Author Archive
Regarding the Permissibility of Music
Question: Some scholars and many zealous laymen claim that there is a consensus among jurists as to the prohibition of listening to any music with musical instruments. Some Imams say the opinion that allows it is a strange (شاذ) opinion, which is rejected as baseless by all prominent scholars and schools of thought. If this [...]
Love in Islam: Valentine’s Day
Originally published in January 2011. I once dropped by the MSA at the University of Tulsa and heard a very disturbing story. A man from the area had left Islam and had recently given a talk at a local church about his apostasy. He claimed that there was no love in Islam. He felt that [...]
The Language of the Khutbah
Originally published in January 2010 By the Grace of Allah, we have a beautiful tradition of law filled with rich wisdom that balances between a deep understanding of our scripture and the reality of those to whom it is applied. Consequentially, our scholars have dealt with the modern world by developing two new applications of [...]
Spiritual Relevance between the Original Text and Native Expression
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X We are blessed with the finality of revelation preserved just as it was revealed to our beloved Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him). We should be attached to that message as much as possible. It should play a permeating role [...]
What’s in a Name? The Names of God
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX The purpose of this series is to first please our Beloved Master in highlighting some points which will strengthen our ability to integrate and properly spread His message here in America. This was done by broadening our horizons as to the [...]
The Language Argument
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX Judging any argument should not be done with preconceived notions or according to cultural influence, rather it should be judged objectively after looking into its intrinsic merit. As Muslims, our criterion of validity for religious matters is that [...]
The Importance of Da`wah and Interfaith Dialogue
Imam Yahya talks about how to convey the message of Islam to our American public.
Declaration of Faith
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX We have all witnessed the declaration of faith administered to a new Muslim and it is generally accepted as a compelling occasion. Naturally, some will be surprised by my usage of the phrase “generally accepted as compelling” to [...]
Be my Valentine
Imam John ‘Yahya’ Ederer talks about love between husbands and wives by illustrating the married life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ (peace be upon him) as explained in the Sunnah. Imam Yahya talks about the Islamic ideal of Love with the ideas currently subscribed to our secular American Society. Should Muslims celebrate Valentine’s Day? MAS Khuthbah – [...]
Arabism vs. Universal Islam
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX There is a big misunderstanding amongst much of our immigrant community here in the West. Sadly, this misunderstanding has been passed on to other Muslims and non-Muslims here, thus making it an accepted reality. This series—specifically this article—attempts [...]
Should Islam Seem Foreign in a Non-Muslim Society?
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX Some devoted Muslims might answer this question by saying yes because that’s what the Prophet ﷺ (peace be upon him) taught! It is authentically narrated that our beloved Prophet ﷺ said: “.إن الإسلام بدأ غريبا، وسيعود غريبا كما بدأ، [...]
Does Prayer have to be in Arabic?
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX Issue #5 - Dealing with a Non-Arab Beginner to Prayer I worked for almost 4 years in Kuwait as the Director of English Da’wah on the Islam Presentation Committee. I witnessed many conversions and interacted with many new [...]
Changing a New Muslim’s Name: Custom or Religious Practice?
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX Issue #4 - Changing the name of a new Muslim It was the summer of 1999 in Tulsa, OK, when I walked into a sandwich shop. My pants sagging and hat turned back and to the side, I looked [...]
10th Anniversary of 9/11
The horrific violence that took place on September 11th 2001 spawned many negative – and a few positive – realities. Before going in to any discussion about it, let’s look at the facts: The major negative effects of 9/11 were: The murder of 3,000-plus innocent people, whose “crime” was going to work to support their [...]
Balancing Arabization
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX Issue #2 - Names of Prophets and Naming Kids Our love of the Qur’an is something very special and nothing should ever hinder that. That said, once again, I pray that this special reality doesn’t confuse us regarding our understanding or representation of [...]
Balancing Arabization According to the Qur’an and Sunnah
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX We are blessed with the only preserved revelation on Earth which has been proven to be the infallible word of God (exalted be He). The Holy Qu’ran is the miracle of miracles. Those who have been blessed with the knowledge of [...]
Revolutionary Thoughts
“The fact is that God will not change the reality of a people until they change themselves.” It is apparent to anyone who keeps up with world news these days that Muslims are standing up against oppression and tyranny. During my stay in Egypt, I can remember secretly conversing with some good friends I [...]
The Holiday Season in a Multi-Faith Environment
Around this time last year, as a Muslim community, we held our monthly interfaith event with a local rabbi and priest. The topic was holidays. The rabbi spoke about Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, which is about the traditional Jews taking back the Holy Temple from the Hellenistic Jews in the second century. He went on [...]
Understanding the Purpose of Life
Becoming the Servants of the Most Merciful Series Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV Any mature and intellectually-conscious person seeks purpose and meaning out of life. Thanks to the evolvement [...]
The Bliss of Paradise
Becoming the Servants of the Most Merciful Series Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII | Part IX | Part X | Part XI | Part XII | Part XIII | Part XIV | Part XV True Servants of the Merciful are well aware of and fear the possibility of being punished [...]
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