Islamic lifestyle – everyday life with the Quran and the Sunnah

1A day with the Sunnah

Let us begin with an ordinary day – from waking up to falling asleep.

Waking up: the first thought belongs to Allah

Before you reach for your phone, say the words with which the Prophet ﷺ began his day: "Praise be to Allah who gave us life after He caused us to die, and to Him is the resurrection" (al-Bukhari, narrated by Hudhayfa). Sleep is like a small death, and every awakening is a new day given as a gift.

Fajr and the morning adhkar

In the Emirates you hear the call to Fajr in the half-light, as the city wakes. Getting up is not always easy – the Prophet ﷺ said that Satan ties three knots in the back of our heads as we sleep: remembering Allah on waking undoes one, wudu the second, prayer the third – and we rise fresh and in good spirits (al-Bukhari and Muslim).

After that come the morning adhkar, the words of remembrance for the morning:

• Ayat al-Kursi Quran 2:255: "Allah – there is no deity except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of [all] existence." The Prophet ﷺ called it the greatest verse in the Book of Allah (Ubayy ibn Ka'b, Muslim).
• The last three surahs – al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas (Quran 112–114). It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ advised reciting them three times each morning and evening (Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi).

Find the texts with translation on our Duas page.

Intention: turning work into worship

Umar ibn al-Khattab reports that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Actions are only by intentions, and everyone will have only what he intended" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Whether you are studying, writing emails, treating patients or taking children to school: renew your intention – "I am doing this honestly, to provide for my family, to benefit others and to please Allah" – and a habit becomes an act for which you may hope for reward. The niyyah sits in the heart; one quiet thought at the start of the working day is enough.

The five prayers: anchors of your day

Fajr, Dhuhr, Asr, Maghrib and Isha divide the day into five parts, and each prayer calls you back to Allah from whatever you are doing. The Prophet ﷺ compared them to a river at your door in which you bathe five times a day: would any dirt remain on you? (al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Make the times visible: check our prayer times for your location each morning and plan around them. If praying regularly is still hard, go step by step and find support: a friend, the mosque, a routine. You can practise the prayer step by step in our trainer, Salah.

A little Quran every day

The Prophet ﷺ said: "The best of you are those who learn the Quran and teach it" (Uthman, al-Bukhari). And whoever still stumbles has a double reward, because he strives (Aisha, al-Bukhari and Muslim). Turn it into a habit that fits your day: a page after Fajr, a few verses in your lunch break, ten minutes of listening on the metro. With the Khatm planner you divide a complete reading into fixed daily portions, with the memorisation plan you memorise month by month, and with the Shams Method you retain verses in small steps.

Dhikr in between

Dhikr needs no special place: on the way, at a traffic light, while waiting. The words most beloved to Allah are Subhan Allah, Alhamdulillah, La ilaha illa Allah and Allahu akbar (Muslim).

Evening and sleep

In the evening you repeat the morning adhkar. Before sleep, add:

• Wudu and the right side. The Prophet ﷺ said to al-Bara' ibn Azib: "When you go to your bed, perform wudu as for prayer, lie down on your right side and say: 'O Allah, I have submitted myself to You and entrusted my affair to You … I believe in Your Book which You have sent down and in Your Prophet whom You have sent.' … And let these be the last words you say" (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
• The last three surahs. Every night the Prophet ﷺ would blow into his hands, recite al-Ikhlas, al-Falaq and an-Nas, and wipe them over his body – three times (Aisha, al-Bukhari and Muslim).
• Ayat al-Kursi and al-Baqarah. Whoever recites Ayat al-Kursi before sleeping has a guardian from Allah with him (Abu Hurayra, al-Bukhari); and the last two verses of al-Baqarah Quran 2:285–286 are enough for whoever recites them at night (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
• Surah al-Mulk. It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ would not sleep until he had recited as-Sajdah and al-Mulk (at-Tirmidhi).

