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●Moses is born at a time when Pharaoh has decreed that newborn males of the Children of Israel be killed.

● Moses’ mother places him in the river when she sees the soldiers of Pharaoh approaching. When the soldiers leave and she goes to retrieve Moses, she finds that he has been taken downriver and ends up at the Palace of Pharaoh.

● He is adopted by Pharaoh and his wife, yet refuses to be suckled by any woman other than his mother, and so is returned to his mother so that she may suckle him.

● Moses becomes an adult, and one day in the city sees an Egyptian man and an Israelite fighting. The Israelite seeks Moses’ help and Moses goes to intervene but inadvertently kills the Egyptian man.

● Moses flees out of fear of Pharaoh’s tyranny and settles in a place called Madyan where he marries.

● After ten years, Moses and his family leave. On the way, Moses is spoken to by God and anointed as a Messenger.

● Moses requests that his brother Aaron is also made a Messenger for help and support.

● They go to Pharaoh and call him to God and demand that he frees the Children of Israel.

● Pharaoh refuses, so Moses shows him the sign of the staff turning into a serpent.

● Pharaoh sees this as sorcery and demands that Moses duel with his magicians to show that his magicians are mightier than Moses. They agree upon a time and place.

● When the magicians see how their magic is swallowed by the staff of Moses, they fall bowing down in submission, and accept the call of Moses.

● God sends subsequent signs to Pharaoh but Pharaoh rejects each one.

● The wife of Pharaoh would eventually believe in Moses.

● Eventually, the signs are too great and many, so Pharaoh agrees to free the Children of Israel.

● Pharaoh then regrets his decision and assembles his armies to pursue Moses and his people.

● Moses and the Children of Israel come to the sea and find Pharaoh and his army behind them in pursuit. God commands Moses to strike the sea with his staff and the sea parts for Moses and his people. Pharaoh and his armies follow into the sea, but the sea merges again and they are all drowned.

● Moses and the Children of Israel go towards the Promised Land.

● Moses leaves for forty nights to meet God and receive the Torah. During his absence, some of his people fashion a golden calf out of their jewellery and begin to worship it as God.

● Moses returns angry and rebukes his people for worshipping the calf besides God, despite all of God’s favours upon them.

● As they approach the Promised Land, the Children of Israel are instructed that they must fight the evil people who reside therein. The Children of Israel refuse and instead tell Moses to go and fight with his God.

● God decrees that the Children of Israel will wander the land for forty years without being able to enter the Holy Land.

● It is during those years that Moses passes away.

Months of the Hijri Calendar

There are 12 months in the Islamic Year:

The names of these months pre-date the revelation of the Quran. They were named by the Arabs based on the seasons of the year and the conditions of their lives.

Month 1 – Muharram – the literal meaning is “sacred.” It is said the Arabs called this month sacred as they forbade fighting, war, and killing during it.

Month 2 – Safar – the literal meaning is “to empty” or “become pale.” This was the month that the Arabs would often leave home in search of food and provision, or to fight wars and, at times, to escape the severe heat.

Month 3 – Rabi al-Awwal – This was the first month of spring and so was named the first spring month.

Month 4 – Rabi al-Akhir – This was the second month of spring and therefore was named the last month of spring.

Month 5 – Jumada al-Uwla – Jumada means “to become solid.” It is said that it was named this in the winter when the water would freeze in the desert cold.

Month 6 – Jumada al-Akhirah – Like the previous month, this was an extension of the winter cold season and so was named in the same way.

Month 7 – Rajab – This comes from the word which means “to honour.” The Arabs would honour this month as being sacred and thus forbade fighting in it.

Month 8 – Sha’ban – After Rajab, the Arabs would disperse in this month to engage in fighting again, and so it was called Sha’ban which means “to disperse.”

Month 9 – Ramadan – This comes from the root word which denotes the meaning of intense heat and thirst. This month usually occurred in the middle of summer.

Month 10 – Shawwal – Meaning abundance of camel milk. This was the month in which the cattle and camels would produce a lot of milk.

Month 11 – Thul-Qa’dah – The literal meaning is “the month of sitting.” The Arabs also honoured this month and forbade fighting in it.

