I'm a very down to earth individual who appreciates the simple things in life. It's not all about looks and materialism and social influence, but rather character and morals. More on this if you continue reading below. It gets better, I promise.😌
Random factoid: I love the British and Australian accent so much that I often bring it out in conversation. I've got a spot on Aussie accent mate! Lol
Honored to be the Director and Secretary of the NFP charity; Diya Education Foundation Canada, an organization that works for the advancement of women and girls education in Pakistan. Actively take part in community organizations in giving back to the community.
From a religious perspective, I want someone to grow with mentally and spiritually. We should both bring out the best in each other, really – in matters of faith and belief, and strengthen ourselves, together, in ‘deen’ as well as in ‘dunya’, InshaAllah.
I'm always striving to be the best possible muslim that I can be. I try to pray all 5 Fardh salaat. My phone keeps me grounded to the Quran through 'daily ayats' or 'verse of the day' notifications besides reading it on my own. For the longest time, I have wanted to learn the Tafseer and actually understand the meaning of the Quran rather than just reading for the sake of reading! who knows, maybe we can start together InshAllah 😊.
I'm not rich or high class but man oh man, Alhamdulillah for every single blessing that I have in my life. Honestly mean that. Akhlaaq and Adaab is something so vital to me. As Muslims, you are taught to live a life of good values and morals. Being kind and good hearted, calm and tolerant, understanding and patient. These qualities lead to meaningful things like visiting the aged, getting up when elders walk into a room, treating everyone with love and respect, not raising your voice, being understanding of a viewpoint you don't agree with etc. It's the simple things in life. Honestly, I find that so attractive in an individual.
The biggest quality I like to see in my spouse amongst love, respect, tolerance, emphathy, kindness, affection and others, is Sincerity. I feel like sincerity is a lost trait amongst this generation. if your God fearing, and sincere, you will only tread that right path inshaAllah! I would absolutely love to see that in you.
I enjoy listening to music; playing and watching sports. I Like being active too. I try to be physically active so that I can justify that late night DQ craving 🤷🏽‍♂️
I really enjoy going out and trying new desi restaurants, and love my go to fast food choices too. However, I strictly adhere to halal options only.
Also I have a fondness for exploring nature! I take time out of the day to go on walks outside, go hiking, exploring new trails and spending time at parks with near and dear ones besides regular exercising, at home, despite these challenging Covid times.
Ask me questions, if you want, as much and as many - I got nothing to hide. 😂. And I hope this is reciprocal as well. 🙃. At the end of the day, we've got our whole lives to get to know one another and this is a great platform to start that journey, alhamdulillah.
5 Important characteristics I'm looking for in YOU 🙈:

1. Communication - I would like someone who is very open and is able to talk about anything and everything that comes to mind. My goal would be to have time to ourselves on a weekly basis where there are no distractions and it's just you and me for like 15 to 20 minutes, just talking about anything that may be bothering you. A good line of opening communication to talk about anything that you may be going through is key in my opinion. It allows both of us to effectively communicate with openness what we are feeling InshAllah.
   
2. Extravert - Someone who is light hearted, outgoing, and appreciates humour, especially my dry humor. Don't judge me 🤣. But at the same time, I'm ready to have an honest discussion about life and I can get very philosophical. 🤓
   
3. Religious and being God fearing – Religion is one of my core foundational pillars. I consider myself to be a liberal Muslim, however, I strongly adhere to the principals of the religion (such as daily prayers). I would expect the same from you as well. More of this listed above I guess lol
   
4. Family orientated - Regardless of work, extra-curriculars, or other hobbies, family always comes first! The relationship with parents is very important for me, and so I am looking for some one who understands and shares the same level of respect and devotion for their parents.
   
