Articles by Dr. Parvez

Why is a Muslim man required to keep a beard? 1. Beard is part of fitrah. (as per a Hadith narrated by Ummul Mumineen Hazrat Aishah ؓ  from Huzoor ﷺ). It has been recorded by Muslim, Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Ibn Majah and Nisai. 2. Keeping a beard is a Sunnah muakkadah. The Prophet ﷺ and Sahaba kiraam ؓ have always had beards. 3. Certain scholars aver that keeping a beard is Wajib. (deriving from a Hadith recorded by Muslim and Ahmad in which there is an instruction to grow the beard and trim the moustache) 4. The Prophet ﷺ has also said that My Lord has commanded me to grow the beard and trim the moustache. Shaving is detestable because: 1. It makes a man resemble a woman; and it should be known that the Mercy unto Mankind ﷺ has cursed those men and women who seek to resemble those of the opposite gender. 2. It makes a Muslim resemble a non-Muslim. Imam Bukhari has recorded: Ibn Umar ؓ narrates that the Prophet ﷺ had said, Grow the beard and look different from the polythe

Selfie with the Kaaba Of late, with the ubiquitous presence of smartphones and their high resolution cameras, people have developed the habit of ‘capturing the moment’ on their phones. Gone are the days when a person would think twice before exhausting every film of his 36-film Kodak role. These days, people just keep clicking at will. Wherever, whenever, whoever. The selfie culture has become so overwhelming that we can hardly come across a recreational or tourist place where selfies are not becoming an eyesore. And while this can be excused when it comes to recreational and tourist places, it should not be so in places of worship. Pilgrimage is not a recreational tour. We don't go on a Hajj and Umrah ‘tour’. This tour word is a misnomer, and a blasphemy at that. But what we are witnessing today is an epidemic of selfies and video calling in the very mutaaf of the Haram, near the pulpit of the Prophet and in every conceivable and inconceivable area in and around the Harmain Shar

If someone has ever wronged you, hurt you or being unjust to you AND he refuses to apologise for it, you have two legitimate options of response- you can either choose to forgive that person even if he has not sought forgiveness or you can choose to retaliate. “The recompense of an injury is an injury of equal degree. But if a person forgives and makes reconciliation, his reward is due from God. God does not love the unjust.” [Surah ashShura ayat 40] Retaliation can be taken in this world, but it should not exceed limits. “If you punish, punish with an equivalent of that which you were harmed.” [Surah anNahl ayat 126] This means that if someone slaps me, I am allowed to slap him back, but I am not allowed to slap him with a greater intensity. But although allowed, retaliation is not recommended. The same ayat further says, “But if you are patient, it is better for those who are patient”. The next ayat says, “And be patient. Your patience is not but from God. And do not grieve ove

How the Prophet Dealt with ‘Others’ Prophet Muhammad ﷺ , contrary to popular perception, was not just a saint who used to preach righteousness. He was also a statesman, a commander, a law-giver, a social reformer and the first president of the erstwhile State of Madinah. After having been conferred prophethood at the age of 40, he spent the remaining twenty three years of his life dealing with the myriad issues of people- both spiritual and material. In fact, he holds the unique distinction in history for having seamlessly intertwined the spiritual and the material aspects of people’s lives, such that every material deed was ingrained in spirituality and every spiritual act passed through the material realm. Of the people he immediately dealt with, the vast majority was that of the tribal Arab pagan population which worshipped multiple gods. Another major force he had to deal with was the Jewish population of Madinah and the adjoining suburbs, as also the Christians of Najra