By Dr Safi Kaskas This has been reproduced from Dr Safi’s Facebook page with some minor additions. The second chapter of the Qur’an – Surah Al-Baqara has 286 verses. In the middle of this chapter i.e. verse 143 it says, وَكَذَٰلِكَ جَعَلْنَـٰكُمْ أُمَّةًۭ وَسَطًۭا لِّتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَآءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَيَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَيْكُمْ شَهِيدًۭا And so We have made you ˹believers˺ a justly balanced nation so that you may be witnesses over humanity and that the Messenger may be a witness over you.[1] The phrase “ummatan wasatan” (أُمَّةً وَسَطًا) in the Qur’an 2:143 is rich and multidimensional. The word wasat (وسط) in Arabic does not simply mean “middle” in a numerical sense—it means just, balanced, moderate, excellent, and rightly guided. Below is how this principle applies across different levels: 1. Overall Meaning “A balanced nation” means: Islam rejects: Instead, it calls for a measured, principled middle path. 2. International Politics Being ummatan wasatan means: وَلَا يَجْرِمَنَّكُمْ شَنَـَٔانُ قَوْمٍ عَلَىٰٓ أَلَّا تَعْدِلُوا۟ ۚ ٱعْدِلُوا۟ هُوَ أَقْرَبُ لِلتَّقْوَىٰ Do not let the hatred of a people lead you to …

In this khutbah (sermon), Sheikh Yasir Qadhi tackles the subject of fanaticism, extremism and sectarianism which unfortunately we find among some sections of the Muslim Ummah today, especially those involved in Islamic activism and daw’ah. His talk outlines five dangers of fanaticism, five points on how to recognise fanaticism and three ways to protect ourselves from such ideas and groups. This is a paraphrased transcript of Yasir Qadhi’s khutbah on ‘The Dangers of Religious Fanaticism’. For the full lecture please watch the video below. Introduction During Hajj on the morning of Al-’Aqabah, our Prophet ﷺ told his cousin Ibn ‘Abbas to collect pebbles for throwing at the jamarat. So Ibn Abbas brought a whole bunch of pebbles and he showed them to the Prophet ﷺ. The Prophet ﷺ looked at this group of pebbles, and he picked from them all of the large ones, and he threw them away, and said, ‏ أَمْثَالَ هَؤُلاَءِ فَارْمُوا ‏ “Throw something like these (i.e. the small pebbles).” Then he ﷺ said to the people, يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِيَّاكُمْ …

by Ustadh Abu Yusuf If Allah is merciful how can He punish people?

BY AHMED GAMAL This article has been reproduced from islamiqate.com In a Nutshell:  The linguistic and stylistic analyses show the Qur’an and the Hadith as two independently authored texts; each author exhibiting a different style in their vocabulary, linguistic structures (bigrams, expressions, word frequency etc) and mindset.

by Ustadh Abu Yusuf Understanding the linguistic miracle of the Qur’an

BY HAMZA TZORTZIS. Nearly two billion Christians and over 1.5 billion Muslims believe in him, yet Jesus is perhaps the most misunderstood and misrepresented person in history. This talk demystifies Jesus – his life, teachings, personality and mission. It highlights commonalities but also examines philosophical and theological differences between Christianity and Islam.

Sister Shudada’ Davitt (formerly Sinéad O’Connor) has accepted Islam saying ‘This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey’. أُولٰئِكَ عَلىٰ هُدًى مِن رَبِّهِم ۖ وَأُولٰئِكَ هُمُ المُفلِحونَ “They are the people guided by their Lord. They are the ones who have success.” (Al-Baqara, 2:5) This is to announce that I am proud to have become a Muslim. This is the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian’s journey. All scripture study leads to Islam. Which makes all other scriptures redundant. I will be given (another) new name. It will be Shuhada’ — Shuhada’ Davitt (@MagdaDavitt77) October 19, 2018 Islam rejects blind faith and throughout the Holy Qur’an, Allah commands human beings to contemplate on His creation so they can come to the natural conclusion that all things are created by Allah (Most High). حم تَنزيلُ الكِتابِ مِنَ اللَّهِ العَزيزِ الحَكيمِ إِنَّ فِي السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ لَآياتٍ لِلمُؤمِنينَ وَفي خَلقِكُم وَما يَبُثُّ مِن دابَّةٍ آياتٌ لِقَومٍ يوقِنونَ وَاختِلافِ اللَّيلِ وَالنَّهارِ وَما أَنزَلَ اللَّهُ مِنَ السَّماءِ مِن رِزقٍ فَأَحيا بِهِ الأَرضَ بَعدَ مَوتِها وَتَصريفِ الرِّياحِ آياتٌ لِقَومٍ يَعقِلونَ …