notes

Death Comes Suddenly

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Jan 27, 2020 at 9:40 pm

This past Sunday Jan. 26. 2020, I was teaching a class at the DarusSalam Seminary in Lombard, Illinois. The class was based on an Arabic book entitled الاستعداد ليوم المعاد (Preparing for the Hereafter). One of the last things we covered before taking a break was the following poem: يا…

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Sun Rising Over Snowy Woods

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Dec 12, 2019 at 11:36 pm

The sun rises over the snowy woods, And looks into our hearts searching for good. For those who prayed throughout the dark of night, The sun will find a mirror for its light. Or is the mirror that she sees the lake? Adorned with sheets…

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Autumn Leaves

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Nov 19, 2019 at 7:59 am

The leaves of Autumn float gently down from the soon to be barren trees. As they quietly populate the ground, layer upon layer, they represent a metaphor for our lives. In the Spring they silently entered into the world, cautiously exiting the little wombs lining the branches, branches which stretch…

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Remember Childhood’s Yesterday

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Nov 13, 2019 at 7:04 pm

The childish games we used to play, Those playground romps of push and shove, The carefree days of puppy love. How ‘bout those summers long ago When lazy days were all we’d know, Now that we’re grown why does it seem, Our happy days are…

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The Blessed Mawlid

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Nov 11, 2019 at 8:16 pm

One of the most blessed events in the history of humanity was the birth of the beloved Prophet Muhammad (s) on the 12th of Rabi al-Awwal. The gravity of this day is associated with the magnitude of the one born during it. The following narration should suffice in conveying the…

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Spiritual Grammar and the Danger of Complaining – Imam Zaid Shakir

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Sep 30, 2019 at 9:51 pm

Complaining (shakawa) to other fallible humans has no part in our religion. Sincere advice (nasiha) does. What is the difference between the two? Imam Zaid Shakir explains. Usually, the complaint starts with what we describe as the first person, “I”. For example, “I don’t like…” “I don’t…

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Bridging the Scholar/Activist Divide

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Sep 01, 2019 at 10:43 pm

Note: The following essay is an introduction I wrote in late 2017 to Imam Dawud Walid’s valuable book, “Towards Sacred Activism.” I am posting it here in hopes that it might bring some clarity on a pressing contemporary issue. It is Allah who facilitates all success. **************************** This work by…

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A Response to Ali Al-Arian

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Aug 25, 2019 at 6:25 pm

In his recent article, “The political impotence of the Muslim American community,” Ali Al-Arian, among other things, laments the lack of moral integrity and political courage in those leading the American Muslim community. An illustration of this is his blanket condemnation of American Muslim leaders and organizations for not more…

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The Flowers of Spring

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

May 01, 2019 at 9:12 am

Like as the glistening snowflakes adorn the wintery expanses of fields, trees, and rolling hills in a soft blanket of downy frost, so do the flowers of Spring embellish our lives. Their colors charm us, their fragrances permeate into the depths of our souls and their voices join in serenading…

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Their Religion is Hate

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Apr 22, 2019 at 10:57 pm

We awakened yesterday morning, Easter Sunday, to the news of the horrific slaughter in Sri Lanka. Sensationalizing news organizations rushed to identify the religion of the perpetrators of such a nefarious act. Were they members of the Buddhist majority, the Hindu Tamil Tigers, or were they wretched Muslims who had…

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