notes

Fasting During Rajab

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Aug 07, 2007 at 11:35 pm

Introduction Historically, one of the virtuous religious practices of Muslims is voluntary fasting during the month of Rajab. Unfortunately, there are a growing number of Muslims that consider this practice a blameworthy innovation. The following discussion, taken from Lata’if al Ma’rif fi ma li Mawasim al-‘Amm min al-Wadha’if (The Subtleties…

notes

Eye of the Storm

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Aug 02, 2007 at 9:24 am

Eye of the Storm Today, Wednesday, August 1, 2007, early in the evening, I departed from Mecca, that physically barren, but spiritually rich Arabian city, after two incredible days filled with prayer, Qur’anic recitation, supplication and rest, joyous rest. With no lessons to prepare, no classes to teach, no meetings…

articles

Wisdom Pt. II

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jul 28, 2007 at 6:04 am

[Updated daily] 51. Al-Hasan al-Basri used to say: “If Satan comes to one of you while he is praying and says, ‘You are dissimulating by lengthening your prayer,’ you should make your prayer even longer.” Note: What he means is that if you undertake an action for God with a…

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The Challenge of Madina

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jul 28, 2007 at 6:01 am

It is related from the Prophet, peace upon him, that he said: “O God! Bless us in the months of Rajab and Sha’ban, and bless us to reach Ramadan.” (Imam Ahmad, Musnad 1/259) I have been truly blessed during this month of Rajab by being able to spend a good…

notes

A Sense of Loss

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jul 18, 2007 at 5:00 am

Surely, we will test you with something of fear, hunger, and loss of wealth, lives, and fruits. Give glad tidings to those who patiently persevere. Al-Qur’an 2:155 Two weeks ago, I was preparing to board a shuttle bus for a five minute ride from my hotel to the International…

articles

Wisdom Pt. I

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jul 15, 2007 at 9:39 pm

(updated daily) The sayings gathered here, entitled Wisdom, are extracted from, Alerting The Self Deceived, a book written by the great Islamic scholar and mystic, Abdul Wahhab ash-Sha’rani, d. 973 AH/ 1565 AD. In this book Ash-Sha’rani gathers the aphorisms of the early pious scholars of the Islamic tradition as…

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Islam and Honor Killings

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jul 12, 2007 at 11:02 am

One of the gravest charges levied against Islam, in terms of its alleged antipathy towards women, is the charge that it encourages a phenomenon known as honor killings. This un-Islamic practice consists of the murder of female family members who are seen as dishonoring their families through real or perceived…

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Challenging a “New” Type of War with True Faith

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jul 05, 2007 at 10:03 am

Bringing an end to the ongoing war on “terror” will prove particularly vexing. One of the reasons for that is how easily fear can be manipulated to maintain the perception of imminent danger. For the profiteers prosecuting this so-called war, success or failure does not lie in the accomplishment of…

news

VIDEO of Imam Zaid Shakir’s interview on Bill Moyers Journal

Jun 24, 2007 at 10:20 am

Here is the link to the full streaming video of the interview: Link to Video More video footage of the Muslim Women who were interviewed: PERSPECTIVES FROM MUSLIM WOMEN The treatment of women under some Islamic systems…

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A Beautiful Religion: Part Two

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jun 23, 2007 at 8:05 pm

A Beautiful Religion: Part Two The beauty of Islam is directly associated with the beauty of Allah (God). The Prophet, peace upon him, relates the following tradition, “Surely God is beautiful and He loves beauty.” The beauty of God is incomparable. Therefore, the greatest delight of Paradise will be the…

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