Posts

Speak to Him Gently

A few years ago, a former international cricket player shared a story with me that I have never forgotten. During a cricket tour, two legends of Pakistani cricket, Javed Miandad and Wasim Akram, had an argument. Hoping to help bring some peace between them, Wasim reached out to Saqlain Mushtaq, a respected teammate known for his faith, wisdom, and calm nature. Saqlain agreed to speak with Miandad. He sat down with him and shared a couple of Hadith and a story from the life of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace be u about brotherhood, forgiveness, reconciliation, and letting go. Miandad listened quietly. When Saqlain finished, Miandad looked at him and said something that made everyone laugh: The Hadith you just shared with me, are they only for Wasim's side? Do you have any Hadith that support my side too? The tension broke. Everyone laughed, and they moved on. I have always remembered that story because there is something very human about it. We all want to be heard. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

My faith "shāh māt" at red light.

When I was in fourth or fifth grade, there was a story in our Urdu textbook that I still remember to this day. It was a simple story about integrity, doing the right thing even when no one is watching, and remembering that Allah always knows what we are doing. Here are a few words I still remember from the story:  It was early morning. A father had just finished milking the cow. He wanted to add water to the milk so he could make more money. His young daughter was watching him. She told him, “Abu, this is not right. What if the Khalifa finds out? You will be in trouble.” The father replied, “The Khalifa is not here. No one knows, and no one is watching us.” The daughter quietly answered, “But Allah is watching us.” That little story stayed somewhere in my heart for many years. Fast-forward many years. My daughter is now 15. One day, we were sitting in the car near our home. The traffic light turned red. There were no cars coming from either direction. She looked at me and said, “Wh...
1 comment
Read more

Life lesson from a palm tree

Image
This morning, I was sitting in my backyard, having a morning cup of coffee as usual, when I looked at the palm tree in a way I had never seen it before.   I noticed something amazed me. As the leaves grow older and reach the middle of their journey, they begin to split and slowly become part of the tree itself. With time, they become part of its history. They may no longer look like the fresh, beautiful leaves at the top, but they have served their purpose. They helped the tree grow a little taller, a little stronger, and made room for new leaves to emerge above them. And, then I realized something: isn’t life much like a leaf? As we grow older, we have children who eventually take our place, just as new leaves grow where the older ones were. We make room for them to grow, while supporting them with everything we have learned along the way. As we continue to grow older, our responsibility becomes bigger than just raising our own children. Through our actions, our words, our...
Post a Comment
Read more

Wisdom/Critical thinking does not require certificate.

It is a way of living We often think wisdom is something we can learn quickly, perhaps by attending a weekend webinar, taking an online course, or reading a few self-help books. But critical thinking and wisdom are not things we receive at the end of a course. They are not certificates we can hang on a wall or qualifications we can add to a résumé. They are qualities we develop through the way we live, the choices we make, and the way we respond to life every day. True wisdom, in my view, begins when we start living the life our Creator, Allah Kareem, intended for us. It begins with understanding ourselves, accepting that life will not always go according to our plans, and learning to face each day with two simple but powerful qualities: patience and gratitude. These may sound like simple words, but practicing them can completely change the way we see life. As a squash coach, I see this lesson on the court all the time. You don't become a great player by learning complicated ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Secret to a Happy Marriage

 It's Simpler Than We Think Last night, I went to our local Masjid for Isha prayer and stayed to listen to a talk by a marriage counselor and life coach. He spoke about the four methods of communication, and it was an eye-opening reminder of how easily misunderstandings happen—even when two people have the absolute best intentions. It reminded me of a simple truth: most relationship problems don’t start because people stop loving each other. They start because people stop understanding each other.   In any relationship, especially between a husband and a wife, we bring in assumptions, misinterpretations, and silent expectations. On my drive home, I couldn’t help but ask myself: why do so many couples who start their journey full of deep love slowly drift apart over time? There isn’t one simple answer, but drawing from mentors, older couples, years of coaching, and my own life experiences, here are a few principles that can help build a love that actually lasts.   Fi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Every hardship is working for you!

Life has a way of throwing heavy things at us. We face moments that feel impossible to handle, times when people make our lives difficult, and seasons where everything seems to go wrong. These challenges come from everywhere — strangers, friends, and sometimes even our own family. And beyond what others do to us, there are the moments we've crossed our own boundaries, the times we've felt like we've done things that can't be undone or erased. I want you to know that Allah's mercy is greater than every mistake, sin, or shortfall we have ever committed. It is easy to feel broken by these experiences. But if we change how we look at hardship, we realize something profound: every single difficulty in our life can serve us ultimate good. This is simple, though not always easy: stay grounded, be completely honest with ourself, and turn back to Allah Kareem through sincere repentance as often as we can. A Lesson from the Beginning To understand this, we can look at the ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Three Simple Habits That Lead to a Happier Life

We're all chasing happiness in one way or another. Money, success, recognition, a nicer house, we tell ourselves that once we get there, we'll finally feel okay. But plenty of people who have all of that still feel hollow inside. Maybe happiness isn't something you stumble on. Maybe it's something you grow. Looking back on my own life, I keep coming back to three habits that seem to move the needle more than anything else: Gratitude Giving Movement What I love about these three is that anyone can do them. You don't need money, talent, or perfect circumstances. Most of the time, all you need is to actually mean it. Gratitude  When you start paying attention to what you have instead of what you're missing, something shifts. Suddenly you notice things you'd stopped seeing: That first cup of coffee in the morning. Breathing without thinking about it. A body that mostly works the way it's supposed to. Family who love you. A friend who texts just...
Post a Comment
Read more