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December 22, 2025

Chapter 10: The Waning Dusk (series)

I don’t know about you, but I want to go go back in time every time I read about the battles in seerah. Maybe it’s the companions’ undying support, martyrdom, glad-tidings or pretty much everything that gets me high reading about Badar, Uhud, Battle of the Trench… I also wonder if I would’ve accepted Islam had I been born in that era or made sacrifices in the same magnitude the companions of the Prophet (pbuh) did. A few days ago in a session with a scholar, the scholar put forth a question: “Will you be willing to give 50% of what you own to an Islamic cause?” I couldn’t even pretend to say yes to that. Immediate response: I cringed. Responses that followed: “I’m saving for a Mac!” and “I’ll have to start from scratch… again.” The scenario wasn’t even real and yet, I had to entertain my own luxuries before the greater good. And even hypothetically, I wasn’t ready to give away half of my earnings. It’s things like these that make you realize that it could not have been easy for the companions either. They had their own lives- which were at least as complicated as ours- and were predisposed to the same vices as we are. Just because Abu Bakr (ra) gave 100% of his wealth to prepare for the Battle of Tabuk doesn’t mean his life was any easier than yours or mine. He just had this level of unwavering faith that we can’t possibly comprehend. Umar (ra) wanted to out-do Abu Bakr
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December 22, 2025

Chapter 11: The Waning Dusk (series)

Myth: People will think I’ve gone bananas (Yes, they will think that but they’ve got others on the radar to label bananas too. So, you’ll soon be last season.) Someone asked me some time ago: “What’s the best thing that ever happened to you?” And I told them: “The one-year gap I took from my studies.”   To me, it felt like being chucked out of one convent into the other. I joined extensive Quran classes in the summer of 2009 because I had nothing else better to do than to wait for my medical college aptitude test results. And as I surveyed the hall, I could see spoilt brats like myself all around. No, I wasn’t dragged here– I had only decided to do something different that summer. And since it was a one-year Quran course, I had all the intentions of leaving right after I get accepted to one of the many universities I had applied to. I don’t know why I felt the compulsion to compare it with my convent school. Maybe because it was run by women and they had an aura of dignity around them. But this one taught me more in a year than those 5 years of schooling. Long story short– I got my acceptance letter. And so did many of my friends in this new place and I saw them dropping out one by one to pursue their higher education. I was in a serious dilemma. From my first day, after the tafsir of
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December 22, 2025

My Ramadan Diary: What’s the time?

By Umm Ibrahim Every year, Ramadan is either 696 hours or 720 hours. From the first Maghrib of the month to the last, that’s all it is. That’s all each one of us gets after waiting for a year. The real resource we have is time. Whatever good we can earn in this month, we have to earn in these limited hours. Allah says about Ramadan: Ayyamam Ma’doodaat– “A fixed number of days” With our routines changing drastically in Ramadan, time management can become a problem for many people. Here are a few simple, tried and tested ways you can benefit from: 1- Make a timetable for yourself, where every hour of the day is accounted for. Don’t just drift in and out of the days and nights. 2- Take advantage of the hours after Fajr. Don’t sleep immediately after Fajr. Make abundant zikr and dua’, and read the Quran. If you feel sleepy, take a quick shower or go for a walk until your body becomes tuned to this routine. “O Allah, bless my ummah in the mornings.’ [Abu Dawood, Al-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah] 3- Take full advantage of other blessed times such as the hours before Iftar and Suhoor time, when duas are accepted. Make sure your heart is connected strongly to Allah during this time, even if your body has to be busy with eating and serving food. 4- Keep remembering Allah throughout the day, even while you are doing your chores or working in the
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December 22, 2025

Chapter 9: The Waning Dusk (series)

Myth: Atheism is scientific A couple of months ago, I was  discussing the subconscious mind with a friend- more like arguing with her for argument’s sake. You might have noticed that something holds you back whenever you decide to leave your comfort zone, or whenever you hesitate to try out something at which you have failed once or that tiny voice in your head that makes you feel guilty… it is the subconscious mind pulling the strings. Virtually capable of storing all that you have ever seen, felt and done before– it even shakes everything up into a kaleidoscope of scenarios you dream about. And much remains an enigma to the scientific world. Why do you have recurring dreams, what’s with the symbology in dreams, why is it that some people develop post traumatic stress disorder, and the questions go on… What’s interesting here is that we all have our subconscious states hardwired the same way. We mess it up later which is another story altogether, but we are all predisposed to the same thing: Allah (swt) says in the Quran, (Recall) when your Lord brought forth their progeny from the loins of the children of ’Adam, and made them testify about themselves (by asking them,) “Am I not your Lord?” They said, “Of course, You are. We testify.” (We did so) lest you should say on the Day of Judgment, “We were unaware of this,” (07:172) We have been created on Fitrah and our souls have already testified to monotheism long before our physical
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December 22, 2025

My Ramadan Diary: Hold Your Tongue!

