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
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
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
I TOOK MY elderly parents to the airport last night. They were not excited about the long trip ahead. I understood how they felt. Travelling long distances by road, rail, sea, and air has been made so easy with modern transport and mass tourism, that we may forget what a blessing it is and all … Continue reading The Traveller’s Plea: An Opportunity for Spiritual Connection
WHAT CAN WE learn from the fires ravaging Los Angeles? The arrogance of man It is easy for man to become arrogant about his position. He can send a man to the moon and create atom bombs that can vaporise other men in an instance. Yet despite all his material progress he stands unable to … Continue reading Reflections from the Los Angeles Fires
THE BRITISH ARE known for moaning about the weather. Certainly, in the last few days, Britain has been seized by intense cold causing all manner of disruptions But for the Believer, even the intense heat of summer or the fierce cold of winter is but a reminder about the akhirah. The Messenger ﷺ said: “In … Continue reading Cold Weather: Reminders About the Akhirah
Living For Islam 