Muhasaba: an honest look back

A saying is reported from Umar ibn al-Khattab: "Take account of yourselves before you are taken to account." Muhasaba is not brooding but a calm look back before sleep: What am I grateful for? What did I miss – a prayer, a harsh word? Then ask for forgiveness, for example with the Sayyid al-Istighfar: "Allahumma anta rabbi la ilaha illa anta, khalaqtani wa ana 'abduka …" (al-Bukhari). And Allah says: "Indeed, good deeds do away with misdeeds" Quran 11:114.

2Purity: wudu and cleanliness

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Purity is half of faith" (Muslim). Wudu is more than water on the skin: a small pause in which you wash off dust, anger and haste. Whoever performs wudu well and prays two units without his mind wandering is forgiven his previous sins (Uthman, al-Bukhari and Muslim). Our Wudu page shows you how to perform it step by step.

Cleanliness goes beyond wudu. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah is beautiful and loves beauty" (Muslim) – when someone asked whether liking fine clothes and shoes was arrogance. He also said that, were it not too hard for his community, he would have commanded them to use the miswak before every prayer (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Clipping the nails, trimming the moustache and other personal care he counted as part of the fitrah, the natural disposition of human beings (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Clean clothes, a tidy home and a pleasant scent belong to a Muslim who meets other people.

3Halal food and drink

What is halal

In principle food is permitted (halal); only what is expressly named is forbidden: "He has only forbidden to you dead animals, blood, the flesh of swine, and that which has been dedicated to other than Allah. But whoever is forced [by necessity], neither desiring [it] nor transgressing [its limit], there is no sin upon him" (Quran 2:173; in more detail 5:3). The prohibition of intoxicants is just as clear: "O you who have believed, indeed, intoxicants, gambling, [sacrificing on] stone altars and divining arrows are but defilement from the work of Satan, so avoid it" Quran 5:90.

On some questions scholars differ, and it is good to know this:

• Seafood: "Lawful to you is game from the sea and its food" Quran 5:96. Most scholars therefore permit all seafood; the Hanafi school only fish, the Ja'fari school fish with scales and prawns.
• Meat: how the slaughter must be done, whether the meat of the People of the Book Quran 5:5 is permissible everywhere today, and how stunning is to be judged are assessed differently by the schools and scholars.
• Additives: on gelatine, flavourings containing alcohol or certain emulsifiers there are different views as well.

If in doubt, a reliable halal label helps – or a question to a scholar of your school. In the Emirates the rules make it easy for you: meat is checked against national halal standards, pork is sold only in specially marked sections, and alcohol only in licensed venues.

Eating with good manners

Umar ibn Abi Salama was a boy in the Prophet's ﷺ household, and his hand roamed all over the dish. The Prophet ﷺ said to him: "Boy, mention the name of Allah, eat with your right hand, and eat from what is near you" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). So: Bismillah beforehand, the right hand, eat from what is in front of you. Afterwards Alhamdulillah, for Allah is pleased with the servant who eats a morsel and praises Him for it (Muslim).

Moderation

It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ advised filling the stomach one third with food, one third with drink and one third with breath (at-Tirmidhi). Eat in moderation, waste nothing and share what is left over – especially at large invitations and buffets.

4Halal earnings

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Allah is good and accepts only what is good" (Muslim) – and in the same context told of a man whose supplication is not answered because he lives on what is unlawful. Halal earnings are therefore not a detail but the foundation of a blessed life.

Honest in trade

Dubai is a city of trade, and the Quran speaks plainly about business: "And give full measure when you measure, and weigh with an even balance" Quran 17:35. The Prophet ﷺ said: if buyer and seller are truthful and make everything clear, their transaction is blessed; if they conceal and lie, its blessing is erased (al-Bukhari and Muslim). And: "Whoever cheats us is not one of us" (Muslim). Return what is entrusted to you Quran 4:58, keep contracts and write debts down Quran 2:282.

Avoiding riba: Islamic finance basics

Riba mainly means interest on loans: money that demands more money without a real exchange of value and without shared risk. The Quran calls for giving up outstanding riba Quran 2:278–279, and the Prophet ﷺ cursed the one who takes riba, the one who pays it, the one who records it and its two witnesses (Muslim). He also forbade deals with excessive uncertainty, gharar (Muslim), and the Quran forbids gambling, maysir Quran 5:90.