5. Affection - I don't think this needs any explaining. But a little bit about this, I am a very affectionate individual. In terms of showing my affection for my significant other and letting them know that they are my everything. That could mean a lot of corny stuff that you see in the movies to show you care for the other 🙈😊 besides physical intimacy. This also means Just being silly and humorous and just showing my affection in that way as well. Hopefully that makes sense. I am a romantic. let's just move on cause this is getting awkward writing all this 🤷🏽‍♂️🙃
   

Common hobbies could be - listening to lectures and applying in daily life, reading the Quran together, praying in Jamaat (one of my dreams is to do this) watching our favourite sports team, listening to music, going on hikes and visiting and exploring the city, visiting family and friends, travelling, and so much more InshAllah.
If you have read this far, 👏👏👏. I'm sorry for the long post. I love reading profiles with substance. really shows how interested you are! May we all find what we are looking for InshAllah. Everything is written for us. Don't feel down that your not getting a match or that 'that' person didn't like you back... Allah Hu Alim. Good things are coming your way InshAllah! Prayers and duas that everyone finds what they are looking for InshAllah.

When I first read the translation of the Quran I somehow neglected to pay too much attention to the opening verses of Surah Tahrim. It was only when I read it again at a later stage that I realised how strange these verses along with the context that is generally provided for them actually is. I don't know if everyone is aware off them but to summarise God is reprimanding Muhammad for making unlawful to himself something that was lawful in order to please his wives. There are two interpretations that are generally proposed in tafsirs to explain this:

1. Muhammad would stay at the house of his wife Zainab for longer than usual as she would offer him a honey drink. Some other wives of Muhammad became jealous and decided that they would tell him that his breath smells bad in order to stop him spending so much time with her. When they told him this he made an oath that he would no longer take honey.
2. Muhammad was visiting the house of his wife Hafsa at a time when she was not present but Mary the Copt was. Muhammad slept with Mary the Copt in Hafsa's home. Hafsa came to know of this and complained about it. Muhammad took an oath that he would no longer sleep with Mary.

Hassan Radwan has explored the classical tasfirs (including Ibn Kathir) regarding these verses which I really encourage you to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fuISmLgXAVY. An interesting point that he makes is regarding difference between the Arabic and English versions of certain tafseer.
Now personally I always found the 'honey' version of the story quite absurd. It's interesting that god felt it necessary to address Muhammad's domestic affairs (yet again) and that he decided not to provide any context when trying to teach us all a lesson. Perhaps you could say Muhammad's wives were a bit naughty and needed a telling off for doing this but why reprimand Muhammad for being so sensitive to his wives wishes, I think it was quite admirable of him. Yes, I know it is said that the point was to convey the lesson that one shouldn't forego things that are lawful... but really? It's also striking to me that the wives of the prophet who are revered by Muslims as the 'Mothers of the believers' were so immature. Or maybe they weren't and they were annoyed about Muhammad sleeping with Mary in Hafsa's home. That to me seems like a much more legitimate reason to be annoyed with your husband. Anyway these are just my personal reflections on this story. Each individual will decide for themselves what they honestly think was most likely happening here and for some people the Mary the Copt version will just be too unpalatable to ever seriously consider. What is really interesting is that I'm not the only one who finds the 'honey' version a bit difficult to accept. In fact the credibility of 'honey' version is questioned in the Ahmadiyya commentary. In the 5 volume commentary of the Quran after relating the 'honey' story it says:
'But it seems improbable that the Holy Prophet merely to satisfy the pique of his wives, should have taken such a drastic step as to have forbidden himself the use of something that was lawful, particularly that in which according to the Quran "there is cure for men" (16:70) It appears the narrator or narrators of this incident in the traditions suffered from some misunderstanding or confusion, particularly when according to one tradition the Holy Prophet took honey from the house of Zainab and it were Aisha and Hafsa who contrived to draw him into making the aforesaid promise, while according to another tradition it was at the house of Hafsa where he was served honey and that the wives who objected were Aisha, Zainab and Safiya. It appears moreover that according to the Hadith two or at the most three of the Holy Prophet's wives were concerned in the incident, but according to vv2 and 6 of the present Sura, all were connected with it, two of them taking a leading part (v5). These considerations indicate that the Sura refers to some incident of much greater significance than the mere taking of honey by the Holy Prophet at the house of one of his wives and of having been drawn into making a promise not to take it any more’
However, the plot thickens even more because in Tafseer-e-Sagheer by Mirza Bashiruddin Mahmud Ahmad the 'honey' version is considered to be the correct context for these verses. Those of you who can read Urdu can check it out for yourselves. If you can't this has also been confirmed in the last day or so by Farhan Iqbal who is an Ahmadi Murrabi: https://ask.fm/farhaniqbal1
Now I've only just started to look into this and I haven't yet had the opportunity to discuss this with any Ahmadis so I'm open to hearing if anyone has any different perspectives on this or if anyone can clarify why there appears to be a contradiction between these two commentaries from the Jamat.
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Quran

