PODCASTS, WEBINARS, LISTEN TO ARTICLES READ OUT LOUD & SNIPPETS

How can I become closer to Allah? What is the deeper meaning behind the events in my life? Who can I consult for advice? Join us during this Q&R session with Ustadha Umm Sahl, an experienced and knowledgeable female scholar, to get insight and answers to your personal questions.

Questions Answered:

1. How can one improve their relationship with Allah SWT and create a balance with work and children?
2. What do you do if you are in a spiritual rut?
3. How can I put salah first in my life? I tend to put dunya first when I’m busy and sometimes miss my salah.
4. I struggle with keeping up with family ties and balancing that with protecting my deen and my children’s deen (since at times you cannot control the environment [when visiting family] etc. ) And my family often gets frustrated with what I can and cannot participate in.
5. Please explain what you can say in sujud. I get confused as to whether you can use your own words, etc.
6. How can one balance having zuhd and having Allah solely in one’s heart, but at the same time having love for one’s family and friends?
7. Tahajjud time moves 3 hrs within the year, at the latitude where we live. What practical advice do you give, so I don’t miss it even when Fajr begin as early as 2:00 am?
8. I am currently learning arabic and studying seerah, fiqh with teachers. I notice myself ignoring my children sometimes and get irritated with them if I have to do other things with them. It feels terrible to do anything but study. I realize this is not right but I struggle with it.
9. Is there an opinion that allows shaking hands with non-mahram men? It seems to help with community cohesion… Is it haram by consensus?
10. How does one manifest tawakkul in a practical sense?
11. A lot of us who were born and grew up in the west learned a lot of feminist rhetoric in school. How do we improve our relationships with our husbands and be more “wife-like” and what nasiha do you have for us western-born Muslimahs?
12. My husband and I are considering moving to a Muslim country so that we can raise our children in an Islamic environment and become better Muslims ourselves (we’re both American converts). Is this a practical solution to improving one’s deen and safeguarding your children from negative influences?
13. Why are the “layalin ashr” in Surah al-Fajr taken to be these ten days of Dhul-hijjah and not the last ten nights of Ramadan? Is there specific reward mentioned for these days? What are the best things in these days to do if we are time pressured?
14. How do we find the wisdom in our experiences—the kind that leads to contentment or [knowledge of] what we need to correct in ourselves?
15. As a wife and mother Alhamdulillah the day is filled with enough things to do without leaving any time to get bored. How does one explain this to friends who have a more active social life and cannot understand why you can’t meet up more often?
16. Umm Sahl, one of the precious moments I saw in my interaction with you was when you were asked by a young lady on how she could get out of her difficult personal situation. This young lady was wearing a hijab with heavy make up. You told her to take one haraam out of her life, and that doing that would help her in getting other haram out of her life, which might help her out of her situation. You said this without an atom of judgmental tone in your statement. I was humbled. How do we strive to be like that: being non-judgmental to others without sacrificing our own position? (our position in terms of our own striving to be following the fiqh, etc).
17. How should a wife manage when a gap seems to grow between husband and wife in religious practice, [such as] if one of them starts turning more to the dunya?
18. I was told that it was ok to say you are sick with a cold to avoid a handshake. What do you recommend?
19. An addition to the question on tawakkul: as far as doing what we can, how hard should we try? Some people put a lot of effort in trying to cover all contingencies.
20. How can one stop themselves from becoming jealous of people that have the dunya and how can one refrain from being judgmental?

Allah, Most High, enjoins the Prophet (may Allah send peace and blessings upon him): “Say, (O Muhammad, to mankind): If ye love Allah, follow me; Allah will love you and forgive you your sins. Allah is Forgiving, Merciful.” (3:31)

What does it mean to follow the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him? How can we incorporate the Sunnah in our lives to attain Allah’s love and pleasure? Join us for our next Q&R session with Ustadha Umm Sahl, an experienced and knowledgeable female scholar, to get insights and answers to your personal questions.

