Qaswa Mobile at Murchison House Station Did you know that the Nizam of Hyderabad, who was supposed to succeed the Ottoman Caliph, used to live in Western Australia? "I respect Western Australians more than anyone else. They shake my hand and say, 'Hi, Jah, how're yer doing?'" said Mukarram Jah, the last Nizam of Hyderabad and the great...

Many parents ask me for book recommendations for their teenage children. I generally recommend adult Islamic books for my daughter, and if the book is a bit hard for her to understand, we will read it together. She will read one chapter, and we will discuss it. She might ask me for the meaning of difficult words while reading, and I'll...

During the month of Muharram, my Friday khutbas were focused on lessons from the Hijrah of the Prophet. Of all the points I made, one caught the attention of many of the jamaah — the involvement of Asma' bint Abu Bakr in this critical mission in Islamic history. They were surprised to learn how women played pivotal roles in early Islam...

Beberapa tahun yang lalu usai saya memberi khutbah di University of Western Australia, saya didekati oleh seorang pakcik yang tidak saya kenali. Beliau datang menyapa dan berterima kasih atas khutbah saya tadi. “Terima kasih atas khutbah tadi,” kata pakcik tersebut dalam Bahasa Inggeris. “Alhamdulillah. Sama-sama. Moga ia bermanfaat,” ...

One day Saidatuna Fatimah, the daughter of Prophet Muhammad, went to visit her father. This visit happened when the economy in Madinah was improving. Despite being the daughter of the leader of the Prophets and the head of the state, Fatimah lived a very modest life. She came to ask for a servant to help her with house chores. Her hand...

Moses said to him: "May l follow you that you may teach me something of the wisdom which you have been taught?" - Al-Kahf: 66 This aya from Surah al-Kahf, a surah that we are encouraged to read and study every Friday, points to the importance of Suhbah, or companionship in acquiring knowledge. When Prophet Musa met Prophet Khidr, he di...

While we were on the beach one day, my wife and I had this discussion with our eldest daughter, Sumayyah. Mama: Sumayyah, do you feel weird being overly dressed on the beach? Sumayyah: A little bit. It feels strange to be so covered when others are hardly dressed. Mama: Do you feel like you need to follow what others are doing? Sumayya...

For more than 2 decades, Apple have beem trying to push a compact pro machine. It started with the Power Mac Cube in 2000. The design was stunning, and the way you access the internal components just blew everyone’s mind. But it didn’t sell well as it suffered many thermal issues. Apple tried again slightly over a decade ago with the “...

The Western and Eastern Block have both committed atrocities against humanity. But only one is a hypocrite. China and Russia didn’t condemn the US of A and its allies when they illegally invaded Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries around the world. They know their hands are just as dirty. However, the hypocrisy of the Western Block i...

Laughing and Rejoicing While checking Sakeenah's memorisation of Surah Abasa, she got stuck at aya 39 — ضاحكة مستبشرة — faces that are laughing and happy. I explained the meaning of the aya and told her to smile when she reads this aya — and that helped her remember the aya better. She then asked me, "Why is Allah saying laughing and h...

A sufi is a title given to someone who has mastered the science of tasawwuf. An expert in fiqh is called a faqih, and an expert in tasawwuf is called a sufi. Next question is, what is tasawwuf? Tasawwuf is the science of purification of the soul. Based on hadith Jibreel, the religion of Islam has 3 dimensions; islam which relates the p...

Allah sent Prophets with miracles that suited the people they were sent to. Prophet Musa was sent to a group of people that were known to practice magic and sorcery. He came with miracles that looked magical such as changing his staff into a serpent and parting the sea. Prophet Isa was sent to a group of people that valued healing know...

Recently we read the hadith of Umm Zar’ from the Shamail of Imam at-Tirmidhi at the weekly halaqah that I attend regularly. Hadith Umm Zar’ is a lengthy story about 11 wives sharing details about their husbands in rhymes told by Saidatuna Aishah to Prophet Muhammad. A few lessons that we can derive, not from the story, but from the att...

Quran & Cost Benefit Analysis On our way back from Qaswa Hifz class 2 years ago we passed by a lottery advertisement and Sumayyah was interested to know about the mechanism behind it. How could people win so much money. When I explained to her how it worked she said, “That’s gambling, isn’t it?” “Yes, darling. And can Muslims gamble?” ...

“What should I do when I forget the Quran that I have memorised?” asked a Qaswa High student recently. “You just need to revise it. Memorise it again. It is human to forget. The more you memorise, the more you forget. The less you memorise, the less you forget. If you don’t want to forget anything, don’t memorise anything. It is okay t...

