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O people of the interwebs, tell me something positive! What, pray, is the purpose of the daily trawl of the online press for tales of woe afflicting the Muslims, condensed and abbreviated into bite-sized chunks for readers to absorb in a fit of never ending misery? Will nobody stand up and say enough is enough? [...]

Last night on our return from an adoption seminar in London we dropped into West Ealing mosque to perform Maghrib before our not-too-long journey back to our green and pleasant valley out west. As I stood within in the midst of that diverse tribe — a mini united nations — I found myself thinking this: [...]

A new day dawns and suddenly I find myself incredibly grateful. Grateful that I acted a fool and received my dressing down. Grateful that I felt that pang of pain in my heart when I read the respondent’s words and realised what I had done. Grateful that He humbled me and reminded me of my [...]

Often when I get to this point in the year I find myself looking back and reflecting on how quickly the past twelve months have seemed to have passed by. But this year quite the reverse is true: I’m not wondering where all the time went, but pondering how many memories seem to fill the [...]

The old Pakistani uncle at the mosque is due his seventy excuses too.1 People like me are often found muttering taciturn complaints about the unfriendliness we perceive in our fellow travellers when we come together for prayer. In weeks and weeks it could be as if we are not even there, as if ghosts standing [...]

Swallow not the bitter pill, said he, but what a bout of misery followed it. The agitation, the grumpiness, the inexplicable tears: they all well up from nowhere and no amount of “what’s the matter with you” can help. If I knew what the matter was I’d do something about it. Not enough fresh fruit? [...]

It is no great secret that I was once the most negative of people, and some would say that I still carry traces of this trait; reform of one’s character takes time after all. Perhaps this is why I find I cannot tolerate negativity in others; perhaps it is because I see a reflection of [...]

As I drove to work this morning there was a report on the radio from Zimbabwe. It was the story of a young boy forced to take on the responsibilities of parenthood because his mother was dying from HIV Aids and his father had already died. As I listened to this tale, it pulled tears [...]

It is said that Moses—peace be upon him—was walking with his disciples when they came across a donkey’s corpse. One of them said it smells so bad. The other said it looks so ugly. Moses, however, looked and said: ‘Mashallah, its teeth are so white.’ The gratefulness of the ears is to hear goodness with [...]

and perhaps your Lord may make you great.

This is the view from my front door. I took it this evening with my wife’s camera when I came home from work. I took it because it means something to me; something that I’ve been thinking a great deal about for the past few days.

I am grateful to Allah, my Creator and the Creator of all things, that He granted me a home in a small market town in a steep-sided valley. I am grateful to my Lord for granting me this humble dwelling on one side of the valley, overlooking the fields of cows on the other side [...]