righteous scholars. you’ll know them by their compass that guides them and you. its needle has a single marking and points to only two— Allah and His Messenger sallallaahu’alayhi wa sallam. and you’ll know them by their mark they leave on you. it is a heart that carries the compass they gifted to you. —even if. There is a lot …
labels and sects. please leave off your battle calls and self praise and your carefully crafted fiqhi art and when I ask who you are I want to be introduced to your heart. —even if. If you’re disheartened with the spiritual state of Muslims and would like to restore some form of meaningful unity and authentic practice, it’s important that …
For years, I was a peacemaker to a fault. I would apologize even when I didn’t do anything wrong. I would apologize for things other people did wrong. I would even apologize when I saw someone hurting and had no idea if it had anything to do with me. I would even offer preemptive apologies, apologies issued before anything bad …
Oh the script, that religious script, the one handed to every student of books and classes, who reads his lines carefully, then takes the stage, declaring what is right or wrong in the life of the unfortunate souls who find themselves the unwitting audience of their own lives. —excerpt of PAIN. From the Journal of Umm Zakiyyah I speak about …
The following is an excerpt from Prejudice Bones in My Body: Essays on Muslim Racism, Bigotry and Spiritual Abuse by Umm Zakiyyah: When I feared I could no longer be Muslim, I just couldn’t take it anymore, all the pressure from every side. It was unrelenting, and it eventually became a part of me. I felt suffocated in my own …
alone. it hurts. I cannot lie to be abandoned by those who look like me because I see the other as brethren too and then to be abandoned by the other my brethren in faith. because I look like me —even if. The following is an excerpt from the book Prejudice Bones in My Body: Essays on Muslim Racism, …
“I love everyone!” Till today, hearing this gives me anxiety, no matter who says it. I’ve never known anyone to say this except that they caused so much hurt and harm, to me and others. And the only thing that this false belief guaranteed was that there was no self-reflection or self-correction afterward. For “love” needs neither analysis nor change. …
“While there are certainly real extremists and bigots who call themselves Muslim and set out to harm and mistreat those who live a different life path, you should not waste your energy trying to convince the world that you are not amongst them. Yes, whenever you get the opportunity, clarify the real teachings of your faith, most specifically the prohibitions …
emotional abuse. the etiquette of disagreement in cults and sects and in families who love you so much that they hurt you for their own good. —even if. The following is an excerpt from Reverencing the Wombs That Broke You by Umm Zakiyyah: In toxic, dysfunctional, and abusive families that identify closely with religion, continuously subjecting oneself to harm is …
original sin. we women somehow fall into it even if we’ve done no wrong because it is our job they say to protect men and not the other way around. —even if. When I wrote the blog, “Is Discussing Hijab Off Limits?” I shared my personal struggles with how the topic of hijab is so often mishandled, specifically with the …
