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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: Animal Rights!

Islam encourages kindness to not only fellow human beings but also other living creatures. We are told: “Verily, Allah is Kind and He loves kindness” (Muslim) Kindness should be shown to all of Allah’s creatures specially animals because they can not complain back to you about their problems, they are powerless in many ways. We encounter animals in our daily lives, sometimes we have pets, oftentimes we deal with astray or wild animals and then we have animals for Baqra Eid. Below are a few easy steps to show kindness and mercy to animals. 1. If you have Pets Take the responsibility to feed your pets timely and properly with a proper pet specific food. Clean areas of pet or if you have fish clean up the fish tank often. Pick them up calmly and correctly by avoiding their sensitive areas. Teach young kids to show empathy to pets. Remind them that they cannot pull the tails or harass the animals in any way. Play with your pets. Wash/clean/brush your pets often. Take care of their health, ensure their vaccination is properly done. Have routine checkup of pets. Ensure their safety. Make sure they are not left alone where they can be hit or harmed by other animals/people. And remember, keep the birds out of cage – they deserve flying. 2. If you have an Animal Farm Taking all the care mentioned above along with making sure that they are not overloaded or over exploited. e.g loading a horse or a
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

“Mommy Special”- Crafting with Kids in Ramadan!

[Guest Post for YC Blog – by a mother for parents looking for ideas on keeping their kids busy and excited during Ramadan, specially the last 10 days] With the dawn of Ramadan, I thought about a bit older kids, The ones who have started fasting last year or who will be fasting this year or the next. I sat down to do my research and allowed my creative juices to flow so that I could come up with fun crafts for them, crafts that are more age appropriate and a bit challenging than simple cutting/pasting or colouring pages. My justification being: the best way to teach and engage a kid is by letting them ‘do’ something. Living in the West I noticed that even months before the start of December, kids are inundated by all the activities and shows and events relating to Christmas, I feel there is a stark lack of the same when it comes to Ramadan, specially for the kids aged 6-7 and above. Following are 6 fun Ramadan crafts older kids will love to do: 1) Calligraphy Wall Art This is a very simple project, you trace/print the calligraphy picture and color it with sharpie. Kids of 5 years and above should be able to do it with parental help.   2) Masjid Sun Catcher using Beads This project is good for 6 years and older, because it is a little trickier and requires parental supervision while using the oven. But again even younger
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: Your Mega Mind!

While talking about controlling our hands, feet, tongue, eyes etc. from committing sins, I feel we often ignore the source from which all our actions stem. How about controlling, or rather managing and training, the source first? Where it all begins… Yes, “the mind”! All throughout the day, our mind keeps a steady stream of thoughts whirling in our heads. From actively processing what the person in front of you is saying to remembering that neighbour’s dog who barked at you 5 years ago. Why do we even need to control our thoughts, you ask? Because our thoughts  not only give rise to our actions but also determine our whole outlook on life. There are many kinds of thoughts that need to be checked, following are some of the major types. How many of them can you relate to? The “I’ll-Make-Them-Payback-Somehow” Thoughts This is where you can’t go to sleep despite being very tired because you’re fuming inside, ‘how dare he say that about me at the party?’ And then you indulge in the pleasure of imagining the scene where “he” is standing meekly and you’re telling him exactly what you think about him and a crowd is applauding you in the background. The “But-What-Could-It-Be?” Thoughts This is where you’re dying to know ‘why did they go to that place? What secret could it be? And why didn’t she call and tell me, huh? I’m sure “xyz” knows and is not telling me’. Your life depends on what someone’s doing in
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: the Need to Read!

By Fatima Asad I was a bibliophile.  My passion for books was that of a nerd inspiring.  I could read a 500 pager in a few hours- still can if I lock my kids in a cage and stop feeding the husband.  Go ahead and ask what was my favourite genre.  You: “What was your favourite genre?”  Thriller. Psychological thriller to be exact. In addition to that of course was the Jane Austen genre.  You know one of the reasons I literally gulped down books was because the books I was choosing to read excited me, temporarily drugged me, dragged me away from my busy academic life into an alternate reality- which was not my reality at all.  They were easy for me. All that changed when I started reading non-fiction.  You know, the self-help books, the biographies, the how to manuals, the for-Dummies series and journalism magazines.  Oh my, what a different world it was now! Mr. Darcy had opted for a minimalist lifestyle whereas Professor Langdon settled down in the wilderness away from the constant hysteria.  Suddenly, I no longer had to pretend an alternate reality because I was introduced to the very real dimensions of my own reality. Another change I noticed was that I could no longer read 500+ pages with ease.  These books required me to read and re-read a single page over and over again to really understand and let the messages sink in.  Soon, I caught myself actually implementing what I learned
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: What to do in the Masjid?

