Life & Culture

Money Now!: Living on Charity & the Need For Institutional Sustainability

Is relying on donations sustainable? Was it, in fact, ever? After hearing that charity just isn’t enough repeated by more than a few, we wondered how can something so elemental to our faith, namely zakah, and more broadly, sadaqah, and as important in our social and religious history as awqaf, be so emphasized and successful and yet be insufficient?

Building Stronger Muslim Families

When it comes to the subject of building a strong(er) Muslim family, it is important that we not only value what it means to share a home. We must also value the meaning of what it means to be “Muslim” in a Muslim family.

The Challenge of Spirituality to Islamic Finance

I am often asked ‘What is Islamic finance? ‘Is it. . .Islamic?’. I nearly always hesitate.

Fit For Allah: Setting Your Intention

One of the most common New Year's resolutions is to become healthier and fitter. If you are one of the many who has made this resolution, then this year it is time to make your healthy lifestyle ‘resolution’ count. This year, let's get Fit for Allah.

Me Want It: Instant Gratification & Restraining the Inner Cookie Monster

Curbing our impulses for instant gratification takes effort, but if even the Cookie Monster can learn self-restraint, so can we.

A Season For Change: Mawlid, the New Year & Muhasaba

Rabi al Awwal brings us the joyous month of the birth of the Messenger, and January begins a new year. As we reflect on these momentous occasions, we must ask ourselves, as the Qur’an asks us, “Where, then, are you going?”

From Salah to Selfies: The Blog Year in Review

From the Mawlid to hijab, from Ferguson to ISIS, from Serial to yoga and selfies, revisit the most popular posts from the Al-Madina Blog in 2014.

The Apathy of a Religious Generation?

Our frustration with the apathy of our community on issues like Ferguson cannot be chocked up to leadership alone. The rank and file Muslim also shares a healthy dollop of blame.

Nurturing Spirituality in the Family

There is a significant relationship between our spirituality and our family relationships. For many of us, we learned what we know about religion, faith and spirituality from our families.

Youth Gone Wrong: Addressing the Homegrown Lone Wolf

In light of recent events involving homegrown youth, we need to ask ourselves, "Why?" You may not be able to change global politics, but you may be able to change a young man or woman’s mind. We have the ability within ourselves to change the outcome.

Truth, Lies and Social Media

Social media provides us with a powerful set of tools; there is no denying it. We are able to communicate in ways that no one ever dreamed of. However, it is a tool that needs to be used properly, not precariously.

The Consumption of Corpses in Social Media

The phenomenon to share images of the dead in social media from conflict regions such as Gaza shows the sad state of affairs when Muslims lose perspective on the sanctity of the human being, and begin to blindly participate in turning an ennobled creation of God from an end into a means towards political goals.

Studio