Ramadan: The Challenge
Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslims honor the fourth pillar of Islam: The Fast. The month of Ramadan begins at the first siting of the new moon for the month and...
View ArticleThe Imperfect Stitch
I was saying the isha prayer (the night prayer) two nights ago when I suddenly felt compelled to stop. My forehead and tip of my nose on the red leaf pattern of my prayer rug during prostrations, I...
View ArticleThe Many Names of Muhammad
Statesman. Terrorist. Noble. Blood-thirsty. Warrior. Warlord. Pedophile. Ideal husband. Monster. Exemplar. Prophet. False prophet. Messenger of God. Harbinger of doom. Epileptic. Visionary. Illiterate....
View ArticleNo Christian or Jewish Friends for Muslims?
I debated writing this post, which is why it's so late in the day, but I have to get it off my chest. Sometimes these posts are just ways for me to work things out in my head, a way to iron out the...
View ArticleHate Algebra? Thank the Muslims.
Math, particularly algebra, was my worst subject in school. My blood pressure and tension rose every time I entered the classroom. Even in college the numbers and letters terrified me. I passed the...
View ArticleIftar Dinner at the Masjid
Islam, while indeed a personal faith, is more visibly communal--especially during the holy month of Ramadan. And if you plan on experiencing communal Islam only once, attend and iftar dinner at your...
View ArticleCan Muslim Men Beat Their Wives?
"Men are the protectors and maintainers of women, because Allah has given the one more (strength) than the other, and because they support them from their means. Therefore the righteous women are...
View ArticleThe Conversion/Reversion of Sister Sundus Michele
Today I thought I'd shut up for a while and give the mic to someone else! Our post today is a conversion story by Congregation member Sundus Michele, and how she converted/reverted to a Muslim....
View ArticleGoing All Night For Laylat al-Qadr
This post is late because I slept in after taking suhoor (pre-dawn meal) this morning. I slept in because I'm staying up all night for Laylat al-Qadr, or "The Night of Power/Decree." Laylat al-Qadr is...
View ArticleMuhammad’s Calling: A Vision of Terror and Unavoidable Purpose.
His is one of the most intense accounts of an encounter with the divine ever recorded. For years, Muhammad ibn Abdallah took his family on a spiritual retreat during the holy month of Ramadan to Mount...
View Article