From this, Islamic finance has grown. Its basic idea: profit is permitted when it comes from real trade, real work or shared risk. Well-known forms are:

• Murabaha: the bank buys an item and sells it to you at an openly stated mark-up, often in instalments.
• Ijara: the bank buys, for example, a car or a flat and leases it to you until, in the end, it becomes yours.
• Musharaka and mudaraba: partnerships in which profit and loss are shared.
• Takaful: mutual insurance in which the participants protect one another.
• Sukuk: investments tied to real assets rather than to interest.

In the Emirates, Dubai Islamic Bank was founded in 1975, one of the first Islamic commercial banks in the world; today many banks in the country offer Islamic accounts, financing and takaful. Whether a particular product is truly free of riba is not always judged the same way by scholars – and for Muslims in countries without Islamic options, for example when buying a home, scholarly councils have given different answers. For details, ask a qualified scholar or your bank's Sharia board. What else you owe on your wealth is explained in the chapter Zakat; more about the schools of law in the chapter The schools of law.

Work ethic and itqan

The Prophet ﷺ said: "No one has ever eaten better food than what he eats from the work of his own hands; and the Prophet of Allah Dawud used to eat from the work of his hands" (al-Bukhari). And: "Allah has prescribed excellence (ihsan) in everything" (Muslim). It is reported that he said: "Allah loves that when one of you does a piece of work, he does it thoroughly (with itqan)" (al-Bayhaqi).

Itqan means careful, conscientious, to the end. That applies in the office, where people from well over a hundred countries work together, just as at home:

• Be punctual and keep your word.
• Do your work well, even when no one is watching.
• Use working time for work – that is part of honesty.
• If you are responsible for others: it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said the worker should be given his wage before his sweat dries (Ibn Majah).

5Family, parents and neighbours

Parents

Asked who deserved his best company, the Prophet ﷺ answered: "Your mother" – three times – "then your father" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Many of us live far from our parents: a phone call and a prayer for them are kindness too.

Marriage and children

It is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The best of you is the one who is best to his family, and I am the best of you to my family" (at-Tirmidhi). Aisha reports that he helped with the housework and rose for prayer when the call was made (al-Bukhari).

For children: "Each of you is a shepherd, and each of you is responsible for his flock" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Time, patience and a good example shape them more than any sermon.

Relatives

A visit, a message, an invitation to a meal – family ties need tending, across borders too.

Neighbours and guests

Allah commands kindness "to the neighbour who is near and the neighbour who is a stranger" Quran 4:36. The Prophet ﷺ said that Jibril kept urging him to be good to neighbours until he thought he would make them heirs (al-Bukhari and Muslim). And: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him honour his guest" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Even in a tower block this can be lived: greet, keep the noise down, put a plate outside the door in Ramadan, visit the sick – "Feed the hungry, visit the sick and free the captive" (al-Bukhari). Here in the Emirates dates and Arabic coffee are ready for guests before anyone asks – hospitality is Sunnah, even with little.

6Good character and modesty

The best character

Allah says about His Prophet ﷺ: "And indeed, you are of a great moral character" Quran 68:4. The Prophet ﷺ himself said: "The best of you are those with the best character" (al-Bukhari 3559). Good character shows in small things:

• Do not speak ill of those who are absent Quran 49:12: "Whoever believes in Allah and the Last Day, let him speak good or remain silent" (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
• Meet people with a friendly face: "Do not belittle any good deed, even meeting your brother with a cheerful face" (Muslim).
• Be patient, forgive quickly and keep your promises.

Haya' – modesty and decency

The Prophet ﷺ said: "Modesty (haya') is a branch of faith" and: "Modesty brings nothing but good" (both al-Bukhari and Muslim). Haya' is a fine sense of what is fitting – before Allah and before people. The Quran addresses the men first: "Tell the believing men to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts" Quran 24:30, then the women: "And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts" Quran 24:31.

Modesty includes restrained clothing for men and women, respectful dealings with one another and speech without innuendo. How far clothing must cover in detail is not judged the same way by scholars on every point. What matters: haya' begins in the heart – and it also shows in not shaming others for their clothes.

