Mawlid
Meaning "place and time of birth," the word "mawlid" is used in the Islamic world to express the honored welcoming of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) to this world.

Muslim poets competed with one another to make literary works regarding the Prophet, whom Allah sent as a mercy to the worlds. It was attempted in these prosaic and poetical works to welcome him to the world, to describe the miracles and extra...

Discovering the Legacy of Muhammad
Going beyond the hype and discovering the legacy of Muhammad

Today is a special day, for it is today we remember a man who was without peer, who changed history more than any other person and would bring balance to the lives of his followers throughout the centuries. Strangely, the image that some of the world has of this man is in stark contrast to the vast literature of eyewitness accounts. This...

How Are We to Realize the Mawlid?
The word mawlid is defined as “place and time of birth” in dictionaries. “Mevlid,” or the “Veladet Kandili” in Turkish, is the night on which Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) graced the earth with his arrival, coinciding with the 12th night of the month of Rabi` al-Awwal on the Hijri calendar.

The era of the Prophet and the four Caliphs that followed, as well as the reign of Umayyads and Abbasids, did not s...

Hajj: Inward and Outward Journey
In this article, I would like to share with you some of my personal reflections on the hajj, a journey to the center of the Muslim world to where the faith began, not just for Muhammad (peace be upon him), but because it was were Abraham (peace be upon him) built the first house of pilgrimage dedicated to a monotheistic conception of God. Hajj is one of the five pillars of Islam, and when talking ...

Eid: Days Of Joy And Celebration
In Arabic the word "eid" means "customary joy and sadness; a day for gathering together."

According to Mahmud al-Kashgari, bayram, the Turkish word for eid, is originally from the Persian bezrem/bezram, and it means a day of entertainment. The pronunciation as bayram is from the Oğuz Turks.

The outstanding characteristic of bayram is eating and drinking because it is a preparation for entertainmen...

On Seeking the Night of Destiny (Laylatul Qadr)
Rather than mechanistically looking at the last ten nights as a gambling of a limited supply of worshiping energy, scarcely interspersed here and there, and wrestling with ourselves on whether tonight is an odd night or an even night depending on which moon-sighting system was used, we can save ourselves some stress by considering Laylatul Qadr and what it means to be a sincere worshiper. At the h...

A Ramadan Gift from Tosun Bayrak
In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful Blessings to the light of our Lord, the doctor of hearts, the intercessor of sinners, the mercy of Allah upon the universe, our Master Muhammad; and blessings to his enlightened family and companions and all his saints. May Allah’s blessings be upon all of them. May Allah’s peace, blessings, mercy, compassion and love be upon the people of Muhamm...

The Virtues of the Last Ten Days
Aisha noted that "Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim) and that with the start of the last ten days of Ramadan, the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam) used to tighten his waist belt (i.e. work harder) and used to pray the whole night, & used to keep his family awake for the prayers. (Bukhari)  Ibn `...

Our shield: Fasting
Fasting is the shield donned by the soul. It represents the human inclination towards the soul in the battle between the soul and the body. Fasting in other faiths According to this statement in the Holy Qur'an, all divine religions prescribe fasting: "O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you, even as it was prescribed for those before you that ye may ward off (evil)." (Surah Bakara:183) T...

Friday Sermon: Characteristics of the Believer in Islam
            Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contact us if you would like to c...

Friday Sermon: Understanding the Qur’an
Friday Sermon: Understanding the Qur’an Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contac...

Friday Sermon: Conduct (Adab) in Islam
Lastprophet.info provides its readers with a weekly Friday sermon (khutbah), which may act as a supplemental guide for imams, hospital and prison chaiplains, Muslim organizations and societies (i.e. MSA), students and the general reader. All of our sermons have been prepared by imams, Islamic scholars and theologians in the Republic of Turkey. Please contact us if you would like to contribute or ...