little book Golden Rules for Everyday Life by Omraam Mikhaël Aïvanhov which explains this idea beautifully.

Although he is not talking about the Hereafter, he advises that we can prepare our future by living well today:

"We never know what the...

Here is today's reflection from the Quran:

In Sura Zilzal, [99:7] Allah says: So. he who has done an atom's weight of good shall see it

Reflection: Scholars explain that this verse (and the one following it) means that on the Day of Judgement Man will recognize the impact of his actions - he will be shown the actual outcome of his good and bad actions on the Day. And the implication is that even the smallest of deeds will incur more reward than we can imagine.

Human beings are naturally shortsighted - we generally have no idea the impact that the smallest of our actions have and this verse reminds us to be mindful of the impact of good actions and to keep doing these seemingly insignificant kindnesses and good deeds even if we don't think they will amount to much.

The virtue of deeds with Him is never in the quantity but is always focused on the intention behind it. In other words, the smallest of good deeds done with a pure intention are weightier than the largest of deeds done fo...

Here is today's reflection from the Quran:

The final ayat of Sura Ankabut reminds us that although the struggle and the trials sound overwhelming, we have the strength of The Greatest behind us. We are not alone in this.

And (as for) those who strive hard for Us, (in Us) We will most certainly guide them in Our ways; and Allah is most surely with the doers of good. [29:69]

In this world, we are forever striving. Striving at all times is unavoidable. Life and the fruits of life are based on striving. To get anything in life, we have to try hard, fail, try again until we get somewhere.

This verse reminds us that for ultimate success, we need to strive to get connected with Him and please Him. This will be the best outcome for all the effort and struggle we put in. The best return for effort invested wisely.

This last verse of Surah Al-'Ankabut, points to the epitome of the whole Sura and completes the theme of trials and of travels which is found throughout this Sura.

It is telling...