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The Detail a Doctor Notices in Surah al-Kahf

IT IS EASY to overlook small details when reading the Book of Allah. Many of us read Surah al-Kahf on Fridays, and recently, I noticed something in ayah 18. وَتَحْسَبُهُمْ أَيْقَاظًۭا وَهُمْ رُقُودٌۭ ۚ وَنُقَلِّبُهُمْ ذَاتَ ٱلْيَمِينِ وَذَاتَ ٱلشِّمَالِ ۖ وَكَلْبُهُم بَـٰسِطٌۭ ذِرَاعَيْهِ بِٱلْوَصِيدِ ۚ لَوِ ٱطَّلَعْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ لَوَلَّيْتَ مِنْهُمْ فِرَارًۭا وَلَمُلِئْتَ مِنْهُمْ رُعْبًۭا “And … Continue reading The Detail a Doctor Notices in Surah al-Kahf

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Where Should a Muslim Live?

MANY MUSLIMS LIVING in Britain are asking an increasingly difficult question: Should we stay, or should we leave? This is not an abstract question. Rising Islamophobia, hostility towards Muslims, political rhetoric, discrimination and anxiety about the environment in which our children will grow up can make life feel increasingly constricted. Some therefore consider moving to … Continue reading Where Should a Muslim Live?

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Why the Fish?

FOR MANY YEARS, one detail in the story of Musa (as) and Khidr puzzled me. Why does Allah mention the fish? In one of the most profound stories in the Qur’an, a story about knowledge, destiny, patience, and divine wisdom, we suddenly encounter a salted fish that comes alive and slips into the sea. At … Continue reading Why the Fish?

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Tyranny Has a Direction

I RECENTLY WROTE ‘Two Years On: Why Removing a Tyrant is Not Enough,’ about the way Surah al Qaṣaṣ exposes the architecture of tyranny. The Qur’an does not present Pharaoh’s oppression as the work of one powerful individual. It shows us a system. Pharaoh stands at the centre of political power. Hāmān represents the bureaucratic … Continue reading Tyranny Has a Direction

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When Technology Outruns Morality

WE ARE LIVING through a remarkable technological transformation. Artificial intelligence can now generate images, voices and videos increasingly indistinguishable from reality. A photograph of a child at school can be manipulated into something sexualised, causing very real humiliation, bullying and psychological harm. Schools, pupils and parents are being told not to share pictures on social … Continue reading When Technology Outruns Morality

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Their Brother

THE QUR’AN HAS a remarkable way of teaching profound lessons through seemingly ordinary words. One such example appears in the story of Prophet Ṣāliḥ (as). Allah says: وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَآ إِلَىٰ ثَمُودَ أَخَاهُمْ صَـٰلِحًا أَنِ ٱعْبُدُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ فَإِذَا هُمْ فَرِيقَانِ يَخْتَصِمُونَ Indeed, We sent to Thamūd their brother Ṣāliḥ, saying, ‘Worship Allah.’ Then at once they … Continue reading Their Brother

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Two Years On: Why Removing a Tyrant is Not Enough

TWO YEARS AGO today, Bangladesh witnessed a moment few believed possible. After fifteen years of increasingly authoritarian rule, Sheikh Hasina fled the country following a month-long uprising led largely by students and young people. The price was immense. Hundreds lost their lives. Thousands were injured. Families continue to carry wounds that will never fully heal. … Continue reading Two Years On: Why Removing a Tyrant is Not Enough