Articles

By Moutasem Atiya & Hasan Awan, M.D.

It is probably the most common New Year’s resolution. We have likely made it ourselves, or have heard it from countless friends and family. It goes something like "This year I will lose weight and get fit." The stampede to the gym ensues, and about three weeks later our resolution finds itself buried inside our mashed potatoes at the Cheesecake Factory. A familiar story, we all know. So how do we break the cycle? The answer involves (Read More)

Labeling can have negative impact on how individuals see each other and themselves, hampering bonds. Stigma is a powerfully negative label that changes a person's self-concept and social identity. Often those in a perceived majority or norm seek to alienate any perceived variance via the vehicle of labelling. Imam Shatibi, the great jurist and legal theorist, spoke of this as a “disease of sectarianism and labeling ”...

Frustrated that you haven't met your spiritual goals because of the burdens of family, work, and social responsibilities? Here are four things to remember to have a truly wonderful life and a positive impact on the world.

Aisha once asked the Prophet Muhammadﷺ to make a dua (supplication) for her. He responded, "Oh God! Forgive Aisha's past and future transgressions, both those which are hidden and those which are apparent!"

Disability Awareness Month recently passed and it would behoove us for a moment to think about how Islam and Muslims view individuals with disabilities. There are specific conditions such as blindness, deafness, etc. that can lead to certain disadvantages – but it is up to our society to ensure that those individuals are not “disabled”. As a community, we have to ensure that every man, woman, and child is afforded the appropriate opportunities to excel based on their innate abilities.

It is a remedy for sorrow because grief mostly occurs when one misses something one loves, or when a distressful thing occurs; and whenever either of these things occurs people perceive their helplessness and inability to achieve their desired aims; hence they feel sorrow. If at such times they repeat in their heart and with their tongues words which mean that they disavow the possession of any ability or power of their own, then this gives them certitude in their knowledge that they are helpless and weak except where Allah gives them power and ability, with the result that their sorrow is banished, and their knowledge of their Lord is increased

Who is a "Sufi"? Who is a "Salafi"? And why are Muslims today wary of both? Spirituality in Islam is a tradition about moving past mere statements and labels and into the realm of meaningful states.

I have often had young (and not so young) Muslims come and ask me about the significance of prayer. Often this inquiry is triggered by doubt and skepticism in their lives as the result of sins they’ve committed. But what is most curious about this line of questioning is the trajectory it has taken to get here: it’s backwards. To understand the “why” of prayer, one must first understand one’s insignificance. What do I mean?

Mandela did not just speak for the freedom of South Africans. He spoke for all those who were marginalized and oppressed, even when it was unpopular to do so. Even when he and his people were in the weakest position of all, he remained an advocate for the oppressed throughout the world. His world view was never myopic, because he realized that oppression in any part of the world was a problem for the entire world.

Imam Marc Manley weighs in on the Muslim Hipsters, discussing the importance of being cool and being a moral Muslim, and critiques the reaction to the video in the community.

I'm sure most people on Facebook have already seen the video--hijabi hipsters (really we should just call them hipsters with head scarves, because contrary to popular conception, hijab is more than the scarf) basically loitering and doing nothing with pop music in the background.

We have a saying for this: "down the lizard hole". Because that's the degree to which the Prophet ﷺ described we would go to in conforming to others. A sad reality that we just can't let happen.

Modern society and science have a terrible habit of concerning themselves with the physical, perceptible world, while turning a blind eye to the more powerful world of the unseen. In reality, slavery is more than chains and shackles, sweatshops and prostitution rings. The physical component of slavery is the mere tip of the iceberg.