Archive for the ‘Personal Development’ category
It’s Not Just a Green Card
By Yeasmines “But perhaps you hate a thing and it is good for you; and perhaps you love a thing and it is bad for you. And Allah knows, while you know not.” (Qur’an, 2:216) These are the verses that eventually shaped the very nature of my existence with my Creator and the struggles He [...]
How to Pray Five Times a Day
Question: I want to pray the five daily prayers on time, but I have trouble doing them on time and regularly. How can I get into it? Answer: Dear Questioner, The fact that you even care about your prayers is an incredible sign of God’s love for you and His desire to keep you close [...]
Meditations on Menstruation
Most Muslims today are generally familiar with the rulings of purification and menstruation in Islam, but there is often much to be desired in how we, as a community, discuss these rulings and how we understand them. In a previous post, I touched on the need to change some of our negative ideas about menstruation. [...]
The 7 Goals for a Productive Day—Surah Fatiha
By Sana Gul Waseem We all want to have a productive day. We strive hard in figuring out our interests and potential and learn to manage that precious commodity, time. We set goals and develop strategies to accomplish them. Now, the point to ponder is, are these “goals” really aimed at gaining the Pleasure of [...]
Seeing the Clouds Move
By Fyora Luul When I was younger, I took many things for face value: leaves were green, fire burned, candy tasted yummy, and perfume smelled nice. I don’t remember ever questioning why certain things were the way they were—in depth at least—and I just sort of accepted whatever I perceived as being the ultimate truth. Which is why, [...]
Understanding Usul al-Fiqh
Usul al-Fiqh Series: Part I Primer in Conceptualizing Usul al-Fiqh The following series is intended to introduce usul al-fiqh in a systematic manner. In this section, we will introduce some key concepts that outline briefly what usul al-fiqh is about, what is beneficial about this science, and why it is important. Defining and Describing Usul [...]
Genuine Surrender: Lessons from Labour
By Umm Sephora We learn many of life’s most profound lessons through paradox. Here we are – human beings with a soul that yearns for the eternal and lasting, yet living in a world of the temporal and ephemeral. Our hearts seek spiritual highs, yet all the while are encased within bodies which have physical [...]
Luminosity: Lessons from the Full Moon
In the summer of 2010, my friends and I went camping during a full-moon in the famous White Desert. As the sun began to set, we made camp and had dinner under the stars. It wasn’t until later in the night that we really saw the full-moon. For all the full-moons we’ve seen, nothing compared [...]
Allah’s Aid
By Sakina Fletcher Something amazing happened to me on Wednesday. I was making du`a’ (supplication) for a very long time for something in particular. Then, out of the blue, along came this opportunity that was seemingly the answer to my prayer. It was garbed in a cloak of religiosity, presenting the pretence of happiness and Closeness [...]
Are You Like Her?
As I stood amongst millions of pilgrims from across the globe, I noticed a girl walk up to two elderly women sitting in front of Masjid al-Haraam. After greeting them both, I noticed her asking if the women may be interested in a bag. One of the two women accepted it eagerly, excitedly pulling out [...]
Put Your Best Face Forward
Think back to the last time you caught a glimpse of yourself in the mirror when you were stressed. Did you look approachable? What message did you send to others around you with your distressed facial expressions? What type of reaction did your family or co-workers have when they engaged with you while you were [...]
The Arqam Effect: From Reading the Qur’an to Action
Those familiar with the biography of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) are versant with the story of a young man named Arqam. Arqam played an instrumental role in the unfolding of the history of the Arabian Peninsula. Despite his key role in history, he is noted in the books of Prophetic biography to [...]
The All Knowing, the Most Wise
Names of Allah Series: Part I |Part II | Part III| Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV When learning Allah’s Names, it is important to understand that Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) is not just one attribute at a time. Just like if we describe our [...]
Heavenly Breeze of Hope
By Othman Mohammad It is a hallmark of depressed people that they give up on hope. Life for these people can seem void of color, so mundane that it is not worth living any more. Any energy spent on the face of earth seems such a waste for them. Hence, depressed people seem to care [...]
There can only be one truth, right?
There can only be one truth, right? So when it comes to Islamic law this must also be the case. There may be different opinions but only one of them is correct and therefore my ‘shaykh’, ‘madhab’, ‘tariqa’, ‘group’ is usually right to the exclusion of others. This may be the type of logic that [...]
The Lesser of Two Good Deeds
Lecture by Suhaib Webb | Transcribed by Fuseina Mohamad Surat Al-Fatiha Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV| Part XV | Part XVI | Part XVII | Part XVIII | Part XIX | Part XX | Part XXI | Part XXII | Part XXIII | Part XXIV | Part XXV The Lesser of Two Good Deeds The sixth trick of Shaytan – if he can’t make [...]
You Will Find Me, if Allah so Wills, Among Those Who Are Patient
By Shohala Hakim In the name of God, the Gracious, the Merciful. “And when he reached with him [the age of] exertion, he said, “O my son, indeed I have seen in a dream that I [must] sacrifice you, so see what you think.” He said, “O my father, do as you are commanded. You [...]
The Hijab Diaries: Going Back to School
By Gabrielle Deonath The Hijab Diaries: Part I | Part II Because I started wearing my hijab in the beginning of this past summer, a thought that was always in the back of my mind was how people in school would react to the change I’d made. How would acquaintances and friends treat me? Would [...]
Beware of Zombies. Or Are You One?
By Moutasem Atiya A few months ago, I was sitting with Shaykh Mohsen Al’Najjar in the Mosque of our Messenger Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him and his family), preparing to make the blessed ziyara (visitation). As we sat, I could not help but marvel at the amazing Ottoman calligraphy decorating the mosque. My eyes and spirit [...]
Watch as He Increases You
I was walking through the streets of a city that I have been blessed to visit—except it didn’t really feel like a blessing. Everywhere I looked people were yelling, people were fighting and worst of all they were invading my little bubble of privacy that had been unaltered all the years that I was in [...]
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