Growing up, I usually saw 3 types of reactions when someone in my class got a bad grade on their report card: the student would vow to work harder; he or she would get upset and not really change anything; or they would blame the teacher for their own failure. This last group was an imaginative bunch. They were so resentful about their bad grades that, not only would they blame the teacher for doing a bad job, they would... Read more
At some point in life, it’s normal to feel lonely or abandoned. We have social and emotional needs, and no one can be there for us 24/7, in exactly the way we need them to be. We may feel like we have don’t have anybody to talk to, or anyone who really understands what we’re going through. Some people even leave us without looking back. They’re a chapter called “Abandonment” in the book of our lives. But it looks like in their book, we’re... Read more
Me and my siblings had just finished swimming, for hours, in the blistering hot Texas sun. We had a blast, and stayed there until we were exhausted. But when I got home, all of that excitement was wiped out in a second. It took just one look in the mirror for me break down into tears, due to the trauma from what I saw… I had tanned. A lot. Growing up, I didn’t understand what really differentiated me from my... Read more
“God must be punishing me for a past sin, by giving me a child like you.” “Shut up! I’m your father, you loser.” “Talk to me like that again, and I’ll beat you to a pulp.” “Jannah (Paradise) lies under the feet of your mother. Until I forgive you, you’re going to Hell.” These are only a few of the expressions that abused and neglected children may hear from their parents or elders. Oftentimes, this abuse masks itself under the... Read more
Written by Aisha I was selling candy for my school around my neighborhood earlier this year, when I was 9. It was my first time selling candy (M&M’s, by the way), and I was a little anxious, but I managed to gather my courage and do it. I was off with my mom, and I went from house to house until I came to this red house. I knocked by myself and I didn’t really realize it at the time,... Read more
If there was ever a day when America deserved to have every one of its flags lowered in grief, it’s today. As I watched the news in utter disbelief last night, seeing the announcement of America’s new leader for the next 4 years, I realized that there’s been a massive murder attempt… One of the biggest ever in this country’s history. It won’t be called what it is on mass media outlets, but I acknowledge it as a murder attempt. So I’m... Read more
Everyone aspires to something, which is obvious with #goals being all over the internet. This hashtag seems especially noticeable when it comes to relationships. And while it is definitely heart-warming to see a parent with their newborn child, or a loving couple in a healthy marriage, the most important relationship any of us will ever have is with Allah (swt). Whether young or old, married or single, there’s a perfect example of that for all of us in the life... Read more
“Who am I?” This is a question many of us find ourselves asking at some point in our lives — the question of who we really are. This may be when there’s a change in our lives; when we are actively or passively “searching” for something more; when someone asks us what we believe in; when we’re struggling with multiple identities; or when we have an experience which opens our eyes to new perspectives. Or it might be when life corners you,... Read more
People get all kinds of advice before they get married. I was told what to look for in a potential spouse, how to know if someone was “the one” for me, and even what to say and how to act before and after getting engaged. Experienced married adults gave me the best advice they could, like not going to bed angry, trying to do the best I could for my spouse without “keeping score,” and having mutual respect for each... Read more
Every year, a new iPhone is released. And every year, people complain about it. They complain that nothing about the phone has really improved; that Apple is charging an obscene amount for almost the same product; that consumers are being taken advantage of, and shouldn’t just mindlessly keep buying these products to “keep up.” Yet many of those same people place pre-orders, stand in long lines, and spend money they don’t have, in order to get the new iPhone. There’s... Read more
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