Category: Prophet

baby, Birth, Love, Prophet

My interview with ABC Soul Search

Raidah Shah Idil

I’m thrilled to share my interview with ABC’s Soul Search podcast. I had such a lovely chat with Mariam Chehab, titled Skin-on-skin — birth, spirituality and parenthood. Mariam reached out to me after reading my SBS Voices article, I am a ‘milk mother’ to my nephew. I miss my milk son, his brother, and all of my nephews and nieces who are all abroad. I wish I had some magical portal through across the continents, and arrange playdates with all of them and my children!

Even though SBS Voices is no more, I’m so grateful for the stories I got to share through them over the past few years. I even had the joy of meeting Candice Chung in person in KL recently! *fangirl squealing*

Here’s to new writerly beginnings, elsewhere.

Islam, Life, Love, Prophet

My letter came second in the Letter To The Beloved ﷺ competition!

Raidah Shah Idil

Alhamdulilah, my letter won second place in the Letters To The Beloved competition! I am so surprised, so grateful and a little embarrassed. You can read it here, alongside the incredible winning entry and my friend Lina Abdul Wahab’s heartbreaking third place entry.

My deepest gratitude goes to Letters to the Beloved ﷺ team, Rabata, Sanad Collective, and especially to Anse Tamara Gray bringing my letter to life with her warm, heartfelt recitation ❤ I hope to read it to my daughters when they’re older some day. You can listen to the recording here (scroll to 26 min). I loved hearing from Anse Tamara, as always, and was really moved by Brother Ali’s talk (48 min). He acknowledges the role of women in understanding Prophetic love.

I would love to say that I wrote this letter with a warm cup of tea at a quiet cafe – but I didn’t. I wrote it in my bedroom, in quiet snatches while my daughters were asleep, over several nights. (I try not to have tea close by because I could spill it on my MacBook Air in my chronic tiredness – as I have done previously!!!) I edited it a couple of times, and then sent it just in time for the deadline lol. This is my modus operandi, these days :p

If you’re an exhausted mama, I hope my letter brings you some comfort. If you’re an exhausted mama writer, then I hope my letter shows you that what we lack in time, we make up for in other innumerable ways – and God, in His Mercy, fills in the rest.

If you haven’t already, please read the different letters from past competitions. I’m blown away by what the children have written, especially! And maybe, just maybe, you can set the intention to write your own to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). His blessed heart and soul is connected to ours, even when we forget.