Azka's Writeups

Every time I came across a commentary on Surah Duha, people only talked about the first 8 verses and not the last 3 ones. And I have often pondered upon this and have reflected upon the need of these 3 verses in the same surah as the first 8.  Why is it that Allah thought to remind the Prophet (SAW), and through him, us, that we should be kind to the beggars and to the orphans, after He counted all our difficult times and then His favours upon us?  After thinking about this for a long time I would like to present my humble reflection on the last verses and why they are included in this surah.  Think about this, what is the one excuse we give to people (or to ourselves) who are harsh, bitter and rude? We blame their circumstances, their past, 'actually, she has led such a difficult life that she has become bitter'. Haven't we all heard statements like this?  This is why Allah is telling us to be kind in this Surah after he counts all the times we have bee in trouble (...

This post is a special one for the all the homeschoolers out there wondering if they are doing the right thing. For all of you struggling or fighting against norms and trying hard to take charge of your own learning. This is to address the question of whether any good university will accept you or not. This is to tell you of my own homeschooling journey.  Let's cut to the chase, I began my homeschooling journey when I was 11 years old. I just straight up dropped out of school and never went back after my summer vacations. It was a mutual decision between me and my parents. Why we opted for this is a story for another time, for now, just know that where I am today after leaving school, I wouldn't be here had I been going to school. I wouldn't have possessed the set of skills I possess now.  When we quit school there was indeed a backlash. People would say to our faces that our parents had stolen our childhood and I as an adult would now like to question them that 'do the...