MANY OF US instinctively see wealth as a blessing and poverty as a trial. We admire those with abundance and sympathise with those in need. Yet the Qur’an reminds us that both states are tests, ibtilā, from Allah. How we respond, whether in wealth or need, determines our true success. The Divine Equation of Ibtalā … Continue reading Understanding Wealth: It is a Test
MANY MUSLIMS LIVING in the West experience a quiet but persistent unease. Perhaps you have felt it yourself: a sense that something is fundamentally misaligned in how we are forced to relate to money, property, and economic life. Islam offers guidance for all aspects of life, including wealth and resources, yet the systems we depend … Continue reading Why We Feel Stuck: Insurance, Capitalism, and the Lost Islamic Vision
MY FATHER ONCE asked me to help prepare a surprise gift for my mother. He handed me some money and gave clear instructions. The purpose was fixed: the gift had to be meaningful and reach her hands at the right moment. I had possession of the money, but the decision of how it would be … Continue reading Understanding Wealth: It Belongs to Allah
THE WEIGHT OF suffering can feel unbearable. When we are carrying it, kindness and patience can become difficult, sometimes painfully so. Pain narrows our vision. It tempts us to withdraw, to lash out, to excuse small acts of harshness by the magnitude of what we ourselves are enduring. This is not a moral failure. It … Continue reading The Weight We Carry, the Choice We Make
MADINAH FACED ONE of its most perilous moments. Nearly ten thousand enemy fighters, Quraysh, Ghatafaan, and their allies, surrounded the city, determined to destroy the Muslim community. Hunger gnawed at the believers. Fear pressed on every side. And betrayal struck from within, as Banu Qurayzah broke their treaty, leaving the city exposed. Allah captures the … Continue reading Why Shura Is Not Democracy: A Lesson from Ahzab
TO TRULY UNDERSTAND the essence of a person, or perhaps more urgently, to understand the state of our own souls, we must look beyond the surface of daily routine. Imam al-Ghazālī (may Allah have mercy on him) offered a profound analogy for this inward search, inviting us to envision a cup filled to its very … Continue reading What’s in Your Cup?
THE COST-OF-LIVING crisis has now entered its fourth year. I still remember buying a six-pint bottle of milk for around £1.70. Four years on, the same milk costs around £2.50, a 47% increase. That is far beyond any inflation figures routinely quoted by government ministers. We were told it would be temporary. But prices have … Continue reading The Cost of Living Crisis and the Cost of Forgetting Islam as a Way of Life
THE SITUATION IN Palestine and other conflict areas in the Muslim world is a moral test for Muslims. Not because the truth is unclear, but because acting upon it carries a cost. Most Muslims care deeply. Many feel grief, anger, and helplessness. Yet day after day, small opportunities to act quietly pass us by. A … Continue reading Taking Small Risks: Courage, Tawakkul, and the Price of Silence
IN SECULAR SOCIETIES, many Muslims quietly wonder how faith and public life should interact. This tension, between staying true to Islamic principles and navigating secular contexts, shapes how we view scholars, authority, and responsibility. Islam is a way of life that speaks to justice, morality, and social responsibility. Navigating this balance is not always straightforward, … Continue reading Scholars and Power: Preserving Integrity in a Secular World
FEW WOULD EXPECT that a man known to the authorities as a hardened criminal could play a role in strengthening one of Islam’s greatest scholars. Yet during one of the most difficult trials in Islamic history, this is exactly what occurred. The era of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him) was … Continue reading When a Sinner Strengthened a Scholar
Living For Islam 