Articles

Travel expands our minds, our experiences, our connections, and can be spiritually transformative and inspiring. The Qur'an encourages us to travel and reflect deeply on creation, and to ponder on the fate of those who came before us.

Although we have not had the opportunity to meet our Prophet ﷺ face to face, there is consolation in the traces that have been left to us. In this, and in everything, we have been blessed beyond measure.

In reproducing artwork, the calligrapher must try to obliterate his or her own stylistic preferences and give way to the essence of the original piece. Nuria Garcia Masip shares her attempt to reproduce a famous work from Abdullah Zuhdi from the Mosque of the Prophet.

After the Prophet's Mosque had been damaged, a young calligrapher, Abdullah Zuhdi, was entrusted with adorning the mosque of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺwith calligraphic inscriptions. The results of his work were among the finest examples of extolling prayers upon the Messenger.

While many still find strength in God during trials, the result of our individual and collective trauma is increasingly the opposite – distance from God and a loss of hope. Amidst so much pain, where do we find comfort?

Muslims are busy working on survival. We are dealing with internal strife, external stress, political and social upheaval and plain old fear. Most of our energy is concentrated in our own communities, our families and – when we have a minute or two – ourselves. We are exhausted. It is hard to even imagine mustering up the energy to do more. But the question still tickles in our heads and hearts: are we delivering on behalf of the Prophetﷺ? Are we carrying the responsibility of the gift of the message of Islam?

In the current socio-political environment, we must consistently measure what our responses should be based upon our spiritual tradition, not what is politically in vogue among politicians, pundits and activists who are not rooted in our spiritual foundations.

Ramadan is a boot camp for the soul, and in the last ten nights we should continue to build a fortress to keep our soul safe with four essential building blocks, while also striving to forgive one another and bury old grudges.

As we seek the pleasure of our Creator during the month of Ramadan in which His compassion and forgiveness are magnified, let us strive to embody the qualities of compassion and mercy in ourselves when seeking Divine presence.

Ramadan is the Muslim’s university.

Each week is like a full year. The first week you are a ‘fresher’ – getting the feel of the month and learning your way around. In the second week, as a sophomore, you are in the groove and feeling confident. The third week you are a junior of Ramadan; you may begin to tire and need to reach deeply into your core self for strength and stamina. The last week, as a senior, you are both ready to graduate and feeling like you are not ready to leave. Where did the time go?

The disruptive effects of Ramadan on our sleep pattern are well-known. Short-term spiritual adrenaline alone may help mitigate the effects briefly, but typically it is followed by a crash of fatigue, often at the times we want to be increasing our spiritual efforts. Persevering throughout the month requires us to take notice of our body’s needs so it can serve our spiritual needs better. Just as we should pay attention to when and how we consume in the month, we need to do the same with our sleep.

The mother of Moses/Musa represents one of the most dramatic characters in the Qur’an relating to the relationship between one’s child, faith in God and trust in the divine plan.