By Fatima Sajid A masjid is considered a place of worship and learning in Islam. It unites the community of Muslims five times a day. Bigger Masajid hold khutbahs (lectures) and other Islamic educational programs for children and adults alike. Since it’s the month of Ramadan and most of us are frequently visiting the masjid, I would like to remind you all of 5 things you can do in a masjid. Understand some Arabic Arabic is not our mother tongue and naturally the Qiyam (standing in prayer) is a hard time for most of us especially during the Taraweeh (night prayer in Ramadan). I have observed many ladies and young girls staring at the beautiful ceiling of the masjid, but that’s not what you are here for. A healthy tip would be reading some Quran with translation while you have time. Understanding what the Imam is reciting helps us develop khushu’ (concentration and focus in prayer). Switch off your Cell Phones Yes, there are chances that you will get a call, maybe an important one too, but you won’t pick up your phone while you are praying so it’s only right that you switch it off. Many of us keep musical tones that are a huge distraction to the public. Trust me the Imam’s Khutbah doesn’t need any background music. Smell Good This is very important. Here is a little tip: sniff yourself before you leave for the masjid. If you smell like onions or garlic or sweat, you need a shower. Also if
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: Gratitude to the One!

By Abdul Rehman Raza The One who is most worthy of our gratitude, more than anyone else, is Allah, our Lord! But why should we be grateful to Him anyway? The basic thing that separates humans from every other living thing is the ability to think and ponder. A rabbit would never sit under a tree, stare at the sky and think why is it blue, why are there clouds or how was it made? The purpose of this post is to make you use this very thinking ability of yours. Think about what? Think about the one who has given you this ability to think! Your Creator! Almighty Allah! Take a break from life and THINK! The One who made you, made the world for you, made everything around you, gave you the ability to think and ponder, gave you faculties of seeing, hearing, gave you this gadget that you’re using right now to read this article, the ability to read and understand this, the food you eat every single day, the clothes you’re wearing… But this list would keep going on and never end! Let’s do a short exercise: write down all the things that Allah has blessed you with, everything you can think of. Now think again, did you deserve all this? Could you really pay Allah for this? Obviously not! But Allah still blessed us with all of this and He doesn’t stop, His Mercy is continuously falling on us even at this very moment!
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: For the Muslim Ummah’s Pain!

By Sualeha Khan Have you ever scrolled down your Facebook news-feed or a news app on your phone and found heart wrenching news about bombings, pellet guns and Muslims facing torture for their beliefs and their way of dressing, or pictures of injured young, helpless children and bleeding bodies on the floor in different parts of the world? Unless you are living under a rock I am sure you have, and you must have felt the sadness and grief at least puncture your heart if not make you tear up. If you have been through these emotional states of mind, you should be grateful to Allah Almighty for having blessed you with a soft heart. If after reading this, you wanted to have this feeling, don’t worry, you are almost there! But it’s not just about getting sentimental; have you thought about what you can do for these people in trouble and whether you can even do something or not? YOU CAN. Yes, you can actually do something! You can make dua for them from the depth of your heart. The best time to do this is as soon as this grief overcomes you and your tear ducts go into production mode. I cannot speak for anybody else but I have tried it and making dua after 2 rak’ah of prayer might just be the best way to relieve your sadness. However, I am also familiar with the feeling of waking up the next day, seeing another one of
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: Habit Breaking!

By Sana Aslam Is there a sin in your life that bugs you again and again? Is it like a bouncy ball – you throw it away and it comes back to you? I’m sure your answer would be in the affirmative. Countless times in our life we sin, then we feel ashamed and repent. Being only human and thus weak, we tend to keep repeating the same mistakes again and again intentionally or unintentionally. But don’t worry, Allah (SWT), the Always- All-Merciful, has provided us with this blessed month in order to purify our souls. Not only this, our worst enemy, the one who makes us slip every time, is locked up! In order to start purifying our souls, it’s important to identify the sins that Shaytan has successfully made an integral part of our lives. Here are a few very common ones: 1. Lying to kids, parents, teachers and friends Like, telling kids to not go out because there is a dog/lizard/cop waiting outside for them! 2. Backbiting with a group of friends  Talking bad about teachers you don’t like behind their back. Your nafs goes: “I mean, it’s not really backbiting, is it? They are pretty evil to us!” 3. Cheating in exams We don’t even consider that a sin anymore – our favourite justification being ‘Oh I’m just helping out someone in need!’  4. Showing attitude to parents Yes this sure happens a lot, doesn’t it? If mommy doesn’t let us visit a friend of ours, we get
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: Serve Your Family Happily!

