-
Farming with a Higher Intention: L.A. FARMS
After not having visited Cape Town for quite some time, I found myself back in the Mother City a while ago. Trying to find local, halaal, and tayyib (ethical) farms, I asked friends and family where they buy their meat from. The name L.A. FARMS came up more than once, and it did not sound unfamiliar. Not too long ago, their van had passed through our street to deliver an order at our neighbors’ house. Together with my sister-in-law, we visited their shop and were amazed to hear that the farm is located by the Atlantic Sea, on the West Coast around 147 kilometers away from Cape Town. We phoned…
-
Our Ethical Iftar: The Green Deen Challenge
This Ramadan, Tayyib Society and myself teamed up with Green Deen Tribe and joined them for their annual Ethical Iftar Challenge. Green Deen Tribe is a not-for-profit organization that uses practices and teachings based on the Prophetic traditions and sacred Qur’anic texts with the aim of reconnecting to our spiritual selves and state through nature and the environment. Now you are probably wondering what their challenge is all about, well well… The Ethical Iftar Challenge seeks to revive the sunnah of healthy eating and ethical consumption. Its three core principles are to reduce meat consumption, food waste, and the use of plastic. The challenge took place on the 24th and…
-
Wardah Books: Where the Good Books Are
On Singapore’s Bussorah Street lies a flourishing Muslim bookshop called Wardah Books, which has been around ever since owner Ibrahim Tahir opened its doors 19 years ago. His late mother, whose favoured flower was the rose, had always daydreamt of opening a bookstore of her own. Fond of wordplay and layered meanings, he named the shop Wardah (Rose), reminiscent of the Beloved (saws) in Islamic spirituality, and the rose-and-nightingale symbolism in Sufi poetry. Wardah Books’ team of six booksellers provide a temporary home to books in categories ranging from Qur’an studies, fiqh, and sirah, to prayer manuals, sufism, history, poetry, art, children’s books, and much more. The store is also…
-
Would It Be in the Spirit of the Sunnah to Be Vegan Today?
As a Bosnian married to a South African, our cultures are not unfamiliar with meat dishes. Akni or biryani is served for Eid or on weddings, and ćevapi is a traditional, Bosnian meat dish. Meat is an integral part of many cultures and religions. But are we overindulging in our meat consumption? After reading Mohamed Ghilan’s blog post on the Sunnah and veganism, a door to reflection opened. If Islam advocates protecting the environment and if today’s meat consumption contributes to an environmental crisis, are we actually practicing the Sunnah by eating meat? What is the Meaning of Sunnah? The core meaning of Sunnah is following the Prophet’s (saws) sayings,…
-
Muslim Ethical Consumption, and the Way ‘Back’ to a ‘New’ Normal
Blessed Be the Strangers A little over seven months into the Covid-19 pandemic, we are still trying to understand, make sense of, respond to, and perhaps even adapt to our new and unstable environment. Despite our different socio-economic backgrounds, geographic locations, the severity of the pandemic, our work and family situations, and our various privileges, the one thread that ties us together is how we all continue to experience and negotiate both familiarity and strangeness. Our Lives “Post”-Covid There is much that is foreign and unprecedented about our lives “post”-covid, and yet much remains familiar. For many of us, this has been a time to witness firsthand how norms are…
