Here is something you should certainly try out. Walk backwards. That’s right! Spend about ten minutes walking backwards and see how you feel. You need to be careful that you don’t bump into anything, or trip and fall. That could be quite serious.

If you tried this out, you would have noticed a few things. First, if you are bent or slouched when you walk, your body unconsciously straightens up when you walk backwards. This is one of the reasons that a lot of people have begun practicing retro walking (i.e. walking backwards). Many of us have become so bent by working in front of the computer that we have forgotten, how to stand up straight. When we try to straighten up, it’s almost always unnatural and rigid. Therefore, when you do retro walking you will know the exact position your body considers straight and you can make a note of that, and hold yourself up in the same position when you walk forward.

Bad posture (or the way you hold your body up), is something many people don’t think about, but it is quite serious. When you slouch, you bend at the chest, and this compresses the heart. When your heart gets compressed, it has to work harder to pump blood, and this could lead to weaknesses in the heart over time. Also, when you slouch, your lungs cannot expand fully restricting the amount of oxygen you can take in. This in turn puts more strain on the heart.

Over a long period of time a weakened heart and bad posture can lead to heart disease, high blood pressure and congestive chest problems. Walking and sitting in the wrong way are also known to create knee pain, hip pain and back pain a large number of people.

Retro walking not only corrects your posture, it also helps with knee pain and hip pain if you have already developed them. Research here shows that retro walking practiced for three days every week can reduce chronic knee pain in six weeks. 

So, give it a go, and let us know what you think.

 The entirety of 2020 was spent with confusion and uncertainty. Some of us felt it more than others. Many of us are trying to forget that awful year and are eager to get back to the "old normal". Doing so is a huge gamble and is best avoided. Instead, let us take a hint from the experts who have dubbed the current situation the "new normal", and embrace it for what it is.

One thing that should change immediately is how we spend our free time. Avoid attending crowded places, such as public parks and recreation spaces. These places are under the watchful eye of the Public Health Units (PHU) and quite possibly the military. Random checks can be carried out, and the resulting inconvenience may not be worth it. This is obviously a secondary concern to contracting COVID-19 yourself. The PHU’s random testing at Galle Face in Colombo should serve as a stark warning.

Continuing the theme of avoiding large gatherings, please refrain from hosting any functions at your home that involves a large number of people, such that the crowd is visible from the outside. Weddings and Walimas are best conducted discreetly, with a minimum number of people attending the function. Contact tracing is real, and should a person that attended the function test positive for COVID-19 the family and the couple may also be inconvenienced.

Finally, there has never been a better time to take a good hard look at your finances. If you are a salaried person, remember the golden rule of having three month’s salary in the bank and one month’s salary in the hand. COVID-19 has a friend, and that friend is called poverty. This last one is probably the trickiest. It is unfortunate that many of our people live from a salary out of pocket. But if there was ever a good time to change, that would be now.

This article only speaks of the precautions above because they are the most likely to be forgotten. Obviously, all other precautions such as washing your hands and so on, must be adhered to. 2020 took us all by surprise, so let’s be a little restrained in 2021 until we see how things unfold.

Its been a year since Sri Lankans lost their ability to secure the rights of their dead. Many have already been lost to the fire, and still more are given an undignified and uncertain stay inside morgue freezers. As the fundamental rights of our people are being eroded, it is important to note who, from this so-called global Ummah, has came to our assistance. The sad truth is, only a very few. The only people to raise any kind of action have been from a few of our own brethren in Britain and similar countries.

Therefore, seek unity within the community. The Muslim community of our blessed island welcomes diversity, but let not that diversity allow the crows of evil to pick us out individually and destroy us collectively. Being part of a global community or Ummah is a great thing! But it is not the safety net that we thought it was. Mobilizing such a large group is complex, and for a small community like ours, it is too slow to be of use at a time of crisis. 2020 was a great teacher, and it taught us that the term “api wennuwen api”, is not just for the Singhalese.

Salmonella is a bacterium that can make you very sick. This bacterium is widely found in fresh farm produce, but is a special concern when it comes to chicken meat. Salmonella naturally occurs in the gastro intestinal track of all birds and when a chicken is slaughtered, the carcass can be contaminated by spillage from the intestines. This has become a big problem in modern times due to factory farming techniques, where a single mistake in processing one bird can contaminate a large number of carcasses, making this a more serious issue for the modern consumer, than those of years past.


Food poisoning caused by Salmonella results in symptoms such as stomach cramps, bloody stools, diarrhea and fever. If left unattended, or medical attention is delayed, the situation can become serious to the point that death from Salmonella poisoning becomes a real possibility. However, if we adopt a few good habits in handling and preparing chicken, we may never have to face the threat of Salmonella poisoning, and still enjoy the benefits of this highly nutritious and convenient food.

Salmonella in chicken is unavoidable, and a global survey has shown that almost 33% of all chicken meat is contaminated with Salmonella at threatening levels. Given that this bacteria spreads easily, consumers are advised to assume that all meat is contaminated. However, this does not mean the meat is unsafe for consumption after it is cooked.More often than not it is improper handling of raw chicken, while its being prepared that causes the damage, allowing Salmonella to contaminate kitchen surfaces and utensils which ultimately leads to an infection. Therefore, here are a few handy tips to keep in mind when handling chicken.

Add chicken to your shopping cart right before going for checkout

Don’t add chicken to your shopping cart early, and let it warm up. Complete your shopping list and pick up the chicken from the freezer as the last item. Make sure the chicken is put in a separate bag for you to take home, and immediately put it in the freezer. This will prevent dormant bacteria from becoming active.

Use a separate chopping board for chicken

Chopping boards have fine grooves in them created by knife cuts, making them impossible to clean properly. No matter how thoroughly you wash your board, those grooves, give Salmonella a place to hide during rinsing. So, keep a separate chopping board just for chicken.