Month 12 – Thul-Hijjah – The literal meaning is “the month of pilgrimage,” as the pilgrimage takes place in it.

What is “Hajj,” The Pilgrimage?

Pilgrimage is the term that denotes traveling to Mecca to worship at God’s house called the Ka’ba. There are two types of pilgrimage:

The Minor Pilgrimage (Umrah) – this can be performed at any time of the year.

The Major Pilgrimage (Hajj) – this is performed in the 12th lunar Islamic month on specific days.

It is possible to combine both pilgrimages in the same trip, as the minor one can be performed before the major one begins. However, both only become obligatory if someone has the physical ability and financial means to perform them. They are obligatory upon all able adult Muslims once in their lifetime.

Pilgrims dress in certain garments throughout the pilgrimage. A person intending to perform the pilgrimage enters into a voluntary restrictive state known as ‘Ihram.’ This state begins at a specific place outside of Mecca and prevents pilgrims from doing certain things which they can usually do, such as removing hair, clipping nails and applying perfume.

For the minor pilgrimage, there are three main components. The first is circumambulation of (going around) the Ka’ba for seven circuits in a counterclockwise direction. Pilgrims start their circumambulation from the corner of the Ka’ba that contains the Black Stone. Each walk around Ka’ba back to the Black Stone is considered one circuit. The second is walking between the two hills of Safa and Marwah, situated a short distance away from the Ka’ba, within the walls of the Grand Mosque. Walking from one hill to the other is one circuit. Seven such circuits are made. The final component of the minor pilgrimage is to trim the head hair; men also have the option to shave their head.

The major pilgrimage lasts from 4-6 days and also entails visiting the Holy Sites close by the city of Mecca. These sites are called Mina, Arafat and Muzdalifah. The major pilgrimage begins on the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month. Pilgrims start off by spending that day in Mina. The following day they spend in Arafat, a place where the Messenger Muhammad gave a sermon and spent the day in supplication to God. On that evening, the pilgrims move to Muzdalifah where they rest for the night.

The third day of the pilgrimage consists of returning to Mina where the pilgrims throw small pebbles at the three pillars, offer an animal sacrifice, trim or shave their head hair and then proceed to Mecca for circumambulation of the Ka’ba and the circuits between the hills of Safa and Marwah. Then, they return back to Mina, and over the next couple of days will continue to stone the pillars and spend their day in general worship of God and different acts of devotion. The major pilgrimage is concluded with a final circumambulation of the Ka’ba as a farewell.

Many pilgrims use the opportunity of the minor and major pilgrimages to also visit the city of Medina, where the Messenger Muhammad lived the last 10 years of his life. Offering prayers in the mosque there is very rewarding. The cities of Mecca and Medina also contain other religious and historical sites which can be visited. It’s truly an experience of a lifetime.

Pilgrimage Rites Connected to Abraham & His Family

Many of the rites of pilgrimage are connected to Abraham and his family. Abraham was commanded to leave his baby son Ishmael, and Ishmael’s mother Hajar, in the barren land of Mecca before it became a thriving city. Hajar was left with little provisions for herself and her son. In order to seek water, she ran between the two nearby hills of Safa and Marwah a number of times. This is where the pilgrimage rite of Sa’i, or the walking between the two hills comes from.

On her 7th circuit up the hills, Hajar saw water by where she had left Ishmael. Fearing the water would run out, she built a small mound around it to contain it. This is the well of Zamzam. This water is considered blessed and pilgrims will drink from this water throughout their stay in the holy cities of Mecca and Medina.

Ishamel and Hajar settled in this city and other people noticed the water so they requested to join them. When Ishmael was a young boy, Abraham saw a dream that he should offer him as a sacrifice to God. Abraham informed Ishmael of this, and together they walked the short distance to Mina, the place where pilgrims today spend much of their pilgrimage. On his way, Satan appeared three times to Abraham to convince him to disobey God’s command. Each time, Abraham took small pebbles and threw them at Satan. This is why pilgrims stone the three pillars during the pilgrimage.

When Abraham was about to sacrifice Ishmael, God informed him that he had passed the test, and instead replaced Ishmael with a ram. Today, pilgrims offer a similar sacrifice during their pilgrimage.