• The Hour (of Judgment) is nigh, and the moon is cleft asunder. But if they see a Sign, they turn away, and say, "This is (but) transient magic." They reject (the warning) and follow their (own) lusts but every matter has its appointed time. Quran 54:1-3

Ibn Kathir's Tafseer

• Allah's statement, (and the moon has been cleft asunder.) It occurred during the time of Allah's Messenger, according to the authentic Mutawatir Hadiths the scholars agree that the moon was cleft asunder during the lifetime of the Prophet, and it was among the clear miracles that Allah gave him. Tafseer of Quranic verses 54:1-3

Sahih Bukhari

• Narrated Anas bin Malik: The people of Mecca asked Allah's Apostle to show them a miracle. So he showed them the moon split in two halves between which they saw the Hiram' mountain. Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 208
  
• Narrated 'Abdullah: The moon was split (into two pieces) while we were with the Prophet in Mina. He said, "Be witnesses." Then a Piece of the moon went towards the mountain. Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 209
  
• Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Abbas: During the lifetime of Allah's Apostle the moon was split (into two places). Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 210
  
• Narrated 'Abdullah: The moon was split (into two pieces). Sahih Bukhari Volume 5, Book 58, Number 211
  

Sahih Muslim

• Abu Ma'mar reported on the authority of Abdullah that the moon was split up during lifetime by Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) in two parts and Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said: Bear testimony to this. Sahih Muslim Book 039, Number 6724
  
• This hadith has been transmitted on the authority of Abdullah b. Mas'ud (who said): We were along with Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) at Mina, that moon was split up into two. One of its parts was behind the mountain and the other one was on this side of the mountain. Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) said to us: Bear witness to this. Sahih Muslim Book 039, Number 6725
  
• Ibn 'Abbas reported that the moon was split up during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (may peace he upon him). Sahih Muslim Book 039, Number 6730
  

Here's a link to Google Earth, where is the evidence of the moon being split apart?

