You can listen to or download an audio file of this edition of INsights
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My Lord, I was born on Monday 14th Rabi’al-Awwal 1404.

You can listen to or download an audio file of this edition of INsights
by clicking here or on the image below:

For the first time, you can watch this edition of INsights on YouTube:

Or if you prefer to read then simply keep scrolling...

My Lord, I was born on Monday 14th Rabi’al-Awwal 1404.

You can listen to or download an audio file of this edition of INsights by clicking here.
Or if you prefer to read then simply keep scrolling.

Assalamu-alaikum. Peace be upon you.

Perhaps the most effective question I ask myself to evaluate my actions and make improvements is:

“Did I really try ...

Assalamu-alaikum. Peace be upon you.

Last Friday I had a coronectomy. Yesterday, Queen Elizabeth II passed away.

Here are some brief reflections on each of these events:

You can listen to or download an audio file of this edition of INsights by clicking here.
Or if you prefer to read then simply k...

Assalamu-alaikum. Peace be upon you.

I’ve noticed that one of the most common pieces of advice I give is as follows: 

Relate to God using the same principles that you know make for a great relationship with other human beings.

Of course, I am not saying that we should treat God like a human being...

Assalamu-alaikum. Peace be upon you.

I’ve been travelling for a few weeks. Usually when I’m away, the self-reflective side of me goes into overdrive. This time hasn’t been any different.

I’ve been thinking more carefully about my own prayer and engagement with revelation. Here are some of the refl...

Assalamu-alaikum. Peace be upon you.

Here are three insights that I’ve derived from examining the 70+ Qur’anic references to the word ‘islam’ in all its derived forms, adjectives, nouns and verbs:

1. No one ‘becomes Muslim’ or ‘converts/reverts to Islam’

2. God doesn’t want you to be ‘a Muslim’.....

Assalamu-alaikum, Peace be upon you.

Here’s something a little different for today’s edition of INsights…

Ever since the beginning of 2015, I’ve kept a folder in my iPhone Notes app which I’ve labelled ‘Reminders’.

Whenever I’ve come across something particularly powerful, I copy and paste it the...

Part 1   |   Part 2   |  Part 3   |   Part 4

What will you sacrifice?

Assalamu-alaikum, Peace be upon you.

The timing of this edition of INsights couldn’t have been better.

It’s the first day of the second half of the year according to the Gregorian calendar. Just like a sports contest that’s br...

Part 1   |   Part 2   |   Part 3   |    Part 4

Unlocked by revelation

Assalamu-alaikum, Peace be upon you.

In order to realise the power of the Qur’an in improving the quality and direction of your own life, it’s important to understand the effect it had on the mindset of the initial recipients o...

Part 1   |   Part 2   |   Part 3   |   Part 4

How prayer keeps you strong

Assalamu-alaikum, Peace be upon you.

True submission to God is about a lot more than devotional worship. It’s not just about putting aside certain times in the day to pray. That’s just the start... It’s about letting those ...

Part 1   |   Part 2   |   Part 3   |   Part 4

Assalamu-alaikum, Peace be upon you.

Here’s a powerful quote that gets me every time…

“All men dream: but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake up in the day to find it was vanity, but the dreamers of the day ...

Assalamu-alaikum, Peace be upon you.

Here’s part of a message that a good friend of mine sent me yesterday, “First few days post Eid… scary how easily things are at risk of reverting back to pre-Ramadan baseline!”

It is scary and the risk is real. 

But you don’t have to suffer a post-Ramadan reve...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

After relating the stories and key incidents of the lives of many different prophets, including key statements, key incidents, and spec...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

Prayer is an ancient phenomenon. Let's go back in time.

Look at these very famous verses, the last few verses of Surat Al-Aʿlā, oft-recit...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

Allah says [Qur’an, 16:48]:

<< أَوَلَم يَرَوا إِلىٰ ما خَلَقَ اللَّهُ مِن شَيءٍ يَتَفَيَّأُ ظِلالُهُ عَنِ اليَمينِ وَالشَّمائِلِ سُ...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

What did Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim), may God grant him peace, say? Very, very famous words. I'm sure many of us are very familiar with t...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

<< وَلِلَّهِ يَسجُدُ مَن فِي السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ طَوعًا وَكَرهًا وَظِلالُهُم بِالغُدُوِّ وَالآصالِ ۩ >>

wa-li-llāhi yasjudu man fī s...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

Consider the Salat itself.

The Salat from beginning to end is made up of cycles and repetitions. There is something symbolic about th...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

Let us consider what Allah says [Qur’an, 24:41]:

<< أَلَم تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُسَبِّحُ لَهُ مَن فِي السَّماواتِ وَالأَرضِ وَالطَّير...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

Famously, Allah says [Qur’an, 55:6]:

<< وَالنَّجمُ وَالشَّجَرُ يَسجُدانِ >>

wa-n-najmu wa-sh-shajaru yasjudān

In the first few verse...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

So you're travelling along in a car on the motorway and you've prayed your Dhuhr, but you haven't yet prayed your Asr and the sun is ab...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

“Bilal, have you done your Salat?”
“Aisha, did you?”
“Really? I didn't see you.”
“How did you do it so quickly?”
“Did you have your wud...

[Just to let you know, the text below is a transcription of what I've said in this video. So please excuse any words or phrases that don't quite look right.]

A few days ago, I got a message from a young guy who lives not too far away from me. This is what he said (he sent me a message on What...