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عید الغدیر 18 Zilhaj — A Day of Divine Proclamation Eid ul-Ghadeer: The Day That Completed the Faith A reflection on one of Islam's most significant occasions 18 Zilhajja What is Eid ul-Ghadeer? On the 18th of Zilhajjah — the final month of the Islamic lunar calendar — the Muslim world commemorates a momentous occasion: the event of Ghadeer Khumm. It was here, in the year 10 AH (632 CE), as the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was returning from his farewell pilgrimage (Hajjat ul-Wida), that he delivered what many scholars regard as one of the most consequential sermons in Islamic history. The name "Ghadeer Khumm" refers to a pond or watering place between Makkah and Madinah, in the Juhfah region, where approximately 100,000 companions had gathered and the Prophet ﷺ delivered his final, decisive address. The Divine Revelation — The Verse of Completion Before delivering his sermon at Ghadeer, the Prophet ﷺ received one of the most celebrated verses of the Holy Quran: اَلْیَوْمَ أَکْمَلْ...

Faith & Reflection Dua in the Dark: When You've Been Praying for Years With No Answer A letter to every soul who keeps raising their hands — even when the sky feels silent. MA Mariam Awan Pen and Paper  ·  May 27, 2026  ·   " And your Lord says: Call upon Me; I will respond to you." — Surah Ghafir, 40:60 There is a kind of prayer that doesn't look like prayer at all. It doesn't have tears rolling down cheeks or hands raised dramatically in the golden hour. It looks like a person lying in the dark at 2 a.m., staring at the ceiling, lips barely moving — asking, again, for the same thing they have been asking for years. Quietly. Desperately. Without an answer. Maybe you know this prayer. Maybe you are living it right now. You have made dua for a person you love to come back. For an illness to leave. For a door of provision to open. For peace to return to a heart that forgot what peace felt like. You have asked in sujood. You have whispered in the stillness of F...

  Islamic Occasions · 9th Dhul Hijjah یومِ عرفہ Youm e Arfa يَوْمُ عَرَفَة The Day of Standing — the Greatest Day of the Islamic Year 9th Dhul Hijjah Plain of Arafah, Makkah Pillar of Hajj Among the most sacred days gifted to the Muslim Ummah, Youm e Arfa — the Day of Arafah — stands alone in its spiritual magnitude. Falling on the 9th of Dhul Hijjah , it is the crown jewel of the Islamic calendar, a day when the gates of divine mercy open wide, sins are forgiven in multitudes, and the distance between a believer and their Lord dissolves into nearness and whispered prayer. This is the day Prophet Ibrahim (AS) completed his trials. This is the day the religion of Islam was declared complete. This is the day millions of pilgrims gather on a vast sunlit plain outside Makkah — and it is a day that carries equal grace for those who are thousands of miles away. Origin & Meaning What is Youm e Arfa? The word Arafa (عَرَفَ) in Arabic means to know or to recognise . The Plain of Araf...

  Pride at the Dead Sea: A Political Agenda Disguised as Progress? Every year in June, the world witnesses another wave of Pride campaigns, rainbow branding, celebrity activism, and massive public festivals promoting LGBTQ ideology. But the upcoming 2026 Pride festival near the Dead Sea in Israel feels different  not because it is larger, but because of the symbolism behind it. As someone who believes in religious morality and traditional values, I cannot look at this event as “just another festival.” To me, it reflects something much deeper: a deliberate attempt to normalize what every major Abrahamic religion has historically considered morally wrong, while simultaneously using it as a political and international branding strategy. And perhaps the most disturbing part is the location itself. The region around the Dead Sea has long been associated in Islamic, Christian, and Jewish traditions with the story of the people of Prophet Lut (Lot) a nation destroyed because of m...

  Book Review Blog: This Book Won’t Burn (2024) by Samira Ahmed If you’re looking for a YA novel that feels painfully real, politically urgent, and emotionally intense, Samira Ahmed ’s This Book Won’t Burn (2024) is exactly that kind of book. It isn’t just a story about teenagers and school drama—it’s a fierce narrative about censorship , identity, and the courage it takes to speak when the world wants you silent. This novel burns with anger, grief, and rebellion, and it proves that words are not harmless. Words are power. Plot Overview (No Spoilers) The story follows Noor Khan , a Muslim-American teenage girl whose life is already falling apart after her father suddenly abandons the family. Noor, her sister Amal, and their mother are forced to relocate from Chicago to a small town in Illinois, hoping for a “fresh start.” But Bayberry High School is not fresh. It’s suffocating. Noor quickly discovers that the school district is quietly removing hundreds of books from the library—...