We’re almost done with the 1st ashra of Ramadan. Just a couple of hours left now. The rest of Ramadan will also zoom by at the same speed, if not faster. It is a good idea to sit down and evaluate how we have been spending our days and nights, and what areas are we lacking in, so that we can start focus more on those areas. I have identified 4 areas where I need to redouble my energies and efforts: Controlling the Tongue, Duas, Time Management and Refraining from Social Media. Controlling the Tongue is a particularly tough one. At night, when I sit down to analyze the day and mark a checklist of deeds, the scariest question in the checklist is often: Did I fast with my tongue? Yes, this is indeed a scary matter. Sufyan bin Abdullah said: “O Messenger of Allah! What do you fear most about me?” He took hold of his own tongue and said: “This.” [At-Tirmidhi]. It is easy to fast from food and drink, but it is difficult to fast from speech that displeases Allah. This includes lying, backbiting, slander, useless gossip, foul language, boasting and the list goes on. We are so used to letting words roll off our tongues without thinking and weighing that we don’t even realize when we slip and say horrendous things. Rasulullah (sallalahu alaihi wasallam) said: “A person utters a word thoughtlessly (i.e., without thinking about its being good or not) and, as a result of
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December 22, 2025

Chapter 8: The Waning Dusk (series)

Myth: I’m a mufti and I know it. This particular verse struck me in taraweeh tonight. And it does so in a different way, every time I come across it. Say, “My Lord has prohibited only the shameful acts, whether open or secret, and (every) sinful act, and unjust aggression, and that you associate with Allah anything for which He has not sent any authority, and that you attribute to Allah any thing about which you do not have sure knowledge. (07:33) There are a lot of ways you can look at it depending on your guilty pleasures and your own flaws you’re intimately familiar with. There are certain sins that we have conveniently chucked in the grey area for our peace of mind. But if they fall into the category above, secretly shameful or openly shameful, then you know now that they are unlawful. That’s one way of dealing with it. What really came to my mind was– Facebook. A stark contrast between two kinds of people you will usually find making headlines on your your news-feed and in some cases, long comment threads. Average Muslims and Keyboard-Jihadis. The first half of the verse could apply to our average Muslim posting inappropriate pictures of himself, selfies with friends of the opposite gender and relationship updates that make you say “TMI!” out loud. And no, you are not obligated to “like” the garbage. Then there are keyboard-jihadis (as Abu Eesa calls them), overzealous students of knowledge, fresh out of their summer program planning
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December 22, 2025

Chapter 6: The Waning Dusk (series)

Myth: It’s Ramadan- Think Pakoras There is something ostensibly odd about this verse: “The Messiah, son of Mary, was no other than a messenger, messengers (the like of whom) had passed away before him. And his mother was a saintly woman. And they both used to eat (earthly) food. See how We make the revelations clear for them, and see how they are turned away!” (05:75) Another statement where Allah (swt) is making a point that Isa (as) and his mother were not supernatural beings or Gods but merely humans. One might wonder, if they are paying attention, why is food brought here as a demarcating line between godliness and being human? Why FOOD of all the things? It’s a no-brainer, and definitely not a brainer in Ramadan, that food is human super-weakness. And anyone foolish enough to think he can be one with the heavens by denying himself food, is only kidding himself– that does happen, but only when you starve yourself enough to go six feet under. Very uh- ungodly. So, the point here, and in numerous places in the Quran, is that it is only Allah (swt) Who is free from all weaknesses and whatever partners people associate with Him are just not qualified enough. You’d be surprised to know that food has been given its due attention in the Quran and Sunnah. And as Muslims, we have been told our limits here as well as in other things. But here is what happens- You stuff yourself at iftaar, before taraweeh, after taraweeh until you achieve
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December 22, 2025

Chapter 7: The Waning Dusk (series)

Myth: Everyone’s doing it so it’s okay. It’s amazing how Quran reminds you of forgotten things, of sins that you don’t think are sins anymore because somewhere over the years you have given it all a perfect justification that only makes sense to you. I was jolted back to point zero when I came across this verse and remembered some pointers from Nouman Ali Khan’s year-old lectures. Say, “The evil and the good are not equal, even though the abundance of (what is) evil may attract you. So, fear Allah, O people of understanding, so that you may be successful.” (Quran; 05:100) First off, notice that Allah (swt) didn’t just say evil and good are equal. He told the Prophet (pbuh) to say it. Meaning what? That Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is to set the standards of what is acceptable and what is unacceptable. And he did. Think of the last time you were trying to justify a bad deed as good or okay. Which goes on to show that our standards are subjective. What used to be PG-13 a decade ago is now suitable for general audience. What was rated X before is now PG-13. Things are constantly changing. You see something in a movie that you shouldn’t be seeing, you are appalled at first. Gradually, you begin to shrug it off thinking “It’s common in their culture. No big deal.” Or if it is some TV series you’re hooked on to, and that feeble voice of your conscience tells you to quit,
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December 22, 2025

My Ramadan Diary: Abort Mission NOW!

