Articles filed under Spirituality

Dawah Thursdays

My brain pounded against my skull. I had placed my chair by the dawah table and started laying out a few Qurans on the table to hand out whenever a non-Muslim felt inspired to come and ask for one. But the Music from the Salsa club was loud. I was in the breezeway of the main university corridor, and went through this routine weekly. It wasn’t difficult to get a table, but the gumption – that was a challenge. There... Read More →

Focus in on the Sunshine

Contentment with little, and gratitude for what you have are virtues. Despite realizing their importance, and not being very worldly, in my heart these virtues always seemed a bit out of reach. I’d feign content, so that perhaps I wouldn’t be counted amongst the ungrateful ones. I was content that I was alone surrounded by people who didn’t understand, and didn’t care to understand. I was content... Read More →

Sticky Note Reminder

I love sticky note shopping. Choosing the right color, the right size and even having fun with the shapes they come in. But what I love most about stick notes is how they rescue my fragile memory. And do I just admire those sticky notes and put them in a drawer or a pencil case? No! I put them on the wall, on the fridge, and (my favorite) all over my laptop! Your Hijab is a sticky note—as a matter of fact, it may be... Read More →

The Believing Men and Women, Part I

إِنَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَالْمُسْلِمَاتِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ وَالْقَانِتِينَ وَالْقَانِتَاتِ وَالصَّادِقِينَ وَالصَّادِقَاتِ وَالصَّابِرِينَ وَالصَّابِرَاتِ وَالْخَاشِعِينَ وَالْخَاشِعَاتِ وَالْمُتَصَدِّقِينَ... Read More →

Spiritual Cheddar

“Mom, what do you mean? Are you serious that Eid is in 5 days?” Shock. Reality check. Yep, we could barely feel it, a feeling you get when the warm, lazy summer days oozing with nostalgia slip out of your hands, a feeling akin to realizing you are no longer a teenager but an adult now… a feeling that you’ve done injustice with the time given to you. We’ve all read those amazing Ramadan articles and heard those... Read More →

Last 10 Nights and the Big “M”

Last 10 nights of Ramadan are upon us and I am sure all of us are aware of the virtues of these blessed nights. But I am listing some virtues as a reminder to all of us because Allah (swt) says in the Quran: Surah Dhariyat, verse 55: “And remind for verily, the reminding benefits the believers.” * Etiquette of the prophet (salAllahu alayhi wa salam) in the last 10 nights: abstain from sexual desires, practice itikaaf... Read More →

Seedlings of Modesty

We always hear that Islam is a way of life as opposed to a religion- it is a mode of being rather than a meaningless ritual. In many ways, this makes sense because as Muslims we’re taught to remember Allah constantly, pray five times a day and think of others’ well being by giving annual charity. But what about when it comes to aspects of our religion which have become ritualized? What can we do to transform these... Read More →

My Sanctuary

I haven’t done this for a very long time. Write. Pour my thoughts on paper. Let it all out. I’m not going to either. I don’t ever want to go beneath what’s on the surface again. Nothing deep. I can’t go deep. That would result in more pain, as we all face disappointment when we share the deep stuff, yet don’t receive the comfort or support sought. Everyone on this earth needs someone to depend on, to rely... Read More →

The Purest Renaissance

As I flipped through Yahoo! News on December 14th, I couldn’t help but notice the headline of “Miss World” being awarded to another person like every year. Sometimes those Miss World contests take place locally (e.g., the infamous Miss Teen South Carolina!) or globally in the format of “Miss Universe.” From young girls primary school aged, from pre-teens to teens, to young women, mothers... Read More →