It’s been a challenging period of late, with illness, stress, and the burdens of life weighing heavily on me. I’m not complaining, though, because my struggles are miniscule in comparison to millions of others on this planet. People who suffer and persevere through the most cruel of circumstances, day after day. As a resident on … More Vicissitudes of life
Note: This was not written by me, but I found it too powerful to not share. Original writer is Faz Ali (who I know nothing about). You’re 29 years old with a wife, two children and a job. You have enough money, and can afford a few nice things, and you live in a small house in … More Of refugees having it easy…
I’m down with a throat infection at the moment ( ‘ pharyngitis ‘, if you want to make it sound serious), and it’s the first time in quite a while that the pain is bothering me. Usually, I embrace the fever and aches – knowing that each bit of sickness is actually a blessing – … More In sickness and in health
Sometimes, we live moments that feel unreal. Emotional. Out of normal reality. This evening was like that. To put this into context: by the time I got to high school, I felt like I’d seen more than my fair share of death. In junior school, I lost 3 grandparents, a young uncle, and – hardest … More When death speaks to you
When calamity strikes Recently, I went through the unprecedented experience of being extremely pressured at work. Circumstances meant that I was on a very, very tight deadline – with a mountain of work to do and zero room for failure. I’ve always prided myself on not being one of those people who take work home. … More Deadlines
A poem by brother Boona Mohammed. You can find the words here, and more of his poetry here.
I wrote this exactly one year ago – in Mina on the first day of Hajj 2011. May it be a reminder to myself and others of how the journey of Hajj is this life’s preparation for a more important journey we’ll all take. “Friday 4th November 2011 Death’s dress rehearsal Day 1 of Hajj, … More Reflections from Day 1 of Hajj
Poem read by the amazing Boonaa Mohammed, who recently graced our shores as part of the “Strangers Tour”. You can read the words and find more of his work at this link.
The following was written mostly after last Friday’s Jumuah. It’s more a personal reminder for me than for others – but if you can take something from it, I hope it will be a source of great benefit for you. “Remember frequently the destroyer of pleasures” – goes the reported hadith (reported in Tirmidhi, Nasaa’i, … More Remember, remember
slip-sliding away..... 