14 Instagram Accounts All Singaporean Muslims Must Follow
Of course you don’t have to if you don’t want to, but here’s some suggestions that has made my Instagram scrolling worthwhile.
1 – @TheTudungTraveller
Atikah Amalina has over 8000 followers and while she calls herself The Tudung Traveller, she posts way more than just her solo travels and the people she meets. What I find most worthwhile about her posts is her courage to be vulnerable, her encouragement for people (women and otherwise) to believe in themselves, be kind to everyone and letting people know that while everyday is a struggle, it is a worthy one. She’s also been featured on radio and does speaking engagements, while being a full-time teacher!
2 – @FadhilahWahid
Fadhilah Wahid used to contribute to MuzlimBuzz.sg once upon a time! She’s also a web designer and a committed student of the traditional Islamic sciences. Most of all, she’s a story-teller. Her posts about God, the Prophet, teachers, fellow strugglers on the path, are all relatable and she brings a new dimension to the teachings of the religion. Having her on your feed gives you a regular dosage of not just beautiful pictures, but equally beautiful things to reflect on for the day or the week!
Well, this account obviously isn’t run by Singaporeans but it was the account that helped to lessen my post-Umrah blues. Umrah is a life-changing experience. You feel like a whole new person when you are face-to-face with the awe-inspiring Kaabah and when you return to Singapore and feel so far away from Makkah, having a visual reminder of photos of Makkah on your Instagram feed brings you back to the days you wept like a baby amongst thousands other pilgrims, and for me at least, reminds me my Umrah was real, Kaabah is real, God is real, and that makes my problems that much more bearable to handle.
4 – @Madinah_photos
Of course, this account also helped lessen my post-Umrah blues. There are no words to describe being in the City of the Beloved ﷺ. It’s something like serenity and calmness, and you feel like you’ve never been worried in your life, and that there’s no reason to be worried every again (until you leave beautiful, beautiful Madinah and realize that oops, I can and do worry again!). Also, each time a picture of Madinah comes up on my feed, I read the salawat so double points to halalifying my Instagram scrolling!
5 – @fahmy213
This account has an exquisite array of sunrise/sunset pictures that makes you wonder if he’s based in Singapore (he is) because how does he get such beautiful shots so regularly? Then you realize it’s because most of us are too busy to even LOOK at the sky, much less notice it’s beauty. Besides his sunrise/sunset shots (which are usually accompanied by equally captivating captions from different scholars and teachers), he also takes pictures of scholars in different gatherings and classes like the above. The scholars that he has shot before are Habib Kadhim as-Saqqaf, Shaykh Ninowy, Shaykh Afeefuddin al-Jilani, Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, Habib Umar al-Hafidh, Shaykh Mohammed Aslam, Habib Umar al-Hamid al-Jilani, Shaykh Ahmad Saad, Habib Ali Zaenal Abidin and many others.
Have Halal Will Travel says that they do the ‘difficult’ job of travelling on your behalf and doing research on where to eat and shop so that you don’t have to! It’s a useful feed (and has an accompanying blog) to really help in your vacation-planning. Also, research says that the joy you experience when planning a holiday is more than the actual holiday itself. So start planning!
7 – @halalfoodhunt + @thehalalfoodblog
How can a list of Singapore-anything be bereft of food?! And because one is not enough, here’s two related accounts you can follow. You don’t have a cap on how many accounts to follow right, so why not follow both? I’m not sure they require any more explanation other than they do food reviews, give you ideas on where to eat next (or avoid), and even which halal home-bakers to order your cakes from!
8 – @simplyislamsg
SimplyIslam is a household name by now with Singaporean Muslims. More than just posting quotes and reminders like the above, they also have a live feed of their many events, public lectures and in-house discussions, and also updates on upcoming courses and classes. (Also I’m not paid to say this.) (Well, my salary is from Simplyslam but my boss didn’t tell me to include this in the post.)(For the purposes of transparency, I do run the Instagram account.)(Follow us please?)
9 – @raihan_borhan
Like @fahmy213, this account also has beautiful pictures with amazing quotes and poetry from saints and scholars. It’s so uplifting when you scroll past pictures of food, retail shops, new fashion wear etc and then one of their posts comes up and it takes you out from the depths of dunya, even if for a little bit.
10 – @zahidzin
Ustaz Zahid (the one on the left) aka the muse behind #DiaryTokKadi is one of those young and dynamic Ustaz who can really connect with …. everyone! But more importantly, the segment of the community that is actually active on social media especially Instagram which are the youth. He humanises the role of an Ustaz but manages to infuse beneficial reminders and thought-provoking content in his postings. He also shares his ongoing classes and speaking engagements so you don’t miss them!
11 – @suaidahsalim
Ustazah Suaidah Salim’s posts gives you a glimpse into the life of an ustazah who juggles motherhood and running her own centre where she teaches the Qur’an and other subjects.
12 – @Sufilive
This account is run by the students of Shaykh Hisham Kabbani, a world-renowned scholar and leader of the Naqshbandi Sufi Order. If you need a spiritual boost at any time of the day, Sufilive is right there to give it to you. The account shares teachings from Shaykh Hisham Kabbani and Shaykh Nazim Haqqani and also a live feed of where the former is currently at giving spiritual counsel and holding gatherings of remembrance and lectures etc. One wonders where he gets his energy from at that age mashaAllah.
13 – @muwasala
Just as @Sufilive shares the teachings of the Naqsbandi Sufi Order, @Muwasala is a portal for the scholarly teachings of the blessed tradition of Hadramawt and the Habaaibs. They regularly share advices from the Habaaibs and litanies and spiritual practices.
14 – @OfficeofMuftiSG
One might think that the Office of The Mufti’s account is as serious as it sounds. But this is the kind of posts they have! They also regularly ask for queries so that they can answer them for you. Thumbs up to them for being engaging and serving the community!
This obviously isn’t an exhaustive list but what are some of your favourite Instagram accounts? Let us know!
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Ameera Begum
Ameera is the Editor of MuzlimBuzz.sg, a chronic reader and a news junkie.