Islam21c

🌧️ How do we pray for rain?   As Muslims across the UK take part in the National Day of Prayer for Rain, Shaykh Dr Haitham al-Haddad explains Ṣalāt al-Istisqāʾ — why we pray it, how to perform it, and what matters most.   Watch & share: https://youtu.be/LaYSoZ4KLPM

This Sunday, 16 August 2026 / 3 Rabbi al-Awwal 1448, Muslims across the UK will gather for Salat al-Istisqa' (the Prayer for Rain), reviving a Prophetic tradition during times of drought. We are also encouraged to join our communities in seeking Allah’s mercy, giving charity, and reflecting on our responsibility to care for His creation. Find a prayer near you or, if you have the means, organise one yourself. https://www.islam21c.com/news/national-day-of-rain-prayer-2026/

Muslims are getting mental health completely wrong A really important conversation. Watch now 👇 https://youtu.be/Ue5lI11kbxQ

Hopelessness can feel convincing, but feelings are not the same as facts. None of us can know with certainty what tomorrow will bring or how Allah may open a door we cannot yet see. Learn more about our Hold On campaign: https://holdon.org.uk/

Why are we creating Hell online? If a fellow Muslim believes in Allah, the Last Day, and strives to follow the Prophet ﷺ, why do we treat them as an enemy over secondary differences? This is quite a timely reminder by Shaykh Dr. Yasir Qadhi on mercy, brotherhood, and the dangers of turning disagreement into hostility. Watch the full video now: 🎥 https://youtu.be/ujDfZ81_no8

Happiness is one of the most sought-after goals of our age. Yet in a culture increasingly centred on the self, are we actually looking in the wrong place? Research, lived experience, and the Qur’ān point towards a counterintuitive truth: lasting fulfilment is often found not in doing more for ourselves, but in doing more for others. From Khadījah’s reassurance to the Prophet ﷺ, to the humanitarian work of Dr. Abdul-Rahman al-Sumait, to the simple joy of giving charity, Shaykh Ali Hammuda explores why service brings meaning, how Allah promises to “make space” for those who make space for others, and why the path to happiness may begin when we stop making life revolve around ourselves. https://www.islam21c.com/islamic-thought/happiness-in-self-centred-world/

Few films arrive with as much anticipation as Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey. But beneath its monsters, battles, and voyages lies an older question: what happens when a civilisation abandons the moral law that once held it together? From the suitors consuming Odysseus’ house to the West’s own moral and social fractures, Homer’s epic offers an unsettling picture of civilisations that begin to decay from within. But Islam offers more than a diagnosis of decline. It gives us the revelation, principles, and responsibility needed to rebuild what has been lost. https://www.islam21c.com/culture/the-odyssey-reveals-how-civilisations-die/

Stop measuring da'wah by numbers Every caller to Allah must ask themselves one uncomfortable question: what am I really seeking? This reflection will expose the hidden temptation of fame and call us back to sincerity. Watch the full video: 🎥 https://youtu.be/lVB7tDEdrFw

We find ourselves in the age of The Muslimah Trauma Industry, where the focus on "personal healing" and "trauma recovery" regularly fills auditoriums of Muslim females searching for relief from internal distress. But when does a helpful tool become a lifestyle — or even an identity? While affirming the place of therapy and professional support where needed, Zimarina Sarwar asks whether endless self-analysis is leaving believers weaker, more fragile, and further from the Qur'ānic paradigm of resilience and purpose. https://www.islam21c.com/health/healing-ourselves-to-death/

Islam is not just rose petals and good feelings This is not a faith built around comfort, convenience, and constant positivity. While mercy and hope are central to the dīn, so too are accountability, struggle, and submission to Allah. Shaykh Abu Eesa Niamatullah discusses the dangers of toxic positivity, why avoiding all criticism can harm communities, and how chasing “good vibes” can affect a person’s worship and relationship with Islam. Watch the full video: 🎥 https://youtu.be/qiswHaCmlBE

Many people suffer in silence because they fear judgment more than their struggle. A compassionate community can be the difference between someone withdrawing further and someone taking their first step towards healing. As Muslims, we are called to respond with wisdom, mercy, and sincerity. We can help build a community where no one feels they have to suffer alone. Learn more about this campaign: https://holdon.org.uk/

Acute depression Depression is more than feeling low. The three Ps (predisposing, precipitating, and perpetuating factors) help us understand why depression develops and continues, while protective factors can help support healing and recovery. In this clip, a Muslim psychiatrist explores how severe depressive episodes can affect a person’s perception of reality and why understanding these signs is important. Watch the full video: 🎥 https://youtu.be/Xxswhmir09w

We’re calling on Muslim women aged 18 and over to take part in the Power of a Muslim Woman survey, by Tuesday 4th August. This research explores how Muslim women think and feel about marriage, motherhood, career, community expectations, and the messages they encounter about womanhood. Your experiences and perspectives will shape Power of a Muslim Woman, an upcoming campaign by Islam21c. The survey is anonymous and takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. https://forms.cloud.microsoft/e/XGavMFsjjZ Please also share it with other Muslim women in your family, friendship groups, and communities. The more sisters we hear from, the stronger and more representative the campaign can be. Jazākillāhu khayran for taking part.

Most of us have studied what the Prophet ﷺ said and did—but have we ever studied how he stood, walked, smiled, gestured and gave people his full attention? In this fascinating new podcast, body-language expert Muhammad Ali joins Dr Salman Butt to explore Prophetic body language and the remarkable communication principles found throughout the Sīrah. From eye contact, posture and tone of voice to parenting, connection and “correcting without disconnecting”, this conversation will change the way you think about communication—and about following the Prophet ﷺ. Watch now and share with others: https://youtu.be/XLqV83HBBn0

The allegations are not new. Reports of foreign "sniper safaris" in besieged Sarajevo have surfaced repeatedly since 1992, with witnesses claiming that wealthy foreigners paid to shoot at Muslim civilians for sport. Recent developments have once again brought those claims into the spotlight. This article touches on the evidence, testimonies, and investigations surrounding one of the Bosnian genocide's most disturbing stories, while reflecting on the renewed faith that helped Bosnians endure one of the darkest chapters in modern European history. https://www.islam21c.com/politics/sniper-safaris-purge-of-bosniaks/

We forgot we're one family Have Muslims become trapped in a culture of individualism? Shaykh Shaqur Rehman reflects on how modern society has shifted our focus from the collective to the self, weakening family bonds and communal responsibility in the process. Rather than assigning blame to men or women, the deeper issue is the loss of an Islamic worldview that saw the Ummah as one family. Look at how previous generations used to live: family, sacrifice, mutual care... these have been replaced by self-interest. Watch the full video: 🎥 https://youtu.be/mh6jCxdAebo