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Night 25. Four nights left after tonight.

Quick announcements: Eid will be this Friday insha’Allah, based on ANIC’s announcement. Qaswa will be praying at MacDougall Park in Como. Takbir starts at 8, prayer at 8:30. Setup is at 7:30 — the more hands the better. Bring a prayer mat or picnic mat, and a plate to share is very much welcome.

Tonight is also a Sunday eve, which means tomorrow is a public holiday. No excuses. Sleep early, wake up at 3am...

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Tonight is the 24th night. Eid has been announced — next Friday, insha’Allah. That means 29 nights of Ramadan this year. Which means we have five nights left.

Before anything else — stay out of the arguments about moon sighting. Online or otherwise. This is not the time. There is a hadith that the Prophet ﷺ was once shown the exact night of Laylatul Qadr and was on his way to tell the companions — when he found them arguing among themselves. And Allah caus...

Tonight is the 23rd night. And because the Islamic calendar begins at Maghrib, tonight is already Friday night. Many of our pious predecessors said that when an odd night of Ramadan falls on a Friday night, the likelihood of it being Laylatul Qadr increases.

This is the night we’ve been hunting for all year. So do extra. Make lots of du’a. Don’t waste a minute of it.

And as it happens — alhamdulillah — the ayat we reach tonight in Surah Al-A’raf are about du’a itself. About how to make it, what should be in o...

The Last Ten Nights Are Here

Before diving into the final ayah of Surah Al-Muzzammil, a timely reminder — tonight is the 23rd night of Ramadan. The last ten nights are upon us, and the Prophet ﷺ told us to hunt for Laylatul Qadr in these nights, especially the odd ones. Tonight is one of them.

So what should fill these nights? Extra raka’at. Extra Quran. Extra dhikr. And the best du’a for this occasion comes to us through Sayyidatuna Aisha (رضي الله عنها), who asked the Prophet ﷺ: if I encounter the Night of Al-Qadr, what should I say? He replied: “All...

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Eight nights left. Make them count.

Quick reminder before we get into the tafseer: Zakatul Fitr is wajib on every Muslim — $20 per head this year. It’s due before Eid prayer, so don’t leave it to the last minute. If you’re not sure where to give locally, I’ll post the details for MWSC — Muslim Welfare Support Centre — in the Qaswa Community Group.

Six Days — Picking Up From Last Night

We were in the middle of so...

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Night 21. First of the odd nights.

Go all in from here.

We’ve been over this — Laylatul Qadr is greater than a thousand months. Greater than 83 years. Most of us won’t even live to see 83. And yet Allah is handing us this, every single year, completely free. One night of worship worth more than a lifetime. Don’t let it pass.

The Trap of Being Born Into It

We stopped last night at the p...

Opening Reminder: The Last 10 Nights of Ramadan

Tonight marks the 21st night of Ramadan — one of the odd nights in which Laylatul Qadr may fall. The Prophet ﷺ urged us to seek it in the last ten nights. Allah describes it as a single night greater than a thousand months — more than 83 years of worship.

The minimum we should commit to: praying Isha and Fajr in congregation every night of these last ten. The Prophet ﷺ said whoever does so receives the reward of praying the entire night. If you can’t get to the masjid, pray with a fam...

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The last ten have begun.

Taharaw laylatal qadr fil ashril awakhir min Ramadan. Hunt for Laylatul Qadr in the last ten nights of Ramadan.

Here’s why this gift exists. The Prophet ﷺ once told the compan...

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The Last Ten Begin Tomorrow

Tonight is the 19th night of Ramadan. The last ten start tomorrow.

The Prophet ﷺ told us that whoever misses the good of Laylatul Qadr has been denied all good for the entire year — because that person looked at a night worth more than a thousand months and said: I’m fine, I don’t need it.

One thousand months is 83 years. One night of ibadah — one raka’ah, one dollar given in cha...

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After Badr

The battle is over. The Muslims are victorious. Fourteen Muslims were martyred. Seventy Quraysh were killed, including Abu Jahl — the man who had led the persecution of the believers for over a decade.