A number of years later, Abraham returned to Mecca. This time, God had commanded him to raise the foundations of the Ka’bah. Abraham asked Ishmael for his assistance. Together, they built the Ka’ba. Abraham proclaimed this as God’s house and a place of pilgrimage, and invited God’s faithful servants to come there for pilgrimage.

It is in response to this call from God, through Abraham, that millions of Muslims flock annually to the holy city of Mecca to perform this once-in-a-lifetime obligation of pilgrimage.

Minor Signs of the Day of Judgement

God has not informed anyone of the exact timing of the Day of Judgement. This is knowledge He has kept with Himself. However, God has given us signs which show the nearness of the Day of Judgement. God says, “What are the disbelievers waiting for, other than the Hour which will come upon them unawares? Its signs are already here, but once the Hour has actually arrived, what use will it be then to take heed?” [47:18]

Therefore, God tells us to take heed of the signs of the Day of Judgement so that we can ensure we are working towards what pleases God. There are many signs of the Day of Judgement, however they can generally be split into minor and major signs. The minor signs are many and are those which are events and changes that occur well before the Day of Judgement and continue up to it.

The coming of the Messenger Muhammad and his death were from the first minor signs of the Day of Judgement. Since then, they have been occurring. A sign of the Day of Judgement does not necessarily mean that it is evil but prophecies which show to us the truthfulness of the Messenger Muhammad and remind us to prepare for the Day of Judgement.

Other minor signs of the Day of Judgement include increased ignorance of religion, increase in frequency of earthquakes, indiscriminate murder and killing, time passing by quickly, increase of immorality and bad conduct. To be aware of these and other signs is to know that the Day of Judgement is drawing close and the need to prepare for it.

Major Signs of the Day of Judgement

The major signs of the Day of Judgement are ten and will occur just in quick succession just before the Day of Judgement is established. These ten signs were mentioned by the Messenger Muhammad as being the Smoke, the False Messiah, the Beast, the Descent of Jesus, the emergence of Gog and Magog, three landslides in the east, west and in Arabia, the sun rising from the west and the fire which will take people to their place of assembly.

We will look at a couple of these major signs in slightly more detail. The False Messiah will come and claim to be god by testing people and oppressing them. He will travel across the earth demanding people’s obedience, and he will reward those who follow him while punishing those who refuse to accept him. The Messenger Muhammad described him as being one eyed and a liar. The believers will recognise him for who he really is.

The False Messiah will gather a large army with which he will fight and oppress people. It is at this time that God will send down Jesus and he will fight the False Messiah, eventually killing him. The return of Jesus is from the major signs of the Day of Judgement. Just before the Day of Judgement, the sun will rise from the west instead of the east. The last of the major signs is the fire which will rage and burn, driving people to their place of assembly where the Day of Judgement will be established.

Classifying Prophetic Traditions

God has preserved both the Quran and the Prophetic traditions. The Quran is preserved to the extent that countless Muslims across the world have memorised the same words in exactly the same order and manner. In terms of Prophetic traditions, they have been preserved by generations of scholars who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of classifying traditions and sorting them.

There are complete sciences which are focused on the preservation of Prophetic traditions. These sciences cover everything from the study of narrators to the explanation of difficult terms in some traditions. Through this detailed and methodical study, scholars have been able to sift authentic and strong traditions from weak and unreliable narrations. They have earmarked narrators who are unreliable due to character flaws or memory defects, and have meticulously followed each narrator, when and where they lived, and who they did and did not meet so as to verify that there are no breaks or missing links between narrators.

Authentic narrations are called ‘sahih’ or authentic. This means that these traditions have been relayed by a continuous and unbroken chain of trustworthy and reliable narrators, and that there are no irregularities or defects in the tradition. If one of the above conditions is not met, such as the chain is broken, a narrator is unreliable or known to have been forgetful or some other irregularity is found, the tradition is labelled as ‘da’if’ or ‘weak’.

In this way, we know what to follow and not follow, and therefore ensure that our practice of Islam remains as authentic and pure as possible to the practice of the Messenger Muhammad.

