Kamran Riaz

Even if we cannot all become masters of Arabic, we should strive to become lovers of this right-sided language with the intention that even if we lack proficiency in Arabic, our love for Arabic will be a means for us to speak this Divine Language in the Presence of the Divine in the Eternal Garden.

Just as our Prophet never lost control of his emotional state, we too must strive to keep a level head during these times of madness. It’s a matter of perspective: we can either choose to be nervous and afraid or we can continue to take solace and remain positive. In the end, we can only focus on the things we can do and can control— seeking assistance through patience and prayer, which will be difficult except for the people of humility. It is arrogance of the worst order to demand that Allah do something when we haven’t done anything. The people of humility are those who realize that they are not powerless. Their seemingly feeble prayer, supplications, avoidance of the prohibited and utterances of remembrance have the power to delay the coming of the Hour. We must continue to be Muslims and civic citizens to the best of our ability: to be in the service of Allah and all of His Creation, because that is what the people of ḥilm (forbearance) do because they follow a Prophet who embodied that same ḥilm.

To bring in the power of the Divine, the power of nothingness must be given up in return. Our grandmother Hajar understood this and so must we.

Ramadan and Hajj are examples of times and events when God wishes to break us of our cycles, embrace the abstract and become totally dependent upon Him.

It has become popular and commonplace to cast the immigrant uncles as a major problem with our communities. Social media feeds, speeches and common conversations are filled with an invective directed against the immigrant uncle as a backward, over-the-hill figure that doesn’t understand the needs of today.

Instead of being preoccupied with the question, “how dare they insult the Prophet?”, we should ask ourselves, “how dare we insult the Prophet?”