And then the Prophet ﷺ did something that tells you everything about his character. He instructed the Muslims to dig graves and bury the Quraysh dead. These were men who had tortured and killed companions. Men who had tried to kill the Prophet ﷺ himsel...

Tonight is the night of Badr.

On this night, 1,443 years ago, 313 Muslim men camped on the plains of Badr — underprepared, outnumbered more than three to one — on the eve of a battle that would determine whether Islam survived or was extinguished.

There is no tafseer of Surah Al-A’raf tonight. Tonight belongs to Badr.

How They Got There

The Muslims left Madinah on the 12th of Ramadan. The mission was straightforward: intercept Abu Sufyan’s caravan returning from Syria — the largest trading caravan the Quraysh had ever assembled, loaded with profits from goods...

A quick note before we begin: from tonight, we recite Dua Qunut in Witr. The Shafi’i madhab holds that Qunut in Witr is only in the second half of Ramadan — following the practice established by Sayyidina Umar ibn al-Khattab when he unified the companions behind one imam for Taraweeh and instructed Sayyidina Ubay ibn Ka’ab to lead with Qunut in the final nights. May Allah enter us among those who pray with the imam from beginning to end, and receive the reward of a full night’s prayer.

The Battle of Badr — Approaching

The Muslim...

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A Ramadan Halftime Check-In

Before we dive into today’s ayat, I want to take a moment to remind myself and all of you — today marks the 15th of Ramadan. We are at the halfway mark of this blessed month.

It’s time to pause and reflect on our first half. How has it been? Have we been building momentum? Because here’s the thing — it is no longer time to warm up. We should already be...

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Halfway. Fifteen nights in, fifteen nights to go.

The warm-up is over. From here, we accelerate. The last third — the ten nights of salvation — is coming. But before we get there, the middle ten: the days of forgiveness. Use them.

A brief note before tonight’s tafseer: on the 17th of Ramadan, we commemorate Yawm al-Furqan — the Day of Criterion, the Battle of Badr. The Muslims left Madinah on the 12th of Ramadan, fasting, unprepared for full...

al-Muzzammil 15 - 19

This week we read and dissect the tajweed rules in ayat 15 - 19 of Surah al-Muzzammil. When it comes to learning a new skill, like Quran reading, remember that consistency beats intensity. It is very important that we practice daily even if it is just for 10 - 15 minutes.

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Allah does not leave us alone on this earth.

After Adam’s descent, after the warnings about Shaitan’s tactics, after the long passage of advice to the children of Adam — Allah makes a promise. Ya Bani Adam, imma ya’tiyannakum rusulum minkum. O children of Adam, surely a messenger from amongst you will come to you.

That word surely is embedded in the Arabic itself. The verb does not simply say ya’tikum — he will come. It says ya’t...

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A poor non-Muslim once approached a wealthy tabi’een and said: your Prophet lied. He said this world is a prison for the believers — yet you are living like a king and I have nothing. How is this your prison?

The tabi’een replied: because you have not seen what Allah has prepared for me in the akhirah. If you could see it, you would understand that this life — however comfortable — is nothing by comparison. And you think you...

Note: The first half of tonight’s session wasn’t recorded — it was a revision of Night 10’s discussion on tabdhir and israf. We pick up from where the new material begins.

The Balance Islam Strikes

Some spiritual traditions teach that poverty is the path to God. Monks take oaths of poverty. Monasteries require their residents to own nothing, eat simply, wear rags. Buddhism requires its monks to beg. On the other end of the spectrum, certain strands of modern Christianity preach the opposite — that wealth is a sign of divine favour, that God rewards the faithf...

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One third of Ramadan is behind us.

There is a narration — its grading is discussed among scholars, but widely used as a reminder — that the first ten nights carry the overwhelming mercy of Allah, the second ten His forgiveness, and the final ten His guarantee of salvation from the fire. Though in reality, every single night holds all three. Ramadan does not divide itself neatly into chapters. But the framing is useful: if the first ten was a warm-up, the...

Nine nights in. If you’ve been reading one juz a night, you’ve just passed Surah Al-A’raf in your recitation — the very surah we’re studying together. A good reminder of how the Quran works on multiple levels simultaneously.

