In the literature discussing Futuwwa, which has been translated as Muslim chivalry, there is the story of a young man who was engaged to marry a particularly beautiful woman. Before the wedding day, his fiancée was afflicted with a severe case of chicken pox which left her face terribly disfigured.…

Reprint: Sept. 10, 2010 by Adelle M. Banks WASHINGTON (RNS) Imam Mahdi Bray is feeling a sense of deja vu these days, with threats and attacks on Muslims reviving memories of his younger days working and marching alongside civil rights activists. “For me and for America,…

As we stand on the verge of beginning the great fast, let us pray that the blessings we enjoy are decreed to last. Let us pray for the people, who have lost their homes, fields and cattle in the flood, that they are patient and see their…

The Statue stands tall, symbolizing liberty. Liberty is a gift handed down by the constitution through time. But have all accepted it, and given it a home in their minds? Are the graces of liberty truly free? If it cannot…

This essay, written in the immediate aftermath of the failed New York City bomb attempt [1], will examine some of the theological implications of Muslims violating civilian immunity. I have written elsewhere why attacks against innocent civilians are in opposition to fundamental teachings of Islam. Unfortunately, there are some Muslim…

Our hearts are calling out to us, into the dark and maddening night. Our hearts are calling out to us, to seize our hands and lead us right. Too blinded are we by the glare, of power, money, war and fame? Yet with perverse, blinded…

This essay is the unedited version of a response Imam Zaid wrote to a question posed by Helen Thomas to the White House press corps, “Why do they want to do us harm?” Thomas never got an answer so “In These Times” posed the question to several respondents. The edited…

The theme of the recently concluded (December 25-26, 2009) Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference in Toronto, Canada, was Saving the Ship of Humanity. In the words of the program’s brochure: When a ship is lost at sea, is in imminent danger of sinking, or if it has been hijacked, the…

The autopsy report on Imam Luqman Abdullah, who was gunned down in a Dearborn, Michigan warehouse, Wednesday, October 28, 2009, was finally released Monday, February 1, 2010. The details revealed by the report show why law enforcement authorities would try to suppress it. The Imam’s body was riddled with twenty-one…

This is our final translation from Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali’s, Lata’if al-Ma’arif, this year. It deals with some of the virtues and duties associated with the winter seas, which is rapidly descending upon us. This excerpt is taken from pages 557-560 Imam Ahmad relates from the narrations of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri,…