I know things are getting me down when I get through a whole pack of chocolate button and didn’t manage to enjoy one of them.  Instead I feel sick and the feeling of dread and anxiety hasn’t shifted all morning. You hear these sayings all the time, but you don’t really appreciate the grain of […]

I recently attended a talk at the local Islamic Centre given my Hakim Archuletta of the US. I had never heard of him before, and went along expecting advice from the Quran and hadith, mainly about food. In actual fact he explained that he wanted to talk about something much deeper and more central relating […]

I was sent some books to review from a new a series created for children by The Islamic Foundation UK. There are seven in the series and I was sent four about the Prophets Sulaiman, Nuh, Ibrahim and Ismail (peace be upon them all). The books are glossy, full colour soft cover and from the […]

I have always been a keen reader of the blogs of both Brother Umar Lee and Brother Yusuf Matthews, finding their blogs interesting and insightful. Recently however some of what is emerging in their blogs has troubled me. Brother Umar posted this, which was responded to by Brother Yusuf with this. What followed was this […]

Subhan’Allah, there is so much to say thank you for right now:That we got to see the blessed month of Ramadan again this year. That we got to fast the 30 days of Ramadan. That we got to pick up some good habits and let go of some bad ones. That we spent time with […]

I am debating whether to turn this post into a full on rant, but I think it’s sometimes more useful to be reflective than angry. We are more than half way through the holidays and the refrain of “we are bored” and “what do we do when you’re not at home” has been ongoing. I […]

I did an interview for You, Me & Religion months ago and then forgot all about it until this week when the blog contacted me to let me know that the interview had been published.  An excerpt is below and you can read the full interview here, including the very interesting comments.  Would love you to visit […]

My youngest sister Kooks is getting married in about a month so we thought we would start the festivities early with a bridal shower.  The theme was vintage with pearls, florals, pastels, and polka dots, which meant we could really have fun with décor, outfits and our dessert table. The venue was my mum’s garden because […]

“Ramadan Kareem”There finally got round to saying it (after the first third has passed). Hope you are all making the most of lovely Ramadan. The time is flying by; the ashra of forgiveness is already gone. How can that be? I must have tonnes of stuff I still have to say “sorry” and “please, please, […]

I love the ayah of the Quran and the hadith (sayings of the beloved Prophet sallallahu alaihi wasallam) that announce the benefits and virtues of Ramadan, but my favourite is the hadith that announces the coming of Ramadan: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) addressed his companions on the […]

Last week was out staff Eid party.  Part of my job is to encourage staff to understand and celebrate the diversity of our communities and also our staff.  One way of doing this is through staff events.  Last year we held an event telling people about Ramadan and a staff Eid lunch.  For our first […]

Earlier this week we visited Audley En House and Gardens in Essex.  As English Heritage Members this house was free for us and the kids to visit, so we thought we would go and take a look. The house is an enormous and imposing Jacobean Manor House with extensive grounds and various gardens. This is […]

The quote for Day 8 of Ramadan from my box of things to think about is: “There is nothing heavier in the scales than good character” ~ Prophet Muhammad (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) Someone once told me that we should look for character in a person, especially when enquiring for marriage, rather than how religious they are. […]

Little Lady was using my laptop this week and she wandered onto my Pinterest page where she had a board.  Her immediate reaction was embarrassment at what she hah pinned in the past.  She immediately set about deleting her old pins.  I stopped her to take some screen shots before she got too far.  Her […]