Like many kids in high school, I was subject to extreme bullying. I was extremely heavy and wore old lady clothes and hand-me- downs. I suffered also from severe depression. Nobody wanted me on their teams in gym in high school, and I was often laughed at. Someone nominated me as homecoming queen as a joke. I cried my eyes out. I had very few friends, and I was not accepted at home either. Suicide did not cross my mind,... Read more
This Ramadan got off to a disappointing start for me. I felt like my iman (faith) was low, which is the last thing any of us want to feel during this precious month that only comes once a year. There were days when I had such low motivation that I felt it was an achievement for me to just do the bare minimum, like completing my fast and my fard (required) prayers. What pushed me down even more was that... Read more
When I converted to Islam four and a half years ago, I knew a lot about the religion before going in (maybe more than some other converts do at that point). However, there were some things I overlooked because there is a lot to learn about the religion and it is hard to retain all of that information. There are some common things that can be missed while you are learning about Islam. I wrote this in hopes that any... Read more
Ramadan is that special month where we feel closer to God. We all strive to do things for His sake and hope our deeds are accepted and our sins are forgiven. Most, if not all Muslims, love Ramadan. I especially love Ramadan because of the following reasons: 1. It Gives Me a Chance to Restructure My Life Whenever Ramadan is around the corner, I usually feel the necessity to restructure my schedule in order to accommodate the requirements of the... Read more
Alhamdulillah (praise and thanks be to God), we were given the chance to see another Ramadan. Even with the added stress that can come during this month due to fasting long hours, not getting enough sleep, etc., it’s hard not to feel the blessings of this special time of the year. There is a sense of community, a drive for self-improvement, and a renewal of our intentions and efforts to get closer to our Creator. But with all of these... Read more
Every year, even months ahead, my Muslim friends watch in anticipation of the crescent moon, which I call the Prophet’s moon. They look forward to Ramadan as a time of reflection and as a time to get closer to Allah. I even have friends with major illness such as diabetes and others, as well as pregnancy, who risk their health or lives in fasting so they will not miss out on this blessed month. Even still fasting if they become... Read more
As the crescent moon makes its way across the horizon, Ramadan slowly approaches. Believers of all different walks of life enter this month with a humble heart. I’m not sure what it is about Ramadan that comforts my soul in the way it does. It might be the time I’m able to spend with my family or the extra emphasis I put on practicing Islam rather than talking about it, but it definitely has a profound impact on me. For... Read more
I saw you today. You were standing in your bedroom by the window. I saw your face—the curve of your lips, the turn of your nose, the soft pores of your cheeks. You were quiet while I soaked you in. So beautiful. Just the way I remember. Your soft hands, I can almost feel them. I moved in front of you and stared into your eyes. Those vacant eyes of yours. And then I spoke… You irritated me. All you... Read more
Despite the fact that I grew up in a predominantly Muslim country, I seemed to have a lot of Christian friends growing up. While they no doubt cared about me, they always seemed really curious (read: wary) about Islam and sometimes went as far as trying to prove their religion was superior and making a case for why I should join their religion. Being a kid, I couldn’t answer some of their questions due to limited knowledge and I sometimes... Read more
The first time I listened to Chimamanda Adichie’s TEDx talk, “We should all be feminists,” I was so inspired by it that I made all my friends watch it and immediately declared myself to be feminist. This happened around the time that I was making my way through a translation of the Quran with the desire to strengthen my faith—which was working until I started to encounter some verses that seemed to put men above women in certain roles or... Read more
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