This is Day 12 of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Malika MacDonald Rushdan Do you remember the hadith of the prostitute who obtained paradise just by providing water to a thirsty dog? Yet, more often than not, we look down upon those who may seem beneath us. As the National Director of ICNA Relief USA’s Women’s Shelter Network, I want to share with you the story of one such woman, a tale that is sadly far from unique.... Read more
This is Day 11 of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Wardah Khalid Sellout. Complicit in murder. Perpetuator of human and civil rights abuses. Devourer of food “laced with white supremacy and colonialism.” These are just a few of the phrases Muslims use on social media to describe their brothers and sisters who attend the annual White House Iftar. Despite falling during the holiest month of the Islamic calendar, the event has become a yearly point of contention and fitna... Read more
This is Day Ten of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Nadiah Mohajir Just recently, in casual conversation as well as in several private conversations, I have heard too many women (and in one case, a man) express frustration with trying to manage their intimate lives in addition to their spiritual and domestic responsibilities when the fasts are 17 hours or more. When one is abstaining from food, drink and sex during the daylight hours, other responsibilities don’t suddenly cease... Read more
This is Day Nine of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Rohail Waseem The Quran is, as I see it, a truly fascinating piece of literature. If there is one investment I have made that I will never regret in my life, it is the time I invested in understanding the Quran. The thing about the Quran is that it speaks to me like no other book I’ve read. Such is the magnificence of the book that there is never... Read more
This is Day Eight of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Hakeem Muhammad In a poem, the great West African Islamic scholar Nana Asma’u said, “Let us study, and keep on learning. This gives mankind all he needs.”Historian Jean Boyd states, “Asma’u, like her colleagues, wrote for the betterment of the community and promotion of the Sunnah, not for personal fame.” It is with the spirit of Nana Asma’u that I write this: The great fasts of Ramadan are a... Read more
This is Day Seven of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Sarah Ager I broke my first ever Ramadan fast with a beer. I said my shahada (profession of faith as a Muslim) over Skype. My first hijab was a beach sarong. And before I had the Arabic pegged, I used to substitute the unlearned passages of salat with the Lord’s Prayer. As you can see, my conversion was an odd, higgledy-piggledy thing. It was a strange process of shedding... Read more
This is Day Six of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Omer M. Mozaffar When you look in a mirror, do you first glance at your perfections or your flaws? In public, we show not our full selves, but a few gestures. At work, we show our colleagues a glimpse of our personalities, especially when deadlines approach. Among friends, we show more. Kindnesses. Irritations. With family and closest loved ones, we reveal almost everything. Contradictions. Hopes. Broken hearts. Hypocrisies. Prejudices.... Read more
This is Day Five of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Margari Hill I came home from a community iftar on Saturday and tweeted this: When asked what happened, I answered, “I’m breaking up with my community.” Anybody who has been through a divorce can tell you that ending a relationship can be a long process. It begins with knowing that things aren’t working. So, I’m in the process of breaking up with my community. Two months ago, the reality... Read more
This is Day Four of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Ambata Kazi-Nance I took my shahada (declaration of faith as a Muslim) on October 30, 2001, just two weeks before the start of Ramadan. My Muslim friends were concerned for me, asking me repeatedly if I was ready for the long fasting days ahead and if I understood what it entailed. I wasn’t worried though, because it wasn’t going to be my first time fasting Ramadan. My friends were surprised... Read more
This is Day Three of Altmuslim’s #30Days30Writers series for Ramadan 2015. By Arzu Kaya-Uranli If the brain and the belly are burning clean with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire. The fog clears, and a new energy makes you run up the steps in front of you. — Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi I am so thankful to God, once again, to be able to reach the most uplifting time of the year: Ramadan. We already are in... Read more
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