AS PARENTS TODAY, we all know one thing for sure: we can’t escape the internet. It’s everywhere, deeply embedded in how we work, learn, and connect. That ship has long sailed. But while we can’t remove it from our lives entirely, we can choose how we engage with it, and how much space we allow … Continue reading Simple Pleasures: Reading a Book
(Inspired by Surah Yā Sīn ayah 12 and an earlier article.) I sit with my elders—silent, still, Their faces are maps of time’s quiet will. Eyes that have watched generations unfold, Hands that have weathered both fire and cold. Knotted by age, those fingers once strong Built homes, cradled infants, righted the wrong. What scenes … Continue reading I Sit With My Elders
IF YOU’VE EVER travelled to Sylhet in the northeast of Bangladesh, it’s hard not to be captivated by the beauty of its tea gardens. The dark green terraces stretch across rolling hills, occasionally shaded by tall trees, creating a landscape that is as serene as it is breathtaking. But behind this calm, green elegance lies … Continue reading Capitalism in a Teacup: The Exploitation Beneath a Global Commodity
THIS YEAR IN Dhaka, I saw something more noticeable than before. Whenever we stopped at a traffic light, someone would tap on the car window asking for money. These individuals appeared physically male but were dressed in saris, with bindis on their foreheads—clearly identifying themselves as women. Who Are the Hijras? The term Hijra refers to a … Continue reading Hijras and Gender Identity Politics: An Islamic Response
RECENTLY, SOMEONE COMPLAINED to my parents about the length of my son’s hair (somewhere below his earlobes but above his shoulders), saying: “Children of good families don’t keep their hair long.” If I were to ask my son, now 19, to respond, he’d probably be surprised. He might remind them that the Messenger Muhammad … Continue reading Raising Muslims, Not Mini-Me’s: Navigating Personal Preferences in Islam
I CAN MAKE du‘a for my loved ones who’ve passed away from anywhere in the world — and I know that Allah hears me. His Mercy isn’t limited by distance. But still… there’s something different about standing at their graves, like I did recently. Something quiet, humbling, and deeply human. The Prophet ﷺ once said: … Continue reading Graveside Reflections
ONE OF THE blessings of visiting Bangladesh is the opportunity to reconnect with family, especially the elders. While many of my relatives have moved abroad, a few still live in Dhaka, and a few remain in our village homes. This trip was long overdue. It had been seven years since I last saw the relatives in the … Continue reading In the Company of the Elders: Reflections on Life, Death, and Du’a
THE PAST FEW days, I’ve been away from the city—deep in rural Bangladesh. Life is different out here. The first thing you notice is the beauty—endless shades of green stretching as far as the eye can see. The pace slows. The air is cleaner. Time feels still, almost suspended. I brought my family here to … Continue reading The Places We Lived, The Lessons We Took
WE’VE COME AT the tail end of the tropical monsoon season. Yes, it’s swelteringly hot with thunderstorms, but it is this very rain and heat that has transformed the land into stunning green. Every shade you can think of and more. وَمَا ذَرَأَ لَكُمْ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ مُخْتَلِفًا أَلْوَٰنُهُۥٓ ۗ إِنَّ فِى ذَٰلِكَ لَـَٔايَةًۭ لِّقَوْمٍۢ يَذَّكَّرُونَ … Continue reading His Ayat in Colour
YESTERDAY, I ATTENDED Jumu‘ah at a masjid in Dhaka that holds deep personal significance for me. It was established by my parents in 2005 as a waqf—an Islamic endowment intended for perpetual public benefit. The last time I visited was in 2007, when the masjid was still a humble, tin-roofed, single-story structure in a developing … Continue reading Reflections on a Family Waqf and the Broader Role of Waqf in Islam
Living For Islam 