ON THE 17TH of Ramadhan, a little more than three hundred men stood on a plain called Badr and faced an army more than three times their size. They were fasting. We think of Ramadhan today as a month of withdrawal. More prayer. More Qur’an. Slower days. A turning inward. And none of that is … Continue reading Ahad
“I SWEAR BY Allah, if the people in the graves were told to wish for something… they would wish for a single day in Ramadhan.” (Ibn al-Jawzi) And here we are. In Ramadhan. And half of it has already slipped through our fingers. If, like me, you find yourself wondering where the days went, and … Continue reading Still Here. Still Breathing. Still in Ramadhan.
TODAY MARKS 102 years since one of the most significant moments in modern Islamic history, the abolishment of the Ottoman Khilafah on 3rd March 1924. On this occasion, it is worth reflecting on a profound prophecy of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that frames where we stand today. The Hadith That Frames Our Times Imam … Continue reading 102 Years On: Will We Be the Generation That Answers the Call?
ALLAH ASKS IN Surah At-Tawbah: أَمْ حَسِبْتُمْ أَن تُتْرَكُوا وَلَمَّا يَعْلَمِ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ جَاهَدُوا مِنكُمْ وَلَمْ يَتَّخِذُوا مِن دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلَا رَسُولِهِ وَلَا الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلِيجَةً ۚ وَاللَّهُ خَبِيرٌ بِمَا تَعْمَلُونَ Do you think that you will be left while Allah has not yet made evident those among you who strive and not taken any intimate … Continue reading The Fall of False Shelters: What the Attack on Iran Teaches the Ummah
MUSLIMS IN BRITAIN do not have a political home. No political party truly represents us. Not one. Look at foreign policy. For decades, we have watched war after war unleashed upon the Muslim world, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, and Gaza, with British governments either leading the charge or providing cover. The parties, be it right-wing … Continue reading Politically Homeless: Muslims in Britain and the Global Moment
A CLAIM CIRCULATES in some Muslim spaces that Allah wants ease for us, so if fasting is too hard, we don’t have to do it. Islam is about the spirit, not the rules. We make it too complicated. There is an element of truth in this. Allah does say He wants ease for us and … Continue reading Who Decides What Ease Means?
The post ‘The Revival is Happening‘ drew a lot of comments. Most were thoughtful. A few were hostile, from people who wanted to mock Islam rather than discuss it. But one theme kept surfacing, in different forms, from people who seemed otherwise engaged and sincere. They said I was being judgemental. It gave me pause, … Continue reading On Being Called Judgemental
THERE ARE MOMENTS, even in Ramadhan, when the heart feels far. You pray, but it feels mechanical. You make du’a, but the words feel thin. You open the Qur’an, but your mind drifts. And a quiet fear creeps in: Have I drifted too far? In the middle of the ayat of fasting in Surah al-Baqarah, … Continue reading The Distance Is Never On His Side
LAST NIGHT AT taraweeh, I found myself standing under the open sky. The masjid was overflowing, and the prayer mats stretched into the car park. The weather had softened. After days of bitter cold, 10 degrees and dry felt almost balmy, carrying that stillness that makes one pause and linger. The imam was reciting from juzʾ 4, … Continue reading Standing Under the Ayat
IT WAS 5°C. Raining. Dark. My son had dental surgery the day before, but he had fasted. He was tired, uncomfortable, and slow to put on his shoes. “Hurry up, we’re getting late,” I called, determined that we wouldn’t miss the reward of Tarawih. We arrived just in time for the first rak’ah of ’Isha. … Continue reading Shaken But Not Broken
Living For Islam 