Tawfiq's Blog

Everything we do in life, everything that is prescribed in Islam, has only one purpose, to help us be mindful of Allah. It’s natural to make mistakes, but really when we sin, we are only wronging ourselves. We have fallen short of our chance to draw closer to Allah.

"Every person I meet is my superior in some way ; and in that, I learn from them" —Ralph Waldo EmersonA buddy of mine has a beautiful way of interacting with everyone he meets. He’s always friendly and affable — treating everyone with dignity, respect and an open mind. It seems

What is the meaning and purpose behind the things we do in life? Life can sometimes feel like we’re doing things out of habit, just following a routine. When was the last time we stopped to check that we’re truly fulfilled? We may be very happy and having

Introductionذَٰلِكَ ٱلْكِتَـٰبُ لَا رَيْبَ ۛ فِيهِ ۛ هُدًى لِّلْمُتَّقِينَ This is the Book about which there is no doubt, a guidance for those who are mindful of Allah — Quran 2:2 The Qur’an is

In a sound hadith we learn from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ): قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم :  "من يرد الله به خيرًا يفقه في الدين" "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him correct understanding of the religion." — Prophet Muhammad (ﷺ) Seeking knowledge is a

“قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم :  "من يرد الله به خيرًا يفقه في الدين” The Messenger of Allah said, "When Allah wishes good for someone, He bestows upon him the understanding of the Deen." [Sahih] Recently a friend asked me what he can best do to learn more

I think for all people, even those brought up with faith, there is a moment where they take their faith into their own hands. Something that makes them want to learn further and convinces them that they want to learn/practice their faith more deeply. With so many places to

“Detachment is not that you should own nothing, but that nothing should own you.” — Ali Ibn Ali Talib As people living in this world we want to be both successful and pious in this life and the next, balancing our worldly loves with our otherworldly loves. Is it better to

Du’a takes many forms. Beseeching Allah — relying on Him and trusting in His plan — we ask for guidance and goodness. Looking at the dua of istikhara (seeking goodness) we ask Allah to make us happy and content with his plan; even if at the outset it doesn’t seem

Patienceٱهْدِنَا ٱلصِّرَٰطَ ٱلْمُسْتَقِيمَ صِرَٰطَ ٱلَّذِينَ أَنْعَمْتَ عَلَيْهِمْ غَيْرِ ٱلْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا ٱلضَّآلِّينَ "Guide us

وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِى عَنِّى فَإِنِّى قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ ٱلدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا۟ لِى وَلْيُ

This week marked the beginning of the Islamic New Year, Muharram and soon Ashura, but for those of us who aren’t so familiar what do all these terms mean? Muharram — The New Year & The Sacred Months Muharram is simply the first month of the lunar calendar; marking the

In my previous posts for "Ten Tips for Taqwa in Today’s Times" I explored some apps, techniques and extra litanies we can inculcate into our day — all with the aim of improving our quality of life and drawing closer to Allah. In the final post we look at the

Journalling, gratitude, mindfulness, planning & productivity — all these terms may mean different things to different people. Over the past few years my journalling practice, unknowingly to me at the time, has skimmed the surface on each of these topics. This nightly exercise works as my daily download to decompress and

Alhambra — Photo by Sebastian Yepes on Unsplash“There are no days on which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these ten days.” [Sahih] These first ten blessed days of Dhul-Hijjah are coming to a close, with Eid al-Adha fast approaching! Over the last few days

Ceiling of the masjid in MadinahRamadan is celebrated world-wide, people all around the world know it as the month of fasting and taqwa (mindfulness) for Muslims. Dhul-Hijjah on the other hand, another month in the Islamic calendar, is less renowned. But what should we know about the month? What does

Some thoughts and photos on water. The Amalfi Coast“Indeed, the righteous will be among gardens and rivers" 54:54 There is something about water, the sound, the visuals, the refreshing taste, a warm shower on a cold day, the coolness of a refreshing soak in summer. It stirs the

The Qur'an and Sunnah In last week’s continuation of "ten tips for taqwa" series we looked at practical actions we can do throughout our day to help us be mindful of Allah. “And Allah is the Guarding Friend of the mindful.” —Qur’an 45:19 We aim for taqwa

In part-1 of this series we looked at how a positive mindset can affect our well-being and spiritual condition for the better. We looked at 5 tips for cultivating this mindset: Gratitude - in everythingIslamic classes & regular remindersGood company - and the importance of our friends & environmentPositive thoughts

Long Summer Days - Investing - Writing & Eman Long daysAs we come to the end of Shawwal a friend reminded me that it would have been better to finish the 6 additional fasts of Shawwal earlier as iftar time is getting later and later. With June 21st, the summer

Top tips for using an iPad for Studying Modern studies – classical textsThe modern student might find they have access to a myriad of textbooks, an entire library at their fingertips in the form of PDFs; but how best to actually utilise all of these resources? The simple solution (as you

Too much money, burning a hole in your current account? Not necessarily a common problem, but if you haven’t already invested it somewhere, how do you make your money work for you? You don’t want it just sitting in a current account or savings account losing value to

Photo by Jordan Madrid on UnsplashWhat is Taqwa? Taqwa is our ultimate goal and the path to peace in this life and the next. "For those who were aware of God there is supreme fulfilment" —Qur’an 78:31 “And Allah is the Guarding Friend of the mindful.” — Qur’an

Today I am writing about writing. David Perell’s "The Ultimate Guide to Writing Online" is a great piece, and I really recommend you read it in full; but it’s also very wordy. I’ve taken the bits that stood out to me and aimed to capture all the