Islam
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Iffat Mirza, Cambridge Editor’s note: Khilafat or Khilaafa is an Arabic term which means the institution that runs under the leadership of a Khalifa. The word Khalifa means successor/deputy/vicegerent; a spiritual leader of Muslims. The terms Caliphate and Caliph are both taken from these two Arabic terms. In the last decade or so, the term…
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Arfa Yassir, Swindon What unites the Ahmadiyya Muslim community? It has been 113 years since the Ahmadiyya Khilafat was established in 1908 after the demise of its founder, His Holiness Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be on him), the Promised Messiah; the community has grown and prospered ever since. What unites us? A common country, race…
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Dur-e-Shewar Anwar, Manchester In contemporary culture fasting in its various forms is being increasingly revered for its health benefits. However, fasting is an age-old tradition; practised historically by religious or spiritual individuals seeking some form of detachment from the physical world in order to progress in their spiritual development. In Islam fasting is prescribed by…
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Arfa Yassir, Swindon To listen we need to be attentive and focused. The process of listening to yourself i.e. reflection and contemplation requires to disconnect from the hustle of daily life, a silence to reflect inwards. One is reminded of a quote from the celebrated 13th century Persian mystic and poet Maulana Rumi: “Let silence…
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Nudrat Ahmad When I found out that high risk and essential worker populations were given priority for the COVID vaccine, I didn’t think that their life was being valued over mine; I knew I had the privilege of health that others didn’t. When I had to attend pre-natal appointments alone due to COVID restrictions, though…
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Navida Sayed, London Following the news reports on @BBCNews website and the Daily Telegraph three days ago about restrictions on Muslim women to worship in mosques, we once again read calls for equal rights and women only spaces in mosques around the UK, alleging Covid is an excuse to shut women out. One activist likened…
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In this episode of The British Muslim Women’s podcast, Dur-e-Shewar Anwar, Faiza Mirza and Labeeda Bhatti talk about fasting in the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. They discuss why is physical health important and how can our physical health impact our faith? There has been huge emphasis in this past year on mental health and…
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Nadia Ghauri, Bournemouth Our physical, mental and spiritual wellbeing are inseparable. This is expounded by His Holiness Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (peace be upon him), the Founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community: “All our natural actions like eating, drinking, sleeping waking…affect our spiritual condition. Our physical structure is related intimately to our total humanity…there is a…
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Dr Munazzah Chou, Farnham The Holy Prophet (peace and blessing of Allah be on him) is said to have remarked that, ‘There are two blessings of which people do not take full advantage: health and leisure.’[1] Physical health is an essential part of the spiritual progress of a person, we are taught in Islam. It…
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Kholood Tahir, Morden The latest in France’s long-standing history of issues against Muslim Women, has been the voting on the “Separatism Bill” which bans girls under the age of 18 from wearing a hijab in public places. Ironically, under the guise of protecting and liberating young Muslim girls from Islam, which itself teaches, the bill…