notes

The Virus Questions America

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

May 15, 2020 at 9:47 pm

I came just like a thief inside the night. Confused you no longer know wrong from right. A plague, a pestilence, a scourge, or worse? I’ll let you know just who I am in verse. A tyrannical king I wear my crown. A novel threat yet…

notes

My Problem with Coronavirus Conspiracy Theories

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

May 08, 2020 at 6:32 pm

There are a large number of books that discuss the coming of the Antichrist, known to Muslims as the Dajjal (The Great Deceiver). One can spend a lifetime studying this literature from its myriad angles. The Antichrist as an individual. The Antichrist as a demonic system. The Antichrist in secret…

news

Why do so many US prison inmates convert to Islam?

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Apr 09, 2020 at 7:40 pm

“The Honest Struggle” tells the story of an ex-offender’s mission to help Muslim converts as they leave jail. So, what is it about Islam that appeals to these inmates? In this episode, Sadiq Davis joins the show along with a Muslim prison chaplain and “The Honest Struggle”…

articles

Things in Their Proper Places

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Mar 19, 2020 at 9:04 pm

Justice in the Islamic Tradition When Socrates famously asked, “What is justice?”, he was able to elicit many responses from his interlocutors and to direct the discussion in myriad directions. Is justice related to the treatment of friends and enemies? Does it revolve around issues of war and peace? Is…

articles

Trump: Hawk or Dove

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Mar 01, 2020 at 8:29 pm

During his recent State of the Union Address, President Trump boasted of his record levels of military spending. Despite that boast and its deadly implications, there are those who naively believe that Mr. Trump is rolling back America’s military presence in the world, some even going so far as to…

notes

Who Revived Malcolm X?

BY IMAM ZAID SHAKIR

Feb 26, 2020 at 10:25 pm

With the release of the Netflix series reexamining the assassination of Malcolm X there is a renewed interest in determining the identity of his killers. It is not my desire to delve into that contentious issue. Rather, during this time when Malcolm’s passing is commemorated by so many, I pray…

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…

notes

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…

notes

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…

notes

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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