Tomorrow is the 9th of Muharram, a day known as Tasu'ah.
The Prophet (peace be upon him) highly encouraged fasting the 10th of Muharram, which is Ashura, because it wipes away the minor sins of the entire previous year.
To make sure the Muslim community stood out and differed from other groups who only fasted the 10th, he said:
لئن بقيت إلى قابل لأصومن التاسع
"If I live until next year, I will surely fast the ninth."
This means the baseline recommendation is to pair the 10th with the 9th, in order to avoid isolating the 10th day on its own.
Ibn al-Qayyim in Zad al-Ma'ad breaks down the levels of this fast. He noted that the highest and most complete way to do it is by fasting three consecutive days: the 9th, 10th, and 11th.
There is a very practical wisdom to this three-day combination that relates to moon sightings and regional time differences.
Because Islamic months rely on local sightings of the crescent, different countries often start the month on different days. There is also the occasional factor of poor visibility or human error when the month is announced.
Therefore, by fasting all three days (the 9th, 10th, and 11th), you completely remove any margin of error. No matter how the calendar falls in your specific location or how the days were counted, you are guaranteed to catch the true day of Ashura.
If you cannot manage tomorrow, you can still aim for the 10th and the 11th to fulfill the sunnah of pairing the days. It is a very short window for a massive spiritual reset.
Let us make the intention tonight, prepare our meals, and not miss out on the reward.
May Allah accept it from us.
Allah knows best.
This scenario is what psychologists often call Retreating into one’s “Cave”. This is an internal regulation mechanism a person needs to get back to their normal self.
Can she get closer to him despite the clear word: Give me space?
Yes, she can. But not through words. She can get closer through silent proximity and physical care.
If I were Halo, I would:
1. Reply the text by saying:
“"Got it. Your best food and water will be waiting for you. No pressure to talk, take all the time you need. Love you."
2. When he comes back, place a cold bottle of water and a plate of food near him without making a big deal out of it.
3. Sit in the same room with him while reading a book or watching a show on a low volume, without demanding his attention. This allows him to feel connected without feeling drained.
This is what you should do. Your husband would be fine.
What do you guys think?
Please listen to this. If you are a victim of rape and unfortunately you got pregnant just like in the case of the hijab sister described in the quoted tweet, you can legally terminate that pregnancy or take immediate medical steps to flush it out.
The husband’s decision not to allow her abortion is a reflection of rigid ignorance rather than true Islamic law.
He forced a traumatized woman to carry the physical reminder of her assault because he did not understand the built-in flexibility of his own faith. Forcing her to carry a pregnancy from her attacker inflicts severe, lifelong psychological trauma, damages her mental well-being, and disrupts her family life.
In the Shariah a fetus is not considered a fully ensouled human from day one. The soul is breathed in at 120 days.
Before that mark, especially in the first 40 days when it is just a collection of fluids, the allowance to protect a victim's mental and physical health is incredibly high. Emergency contraception or an immediate flush right after the assault is the cleanest path.
There is a foundational legal maxim in Islamic jurisprudence that settles this completely:
الضرر يزال
Harm must be removed
Islam does not blame the victim and it does not demand that you compound her trauma. The real tragedy here is that a family suffered because they relied on rigid assumptions instead of seeking grounded knowledge.
Allah knows best.
Robert Herjavec of Shark Tank once said:
"I can tell you the person who will succeed if ten people walk into this room." He was asked how, and he said that anyone who follows the process — e.g, being confident, always prepared for opportunities, etc — will succeed.
He then said, But to be super successful? To be a Billionaire? To become an outlier? You just have to get lucky or find some grace on your way up.”
The most important factor is Grace. Many people who would ordinarily have been successful by the scale of their efforts/process have gone into the ruins of history because they lack Grace.
The process matters, and I preach that too; however, always pray for God’s grace because grace perfects the variables to make your process shine.
Remember: at the end of the day, only winners become motivational speakers.
To some of you, every Fulani man who does not look elite is a bandit by default. You treat them as less of a human, and when their people speak up, you quickly tag them as a bandit apologist. Your hypocrisy is too loud.