Religion and fantasy

Introduction Tales of the fantastic have always been intertwined with faith religion. No doubt the genesis story in the Bible and the origins of the universe in mythologies of ancient times have inspired many a writer to come up with belief systems for the peoples of their world(s). Early fantasy writers such as Tolkien and […]

On Characters

On Characters (including a Deep Dive on my characters) Coming up with new characters for a story is one of the most fun and also daunting tasks for any author. Sometimes it comes easily, with a main character already cast in your mind with your initial idea. Other times its like trying to squeeze out […]

Book Sale

New Interview and a Guide for Muslim Writers

Substack writer Heba Hallak interviewed me recently as part of her article The Muslim Guide to Writing Fiction. Have a read and give her a like: https://open.substack.com/pub/humanitiesnotebook/p/the-muslims-guide-to-writing-fiction?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=3q8q1u

Fantasy & Faith Ep.4

The latest blog post is now available over on YouTube:

The Last Sermon

This is the message the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him, delivered on the Day of Arafah, in the 10th year after the migration (632AD) to Madinah from Makkah. It is widely narrated in the books of Hadith (oral traditions of the Prophet Muhammad). The message was not just delivered for the people […]

5 Things to Know About the Hajj

The Hajj is annual pilgrimage that draws nearly 2 million people every year and has been the literal mecca for pilgrims since the time of Ibrahim (Abraham), peace and blessings be upon him, which is some 4000 years. In this post, I will share with you 5 things you may or may not know about […]

DAILY PROMPT

Yes, but its more than just a practice for me. Its a way of life and a way of thinking. My students often ask me my opinion on controversial things. I respond by saying that my view is what my religion states. I am not homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic, racist, anti-semitic or any other type of […]

Fantasy and Faith

I launched a podcast today titled … Fantasy and Faith. The first episode was just an intro episode looking at some of my history and the challenges I’ve faced as a writer. Its available on Substack and also on YouTube Podcasts. I would really appreciate your support on either channels. I’ve also published a collaborative […]

Stretched Thin

Today, I’m treating this blog post as therapy. I’m feeling over-stretched and out of sorts. As usual, I have taken on too much. My new day job is very demanding and often leaves me feeling exhausted at the end of the day. I’ve also made a commitment to my old job, to help tie things […]