Make sure your knife does not carry contamination to other food items when cutting

When you cut up your chicken, Salmonella can get on the knife, and be transported to other food items. Therefore, cut your chicken after cutting your other ingredients, or keep a separate knife for it. If you do want to reuse your knife, wash it in warm water with soap, and let it rinse for at least 20 seconds.

Wash all utensils and dishes that have come into contact with raw chicken properly

All dishes and utensils that have been in contact with raw chicken should be washed with warm water and soap, and left to rinse for at least 20 seconds. Take your time here. Reuse the items after they have completely dried. This includes your hands as well, so don’t go touching anything else after handling raw chicken, before a proper wash up.

Cook chicken well before consuming

Last but certainly not least, cook your chicken well. Many food safety organizations recommend cooking your chicken until it reaches an internal temperature of 75 C, where the heat is high enough that bacteria cannot survive. However, it is easy to undercook chicken, especially if it came out of the freezer. So always cut up the piece and make sure, no blood or raw meat is visible in the center before serving.

Modern techniques make many things safer, but sometimes, they also introduce risks that were never there before. Taking simple measures, and ensure our food is nothing but barakath, for us and our offspring.

May Allah keep you healthy and strong!

Assalamu alaikum, ya nesan!

Arsi Kanji (كانجي الأرز) is a fixture of the ifthar table. It is nutritious, easily digestible, and releases energy slowly so that it does not spike your blood sugar level. Therefore, it is a shame that this dish almost completely disappears from our menu, the moment Ramadhan is over. Arsi Kanji is a great breakfast dish as much as it is a great break-fast dish, and in this post, Ibn Serendib would like to urge his fellow Saraceni to consider this dish as a staple meal throughout the year.


Arsi Kanji is thought to have originated in China when Xuanyuan Huangdi, third of ancient China's mythological emperors also known as “the Yellow Emperor”, born around 2704 B.C, steamed and then boiled rice, to aid the recovery of sick people. The easily digestible Kanji seemed to give the patients more strength, and aided in curing digestive ailments. Later on, a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine that lived during the Han Dynasty, named Zhang Zhongjing formalized and popularized the Kanji, in his work “Treatise on Colds. Pathogenic and Miscellaneous Diseases.” Ancient Saraceni sea men acquired the recipe from the ports of China, where it may have been served as a fast meal.

...originated in China by Xuanyuan Huangdi, third of ancient China's mythological emperors also known as “the Yellow Emperor”, born around 2704 B.C

The ease of digestibility is key to this dish, as the stomach is sensitive after prolonged periods without food, like when fasting, or just waking up from a good night’s sleep. The slow cooking allows more of the nutrients from rice to escape damage from heat, and is accessible through the liquid of the kanji. Adding vegetables and protein only improves the nutrition of this dish. It is uncomplicated, easy and quick to consume, making it ideal for the morning rush. In addition to all this, it is delicious and refreshing. Therefore, consider giving your children Arsi Kanji before school, it might make all the difference in their performance.

Therefore, consider giving your children Arsi Kanji before school, it might make all the difference in their performance.

Assalamu alaikum, ya nesan!

Wake up early, and start your day in earnest. From East to West this is one thing that is shared by successful people in all spheres of life. Our bodies are designed to maintain a cycle throughout the day, and though our bodies adjust to exceptional situations, maintaining the cycle is when the body performs at its optimum. Part of that cycle is waking up early, and Subahu or Fajr as some call it, should not be just a prayer that we wake up for, it should ideally be the start of the day, as the blessings of this time is mentioned in the hadith -

اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لأُمَّتِي فِي بُكُورِهَا

Sakhr Al-Ghamidi narrated that, the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said:

"O Allah, bless my nation in their early mornings (i.e., what they do early in the morning)."

Sunan Ibn Majah, English reference : Vol. 3, Book 12, Hadith 2236, Arabic reference: Book 12, Hadith 2321

Everything about the morning hours are beautiful. The Sun which beats down on us throughout the rest of the day is benevolent at this time, and catching its rays upon your bare skin will ensure that your body generates Vitamin D, which is essential in keeping your body healthy, and more importantly elevating your mood. Vitamin D is not easily absorbed through food, therefore catching the morning Sun shine is an opportunity every Saracen should try to exploit. From sun rise to about 10 a.m. let the rays of the Sun onto your skin for about half an hour. This is sufficient to boost Vitamin D production which will keep you in a good mood for the rest of the day.

The morning hours are when the air is at its cleanest. If you live in an urban or suburban area, your air is toxic, with carbon monoxide, rubber and tar dust. Therefore, doing your breathing exercises nice and early will allow you to inhale pure clean air from which pollutants have settled out, overnight. Find a quite spot near a window, and sit cross legged with your back straight. Inhale slowly and steadily until your lungs are full, and then exhale just as slowly and steadily. Many of us “modern people” lack enough oxygen in our blood, and this will help counter that to a certain extent.

If you are a desk worker your lack of exercise will catch up with you eventually. You may not have the time to exercise throughout the day, and at the evening times, the roads are dusty and crowded that taking a stroll may be frustrating. In the morning hours though, this is not the case. As you breathe hard during your work out, you are spared the lung full of dust and instead rewarded with refreshing clean air. The pavements are yours to walk around your neighborhood, and hopefully notice things you hadn’t before. In addition, the birds are out as well, to cheer you on in your effort to maintain a healthy life.

Therefore, dear Saracen, Ibn Serendib hopes you will consider waking up early, and make Subahu (or Fajr) the start of your day. Allah keeps practical benefits with prayer, so let us exploit them.

May Allah make you happier, and healthier!