Shazia Ahmad

There will obviously be obstacles and challenges, that come on the path of sacred learning. In whatever institution or program we are enrolled in, or teacher we are studying with, we may find flaws or problems. To help overcome them, here are 10 points of counsel for students who pursue sacred learning.

One cannot deny the move towards rhetoric and practice in the Western Muslim community that is more liberal, reformist, and progressive, but the extreme position some have taken in response to it is not only harmful, ineffective, and unwise, but decidedly un-Islamic.

Goodnight Tales for Little Muslims is a collection of ridiculously interesting and thankfully short bedtime stories with spirit, soul and Islamic lessons for little ones.

Goodnight Tales for Little Muslims is a collection of ridiculously interesting & thankfully short bedtime stories with spirit, soul and Islamic lessons for little ones.

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.

There is a different sort of love between people, that is often eclipsed by our talk and focus on romance. This is a quieter love, less exhilarating, but perhaps one of the best ingredients for a healthy and sound life — that is, love of one’s sister or brother in faith — the love between good friends, righteous companions, and those with whom we share this journey towards God. This is a meaningful and powerful relationship, the proof of which can be seen in how often it was talked about by our beloved Prophet ﷺ and his own deep and beautiful relationship with his companions.

The popular Arabic expression says, “Knowledge in childhood is like engraving on to stone” and if we want our children to remain strong and steadfast in faith amidst the currents and tides of life, we must engrave the best of teachings on their hearts.

We must reaffirm hijab as a religious, spiritual practice — not merely a personal, social, cultural or political statement, and reconnect it with a vibrant inner spirituality. In a time when disciplined religious practice is considered nothing more than mindless ritual, we must also reaffirm the link between our spiritual state and deference to the guidelines and rules of our religion, and reconnect what we wear to our faith.

In our times, we have reduced hijab to a headscarf that serves as a badge of one’s Muslim identity, and have removed it from a larger understanding of haya’ and how this beautiful quality should cultivate our behavior in the public sphere and in our relationships with others.

The trend of hijab/hijabi fashion in particular has, in many ways, effectively divorced haya’ from hijab. The hijabi fashion trend has also taken no strides to changing spiritually unhealthy cultural norms, or to recasting definitions of beauty and a woman’s worth. Instead, in many cases, it has simply put a headscarf on mainstream fashion with all of its failings, including an extremely narrow and exploitative view of beauty and sexuality

Many of us are deeply shaken by the bloodshed and violence meted out against innocent people in the world. We see images and hear the stories of — among so many others — the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya in Burma, the calculated starvation of the people of Yemen, brutality against black lives in our very own country, and in Syria, again and again, a people attacked by nations that have, as the Prophetic tradition so accurately described, “gathered against them just as people gather around a feast."

God reminds us of the great day we will all come to witness, a when the test of this life, with its painful trials and challenges, its triumphs and heavy tragedies, will come to a halt and everything within it will come to an end.

To intensely remember that greatest day - the realest day – is a source of grounding and solace. It is the day of ultimate justice and judgment, in which all those in positions of power will be uprooted. The day in which all the systems that perpetuate injustice will be broken, and all the chains of command will be cut. Might, military or otherwise, will be humbled low, and plots and strategies will be cast off.

We take comfort in knowing that God is the perfectly just, to Whom all affairs return. As we love Him for His promise of heavenly reward for the righteous, so too do we love Him for His promise to justly deal with those who harm and oppress.

In our day and age it seems like everyone is trying to get famous. Activists, leaders, and everyday Muslims alike are putting themselves ‘out there’ to gain likes and subscribers, and to reach a large audience with their special brand or message. Many Muslim entertainers and fashionistas have found a niche market through social media and are thriving in the spotlight. Their efforts are often met with a huge response, with followers in the thousands and even millions as young Muslims seek out content and people they can feel a personal connection to and who can relate to their experiences.

While there is a huge potential for using these avenues for healthy and meaningful creative exchanges, there are also some concerns that must be considered.

In the last few years, the number of high quality Islamic children’s books, toys and products has skyrocketed. Here are some of my personal favorites for smaller children. What great Islamic products have you come across for young children?

The constant stream of news about tragedies, injustices and bloodshed at home and abroad can leave us disoriented, anguished, frustrated, angry and in a state of despair. When it all just seems too much, here are a few steps to consider taking.

As Ramadan fast approaches, many of us are eagerly looking forward to the opportunity for spiritual rejuvenation and quality time in worship in the masjid. But what of our children? If we are like many Muslim communities in the U.S., when we enter the masjid each night for Taraweeh prayer in Ramadan we part ways: our children go to babysitting, while we go towards the prayer room. While we spend extra hours in Ramadan in worship and feeling closer to Allah Most High, what are they doing in the (often now mandatory) babysitting room at our local masjid?

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.