By Saira Tabassum I tell people that I am not the brand-conscious type, I can wear anything as long as it’s comfortable. “But branded stuff is more durable”, they would say. “I agree. I also once had the most expensive shades.” “Really, which ones?” They would ask. “People don’t know about that brand. It’s not po-POLO-ar here.” “Was it from Mars?” They were clearly irritated out of eagerness. That shade was the most DIOR-able, most trustable, an immaculate fit. I could even see the world beyond the frequency range of us humans. It was REVO-lutionary. “You bonkers?” they all chimed in. “No,” I said sternly. “It’s the truth.” “GUESS what they say about the next world? You can’t see it. I say it’s PRADA-actable. You can actually see the unseen”, I whispered. “What? With those crazy shades?” They were baffled. Yes! “They are called the shades of EMAN. You know what EMAN is? It’s not a brand of this world, it’s one from the NEXT. People who wear this brand are those who see the world beyond reach of most. The store you get this from is called “QURAN.” Once the message sinked in, they asked So you don’t have it anymore? “Yes, because it doesn’t stay with the owner at all times It’s like a SILHOUTTE, You see it and run after it. You SHWOOD run fast to catch it, or else it’s gone. And they nodded in disbelief.    

By Minahil Ashraf All of us are wounded one way or another, some more than others. The hearts are stabbed and scarred, the soul ripped into partially patched shreds. Who is to blame? Not always others. A lot of times it’s our own self who is responsible. We ourselves bring the mightiest of storms upon us. We ourselves choose to close our eyes to reality and continue to build dream castles in the air. And all of a sudden, a wind blows and there lies on the cold floor of reality, the house of cards that was so lovingly built. Why blame the wind? We, human beings are infinitely weak creatures. That’s how we are designed. “And man was created weak.” (Quran 4:28) In fact, our strength lies in acknowledging our weakness. He who considers himself unbreakable, should watch out for a big fall. It will come. That’s the rule. A fragile thing is meant to break. It’s only a matter of time. But what’s not the rule is where you will run after you take the blow. Once in hard waters we crave support; emotional, psychological, all kinds of it. That’s natural. Who you turn to for help speaks a lot about you and the one you chose. The nearness and kind words of a loved one will definitely help. A friend will make it just a little bearable. Despite all this, some choose to numb themselves through drugs or drown their sorrows in drinking and others search

By Ghadia Cheema ‘Religious people are usually backward, illiterate and irrational. If we allow dogma to rule the world then there will be nothing but chaos and bloodshed everywhere. Islamists today are extremists and terrorists. They are trying to inculcate their historic 1400 year old agenda in the world of today where machines rule. How can such a historic civilization that dictated the lifestyles of the old Arabian men be suited to the rapid needs of today? Oh wait, you think my attitude is also bordering on extremism? Well let me correct you, I am a moderate man with moderate ideas; sound intellect drives my choices. While I do accept the notion of Islam being the final word of Allah for humanity, I believe it has its own sphere and should be kept in it such. Why do we need to bring religion in our everyday lives? After all, is it wholly, completely, perfectly and absolutely compatible with the Contemporary world?’ The above is an example of language and ideas that we often come across in today’s world, which act as a smoke screen for many young minds of today. The society we live in is leaving no stone unturned in creating doubts and skepticism in our minds regarding religion in general and Islam in particular. This article will analyze what truly Islam has to offer and whether it can be applied to the contemporary world. First and foremost, we need to be clear on whether man or his

By Ghadia Cheema Defects and errors can only be rectified if we are consciously aware of them. The first step towards becoming a better human, society or a nation is the realization of one’s faults and then trying to do away with them through the best means possible. Whilst the youth of today are somewhat aware of their personal demons, attention must be paid to the lurking darkness in the society that has us entangled with its farce of beauty and convenience. One such demon is our unconscious focus from true understanding to merely getting academic achievement. The above statement refers to our desire to acquire knowledge merely with the intention to earn a certain degree or title of stature. Unfortunately, the quest to acquire knowledge for purposes of truly educating oneself are a rarity nowadays. One of the main reasons behind the ‘economization’ of education is the lack of a moral framework in designing the curriculum, as aptly put by Steven Schwartz; former vice-chancellor of Brunel University, “Abandoning their moral purposes has led universities to stress their utilitarian nature – get a degree and get a better job. Universities and their representative bodies routinely trumpet their economic impact. We have put so much emphasis on this aspect of our activities that the government now believes that universities exist mainly to bolster the economy.’’ (source:https://www.timeshighereducation.com/comment/columnists/the-higher-purpose/176727.article) He further stresses, ‘’Today, most religion-based universities can say with certainty why they exist. Their job is to teach students the values that their

