God (Allah)

Allah (الله‎, romanized: Allāh) is the Arabic word for God in Abrahamic religions. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam.

76532

Qur'an . God (Allah)

In Surah 70:40 of the Quran why does Allah swear upon the "Easts and Wests" in the plural?

Amina Inloes, Amina Inloes is originally from the US and has a PhD in Islamic Studies from the University of Exeter on Shi'a hadith. She is the program leader for the MA Islamic Studies program at the... Answered 2 hours ago

It depends on what one understands "easts" and "wests" to mean.

It is narrated from Imam Ali (A) that this is because the sun rises in a different place every day; this spot changes throughout the year. "Easts" can be taken to mean literally "places of sunrise" and "wests" can be taken to mean "places of sunset". So it refers to all the different places where the sun rises and sets as one of the divine signs.

78701

Sleep . Salah (Prayers) . God (Allah) . Forgiveness . Qadha

I missed Maghrib, Isha and Fajr prayers due to excessive sleep. What should I do for Allah to forgive this sin of mine?

You should make up the missed prayers and you can also personally ask Allah for forgiveness during du'a.

78872

God (Allah) . Dunya

Who asked Allah to bring us here, in this world, in the first place?

Zoheir Ali Esmail, Shaykh Zoheir Ali Esmail has a Bsc in Accounting and Finance from the LSE in London, and an MA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University. He studied Arabic at Damascus University and holds a PhD... Answered 4 days ago

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Allah willed to bring us to this world and it was not at the request of anyone.

May you always be successful

77221

Life . Qur'an . Salah (Prayers) . God (Allah)

How can I do life activities like exercising and studying and not feel like I am wasting time because I should be reading the Koran, praying and reading Tasfir for the sake of Allah? How do I manage this feeling?

Sayyed Mohammad Al-Musawi, Sayyed Mohammad al-Musawi is originally from Iraq and heads up the World Ahlul Bayt Islamic League in London. Other than being involved in various humanitarian projects, he frequently responds to... Answered 4 days ago

The meaning of worshiping Allah (SWT) is not limited to reading Quran or Tafseer or praying Salah but it is much wider up to the extend of including all useful life activities including studying, working, eating, exercising, resting etc as far as the activity is done for noble cause e.g. being healthy to do good.

There is a Prophetic Hadeeth advising to keep every act of life, for the sake of Allah. That will make life a continuous worship.

Wassalam.

76538

Qur'an . God (Allah) . Divine Guidance

Why does the Quran state that Allah guides whom He wants and not others? Why is He gracious towards some but not others? Why does He not help the misguided by opening their eyes?

Allah (SWT) guided all human beings to the right and warned them from wrong. (We showed him (human being) the two ways,; good and bad) (Sura 90, Verse 10).

(Verily, We showed him the way, (for him to decide) whether to be grateful or ungrateful) Sura 76, Verse 3).

Allah (SWT) helps every one who wants to be guided, as He kept the instinct knowledge in every human being about the main facts of the existence (Tawheed, Adl, Nubawwat, Imamat, and Qiyamat) and helps those who want to strive to be guided (Those who strive in Our way, We will verily guide the to Our ways ) (Sura 29, Verse 21). But those who refuse the guidance of Allah (SWT) and insist on refusing it, will be let alone with their own option.

Allah (SWT) is gracious to all His creatures and He showers His Mercy on all of them : My Mercy included every thing .(Sura 7, Verse 156).

Guidance from Allah is always offered to every one who wants it, but it can not be enforced on those who insisting on refusing it.

Wassalam.

74646

God (Allah) . Spirituality

If our journey towards Allah has to be done alone, then why do we as humans crave companionship, be it in terms of a friend, spouse or spiritual teacher?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. While everyone is responsible for their own actions, the journey towards Allah does not have to be alone. Most mystics have recourse to their teachers and fellow wayfarers on the path as well as their families and friends. The inner journey occurs within the individual, but that does not exclude companionship along the way. Indeed these relationships aid the spiritual journey.