The Naked Tawaf — Continued

Last night we left off with the Quraysh practice of doing tawaf naked around the Kaaba. Tonight, a detail worth noting: the Quraysh themselves were exempt from this practice. They claimed to be the pure people of Makkah, above sin — so they could do tawaf in clothing. It was only the outsiders...

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Here’s the expanded version:

Tafsir Thursday — Surah Al-Muzammil: Stand Up, Pray, and Let Allah Handle the Rest

8th of Ramadan Reflections

We’re one week into Ramadan. If you started slow — that’s okay. Ramadan is a marathon. You start steady and sprint towards the end. What we don’t want is the opposite: starting strong and slowly fading — attending Taraweeh in the first few nights then drifting away, stopping the extra prayers, and then preparing...

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One week of Ramadan. Already.

Before we move into tonight’s ayat, a reflection from Part 2 that deserves its own moment — because it will run as the undercurrent through everything that follows in this surah.

al-Muzzammil 10 -14

This week we read and dissect the tajweed rules in ayat 10 - 14 of Surah al-Muzzammil. When it comes to learning a new skill, like Quran reading, remember that consistency beats intensity. It is very important that we practice daily even if it is just for 10 - 15 minutes.

The Prophet ﷺ said: every child of Adam is a sinner, and the best of sinners are those who make tawbah. We will slip. The question is never whether we fall — it’s which path we take when we do.

Last night we saw those two paths clearly: the path of Iblis, who blamed Allah and recruited others into his rebellion; and the prophetic path, demonstrated by Adam — take ownership, turn back, ask forgiveness.

The Prophet ﷺ at Ta’if

No one embodied the prophetic path more completely than the Prophet ﷺ himself. After his wife Khadijah and h...

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Five nights in. Ramadan has a way of feeling slow at the start and then suddenly you’re in the last ten nights wondering where the month went. Make full use of every day.

The Prophet ﷺ once climbed his mimbar and said “Ameen” three times — once on each step. When the companions asked what the dua was, he told them Jibreel had made three supplications and…

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Last night we established the first sin in history: Iblis refusing to bow before Adam out of arrogance. Tonight we go deeper — into what happened next, and what it means for us.

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We move into Part 2 of our journey through Surah Al-A’raf: the creation of human beings. And Allah begins not with Adam, but with something we rarely stop to appreciate.

We Were Made for Good Living

“We have settled you on earth and made for you therein ma’ayish.”

Ma’ayish doesn’t just mean livelihood. It means good living. Allah didn’t have to create us this way. He could have made us like the dung beetl...

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Alhamdulillah — we made it through the first day. Thirty-eight degrees, and we’re still here.

A reminder before we begin: Ramadan is a marathon, not a sprint. The temptation on night one is to go all out — packed masjid, high energy, maximum worship. But the goal is to still be standing strong in the last ten nights. Start with intention, build with cons…

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Where do you find strength when you’re overwhelmed?

In this week’s Tafseer Thursday, we dive into Surah Al-Muzammil — and the answer Allah gave the Prophet ﷺ when he was facing the hardest task of his life.

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The mission was heav…

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Ramadan Mubarak.

Every Ramadan, our community at Qaswa gathers to study one surah in depth — weaving tafseer into our nightly prayers. We’ve journeyed through Al-Baqarah, Ali Imran, An-Nisa, Al-Ma’idah, and Al-An’am. This year, we enter Surah Al-A’raf: 206 ayat, one of the longer Makki surahs, and a surah that carries a message every generation needs to hear.

Grounded is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a...

al-Muzzammil 5 - 9

Assalamualaikum,

It is Tuesday, that means it is time for Tajweed Tuesday. Last week we embarked our journey into Surah al-Muzzammil and read ayat 1 - 4.

This week, insha Allah, we will read ayat 5 - 9. If you are listening to this episode as a podcast, I highly recommend that you watch the video as there are some concepts that are easier to understand by seeing.

