Middle Nation

Middle Nation: a looking glass.

  • Haze Over Malaysia: More Than Smoke, It’s a Wake-up Call

    When the Air Turns Dark, Our Awareness Must Light Up In mid‑July 2025, haze returned to Malaysia. The smog drifted in from peatland fires in Riau, Indonesia, cloaking parts of Peninsular Malaysia in unhealthy air for days. API readings reached over 150 in eight areas including Cheras, Alor Gajah, Nilai, Temerloh, Putrajaya and Banting, levels…

  • Patience Is Not Waiting Around, It’s Doing Your Best and Trusting Allah

    When we hear the word sabr, or patience, we often think it means to just wait. To hold still. To say “inshaAllah” and then go about our lives hoping for things to magically work out. But that’s not what real patience is. In Islam, patience is not about sitting on your hands. It’s not about…

  • Chasing Success Without Losing Yourself

    Success. Everyone’s chasing it. We’re told to dream big, hustle hard, wake up at 5 a.m., grind in silence, and shine in public. The world makes it sound like if you’re not always pushing, you’re falling behind. And sure, ambition is good. Islam doesn’t tell us to be passive or lazy. The Prophet ﷺ was…

  • Worshipping the Shiny: How Materialism Became the New Idol

    When we think of idol worship, we picture ancient people bowing to statues made of stone and gold. Something primitive. Something far removed from the “modern” world we live in. But maybe idols didn’t disappear.Maybe they just changed shape. They now glow in our hands.Hang on our walls.Drive past us on highways.And stare back at…

  • Finding Balance: Being Muslim in Malaysia Without Getting Pulled to the Extreme

    Being Muslim in Malaysia has always come with a certain… flavour. There’s the Friday mosque crowd and the kenduri scene, the Qur’an reciters and the tik-tok du’a warriors. And somewhere in between, there’s you, trying to be a decent Muslim, live your life, and not get dragged into every loud argument online. But lately, it…

  • Islam and Feminism: Allies or Opposites?

    Few topics stir debate quite like feminism. Some Muslims view it as a necessary force for justice, while others see it as an ideology at odds with Islamic values. But before rushing to adopt or reject it, we need to ask a deeper question: what does Islam already say about the rights, roles, and dignity…

  • The Danger of Performance: Sincerity in a Time of Applause

    In today’s world, where sharing has become second nature and validation comes in the form of likes and followers, a subtle but dangerous shift is taking place. Acts once meant to be private and sincere are now curated, staged, and broadcast — even when done in the name of religion. What begins as da’wah or…

  • Living with Balance in an Unbalanced World

    We live in a time where extremes have become the norm. Opinions are polarized, lifestyles are pushed to their limits, and every voice demands absolute allegiance or rejection. In this whirlwind of chaos, the Islamic principle of wasatiyah — balance and moderation — stands out as a timeless guide for the believer. Allah says in…

  • Do Not Despair, Even When the World Feels Heavy

    It is easy to feel overwhelmed.The pain of the world is everywhere, constantly streamed into our feeds, our conversations, and our hearts. Injustice feels unshakable.Corruption seems endless.Everywhere we look, things feel broken, families, economies, institutions, even ourselves. And in the midst of all this, many of us begin to feel tired.Not just physically tired, but…

  • Disconnected in a Connected World: The Social Media Dilemma in Relationships

    We were promised that technology would bring us closer, that instant communication, endless connection, and algorithmic compatibility would make relationships easier. But reality is quietly proving the opposite. Despite being more “connected” than any generation in history, people today are struggling to form meaningful bonds, especially in marriage. The Signs of a Relationship Crisis Across…