spirituality

Fasting in Islam is an act of obedience to Allah's commands through the highest degree of commitment, sincerity and faithfulness to seek Allah's mercy, to atone for sins, errors, and mistakes and to avoid condemnation to Hell.

The main purpose of fasting is described in the Quran as "so that you may attain Taqwa or God-consciousness." Fasting is thus yet another instrument for bringing us closer to our natural state, our state of Fitrah.

For those of us not going to Hajj this year, it's easy to dismiss the journey of a lifetime. But we non-Hajjis can swing into the Hajj spirit too, and we should. Here are a couple of ideas.

Once Prophet Muhammad passed by a people who were suffering from some affliction. "Why don't they make dua (pray ) to Allah for protection," he said. With all the suffering and disasters Muslims are facing in various parts of the world, the question can be directed to all of us today.

The Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "There is nothing more dear to Allah than a servant making Dua to Him." With this in mind, we offer these easy ways  how to make Dua and to revive the practice of Dua in our lives.

Marriage is considered half of faith in Islam and with good reason. Your spouse can make or break you spiritually. Here are nine ways spouses can help each other reconnect with Allah.

The Prophet Muhammad said, the one who repents for a sin is like the one who has not committed a sin (al-Bayhaqi and Ibn Majah). Peace and blessings be upon him. We have also included some suggested Duas of our own that you can use at the bottom of this article.