Ruba Mahfouz-Alkotob was born in Michigan to Syrian immigrant parents and now resides in the suburbs of Flint with her family. She describes herself as deeply blessed—married to a supportive husband and mother to four remarkable children, with her eldest son married and faithfully visiting each weekend.
Student of the Month – March Read More »
Sarwat Khan was born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, where opportunities to formally study the Quran were limited. Growing up in the American South, she carried a quiet but persistent dream: to one day read and study the Book of Allah with fluency and confidence. Today, Sarwat lives in Dallas, Texas, where she is a devoted stay-at-home mother to six children. Alongside nurturing her family, she also works as a writing coach, helping others refine and elevate their written voice.
Student of the Month – February Read More »
My first experience with iʿtikaf was very different from most people. My grandmother, may Allah have mercy on her, would go into iʿtikaf every year in the last ten nights of Ramadan. She would spend the first part of Ramadan sewing a cloth tent out of a beautiful, simple, delicate, breathable material. Inside, she would put a soft prayer carpet, her masbaha or dhikr beads, and mushaf (Quran). When the last ten nights of Ramadan would arrive, she would enclose herself in the tent, and we wouldn’t see her or hear from her until the day of Eid al-Fitr. When the night of Eid was announced, she would emerge from the tent more beautiful and fragrant than I had ever seen her before, and we would adorn her with necklaces of roses that we had made and give her special sweets, all the while congratulating her. Although I didn’t know what it meant at the time, I knew it was something very special, and something to be celebrated.
Iʿtikaf: Spiritual Seclusion with the Divine Read More »
If you’re of a certain age, or even if you’re younger but you have access to YouTube or streaming services, you probably know a cat named Tom and a mouse named Jerry. If you were asked to describe them, it could be done in very few words. “Bully” comes to mind for Tom and “smart, sassy underdog” for Jerry. Their show finds them enacting these roles episode after episode, with very rare glimpses of the personalities behind their archetypal masks. Even as a kid I found this uber-boring.
Love Your Villians Read More »
Nobody knew why Leroy Maxfield was called Bus. No one except Milt. And he wasn’t about to tell a soul that it was because when the head umpire was six, he had set fire to the family home while using his mom’s kitchen matches to see if twigs would heat the oven. After all, his mom used the matches to light the burners on the stove, and the stove in the living room was heated with wood… His pa’s cries of, “He’s busted me! He’s busted me!” had jarred the neighborhood, and Leroy was “Bus” from then on.
Leroy “Bus” Maxfield Read More »
مَبْسُوطَتَانِمَبْسُوطَتَانمَبْسُوطَتَانِ Over and over and over….that is all I could hear and see يَدَاهُ مَبْسُوطَتَانِ يُنفِقُ كَيْفَ يَشَآءُ ۚHe is open-handed, giving freely as He pleases (5:64) In this week of intense grief and loss, every time I was still for even a moment…this is all that would wash over me مَبْسُوطَتَانِ Indeed—that is what
A Tribute in Memory of Anse Saida Abbed-Ahmed Read More »
At our latest Latte and Learn, Anse Fatima walked us through some big-picture thinking about how we work at Rabata, especially as we prepare for Ramadan and expand our offerings with Ribaat University.
From “Workflow vs Project” to Creative Planning Read More »
Recently, in a writing critique group, I nervously shared my idea for a book I want to write. I prefaced this idea with “I am not a writer, but…” As soon as that sentence left my mouth, I knew it was the wrong thing to say around this group of people and I promptly heard
Why You Should Call Yourself a Writer Read More »
“I can’t see anything!” Someone exclaims, trying to push away the cloudy fog in vain so he can see the road.
“You should get used to it,” Anyone replies, nonchalantly, walking further and further until Someone can barely see Anyone, “It’s like this everywhere except The County.”
“I’m telling you,” Someone insists, “I’m not from The County!”
“Then where did you come from?” Anyone replies, sneering. “Earth?”
The World of Rethar Read More »
We are excited to introduce December’s Student of the Month. Dr. Renas Almubarak’s journey is one of devotion—to her family, her patients, and her faith. Originally from Sudan, she immigrated to the United States in 2010 to pursue her dream of working with children. After graduating from medical school, she completed seven years of training in pediatrics and emergency pediatric medicine, living in five different states along the way. Today, she and her family have finally settled in New Jersey, where she balances life as a pediatric emergency doctor, wife, and homeschooling mother of four children, aged seven to thirteen.
Student of the Month–December Read More »
