Asalamu alaykum,

Today marks our return to our beloved Misr and the leaving of our beloved America. We ask Allah to forgive us for our mistakes known and unknown. Please keep us in your prayers, ask Allah to raise our ranks and increase us in ‘ilm and hilm.

Suhaib

Exercise:

Hajj is cardio intensive so you must be in good physical shape. Continue to weight train as normal but for cardio here is what I recommend:

Take a brisk walk 4-5 days a week for 35-45 minutes wearing sandals a few times (preferably in the morning). Drink plenty of water and a cup of green tea before the walk (use 2-3 tea bags). Walk pretty fast. Once in a while, practice walking barefoot. I used to walk around barefoot in my backyard/patio just to prepare.
(more…)

It was the first night of Ramadan. I was so excited about going to the masjid for taraweeh and enjoying every moment of this month of forgiveness. But no matter how hard I tried to do that, my thoughts were continually disrupted. While I sat and followed the Shaykh’s recitation of surah al Baqarah, I had to continually glance up at a group of children, between the ages of three to seven, running wildly around the small Mother’s Lounge attached to the women’s prayer hall.

Was it because their mothers were praying, and therefore there was no one to remind them of the manners in the masjid? No. No it was not. The mothers of these children were sitting- literally- in the MIDDLE of the room, very closely behind the sisters who were trying to concentrate in their salah, talking. And loudly! And on top of not stopping their children from terrorizing the room, they were feeding their children (even though no food is allowed) and seriously leaving a mess for the poor custodial staff to clean up after them.
(more…)

Boston ‘Eid prayer:

All praise is to Allah [alone], we praise Him, we seek His help, and we implore His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides, there is not do misguide him, and whoever Allah leads astray, there is none to guide him. I bear witness that there is nothing worthy of worship [in truth] but Allah and I bear witness that Muhammad [may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him] is the servant and Messenger of Allah.

The importance of this event in the light of history:

Dear brothers and sisters: Allah says,
“So you will magnify Allah for Him guiding you and, that perhaps, you will show gratitude.”

We assemble today marking a noble accomplishment; praising Allah and magnifying Him for His assistance in completing this Fast. It is ironic that such a celebration should take place in a city known for its history and defense of American values, the city of Boston.

If the streets, alleys, harbors, and homes could talk and spill their contents what treasures would they reveal?

1. Old Griffin’s wharf, now a landfill, would recant the Boston Tea Party 1773
2. The roads from Boston to Lexington would tell with wonder the heroics of Paul Revere and William Dawes 1775
3. Breed’s Hill, located in Charlestown, would tell the tale of the battle of Bunker Hill 1775
4. The 19th century would witness the heroics of William Lloyd Garrison and his commitment to the abolitionist cause
5. The harbors and docks would witness to sea of immigrants who struggled for self definition and, most importantly, self recognition.
6. And it was in the 40’s that Roxbury witnessed the shenanigans of one of the greatest men to wear the mantle of social justice. The man whose name rests on the street signs which this new Islamic center lies, Malik al-Shabaaz and that takes us to today.
7. Today, here right now, these streets, alleys, parks would tell the tale of the struggle to build this masjid and this community
Contextualizing this Struggle
(more…)