It’s very in vogue now to say that we won’t smack our children; this is probably a good thing. In the UK there have been attempts by various groups to bring laws into effect that ban smacking, although they have been defeated by the Peers in the House of Lords. My parents and grandparents grew […]

After all that fussing, stressing, tears this morning and being at the peak of giving up – Gorgeous’s passport has arrived. My poor husband drove over 100 miles to stage a sit-in at the Petersborough Passport Office (I’m not joking he has a terrible anarchist streak), when I got the call from the Passport Office […]

I came across in interesting concept in this article on Steve Pavlina’s excellent website. Its basic premise is that sometimes when we make an intention to change something in our life or get rid of a bad habit, we find the thought of the long trek ahead towards that change becoming concrete daunting. Pavlina’s idea […]

This is the second, much-awaited novel by the author of The Kite Runner. Longer and covering an even longer span of time in the history of Afghanistan, this book is different in the first instance from The Kite Runner due to the fact that it is written from the viewpoint of women. Where the semi-autobiographic […]

My latest column for InCulture Parent has now been published: “What’s an Asian? Race and Identity for a New Generation” is my response after reading and thinking about another article in the same magazine by J. Claire K. Niala called “Mama, What Colour is Me? How My Child Defines Race”: My eight-year-old daughter did something a […]

The latest edition of the wonderful and always fascinating InCulture Parent is now out and includes my column “The Dangers of Consumerism and the Muslim Child”  There is an excerpt below.  Please do go and visit and leave a comment, I would be very happy to hear your thoughts. I suspect those who celebrate Christmas will be […]

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 […]

In Sandcastles and Snowmen, Sahar El-Nadi tells the story of how she grew up in Muslim countries but truly found her religion as an adult through her travels, life experiences and subsequent deep reflection.  The book starts with an accessible introduction to the key tenets of Islam which is straightforward enough to make sense to […]

I created the Muslimah Life Planner 2018 by taking the best of the techniques, tools and planners and journals I have used over the years to try and manage my life better. I have built on previous versions to make this the biggest and best version yet insha’Allah. This year The Muslimah Life Planner 2018 is 449 pages […]

After days of stop start contractions and a false alarm, I was blessed with my fifth child, a healthy little girl, last Friday morning at dawn. I am feeling so very grateful, awed, achey, exhausted and overwhelmed right now. Alhamdulillah for the blessings of little ones, of helpful family, health, kind neighbours, good friends and this faith […]

When I think of the abayh, the long, loose dress that many Muslim women wear, I think of how elegant it looks: image source or how chic: image source or how smart and conservative: When I see sisters wearing it, I usually think the same, especially some of the younger sisters who really know how […]

It seems to be big news right now to find your purpose, discover your joy and drop everything that’s making you miserable in your day to day life and head to Europe, or Bali or India and hang out in ashrams or outdoor cafes (if the title of this post doesn’t make sense it refers to the best-selling book Eat […]

I got a phone call from my middle child’s school this week asking me to come in.  I asked what it was about and they said not to worry.  For a brief moment I did entertain delusions about being called in for a good reason, such as he being recognised as some kind of child […]

I am astonished to find myself so quickly at the start of another month of Ramadan.  I make dua that we make the most of the beautiful opportunities this blessed month presents to us: to purify ourselves spiritually and physically, to renew our iman, to work on our relationship with Allah (SWT) and to increase our worship and […]