"Short answer: It feels different depending on where I am and who I am with. In the freedom of my room, it feels liberating.
Long story:
Old Habits Die Hard One thing that leaving Islam was not is that it wasn't easy. Being born into a family of religious clerics and growing up as a Sayyed in a small village near Sheikhupura (Pakistan), Islamic thoughts, practices and rituals have had a deep and strong impact on me. Even though it has been 5+ years since I decided to stop identifying myself as muslim, there are countless actions of mine that make people assume I am a muslim. Many of my small habits are Islamic. I still say alhumdulillah when I sneeze, I recite inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajeoon when I hear of someone's demise, I recite ayat al-kursi when I am scared, I say assalam-o-alikum wa rehmat ullah when I look sideways before crossing the road (that's an odd one), I greet with Assalam-o-alikum, and my first reaction to any non-islamic comment is to jump up with an ayat or hadith. I am always evaluating my actions and I have to constantly interrrupt myself to see which of my actions I can justify without resorting to religious arguments. Those I can't, I try to shun as soon as possible.
Right now I identify myself as non-religious and in pursuit of the truth.
Background As I have said, I am a Sayyid. What it means is that I can trace my lineage back to Muhammad (pbuh). I have two books at my home that record my lineage (shajrah as it is known); one on paternal side and one on maternal side. My great grandfather converted and became a Sunni, hence my family, but my larger family on paternal side and almost the whole maternal side is Shiah. As a result of his decision, my great grandfather left his village (2 km from mine) and came to the village I was born in, in late 19th century. He constructed the first mosque in the village (which is largest of 7 mosques now) and taught children of the village how to read Quran and other basic Islamic beliefs and practices. However, he refused to take any payment for this and would go back to cultivating his land after Isha or Fajr prayers. My grandfather and father continued this and as a result, four generations of my fellow villagers proclaim my family as their teachers. However, they do not have a peer-mureed relationship. All in all, my family commands a high degree of respect in all adjacent areas due to combinition of these factors. My extended family has a few notable religious scholars (Two were involved in secterian violence, one of whom was ordered to be shot-at-sight by Zia-ulo-Haq. As a result of their fame, they afford to travel internationally to give sermons and lectures in UK and North America) and numerous imams. My shiah cousins have their imam bargahs and they arrange majalis, maatim, and other rituals. My sunni cousins celebrate eid-e-milaad and have shabina on 27th of Ramazan. All the children play with fireworks on Shab-e-bara'at.
Since we did not earn our livelihood from mosque and religion, and cultivate our lands, we are relatively better off financially. All children in my family, on both sides, are sent to good schools and colleges. Since the girls are married soon after and the boys prefer agriculture, job or peeri-mureedi over education, very few end up going to universities (in Pakistan or abroad). My parents took this very seriously and spent all their life savings on our education. This, among many other things, make me love them above all others. I studied at private boarding school, then at one of the most prestigious universities of the country and I am set to pursue a masters from USA next year.
Personal Connection Most children in my family finish naazra quran by the age of 5. I don't remember doing so but my parents told me I did. I do remember sitting at the pulpit teaching recitation of Quran to children before I was in 5th grade. I started debating on religious issues and read compilations of Hadith by the age of 10. I slaughtered my first lamb myself at the age of 13. I registered the Nikaah (marriage) and led the ceremony for a couple at the age of 15. I used to write and recite Naats. I have been part of two exorcisms, drafted one talaaq (divorce) agreement, spoken at several public occasions, led numerous prayers in mosque and have read Quran with translation and tafseer, major parts of Bokhari and Muslim, several other religious books from 100+ years old library at my home that has books dating back to 1902, all on religion.
I was so religious that I refused to utter the word sex in biology class. I used to close my eyes when there was a kiss in the movie. I broke a friend's phone when I discovered it had dirty stuff in it. When I couldn't stay punctual in daily prayers, I used to hit myself with forks or jumping jacks so Allah wouldn't punish me in hereafter. I openly condemned and was part of a procession against blasphemy cartoons in 2005. I prayed in late hours of Ramazan nights. I even learnt basic arabic, good enough to understand recitation of Quran and I often cried when the words hit me. It was a beautiful experience indeed. Once in my teens, when my friends insisted that I sit with them to watch American Pie, I closed my eyes, actually fell asleep, woke up after the movie and thanked Allah for this blessing.
I wanted to be a good muslim. I hated myself for not being one.
The Journey In last year of my high-school, I was having lots of problems with the way my life was. I had two main concerns with regards to religion; concept of God, and morality.
