All mercy is from Allah
The tales and musings of a British man who worked in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, but is now in England. All photos are mine unless otherwise stated.Email Me
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Read my posts About Me --My Story in Pictures--Books--Diet--Saudi Arabia--Football--Mecca--Medina--My Face--Travel--Teaching--
50 Questions to Expand Your Mind--My Photography-- or Recommend me Ask me anything
April 6, 2012
April 5, 2012
When I’m feeling down…
I look towards the heavens and I look towards the prayer mat.
I look to the heavens because I get lost in the universe. I get lost in the vastness of space. I get lost in what is around me and the grand scale of it all. I try to understand but I can not comprehend. I can’t begin to comprehend how big everything is, and how small I am. I ask myself how big my problems are compared to the vastness of the universe. I’m smaller than a speck of dust. I’m less significant than a single grain of sand compared to all the beaches in all the seas on Earth. I am nothing and my problems are certainly nothing.
Then, I turn towards the prayer mat. I prostrate in front of Allah and I think about my problems. I think about the struggles I face in my life and think about the struggles faced by those who have prostrated in front of Allah in times gone by. I remember Allah’s words. “For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease” (94:6).
To the universe I might be nothing but in front of Allah I am something. I am a being subject to trials and tribulations and, ultimately, judgement. It gives me solace and meaning. It allows me to think about my problems in a different way. It allows me to attempt to understand them. It allows me to try to fix them.
March 28, 2012
The Sky on Fire - Bradford
I woke up for Fajr and couldn’t sleep so I watched the sun rise. I was lucky in that it was one of the most beautiful I’ve ever seen. It’s the best possible time to contemplate God.
March 23, 2012
I’m in awe of Islam and I’m in awe of science
because, for me, they both show Allah’s creation. For me, they both show the beauty and splendour of the universe we live in.
It saddens me when Muslims see science as some kind of enemy. It saddens me when Muslims don’t understand concepts in physics, chemistry, or biology and see it as an attack on religion. We should further scientific understanding. We should further true religious understanding.
My nephew told me he wanted to be a scientist and it filled me with joy. The world needs more scientists. The world needs more physicists, chemists, and biologists. The world needs scientists who are also imams, who are scholars of Islam and religion. I’m not scared. There’s nothing in science that scares me or challenges my belief as a Muslim - in Allah. For me science is a way to Allah. They go hand in hand.
I’m going to encourage my nephew every step of the way in his pursuit for scientific knowledge. I’m going to try my best to answer his questions about science and about religion. I’m going to try my best to help him understand the beauty of the world.
We are science and science is us.
That doesn’t take us away from Islam but makes us better Muslims. When you contemplate the universe, how can it not lead you to contemplate Allah and His majesty?
March 21, 2012
Anonymous asked: I don't agree with the photo at all, but I don't agree with parts of your reply either. So... dressing like a slut is between me and God? I can go around naked and tell men to "lower their gaze"? Hijab, IS a problem in the Muslim Ummah. Who are you telling to get over themselves?
I’m telling men who compare women or candy to get over themselves. I believe a Muslim woman should wear hijab but if she doesn’t I’m not going to think of her as less of a person, let alone Muslim. Allah is the only one who knows our hearts.
On top of that, men shouldn’t comment on hijab and hijab related issues because we will never really understand the plight of women in the west because our hijab isn’t the same.
Dressing like a slut is between you and God. It’s not up to me to call ANY WOMAN a slut, whether she’s Muslim or not. Men should be taught to respect women. Men should be taught to be aware around women. Men should be taught that rape, spousal abuse, and inequality between the genders are bigger problems than what a woman does or doesn’t wear.
I agree it is a problem but there are FAR MORE pertinent problems.
I’m telling men to get over themselves. I’m telling hijabis who slut-shame women to get over themselves.
March 21, 2012
It’s not my place to write about Hijab…
because I’m not a woman and I will never really be able to fully understand the mindset behind it. I know men have their own hijab to maintain but I’m not talking about that today.
There are Muslims who believe Hijab is compulsory. They believe that a woman must cover herself and present herself in a modest way. My own sisters and sister-in-law wear hijab.
The thing is that how a woman chooses to behave is between her and God. She knows it is and isn’t a sin and she’ll be judged with that on the day of judgement.
Islam tells people how to give advice. Islam tells people how to interact with others. Islam doesn’t tell you to compare women to candy with wrappers, it doesn’t tell you to compare women to apes and chimps. If a woman chooses not to wear a hijab, for whatever reason, it doesn’t make her less of a woman.
Allah tells you, in clear terms to “tell the believing men to lower their gaze” (24:30). Men shouldn’t look at women in that way regardless of how they’re dressed. It doesn’t matter if a woman is wearing an abaya and a hijab or a mini-skirt and a low cut t-shirt. Respect each other. Respect women.
February 24, 2012
Anonymous asked: So you would marry a Christian or a Jew?
I would want my children to be Muslim so I feel it’s best for me to marry a Muslim woman. Although it’s possible to marry a Christian or a Jew I feel there would be added problems on top of existing issues that could stem from a marriage. Marriage isn’t easy and it requires two people to be on the same page and willing to make compromises and sacrifices in order to work together. The more differences two people have the greater the possible friction. Religion is so fundamental in the lives of so many people that it is something that’s easy to clash on.