Questions Answered:

1. How do we increase the love of Prophet SAW?
2. How can we bring our claim of loving the prophet (SAW) into our marriages practically?
3. Is it good to allow our children to listen to online books?
4. I don’t understand the concept of tariqa. How does one know when one is ready. How does it help in walking on our path to Allah.
5. I was wondering if you could comment about a specific instance from the life of Rasulullah salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. (From what I recall) when he had been approached by the women of Madina with the complaint of wife beating, he had initially asked the men to not beat their wives. But then the ayah came down that as a last step, men could hit their wives for disciplinary purposes. Could you comment on the apparent “discrepancy” between what the Prophet initially said, and the hukm sent down in 4:34? What do we learn about the Prophet through this incident, and what do we learn about the permissibility of hitting?
6. I find it difficult to emulate one of my favorite characteristics of the Prophet (SAW), that of being non-judgmental, and overlooking the faults of others. How can we become less affected by the ugly traits of those around us while treating them with compassion at the same time?
7. I wish to take the tariq at the UK suhba in’sha’Allah. I was wondering whether it is better to wait until one has a bit of time in the tariq before looking to get married, or whether it is best to marry soon (I am 22). Furthermore, where can one begin to look to find someone pious?
8. If there is a choice, should I give priority to being in the service of others or performing private acts of worship?
9. How do we as aspiring sufis best react to insults to the Prophet (saw), like what is done in France, Netherlands, Europe in general and in the US too, in the name of “free secular society” that needs “some distance from religious authority”?
10. How does one balance studying arabic, fiqh, etc. with one’s dhikr?
11. How does one deal with people when you give them a reference from the life of Rasul Allah Sallallahu Alayhe Wasallam, they say but he was a prophet and how can we emulate him as he had special powers peace and blessings be upon him. So they don’t even try; in fact they see their transgressions more easily forgiven than trying to follow his way peace and blessings be upon him.
12. How do you command to the good and forbid evil? i.e. In a practical way. In most instances, I worry that the advice will not be accepted. Or how can you isolate one problem when there are many issues with a person?
13. My question is what is the difference between QALB and FUAAD, because these two words are used in Quran for heart?
14. How does one tactfully bring someone very spiritual but non-hijabi towards hijab?
15. What is the first book of Seerah one should study in Arabic for a student of knowledge?
16. If a person does tremendous zulm to another and dies seemingly unpunished and the victim generously forgives her, will such a zalim go unpunished?
17. I once heard that different people are granted differing ziarahs of Rasul Allah alaihisalam depending upon their level of faith. Is this true?
18. How can one improve their relationship with Allah SWT and create a balance with work and child.

As Muslims, we strive to fulfill the rights of Allah Most High and the rights of His servants. The rights of His servants (huquq al-‘ibad) are extremely important because these include how we treat our families, namely the people closest to us. How can a woman fulfill her role as a wife, mother, daughter, and sister in the best and most pleasing way to Allah?

Join us for our next Q&R session with Ustadha Umm Sahl, an experienced and knowledgeable female scholar, to get insights and answers to your personal questions.

Questions Answered:

1. How do we know as women know how to serve in a way pleasing to Allah, but at the same time, keep healthy boundaries for ourselves?
2. Umm Sahl, I was told the story of a woman who devoted herself to her husband and family to the point of neglecting herself. She would prepare elaborate meals for her husband and take great care of her house, yet her husband grew averse to her because of her poor appearance. What would you say to such a woman? To remedy her situation?
3. Assalamualikum wa rahmatullah Umm Sahl, can you please advise us on how to deal with lingering upset or anger with family members for past fights or hurts?
4. Assalam aleikum Umm Sahl. I have a question related to sibling who has periods of drug abuse that literally puts everyone on edge, it’s brought his marriage to the brink (he has children from 11-7), my parents are stressed beyond belief (they are devout and practising) they turn to Allah a lot. What do you advise for such families that have one person that puts everyone else off-track? My bro has some good qualities but this part of him drags us all down.
5. I am 39 years old, married and do not yet have children. My health is not the best and I am currently working full time and going to grad school full time. I have to work full time at the moment. I am not sure if I should continue school or not, given that I am under a lot of stress and do want to try to have a child if I can. I am studying Islamic Leadership and Chaplaincy.
6. Assalamu alaikum. how does one entertain teenagers in a halal manner. and entertain oneself in a halal manner
7. We moved to Riyadh from the US last year. the main reason was to give my seven children the Arabic language and a different environment, in addition to being close to the haramain. My husband loves it and I would like to stay as well. However, my parents are back home and although they have two girls there, one at walking distance, they still miss me and my children a lot. My mother especially is miserable without me, so I have been told. I know that if I refuse to stay here,my husband will agree. Should I do that or just let him make the decision and I follow and support him where ever he wants to be as I have always done.
8. Umm Sahl, what do you say if a family wants to raise their children in a certain country, but a husband has to go elsewhere to make a living? This assumes they have a choice to stay together or not, and both husband and wife want this.
9. Assalamualay kum.Please could you give advice on dealing with in laws, the roles and responsibilities.