Saima Sher Fazal

Average is now unique,  common so rare.  Laymen extinct! Specialists all the rage. Everyone's a skeptic. Skepticism's new age. Simplicity, faith and wisdom   an anomaly, as 'Tis the modern age .

'Cause and effect' is not easily comprehended unless we comprehend that a cause is also an effect of another cause. There are causes and effects occurring simultaneously in this world creating parallel realities. We cannot comprehend all of them ever as Human logic/mind/ perception is but limited. This is why Muslims are taught to have twakul( trust/ faith) in the eternal and the unseen wisdom/power of their lord. Which is beyond comprehension. So whenever you feel overwhelmed by the reality around you. Embrace your deficient comprehension and say: لا حول ولا قوة الا بالله There is no power ( capable of encompassing, comprehending, encountering and overpowering all kinds of cause and effect) nor might save in Allah SWT.

Intolerant and rigid mindsets are THE problem. A lot goes into them before they become so rigid. In the simplest terms I can find : absence of love, hope and faith. When such mindsets turn to religion to identify themselves and to fill that gaping void formed due to the absence of the aforementioned assets and 'family schisms' .They are often met with people quite similar to themselves. They attract thought patterns similar to their own. Rejecting love and hope as they haven't learned to incorporate it in their behaviour. Faith becomes a tool to spread their negativity rather than a source of strength, twakkul, hope and love. Thus instead of spiritually prospering as human beings they shrivel into a shadow of their original self. Lost and inhumane! They are a living embodiment of the wrongs we have all inflicted upon ourselves as a community by not fulfilling our duty where it was due. When this goes on for decades such mindsets become strong and hard to counter.

The unconventional conventionality: In a desperate effort to break with tradition and herald a new beginning, the Muslim skeptic’s enthusiasm has indeed eluded his intellect. He conveniently forgets that to usher in modernity, a mere denial of the conventional is never enough. It requires a far more consistent and rationale pursuit of that which is elusive. There is no denying that without wholeheartedly embracing concepts of modernity there can be no progress. That is precisely why it is vital to revisit our understanding of modernism in a Muslim society and all that it entails. “.. being modern is more than what it is not. Recognizing and dealing head on with the problems of the day while striving for a better future is modern. Self-expression in many ways and in many platforms is as modern as rejecting the over exposure of the self. Accepting others’ experiences and making room for them in the human tapestry is modern. Being technologically savvy doesn’t necessitate modernit

Dont "Beat me"! Pakistani women have responded quite strongly to the UN women 'beat me' campaign on the social media. Owning its problems and finding their solutions is the main characteristic of an empowered community. It doesn’t take others to make it realize what’s wrong with it and how to right that wrong. While the world wants Pakistani women to embrace their 'unbeatable' self. A significant section of Pakistani women can’t relate to this paradoxical innuendo; 'beat me'. This campaign like many others before it tries to break the stereotypes by showing women from different fields of life challenging men to beat them at their specific talent. The real questions that we need to ask ourselves are: why do we as women need to challenge men, why do we need to compete?. Is the notion of empowerment directly related to a showdown with men? Also how exactly will challenging men help an already violent, intolerant and polarized society? The underlying

The current course of events surrounding the women protection bill and its culmination in the “Mullah vs Feminists” battle is a typical portrayal of the simplistic mindset, our religious and secular elite reflect whenever religion and law is brought together .This polarization has not only been quite evident for some time now but is also predictable as they are but small players in a global game of politics and power. The real casualty of this dogmatism is the very “woman” and “family”, both claim to stand for. Professor Tariq Ramadan cited as one of the hundred most influential people by Times magazine and by the Foreign Policy Magazine as one of the top hundred global thinkers tends to view this dogmatism as an intellectual limitation. In his book Radical reform he tackles head on the issue of revival and reform in Islam and Islamic law. He talks about the need of “reforming thought” and not the “scriptural sources”. He writes: “Muslims must at a particular time in history b

A mother's quest: These are trying times for the Muslim ummah. Raising Muslim children in this age of fitan is not an easy task, especially when the fitan is of bloodshed and confusion. Unfortunately, being a Muslim is not that simple anymore. War and economic deterioration has made it difficult to follow Islam even in Muslim countries while many different issues have made it difficult in the West. This makes a parent’s job harder than ever.  The relationship between child and parent, is such that the choices we make for our children can be decisive in building their character. Since these are times when the Muslim ummah is in need of strong and productive people more than ever, what better way to do that than to raise children with strong characters filled with iman, tolerance, integrity and patience? We need to remember that children are a trust as well as a trial from Allah (subhanahu wa ta’la) for their parents in particular and society at large. They are