The Meaning of La Ilaha Illa Allah: An Annotated Translation of Imam al-Zarkashi’s Treatise on the Islamic Testimony of Faith
Latest
Hindutva and Anti-Muslim Violence: How to Navigate Hindu Supremacy
Safa AhmedHindutva does not only harm Muslims in India; it has found resonance in diasporic communities, involves itself in transnational repression, and openly pledges its allegiance to other far-right movements. Its supporters amplify Zionist propaganda that enables Israel’s genocide in Palestine, provide...
The Divine Wisdom Behind the Pairing of Allah's Names in the Qur'an
Jinan Yousef“Allah has ninety-nine names. Whoever preserves (ahsaha or hafidhaha) them will enter Paradise.” Such was the teaching of the Prophet ﷺ. Many of us have heard this hadith, but fewer of us have internalized the true scope of its meaning. To preserve Allah’s names is not simply to memorize them—it is...
Love and Hate for God’s Sake: Revisiting the Doctrine of al-Wala’ wal-Bara’
Dr. Hatem al-HajProperly reconciling commitment to God and compassion for man is among the most pressing needs of today’s world. It is no secret that Muslims’ relationship with the “other” (including fellow believers of other theological orientations) has become such a major trial for many—particularly those...
Marriage and Gender Roles in Islam: Beyond Rights and Duties
Dr. Tesneem AlkiekOver the past two centuries, Muslim societies confronted what often felt like insurmountable trials: from colonial domination and military defeat to political fragmentation and institutional decay. And yet, even as the Western world began to stagger under the recoil of the very ideologies it...
Virtues of Surah al-Baqara: Healing and Protection in the Qur’an’s Longest Chapter
Sh. Suleiman HaniOne night, standing underneath the vast stretch of the starry sky, Usayd ibn Ḥuḍayr found himself reciting Surah al-Baqara. His horse, tied beside him, suddenly grew agitated. When Ibn Ḥuḍayr paused his recitation, the horse fell silent. He resumed his recitation, only for the horse to again become...
Surah al-Fatiha’s Benefits and Virtues: The Greatest Surah in the Qur’an
Sh. Suleiman HaniSurah al-Fatiha is the greatest surah in the Qur’an, the foundation of Islam, the summary of truth, a healing for illnesses, a comfort for worries, a protection, and a fortress. Surah Al-Fatiha is an unrivaled divine revelation to the final nation, recited at least seventeen times a day by Muslims...
The Power of a Positive Home Environment: What the Research Says | Blog
Yaqeen InstituteThis post was written in collaboration with The Family and Youth Institute. Do you have a parenting resolution for the new school year? What about having a more positive environment at home? In this article, The Family and Youth Institute present findings from Yaqeen Institute’s survey on the home...
Nana Asma’u bint Uthman (1793-1864) was a Muslim scholar and prolific poet from the West African Sahel. She was the daughter of Shaykh Uthman ibn Muhammad ibn Uthman ibn Salih (d. 1817), known as Uthman dan Fodio, the founder of the powerful Sokoto caliphate and one of the most esteemed scholars in...
The Power of a Positive Home Environment: What the Research Says | Blog
Yaqeen InstituteThis post was written in collaboration with The Family and Youth Institute. Do you have a parenting resolution for the new school year? What about having a more positive environment at home? In this article, The Family and Youth Institute present findings from Yaqeen Institute’s survey on the home...
This paper presents the three levels of religious practice in Islam as expressed in the famous ḥadith of Gabriel: 1) Islām (outward submission to the will of Allah), 2) Īmān (faith), and 3) Iḥsān (spiritual excellence). Texts from the Qur’an, Sunnah, and classical scholarly works are cited to...
In the days that have passed, we have collectively witnessed the inconceivable patience demonstrated by the Palestinian people as bombs soar overhead, razing their homes and desecrating their children. The mainstream media, meanwhile, has not only largely ignored their harrowing experiences, but...
Amid the devastating genocide raging through Gaza, from the rubble emerges an indestructible light that has captivated the hearts of people across the world—the faith and resilience of the people of Gaza. This isn’t the first war. Sadly, this also isn’t the first time that ethnic cleansing of an...
The Meaning of Allah's Name Al-Latif: The Most Subtle
Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy
What does Allah's name, Al-Latif mean? Explore the meaning and benefits of Allah's name, Al-Latif and why God is known as the most subtle towards his servants.