The greeting of peace

As-salamu alaikum – "peace be upon you" – is a prayer for the other person. Allah says: "And when you are greeted with a greeting, greet with one better than it, or return it" Quran 4:86. The Prophet ﷺ taught that salam makes love grow among believers: "Spread salam among yourselves" (Muslim). In the lift, at reception: a smile and a greeting cost nothing. With people of other faiths you speak kindly, in words that suit you both: "And speak to people good [words]" Quran 2:83.

7Health and sport

Your body is entrusted to you. The Prophet ﷺ said: "The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, and in both there is good" (Muslim). To a Companion who prayed and fasted day and night he said: "Your body has a right over you" (al-Bukhari). And: "There are two blessings in which many people are cheated: health and free time" (al-Bukhari). The Quran warns: "and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction" Quran 2:195.

In practice this means:

• Movement: Aisha reports that she raced with the Prophet ﷺ (Abu Dawud). Walking, swimming, cycling or sport in a club – anything that keeps you healthy can be worship with a good intention. In the Emirates beach promenades, parks and cycle tracks invite you to it; in summer it is best to move early in the morning or in the evening.
• Sleep: going to bed early and getting up early fits the rhythm of the prayers.
• Food: moderation Quran 7:31, plenty of water, little waste.
• The soul: prayer, dhikr and conversations with people you trust also care for the soul. Anyone who is suffering emotionally may and should seek help – from professionals too.

8Environment, animals and waste

The earth is entrusted to us: "And cause not corruption upon the earth after its reformation" Quran 7:56. And about waste the Quran is clear: "and do not spend wastefully. Indeed, the wasteful are brothers of the devils" Quran 17:26–27. "Eat and drink, but be not excessive" Quran 7:31 applies to food just as much as to water, electricity and clothing. The Prophet ﷺ made wudu with one mudd of water, about a double handful (Anas, al-Bukhari and Muslim) – a good reminder in a country whose drinking water is largely desalinated.

When a Muslim plants a tree and a person or an animal eats from it, it counts for him as charity (al-Bukhari and Muslim). And the Prophet ﷺ called even removing something harmful from the road a branch of faith (Muslim) – so picking up litter instead of walking past belongs to it.

The Prophet ﷺ told of a man whom Allah forgave because he gave a thirsty dog water, and said: "There is reward in every living being" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). In summer many people in the Emirates put out bowls of water for cats and birds – a lovely small Sunnah.

9Social media and your phone

Your phone is a tool – it can bring you closer to Allah or swallow a lot of time. The Quran gives surprisingly current rules for it:

• Check first, then share: "O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful" Quran 49:6. The Prophet ﷺ said: "It is enough of a lie for a person to relate everything he hears" (Muslim).
• No mockery, no backbiting: "Let not a people ridicule [another] people; perhaps they may be better than them" Quran 49:11 – and: "do not spy or backbite each other" Quran 49:12. This applies to comments just as much as to conversations.
• Nothing without knowledge: "And do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge" Quran 17:36. Especially on religious questions: better to ask a scholar than to believe a viral video.
• Your hand and your keyboard: "The Muslim is the one from whose tongue and hand the Muslims are safe" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Today the keyboard belongs to that.
• Leaving what does not concern you: it is reported that the Prophet ﷺ said: "Part of the excellence of a person's Islam is his leaving what does not concern him" (at-Tirmidhi).

A few practical habits: put your phone away during prayer and meals, do not take photos of people without their permission, share good things – a verse, a supplication, useful information – and set fixed times without a screen. In the Emirates the laws are clear here too: spreading rumours or publishing pictures of others without permission can be a criminal offence.

10On the road: travelling with Islam

When the Prophet ﷺ mounted his riding animal, he said Allahu akbar three times and then (Muslim): "Exalted is He who has subjected this to us, and we could not have [otherwise] subdued it. And indeed we, to our Lord, will [surely] return" Quran 43:13–14. A beautiful prayer for the car, the plane and the metro.

