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December 22, 2025

Exclusive Interview with ex-actress Sarah Chaudhry

Sara Chaudhry, the ex-model and actress who studied Islam and said goodbye to her showbiz career, discusses with us the challenges she faced in her journey, and how her life has changed for the better.  These days, she conducts workshops on Islam and continues to inspire many. YC Blog: What was the reaction of your family and friends when you left showbiz and when you started Hijab? How did you handle it? Sara Chaudhry: It came as a surprise for them to see this sudden change in me.  They had lots of confusions and questions.  But when a person is firm and confident about his/her decision, Allah helps him/her to answer all the ifs and buts.  With Allah’s help, it was, and still is, easy for me to face all their questions and objections calmly and reply to them. As Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala says in Surah al-Maidah, verse no 54: “O you who believe! Whoever from among you turns back from his religion, Allah will bring a people whom He will love and they will love Him; humble towards the believers, stern towards the disbelievers, fighting in the Way of Allah, and never afraid of the blame of the blamers.  That is the Grace of Allah which He bestows on whom He wills.  And Allah is All-Sufficient for His creatures’ needs, All-Knower.” YCB: What role does the Quran have in your everyday life? SC: The Quran and Hadith are a complete manual on how to live your life
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Gratitude – An Attitude

For quite some time, I’ve been noticing a trait that is very common amongst us, irrespective of whether we’re religious or not. We all have, more or less, ingratitude! We don’t have gratitude. The reason I use the word ‘have’ and not ‘show’ is that gratitude is an attitude, it’s a whole different paradigm. If you have the blessing of gratitude in you, you feel it in your very veins. Your heart feels ‘alhamdulillah‘; you don’t just say it like a ritual. You’re less concerned with what’s missing and you’re thankful for whatever you have. We can’t ever have enough anyway. But we’re always complaining, sometimes with our words, but more often with our attitudes and body language. Maybe we want things to be perfect and when they remain imperfect (as they’re meant to be, this isn’t Jannah), we start complaining. If only we remember that this world is temporary and meant to be stressful. Just have a look around today and see what people talk about; observe their tones. You’ll see they’re complaining most of the time. I’ve noticed that when I’m in my worst lows, I’m not grateful enough; enough to be thrilled about moments, about the littlest things in life, and to feel content and happy from within. Being happy in situations you’re put in and being content is gratitude too. Just saying ‘alhamdulillah’ isn’t enough; specially if it’s followed by a ‘but’, it is highly unacceptable. However, it is true that you’re unable to enjoy all the time,
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Looking for A Spouse: Great Expectations

By Fareed Ahmed Marriage-related statuses, comments and articles usually get the maximum number of likes on social networking sites.  It seems that everyone has something to say.  People often vent their frustrations and share their experience and observations about this universal topic. Indeed, marriage is a very vast and crucial subject; books have been written on it yet some aspects generally remain untouched.  The topic of marriage can be seen from both an element of seriousness and an element of fun.  It totally depends on the individual’s maturity and attitude towards life.  Anyways, today the aspect that I want to touch upon is the “Utopia Syndrome” with regards to marrying. “I want to marry a righteous spouse…”, this is an oft-repeated, even cliched phrase among the practicing Muslim youth.  We keep on saying and hearing this in our circle of religious friends, but then we have our “Great Expectations”.  Religiously inclined men looking to marry are well-aware of the famous Hadith : “A woman is married for four reasons: her wealth, her nobility, her beauty and her piety.  Choose the pious one, and may you be successful.” (Bukhari) However, no matter how long and bushy a brother’s beard is or how high he wears his pants, very few of them actually compromise on beauty and age of the girl, though they might eventually compromise on wealth and nobility, and even piety.  Everyone wants to marry a Cinderella or someone who looks like a beauty queen from Hollywood.  The Hadith
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Of Big Weddings And Small People

“There are two types of gatherings: one that is surrounded by angels and one that is not.” – From Half:Past:Midnight- What I’ve learnt so far, Saadia Humayun And that about sums it up when we come to weddings as we know them.  Ladies – near or far, close to you or not so much, related or a mere friend – all clamour to get you to shed that off, or put this on.  Then there are those poor, innocent, lost gents that keep sauntering between the tables, stopping here and there to chat with folks, making up for lost conversations, and instructing the waiter— wait a second, didn’t you say this was going to be a segregated wedding? “Always the same,” said Mr. Weasley, smiling. “We can’t resist showing off when we get together…” – From Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K.Rowling  Showing off.  The phrase doesn’t see as much use today as when we were kids, but it hasn’t been more in evidence than today.  People always remark how it is no use for you to be donning jewellery or taking pains with a certain dress if, well, ‘it is not seen and appreciated’.  In fact, one person even forced their parents that there be no purdah or partition so to speak, at their wedding.  Who shall we dress up for then, Mom!  And really, why the need for tonnes of make-up?  So far, experience dictates that even if you go to the best of salons,
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Thou Shalt Lower Thy Gaze!

