One of the skeptics came to Imam al-Shafi’i, May God have mercy on him and asked, “What is your proof for the existence of God?” The Imam replied, “The Mulberry leaf has a single taste, a single color, a single fragrance and a single shape. However, when the silk worm…

Imam Ahmad b, Sahl, May God have Mercy on him, mentioned, “Your enemies are four: The World, whose weapon is the people, and whose prison is isolation; Satan, whose weapon is satiation, and whose prison is hunger; The undisciplined soul, whose weapon is sleep, and whose prison is night vigil;…

The following poem is by a friend of mine, Imran Sabir, of Glasgow, Scotland. He shared it with me during my recent visit there. I am sure you will be moved by it as I was. I will let him tell his own story. Biographical Information I am 31…

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فبما رحمة من الله لنت لهم و لو كنت فظا غليظ القلب لانفضوا من حولك فاعف عنهم و استغفر لهم و شاورهم في الأمر فإذا عزمت فتوكل على الله إن الله يحب المتوكلين القرآن ٣:١٥٩ Owing to Mercy from God, you were gentle in dealing…

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم فبما رحمة من الله لنت لهم و لو كنت فظا غليظ القلب لانفضوا من حولك فاعف عنهم و استغفر لهم و شاورهم في الأمر فإذا عزمت فتوكل على الله إن الله يحب المتوكلين القرآن ٣:١٥٩ Owing to Mercy from God, you were gentle in…

‘Carrying the Word’ Reflections of an American Imam This cover article was featured in Emel Magazine’s May 2006 Issue http://www.emelmagazine.com Imam Zaid Shakir is, in many ways, the quintessential American: a youth with a two newspaper route, a high school football player,…

Do not call each other by demeaning nicknames: How foul is a name connoting vileness... Al-Qur’an 49:11 I was recently involved in a forum entitled, “Should Muslims Use the ‘N’ word.” The event could have more appropriately been entitled, “Should Anyone Use the ‘N’ Word.” However, the reason for the…

Black History Month should be of interest to every Muslim, especially in America. It is estimated that upwards to 20% of the Africans enslaved in the Americas were Muslim. [1] In some areas, such as the coast of the Carolinas, Georgia, and parts of Virginia, the percentages of Muslims in…

As we celebrate the birth of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., on a national holiday dedicated to his honor, many people point to the surging presidential candidacy of Barack Obama as evidence of how far this country has come in terms of race relations since the days of the Civil…

In fourteen hundred and ninety-two Columbus sailed the ocean blue, An event that happened a bit too soon, ‘cause in sixty-nine they were on the moon. A happening not without precedent, The same place Galileo’s telescope went. Which isn’t to say we’ve become farsighted in…