Tag: allah
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A Prudent Hope in Allah
We are a people of extraordinary ambition, but almost exclusively for this world. When we set a worldly goal, we pursue it with everything we have. Hundreds of hours, meticulous planning, the best schools, the most competitive programs. The doctor maps out med school, residency, and fellowship years in advance. The entrepreneur builds systems and…
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Qiwamah built on Iman
A happy Qawwam leads a happy family. Allah has given the Qawwam of a family many essential roles: he provides financially, guides the family’s religious direction and carries the weight of consequential decisions. Yes, it’s a he. Some roles and designations are divinely assigned and cannot be replaced, exchanged, or reversed. In many societies, the…
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The Hidden Infrastructure
It is remarkably common to hear statements like “she wears the Hijab, she can pray for us” or “he prays five times a day, his duaa will surely be accepted.” On the surface, there is nothing wrong with asking another person to pray on one’s behalf. The concern, however, lies in the premise that observing…
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The Illusion of Control
The very definition of war has changed over the course of history. Today, many wars are unmanned with no foreign element on your soil. There is an intense digital component to today’s warfare—the speedy spread of information, the even faster propagation of misinformation, the real keyboard warriors versus the bots. People of past wars would…
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Chosen for Bigger Things
The idea of philosophy didn’t make sense to me growing up, why would someone’s profession simply of thinking about things. With age, more concrete aspects of philosophy came into view—logic, for instance. My mathematical mind could make peace with that. But the notion of being a thinker, as a vocation, still felt elusive. Until, without…
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The Key to Infinite Doors
“This is the month of generosity,” I told my son when he refused to share some food he had brought back from iftar at his school. “But yesterday you said it was the month of the Quran,” thoughtful and genuine — though partly, I suspect, to playfully dismantle my point. I think my takeaway was…
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He Loves Me
I am struggling to find the balance between adopting technology that causes ease versus what breeds dependence. Our reliance on natural means of life is diminishing at an accelerated rate, making our bodies and minds weaker, easing the path to relying on paths laid out for us by other flawed human beings and dulling our…
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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…
Farheen Anwar 