Articles

Donald Trump is President-elect of the United States of America. Many are celebrating the symbolism of America having a White male conservative as the next Commander in Chief as well as breathing a sigh of relief that Hillary Clinton will not be in the Oval Office in 2017. Others, however, are upset that Trump won, believing that Trump will usher in a historic low which America has never seen. Within this framework coming off of the most divisive presidential election cycle since the turbulent year of 1968, the socio-political divide in America probably will not mend anytime soon.

Given that we truly do not know where America is heading though there are forecasts which can be made, I offer three piece of advice for American Muslim.

This morning you are in a state of panic and depression, scrolling through the endless cycle of news reports looking for something that will make things better.

Here are three spiritual workouts that will bring peace to your day.

More than any other sport in the American consciousness baseball holds arguably the most symbolism to life and spirituality. A long-suffering Cubs fan reflects on the lessons Muslims can take from the historic World Series win of the Chicago Cubs after a drought of 108 years.

The 2016 Al-Madina Institute Retreat on Purification of the Soul was a deep and powerful experience structured to purify one's soul. At the conclusion of the retreat, participants had the opportunity to share their moving reflections with the rest of the group. ImanWire will be sharing several of those reflections that describe the internal spiritual journey each participant was experiencing during this retreat.

In a recent discussion with some American Muslim scholars, politics was on everyone’s mind. This is no surprise, as the pressures on the American Muslim community have never been greater, from self-admitted enemies calling for our expulsion to potential allies offering aid. Knowing how to position oneself in regards to these forces is difficult to say the least. And knowing how to deal with how other Muslims position themselves is no easier. Muslims in the West need more sophisticated instruments to help them navigate questions of political engagement and disagreement within our community. In an effort to help improve this paucity, here are three maxims to live by.

In our roles as Muslim mothers, fathers, teachers, leaders, counselors and many others, we worry. We worry about our children, our students, and all the young people already struggling in a world that tells them they are not wanted, not loved, not good enough, not American enough.

Women’s rights should definitively remain a major concern of Muslims. But challenging the feminist epistemic should not be seen as a direct challenge to the legitimate pursuit of women’s rights and social empowerment.

Why do saints matter? Because all human beings need to be reminded that in the midst of so much difficulty, temptation, and evil that the world presents, there will always be those individuals who realize the greatest human potential — to know God.

In our day and age it seems like everyone is trying to get famous. Activists, leaders, and everyday Muslims alike are putting themselves ‘out there’ to gain likes and subscribers, and to reach a large audience with their special brand or message. Many Muslim entertainers and fashionistas have found a niche market through social media and are thriving in the spotlight. Their efforts are often met with a huge response, with followers in the thousands and even millions as young Muslims seek out content and people they can feel a personal connection to and who can relate to their experiences.

While there is a huge potential for using these avenues for healthy and meaningful creative exchanges, there are also some concerns that must be considered.

Aʾisha said (may God be well pleased with her): “I have never seen anyone more excellent than Fatima, apart from her father!” Here are a collection of Hadith regarding Fatima az-Zahra, the daughter of the Prophet ﷺ.

Can the Shariah facilitate acts which are considered reprehensible? The affirmation of a party’s free choice to engage in a wrong does not entail approving of it. It only recognizes something that the Quran, the Sunna of the Prophet ﷺ and Muslim scholars since early times have all affirmed: that human societies are too diverse for us to enforce even the most rightly guided systems of law or morality on all.

Muslims in the U.S that either stand actively or passively for furthering equality and eliminating the income and wealth gap at home cannot simply ignore their responsibility to question the machine that allows them to perform sacred rites at the cost of human rights.