All right, without further ado, let’s get started. Remember, we are aiming for smoothness. Start slow as slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

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Why Belief Must Come Before Practice: Introduction to Imam Al-Ghazali’s 40 Principles

Understanding the foundations of Islamic knowledge requires more than memorizing rulings or performing rituals. It demands a systematic approach to learning that begins with certainty in belief before moving to practice. This article explores the framework laid out in Imam Al-Ghazali’s The 40 Principles of Our Religion, examining why aqidah (creed) forms the essential foundation upon which all other religious knowledge is built.

The Three Dime...

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Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh.

Welcome back to Tafsir Thursday. We’re in a new year, a new term, and that means new surahs to explore together.

But this term is different. Instead of diving into one surah, we’ll be studying two: Surah Al-Muzzammil and Surah Al-Muddathir. Why two? Three reasons: first, they’re both relatively short. Second, their meanings are closely linked together. And third, in terms of chronology, these surahs were revealed back-to-back. They were among the ea...

al-Muzzammil 1 - 4

Welcome back to Tajweed Tuesday. As we begin a new term and a new year, we’re moving on to study fresh surahs. This term, we’ll explore two powerful chapters: al-Muzzammil and al-Muddaththir. Though relatively short, both contain profound meaning and hold special significance—they were revealed very early in Islamic history, sent down back to back.

Each Tuesday, we’ll follow our usual approach: reading the ayat of the week and exploring its tajweed rules. Remember to practice consistently and aim for fluency. As always, slow is smooth, and smooth is fast.

Beginning a New Text with Imam al-Ghazali

Alhamdulillah, this session marks the beginning of a new text in our weekly Ratib & Reminders gathering. For those based in Perth, you’re warmly invited to join us live at Qaswa House every Thursday from 7:00–9:00 p.m. The gathering is open to everyone — men and women, young and old.

After returning to Perth, it was a joy to be back at Ratib and to see the continuity of the program while I was away. We recently completed Arba‘ina Shamil fi Insanil Kamil, the 40 hadith on the perfection of Rasul...

Alhamdulillah, my heart is full.

I recently had the honour of serving once again as translator for Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf — a blessing I never take for granted.

In 2022, Allah granted me the opportunity to welcome him to Perth for the very first time, and to serve as his translator during that visit. It remains a very precious moment in my life and one I am always grateful for.

And now, on his third visit, I was able to receive him at Qaswa House in full action — with over 200 members of our Qommunity present: stud...

We’ve entered a new term, and that means a new Surah! This term, we begin our journey with Surah al-Fath, a powerful chapter that opens with Divine reassurance and promise.

In this episode, we recite and break down the first three āyāt, focusing on key Tajwīd principles such as:

* Nun Mushaddadah: Learn how inna is read with two harakāt of nasalisation (ghunnah) – not rushed, but softly and smoothly from the nasal passage.

* Makharij (Points of Articulation): Understand the correct way to pronounce letters like ḥā (from the middle throat) in fataḥnā and...

Alhamdulillah, I was given the honour of delivering the Friday Khutbah at the Australia Open Pencak Silat International Championship 2024. It was the first time for Australia to host an international silat tournament.When the organiser approached me asking if I can deliver the khutbah at the tournament, my heart skipped a beat. For those of you who know me, will know my love for martial arts.Here’s some snippets from the khutbah. May Allah reward the organisers for their hard work.

Dear Qommunity,

In the 7th year of Prophethood, the Muslim community was pushed to the brink of starvation. The Quraysh had imposed a ruthless boycott—no trade, no marriages, no contact. The Muslims were isolated in a valley outside Makkah, slowly starving.

At night, the cries of hungry children pierced the desert silence. These cries broke through the pride of some Quraysh leaders. One of them, Zuhair ibn Abi Umayyah, though not a Muslim, stood before the Quraysh and asked:

“Are we going to eat while Banu Hashim is star...

Lessons from the Seerah

When we look at the sīrah, in the seventh year of Prophethood, the challenges facing the Muslims were unbearable.

At first, the Quraysh mocked and insulted. But when insults failed, by the fifth year they turned to violence—abusing, torturing, even killing some of the early Muslims. When that too didn’t stop the daʿwah, they escalated further: a total boycott against the Muslims and Banū Hāshim, the Prophet’s own tribe.

No one was allowed to buy from them, sell to them, marry them, or even speak...