Archives / Memoir

11

A Letter To The Heart

Dear Heart, I write this to you as a reminder. Eighteen years and still together, you are surely one of my closest companions. I’ve heard your voice from the beginning: happiness, sadness, and so much more that thumped against your rib cage. And you witnessed all that I have: friends, places, and a lot more through my senses. If you stop pumping the blood circulating through the intricate passes of my veins, I will die within a few minutes. And if I stop my vitals of worship and acts...

05 October 2011 | Optimism | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 11 Comments
10

Thankful Thumbs

“We must always remember that our problems are very small compared to other peoples. There are people around the whole world who are in very difficult situations, who are going through tough times that we can’t even begin to imagine. So instead of complaining and whining, we must be grateful for all the other things Allah Ta’ala has blessed us with. How many things do we have?” I looked around the room, my gaze running over each face as I saw the mental wheels in their heads turn as...

12 September 2011 | Gratitude | , , , | 10 Comments
12

The Handicapped Sign

The nearest parking spot. It always looked so appealing, so tempting. But then again, it also always was clearly marked with the “Handicapped Only” sign, along with all of the nearby alluring spots. Not that I ever put much thought into that. It just meant we couldn’t park there. But one day, all of that changed. There, while looking through my car window into the oppressive August heat, I experienced an epiphany. It was a sweltering afternoon when my mother left us kids in the car, right next to...

08 September 2011 | Afflictions | , , , , , , , | 12 Comments
6

Atheism Nearly Cost Me My Life

Imagine being hunted. You cannot see your attacker, but you know that the attacker will catch up with you. So you run anyway. Run. You reach a crossroads, and you do not know which road to take. You pick any; it does not matter to you, because the attacker will catch up with you. At some point, you slow down, and you forget about the attacker. But then, later, you’ll remember the chase. And you’ll keep running, and running, and running. Until you are so tired that you do...

27 August 2011 | Activism | , , , , , , | 6 Comments
8

Raindrops of Realization

I stepped onto the crowded bus and after weaving my way through chattering school kids, mothers carrying crying babies and elderly women clutching their bags, I finally heaved myself into a seat by a window. I was exhausted, soaked, and near to tears.  I had had a roller coaster of a day.  From this morning’s minor argument with my mum to the drenched revision notes lying in my bag which I had spent all morning on to a stupid misunderstanding with my best friend to the failed maths test...

06 August 2011 | Gratitude | , , , , , | 8 Comments
8

Silent Mourning

A True Story | Anonymous Staff Writer “We’re leaving”, they said. The door snapped shut. Our home plunged into silent mourning. My mind sealed itself into a labyrinth of words spilt in the heat of anger and the coldness of heart. Earlier that morning, I had told my mother to let me be. I had told her that my disheveled closet was my own, and thus, I could do with it what I pleased. My voice had risen. My shame had dropped. Now, they were gone. My mother had...

06 July 2011 | Death | , , , , | 8 Comments
16

Amidst The Catholics

“Why do your women have to cover but your men don’t?” “How do you know which direction to pray?” “Why can’t Muslim women marry Non-Muslim men?” “What exactly is an Islamic dress?” “Why don’t you believe in the Trinity?” These were amongst the barrage of questions that my friends and I had received while we presented to several classes at a Catholic high school in Washington D.C. The school was offering a “World Religions” module, and they had invited Al-Huda School to send over some students to present about...

22 April 2011 | Dawah | , , , , , | 16 Comments
31

Music Junkie Syndrome

I’m such a music junkie. I mean I was, but then I gave it up gradually, Alhamdulillah. I got rid of all the music from my mobile, then from my iPod, then from my laptop and then from my heart. It has not been that easy though; inadvertently do I hear music everywhere. It’s on TV, it’s when I go eat out with friends, and it’s in our cars, our gyms and everywhere else, even in washrooms. When I was younger, I loved listening to music, I knew every...

07 February 2011 | Music | , , , , | 31 Comments
5

Umrah In Ramadan: A Personal Journey

My wish was finally coming true. I had been on Umrah before when I was younger but for the past year, I had really wanted to go for the last ten days of Ramadan and it was now finally happening. I would spend three nights in Medinah and from there go to Makkah for 8 nights. I was excited, but also worried if my trip and Ibadat would be as rewarding as I had hoped. The Holy Land awaited me. Alhamdulillah, I have many experiences and many stories from...

10 January 2011 | Ramadan, Travels | , , , , , , , | 5 Comments
5

You Are What You Click

Have you ever considered that what you click while surfing the Internet has a lot to say about who you are as a person? One of my favorite things to do when I have a free moment is to read blogs, specifically blogs written by Muslim brothers and sisters. It is always interesting to see what is important enough for them to blog about. Beyond the usual musings my Muslim siblings have (personal lives, politics, fiqh issues and the list goes on), my favorite type of blog entry is...

03 November 2010 | Internet | , | 5 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5