Author Archive
From Mountains to Ashes
I have only seen mountains once in my life, from a couple thousand feet above. I remember looking out of the airplane window, seeing frosty tops scatter the horizon. Even from so high up, they were massive. I imagined myself standing at the bottom of the mountains, looking up and up and up…and I realized [...]
Breaking the Cycle of Sin
“I’ve disappointed myself one too many times in my lifetime. Going for the gold, reaching half way, then giving up as if it was nothing…as if it wasn’t worth it. Each time I do this, I’m left staring at my pitiful reflection in the mirror saying, “What the heck is my problem? What is it [...]
Du`a’ and Despair
Question: I have a few questions concerning du`a’ (supplication). What are the best times to make du`a’? I’ve been making du`a’ in the last hour of the night, and I’m encouraged to keep making it until Allah grants me my wish or gives me whatever He thinks is best for me. However, as humans we [...]
Good and Evil
It’s drilled into our heads time and time again that advice, in Islam, holds high status. We are commanded to enjoin good and forbid evil whenever it is possible. But the truth of the matter is, sometimes it’s just downright hard. We carefully coin the advice that we want our friends to understand, but even [...]
Murphy’s Boy
A scene from Murphy’s Boy, a non-fiction book by Torey Hayden, has been engraved into my mind forever. I read the book 6 years ago and yet, the image remains vivid, the message clear. Kevin, a young boy disturbed by his traumatic past, sits huddled in the corner of a room under a desk. In [...]
Ihsan and Lateef
It was just one of those days that make you want to crawl back into bed, put your covers over your head, and sleep until things just fix themselves. But I crawled out of bed, got dressed and moved on with my life. Why? Why didn’t I just sulk in my unhappy state? Because I [...]
Sunday School Complex
Questions come up in a single class Girls not happy with this meaningful path They don’t get it, no one has helped them understand And now to the Sunday school their parents drag them by hand Help my daughter she is driving me insane But what have you done to ensure their name To ensure [...]
State of the Ummah Address
Last weekend I entered an Islamic bookstore and took a deep breath, indulging in the sweet smell of new books. I love to read so much, and being in that doorway put my heart at ease. I walked to the nearest shelf and began sifting through all the books, wishing, for a second, that I [...]
Surrounded By Mirrors
I remember when our restroom mirror was being replaced, my family decided to snatch mine, until a new one was bought. I didn’t really mind it at the time, I didn’t really use it that much…or so I thought. After they took it away, my life became a little…lopsided. Each morning I would wake up, get [...]
Being American
We were walking, a friend and I, through Town Center, when I heard the voice of a woman yelling angry words. I turned around and found she was looking dead at us. Only then did I register what she was saying. “YOU DON’T HAVE TO WEAR THAT YOU KNOW, YOU’RE IN TEXAS!” Funny, did she [...]
…Keeping His Dream Alive…
I never wake up from text messages, it’s something I have become immune to. With my friends taking advantage of their insomnia and their unlimited text messaging, I have just found a way to sleep through the ringing of my phone. For some reason, this time, the ringing of my phone was more than just [...]
Flying While Muslim
As I board the plane, I look out the window, getting ready for the ride of a lifetime. I know there is something different about this time. For some reason everyone is looking at me, thinking I am different, thinking that I am “the weird one”. I have a window seat; the seat gives a [...]
In a World of “After you” and “Ladies first”
It’s easy to get swept into this society’s norms In a World of “After you” and “Ladies first” All wrongs seem to come at you in the right forms. In a World of “After you” and “Ladies first” In a world where girls and guys can intermingle In a world where it’s a virtue to [...]
My Twenty Minute Identity
As I walked into the Titanic Exhibit today, the man who checked my ticket handed me my boarding pass. ‘boarding pass?’ I thought… ‘to an exhibit?’ Little did I know for the next twenty minutes I would not be living under the name that my Father had given me at birth, rather I would be [...]
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