Reflections

A collection of 386 posts

Reflections

Friday reflection: Ramadan - a wellspring for the spiritually dry

By Muneeb Nasir Ramadan is a sacred time - it is the ‘anniversary of anniversaries’, a time that the One God, Allah, singles out sincere believers for rewards. God's Apostle, peace be upon him said, "God said, 'All the deeds of sons of Adam (people) are

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Friday reflection: In today’s world people could all do with a dose of Ramadan

By Muneeb Nasir There is great anticipation in the air - families are making plans, children are getting excited, homes are being cleaned and spruced up, special foods and ingredients are being purchased to welcome a most noble guest, Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, set to begin next week.

Reflections

Friday reflection: ‘The real House of God - where those who have lost God will find Him’

By Muneeb Nasir Outside the sacred sanctuary of houses of worship, hospitals and health institutions are  among places where the most sincere prayers are offered. They are places where many people seek God for solace and comfort, and where they may rediscover and reconnect with God. Many years ago, I

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Friday reflection: Let's change our way of relating to each other

A successful life is one in which we develop, maintain and nurture meaningful relationships with the One Transcendent God, Allah, with our fellow humans and other creations. We are a growing and beautifully diverse Muslim community in this city. However, one of the greatest challenges we face is how to

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Türkiye and Syria Earthquake - Which charities to support?

By Muneeb Nasir and Irshad Osman Two devastating earthquakes hit southern and central Türkiye in the early hours of February 6, 2023, and it also affected regions of north-western Syria. This is the fourth costliest earthquake in world history. The property damages and the financial loss are estimated at USD

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Friday reflection: Those who walk on the earth ever so lightly

By Muneeb Nasir The world is full of self-important, self-absorbed, self-promoting, brash, egotistical and arrogant people.  These are the people who lead the news. Look at the recent headlines – it is all about political leaders who are arrogant and brash; who proudly display their character flaws and feel no shame

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Friday reflection: These words will change your life

By Muneeb Nasir Say, “Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem - In The Name of God, the All Merciful, the Mercy-Giving before you do anything,” was the first lesson that our parents taught us. “If you say ‘Bismillah’ you would not do anything wrong,” they reasoned with us. These words, ‘In

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Friday reflection: Who are the Muslims next door?

By Muneeb Nasir Canadian Muslims truly stand out as being among the most enthusiastic group of Canadians - 83 percent of Muslims feel very proud to be Canadian. However, because Muslims have a religious and cultural background unfamiliar to most other Canadians they face questions about their commitment to becoming

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Friday reflection - Can we be at home in different places?

By Muneeb Nasir Where are you from? This is the question that I am frequently asked by people and they are expecting me to say India or Pakistan or from Asia. They're absolutely right insofar as 100 percent of my blood and ancestry does come from that region

Reflections

Friday Reflection - The days of our lives

By Muneeb Nasir First lesson as we go through the days of our lives: Appreciate that each day is a gift and live each day purposefully. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is reported to have said: “Purity is half of the faith. The praise of God fills the

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Friday reflection: God loves those who are steadfast

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is reported to have said: “How wonderful is the case of the believer; there is good in everything and this is not the case with anyone except a believer. If good attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah (One God) and that is

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Is the CRA targeting Muslim-led charities in Canada?

Alex Neve and Leilani Farha recently published an op-ed in the Globe and Mail, "If the CRA is targeting Muslim-led charities, Canadians deserve to know," about the Canada Revenue Agency's suspected targeting of Muslim-led charities, noting a pattern that started under Harper and has continued under

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Sen. Murray Sinclair: Pope Francis’s apology failed to acknowledge the Church’s full role in residential schools

WINNIPEG — The Honourable Murray Sinclair, former senator and chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), issued the following statement on July 26, 2022: “I want to recognize the importance of the Pope’s apology to Survivors, their families, and communities. For many Survivors, I know that hearing

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Friday reflection: Finding your why

By Muneeb Nasir The companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) transformed themselves and their societies in a short period of time. We cannot be but amazed at what they achieved. These women and men were from among the most deprived lot in their society - many came

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Encountering Islamophobia in the medical profession

By Dr. Aliya A. Khan After a recent lecture I delivered at a national conference of Canadian physicians, I reviewed the evaluations received from the attendees. While many commented on what they had learned from my talk on metabolic bone disease, one comment stood out, which had no bearing on

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Friday reflection: To what are these times calling us as people of faith?

By Muneeb Nasir These are times of brokenness, disruptions, dislocation, and uprootedness. What are we being called to in these times as people of faith? First,  we are being called to respond to our calling as religious people. In the Qur’an, God invites us to this calling: “You who

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Hajj 'lottery' for western pilgrims leaves many unanswered questions

By Mohamed (Jay) Mobeen The recent  announcement by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Hajj and Umrah is short on details but it is expected that with the short time between now and Hajj 1443, the murkiness of this initial news release will dissipate with added clarity revealed on the

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Friday reflection: On gratitude

By Muneeb Nasir “Praise be to God” (Al-Hamdulillaah) are truly the words of a thankful person. This phrase punctuates a religious Muslim’s lexicon. Counting one’s blessings, being thankful and grateful to God, is essential to our well-being. Expressing thanks and being grateful are consistently associated with greater happiness.

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Friday reflection: On Trust

By Muneeb Nasir Trust is what makes our lives and relationships meaningful and rewarding and, as we have learnt during the pandemic, make us safe. Damien Cave, New York Times bureau chief in Sydney, Australia, wrote in a recent article [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/world/australia/covid-deaths.

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Pizza Hut and Prayers

By Salman Dia-Eddine (Reposted with permission from Islamophobia.io [https://islamophobia.io/]) My family and I, having lived all across North America, have been regular targets of Islamophobic hatred, include acts of physical vandalism against our property. But this hasn't deterred us from being visibly-Muslim members of society

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What the sacrifices of the Quebec Mosque shooting victims taught me

By Taha Ghayyur As I prayed the Isha (night) prayer tonight at my local mosque, I experienced a stream of raw emotions as I recalled the stories of so many heroes five years ago who went to the mosque in the Quebec City. It's hard holding back tears

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My experience performing umrah during the COVID- 19 pandemic

By Shaykh Imran Ally, Resident Imam – TARIC Islamic Centre, Toronto, Canada The umrah is a blessed invitation extended by Allaah Himself and an honour for every Muslim invitee. Allaah says, {Indeed, ˹the hills of˺ Ṣafa and Marwah are among the symbols of Allaah. So, whoever performs the pilgrimage or minor

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Write a Letter of Remembrance for the Quebec City Mosque Massacre Victims

By @studentAsim You're looking at the 6 people who were murdered after Maghrib (evening) prayers at a mosque in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, on January 29th, 2017. 17 children were left fatherless. 6 widows. 19 injured. And not to mention the moral injury to millions of others...Write

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It's time to bring to bring Huseyin Celil home

By Taha Ghayyur Since the Liberal party’s assumption of power six years ago, Global Affairs Canada has shifted away from its long-standing commitment to preserving religious freedom around the world, something our country upheld for many years. In fact, in 2015, the Conservative government led the establishment of the

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Welcoming Afghan newcomers

By Anela Jadunandan There was a knock on my door. I looked through the glass to see who it was and there he was, a man in a long coat with a kind face. I decided to open the door to see what he wanted. He said he was from