THIS MORNING’S CLINIC was really tough. Halfway through my morning surgery, a Muslim mother was booked in to see me. As I glanced over her notes before she entered, one line stopped me: she had lost her 12-year-old son just a week ago. A sudden, unexplained death. She was already crying before she even sat … Continue reading From Her Son to Their Sons: But Still Holding On
SUMMER CAN BE a challenging time for Muslims living in the West. As the temperature goes up, the clothes come off. Five things that we can do to protect ourselves. 1. Lower the gaze قُل لِّلْمُؤْمِنِينَ يَغُضُّوا۟ مِنْ أَبْصَـٰرِهِمْ وَيَحْفَظُوا۟ فُرُوجَهُمْ ۚ ذَٰلِكَ أَزْكَىٰ لَهُمْ ۗ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ خَبِيرٌۢ بِمَا يَصْنَعُونَ ‘Tell the believing men … Continue reading From Gaze to Guidance: Remedies for a Summer Trial
FOLLOWING THE ZIONIST missile attack on Iran and the killing of several top military officers I remembered the words of Khalid-bin-Waleed (ra) on his deathbed, “ I attended such-and-such a battle, and such-and-such a battle, proceeding (towards the enemies); and there is no spot of my body but that it has either a sword’s strike, … Continue reading “May the Eyes of the Cowards Never Sleep”
BACK IN THE 1950s and 60s, social psychologists conducted a series of fascinating experiments on conformity. Let me give you a simplified example to illustrate one such experiment. Imagine I invited 50 people to a venue to answer a simple question: What is 2 plus 2? The correct answer, of course, is 4. However, before … Continue reading When 2 + 2 = 5: The Cost of Conformity
EID MUBARAK TO all our readers—from East to West and everywhere in between. May Allah, the Most Merciful, accept our du’as, our sacrifices, our prayers, our fasting, our charity, our Hajj, and every sincere deed we do for His sake. As we remember the legacy of sacrifice this Eid, may it awaken our hearts and … Continue reading Eid Mubarak: Let This Be Our Turning Point
“O IBRAHIM! WHERE are you going? Are you going to leave us in this valley where there is neither human nor living creature?” Hajar repeated. But Ibrahim (as) did not answer. Finally, she asked him: “Has Allah commanded you to do so?” He answered: “Yes.” “Then He will not neglect us!” At that point, she … Continue reading Today’s Struggle, Tomorrow’s History: A Lesson From the Life of Hajar
WHEN I WAS a boy, I remember asking my father about Qurbani. He told me it was about sacrifice — about giving up what you love, for the sake of Allah. He shared a story from his own childhood, growing up on a village farm in the 1930s and 40s. While my grandfather was a … Continue reading What is Your Ismael? Reflections on Qurbani
WE ARE IN the most sacred days of the Islamic calendar—the days of Dhul Hijjah, days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than any other time of the year. But whilst we strive to accumulate our good deeds in these sacred days, are we missing something deeper. A lesson… a reminder… and … Continue reading Sacred Days, Broken Bonds
STORYTELLING REMAINS ONE of the most powerful ways to convey a concept or lesson. Interestingly, while the Qur’an provides many verses outlining the rules of marriage, it includes very few stories that demonstrate marriage through the lives of the Prophets. One notable exception, however, is found in the story of Musa (as), and it holds … Continue reading The Story of Musa (as) and Marriage: Timeless Lessons
“WHOEVER AMONG YOU sees evil, let him change it with his hand. If he cannot do so, then with his tongue. If he cannot do so, then with his heart—and that is the weakest level of iman.” (Muslim) This profound hadith of the Prophet ﷺ reflects the strength and responsibility of iman. It touches on … Continue reading With Hand, Tongue and Heart: Changing Evil Through Prophetic Guidance
Living For Islam 