Does God Exist? The Case for Allah’s Existence in the Quran and Sunnah
Anonymous Guest Author
Knowledge of God’s existence is often taken for granted by believers. The authentic religious experience—affirmed again and again in a Muslim’s daily life—makes faith in God feel so natural as to be assumed. But belief in God and the quest for existential truth is not an easy prospect for many...
The Meaning of Allah's Name Al-Jabbar: The Compeller and Mender of Broken Hearts
Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy
She sat there for days, paralyzed by shock, having witnessed her dreams get shattered forever—or so she thought. A short time later, al-Jabbār had mended her broken heart and recreated for her an even better dream in its place. Their tears streamed as they stared at the x-rays of his mangled bones....
How Does Ramadan Work? A Beginner’s Guide
Anonymous Guest Author
Learn about the virtues of fasting in general, the spirit of the practice, why we fast, and what moral, psychological, and spiritual outcomes are desired.
The Infinitely Merciful and the Question of Hellfire
Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy Is Allah really more merciful with us than even our own mothers? How can that be possible when He created Hellfire and will cast some people into it? The study Modern Pathways to Doubt in Islam, published by the Yaqeen Institute,...
The Meaning of Allah's Name Al-Latif: The Most Subtle
Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy
What does Allah's name, Al-Latif mean? Explore the meaning and benefits of Allah's name, Al-Latif and why God is known as the most subtle towards his servants.
Does God Exist? The Case for Allah’s Existence in the Quran and Sunnah
Anonymous Guest Author
Knowledge of God’s existence is often taken for granted by believers. The authentic religious experience—affirmed again and again in a Muslim’s daily life—makes faith in God feel so natural as to be assumed. But belief in God and the quest for existential truth is not an easy prospect for many...
The Meaning of Allah's Name Al-Jabbar: The Compeller and Mender of Broken Hearts
Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy
She sat there for days, paralyzed by shock, having witnessed her dreams get shattered forever—or so she thought. A short time later, al-Jabbār had mended her broken heart and recreated for her an even better dream in its place. Their tears streamed as they stared at the x-rays of his mangled bones....
How Does Ramadan Work? A Beginner’s Guide
Anonymous Guest Author
Learn about the virtues of fasting in general, the spirit of the practice, why we fast, and what moral, psychological, and spiritual outcomes are desired.
The Infinitely Merciful and the Question of Hellfire
Sh. Mohammad Elshinawy
In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy Is Allah really more merciful with us than even our own mothers? How can that be possible when He created Hellfire and will cast some people into it? The study Modern Pathways to Doubt in Islam, published by the Yaqeen Institute,...
Mawālī: How Freed Slaves and Non-Arabs Contributed to Islamic Scholarship
Dr. Emad Hamdeh
The contributions of non-Arabs and slaves to early Islamic scholarship Those unfamiliar with Islamic intellectual history might assume that most early Muslim scholars were Arabs. And some might be surprised to hear that among these early scholars were many who had been slaves. However, as I will...
Reviving the Waqf Tradition: Moral Imagination and the Structural Causes of Poverty
Dr. Zara Khan
This paper builds on recent research classifying Islamic charitable endowments—the institution of the waqf—into distinct stages of historical and institutional development. It aims to imagine how the waqf might look today. Throughout Islamic history, the waqf institution changed in form as the...
We’ve Been Here Before: Plague and Pestilence in Pre-Modern Islamic History
Abdul Rahman Latif
In the Name of Allah the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful On the 27th of Rajab, Muslims traditionally gathered in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus to commemorate the Miʿrāj, the Ascension of the Prophet ﷺ. Ibn Kathīr writes that on that day in the year 749 AH, during the Black Death, “People did not...
How Islam Spread Throughout the World
Hassam Munir
Historians have widely discredited the narrative that the prevalence of Islam in the world today can be explained as a result of forced conversions. Without denying that there may have been some exceptional cases of forced conversion―in blatant violation of clear Islamic directives―this article...
Understanding Aisha’s Age: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Asadullah Ali Al-Andalusi
This publication was supervised by Jonathan A. C. Brown. Abstract In recent years, few criticisms of Islam have taken the spotlight as much as condemnations of the Prophet’s marriage to Aisha. Muslims are accused of following the example of a man who had inappropriate relations with a 9-year-old...