By Umme Aisha   Bismillah hir Rahman nir Raheem Yesterday was a hot sunny day. Our home generally remains cool with the exception of some rooms that really absorb the heat. After getting our air conditioners serviced, we still found them working inadequately. My husband, although a cool headed man, was still enraged on finding the room engulfed in extreme heat and uttered the following words which I deeply reflected on: “When things do not do the work they are made for, I just want to throw them away.” Is this what should be done? Are anger and disposal the best solutions for situations and things where we possess authority and feel we have the right to act as per we deem right? Then ponder this: are we, as Muslims, ever perfectly following Allah’s commands? If we are not up to the mark then should we also be simply disposed off? This is how it goes, simple! Isn’t it? ALLAH subhanahu wa ta’ala created us all for one single purpose: And I did not create the jinn and mankind except to worship Me. [Adh-Dhariyat:56]   – and while we are not focused on our real purpose, should we not be….??? And to talk about the purpose of this Muslim Ummah- ALLAH subhanahu wa ta’ala says in surah ale Imran: You are the best nation produced [as an example] for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong and believe in Allah… [Ale-Imran:110]   The matter is

If there is one man that every single human being needs to know about, it is the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.). Wondering why? Well, if you take just take out a few seconds of your time to read some of the following extremely powerful reasons, you shall hopefully find your answer and dispel several myths surrounding this particular man. The sayings below will help any human being from any part of the world to draw lessons and take inspiration from. These are just a droplet from the ocean of sayings by this extraordinary human being. Each of the following sayings have been scientifically and historically verified by multiple specialists. The sources and references have been academically verified by scholars of literature. There is no doubt that the Prophet Muahammad (saw) actually said these.    ENVIRONMENT “A Muslim who plants a tree or sows a field, from which man, birds and animals can eat, is committing an act of charity.” (Muslim) An advice given concerning the environment from someone living in 7th Century Arabia!    HIGH MORALS & ETHICS “What actions are most excellent? To gladden the heart of human beings, to feed the hungry, to help the afflicted, to lighten the sorrow of the sorrowful, and to remove the sufferings of the injured.” (Bukhari) Is not the above something that would improve our modern day society? Make people more tolerant and more respectful towards one another?   SPEAKING THE TRUTH “Say what is true, although it may be bitter and displeasing

By Zara Iqbal Striking a balance between what matters to you, and what matters to your parents Tuesday the 6th of January. It was my birthday, the day that I crossed the 22 years mark. Just as I didn’t look any older when I saw myself in the mirror that morning (no white hair), I also didn’t feel any older. 21, 22, 23- what really mattered wasn’t the age, but the fact that I hadn’t done anything substantial in my life yet. I’d just spent 20 years of my life, living, but I had no fantastic war stories to tell about my younger days. I hadn’t published any books so far – that last draft I’d written when I was 14 was lying abandoned and forever lost somewhere in the downstairs study. My bedroom wall was not covered in certificates or newspapers cut outs from a very full and lucrative teenage (although I’d somehow managed to get my name into the local newspapers a couple of times when I was younger and a whole lot more ambitious). Would it be ingratitude to God, I wondered, if I continued living my life the way I was living it? Was it ungratefulness that caused me to waste the resources and talent God had given me- and to treat each day as just another day instead of the chance to make a difference that it really was? Was I becoming the sort of person who took everything for granted? “And he had

By Youth Club Street Da’wah Team   “I’d love to come, but it’s too far.” This is a common excuse we present when we find out that a lecture is taking place at some venue more than half an hour away from us. For a long time now, it has been observed that this ‘excuse‘ for not traveling for knowledge is presented. Of course, sometimes there are genuine reasons for not being able to reach the venue. But this short article will attempt to motivate and inspire you to try that little bit harder to attend an event. The event could be a workshop, conference, lecture or a halaqah. After some careful analysis, it has been diagnosed that the real problem is a very weak will! The adage goes “Where there’s a will, there’s a way”; but we tend to have no will at all, let alone a weak one! The will has to come from deep inside your heart. The heart needs to know that our lives depend on getting to this venue. We need to convince ourselves that if we attend, then we will learn something priceless that may help us to survive on the Day of Judgement! So do not look upon the event as a small one. It’s a huge event- a life-saving event! Think about how much effort we make when it comes to attending an interview or an exam or a wedding. When it comes to our own selfish needs or when we see some