Concept of God: I watched Dr. Zakir Naik on Peace TV as he proclaimed that all major religions have the same concept of God including Hinduism. I wondered whether they were all right or all wrong and what made Islam so special in either case. To resolve this, I went to the library at my home and read Bhagavad Gita, Bible, Ramayana, and Guru Garanth Sahb. The Omnipotent paradox drove me nuts. The reward and punishment criterion as laid down by Allah didn't make sense to me since I was horrified by the thought that Mother Teresa would go to hell. I also read the God Delusion and watched dangerous documentaries including Atheism talks and Dangerous Knowledge. The more I studied, the more I grew confused. So I asked my father. To his great credit, he sat down and discussed the issues I was facing. He even took mathematical and scientific approaches towards God and his designs. I remember him reading Harun Yahya or watching National Geographic or surfing the internet early in the morning to find scientific answers to my questions. He even relearnt about concept of infinity and limits when I asked him how can hell be a bottomless pit (as mentioned in para 30 in Quran). Not even once did he get angry on my questions and he always tried to take interest into my pursuits. I went on to read Logic and Philosophy at university and studied religions in further detail. The last nail in the coffin was Karen Armstrong's History of God and the website Scale of the Universe that made me classify God as an artificial and result of human thoughts. Morality: A sentence from Da Vinci Code stuck to my mind that went something like 'an angel who helps me defeat my enemy is the devil in his point of view'. Morality and the concept of right and wrong started appearing as two sides of a coin. I only concerned myself with smaller questions that concerned my daily experience. I read about various fatwas given at various times to justify a previously prohibited act or to bar a fully allowed substance. My hypothesis was that an absolute God will have absolute standards to weigh actions and things and these would be time and circumstance invariant. I wondered whether evolution was false or were we children of Adam and Eve only. This meant that their children would have had to practice incest implying that we were all illegitimate offsprings. I couldn't accept that. If one thing is wrong today, it must have been wrong then. Noble lies and loaded truths all confused me as to which was sanctioned as what. Blasphemy case particularly eluded my comprehension since nowhere in the Quran did I find an enforcement of death penalty or even a strict human reaction to blasphemy. Later on, the criterion of declaring kafirs, assessment of rape case in Islamic law, the notion that mmost terrorists are muslims (since a terrorist has nothing but his religion), made me confounded.
The list grew longer. I grew impatient. So until further enlightenment, I decided to become an atheist.
I also suspended my beliefs of good and bad and decided to evaluate everything myself. I also promised myself that I will do all the things I can by the age of 20 to see if it was all wrong. I would discover for myself and not let others dictate it. As a result, the first thing I turned to were drugs and porn, things that I had long abstained from and considered the height of evil I could do. I deliberately watched porn in order to see why it was so wrong. I explored its taxonomy and read about its effects. As fro drugs, I tried all I could get my hands on. I went from cigarettes to cigars and then subsequently hash, weed, glue, bhang, heroine, cocaine, and liquor of so many different kinds. I never got addicted to anything and I would just try. Much later, I also found a girlfriend and a relationship not allowed in Islam. Initially, it was for finding if it was right, later on I continued because she is just right.
I also had other issues plaguing my mind. My grandmother, with whom I had strong attachment, passed away. My exams were looming closer and I was becoming more paranoid. There were other things I wouldn't mention here. All in all, this was too much for me. The thought that if I die and there is no God, I will have lived life in vain haunted me. The fact that if I lived like this, I was more growing hopeless and confused everyday made me even more scared. When my father noticed I was not praying, he tried to talk some sense into me. He then asked me to come for his sake. This happened for a few weeks. One day when he took me with him to mosque, I couldn't bear the thought that I was praying to a God that I wasn't sure was there and basically if he wasn't I was just performing a ritual in a shady load-shedding ridden place that faced west. I grew so restless that I left the prayer in the middle and came back home and sat on the stairs. My mom asked me what happened but I was silent. She asked me to come for food. I was contemplating these thoughts when my father, enraged upon discovery that I had abandoned prayer in such a manner in a mosque that his forefathers had built and taken care of and in front of people his family had spent years teaching Islam and Quran, came home. He asked me whether I did leave the mosque in this manner. I nodded. He started beating me up. I tried to stay rigid. My mom was dumbstruck at hearing what I had done. My father slapped and punched me so much that i had to crouch and then he kicked me until I was lying spread eagled on the floor. He was breathing heavily and tired as hell. His face grew red and he was clearly in agony. At the end, he was whimpering and his voice was hoarse. I tried not to cry but tears escaped my anyway. My mother gave me water and hugged me and I stayed with my head in her lap, crying that night. All she said to me was, "We are responsible for you. We have to face our parents and our great grandfather Muhammad (pbuh) on the day of judgement", as she kissed my forehead several times.
My father refused to talk to me for several weeks. During this period, I passed my high school with flying colors but my father refused to hug me on my result. On my sister's wedding, my father wouldn't take a sip from the glass of water I served but asked the servants to bring another. It took my nearly 3 years, 7 months, and a scholarship at Florida Institute of Technology to make him finally resume his normal behavior with me.