By Fatima Asad I’m going to be honest here.  The title of this article makes you think that I was the perfect daughter who awaited my Abu’s call for the next cup of tea or happily washed all the dishes before Mama told me to, a few (billion) times.  Now, in the role of a wife and a mother, you might think that I’m an expert model.  Not only do I make the perfect biryani but also wait impatiently for him to come home after work so I can feed him homemade besan ke ladoo. Ah the children…If you think that I have the perfect Pinterest-worthy playroom set up or that my girls are walking around in matching dresses with their perfect little curls wrapped up in perfect satin ribbons, you are too kind…and delusional I might add. This is the real world! I too am guilty of rolling my eyes when Abu asked for a simple cup of tea.  I am really guilty of asking my husband why are you here early today? “Aj phir jaldi agaye?” Oh and I am seriously guilty of cutting those perfect curls when they get to the point of no de-tangling…did I mention I cut them with kitchen scissors…in the kitchen?  Yes, we all serve our families…but do we do so willingly? With our utmost happiness? What really turned things around for me was when I learned the difference between compromise and sacrifice. Compromise is when we have to do an action.
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: The Smile Culture!

By Anonymous  Do you know about that one simple curve that sets everything straight? You got it, it’s your beautiful smile! 🙂 A smile is truly the best makeup you can wear; you can use a before and after picture test to observe the difference! Its benefits are numerous, especially for your role as a caller towards Allah. Ever met a person who’s very polite and decent in every way yet you feel something’s just not right and then it suddenly hits you that they’re not smiling? You kind of want to whisper in their ear, “Hey! Could you smile please?”  Not only does smiling alter your outward appearance and make you much more pleasing to others, but it also transforms your own self from inside. If you feel sad and negative, and you start smiling, soon you’ll begin to feel optimistic. Similarly, you can’t help smiling when you feel happy and hopeful. Both things go hand in hand. I’m sure you know a person who’s always upset and complaining about one thing or the other. On the contrary, you may know another person who’s always smiling, positive and cheerful. Which of the two do you like to hang out with? Who do you talk to and take advice from? The smiling one! Exactly! The Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily you cannot afford to make people happy with your wealth, but you can make them happy with you by means of a cheerful face and good attitude.” [Classed as hasan by
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: Neighbourly Love!

By Rahma Uneeb “Worship Allah and associate nothing with Him, and to parents do good, and to relatives, orphans, the needy, the near neighbour, the neighbour farther away, the companion at your side, the traveller, and those whom your right hands possess. Indeed, Allah does not like those who are self-deluding and boastful.” [Quran, 4:36] When was the last time you talked to your neighbour? OMG! Do you even remember their name? I certainly don’t. We can’t blame anyone but ourselves for this rift in our community. Our society is fractured beyond repair because we are so caught up in our own problems, our own storms and our own worries that we never even make the effort to find out about people literally living right next to us. It’s gradually becoming a culture; the threat of a communal collapse buzzes in our ears every day. I cannot even personally go visit my neighbours because I haven’t even met them once! I should form the acquaintance but I comfort myself by blaming my family for not taking us to visit neighbours or I blame the neighbours for not making the effort. I’m sick and tired of feeling isolated; my relatives don’t live this city and my best friends don’t live a footstep away either. I automatically assumed that there weren’t ‘my type’ of people in my area. But then where were all these people in taraweeh coming from? All the way from the other side of Karachi? Such stupid stereotypes
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Ramadan Challenge: Pray For Them!

By Yasha Humayun When we make dua we often fail to realize how powerful it is. You’re calling on to the One Who’s the Most Glorious (Al-Majeed) and The Responsive (Al-Mujeeb), what act can be more powerful and more beautiful than this? Dua is the best gift you can ever give; it’s undoubtedly the only gift that benefits the one who receives it and the one who gifts it. What other gift can you think of that would fulfill this criteria? None! I’ve often stumbled upon quotes that say that if you truly love someone, you pray and make dua for them and also that if you want to know who you really love, look at who you pray for in your duas. Undeniably, both of these ring true. Often, by the grace of Allah, when we set out to help our loved ones, we are only able to do so much, for us humans are limited in our capabilities, in our influence over things. The time then is to call to the One who is Al-Muqtadir (The Powerful) and Al-Qaadir (The Able), the one whose power and control encompasses everything, and to say to Him, ‘Ya Allah, this person is in dire need of Your help, You’re the only One that ever helps us, You’re the only One that can help us, please be merciful to him and aid him.’ Often we do pray for our friends and relatives, but what about those loved ones who’ve left this
Yasha Fatima
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