After saying all that, if the right Christian or Jewish woman was to come along I wouldn’t see a major problem with marrying her but it’s something I would have to be as sure as possible about.
Allah knows best.
(Is Bar Refaeli singe?!)
February 4, 2012
Anonymous asked: Can you tell me something about Islamic prayers, those which are made five times throughout the day? Can you explain what a Rak'ah is? Thank you.
Anon, there are some wonderful sites that will give you very detailed information about the nature of prayer in Islam and the approach from a million different perspectives. There have, literally, been volumes published on the matter. I’ll try to do my best to present some information to you.
The requirement to pray for Muslims comes from the Qur’an, the holy book of Muslims, which we believe is the Word of Allah. The Arabic name for prayer is Salah but it is called Namaz in some cultures.
Muslims pray five times a day. These times are just before dawn (Fajr), just after high noon (Dhuhr), in the late afternoon (Asr), just after sunset (Maghrib), and as the colour of the sky darkens (Isha). There are compulsory and voluntary components to each of these prayers. The compulsory components are called fardh and the voluntary components are called sunnah or nafil. Other than the compulsory fardh prayers a Muslim can offer as many prayers as he or she likes (except at certain times of the day (just after dawn, at high noon, and just before the sun sets).
A rak’ah is a unit of prayer. Each prayer is broken down in to cycles where a Muslim performs slightly different actions. A person recites the Qur’an and praises Allah during the prayer. A Muslim asks for Allah’s help and guidance. A Muslim sends blessings on Muhammad (PBUH). For different prayers the number of rak’ahs that is compulsory differs. At Fajr we offer 2 compulsory rak’ahs, at Dhuhr we offer 4, at Asr we offer 4, at Maghrib we offer 3, and at isha we offer 4 rak’ahs.
There are many reasons why we pray. One is to have a clear and direct mode of communication to Allah. A Muslim is never as close to God as (s)he is during prayer. A Muslim uses prayer to be aware of and thankful of Allah and the blessings He has bestowed on us. Another is to remain fearful and thoughtful of Allah and put our trust in our Lord. Praying prevents a person from committing sin as well as wiping away sins through an act of cleansing.
Salah is a vital part of a Muslim’s life. For me, personally, not performing salah is virtually unimaginable. It’s become so engrained in my life and daily routine that the very thought of missing a single prayer sends shivers down my spine. I use the time in prayer to talk to Allah, to ask him for everything and to praise Him. My connection to God is renewed every time I stand in front of my Lord and then bow down before Him. It’s the most beautiful and straight forward action a Muslim can perform.
Sorry for my extremely long winded answer. If something I’ve explained isn’t clear then please feel free to ask me any further questions on the matter.
Alhamdulilah.
January 28, 2012
Thoughts about life, the universe, and everything
I went to Jumma today. I was one amongst a congregation of five thousand. I listened to the sermon by the imam in a language I didn’t understand and then followed him through the prayer. When the prayer finished people streamed out of the doors like water down a plug hole but I stayed sat on the floor of the mosque.
I sat and I thought. I thought about my life and I thought about God. A person I work with translated the sermon after most of the congregation departed. I half listened and was half lost in thought. The imam had given a sermon about the virtues of Allah and the praise one should bestow upon Him. I didn’t catch all of it. What I was thinking about was the simple things in life that bring my faith to the surface.
I’m not an amazing Muslim. I’m not. I swear to you, I am not. I have sinned. My soul is blemished. It’s dirty. I’ve violated the rules of God over and over again. Yet, when I sit on the floor of the mosque and contemplate my Lord, I can’t think past the very first way in which God introduces Himself in his words. Bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm. In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful.
That’s the God I worship. I worship Allah. I prostrate before Him, and him alone, because only He is able to wipe away my blemishes. I worship Him because I believe Him to be the creator of everything we know and everything we don’t know. I bow in front of His majesty because I believe. I don’t understand everything. I believe it is impossible to understand God, but what I know of Him through His words - the Quran - and His message delivered by Muhammad (PBUH) makes perfect sense to me.
I sat on the floor of the mosque and thought about my place in the universe. I thought about the insignificance of my being and the value I take from my life. I’ve been thinking a lot about where we take purpose in our lives from. I feel like my purpose for life comes from my God. I feel any action I perform is to please God. My shortcomings are evident when I think about how many of my actions go against that very notion.The purpose of my life is to worship Allah. Each and every action we perform can be an act of worship if we perform it with the right intentions.
I’m trying. I’m trying in so many ways to please God and I’m going to carry on trying. I’m going to keep trying to please God until I take my final breath.
I said a silent prayer. I asked Allah to see any good in me and help that come forward and see any bad in my and remove it. With that I stood up and departed the mosque in to the warm Riyadh sunshine.
I might have left the mosque but those thoughts haven’t left me.
January 26, 2012
What have you fought for?
