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The Vigilante’s Burden
After having my second child, I realized that my emotional competence had limits. As he grew older, I began understanding that every child requires a different parent. Having two children meant that I needed to have two versions of myself. Not only were they two unique individuals, the gender difference further broadened the range of…
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Log Kya Kahengey? (What Will People Say?)
“Log Kya Kahengey?” is a clichéd expression overused in Urdu/Hindi-speaking households. It has shaped much of who we are as a community. As I grew older I realized that this phrase has its own local variations across communities worldwide. We are taught to fear the opinions of people. On the whole, this phrase and its…
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Your Only Competitor
I’ve always prided myself on being good at reading people—whether through facial cues, exaggerated gestures, or subtle shifts in tone. Whether this is a natural gift or a skill I’ve fine-tuned over the years, I’m honestly not sure. But I’m confident in my ability to sense how others are feeling. It might also be true…
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Beyond Happiness

Of all of the things I am grateful to Allah for, the one I am most thankful for is my sense of reason and cognition. I also like to believe—although I suppose people around me would be better able to tell—that Allah has given me a fair share of wisdom. The wisdom that Allah has…
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The Healing Paradox

Based on my personal experience as a mother, caregiver to the elderly, and witness to chronic kidney, liver, and intestinal diseases running through my family, I can confidently assert that modern medical science has regressed rather than progressed in several critical areas. The first conspicuous indicator is the relentless emergence of new diseases, each bearing…
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Outgrow Us
My husband and I always tell our children that they need to grow taller than us. Neither of us is short, but the directive serves as deliberate goal-setting—encompassing nutrition, rest, physical activity, and measured screen exposure. The aspiration is simultaneously literal and metaphorical: to surpass us in every dimension of existence. Parents are frequently accused…
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Challenging Divine Sovereignty

To commit murder is calamitous, regardless of the reason. I assume it would kill a part of you simultaneously. Your heart probably. Maybe your conscience. It begins to darken your soul. When you get used to it, God forbid, the stabs at your heart punctures with less force each time. The dying of your conscience…
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The Weight of Representation

Allah has said in Surah Baqarah (verse 30) that he will place on earth khalifa translated as representative/vicegerent. Dictionary.com translates “vicegerent” as an officer appointed as deputy by and to a sovereign or supreme chief, Allah being the Supreme Chief and us his deputies. A deputy is meant to exercise delegated powers. It means that…
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Climbing with Conscience

Man-made systems are inherently flawed. They rely on the insight of flawed beings. So questioning non-divine rules is not only acceptable, but in my opinion the right course of action in many cases. The state of global politics and warfare today have proven that so many systems that the world has comfortably relied upon for…
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Hang on

Wisdom comes at a price. While no one can truly fathom the reason behind every occurrence in life, being able to understand other people’s circumstances well, being able to empathize, knowing their thought process well, and justifying their shortcomings can indeed be a curse. It is true that they have a take, a perspective, and…