Articles

Do you really need to recline your seat?

I was on an international flight recently, and in true capitalist fashion, the airline packed us in like sardines.

It’s a flight. You deal with it. The discomfort is temporary.

But about two hours in, the chaos began. A few folks in my line of sight decided it was time to recline their seats. And just like that, three arguments broke out.

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Submit With All of Your Heart

In this series of short commentaries on the verses in the Qur'an starting with "O you who believe", Shaykh Arsalan Haque discusses God's command to enter wholeheartedly into the faith, in thoughts, words and action.

The Unveiling

God wanted to be known
so our Master Muhammad was unveiled...

Begin With Bismillah

Beginning our actions in the name of Allah, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful, is an indicator of spiritual enlightenment and success.

Recognizing Diversity Not ‘Colorblindness’

The Islamic paradigm is to actively recognize differences, not act like they are non-existent and thus not worthy of dignity.

Invites, In-Laws & Guests, Oh My! A Primer on Being a Guest and Host

For Muslims, inviting and hosting people should be an act of devotion in which Allah plays an important role. More than a mere social obligation or a means of furthering a network of connections, we should see it as a spiritual act in which one exemplifies qualities Allah loves. He loves those who are generous, and has emphasized the rights of the visitor and the virtues of serving them in the best way.

Technology: The New Polytheism?

We live in a time in which collapse of technology could spell the collapse of ritual acts of Islam for most Muslims.

Seeing Divine Secrets Through the Sea

The sea has confided in children secrets from the Divine that I won’t be able to intellectualize – but secrets that would set me free.

The Ideology of Police Brutality

Police officers neither make laws nor determine their constitutionality. But, they do something just as—if not more—significant. They enforce them. What happens when an officer selectively enforces laws? What happens when he chooses not to arrest a friend but to detain a foe? What happens when the police officer is motivated by racial bias to physically injure, kill, or frame citizens simply because he/she does not look or live the way they prefer? The fact that this prerogative is left up to law enforcement is essential to understanding how systemic oppression quickly spreads and is perceived by the victims of such actions.

In Defense of the Immigrant Uncle

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.