After that episode, I went back to my boarding school. The troubles still haunted me. Since, visits from my parents were scarce now and my exams were approaching fast, I grew more confused and paranoid. Islam, on which my whole life and family and system was based on, seemed to have a shaky foundation. The experience with my family was only the first episode of many that I envisioned in my mind. I kept pondering over things that were of no immediate concerns. I couldn't focus on studies and the 16 year old me was a stupid person indeed. I started becoming a recluse. At first, I stopped participating in any mischief, group activity or sports. I bunked classes. Then I started skipping meals. My housemaster called me and asked why I was absent and I would make up some excuse. He would let me have food later on because of my good reputation but I would just have a few morsels and all. I then decided to move my bed from my room to store room and I would lie there thinking and thinking about so many issues, so many wrongs that one way or another seemed to end up or start with religion. After several attempts, my friends left me. They knew I wouldn't come to participate in next round of water fight or binge watching Fast & Furious series or downloading porn on school wifi using VPNs. My room mate was a source of strength in those days. He refused to let me behave like this. He would come and discuss with me. I wouldn't. So he made me write all things that came to my mind. And he would sneak up on me and read the journal when I wasn't there. This helped him gain insight into what I was thinking and he would then discuss things of the form with me. I still thank him for breaching my privacy everytime we meet. Even if he didn't discuss the issues directly, he would just tell me how good and strong and talented I was and how I can improve my focus on studies. He would come and tell me to sit up and do past papers with him. I pushed him away. I told him to leave me alone and mind his own business but he persisted.
However, it wasn't enough. My frustrations grew larger and having shut everyone out, the intervals between my meals grew longer and my sleep became shorter. Distraught of my family, religion, life, God, and future, one day I decided to commit suicide.
I went to a hotel and to its top floor, just after sunset. I saw the sunset and looked miserably at the birds going home. I approached the aisle and held onto it with shaky legs. I stood there, holding on to the railing behind me. Thinking of a God whom I couldn't find, a religion that had messed up the world, my family's legacy that held no meaning, my life that was shitty and useless, my future that was bleak, my father who was angry and far away, my friends who no longer called me to play soccer with them, sins that I had committed, prayers that I had spent so much time on, verses that were now not so beautiful, hell that was awaiting me. I looked down. My eardrums were beating with my loudly thumping heart. My legs were shaky and my arms were barely holding onto the railing. I looked down and I told myself how stupid, shitty, confused, useless and hopeless I was and how this is the best option I have left myself. I justified everything that I had done, although I couldn't.
Here is an excerpt from my diary:
Suicide was easy until I stepped on the edge. ... I have always been afraid of heights but there I was, my legs shaking, my heart pounding, my eardrums beating, my arms down, frustrations, depressions and self made issues getting hold of me, I stepped over the railing, looked down and closed my eyes. A flashback began; my mother’s face, my siblings’ arms, my father’s hug, my best friend’s secrets, the middle of “Lord of War”, the climax of “Acts of Faith”, the beat of “Billy Jeans”, my first kiss, my first cigarette, my first trophy, my first goal, the last mischief I had made, the last satisfying prayer I had said and the last obsession of mine all came to me. The tempest subsided.
I opened my eyes and looked at myself, what a masterpiece I was, one I couldn’t defeat or destroy. I smiled. I smiled like crazy. I smiled for a long time.
To this day I haven’t forgotten that smile and that sense of felicity.
The Results I have come to believe that it is all temporary and I have made peace with my inability to know for sure whether or not there is a God. Whether he is or he is not, I think of him as Rockstar North, the architects of GTA but not responsible or involved in the damage you do in the game.
My God if he exists somewhere outside the observable universe, doesn't care if I lie or masturbate or don't believe in him. He is so supreme he has better things to care about and appreciate. If he doesn't exist then I only have this one life to live, which I shall to the greatest extent. Muhammad (pbuh) was a great man indeed. If Quran is the word of God then he was immensely lucky to have been given the task. If its not then I admire his command on the Arabic language and the beauty of the verses of this long poem. I also consider him a good historian, great psychologist, good general and a progressive ruler for his time and place. Although he cannot compete with Cyrus in terms of Human Rights or with Rome in terms of grandeur or Egypt's Muquqas regarding civilization. I respect people of all faiths. I value lives of all minorities and majorities. I don't judge people. I believe everyone has something to teach me. Everyone has choices and freedom to make them. I am still undecided. I will renounce God if I have enough proof that he doesn't exist. I will select a God(s) if I ever find the true one(s) out of millions of Gods listed on http://www.godchecker.com/ and will select and follow the religion then. I refrain from having religious discussion of any kind. Usually people in my region don't really read much so I end up making them either angry or hurt once their arguments are nullified. People who do read know so much that I choose to stay shut and listen. Either way, religious discussions are out of questions and I hope Quora makes sure this anonymity is not breached so I don't expect legal notices regarding hereticism or blasphemy slapped against my forehead any soon." https://www.quora.com/How-did-it-feel-to-leave-Islam