Between the Lines » Nabeel al-Azami

Less is more

Nabeel — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 09:57:29 +0000

There is a saying – ‘never give a man a microphone or a woman a telephone. Once on it they can’t get off it.’

And it’s so true. In the case of us blokes I’ve hardly found any speaker, lecturer or ‘maulana’ who stuck to their time allocation or managed to give a short, sharp and sweet talk. Yet we find that by all accounts the Prophet never gave a talk for longer than 20 minutes. Now there’s a bit of Sunnah that we could all do with seeing more of.

In fact recent research suggests that the attention . . . → Read More: Less is more

The post-Ramadan experience

Nabeel — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:37:51 +0000

Picture this. A man joins the army. He is then inducted and put into an intensive and gruelling training programme. He develops his stamina, trains very hard, and becomes a disciplined member of his unit who the commander can rely upon.

What would you expect from this soldier once his training is complete? Would you expect him to be a liability to his unit? Would you expect him to lose his stamina due to laziness? Would you expect him to eschew his responsibility to defend his country?

I think not. And if he did any of these, he would . . . → Read More: The post-Ramadan experience

Sort yourself out. Fast

Nabeel — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 16:44:50 +0000

I remember once talking to a brother in Manchester who was not fully practicing. He had been struggling with his faith, and said to me, ‘you know Ramadan really helps me from getting completely lost in life’.

He was someone who by his own admission had weaknesses which he could not always overcome during the year, but this was one time he was able to bring himself back to his spiritual roots.

If there is one time in the year for you to sort out your bad habits, weaknesses or lackings, it’s Ramadan. I just love it when this month comes round. . . . → Read More: Sort yourself out. Fast

The men and the sea

Nabeel — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 10:48:00 +0000

Four men were praying on a beach facing the sea. Suddenly a great whale rose out of the water and crashed back into the sea creating an awesome scene before the men.

How do you think the men reacted? Did any of them maintain their khushu or did they all get distracted? Throughout our history, the Muslim world has faced many crises and life changing events. And great Muslims and Mujaddids (revivalists) rose to the challenge by standing by their faith and principles, rather than allowing themselves to get diverted and swept away. But when we are faced with . . . → Read More: The men and the sea

It would be a cardinal sin to disagree

Nabeel — Sat, 24 May 2008 09:46:14 +0000

Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor recently said that Britain could not be allowed to become a God free zone. And the head of Britain’s Catholic community is quite right. Just look at what happens when society turns away from God.

Year in year out we hear news and statistics pointing to our ever increasing rates of crime, teenage pregnancies, drug addiction and alcoholism (even among kids). Britain is often referred to as the teenage pregnancy capital and the crime capital of Western Europe, among other unceremonious titles. We are also the worst rated in obesity, literacy, and certain health conditions like asthma, . . . → Read More: It would be a cardinal sin to disagree

Let Boris know your views

Nabeel — Thu, 01 May 2008 21:23:36 +0000

Thursday has come and gone. Votes have been cast and we are all tensely waiting on the outcome.

In all honesty I am concerned Boris may well nick it. That’s mainly for three reasons. One is that he’s more a celeb than a politician, which in today’s Big Brother world counts for a lot. Second is that people just find his oddities and gaffes an interesting novelty. And third is the deadly ‘newness factor’, as people may just want change after 8 years of Ken.

Boris has of course been trying to convince everybody of his credibility as . . . → Read More: Let Boris know your views