A Lesson in Gasoline

by Derrick Peat As a drastic change in one’s entire belief system can often be, converting to Islam was quite an experience for me. In addition to this sharp turn in my life, the time after my conversion has also been no less momentous. As a Muslim, I not only gained deeper insight about the [...]

Think About It!

Humor me! Get ten pieces of Lego or any stackable items and build a simple tower by stacking one piece on top of the other. Now take the tower apart and start over again, except this time I would like you to start in the middle. Take the fifth piece and suspend it in the [...]

Knowledge, Internalization, Submission: A conversation with Napoleon

Holidays Free of Religious Overtones

by Dr. Abdullah Bin Bayyah The holidays which are forbidden [for Muslims] to observe are those with religious overtones, such as Christmas and Easter,1 not the festive gatherings people observe due to certain events. Therefore, people are allowed to celebrate wedding anniversaries, birthdays or any occasion as such celebrations are not related to religious holidays. It [...]

Money Earned before Islam from Forbidden Sources

Answered by Shaykh Muhammad Hassan al-Shanqītī | Translated by Suhaib Webb Question: What happens to the money I earned before my conversion to Islam if it came from forbidden sources? Answer: When someone enters Islam, then what was his before his Islam, is his after it. This means, anything he owned prior to his conversion [...]

Story of Dr. Jamal Zarabozo’s initial contact with Quran

Question: What is the Most Difficult Part of Converting?

Asalamu alaykum, Looking back on my own conversion, there were a number of difficulties I faced. Here are four: 1. Telling my family 2. An ethnic war in my local masjid 3. Confusing culture with religion and maintaining my identity 4. Confronted with issues of race when trying to get married Your turn Suhaib

I’m a Homosexual and I want to Embrace Islam

Question I am not a Muslim but I met a guy who never drinks or wastes any of his time, which I found to be impressive. While talking to him I realized that he was a Muslim and I started studying the religion. The complications lie in the fact that I have feelings towards men. [...]

The Trouble with Rage..

Assalamu Alikum As we sat together in the back of Al-Azhar, the heat of the sun was apparent more than its light. The air was thick; a fusion of Cairo’s pollution, dust and its famous humidity. Like birds on a scarecrow, we sat motionless under the shadow of an ancient Ottoman pillar as the Sheikh’s [...]