Islam

Tempting but I will refrain

Sunday, June 14, 2026

To start with, it’s very tempting to put my half baked thoughts through Claude (the free model) and it gives a fully formed post. But as some people suggest, I will restrain, so this is only with Google Docs autocorrect (2nd pass with harper-ls). First, I do not go to extremes. Case in point: though I am a practicing Muslim, I do not force my sect’s view on others. The most important decision was my marriage, and I never ask which sect my wife subscribes to. It turned out to be a complex mix, with my father-in-law being a practicing Barelvi. A few posts ago I wrote that I also went to Hajj with them. Of course when I say I do not force my worldview on them, it does not mean I am open to concepts that contradict my beliefs. My silence is not acceptance of your acts; it’s just your way, and I am on mine. …

Who Am I?

Monday, June 8, 2026

I named this blog “Bula key jana may kon” — and then, almost immediately, made the mistake of searching for Rabbi Shergill’s version. That’s enough to lodge a song in your head for the better part of a week. Not that I give much time to music. Or at least, that’s what I tell myself. I will admit: I am guilty of listening to Jhol — the acoustic version — on repeat. It’s off now. Even the echoes have settled. So why am I writing about this? …

Hajj 2011

Tuesday, May 26, 2026

I never quite had it in me to write about my Hajj experience, but lately, I’ve felt the need to place it in context—particularly around my religious life and the anxieties of that period. This reflection was prompted by an argument I heard recently: that the current ulema have created a myth that Hajj is for everyone, when it is, in reality, only for the elite. My answer to that is simple. My father-in-law was a car electrician. I was a software engineer. Both of us had limited means, but we had enough to cover the trip, and neither of us had many dependents at home. Hajj, for us, was not a luxury; it was a spiritual experience rooted in sacred texts, an obligation that is mandatory when one can afford it, regardless of social standing. …

The Ease of Just Being

Friday, December 26, 2025

In a world that demands we pick a camp, a party, or a masalaq (sect), I have found a strange kind of liberation in being “none of the above.” People often ask why I am apolitical or why I refuse to anchor myself to a specific religious school of thought. The answer is simple: Peace. When you join a camp, you become an accidental spokesperson. You find yourself defending policies you didn’t write, leaders you don’t control, and complex theological arguments you may not have the authority to settle. …

My Religion Story

Saturday, March 15, 2025

Let me take you down memory lane and share some observations. From birth until now, I have lived in three different localities, progressing from a neglected neighborhood to a somewhat clean one, and finally to a relatively safe and maintained area. Interestingly, in comparison, the neglected locality from 35 years ago was at that time safer than the “relatively safe” one today. You might be wondering why I am talking about localities in Karachi when the title is about religion. My observation is that the majority of people follow the religion of their family, which is expected. However, the specific variant of religion they adhere to often depends on the Masjid they goto—unless they have a strict version handed down from their family. This has been the case with my own religious journey, I will discount the first locality because i did not go to the Masjid except for some lessons, which were specifically for reading Quran. The 2nd Masjid were of Deobandi and the 3rd is of Tanzeem e Islami, they too are predominately Deobandi but quite liberal in excepting other schools especially Ahl-i Hadith and Barelvi. But they are openly critical of things which they do not agree with like asking for help for anyone other then Allah, or using weak Hadith for preaching, in fact they argue that peaching should be done with Quran as a base. …

Navigating Ramzan

Saturday, March 1, 2025

When navigating home, it’s a good practice to check which routes are open or simply set your home as the destination and let the phone do the rest. Initially, I thought GPS worked with the phone network—but I was wrong. However, to have fully functional navigation, you need map data. This realization came when I was looking for a GPS device for my bicycle on AliExpress and noticed that they didn’t have SIM slots. Later, I stopped cycling and never bought the device. However, I did buy a Mi Band, and it served me well. Nowadays, every weekend, I plan to start walking and going to the gym again but lack the motivation. At least I have the sense not to buy gear before changing my lifestyle—though some days, I do check Garmin’s website to see what’s on offer. …