Five Things

In this episode, we explore different types of worship in Islam, how we should approach them, and what to do if we experience spiritual burnout.

One of the best ways to build faith is to develop your connection with Allah, and one of the best ways to do this is to learn how to pray to Allah and ask of him (dua).When someone would convert to Islam, the Prophet (ﷺ) would teach them the prayer, and then he would tell them to ask for five things.

What is a ‘haram’ job in Islam and what is a 'halal' job? When does a job become halal or haram?What jobs can muslims do or not do? What happens when someone converts to Islam and they have a haram job? Should they walk out the door and quit straight away, or should they carry on working until they find something else? What about the money they’ve made from this job they had before Islam? Are they allowed to keep it, or should they give it away?In this episode I speak about jobs and work in Islam.

One challenge many reverts face is dealing with their immediate family members such as their parents and siblings. This can be even more so when they live under the same roof, and especially when they try to call their family to Islam, which sometimes doesn’t go as planned, and can, at times, end up in heated arguments or other unwanted results. The majority of the companions of the Prophet (ﷺ) - Allah be pleased with all of them - were also reverts and faced similar challenges when dealing with their own families and we can learn a lot from them and how they acted in these kinds of situations.  One story in this regard was when Abu Hurayrah invited his mother to enter Islam.

What happens when someone becomes muslim whilst they’re in a relationship with someone; such as being married, having a long term partner, or having a boyfriend or girlfriend?This person could be someone they love very dearly and care for. They may have been with eachother for many years, or even have children together.Does it mean that because one of them has become muslim and the other hasn’t, that eveything comes to an end?The relationship’s over and they have to seperate or divorce? Or can they still be together, living their lives as they did before? This episode is based on Ibn Qayyim’s work ‘Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma’ as well as religious verdicts of contemporary scholars.

Once someone becomes muslim, what should they do next? Are there things they should do straight away, such as praying, changing their name or taking a shower or bath? Should they start dressing up in a certain way or prepare to move to a muslim country? Are there things that are more important to do than others? In this episode I speak about what someone should do once they've entered Islam.

What if a non-muslim relative dies, such as a parent, child, sibling, uncle or aunt?Can a muslim attend their funeral?What about the funeral procession, the burial, cremation or visiting the grave afterwards?This episode is specifically regarding the funerals of non-muslim relatives and not other non-muslims (who aren’t relatives).Following the funeral processions of non-muslim relatives, burying them or attending their burial are all matters that the great scholars of Islam have differed concerning.This episode presents the evidences of the scholars who hold that it is allowed for a muslim to follow the funeral processions of non-muslim relatives, bury them or attend their burial.There are also many muslim scholars who hold that all of these things are prohibited because they are all considered to be ‘honoring and revering’ non-muslims (إكرام) and manifestations of having allegiance to non-muslims and showing loyalty to them (موالاة) which Allah the most high has forbidden. May Allah protect all the scholars of Islam and show mercy to those who have passed away.

Alcohol and other drug addictions, adultery and premarital relations, watching pornography, theft, violence, bad character traits like lying and backbiting as well as sicknesses of the heart like arrogance and envy can all be common practices for people before Islam and become serious demons to fight against when they become muslim.And many of us may strive to cut these bad habits out of our lives, and are even able to stop doing them for a while, but sooner or later, we end up going back to them. We know what we’re doing is wrong, but just can’t seem to stop doing it.In this episode I speak about some of the ways in which we can overcome the bad habits we have and the sins we commit.

In this episode I speak about how and why I became a muslim.

What is Islam’s stance on joking? Is it allowed? Can someone be a practicing muslim and still joke around and have a laugh?What about practical jokes, stand up comedy or other types of humor?In this episode, I speak about humour and joking from an Islamic perspective.