There were multiple times in history when the Companions of Prophet Muhammad wanted to kill Abdullah ibn Ubay, the leader of the hypocrites, due to his crimes. Yet, in all those instances, the Prophet forbade the killing of Ibn Ubay. "I don't want people to say that Muhammad killed his Companion," said the Prophet. Here Prophet Muhamma...

One day after delivering my Friday khutbah, a young man approached me. Young Man (YM): Thank you for the khutbah. That was a good one. Me: Alhamdulillah. Thank you very much for listening. YM: Sheikh, I saw you wore your watch on the right hand. I immediately changed my watch to the right too. Me: Brother, I wear my watch on my right b...

"Remember, a Believer should never be in a state of boredom. A state where we are just sitting idle doing nothing. Our responsibilities are much more than the time that we have," reminded one of my teachers in my late teens. "If you are waiting for someone late, that is an opportunity to revise your Quran, do your dhikr, salawat on the...

Ashura reminds me of the importance of social justice. Musa's fight against the oppression of the Pharaoh. Hussein's fight against the oppression of Yazid. A Muslim is not just someone who sits at home praying and fasting. A Muslim is someone who finds the strength through prayers and fasting in order to serve humanity. It is also a re...

Last night Sakeenah was reading ayat 142 - 145 of Surah al-Baqarah. When she got to aya 144, she got very excited to read the word Masjid al-Haram. She yearns to visit the House of Allah. Once when we were in a car for a long journey, we play the game called, Questions — a simple game where one person asks a question and everybody has ...

Yesterday Sumayyah and Sakeenah competed in their first karate competition. Both of them competed in the same category. Despite having better skills and strength, fate has it that Sumayyah had a difficult draw in her bouts that she ended up winning bronze while Sakeenah won silver. Sumayyah went against the champion very early in the c...

"They have everything; what are they complaining about?" says the uncle in me. One of the things that uncles like me struggle to understand the youth is their mental health. It amazes me how many are on anti-depression medication, especially as it gets closer to examination season. But that may be the root of the problem. The problem o...

“Assalamualaikum ustaz, boleh saya tanya sedikit,” sapa seorang pelajar darjah 4 di Qaswa. “Wa alaikumussalam, silakan,” saya menjawab. “Begini, saya ada satu kemusykilan. Kalau Tuhan itu Maha Pengasih dan Pemurah, dan Dia juga Maha Berkuasa, kenapa masih ada kesusahan dan kejahatan dalam dunia ini? Kenapa Tuhan tidak terus jadikan sem...

One of the many strengths of Islam is its scientific approach to religion. And this can clearly be seen in the science of hadith. The science of hadith forms the foundation of the peer review system in today's academic journals. Other scholars will review each transmitter of hadith's background, and each one will have a score from very...

Hajj is mostly a physical act of worship. All you need to do is be at certain places at certain times, walk a few kilometres and you're done. Your Hajj is valid. You can be Instagramming throughout the rituals or talking on the phone or video calling someone back home, you Hajj is still valid. You don't need to recite or reflect on any...

Discussion with Sakeenah while driving to our campsite. Sakeenah: Ayah (Dad), if Allah is so mighty, can He make Iblees become good? Ayah: Yes, He can, if He wanted to. Sakeenah: Then why doesn't He? Ayah: Do you remember when we talked about how life is a test? Allah created us to see who among us can do the best in life? Sakeenah: Ye...

Eid al-Adha, the Festival of Sacrifice, is the biggest celebration in Islam. It is preceded by the Day of Arafah — the greatest day of the year — and followed by three more days of celebration. The entire celebratory week is meant to commemorate the lives and legacies of Prophet Ibrahim and his family. The Quran tells us that Ibrahim a...

“19. Or ˹those caught in˺ a rainstorm from the sky with darkness, thunder, and lightning. They press their fingers into their ears at the sound of every thunderclap for fear of death. And Allah encompasses the disbelievers ˹by His might˺. 20. It is as if the lightning were about to snatch away their sight. Whenever lightning strikes, t...

Back in 1992, I attended an advanced English course where the reading assignment included Tracks, a true story about a lady travelling over 2000 km across the Western Australian desert from Alice Springs to the Indian Ocean with a dog and four camels. Having just returned from Saudi Arabia, a book about an adventure in the desert with ...

Alhamdulillah, this week, Perth has had frigid weather. Some mornings we start our day at freezing point. I've gone through ten winters so far, and I am currently enjoying my eleventh. Looking back into the past decade, I noticed one change — my wardrobe. I use to have thicker winter clothing. But through the years, I have acclimatised...