By Umm Ibrahim Physical intake should decrease in Ramadan; spiritual intake should increase. One of the best ways to increase spiritual intake is to connect to the Quran, to recite it and reflect on it, individually and in a group. Both modes have their own benefits and virtues. Alhamdolillah, I’ve been trying to attend Quran sessions daily. The 20-min journey to and fro provides quiet time to think and reflect. One of the things that I always think about during this journey is: death. The reason being as straightforward as this: I pass a huge, sprawling graveyard on the way. As the car zooms by, I recite the Prophetic dua for the occasion. One of the versions say: “Peace be upon you all, O inhabitants of the dwellings (i.e. the graves), amongst the believers and the Muslims. Indeed, we are soon to follow (i.e. to die as believers also) inshaAllah, We ask Allah for well-being for us and for you.” (Muslim, an-Nasai, Ibn Majah) This is truly an amazing dua. See how it shifts focus from the dead to the living, from the grave-dwellers to us- the travelers of the dunya, who are about to hit the grave one day too. It is just as if the dead are telling us through their condition: We were like you one day You shall be like us one day. Yes, the graveyards are full of ‘indispensable’ people. Young mothers, busy professionals, university students- all had met the angel of death suddenly,
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December 22, 2025

My Ramadan Diary: All you could ask for!

  By Umm Ibrahim “Verily your Lord is Generous and Shy. If His servant raises his hands to Him (in supplication) He becomes shy to return them empty” (Ahmad, Abu Dawood, Tirmidhi) Two Ramadans back, someone advised me to make a Dua List for Ramadan. Always a fan of making lists, I sat down and began to casually list all the small and big things I wanted in the Dunya and Akhirah. I had thought the list would probably contain 15-20 things. But when the list was complete, it reached almost 200! The list then stayed with me at the time of iftar and suhoor, and particularly in the last ten nights. This year, I dug out my Dua List from last Ramadan and went through it. And it opened my eyes. There were duas that He had accepted and I had totally forgotten about them! I had begged for stuff; He had granted it. But when I got it, I had turned away and conveniently forgotten to say as much as Thankyou. The gifts had distracted me from the Giver Himself. Even more heartbreaking was the realization that I had asked for seemingly impossible things, (I still remember hesitating whether to include them in the list or not, because they did seem quite unlikely) yet He had subtly created the opportunities and circumstances for them to happen. I had then conveniently attributed it all to my own intelligence and abilities. In the list, in my own handwriting, were
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December 22, 2025

My Ramadan Diary: Forgive Me When I Whine

By Umm Ibrahim Hot days? Long fasts? Parched tongue? Droopy eyes? Aching legs? This Ramadan, I will not whine! I absolutely refuse to complain. Not only will I not complain to Tom, Dick and Harry (or to Jamilah, Sakinah and Aneela) I will not even complain to myself! I feel too grateful to do that. I have been blessed with far more than what I could ever deserve or earn. I’m grateful that Allah made me a human being, and not a monkey or a hen. I’m grateful that He made me a Muslim, and not an atheist or a fire-worshipper. I’m grateful that I’m alive and healthy. And that He blessed me with yet another Ramadan- yet another opportunity. And that He gave me the Glorious Quran. And that I have family and friends. In fact, I have everything I asked him for, and more! Much more. I’m grateful for the Duas He accepted, and the ones He apparently did not (because He had better substitutes planned). “And He gave you of all that you asked for, and if you count the Blessings of Allah, never will you be able to count them. Verily! Man is indeed an extreme wrong-doer, an extreme ingrate.” (Surah Ibrahim: 34) And most of all, I’m thankful to Him that despite my all-year round sins, He allowed me to fast. He enabled me to open the Quran, and gave me the taufeeq to stand before Him, and put my face on the ground only for Him. Yes, there is still
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December 22, 2025

Chapter 4: The Waning Dusk (series)

Myth: My hocus pocus totally works! Allah (swt) says in the Quran, “Indeed Allâh conferred a great favour on the believers when He sent among them a Messenger (Muhammad SAW) from among themselves, reciting unto them His Verses (the Qur’ân), and purifying them (from sins by their following him), and instructing them (in) the Book (the Qur’ân) and Al-Hikmah [the wisdom and the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW], while before that they had been in manifest error.” (03:164) Double, double, toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble. That’s the three witches chanting in Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”. No wait. In the Quaid’s Karachi. Naana Bengali, Naani Bengali and Amil Junaid Bengali. The whole family or coven as you like, with their graffiti ads painted all over the city walls, claiming they get things done from kalam-e-ilahi. And then there is us, doing our own hocus pocus. There’s a stark contrast between how the Prophet (pbuh) lived on the Quran and imparted the wisdom, and how we share our daily doses of refreshing insight about the Book. I saw a small booklet tucked under my car wipers some time back. It was called “Daily Remedies” if I remember well and flipping through it, this is what I saw on the first page: Musallamtul la shiyata feeha “Recite this seven times and you will be rid of pimples and other facial ailments.” Coincidentally, I was enrolled in a tafsir study those days and recognized this phrase from Surah Al-Baqarah. The translation of
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