Have you ever fought for anything in your life? Have you ever been faced with anything bigger than yourself; when you knew that you had to fight to survive; when you knew that you had no option but to resist?
I’ve been thinking about the Arab Spring a lot today - especially Egypt - and how so many millions of people literally put their lives on the line to go out in to the world and fight.
I’ve never fought like they have. I’ve never put my whole life on the line like those brave revolutionaries. I’ve never struggled for something bigger than myself. My battles have been personal. My battles have been against myself. Some of them I’ve won and others I’ve lost. I’ve fought in a different way. Today isn’t about me, though. Today is about those people who put everything on the line.
Those people who are in the world striving to make it better are in my prayers tonight. Those people who put everything on the line to better themselves, their families, their communities, their towns, their countries, and their world are in my thoughts tonight.
Keep fighting the good fight. May Allah help you succeed.
January 18, 2012
Alhamdulilah. I feel like a burden has lifted.
I performed istikhara with isha tonight. I’ve been meaning to do it for days and weeks now but I’ve been avoiding it. I think I wasn’t ready to really know what to do. I don’t think I was really ready to step forwards and know how to proceed. I didn’t want to perform the istikhara because I was scared.
For those of you who don’t know the istikhara is a prayer of guidance. It’s a prayer where you have a decision to make and you leave the path you take to Allah. You ask Allah to give you knowledge and power as it all comes from Him. You ask Allah to help make your path easy if it is righteous in the name of Islam, your personal well-being, and the best for your afterlife. You ask Allah to take you away from that path if it is damaging for your faith, your well-being, and your afterlife. Instructions on how to perform it are here.
I asked Allah to make my decision to go home, to England, for the best. I asked Allah to make leaving Saudi for the best. I asked Allah to realise if it’s the best decision for me to go home on March first. Alhamdulilah, as soon as I completed the prayer a wave of euphoria ran through me. I got a rush of warmth surge through me. It felt right. I have faith in Allah. I know now that going home will be for the best. All doubts have been removed.
Tomorrow I’ll pray istikhara again. The istikhara for tomorrow is going to be even bigger than the one I performed today. The istikhara tomorrow will shape the path the rest of my life takes.
January 13, 2012
Anonymous asked: Pray salaat-ul-istikhara.
Coincidentally, anon, that is exactly what I plan on doing. I have so many things I need to make clear in my mind and I’m going to put them all on God, in sha Allah. I’m going to start tonight and I have a bunch of questions that I’m going to run through over the next few days. I’m hoping to go to Mecca for Umrah next weekend and I plan on utilising my time to maximise prayers and duas.
Allah is the only one who will never let us down. I’m putting everything on Him.
January 12, 2012
It’s 7 weeks until I go home and I’ve been thinking about it constantly
I’ve been thinking about how it’s going to be.
You see, I’m really not liking Saudi at the moment and I want to leave but I don’t know what I’m leaving to. I don’t know what awaits me. Right now I don’t have the highest expectations of ‘home’. I don’t expect I’ll go there and everything will be magically okay. It wasn’t okay before I left for Saudi and I’m realising that it won’t be okay now.
Saudi isn’t my home either. I don’t belong here. It’s so hard being here. I don’t even know how to explain it. It’s like my whole life is on hold when I’m here.
I don’t have a home any more. I did for a while but not now.
The thing is… I can stay here and earn and save decent money and be unhappy or I can go home and sit around and mope and be unhappy. It all comes down to how I spend my time in England. I have ideas what I want to work towards but I don’t know if it’s possible.
I never used to think about the future. I never used to worry about it. My life was a ride that I was along for. Now it’s all I think about. I’m constantly obsessing about it. It’s like if I can figure that out everything will be okay. If I find a path to walk everything else will fall in to place. I know that’s not how life works but my mind is my worst enemy right now.
I’m broken; a wreck; a ruin. Everything is falling apart and unravelling and I have no idea how to hold on to things. I have no idea how to move forwards.
I’ve been praying to Allah to give me strength constantly. I’m putting it all on Him. I’m hoping to go to Mecca next week and I think I really need to go. I need to detach myself from this world for a while and try to get my head straight.
December 31, 2011
2011… A Reflection
I’ve been thinking about this post a whole lot over the last few days. for people who’ve been following me for a while, you know how all over the place I’ve been over the last few months. It’s certainly meant that 2011 is going to be one of the most memorable years of my life - it’s certainly the most important in a lot of ways so far.
December 28, 2011
Alhamdulilah
I’ve had a really great birthday. There’s been so much love all around. I’m totally spoilt.
Just like someone who’s spoilt… one more thing would have made it totally perfect but it wasn’t meant to be. C’est la vie. I looked out for it all day but… forget it. It’s fine. It’s better this way.
I have so much to be thankful for. My 29th year was a year of realisation. My 30th year is going to be about setting the foundations for the rest of my life. It’s going to be my most pivotal year in so many ways.
I hope you all come along for the ride!
Today I got my first real glimpse in to what it feels like to be tumblr famous. There’s so much responsibility! It’s kind of overwhelming. It’s too much! I’m so glad I’m not tumblr famous.
RSS feed: http://goodbyeblighty.tumblr.com/rss
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