As you proceed on your journey in along the path of self-purification andTazkiyah, in quest of the ultimate goal of Paradise, you will encounter difficulties and hardships. These may often seem insurmountable. Overcoming them may be made easier by a good early grasp of the prerequisites oftazkiyah.These include: Genuine Effort In order to succeed, you …

In Islam, faith is not an abstract theological dogma, nor an intellectual creed, nor a philosophical proposition. It must spring forth into action in day-to-day life. So, it extends from inner to outer, from individual to social, from moral to legal. It is theShariahwhich translates faith and moral ideals into clear, definable, viable, and concrete …

TheShariahincludes both faith and practice. It embraces worship, individual attitude and conduct. It also includes social norms and laws, whether political, economic, familial, criminal, or civil. What is Shariah? In its fullest sense, the Shariah is virtually synonymous, and can be used interchangeably, with the word deen, which can only inadequately be translated as “religion.” …

To attain a faithful relation with the Quran, you need to read it with no purpose other than to receive guidance from your Lord, to come nearer to Him, and to seek His good pleasure. What you get from the Quran depends on what you come to it for. Your niyyah (intention and purpose) is …

There are seven states of consciousness which you must try to develop by remembering certain things, absorbing them and by frequently reminding yourself of them. The Qur’anic Criteria of Inner Participation First:Say to yourself: My Qur’an reading will not be trulytilawah(recitation) unless my inner self participates in it as Allah Almighty desires it to participate. …

Tilawah is the word that the Quran uses to describe the act of its reading. No single word in English can convey its full meaning. ‘To follow’ is the closest to its primary meaning. ‘To read’ is only secondary, for in reading too, words follow each other, one closely behind the other, in an orderly …