Arabic Terminology

There are a number of Arabic terms which you may come across when studying this topic. Here is a brief overview of some of these terms:

Sunnah – literally a way or something which is followed. The term however is used generally to refer to all of the sayings, actions, tacit approvals and descriptions of the Messenger Muhammad. The term ‘sunnah’ can also refer to something which is recommended, this latter use is a more restricted term to show that an action is not compulsory but to perform it is rewarding.
Hadith – literally speech. This term refers to everything which is attributed to the Messenger Muhammad. As with the term ‘sunnah’ it includes sayings, actions, tacit approvals and descriptions. A hadith consists of two parts, the sanad which is the chain of narrators and the matan which is the text.
Sanad/Isnad – This refers to the chain of narrators between the Messenger Muhammad and the scholar who would eventually record the hadith in a book. A sanad can typically include three narrators or more. Each narrator is usually from a different generation. The chain of narrators helps hadith specialists to ascertain whether or not a hadith has been correctly preserved or whether there is a defect in it.
Matan – This is the second part of a hadith and is the part which contains the text which would be the saying, action, tacit approval or description of the Messenger Muhammad.
Sahih – This means authentic, i.e. that all the narrators are reliable people and they correctly recorded and relayed the hadith.
Da’if – which means weak. This is when there is a defect in the hadith either in transmission or the text. This is mostly due to one or more of the narrators being unreliable.

Human Free Will

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If God has decreed and pre-ordained everything, what role and freedom do we have as humans? Is it worth doing anything if it is all decreed to happen anyway?

In Islam, we believe that God’s providence and decree does not interfere with our ability as humans to make choices. God Himself gave us that ability and so our free will is part of God’s will. God does not force us to do anything or compel us to follow a certain way. If God had done so, there would be no disbelievers. However, the opposite is true as God says in the Quran, “There is no compulsion in religion.” [2:256]

Thus, we are all free to make our own choices and we do so on a daily basis. However, we cannot know what God has decreed for us. For us to assume that God has decreed us to be evil or a non-believer goes against common sense. We work to the best of our ability hoping in God’s reward and grace. We wouldn’t sit at home and expect money to come to us, or food to appear on our table without putting in some work and effort. Therefore, the believer in God trusts in His decree but also works to ensure they have a good life in accordance to God’s commands.

The Messenger Muhammad told us that we should work towards what is beneficial and seek God’s help. If something bad happens, we don’t say, ‘If only I’d done such and such’, because ‘if’ only opens the door to evil. Instead, we trust in God’s decree and say, ‘It is the decree of God and He decrees what He wills.’

Gabriel in the Story of the Messenger Muhammad

Before being appointed a Messenger of God, the Messenger Muhammad would spend time in the Cave of Hira in one of the mountains of Mecca. He would go there to think about God feeling repulsed by the pagan rituals and practices of his people. It was at this time that God sent to him the angel Gabriel with the first words of the Quran, “Read! In the name of your Lord who created.” [96:1]

From that moment on, the angel Gabriel would come periodically to the Messenger Muhammad bringing revelation, comforting him, bringing him assistance and teaching him what he needed to know. The Messenger Muhammad informed us that Gabriel would come every Ramadan and revise the Quran with him, and he did this twice in the final Ramadan the Messenger Muhammad witnessed.

Gabriel would teach him things like the timings of the five prescribed ritual devotions. Gabriel accompanied the Messenger Muhammad on the Night Journey to Jerusalem and the heavens and was present during the first battle in Islam, Badr with an army of angels. Gabriel would sometimes come and bring him glad tidings for some of his followers. He brought God’s blessings for the Messenger Muhammad’s first wife Khadijah.

On one occasion the Messenger Muhammad was crying. Gabriel came on the instruction of God and asked him what made him cry. The Messenger Muhammad replied that he was afraid for his followers. God commanded Gabriel to go to the Messenger Muhammad and inform him that he would be pleased with regards to his followers.

Thus, Gabriel has a special place in our religion as God says, “Say, ‘If anyone is an enemy of Gabriel – who by God’s leave brought down the Quran to your heart confirming previous scriptures as a guide and good news for the faithful. If anyone is an enemy of God, His angels and His messengers, of Gabriel and Michael, then God is certainly the enemy of such disbelievers.” [2:97-98]

Tasks of the Angels

All angels praise and worship God as God mentions, “If the disbelievers are too arrogant, those who are with your Lord glorify Him tirelessly night and day.” [41:38] Some angels also have specific tasks.

