Articles by Dr. Parvez

I am in an examination hall carelessly writing my paper. Just then the bell rings. Time's up, but I have so much left to write. I was idling away my time, and now I am frantically trying to write whatever I can in the few seconds that I have left. The invigilator starts collecting papers. She is moving towards me and my heart begins to pound. “No! Give me some more time; I have so much left to write, so many corrections to make.” But she doesn't listen. I let go of my paper with the ink still dripping from my pen. It's all over! This is not a dream. I wish it was. This is something that I keep imagining every other day. I really have very little time left. Of the five compulsory questions we would be asked on the Day of Judgement, one is ‘What did you do with your life?’ But a more specific one is, ‘What did you do with your youth?’ We know from the Qur’an (Surah Ahqaf, ayat 15) that youth lasts till the age of 40. And I am going to turn 40 in a few weeks from n

After being abased in front of the angels and man himself, Satan vows to mislead human beings. Allow me to quote from Surah anNisa ayat 119-  وَّ لَاُضِلَّنَّہُمۡ وَ لَاُمَنِّیَنَّہُمۡ  ‘And I (Satan) will mislead them (humans), and I will arouse in them sinful desires…’ which clearly illustrates his plan. But Allah cautions us not to fall in his trap. In Surah alAaraf ayat 27 Allah tells us, “O Children of Adam, let not Satan tempt you as he removed your parents from Paradise, stripping them of their clothing to show them their private parts. Indeed he sees you- he and his tribe- from where you do not see them….” Allah admonishes man in Surah Noor, ayat 21 : یٰۤاَیُّہَا الَّذِیۡنَ اٰمَنُوۡا لَا تَتَّبِعُوۡا خُطُوٰتِ الشَّیۡطٰنِ ؕ وَ مَنۡ یَّتَّبِعۡ خُطُوٰتِ الشَّیۡطٰنِ فَاِنَّہٗ یَاۡمُرُ بِالۡفَحۡشَآءِ وَ الۡمُنۡکَرِ ؕ وَ لَوۡ لَا فَضۡلُ اللّٰہِ عَلَیۡکُمۡ وَ رَحۡمَتُہٗ مَا زَکٰی مِنۡکُمۡ مِّنۡ اَحَدٍ اَبَدًا ۙ وَّ لٰکِنَّ اللّٰہَ یُزَکِّیۡ مَنۡ یَّشَآءُ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ سَمِیۡعٌ

There are plenty of ayaat which tell us that God would forgive us our sins if we repent to Him. Towards the end of Surah alFurqan, He even says that He would forgive those who call upon others besides Him and commit murder and zina, provided they repent, believe in Him and perform good deeds. In Surah Zumar, he reaches out to the sinners and quite affectionately tells them not to lose hope of God's mercy: قُلۡ یٰعِبَادِیَ الَّذِیۡنَ اَسۡرَفُوۡا عَلٰۤی اَنۡفُسِہِمۡ لَا تَقۡنَطُوۡا مِنۡ رَّحۡمَۃِ اللّٰہِ ؕ اِنَّ اللّٰہَ یَغۡفِرُ الذُّنُوۡبَ جَمِیۡعًا ؕ اِنَّہٗ ہُوَ الۡغَفُوۡرُ الرَّحِیۡمُ But by far, the most reassuring ayat on forgiveness that I have come across in the Qur'an is the 70th ayat of Surah Anfal. It says, یٰۤاَیُّہَا النَّبِیُّ قُلۡ لِّمَنۡ فِیۡۤ اَیۡدِیۡکُمۡ مِّنَ الۡاَسۡرٰۤی ۙ اِنۡ یَّعۡلَمِ اللّٰہُ فِیۡ قُلُوۡبِکُمۡ خَیۡرًا یُّؤۡتِکُمۡ خَیۡرًا مِّمَّاۤ اُخِذَ مِنۡکُمۡ وَ یَغۡفِرۡ لَکُمۡ ؕ وَ اللّٰہُ غَفُوۡرٌ رَّحِیۡمٌ This ayat was revealed in the

Several thousands of years ago, when God decided to create a new species we now call human beings, he gathered the angels and informed them,  اِنِّیۡ جَاعِلٌ فِی الۡاَرۡضِ خَلِیۡفَۃً Khalifa means a person who has been delegated some authority and power by the one who originally possesses that authority and power. The political successors of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ were hence called Khalifa, because they ruled in his name, by the authority vested in them by virtue of being the Prophet's political successors. Similarly, spiritual leaders too make their most accomplished students their Khalifa, which essentially means that they too would now deem to have the same spiritual authority that they have. So when God said that He would create a new species which would act as His Khalifa, what He meant was that this new species (man) would be delegated, in some measure, some of God's own powers and attributes that other species on earth do not possess. But as all Spiderman fans kn