Lowering the gaze- yes, that is actually one of the forgotten commandments. “You mean blue eyes! Woww.” She stared dreamily into space. “I just can’t control myself when I look at him…” she swooned, gazing at the actor’s image on the novel’s cover page. “That brother and his beard was so awesome! Ah! He was… ” she giggled as she described a guy. It’s common to hear such statements even amongst seemingly religious girls. Humans are creatures of desire, and we must battle against these desires every single day to subdue and control them.  That’s where lies our struggle.  And that’s where lies our reward. Take some real life situations: Brothers, imagine yourself sitting in the midst of the busy street, waiting to complete some important tasks.  Suddenly, you see some beautiful young ladies.  You struggle to lower your gaze.  Their giggles and laughter tempt you but you try to control.  Now, you have two choices: to look around and feast your eyes, or to remain steadfast out of His fear and for the delights of Jannah. Perhaps Allah will be pleased by your effort and will marry you to the Hoor al ‘Ayn (beautiful women in Jannah) right at that moment.  Perhaps Allah will reward you with a beautiful wife even in this world.  Perhaps Allah will make easy for you the very task you had been waiting for.  After all, He is always with you and is managing all your affairs. Sisters, imagine lowering your gaze for this fleeting moment and then enjoying that pleasure
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

You’re dying to marry, but are you ready to marry?

By Zaki Imtiaz Do you know what is the most discussed matter among the Muslim youth these days?  At least, among those whom I know.  Yeah, you guessed it right: Marriage.  You say the word and you see these Colgate smiles on their faces.  Everybody wants to get married, don’t they? Indeed, Nikah is an amazing blessing from Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala; it is a Halal way out for fulfilling our emotional and physical needs.  Muslims are advised in the Quran to lower their gaze, guard their chastity, and keep themselves away from all sorts of indecent acts.  The culture of Islam disciplines the society by encouraging marriage and by disapproving all relationships outside wedlock. I have observed over the past couple of years that our educated youth are zealously reverting to these Islamic principles and values.  I’ve been teaching at a university, and whenever I interact with the youth, I find that they are motivated and ready to get married, wanting to keep themselves safe from the indecent and highly sexualized society around them. I often advise them to take bold steps and talk to their parents about this issue and get married.  It’s better to have daal roti (a simple meal) prepared by your lovely wife in a single room apartment, which is filled with Iman (faith), instead of luxuries and unlawful relationships with nothing to claim in the hereafter.  However, these youngsters often do not have the guts to talk to their parents seriously, nor are they
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Top 7 things I dislike about Pakistani Weddings

By Umm Ibrahim The wedding season has begun in full swing.  All kinds of invitation cards are pouring in: the glamorous, the simple and elegant, the flashy, and the paindu (for lack of a better word).  As I mark my calendar for all the events to be attended this winter, I sigh at the thought of the top 7 things I dislike about Pakistani weddings.  Here they are, in no particular order: 1- The Timings: So, you arrive one hour late, (which you believe is late enough) only to be greeted by the hotel staff setting up the stage decorations.  You sit in the empty hall, twiddling your thumbs, playing Candy Crush, and counting the tables and chairs for an hour before the hosts come bustling in.  Only politeness and decorum prevents you from saying to them what you are feeling at the moment. 2- The Pesky Photographers: Just because you attend someone’s wedding does not mean that you have given your consent to be filmed and photographed from all angles.  I’m not particularly camera-shy, but the photographer who pops up out of nowhere and flashes blinding light in my face, while I comfortably sit there eating biryani, better run for his life.  Whatever happened to respecting someones’ privacy?  I thought these people were supposed to be professional photographers!  Professional ethics, anyone? 3- The Food Stampede: There is always enough food at a wedding.  In fact, there is enough left to have the hosts get it packed, freeze it
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Top 7 things I like about Pakistani Weddings

By Umm Ibrahim Here are the top 7 reasons that make me smile at the start of the wedding season.  These are the things that make attending a wedding worthwhile.  Yes, they actually make all the preparation and dressing up in chiffon and georgettes (in chilly December nights) and the travelling worth it. 1- Nikah in the Masjid There is something very serene about attending a Nikah in a Masjid. It makes you reflect on the sacredness of the bond and the beauty of the relationship.  Alhamdolillah, more and more young people are opting to tie the knot in the Masjid. 2- The awesome Khutbah ‘Awesome’ is the last word that I’d use for most of the Nikah khutbahs that I’ve heard.  But, then there is that rare Nikah khutbah which is enlightening and Iman-boosting at the same time.  Instead of some rehearsed mumbo-jumbo, it is real life advice that you can comprehend and apply.  It is a power-packed sermon that reminds you of your duties to Allah and to your fellow human beings.  You come back from such a wedding feeling that, for a change, your soul has had its wedding feast too, and not just your body. 3- The cute kids in ghararas, lehangas and three-piece suits Don’t you just love them?  They are cuteness personified; and the way they pop out from underneath the tables is just adorable.  Any wedding is incomplete without the toddlers running around dressed up as little men and women.  Their spontaneity
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Journey of Love- Ten Boosters

