Islamic Revival

  “If a ruler has no legitimacy – like a dictator who takes power by force through a military coup, then it is permissible to remove him by the same means. There is no problem with this. This is what many scholars wrote in their books and explained, except during certain times when some jurists, under pressure or fear, said things that people later misunderstood. For example, Malik ibn Anas was asked about joining Muhammad al-Nafs al-Zakiyya in his uprising against Abu Ja’far al-Mansur, and he said: “Yes, join him,” and gave a legal opinion to that effect. Likewise, Abd al-Rahman al-Dakhil in Andalusia also gave a fatwa supporting rebellion. When Malik was asked, “What if someone rises against our leader – should we protect the leader?” he replied, “If they are like Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, then protect the leader. Otherwise, leave it. Allah will punish the oppressor through another oppressor, and then He will punish both.” Sahnun explained Malik’s words by saying: If the ruler is unj...

  “The scholars are the inheritors of the Prophets.” Yet in every age, some choose to abandon that inheritance, trading divine obligation for state patronage, and truth for stability. The weight of this betrayal becomes more acute in moments of crisis and no moment in our generation has laid bare the bankruptcy of the religious establishment as has the genocide in Gaza. Over the course of Israel’s recent aggression against the people of Gaza, beginning in October 2023, more than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed, the majority of them women and children. The infrastructure of life – hospitals, schools, bakeries, refugee shelters – has been systematically targeted. The siege on food, water, and medicine, combined with deliberate military attacks, has rendered Gaza a scene of unprecedented devastation. Gaza has been entirely wiped out in front of our eyes. The difference between the scholars of resistance and the scholars of the regime is not one of interpretation. It is one of all...

  Innā lillāhi wa innā ilayhī rājiʿūn. Indeed, to Allah we belong, and to Him we are returning. It is with great sadness that we share the news of the passing of Farhat Amin, host of the   Smart Muslima   podcast and best-selling author of a range of inspiring books that defend and promote hijab, as well as encouraging marriage as an Islamic alternative to feminism and promiscuity. She had been battling cancer for the past three years.   [1]   [2] Known in the British Muslim community and beyond for tackling challenges faced by Muslim women and girls in the West, Farhat was unafraid of dealing with sensitive topics including the objectification of hijab, the changing dynamics of Muslim marriage, and the consequences of modern feminism on women’s well-being. Her husband,  Muhammad Jalal  — a political scientist and educator who is the host of  The Thinking Muslim  podcast — said of her passing, It is with great sadness that I announce the deat...

  Original Arabic “And what is [the matter] with you that you do not fight in the cause of Allah and [for] the oppressed among men, women, and children who say, ‘Our Lord, take us out of this city of oppressive people and appoint for us from Yourself a protector and appoint for us from Yourself a helper’.” —  Surah An-Nisā’ (4:75) While the Gaza Strip is starved under siege and bombarded from the skies, the world witnesses a continuous genocide broadcast live and direct. Yet, the armies of the Muslims have not moved; not a single battalion has emerged, nor a single detachment advanced. The Arab regimes convene, denounce, and call for restraint, yet they lift no siege, nor do they try to intimidate any enemy. Their borders are sealed, while their skies remain open to the Zionist airline “El Al” and to Israeli diplomatic missions. The Rafah crossing is closed, and Israel continues its massacres without deterrence, even as it partakes in iftar feasts with its friends in the Gulf....

1- Palestine is home to Masjid al-Aqsa, the second house of worship to be built on Earth, following Masjid al-Haram in Makkah. It is also the first qibla of the beloved Prophet ﷺ and the destination of his miraculous night journey. Al-Aqsa and the Palestinian cause is firmly connected to our deen. It is not just a political struggle, or a nationalist struggle; it is an Islamic concern and struggle. Allah (swt) declares the sacredness of al-Aqsa: سُبْحَـٰنَ ٱلَّذِىٓ أَسْرَىٰ بِعَبْدِهِۦ لَيْلًۭا مِّنَ ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْحَرَامِ إِلَى ٱلْمَسْجِدِ ٱلْأَقْصَا ٱلَّذِى بَـٰرَكْنَا حَوْلَهُۥ لِنُرِيَهُۥ مِنْ ءَايَـٰتِنَآ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ هُوَ ٱلسَّمِيعُ ٱلْبَصِيرُ Glory be to the One Who took His servant ˹Muḥammad˺ by night from the Sacred Mosque to the Farthest Mosque whose surroundings We have blessed, so that We may show him some of Our signs. Indeed, He alone is the All-Hearing, All-Seeing.  (Al-Isra’, 1) 2- Three generations across seven decades of the Palestinian people have endured Israeli o...

Maria Akbar details what practical steps that Muslims in the West, who live privileged lives, can take to help our oppressed brothers and sisters in Palestine. “And certainly, We shall test you with something of fear, hunger, loss of wealth, lives and fruits, but give glad tidings to the patient ones. Who, when afflicted with calamity, say: “Truly! To Allah we belong and truly, to Him we shall return.” Quran: 2:155-156 Condolences to the Muslim Ummah for the genocide that we are witnessing before our eyes. It is deeply saddening and infuriating to see; not only because our Ummah is bleeding, but even on a basic humanitarian level. The Palestinians are being treated as sub-humans, as they have been for the past 75 years or so, whilst the world watches on. I know I am not alone in the despair and impotence that I feel seeing updates of my brothers and sisters being massacred, whilst I sit here in complete safety. Palestine is being obliterated by Israel but as Muslims we cannot be bystan...