Heather Mahmoud joined Rabata only two years ago, but her impact and presence can be seen in many of its spaces. Heather started classes with Ribaat in Spring of 2021 with a student-favorite, PUR 101: Training the Tongue, Purifying the Heart with Anse Marah. She credits this course as the catalyst for the best Ramadan of her life in 2021 and determined herself to pursue the Teacher Certification, insha’Allah.
This article was published as part of Masjid Rabata’s Annual Maryam (as) Seminar, Might and Light: Maryam’s Single Motherhood, December 2022.
Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَ lets us know in the Quran, that the greatest woman ever created was Maryam عليها السلام, mother of Isa عليه السلام, and she was a single mother. She is the epitome of a role model for women of all time. What defines her as a great woman, is not that she was married and a good wife, or a good sister, which are all very important, but that she was qaanitaat (obedient to Allah), and Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَ chose her and purified her and chose her over the women of all the worlds (Al-e-Imran 42).
This article was published as part of Masjid Rabata’s Annual Maryam (as) Seminar, Might and Light: Maryam’s Single Motherhood, December 2022.
Maryam (as) didn’t sign up for a birthing plan. And for those of us who suddenly, or gradually, find ourselves in the role of single motherhood know the pain that comes with shattered dreams of the home we envisioned for our young ones.
This article was published as part of Masjid Rabata’s Annual Maryam (as) Seminar, Might and Light: Maryam’s Single Motherhood, December 2022.
As I look back at my son’s formative years as a single mother, I have to admit I don’t know how I did it but it got done, wa lillahil hamd! One thing is for certain though, is that Allah سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى is Most Sublime and All Aware. The hadith of the Prophet ﷺ comes to mind in which he states,
Across centuries, cultures, and continents, the world’s major faith traditions have at least one thing in common: the use of water for purification. Purification rituals using water are seen in Islam in a number of ways, as well as in Judaism, Christianity, Buddhism, Hinduism, Baha’ism, and others. Purification rituals are commonly required before worship or after performing certain actions, particularly human acts such as eating, defecating, or having sexual relations. Certain body parts and bodily excretions, as well as sins, are also seen as needing purification.
Uripah Samikun, raised in Indonesia and currently residing in Durham, NC, started Ribaat classes with the support and encouragement of her husband during the Spring 2022 semester. She registered in hopes of attaining a better understanding of Allah’s Words for herself and her teaching efforts, with the intention of pursuing a Tajwid certificate. Now, she cannot help but find her eyes glancing toward the Teacher certificate, as well.
An icy freeze can be quite harsh. Many living things are not able to survive it. Others die a little bit, holding on to just enough life to regrow again once the freeze is over. A freeze can also be a beautiful thing to behold, at once somber and silent, foretelling a chance for a stronger, brighter future.
Aida Azlin is a Singaporean residing in Morocco, who runs an online global community called AA Plus for Muslim women. For the last eight years, she has been writing a weekly newsletter called Tuesday Love Letters. Aida is a proud ‘cat mom’ and loves to host guests in her home.
It was a cold winter day and bits of icy snow were still falling on the windshield. I was in the passenger seat of our station wagon and my mother’s mouth was set in “stress.” She said, “When we go inside, you will hear me apologize for being late, and blaming the snow. This is a white lie. We shouldn’t ever lie. But if I don’t, I might lose the appointment.” I was a little bit in awe—my mother was about to lie. I walked into the hair salon with ears and eyes paying close attention. And she did mumble something to the receptionist about our precarious ride to the shop, after which we were hustled over to a waiting space and quickly given our turns.
This is an acrylic painting that I made for my final project of my Ribaat Academic Institute Tajwid class that I was enrolled in this semester with Anse Dr. Saadia Mian.