Islam makes travelling easy:

• Shortening the prayer: "And when you travel throughout the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer" Quran 4:101. The Prophet ﷺ called this concession a charity that Allah has given you – "so accept His charity" (Muslim). From what distance one shortens and whether prayers may be combined is judged differently by the schools of law; the Hanafi school is the most reserved about combining, the Ja'fari school allows it outside travel too.
• Fasting: travellers may break the fast in Ramadan and make it up later Quran 2:184.
• Supplication: it is reported that the supplication of the traveller is answered (Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi).
• Prayer times and qibla: our prayer times show you the times for any location; the airports of the Emirates have prayer rooms.

And on the road good character matters all the more: patient in the queue, kind to staff and fellow travellers, respectful of the laws and customs of the host country.

11Friday

Work pauses – and then it says: "disperse within the land and seek from the bounty of Allah" Quran 62:10. The Prophet ﷺ called Friday the best day on which the sun rises (Muslim). Your Friday can look like this:

• Ghusl, care and going early. The Prophet ﷺ stressed ghusl on Friday (al-Bukhari and Muslim). Whoever cleans himself, puts on fragrance, goes to the mosque and listens quietly will be forgiven what lies between that Friday and the next (Salman, al-Bukhari). Whoever comes early earns more reward than whoever comes late (al-Bukhari and Muslim).
• Surah al-Kahf. It is reported (al-Hakim, al-Bayhaqi) that for whoever recites Surah al-Kahf on Friday a light will shine between the two Fridays. Scholars grade these narrations differently; the practice is widespread. The surah has 110 verses, about twelve pages.
• Supplication. On Friday there is an hour in which Allah gives a praying servant what he asks for (al-Bukhari and Muslim).

More about Friday and the other special days in the chapter The important days of the Islamic year.

12Life in the Emirates: much becomes easier

Anyone who lives in the Emirates soon notices how much everyday life here supports an Islamic lifestyle:

• Mosques and prayer rooms are found in almost every neighbourhood, in malls, offices, petrol stations and airports; the call to prayer audibly structures the day.
• Halal is the norm: restaurants and supermarkets offer almost exclusively halal food.
• Friday has its fixed place: since 2022 the weekend has been Saturday and Sunday, and for many Friday is a shorter working day with time for the Friday prayer.
• Ramadan is lived across the country with shorter working hours and shared iftars (Ramadan and fasting).
• Islamic finance – accounts, financing, takaful – is standard at many banks.
• Zakat and donations can be given safely through official bodies such as the Zakat Fund and recognised charities.
• Asking questions: official fatwa services answer religious questions, and many mosques and Quran centres offer classes.
• Living together: people from more than 200 nations and many religions live here side by side with respect – very much in the spirit of "And speak to people good [words]" Quran 2:83.

You will find more about the country and its approach to faith in the chapter on the Emirates.

13A checklist for the day

A simple list, no pressure – nobody manages everything in one day:

1. 1On waking, give thanks and make wudu.
2. 2Pray Fajr, then the morning adhkar.
3. 3Renew your intention for the day.
4. 4Pray the five prayers on time.
5. 5Work honestly and carefully, earn what is halal.
6. 6Eat with Bismillah and the right hand, waste nothing.
7. 7Read or listen to a page of Quran.
8. 8Dhikr and istighfar in between.
9. 9Do something good for your parents, family or neighbours.
10. 10Move and give your body its right.
11. 11Check before you share – and put your phone away at prayer and meals.
12. 12In the evening: adhkar, wudu, right side, the sleep supplication.
13. 13Muhasaba: give thanks, repent, resolve.

On Friday: ghusl, go early to the mosque, Surah al-Kahf, supplication.

14Small but steady

Aisha reports that the Prophet ﷺ said: "The deeds most beloved to Allah are the most regular, even if they are few" (al-Bukhari and Muslim). And: "The religion is ease. No one makes it hard on himself but it overcomes him. So aim for what is right, stay moderate and rejoice at the good news" (Abu Hurayra, al-Bukhari). So choose two or three points from the list, keep them every day for two weeks and then add another. If you miss a day, begin again the next – Allah sees your effort.