Before I Had a Name, Allah Knew Me

There was a time when you had no name, no face, no heartbeat, and no voice with which to ask Allah for anything, yet before your first breath, Allah already knew you, long before we could ask, He had already begun giving Before I Had a Name, Allah Knew…

We often live as though our lives belong entirely to us, but none of us arranged our own arrival, we did not choose when we would be born, where our story would begin, or who would first hold us, perhaps gratitude begins with the realization that existence itself was a gift

The prayer also reflects on the doors that never opened, the dreams that never came true, and the disappointments we did not understand, like Prophet Yusuf, peace be upon him, who could not see from inside the well that it would become part of the road toward the palace Before I Had a Name, Allah Knew…

I have seen only one page of my life, but You have always seen the whole book Before I Had a Name, Allah Knew…

And one day, the body we call mine will become still, while the soul returns to the One who knew it before the world knew its name, the prayer ends not in fear, but in hope in the mercy of Allah

Before I had a name, You knew me, before I had a voice, You heard me, before I could ask You, You gave me everything, never let me lose You Before I Had a Name, Allah Knew…

Before I Had a Name, Allah Knew Me is a contemporary English munājāt about existence, gratitude, hidden mercy, repentance, and return

Read Alfurqan

 

Listen on Apple Device: https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/english-before-i-had-a-name-allah-knew-me-a/id1526025373?i=1000783152514

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/6ltTjX4fDi3qGpH3TCoi4i?si=PZBMmg6HQcG3JbKItXXung

All links: https://linktr.ee/read.alfurqan
 

The Story of Humanity — A Cinematic Journey Through the Qur’an

Have you ever wondered how the stories of the prophets connect to one another—and how, somehow, they connect to you?

We often hear the story of Adam by itself. Then Noah. Abraham. Joseph. Moses. Jesus. Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his pure family. Each story can feel like its own chapter, separated by centuries.

But what happens when you hear them as one continuous journey?

The Story of Humanity — Cinematic Edition begins before humanity itself. It moves through the creation of Adam, the generations that followed, the prophets, revelation, and the long story of human beings searching for their Creator.

Then, eventually, history reaches someone much closer.

You.

Your birth. Your life. The moments you understood and the moments you did not. The doors that opened, the doors that closed, and the parts of your story that may only make sense when seen from a greater distance.

And the journey does not stop there.

It continues into the final day of your life, your final breath, the grave, resurrection, the Day of Judgment, Allah’s mercy, and what comes after.

The goal is not simply to retell familiar stories. It is to place them beside one another so that you can step back and see the larger picture—the human story as seen through the Qur’an, and your own place within it.

This Cinematic Edition was rebuilt as an immersive listening experience, with custom wordless humming, environmental ambience, cinematic transitions, sound effects, and carefully placed silence. The intention is for it to feel less like a lecture and more like a journey you are moving through yourself.

The narration is rooted in the Qur’an and established Islamic sources, while avoiding disputed details wherever possible.

So find somewhere quiet.

Put on headphones if you can.

Close your eyes.

And start at the beginning.

Travel through the prophets, revelation, and through your own life. 

 And perhaps, by the end, the story of humanity will feel a little less like the story of everyone who came before you…

and a little more like your story.

Listen to The Story of Humanity — Cinematic Edition on Read Alfurqan.

Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-story-of-humanity-cinematic-edition-life-death/id1526025373?i=1000793503958

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2C8LwpBEGPKKBub7X6vL9U?si=wKFxBCS3T7OFXeNMPxbppQ

All links: https://linktr.ee/read.alfurqan 

Before This World, We Already Knew Our Lord

Have you ever wondered why nothing in this world seems to satisfy the heart completely? Even during our happiest moments, there often remains a quiet feeling that we were created for something greater. Islam offers a remarkable answer to that feeling through a verse that many people have read but never paused to reflect upon.

Allah says:

"And when your Lord took from the children of Adam—from their descendants—and made them testify concerning themselves, 'Am I not your Lord?' They said, 'Yes, indeed, we testify...'" (Qur'an 7:172)

This verse tells us that our story with Allah did not begin when we entered this world. Before our earthly lives, Allah gathered every human soul and asked a single question: "Am I not your Lord?" Every soul answered with complete certainty, "Yes."

This conversation happened long before we knew our families, our language, our names, or even the world itself. The Qur'an reminds us of it so that we understand our relationship with Allah is older than our memories and deeper than anything we experience in this life.

Perhaps this also explains why the heart is never fully satisfied by worldly things alone. We search for happiness in success, wealth, relationships, and achievements, yet something inside us continues to long for more. The Qur'an teaches us that this longing is not a weakness. It is a reminder. Deep within every human being is a natural desire to return to the One who created them.

This does not mean we remember that moment with our minds. We cannot recall standing before Allah. But our souls were created knowing their Lord, and that knowledge leaves a mark upon every human heart. Every sincere prayer, every tear of repentance, every verse of the Qur'an that moves us, and every moment we turn back to Allah is a step toward the One our souls already recognized before this world began.

This beautiful verse became one of the central reflections in my latest English duaa, Returning My Soul to Allah Tonight. It is a quiet reminder that perhaps we are not searching for something new at all. Perhaps we are simply trying to return to the One our souls have loved since before this life began.

If you would like to listen to the complete recitation, you can find it here:

🎧 Podcast: https://quran-recitation-by-hashem-nabil.simplecast.com/episodes/returning-my-soul-to-allah-tonight-an-islamic-sleep-duaa-for-deep-sleep-surrender

May Allah keep our hearts firm upon His remembrance, and may He allow us to return to Him with hearts that still answer, "Yes, indeed. You are our Lord."