With the end of November, we have reached the end of our exciting theme of the month, #LoveStruck, a theme that gave us ample food for thought. At this point, the YouthClub Bloggers can’t help but think that there is no one in the whole wide world who could love us in a more selfless and beautiful manner than our Creator, Allah, who is al-Wadood (The Most Loving). And there can be no one who deserves our love more than Him. Do we love Him? Of course! Do we really and truly love Him? Umm… We shy away from asking ourselves this question, because the answer might not always please us. At times it might seem that our claim to love Allah is just that- a claim. Mere lip-service, hollow words, unsupported rather undermined and contradicted by actions! Allah tells us about the believers:  “Those who believe are overflowing in their love for Allah” (Surah al-Baqarah: 165) And, it is a love that is mutual, as Allah says:  “O you who believe! If any from among you turn back from his Faith, soon will Allah produce a people whom He will love, and they will love Him..” (Surah al-Maidah: 54) Just as Iman (faith) is not a static entity- it can increase and decrease; so is the case with love.  Loving Allah is an amazing journey that the lovers undertake.  Some are trailblazers who reach far ahead, while others lag behind. We would like to share with you ten
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

#QaboolHai – Theme for the Marriage Season!

Qabool Hai?? Qabool Hai!! Winter is here, and so is the marriage season.  Nikah contracts are in the air! For us at YouthClub, 2013 has been an extraordinarily beautiful year, with many of the YC brothers and sisters getting married! It sure is a promising prospect for the future of the Ummah when Dawah carriers, with noble ambitions and goals, say their “Qabool Hai” (“I do”) and settle down! On the one hand, we have the pristine institute of marriage.  On the other hand, we have the non-stop onslaught of messages from advertisements, movies and social media, telling us to fall head over heels in love and have all the fun before marriage.  Even sex before marriage is now seeping into our society. The propagandists of this agenda portray marriage as a drab ‘stuck-with-one-person-for-the-rest-of-your-life’ situation.  They fail to realize that every time they promote this way of thinking, they are slowly chipping away at the building block of any human civilization: the family! Caught between a rock and a hard place are those single Muslims who are struggling to preserve their modesty and get married, in the face of unhealthy social and cultural practices.  How do you deal with a delayed marriage and ensuing social pressures?  What is the right way to find Mr. Right or Ms. Right?  How do you simplify things and tie the knot without creating a Bollywood extravaganza? And after you get married, and the honeymoon ends and life starts, how do you keep the
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

Miracles Happen!

Being close to nature can have a very soothing effect on you.  What could be better than going out in the beautiful fields to ponder over the mysteries of our life!  As I stood there surrounded by the beauty of His Creation, I could only wonder how Beautiful He, Himself, would be.  I grabbed the opportunity to tune in to to the echoes of my heart.  His words reverberated in my soul.  I stood there pondering over the events of my life. Perhaps, you can never really appreciate the All Knowing, the All Wise without facing the trials and hardships in your life.  And when the dawn finally embraces you, you let the tears trickle down your cheeks in awe, gratitude and complete submission, begging for His forgiveness, realizing how ungrateful and impatient you had been before. Sometimes, our lives seem to be unjust towards us.  Our destinies appear to be unfairly penned.  Every creature that once seemed loving becomes loathsome.  The unresolved questions leave us lost within a labyrinth, entwined within the intricate web of our lives.  In this tough battle of life, most of us begin to distance ourselves from the Creator.  It is then that we lose hope.  The human brain is an amazingly sophisticated creation of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala.  Sometimes, all this brain needs to do is to stop!  Yes, there are times when we desperately need to give a halt to the whirlwind of miserable thoughts.  We need to take the time to
Yasha Fatima
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December 22, 2025

The Only Man Who Truly Loves You

  A candid guest post by newly-wed writer, Imratul Ozair. “The whole notion of modern day lovveee is overrated, unrealistic and superficial!” declared the handsome new mehram in my life – my husband.  I nodded in approval. We, under an influence of media and peer pressure, have confined the idea of sincere love between opposite genders to: meeting once a while, shopping together, going on secret outings, spending the night chatting with him/her. Once you are married to an incredibly loving and lovable spouse, once you have cherished the true physical, emotional and mental companionship with him/her, you realize that the actual definition of love is way beyond these trivial and stupid definitions that you had crafted before.  You realize how shallow and fickle all the other manifestations of ‘love’ are. Love lies in seeing your spouse genuinely smile for you; it is in the daily cooking and cleaning for your husband; it is in leaving your family to come over and stay with him; it is in the toil and effort he puts throughout the day to be able to make enough money for you; it is in the small gifts and surprises that he carefully plans for you joy; it is in knowing that Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala is pleased with all this; it is in knowing that it is all pure and Halal. As for having covert relations with the opposite sex- it is merely a deception.  It is impure and Haram by its very nature. 
Yasha Fatima
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