WILL WE EVER all start fasting and have Eid on the same days? Here in Britain, Ramadhan remains an annual reminder of our disunity as we find different communities starting and finishing on different days. Across the world we find countries that are literally next to each other beginning and ending on different days. Of … Continue reading One Moon, One Ummah: Reimagining Ramadhan Unity
WITH RAMADHAN FAST approaching in a week, what advice can I offer? Focus on quality, not quantity. I went through a phase where I spent time planning each minute of each day of Ramadhan hoping to earn Allah’s endless rewards. While I accomplished many tasks, I felt unchanged by the end of the month. The … Continue reading A Journey of Progress: Transforming Ramadhan
UMAR (ra), AMIRUL MUMINEEN, and his servant Aslam travelled far into the outskirts of Madinah one night. From a distance, they saw a fire. Umar said: ‘I believe the darkness of the night and the cold have compelled some horsemen to stop there. Let us go and see.’ They hurried along and found a woman … Continue reading Shifting Expectations of Leadership: From Treachery to Accountability
RETURNING FROM MY local supermarket I was struck by the huge stock of flowers, chocolates and cards ready for Valentine’s Day. A thought crossed my mind. In the age of materialism, even the expression of love can be corrupted and commercialised. We are flooded with ideas of how to be romantic in the run-up to … Continue reading The Romantic Muslim: Love in the Age of Materialism
WHAT IS THE gift that our Messenger ﷺ said is better and most comprehensive? It is sabr. Commonly translated as patience, its complete meaning, like many Arabic words, becomes lost in translation. The word patience comes from the Latin patientem, meaning ‘suffering’. As such sabr would suggest accepting hardship without taking action or believing … Continue reading Exploring Sabr: More than Just Patience
US PRESIDENT DONALD Trump has said that Gaza should come under US control and that it should be rebuilt as the ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ whilst its people are permanently relocated to neighbouring countries. His words are both very ignorant and very arrogant. He is ignorant because he does not understand Islam and the … Continue reading Trump’s Plan for Gaza: Ignorant, Arrogant and Why it Will Fail
‘IF YOU WANT to know where your heart is, see where your mind goes when it wanders.’ These profound words attributed to Ali ibn Talib (ra) inspire us to delve deep into our nafs as we approach Ramadhan. What lies deep within our hearts—the fervent love, the intense hate, and the burning desires—naturally preoccupies the … Continue reading Exploring the Heart: What Your Mind Wanders To
A MIRACULOUS NIGHT journey. With Jibril (as), the Prophet ﷺ travelled on a winged creature whose stride took it as far as the eye could see. They paused at various places before arriving at the Holy Land and masjid al Aqsa. He led all the prophets in prayer, affirming his foremost position amongst the prophets … Continue reading The Night Journey: A Lesson in Speaking the Truth
TODAY WE ATTENDED a janazah of a well-respected alim in our community. Whilst I personally hadn’t met him, he and his family were known to my wife. On the way to the masjid, we discussed our purpose for going. As Muslims, it’s crucial to correct our intentions and actions to please Allah alone and avoid … Continue reading Attending Janazah: Intentions and Actions
THERE IS A story that Allah ﷻ mentions in surah al Araf that is worth revisiting again and again. He ﷻ describes a village by the sea at the time of Bani Isra’il. Like most villages by the sea, the people’s livelihood was dependent upon the bounties from the sea. Allah ﷻ wanted to test … Continue reading The Good, the Bad and Those Who Remain Silent
