Archive for the ‘Ummah (Community)’ category
The Missing Ingredients: Compassion and Gentleness
I was attending the Friday prayer at a certain mosque once. In the back corner, I noticed two teenage girls sitting side by side, whispering and giggling throughout most of the khutbah (sermon). It was slightly distracting, but nobody made a fuss about it—except one older woman who was eyeing them with anger the entire [...]
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 [...]
Faces of the Hereafter: Radiant and Joyous
Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII As we discussed in the last installment, our faces are the most honorable parts of our bodies. With our faces, we are able to express our emotions and feelings. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) describes the faces of humankind [...]
Cutting
In this quest we call life, we may find ourselves at a cross-roads, unsure about the decisions we have to make. SuhaibWebb.com is happy to announce the launch of a new advice column designed to answer your personal questions. We believe that human beings are created resilient by God, and that with a little encouragement [...]
Does Prayer have to be in Arabic?
Balancing Arabization Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII 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 Muslims over [...]
The Faces of the Hereafter: Humiliated and Disgraced
Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII Without a doubt, our faces are the most honorable part of our body. Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He) has fashioned our faces in perfect proportion and has made them unique for every one of us. When Allah (swt) mentions the [...]
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 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 at the [...]
AYEO: A force to be Reckoned With
by Nasrin Noori (AYEO Adviser) Muslims Making a Difference Series In a world of selfishness and greed, AYEO (which stands for Afghan Youth Education Organization) has introduced a new generation of selflessness and generosity. Comprised of young adults on the west coast of the United States, AYEO began a movement of magnanimity. It has initiated [...]
Entering Paradise
Paradise and Hell Series: Part I | Part II | Part III | Part IV | Part V | Part VI | Part VII | Part VIII Allah paints a picture in the Qur’an of the most successful person: “So as for he who is given his record in his right hand, he will say, ‘Here, read my record! Indeed, I was certain that I would be meeting [...]
The Ultimate Goal
We live in a unique era. Our lifestyle today is not what it was for people who lived a century ago. Now, our daily lives are filled with so many preoccupations that when we complete one task we immediately are thrown into another. We have so many commitments, appointments, responsibilities, priorities and tasks that our [...]
What’s Done Is Done
By Ruzky Aliyar A myriad of matters put weight on your mind. It heaves under the sheer pressure of it. Thoughts, actions, endless precipitant emotions all occupy this undefined space and define your outlook on life. It could be anything and everything: doubts, missed prayers, a glance, a stolen conversation, an act of pride, that [...]
America vs. The Caliphate?
[Audio clip: view full post to listen] Podcast: Download (Duration: 22:26 — 10.8MB) After lectures at several universities, a few students asked me about the intersection of Islam and politics. Unfortunately, many associate Islam with a political agenda, a source of suspicion to many outside the Muslim community, and a cause for frustration and alienation for many [...]
Wifehood and Motherhood are Not the Only Ways to Paradise
“Why are you majoring in that field?” I asked a sister in college. She sighed, “To be honest, I just want to get married. I don’t really care about what I’m studying right now. I’m just waiting to get hitched so I can be a wife and a mother.” “It’s awesome that she wants to [...]
Going to Hajj or Donating to East Africa?
The Question: Brother Suhaib, I was planning to go to Hajj this year, but I have a feeling that feeding the starving children in Somalia could be more rewarding at this moment. What is your opinion on this? JazakAllahu khayr. The Answer: Imam al-Haramayn said, “There are times when establishing a community obligation is better [...]
Struggling For Acceptance
By Tareen Coming to Islam was difficult for me. I had long sensed the truth in principles like Tawheed, the ‘Oneness’ of God, and in the veracity of the Holy Qur’an. Yet I was a product of my environment and therefore privileged, selfish, and self-absorbed. I thought only of the things I would lose when I converted: [...]
Description of Hellfire
by Raiiq Ridwan Glimpses into the World of the Unseen: I | II | III | IV | V | VI | VII | VIII My fingers tremble and my mind is uneasy as I begin writing. However, it is a reality that the Hellfire exists and it is indeed the logical consequence for those [...]
The Taj Mahal and the Islamic Principles of Wealth
Like the Alhambra, the Taj Mahal is a symbol of Muslim sophistication, achievement, and wealth. And like the Alhambra, the dynasty that produced the Taj Mahal vanished not long after producing it. We often wonder why the Ummah (global community) finds itself in its present condition–but one thing is for sure: It’s not for lack of money. [...]
Twenty Years in September
My Reflections on the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 I woke up. Everything was spinning. The fading blue sky was spinning over my head as the sun had just begun to set in September 1991. Where am I? I was sleeping in the backseat of my friend’s Jeep Cherokee going north on I-45 from Galveston, TX. We [...]
How to Talk to Our Children about 9/11
Do you know what happened on 9/11? Muslims who were coming of age ten years ago are well aware and have inevitably learned of the events of 9/11 and how to cope with the ramifications of that fateful day. Yet, the children who were barely infants in our tender arms on 9/11 have entered this [...]
Grudges, Graffiti and Grief
by Sabeen Mansoori Our lives are spent in various boxes. We live in boxes that are insulated from the outside; we feel neither the heat of the blazing sun till it penetrates our being nor do we experience the cold blasts of winter till our bones shiver. We venture out from these boxes in other [...]
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