Archive for the ‘Reflections’ category
Reaching the Messenger of Allah ﷺ
By Fawzia Syed I walked faster and faster, hundreds of women pushing me forward. Women all around me cried in love and in pain. They pushed forth with a fervor that emanated from their hearts and took hold of their bodies. I continued to move forward. My heart raced; I don’t know why. I might have [...]
A You-Centric World
I was waiting behind a car at a red traffic light when I suddenly noticed a white, furry little puppy staring at the main street from the sidewalk. I held my breath as I found my initial interest quickly turn into distress as it heaved itself through my lane and onto the other side of [...]
Intercultural Marriages: A Qur’anic Reflection
By Eyad Alnaslah In Islam, the concept of diversity and tolerance is found many times in the Qur’an and hadith (records of the words of the Prophet ﷺ, peace be upon him). We find diversity in all our mosques and Islamic functions, with Muslims from different parts of the world, and of different cultures and [...]
Is That Your Profession—Or Just Your Title?
By Mariam Nawaz I read a surah (chapter) from the Qur’an, a Surah that made me question a few things. It made me think about the purpose of my existence. One thing that crossed my mind was a person’s occupation. Even if I were qualified to be a teacher, if I don’t actually teach, would [...]
The Crow Looking In
By Ahmed Zaafran There appears to be a growing trend amongst Muslims today where knowledge is used as a proverbial club that beats down anyone who differs with their line of thinking. Discussions regarding Islamic thought that were once considered sacred and adorned with manners (adab) between scholars, are now left to the internet blogs [...]
Love the Prophet? Follow Him.
By Aisha Aijaz Love is a beautiful emotion. It encompasses all the most beautiful things in the world. Every relation and connection gets stronger and more durable when there is an element of affiliation and love added to it. Beginning from our first love as a child for our mother to choosing someone to spend [...]
Grandeur in the Miniscule
It was a breathtaking view from my window. Thousands of feet up in the air, I was passing through heaps of white cotton candy spread across the sky. The clouds swished by and a chain of giant mountains pierced boldly through the atmosphere. Glistening in the sunlight was a vast ocean, with its little white [...]
Two Hundred Word Tidbits
A series of beneficial points from various classes each written in two hundred words or less. Two Hundred Word Tidbits: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V The Benefits of Hearing Stories of the Scholars and the Righteous: To be inspired by others who have struggled to get close to Allah subhanahu wa [...]
A-cuss-tomed to Profanity
By Sabeen Mansoori There is a path that I walk on almost every day. It is a curved, narrow strip of concrete between a patch of lush woods and a winding road. In the early morning when it is deserted, it is easy to step on it and get lost in thought. There is the [...]
Eyes on the Prize
By Shahraiz Tabassam Throughout our lives, most of what we do is driven by the thought of consequence. More specifically, the benefits that something might bring about for us or the troubles it might repel. We do whatever we do, with the purpose of seeking some form of goodness in it. And yet, no matter [...]
Finding My Syrian-American Identity
By Hajar Abdul-Rahim My father always said, “You don’t understand the price of freedom.” But I do know and understand the price of being robbed of my right to grow up around grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins. I know the price of growing up nation-less; the price of having no national identity; the cost of not [...]
The Satisfaction of an iPhone
By Deena Majeed You have owned an iPhone 4 since it came out. You accessorized it with different covers, a wall-charger, and even a car-charger. Then in October 2011, the iPhone 4S emerges. Suddenly, you want the new iPhone, you need the new iPhone, you envision the new iPhone in your hands. So you upgrade, [...]
Slippers for Sale
She quietly slipped onto the train, and if our eyes hadn’t met, I wouldn’t have noticed the tears at all. They hung, in her eyes, waiting for any moment to pour forth. I glanced down at her feet and noticed they were bare, her slippers in her hands. In her arms was a baby, wrapped [...]
The Never-Ending Story
By Abid Mohammed A man once complained to the Prophet ﷺ (peace and blessings be upon him) that he had a hard heart. The Prophet ﷺ replied, “If you want your heart to soften, (affectionately) rub the orphan’s head (with your hand) and feed the needy.” [narrated by Ibn Abi Dunya] For the entire week, [...]
The Cancer Patient
By Robin Imran Mahmud I am currently interning at a hospital in my community. My role is to help the nurses look after their patients’ needs. My tasks include changing beds, feeding patients, discharging patients, and helping nurses clean the bodies of patients who are in the last stages of their lives. One day as I was checking on patients [...]
Adventures of a Revert in the South
By Douglas Kelly As a relatively recent revert to Islam, I still consider myself in the infancy of my deen (religion), and therefore look at the world with a very idealistic eye. An eye which, like an infant, may not know much, but knows hot from cold, wet from dry, loud from quiet and clean [...]
Synced: Hajj 2011
In late September, my life began to smear. A horrid pace began to take its toll. Ramadan had just concluded and I was off to Malaysia to film 26 episodes of Reflections for T.V. al-Hijrah (to be done in 5 days), my wife’s visa status still hung in the balance, my financial situation was “code [...]
The Purpose of this Life in Light of the Qur’an
by Ahsan Shah Recently, a very close member of my family died. While the dead body lay inside one of the rooms of my house, two thoughts continuously went through my mind. The body reminded me that one day, I would be lying in the same manner, motionless, and my close ones would be looking [...]
My Mosque, My Identity, My Anchor
“Culture shock” is how I always describe the sudden onslaught of cultural varieties, religious peculiarities and political ambiguities that I encountered when I first came to North America at the age of 18. It was a rush of overwhelming information that threw my curious mind into a whirlwind of conflicting ideologies. Derailed and confused, I [...]
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