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?
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?
SAHIH MUSLIM CAPTURES an incident that should make every believer who loves the Prophet ﷺ pause. After the death of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, Abu Bakr (ra) said to Umar (ra), “Let us go and visit Umm Ayman, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to visit her.” So they went to see her. … Continue reading Carrying the Message
THERE ARE MOMENTS in the Qur’an when a few verses seem to contain an entire lifetime of guidance. One such passage is the journey of Mūsā (as) from Egypt to Madyan in Sūrah al-Qaṣaṣ. Mūsā has just left Egypt. He is frightened. He has killed a man. Pharaoh’s people are now searching for him. He … Continue reading Four Duʿās, One Journey
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
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
WHEN DONALD TRUMP accused oil companies of ‘making too much money’ from his war on Iran, he highlighted a contradiction at the heart of modern capitalism. With fuel prices rising and households struggling with the cost of living, Trump argued that companies such as ExxonMobil and Chevron should lower prices and show greater responsibility towards … Continue reading Oil, Capitalism and the Forgotten Question of Ownership
ONE OF THE delights of reading the Qur’an is noticing how its stories speak to one another. While reflecting on the account of Sulaymān (as) and the Queen of Sheba in Sūrah al-Naml, I found myself thinking about another famous scene from the Qur’an: the magicians in Pharaoh’s court. At first, they seem to have … Continue reading The Recogniser, the Seeker and the Rejecter
A WEEK INTO my daughter’s summer holidays, she said the thing every parent has heard. “I’m bored. What do I do?” I answered her as a parent. But the more I thought about it, the more I realised it wasn’t really about boredom. Almost every hour of her day has already been accounted for. That’s … Continue reading The Free Time We Waste
A BBC ARTICLE quoted a woman explaining her decision not to have children: “It’s just not a very nice world to bring people into, and why would I consciously do that when I can choose not to?” The statement warrants consideration. Not to mock it, and not to dismiss it as mere selfishness, but because … Continue reading “Why Would I Bring Children Into This World?”
Living For Islam 