AL - 'ILAAJ EDITORIAL BOARD, MSSN UCH, IBADAN

 I recently went home for a break, to spend time with my family and to rest from the hassle of COMUI (College of Medicine, University of Ibadan) and the decrepit living conditions of ABH (Alexander Brown Hall, University College Hospital Ibadan). The journey home was much like many I had taken before. There were complaints about the cost of transport, hours spent in a cramped seat as the driver sped over bumpy roads, and passengers yelling at him to slow down. You know, the usual. Entering the city I lived in did not feel the same, though. A lot had changed. It felt like I had been away for much longer than I actually had. New roads, an overhead bridge, new estates, restaurants and other businesses were springing up here and there. When I got to my street, the sense of familiarity returned. It was just as I remembered. I looked around at the faded roofs, unpaved roads and unfinished houses, and it brought the feeling of home. It also brought back the bitter memory of a young neighb...

All praise is due to Allah alone, far exalted is He above whatever partners people ascribe to Him in worship. May peace and salutations be upon His Messenger ﷺ , through whom the message of pure and uncompromising Tawḥīd (monotheism) was perfectly conveyed. One of the subtle yet dangerous threats to pure monotheism is minor shirk (polytheism), acts that do not expel a person from Islam but corrupt the perfection of their Tawḥīd and may serve as a gateway to major shirk if left unchecked.  Allah Swears by His Creation But Do We? Allah, in His infinite majesty, swears by elements of His creation in several verses of the Qur’an, and these oaths stand as testimonies to His greatness and absolute authority.  “By Al-‘Aṣr (time).” {Surah Al-‘Aṣr v 1} “By Mount Sinai.” {Surah At-Tīn v 2} These divine oaths raise an important question. Do human beings share this privilege, or are we commanded to swear only by Allah? The answer is clear from the Qur’an and Sunnah. Swearing by other than...