How Are We to Realize the Mawlid?

The word mawlid is defined as “place and time of birth” in dictionaries. “Mevlid,” or the “Veladet Kandili” in Turkish, is the night on which Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) graced the earth with his arrival, coinciding with the 12th night of the month of Rabi` al-Awwal on the Hijri calendar.

The era of the Prophet and the four Caliphs that followed, as well as the reign of Umayyads and Abbasids, did not s...

Hajj: Inward and Outward Journey

In this article, I would like to share with you some of my personal reflections on the hajj, a journey to the center of the Muslim world to where the faith began, not just for Muhammad (peace be upon him), but because it was were Abraham (peace be upon him) built the first house of pilgrimage dedicated to a monotheistic conception of God. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and when talking ...

Eid: Days Of Joy And Celebration

In Arabic the word "eid" means "customary joy and sadness; a day for gathering together."

According to Mahmud al-Kashgari, bayram, the Turkish word for eid, is originally from the Persian bezrem/bezram, and it means a day of entertainment. The pronunciation as bayram is from the Oğuz Turks.

The outstanding characteristic of bayram is eating and drinking because it is a preparation for entertainmen...

On Seeking the Night of Destiny (Laylatul Qadr)

Rather than mechanistically looking at the last ten nights as a gambling of a limited supply of worshiping energy, scarcely interspersed here and there, and wrestling with ourselves on whether tonight is an odd night or an even night depending on which moon-sighting system was used, we can save ourselves some stress by considering Laylatul Qadr and what it means to be a sincere worshiper. At the h...

A Ramadan Gift from Tosun Bayrak

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Blessings to the light of our Lord, the doctor of hearts, the intercessor of sinners, the mercy of Allah upon the universe, our Master Muhammad; and blessings to his enlightened family and companions and all his saints. May Allah’s blessings be upon all of them. May Allah’s peace, blessings, mercy, compassion and love be upon the people of Muhamm...

The Virtues of the Last Ten Days

Aisha noted that "Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim) and that with the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work harder) and used to pray the whole night, & used to keep his family awake for the prayers. (Bukhari)  Ibn `...

Our shield: Fasting

Fasting is the shield donned by the soul. It represents the human inclination towards the soul in the battle between the soul and the body. Fasting in other faiths According to this statement in the Holy Qur'an, all divine religions prescribe fasting: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you that ye may ward off (evil)." (Surah Bakara:183) T...

Friday Sermon: Characteristics of the Believer in Islam

            Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contact us if you would like to c...

Friday Sermon: Understanding the Qur’an

Friday Sermon: Understanding the Qur’an Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contac...

Friday Sermon: Conduct (Adab) in Islam

Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contact us if you would like to contribute or ...

Friday Sermon: Attributes of the Believer

Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contact us if you would like to contribute or ...

Friday Sermon: Islam and Knowledge

For Friday April 8, 2011 Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contact us if you wou...