ن وَالْقَلَمِ وَمَا يَسْطُرُونَ "Nun. By the pen, and what they are writing." [68:1] I am standing inside a used-bookstore. It is extremely hot. A bracket fan installed up in one corner spews out bursts of humid air. Beads of perspiration slowly roll down my back as my eyes minutely scan the shelves, up … Continue reading Books that Impacted Me as a Teenager: Confessions of a Bibliophage
Category: Parenting
If a person, of any age, showed immunity to the prevalent rat-race culture fueled by this oversharing of information with others i.e. they refused to get sucked in by the trend of being obsessed with who just did or acquired what, and vice versa, they were considered weird or outcast.
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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَـانِ الرَّحِيمِ السلامُ علیکم readers! I hope and pray that your Ramadan is going well. I thought I'd pop in here and share a recipe that I think would be very beneficial for Muslims everywhere, but especially for those who are fasting long, dry and arid days in very hot weather like us … Continue reading A Prophetically Endorsed “Power” Recipe for Suhoor in Ramadan (or for Everyday Breakfast)
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بسم الله الرحمٰن الرحيم I just love the gradual way I am going grey: it is a uniform scattering of silver emerging all over my head. By now, I think its a well-known fact that I am a very different kind of woman (innit!), so if you spot silver slivers in my hair, please don't … Continue reading This is 40: The Parent of a Child Who is the Offspring of a Parent
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـانِ الرَّحِيمِ Last year, I blogged about being on a bridge between two places: crossing over from one side to the other. Well, I mentioned how I am taking my sweet time crossing this bridge, and hoping to enjoy the ride, insha'Allah. We should try to appreciate every good thing about the phase … Continue reading Before You Roll Out the Red Carpet: Be on Red Alert for these “Rishta” Red Herrings & Red Flags
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بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْم The thing with being a writer is, that you evolve with time: your thoughts, writing style, and even priorities, keep changing. I suppose that is true for every aspect of life: the only thing constant in life is change. As a homeschooling parent who also likes to write, I keep growing … Continue reading The Clouds Parted and “the Son” Shone Through….
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Perhaps you have been wondering where/how I am? And, maybe why/to where I seem to have disappeared? Why you are seeing less of me? Yes, I will admit, things in my life are different now. However, this change did not happen overnight. Life has a way of throwing surprises at you. … Continue reading Standing on a Bridge, Aspiring to New Vistas
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ One of the most beneficial legacies that a Muslim parent can leave behind for their child, is to facilitate their connection with the Qur'an from early childhood in such a way, that it leads to them having a heart that is steadfastly attached to the Qur'an, a tongue that recites it … Continue reading How to Teach Children the Qur’an
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ What does being a niqabi, an unschooling parent, living in culturally-rigid Pakistan, not being able to people-please and sweet-talk my way into and out of superficial, culturally-enforced social conversations, and being a work-from-home, freelancing housewife make a woman? Answer: a Majorly Misunderstood Misfit. But, in order to answer this question in … Continue reading The Fruits of Unschooling: Better a Misunderstood Misfit, Than a Cultural Conformist
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَانِ الرَّحِيمِ Success: a lot is said, written, and taught today about how to achieve it in life. For most if not all human beings, becoming successful in life is a top priority. But before I begin talking about it too, first I would like to wonder out loud what exactly success means … Continue reading 4 Childhood Indicators of Future Success
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Ah, the stupidity naiveté of youth! Most of us are told many things, as sincere advice or emphatic matter-of-fact hearsay, by peers and older people when we are young. I don't know about others, but when I was a teenager, up to being twenty-something, I tended to follow the advice of most … Continue reading Marriage Myths that I Saw Go Up in Smoke
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ I was relatively new to the parenting world until, well, my children started growing up. In particular, when my oldest started acting mature and ladylike almost overnight. The awaited and cherished transition of your child from a baby to someone who can actually have a proper conversation with you, happens so … Continue reading 5 Leadership Mistakes that Parents Should Try to Avoid
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ The home is where the heart is. So you miss home. And you might feel very homesick when you are away from home. What is it that makes a house a "home" for a person? The aura in it? The people? The number, personalities, habits, faith, natures and lifestyle of it's occupants? … Continue reading Going “Home”
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Every year, when Ramadan is about to start, a mother’s mind starts having some apprehensive thoughts: will I be able to fast easily? Will I feel very hungry or thirsty? How tiring will it be with the children at home all day? How will I plan meals? Will I awaken in … Continue reading Family Togetherness Through Worship in Ramadan
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بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ A group of young women makes its way inside a bustling cafe. They choose a table and make themselves comfortable on the cushioned chairs around it, chattering. When the time for placing their order comes, one of the young women orders a grilled chicken sandwich with a garden salad on the … Continue reading Homeschooling Children: Accepting Their Individuality, Letting Them Grow
