The great poet Ibn al-Farīd said in a line of poetry, “Some people claimed to face love, but turned away. They claimed to swim the oceans of love but did not get wet.” The word love is a mystery. It conjures up the color red, pink roses, shiny jewels, and fancy dresses. The word love […]

Many of us would be surprised to discover how much of our thinking is based in existentialism and post-modern philosophy. We see Sartre’s gloom and despair everywhere. He tells us that what meaning there is in life, we must create. He leaves us feeling both responsible for our boredom and anxious about our inability to

Broken heart syndrome is a medical term for someone who had few risk factors for heart disease and was previously healthy before a physical weakening of the heart due to emotional stress. Often considered the stuff of literature, science today recognizes that our physical hearts are affected by great trauma and stress. One can indeed

In Shaʿbān, in the second year of the hijra, fasting in Ramadan became an obligation upon the Muslims. The Battle of Badr occurred one month later, on the seventeenth of Ramadan. The Messenger ﷺ left Medina on the twelfth night of Ramadan with 314 men. They had only 70 camels, so every three men took

I am in shock. I cannot believe ten days of Ramadan have already passed. Where did they go? For ten days we have been of those whose prayer is answered. Abū Hurayra (r) tells us that the Prophet ﷺsaid, “Three are those whose prayer is not refused: a just leader, the fasting person until he

Bites of Spiritual Protein The disease, Anorexia Nervosa, is serious and can cause death. It is characterized by a fear of weight gain that leads to faulty eating patterns, malnutrition and extreme weight loss. Patients on the road to recovery find great difficulty attempting to eat right. A few bites seem like a banquet, and

We are experts in ‘what our bodies need’. We know what to eat and what not to eat, we can wax on for hours about appropriate exercises for weight loss, strengthening, and/or flexibility. We have read many articles about the negative effects of hormones on our systems and the dangers of the genetically modified grain

The Opportunity She walks quietly to her kitchen and pulls out the coffeemaker. As the rich smell of caffeine confuses the usual nighttime smells, she pulls out her prayer carpet and her expensive perfume. The night awaits her and she is seeking forgiveness and the pleasure of her Lord. It is Niṣf Shaʿbān. An argument

Messy Closets and Rajab Rajab has been a tough month for many people. Three weeks ago we started out, in this month of tawba and forgiveness, with images of sweet tears and background music guiding us through this month. Instead it has been a struggle, and hard work. No background music has been playing and

The USA has never done well in the World Cup and no one expects them to beat Ghana. The game starts and, miraculously, they score within in the first 21 seconds of the game! I cannot believe it and set my work aside. I want USA to win. I watch and worry, getting upset when