May you always be successful.

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Polytheism . God (Allah) . Imam Ali

Is saying "Ya Ali Madad" a form of polytheism if you are asking Imam Ali for help and not God?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. It is polytheism if the person sees Imam Ali (as) as an independent source of help from God.

May you always be successful

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Urdu . God (Allah) . Fatimah al-Zahra

There is a small Urdu book that says Bibi Fatima Ka Mojiza, people read it for Mannat and ask Allah to help. Is this allowed?

Yes it is allowed.

Lady Fatima (SA) is the greatest lady and the best lady in the Paradise and seeking her intersession is a very good way to get our wished fulfilled.

Wassalam.

76515

God (Allah) . Meaning . Qur'anic Verse . Divine Guidance

What does Allah (swt) mean in the verse where it says that "those who strive hard for Us, We will guide them in our ways"?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. The purport of the verse is that the result of struggle and strife in the way of Allah, be that military, against satan or against the lower self, is an increase in guidance on the pathways that lead to God.

May you always be successful

70396

God (Allah)

How can someone work on building a good opinion of God when prayers over eleven years for a basic human need have remained unanswered?

Bismillah

Thank you for your question. Having a good opinion of God means that a person trusts God to do what is better for them. If a supplication is not answered, and if the person has actualized all of the conditions for their supplication to be answered and has acted with wisdom, then this is the stage in which a person needs to have that good opinion. So there isn't a dichotomy between unanswered prayers and our opinion of God, as a good opinion is not dependent on the answering of certain prayers.

May you always be successful.

75723

Society . Poverty . God (Allah) . Hunger

Why is there inequality in society and the difference between the poor and the rich? Why can't God eradicate poverty and pain and prevent the millions of people, including babies, who die from hunger?

Seyed Ali Shobayri, Seyed Ali Shobayri is of mixed Iranian and Scottish descent who found the path of the Ahlul Bayt (a) by his own research. He holds a BA in Islamic Studies from Middlesex University through the... Answered 1 month ago

Bismaillah,

Asalamu Alaykom,

God is most powerful and could easily do such an action. However, poverty exists due to man’s greediness. If everyone had paid their Islamic taxes correctly such as zakat and khoms, the situation of poverty would look much different.

We find that Imam Ali (as) was strongly against poverty, and gave us an example on eradicating it. This was even towards non-Muslims such as the famous story below which alludes to his conduct towards a Christian beggar:

‘One day Ameer ul Momineen (Commander of the Faithful) Imam Ali (AS), passed through the lane and saw the beggar in that condition. Imam Ali (AS), out of his concern for others, enquired about the old man. He wanted to know the factors which led him to that condition. “Has he has no son to support him? Or, is there no other way for him to live a respectable life in his old age?”

The people who knew the old man came forward and informed Imam Ali (AS) that he was a Christian and had worked hard so long as he had his eyes, and when young and strong.

Now that he had lost his youth as well as his eyes, he was unable to do any work; also he had no savings, so it was natural for him to beg. Imam Ali (AS) said, “Strange! Till he had strength, you extracted work from him and now you have left him on his own?”

His story shows that he had worked when he had the strength. Therefore, it is the duty of the Government and the society to support him while he is alive. “Go, and give him a life pension from the State Treasury (Baytul Mal).”

Also regarding the rich and poor, Islam in fact encourages the rich to help the poor and act in a humble manner with them. The Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them) were known for this as well as helping the slaves or servants with hard work. It is the corrupt society and governments which create poverty and enforce a system which discriminates between the rich and poor. Islam has been given to us to deal with this issue in addition to all of society’s problems.

May Allah grant you success

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Forgiveness . God (Allah)

If I did bad to someone and they don’t know it, is there anyway to get forgiveness from Allah (SWT) without informing the person of what I did?

If you have taken something from some one in a wrong way, you must return it back to him.

If you did wrong to some one but you are unable to seek his pardon, you need to pray for him and seek from Allah (SWT) to forgive you and forgive him as well.

Wassalam.