Welcoming the Month of Ramadhān: A Matter of the Heart For some, the month of Ramadhān, the month God commands us to fast, is a matter of hunger and thirst. But for others looking deeper, taking meaning, the month of Ramadhān is a matter of the heart. Allah commands us…
Waxing Lyrical: On A Personal Note Waxing lyrical about me, In a corner of the garden where foliage grows thick, where vines ramble, Twisting and weaving: on the way to the top Then back down. Here, obscuring thorns, sometimes even roses, There are more weeds, Perhaps, because it is…
Mystical Experience: Opposites at Once Brought to you by the English Butcher, in honor of mystical experience, radioactivity and the kitchen: mystical lids from Cookville...both 8Cm and 9Cm (Cm=the symbol for "curium", from the periodic table of chemical elements, a silver-white, radioactive element named for Marie and Pierre Curie, due…
In Aouchtam, Morocco, villagers plant and harvest their crops by hand, walk with their donkeys for a full day’s journey to the nearest town for supplies and pull water from a well to fill plastic bottles and then haul them home. But on May 25, 2014, those Moroccan villagers went…
Rights: Do I Owe You or Do You Owe Me? One thing I’ve noticed: many of the young people who grew up living Islam close to the shaikh seem wise beyond their years. One afternoon, on the way to the gypsy wagon, I encountered Hayder-a young man who later studied,…
Have you ever wondered, when separated, which holds more truth: absence makes the heart grow fonder or out of sight, out of mind? The Prophet (saw) taught that maintaining our connection with family is part of noble behavior and of utmost importance. With an outstretched heart, here is a sister’s…
You must be present to get the Present. -Shaikh Husain Although these words are few, their meanings are vast. The ritual prayer (salat) of Islam is a great practice for the presence of mind, body and heart. We practice being present our whole lives with the hope that even just…
Cosmos and Soul: Who is the Master? "Everything that is in the cosmos is in the soul (nafs) and everything that is in the soul is in the cosmos. Therefore, whoever masters his soul masters the world, and whoever is mastered by his soul is mastered by the world." –Shaikh…
First Time in Indonesia: Plastic Bottle Walls, Anyone? The Majlis Dhikr of the Happy Heart Foundation (Yayasan Majelis Dzikir Hati Senang) in Indonesia, intends to build its first zawiyah (center) from recycled plastic bottles in Parung-just south of Jakarta, the nation’s capital. In a country where time and energy are…
True Ecology: Living Islam Nature was created in perfect balance. Our responsibility is to maintain this fragile equilibrium through wise management and excellent personal conduct. A Muslim is someone who has submitted with knowledge to Islam’s wholesome and naturally balanced ecology. From the divine Islamic teachings we learn that there…