Haj Halima Idris

Politics is chess played with real stakes of interest. Every move is calculated, nights disappear into strategy, and you find yourself consulting people you know you can’t fully trust sometimes even your enemies because the only thing that matters to you is the win. When the game turns dirty, don’t waste your energy on outrage and anger, it’s part of it. But once the victory is secured, the noise usually disappears on its own. For now, though, expect and bear more of it.

The first word revealed to the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ was not a command to pray, nor even a statement of creed. It was a single imperative: Iqra — Read. Allah says in the opening of Sūrat al-ʿAlaq: اقْرَأْ بِاسْمِ رَبِّكَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ
خَلَقَ الْإِنسَانَ مِنْ عَلَقٍ
اقْرَأْ وَرَبُّكَ الْأَكْرَمُ
الَّذِي عَلَّمَ بِالْقَلَمِ
عَلَّمَ الْإِنسَانَ مَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ “Read in the name of your Lord who created. He created man from a clinging clot. Read, and your Lord is the Most Generous, Who taught by the pen. Taught man that which he knew not.” (96:1–5) In these five verses, the foundation of the entire Islamic intellectual tradition is laid. Knowledge is not an afterthought. It is the first act of revelation. It is tied directly to the Creator, preserved through the pen, and framed as a divine gift rather than a human achievement. The Prophet ﷺ himself was unlettered, yet he was commanded to read — a clear sign that true knowledge begins with divine instruction, not human ingenuity alone. This is why studying with the right scholars matters. Without proper guidance, one may recite the words of the Qur’an and still miss the depth of its miracles, the precision of its language, and the reason Allah began His final revelation with a command to seek knowledge. The picture before us is a quiet reminder of this reality: knowledge is not incidental to Islam. It is where the message itself begins. Whoever seeks to understand the faith must therefore begin where the Qur’an began — with reading, with learning, and with those who can correctly transmit what was revealed.

There’s something genuinely satisfying about listening to our Vice President @KashimSM speak. He doesn’t just come across as intelligent and sharp; his knowledge is vast, and you can hear how much he’s got in his head. What makes it sink even more is the experience sitting underneath all of that; it gives his words weight and clarity you don’t get from cleverness alone. Long live our leader.

Good advice is easy to set aside in the moment when you don’t want to use it. The real cost comes up later, when you look back and wish you’d actually used it.

“And Allah has extracted you from the wombs of your mothers not knowing a thing, and He made for you hearing and vision and intellect that perhaps you would be grateful.” Quran 16:78

There’s a calm that comes with reciting or listening to the Holy Quran that doesn’t have to be just for Muslims. When anxiety or heaviness of the heart weighs you down, play it even if you don't understand the words; something in the sound settles the heart, and the weight begins to lift. Aside from Sheikh As Sudais, I will always recommend Omar Hisham Arabi.

After the certificate, then what? That was the conversation I had with the NYSC corps members. The certificate is a step, not the destination. What you do with the knowledge, the connections, and the year of service is what actually matters.

Can you believe there are days I miss tuwo? Wato shi tuwo ba’ya son ka Raina masa wayau ka rinqa ci kullum. Mutuncinsa shine shima ya zama vip food.

I write things down on paper as my own record for future purposes.

Every tribe in Nigeria has an accent. Stop acting like it’s only one group that does.

Dear Phindos, I don’t keep best friends. People still look at me and assume there must be someone a friend or a sister who has my back always and they’re right. That someone is you. You were there when everything came apart and I couldn’t see which way to move. When the kids needed another person who actually understood them, not just me trying to hold it all, you showed up. The school things I was too stretched to attend, you took. The decisions that had to be made for them, you made. I only have to say what I need and it gets done. I have my own house, yet there’s always a place for me in yours. When the world feels too loud and I need somewhere else to sit with it, I don’t have to ask. People around us don’t always see why I tell you to rest while I handle what’s coming at you. I know the moments that are mine to step into. I won’t stand by and watch injustice touch you. We’ve already stood for each other through more than most people know, and that doesn’t end here. I don’t have enough words for what you’ve given me. This is the best I can offer, and it’s from the heart. Thank you.

I want to thank everyone who works in beauty spaces and hospitals. Spas, cosmetic surgeons, dentists, hair salons, and everyone else who deals with people’s bodies every day. It is a lot of work. Well done. I have chronic OCD, and my sensitivity to dirt and any kind of odour is strong because of this cleanliness disorder. Sometimes the reaction comes out before I can catch it and control my reaction, and I feel bad afterwards.

To whoever needs to hear this: if you are reaching out to someone who can actually help you, the opening is the whole chance. Face to face, you have about two minutes to get the person interested. Miss that window and the opportunity is gone, no matter how good the rest of your pitch is. In a message, do not open with hello, how are you, how is the family, how did you sleep, I hope you are fine. Most people who see that either ignore it or delete it before they ever get to the point.

I never understood why the angels gather around a person reciting the Holy Quran Ikon Allah. Now I do. Knowledge keeps opening if you wish to learn. The more you seek it, the clearer things become; indeed it is vast.

Most people brush off a harmful prayer. I do not. When I hear someone call down ill on another person, or on a matter, it unsettles and scares me, because I know Allah, Jalla Jalaluhu, Dhul Jalali wal Ikram, answers such prayers more readily than we admit. Arrogance and ego make people treat them lightly. They are not light. However long it takes, what was asked for is reaped. Jumaat Mubarak.

Beyond NYSC: Building the Future You Want. What happens after the certificate? What happens when the uniform comes off and the real journey begins? Join us for an engaging conversation with young people and women on skills, purpose, opportunities, entrepreneurship, personal growth and building a future with intention. Let’s move beyond waiting for opportunities to creating, recognising and positioning ourselves for them. 📍 Federal Fire Service Headquarters, Area 10, Garki, Abuja 📅 8 October 2026 ⏰ 11:00 AM Organised by Fire Officer’s Wives Association (FOWA), in collaboration with StratEdge Consultancy Plus.

Still here. Still grateful. After everything, what remains is peace, and that peace has a name. Alhamdulillah.