Duaa Arafah in English | A Prayer of Return, Surrender, and Mercy

There are moments in life when the soul becomes exhausted from carrying itself.

Moments when the noise of the world grows louder than the Qur’an, when the heart feels distant from Allah, and when a person begins to realize that nothing in this dunya can truly heal what only Allah can heal.

The Day of Arafah is one of the greatest days to return.

A day of tears, repentance, mercy, longing, forgiveness, and broken hearts standing before their Creator with nothing left except hope.

This English Dua Arafah was written and recited for every soul trying to return to Allah after distraction, grief, sin, loneliness, anxiety, exhaustion, or spiritual emptiness.

Inspired by the emotional spirit and themes found in the blessed Dua Arafah of Imam Hussain (Pbuh) this contemporary reflection moves through the stories of Prophet Ibrahim, Hajar, Ismail, Yusuf, broken families, prisoners, the suffering of the Ummah, and the human soul’s desperate need for Allah.

May Allah make these words a source of mercy, healing, sincerity, and return.

And may He never leave us to ourselves, even for the blinking of an eye.

While the World Moves On | A Duaa for the Oppressed, the Imprisoned, and the Forgotten

There are pains that never reach us fully.

We hear the news. We feel something for a moment. Then the world pulls us back into our work, our homes, our money, our plans, and our schedules. We return to our food, our sleep, our safety, as if nothing happened.

But there are people who do not return.

There are people who remain behind heavy doors, behind iron bars, behind a long absence, waiting for a relief that no one owns except Allah.

This duaa is not only for the oppressed, the imprisoned, and the forgotten.

It is also a mirror for us.

A mirror for hearts that became used to blessings until they forgot to thank Allah for them. A mirror for souls that heard pain so often that they almost became numb to it. A mirror for people who owned freedom for so long that they began to think it was normal.

This is the duaa:

While the World Moves On.

دعاء للمظلومين والأسرى والمنسيين

دعاء للمظلومين والأسرى والمنسيين

هناك آلام لا تصل إلينا كاملة.

نسمع الخبر، نتأثر لحظة، ثم تسحبنا الدنيا إلى أعمالنا، وبيوتنا، وأموالنا، ومواعيدنا. نعود إلى طعامنا، ونومنا، وأماننا، كأن شيئًا لم يكن. لكن هناك من لا يعود. هناك من يبقى خلف الأبواب الثقيلة، خلف القضبان، خلف الغياب الطويل، ينتظر فرجًا من الله لا يملكه أحد غيره.

هذا الدعاء ليس مجرد كلمات للمظلومين والأسرى والمنسيين. هو مرآة لنا أيضًا. مرآة لقلوب اعتادت النعم حتى نسيت شكرها، وسمعت الألم حتى كادت تعتاده، وملكت الحرية حتى ظنتها أمرًا عاديًا.

هذا هو الدعاء

دعاء لهداية الضالين من العالمين

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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيم

اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ نبينا مُحَمَّد…
نَبِيِّ الرَّحْمَة وَسِرَاجِ التَّائِهِين …
وَأُنْسِ المُنْكَسِرِينَ …
وَشَفِيعِ المُذْنِبِينَ…
وَمَنْ أَرْسَلْتَهُ نُورًا فِي زَمَنِ الظُّلُمَات…
وَبَابًا لِمَنْ ضَاقَتْ بِهِ الدُّنْيَا…
وَحَبْلًا لِمَنْ أَثْقَلَتْهُمُ الذُّنُوب…
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَيْهِ وَعَلَىٰ آلِهِ الطَّاهِرِينَ…
الَّذِينَ حَفِظْتَ بِهِمْ نُورَ الهِدَايَة…
وَجَعَلْتَ فِي ذِكْرِهِمْ سَكِينَةً لِلْقُلُوب…
وَعَلَىٰ كُلِّ قَلْبٍ أَحَبَّهُ صَادِقًا…
وَتَعَلَّقَ بِنُورِهِ…
وَسَارَ عَلَىٰ هَدْيِهِ…
وَرَجَا رَحْمَتَكَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ إِلَىٰ يَوْمِ الدِّين…

Who is Muhammad?

Disclaimer: This is a summarized version of Muhammad’s life just to get a general idea of who Muhammad is. Notice all the adversities and opposition that Muhammad had to overcome to spread the message of Islam. 

Muhammad (570-632 AD) is the last of many prophets who preceded him, including Adam, Moses, Abraham, Isaac, and Jesus Christ --All whom preached the common message of worshiping one God (Allah). 

What is Islam?

What is Islam?
Islam is an Arabic word that means: Surrender. Submission. Obedience. Sincerity. And Peace.

The Fate of Opressors on The Day of Judgment

In Islam, oppression and wrongdoing will not go be overlooked. God talked about oppression very clearly in the Quran, which is the last revelation, and the literal word of god. In Chapter 21: Verse 47
He says:"We will set up the scales of justice for the Day of Resurrection, so that no soul will suffer the least injustice. And even if it's the weight of a mustard-seed, We will bring it up."

What Allah Tells You (and all mankind) in The Quran?

Muslims believe that the Quran is the literal word of Allah, which was a revelation through the head angel Gabriel to prophet Mohamed in 609–632 CE. In many passages from the Quran, Allah addresses all mankind. It is fundamental for mankind from all backgrounds, religions, and languages, to know what Allah is saying to them specifically to be able to make an informed decision on whether or not to follow Quran commandments.

Allah addresses mankind in the following ayat:

Who is Allah?

1: Allah is the most merciful, the most compassionate, the most generous, the self-subsisting, the greatest, the eternal, the all-knowing, the forbearing, and the wise.