When the going gets tough, it means you are on the right path…
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Disclaimer: This post is like an ebook in length! Read it when you have the time, and perhaps a cuppa with you. Sitting at a gathering, I listen quietly to a sister launch into a heartfelt, sincere monologue about the perils, dangers and risks of devouring packaged milk. She'd apparently seen … Continue reading One Man’s ‘Poison’, Another Man’s Meat: Some “Food” For Thought
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ To continue from where I left off last month at the end of Part 1 of this post, I want to point out how and why letting your children learn mostly via play and not through structured lessons and classes for the first 10-12 years of their lives is not "crazy". … Continue reading “Unschooling” Update and Frequently Asked Questions – Part 2
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ It has been very long since I blogged about and provided an update on our homeschooling journey. The third addition to our family was a huge blessing in disguise, because the lull it introduced into our till-then, by-and-large structured, curriculum-based, and parent-driven model of homeschooling, paved the way for a smooth … Continue reading “Unschooling” Update and Frequently Asked Questions – Part 1
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ وَلَوْلَا أَن يَكُونَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً لَجَعَلْنَا لِمَن يَكْفُرُ بِالرَّحْمَنِ لِبُيُوتِهِمْ سُقُفًا مِّن فَضَّةٍ وَمَعَارِجَ عَلَيْهَا يَظْهَرُونَ وَلِبُيُوتِهِمْ أَبْوَابًا وَسُرُرًا عَلَيْهَا يَتَّكِؤُونَ وَزُخْرُفًا وَإِن كُلُّ ذَلِكَ لَمَّا مَتَاعُ الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةُ عِندَ رَبِّكَ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ "And were it not that all people would become one community, We might indeed have provided for … Continue reading A Person’s Worth Lies Not in Square Feet or Area Code
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Escapism is officially defined as: Es·cap·ism (-skpzm) n. The tendency to escape from daily reality or routine by indulging in daydreaming, fantasy, or entertainment. [Reference: The Free Online Dictionary, Thesaurus and Encyclopedia] *** He arrives home at 8:30 p.m, exhausted from the day's work. As he shuts the front door gently, … Continue reading You Were a Spouse Before You Became a Parent
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Digging it out of the earth, diving in the sea for it, buying it, vying for it, envying others over it, talking about it, wearing it, displaying it, crafting it, selling it, hoarding it, weighing it, measuring it, pricing it, valuing it.....we just can't get enough of this precious metal - … Continue reading For the Love of Go(̶l̶)̶d!
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ "How do you remember names, places and events that took place decades ago, complete with all the little side details?" "Having a good memory is not always good, you know. It means that you remember the pain of the hurtful aspects of your past. And it also means, that the regret … Continue reading Life Lessons at the Threshold of 35
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Continued from: The Real Housewives of Ancient Egypt In the first part of this post, we discussed an incident from Surah Yusuf in the Quran, involving a dinner banquet with an agenda that was convened and attended by the urban, socialite housewives of ancient Egypt. We noted similarities between the ethos and … Continue reading The Real Housewives of Ancient Arabia
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Ever attended a ladies' social get-together or party? Of course you have, if you are female! Ladies of all ages love to dress up, get together, and have a heart-to-heart conversation over sumptuous food. For a woman, getting together with her girlfriends is actually one of the few things in life … Continue reading The Real Housewives of Ancient Egypt
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ I am 'interrupting' my Surah Al-Kahf series to write this post because the muse paid me a visit, and like most writers, I cannot stall when inspiration beckons. I have this habit of intermittently practicing a spiritually refreshing mental exercise that makes my eyes well up with gratefulness to Allah, and my soul … Continue reading The Several-Year Glitch and the Deafening Silence
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ This is the third story in the inspirational and insightful Surah Al-Kahf. The story involves 3 people, namely Prophet Musa [عليه السلام], his young boy-servant Yusha bin Nun, and Al-Khidr [عليه السلام]. This story is inspirational in many ways, but in my opinion, it is primarily so in the way it … Continue reading Prophet Musa and Khidr: the Quest For Divine Knowledge
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Think, "a group of young boys hanging out together", and what comes to mind? If you are in the age range of 10-25, you'll probably think they are having fun. And if you are older, you'll probably assume they are out and about cooking up some trouble just for the fun … Continue reading Surah Al-Kahf: The Curious Case of the Bohemian Boys
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ Reading, reflecting upon, and reciting Surah Al-Kahf every Friday has been an enlightening and exceptionally rewarding experience over the years. This surah is packed with lessons, and what's interesting is how the main source of these lessons, for me, has been the four narratives or stories narrated in it. We all … Continue reading Surah Al-Kahf: The Two Conversing Companions and the Trial of Affluence
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ The world is talking about Prophet Muhammad (صَلَّى اللِّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ). In an age dominated by instant online marketing, media strategies, public relations campaigns, and digital media publishing, the power of the printed or published world, audio podcasts, recorded videos and public opinion has increased manifold and quite frequently, spirals even … Continue reading Defending Prophet Muhammad صَلَّى اللِّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَـنِ الرَّحِيمِ "I visited an online discussion forum once. I left it quickly when I started hearing some ex-Muslims bring up criticisms of Islam to which I had no defending answers. I was afraid that if I lingered there, I too, would start having doubts about my faith.." "My sister's best friend went to … Continue reading The Rising Tide of Atheism: the Truth Behind the Claims of “Freedom”, “Liberation” and “Tolerance”
