Logrando el equilibrio entre feminismo y antifeminismo
Como una mujer jóven, me interesaba el lenguaje de la igualdad y la justicia social y me sentí obligada a tomar una posición en el debate sobre el feminismo. “¿Cómo podría alguien apoyar la desigualdad o la injusticia?”, las feministas lo preguntarían acusatoriamente. “Defiende el lado correcto de la historia,” ellas dirían, presentando el feminismo como una posición predeterminada, un hecho consumado que yo solo … Continue reading Logrando el equilibrio entre feminismo y antifeminismo
Exploring Spirituality within Ramadan
With the devils chained away, their assault on the kingdom of the soul is put on hold. The transcendental effects of fasting on our metaphysical anatomy allows our spirituality to come forth; the soul is restored as the rightful sovereign – order is reinstated across the kingdom. Continue reading Exploring Spirituality within Ramadan
Ramadan Traditions in Constantine
We should take note of Constantinian heritage not only because it is worth basking in its splendor, but because it serves a sentimental purpose. With Christmas being completely commodified, many of us may feel pressured to compete by curating a Ramadan ambiance through the same capitalist means. One cannot stress enough the importance of aesthetics in Islam, but we should not forget that we can create beauty out of time spent cooking traditional foods with our families, listening to melodies in praise of God and His beloved Messenger, and giving charity. Continue reading Ramadan Traditions in Constantine
Ramadan Book Recommendations 2022
This list was compiled in the hopes of facilitating a closer connection with the Book of Allah ﷻ and aid in perfecting our worship. Continue reading Ramadan Book Recommendations 2022
Logic as a Tool for Adab
There is something quite bizarre about walking into an Islamic studies lecture to hear figures of the past defined in modern terms. With ease, the figure of Rābi’ah al-’Adawiyyah is described not just as a Ṣūfī but someone who “emphasise[s] the autonomy and capacity to remain free of any male authority”; this definition is then over time translated to “a brave woman who fought against patriarchy and oppression from institutionalised orthodoxy” (a phrase I heard in a Harvard class). [1] Intuitively, one might feel a discomfort at hearing the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ described as a “feminist” simply because Islām’s denouncement of Jahili practices came to raise the status of women. Continue reading Logic as a Tool for Adab
A Joy for Us
I am writing to you because you are my only family member that whispers salawat on the Prophet when I say his name, like clouds aching towards birds, with joy. Continue reading A Joy for Us
Ramadan: Beyond the Nafs, Towards the Lord
The reduction of Islamic practices to an incentive of material or individualist well-being is in effect a liberal remaking of Islam. In essence fasting cultivates a self that is conscious of the truth: that we do not have the right to food, water, and sex when Allah decrees such. The feeling of hunger and thirst, and the inability to do away with them despite having the means to, is meant to reinforce within our souls the recognition of Allah’s ultimate power. Continue reading Ramadan: Beyond the Nafs, Towards the Lord
Macauley ke Bache: On Our Relationship to Urdu
The list of dead, white British men who lorded over the Subcontinent is long, but Thomas Macauley holds a special place among them. The archetypal British colonial administrator, Macauley was best known for his instrumental role in entrenching English into the cultural and epistemic life of the Subcontinent. In decreeing the supremacy of English as the language of power, and the displacement of traditional sciences and knowledges, Macaulay famously said: “We must at present do our best to form a class who may be interpreters between us and the millions whom we govern, — a class of persons Indian in blood and colour, but English in tastes, in opinions, in morals and in intellect.” Continue reading Macauley ke Bache: On Our Relationship to Urdu
میکالے کے بچے : ہم اور زبانِ اردو
پیشِ لفظ: میں نے درجِ زیل تحریر بِحیثیتِ سمندر پار پاکستانی لکھی ہے۔ اس مضمون کو ذاتی تنقید، کسی پر حملہ یا طنز نہ سمجھا جائ۔ اس مقالہ کا انگریزی ترجمہ بھی دستیاب ہے۔ نیز اس مقالہ کا رسم الخظ شاید نستعلیق نہیں ہوگا، اس ویبسئٹ میں کچھ خامیاں ہیں جن کا حل میرے بس سے باہر ہے۔ برِ صغیر پر حکمرانی کرنے والے برطانوی … Continue reading میکالے کے بچے : ہم اور زبانِ اردو
رمضان: سامراجیت کی مخالفت کرنے کا مہینہ
اپنے وجود کی قیمت کے طور پی مسلمانوں کو مسلسل ایک دفاعی صراط میں جینے کی عادت ہو گی ہے جسمے اپنے مذہبی اور ثقافتی روایتوں کی تزئی تشریح کرنا زندگی کا اہم حصّہ بن چکا ہے- Continue reading رمضان: سامراجیت کی مخالفت کرنے کا مہینہ
Traversing Tradition 