Articles filed under

Aim High by Aiming Low

Setting Realistic Minimums Instead of Lofty Goals © By Umm Zakiyyah It’s something I learned the hard way.  I wasn’t going to meet all those lofty goals I’d set for myself after all.  In youthful (or prideful) innocence and under the fire of a motivated and determined heart, I set many “sky high,” reach-for-the-stars goals, telling myself all the things I would do differently than everyone else to actually... Read More →

To Dream of You

I go to bed at night hoping to dream of you. I close my eyes and then it starts. … I am blessed to find my ruh getting thrown back into its cage. I open my eyes and I’m panting. My sheets are soaked. My throat hurts. I must have been screaming again. But I am alive again, so this is my 70,000th second chance. I pull off the sheets. In the laundry they go with the rest. I change my clothes because I’ll... Read More →

Reflections on International Women’s Day: A Muslimah’s Perspective

The 100th anniversary of International Women’s Day was celebrated this week on Tuesday March 8th, 2011. Women around the world were honored, celebrated, and esteemed. Women and men,  young and old, gathered on bridges and public arenas to celebrate the strength of women in their lives. Women’s issues were debated and discussed extensively, creating conversations and dialogues that our societies sorely lack. From... Read More →

The Loves of my Life

Recently over the course of the last few months, a realization hit me deeper than it had ever before. The realization is nothing extraordinary, and in fact is something that everyone really already knows. But having freshly moved out of my parents’ house eight months for the first time in my life, I felt it as as conspicuously as a splash of cold water: I really wish I had spent more time with my family. You see, we,... Read More →