#learnaboutislam

Islam is a religion of peace and goodness.

In a world filled with headlines and hashtags, it can be easy to form impressions of a religion like Islam without ever truly understanding it. At its core, Islam is a faith centered on peace, purpose, and a deep connection with the Divine.

A Muslim is someone who chooses to follow Islam. It is a monotheistic faith. Muslims believe in one, all-powerful, compassionate God who created the universe and actively guides humanity.

The Core Message The core of Islam is simple: believe in God, do good, and live a life of balance, compassion, and responsibility. The Quran, Islam’s holy book, is seen as God's final message to humanity, reaffirming the teachings of earlier prophets like Abraham, Moses, and Jesus (peace be upon them all).

Muslim life is built around five key practices known as the Five Pillars:

Shahada. Declaring belief in one God and Muhammad as His final prophet.

Salat. Praying five times a day to stay spiritually connected and grounded.

Zakat. Giving to those in need, fostering social justice and compassion.

Sawm. Fasting during the month of Ramadan to develop self-control and empathy.

Hajj. A once-in-a-lifetime pilgrimage to Mecca, symbolizing unity and humility.

A Way of Life Islam is not just a set of rituals, it is a way of life. It encourages kindness to neighbors, honesty in business, care for the environment, and mercy even in moments of anger. The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) taught that the best among people are those who are most beneficial to others.

Misconceptions and Reality Like many world religions, Islam has been misunderstood and misrepresented — often by those who commit violence in its name or those who judge it without context. The reality is that over a billion Muslims around the world live quiet lives of devotion, family, work, and community service.

People who commit crimes are not Muslims, they follow religious fanaticism.

Islam is about remembering the Creator, living with intention, and striving to be better each day — for oneself, for others, and for the sake of something greater than us all.

Do not fall for the propaganda. Haters do not even differentiate between religion and ethnicity.

To my dear sisters. I have been giving lessons and halaqas here in London for Muslim sisters for many years now. I've been studying for 10 years with different teachers, both in London and in Egypt, and still continue to do so. The main aim of our classes is simple: to grow closer to Allah.

Over time some of my regular students have shared the class and invited more and more people to come. Now, I think it's finally time I open up the circles to give Muslim women all over the world the chance to benefit, especially since Covid-19 has presented the opportunity for us to move online.

Our circles/lessons vary. We have casual reminders, seminars where discussions are slightly more in depth, and finally more serious lessons for those who want to pursue the Islamic sciences long term. Most importantly, everyone is welcome as long as you are female. It makes no difference if you are 'practicing' or not, whether you wear hijab or not, and even if you are not a Muslim but interested in Islam - you are more than welcome. I have had plenty of woman from all walks of life join over the years who are not Muslim but simply curious.

Some brothers have asked me why we don't allow them to join, but really it's because I feel there is enough out there for males in the Muslim community and plenty of alternatives. For us women though, we often don't have a comfortable space to learn and discuss our faith.

If you would like to join our beautiful, diverse and worldwide community, please drop me a private message and I can invite you to our classes :). We are in the process of moving everything online so our first halaqa in the new series will be in 2 weeks time.

P.S. a halaqa (lit. 'Circle' in Arabic) is a term used for a semi-casual group get together, with the aim of learning more about Islam and growing closer to God.

P.P.S. classes are free! We do have some more in depth courses that our community loves that are charged in order to sustain our circles - but otherwise the majority of our content/classes/discussions have 0 fees or charges.

With love,

My islam journal