[From unpublished archives 2018 — posting this now to serve as a motivation in preparing for the upcoming Ramaḍān.] The thing with social media is that you have the learned, the outright unlearned and everyone in between sharing their wisdom or lack thereof. Often the advice spouted is presented well and so appreciated by the masses though it might be poor and misleading.Consider the month that just passed. I came across dozens and dozens of posts lulling people into…
One dilemma that the student of knowledge faces in his journey to seek knowledge is where to start from and how to progress. With ease of access to resources and with plentiful resources this dilemma is met with yet another: What path to choose. I’ve come across dozens upon dozens of ṭalab al-ʿilm curriculums suggested by scholars, each differing just enough but each aiming to equip the student with the right knowledge and tools. The biggest mistake a student can make…
If there is one lesson our dīn repeatedly teaches, it is that Allāh treats you the way that you treat others, especially the ones who are below you. This teaching is so consequential that it is almost as if you are given a choice of how you want to be treated by Allāh in this life and in the Next simply by your treatment of those around you. …
For some weeks, I’ve been working with a classical book of tafsīr. I’ve been reading and re-reading and then repeating the process over and over again in order to understand and hopefully internalise the scholar’s words. It wasn’t until I reached a segment where he had listed some aḥādīth of Rasūl Allāh ﷺ that I found my self subconsciously evaluating myself. I found myself thinking, reflecting and then resolving. …
There are certain people you meet who stay with you long after that meeting has passed. There is one such sister I met years ago. Her face is a blurred memory but she crosses my mind often. A few ʿEīds ago, during ʿEīd prayer, she enters the masjid with a throng of children of all sizes but mostly little. A lot of hustle and bustle, a lot of shushing, some little screeches, quite a few giggles… and her whispered threats…