Grounded

Once a month I teach a tafseer class at UWA, and tonight we finished Surah al-Fatihah. We started back in April, paused in May while I was at Hajj, and picked it up again this week. This is the most important surah in our lives. We recite it at least seventeen times a day — and there has to be a reason Allah asks that of us. The whole reason we sit with it is to see how seven short verses, recited...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Where we left off Last week we paused at ayah 25, in the middle of a sustained portrait of al-Walīd ibn al-Mughīra — the father of Sayyidunā Khālid ibn al-Walīd, and one of the leading poets of Quraysh. For all his hostility, al-Walīd could not stay away from the Qur’an. In the dark of the night he would slip out of his...

This week we are completing our recitation of Surah al-Muddaththir. This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.grounded.day/subscribe

Surah al-Muddaththir 26 - 31 This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.grounded.day/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Last week we began our journey into Surat Al-Muddathir, and there is something striking about reading it directly after Surat Al-Muzzammil. The two surahs sit beside each other in the Mushaf, and they sit beside each other in meaning. If Al-Muzzammil is about spiritual development, Al-Muddathir is about community develo...

This week we worked through fifteen short ayat from Surat al-Muddaththir. Their brevity is a gift — perfect terrain for drilling fluency without getting lost in long breath patterns. A few rules surfaced again and again. Heavy Ra after a fatḥah or ḍammah, produced by raising the back of the tongue, never by pouting the lips. Throat letters given their proper place — the kha in khalaqtu, the hamzah...

There’s a moment in Hajj most people only think about as a logistical headache — the stoning of the Jamarāt. Crowded, hot, exhausting. You queue up, you throw, you move on. But behind that act is one of the most instructive scenes in our religion. And it happens to a father and a son, thousands of years before any of us were born. ----- Ibrāhīm ﷺ waited decades for a child. He was an old man — the...

Assalamualaikum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh. This term, Term 2 of 2026, Grounded begins its study of Surah Al-Muddathir. Last term covered Surah Al-Muzzammil, and these two surahs reflect each other in meaning. Before opening the ayat itself, this first session steps back to map the landscape — where Al-Muddathir sits in the early revelation to the Prophet ﷺ, and what each surah was teaching him in...

Assalamualaikum, Welcome back to Tajweed Tuesday! We are back after a long break. This term insha Allah we will be reading Surah al-Muddaththir. Remember to practice your Quran daily, even if it is only 10 minutes. Consistency always beats intensity. And when practicing remember that, slow is smooth and smooth is fast. Slow down and read smoothly. Only speed up once you are smooth. This is a publi...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day The Structure of This Surah Before we go forward, it helps to see the shape of what we have been reading. Surah Al-A’raf is a Makki surah. Its primary audience was the Quraysh of Makkah. Its central argument is historical: look at the nations before you. Contrast this with Surah Al-An’am — also Makki, also addressing th...

We praise Allah for allowing us to experience and complete another Ramadan. And now that we’ve emerged from it, there’s a question worth sitting with: what comes next? Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali mentions that the pious predecessors would spend six months after Ramadan asking Allah to accept their deeds — and the remaining months begging Him to let them witness another one. That’s the rhythm. Gratit...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day We stopped last week at the story of Prophet Salih. We didn’t finish it. Tonight, inshaAllah, we push through — all the way from Salih to Lut to Shu’aib. Three Prophets, three nations, three types of corruption. And then next week, we begin the long passage on Prophet Musa. Quick Recap We’ve been tracing a pattern. Prop...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Ramadan is over, but the tafseer continues. Our aim is to finish Surah Al-A’raf in four weeks — which means we move faster than we did during Ramadan. In Ramadan, we paced the tafseer to match what we were reading in taraweeh each night. Now we push forward. For those who missed the Ramadan series, all the posts are on...

We praise Allah for allowing us to complete another month of Ramadan and to celebrate the day of Eid together. Today is a day of celebration. Today we are happy. Today we are joyous. But if you look into the global geopolitical events at the moment, it is hard for us to be joyous. It is hard for us to celebrate. Palestinians are still being killed daily, still facing genocide. The Middle East is b...

Tonight is the 29th night of Ramadan. The last taraweeh. The last night of the year. Make full use of it. The best du’a for Laylatul Qadr is Allahumma innaka afuwwun tuhibbul afwa fa’fu anni ya Kareem — O Allah, You are the Pardoner, You love to pardon, so pardon me. Keep returning to it tonight, and especially at suhoor time. Allah mentions in the Quran a special rank for those who make istighfar...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Night 28. The last taraweeh is tomorrow. It went fast. A few housekeeping notes: Thursday night — the eve of Eid — we will have a potluck iftar at Qaswa House starting at 6pm, with iftar around 6:35. Bring a plate to share. The kids will have activities while the adults eat. After that we’ll pray Isha together and do ta...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Tonight is the 27th night of Ramadan. By the account of many companions and the opinion of many scholars, the 27th carries the highest probability of being Laylatul Qadr among all the odd nights. There is no guarantee — the Prophet ﷺ told us to hunt through all of the last ten. But if any one night has the strongest cas...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Three nights left after tonight. The hunt for Laylatul Qadr is not over — tonight could be 25th for some people depending on moon sighting. Use every remaining night. Don’t coast.

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Night 25. Four nights left after tonight. Quick announcements: Eid will be this Friday insha’Allah, based on ANIC’s announcement. Qaswa will be praying at MacDougall Park in Como. Takbir starts at 8, prayer at 8:30. Setup is at 7:30 — the more hands the better. Bring a prayer mat or picnic mat, and a plate to share is v...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Tonight is the 24th night. Eid has been announced — next Friday, insha’Allah. That means 29 nights of Ramadan this year. Which means we have five nights left. Before anything else — stay out of the arguments about moon sighting. Online or otherwise. This is not the time. There is a hadith that the Prophet ﷺ was once sho...

Tonight is the 23rd night. And because the Islamic calendar begins at Maghrib, tonight is already Friday night. Many of our pious predecessors said that when an odd night of Ramadan falls on a Friday night, the likelihood of it being Laylatul Qadr increases. This is the night we’ve been hunting for all year. So do extra. Make lots of du’a. Don’t waste a minute of it. And as it happens — alhamdulil...

The Last Ten Nights Are Here Before diving into the final ayah of Surah Al-Muzzammil, a timely reminder — tonight is the 23rd night of Ramadan. The last ten nights are upon us, and the Prophet ﷺ told us to hunt for Laylatul Qadr in these nights, especially the odd ones. Tonight is one of them. So what should fill these nights? Extra raka’at. Extra Quran. Extra dhikr. And the best du’a for this occ...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Eight nights left. Make them count. Quick reminder before we get into the tafseer: Zakatul Fitr is wajib on every Muslim — $20 per head this year. It’s due before Eid prayer, so don’t leave it to the last minute. If you’re not sure where to give locally, I’ll post the details for MWSC — Muslim Welfare Support Centre — i...

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.grounded.day Night 21. First of the odd nights. Go all in from here. We’ve been over this — Laylatul Qadr is greater than a thousand months. Greater than 83 years. Most of us won’t even live to see 83. And yet Allah is handing us this, every single year, completely free. One night of worship worth more than a lifetime. Don’t let it...

Opening Reminder: The Last 10 Nights of Ramadan Tonight marks the 21st night of Ramadan — one of the odd nights in which Laylatul Qadr may fall. The Prophet ﷺ urged us to seek it in the last ten nights. Allah describes it as a single night greater than a thousand months — more than 83 years of worship. The minimum we should commit to: praying Isha and Fajr in congregation every night of these last...