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“O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, for some suspicions are a sin. Do not spy on one another, nor backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? Nay, you would abhor it, [so similarly, avoid backbiting]. And fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is Most Forgiving, Most Merciful.” [...]

Back before the summer I wrote a lot about writing and those concerns of mine about the responsibilities attached to it. Every couple of months I find myself re-evaluating my writing — which I think is a good thing — to keep myself in check. I want to keep in mind the idea that anything [...]

O Tongue, what is wrong with you? Why do you not have the fluency of these typing fingers? Why do you stutter and break, and disconnect with freely flowing thoughts? What have I done that makes you whisper in good company, what have I done to make you falter? In past years I made mistakes: [...]

There is a particularly coarse post out there in blogland by a convert to Islam about the alleged intrusion of those who ask, “Any passengers?” / “Are you expecting?” / “Don’t worry, I’ve known so many couples in your situation.” In my experience the people who ask these question are genuinely interested and / or [...]

It may be that there is some naivety in my Islam, it may be that these are my Meccan years, it may be that I am just a literalist. Still, I take these words to heart: Abu Musa said, “I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, whose Islam is best?’ He said, ‘The one from whose tongue [...]

A good soul reminded me of these things this very evening. As Allah wills, the advice we receive is always timely. So what excuse now do we have? I have quoted the ahadith and Qur’an directly from that advice: Abu Musa said, “I said, ‘Messenger of Allah, whose Islam is best?’ He said, ‘The one [...]

These are the days when we need to express love for one another. The nations are gathering around to devour our ummah just as people share a plate of food. First came the European states with their pens and rulers in the days of Empire, dividing up the Muslim world into bite-sized portions. These days [...]

It is interesting where my frequent digressions lead me. I have a tendency to see in other people’s writing what they did not intend, or never could have intended: the little snippet, the sentence or the word, which leads me off in an altogether new direction. Late last night I was thinking about that article [...]

When I was studying for my Masters degree in Publishing six years ago, I was interested as a recent convert to Islam in the question of safeguarding knowledge now that technology had brought publishing within virtually anyone’s grasp. As a new Muslim I was interested in the question of what constituted knowledge, given that I [...]

The power of words is astonishing. Some have the power to stir the emotions, to lighten one’s load. Others strike like a knitting needle pushed through the heart; that piercing pain that arises on receipt of harsh sentiments. Others still just perturb. Last night I could not sleep because words had unsettled me. My chest [...]

Something to keep in mind… Question 1: “Are these words true?” Question 2: “Are these words necessary?” Question 3: “Are these words beneficial?” Question 4: “Are these words kind?” If I think the answer is no, I should probably leave them in my head.

Sorry, don’t mean to be rude, but please, everyone, just shut up. The Book of James in the New Testament – Luther’s Epistle of Straw – always used to appeal to me during those agnostic days. Some words stay with me even now. …think of a ship: large though it may be and driven by [...]