1. Recording deeds – two angels record all our deeds, good and bad. The Messenger Muhammad informed us that if we intend to do a good deed but then don’t, it is written as a good deed. If we perform the deed it is recorded as ten good deeds up to seven hundred or more. Likewise, if we intend to do an evil deed but do not it is written as a good deed, but if we act upon it, it is recorded as a bad deed.

2. Protect the believers – God says, “Each person has guardian angels before him and behind, watching over him by God’s command.” [13:11] In the Battle of Badr, the first battle the Messenger Muhammad fought, God sent angels to help the Muslims.

3. Specific Responsibilities – Some of the angels are responsible for the mountains or the wind or the rain. Others are guardians of the heavens, Paradise or Hellfire. Yet others carry God’s throne.

4. Daily interaction – Angels are present from the time of birth until death. There are angels responsible for writing down our life span, provision and actions whilst the foetus is still in its mother’s womb. There are angels that bring blessings such as for the people who gather and study the Quran. Other angels are responsible for taking our souls at the time of death.

5. Encourage good deeds – the Messenger Muhammad told us that just as we there are devils who accompany us and encourage us to do evil, there are also angels who accompany us and encourage us to do good.

Satan’s Goals & Methods

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Learning, knowing and recognising Satan’s goals and methods helps us to beware of their danger and safeguard ourselves against them.

Satan’s Goals

To worship other than God. This is Satan’s greatest goal as those who fall into this will be with Satan in Hellfire for eternity.
To commit major sins. These are the sins which have specific punishments that have been mentioned in the Quran or by the Messenger Muhammad, such as murder, adultery, theft etc.
To commit minor sins. These are the sins which don’t fall in the above category but are dangerous because they can lead to major sins. This can include impolite manners or not the correct etiquette’s such as for eating and drinking.
To prevent people from doing good deeds. Satan doesn’t just care about us sinning, he also wants to prevent us from doing good deeds and would rather we spent our time doing nothing.
To damage acts of worship. When we worship God, Satan attempts to distract us and diminish our reward.

Satan’s Methods

Lies and deception. Satan whispers and puts doubts into our hearts. He lies and deceives by making us think that our sins are not a big deal or that we’ve done enough good deeds and so on.
False promises. God says, “He makes them promises and raises false hopes, but Satan’s promises are nothing but delusion.” [4:120]
Going to extremes. For people who are serious, Satan attempts to drive them to fanaticism or excess, and for those who are lazy, Satan leads them to heedlessness and negligence. Remember, Islam is about balance and moderation.
Gradual steps. Satan rarely starts with his main goal of worshiping others besides God. He will begin with damaging acts of worship, and then committing one sin, and then repeating that sin twice and three times, and then committing a second sin, and then a major sin and so on.
Our own desires. Satan uses our weaknesses against us. If we have a weakness for money, power, fame, lust etc, he will use this and tempt us to sin in these issues.

The Creation of the Jinn

The Jinn are one of God’s creations like humans and angels. They have been given free will and commanded to worship God alone. God says, “I created jinn and mankind only to worship Me.” [51:56] As such, there are good and pious jinn and evil and corrupt jinn, jinn who are believers and others that are disbelievers much in the same way as humans can fall into these categories. The jinn are a creation that are invisible to us but because they live on earth, we are told to recite certain invocations which are part of our daily etiquette’s so as to ensure we do not harm them and vice versa.

Like humans, jinn eat and drink, they live and die. They are more likely to dwell in places of impurity or in ruins. They have certain abilities such as the ability to travel fast, reach the skies and take different shapes, even resembling some animals. The evil jinn or devils may wish to harm humans, but God protects the believers. Devils can only harm by God’s permission. If we keep strong in our faith, perform our obligations and remember God frequently devils cannot harm us.

The Messenger Muhammad said, “If a person enters their house and mentions the name of God upon entering it and upon eating therein, Satan says, ‘There is no lodging for you here and no meal here.’ But if a person enters their house and neglects to mention the name of God upon entering it, Satan says, ‘I have found lodging for you.’ And if they does not mention God’s name upon eating his meal, Satan says, ‘I have found lodging and a meal.’”