An absurd phenomenon among Muslims today is to wear the garb of Islam at some times and places and to remove it off at other times and places. No, the garb is not about mere physical appearance, but practices and characteristics that make us a Muslim.

For instance, you may meet a Muslim at the masjid who appears to be Masha Allah the best person you’ve met in your life. The warm smile, soft words, and loving character that you experienced in the masjid has no trace at all when you meet him at your work place. Read the rest of this entry »

“O, Prophet of Allah! The rich among us have taken away all the rewards,” complained the poor Companions. “They pray as we pray, they fast as we fast, but they also give wealth in charity (while we have no wealth to spend).” (Refer Imam Nawawi’s 40 Hadith for the full narration.)

THE poor among the Ummah deserve a special mention because they are more often than not overlooked, their interests disregarded and their voices ignored. Throughout human history, they have always been the first to believe in the Messengers of Allah, and they will enter Jannah 500 years before everyone else.
During Ramadan last year, at the initiative of a friend, we stood at a traffic signal giving away dates, water and laban just before Iftar time for commuting people who may not have a chance otherwise to break their fast with food. We distributed all the food packs without realizing we had kept none for ourselves, which left us with no other option than breaking our fast at a masjid nearby. The adhan was called while we were heading to the masjid. Read the rest of this entry »

GRACY’s lean frame, slightly gray hair, round glasses and inquisitive observations reflected a middle-aged woman of insight and knowledge. She had come to know what Islam was all about and I was there to tell her just that.

Allah gave me the opportunity to be part of ‘Peace – Vision of Islam’, an international exhibition and conference first held in 2004 in Chennai, India. The 2008 exhibition was no different in its uniqueness; the kind which has probably never been witnessed in any other part of the world. Over 300 six-foot tall panels – containing mostly Qur’anic verses and Prophetic narrations on different topics, designed with graphics and pictures to deliver the message of Islam – were spread over huge hangers that could easily hold over a thousand people at once. Some 30 volunteers were trained to further explain the panels out to visitors. Read the rest of this entry »

A FINE evening it was: the weather perfect, trees swinging, the sun not set, and children playing in the garden nearby. The only thing odd was a stopped car in the middle of the road. When I got closer, I saw an Asian man standing next to his car in a fit with two Saudi (or Arab) lads who looked no more than 12 in age. Read the rest of this entry »

Maria Ahmed

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder ‘who’ you are!

AT first sight, you wouldn’t spot the star. ‘Like any other school girl,’ you may think, when you see her. But wait till she dumbfounds you by revealing all your health secrets.

“Does it pain here? … Here? … There?”
“Ouch!”
“Aha! You have spondylitis.”

Mariya Ahmed is a 16-year-old class XI student at the International Indian School, Jeddah (IISJ). While most of us don’t know what to do during vacations, she spent her time over the years learning Acupressure – a Chinese technique of applying physical pressure into specific points on the body for therapeutic purposes. Read the rest of this entry »