Microaggressions: A Black Muslim response!

“Wow, your name Hakeem? Do you know what your name means?”

As I was at a corner store, an Arab store clerk once asked me,”Your name is Hakeem? Do you know what Hakeem means?” Why did he not think I knew what my own name meant?My father who named me explained the meaning of my name to me numerous times and I take great pride in my name. By virtue of me being African-American it was automatically presumed that I did not know the meaning of my own name.

One time I attended a Khutba where the Imam was speaking about Surah Kawthur in Qu’ran. He explained how pagan Arabs were celebrating the death of the Prophet Muhammad’s(Peace Be Upon Him) son.

To the Prophet’s(PBUH) enemies it signaled that his legacy and name has been cut off. However, God declared that Prophet Muhammad’s name would continue(despite a male heir) while his enemies legacy would be cut off.

All praise is due to Allah! Today, Muhammad is the most common name in the world and it was a name willingly chosen by thousands black folks who had been cut off from their true names due to slavery. In the Nation of Islam, the European origin names that our forefathers possessed as a result of slavery was relinquished and replaced with Islamic names. Hence, Malcolm Little became Malcolm X and finally El-Hajj Malik El-Shabazz. Additionally, Cassius Clay became Muhammad Ali.
When I was kid, I struggled with sloppily handwriting. My father became deeply disappointed with me when he would merely see me write,”Hakeem Muhammad” sloppily. He would explain what a great name Muhammad was and why it should always be written neatly. My father explained to me the meaning so many times. So, I absolutely love my name,”Hakeem Muhammad”, and yes I know what my own name means and do not need you to explain it to me.