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  • Obituary: Dr. Ahmad Sakr

    Obituary: Dr. Ahmad Sakr

    Born in Beirut, Lebanon, Dr. Sakr got his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He was a founding member and president of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA) as well as a founding member of the World Council of Mosques, Makkah. He was the first director and representative of the Muslim World League to the U.N.

    Dr. Ahmad Sakr passed away on November 23, 2015. May Allah SWT have mercy on him and admit Him to Paradise. The path Dr. Sakr followed was one that faithfully emulated our Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. His dedication will always stand out in the beautiful memories we have of him, and will always remind us of the strengths and blessings of faith. He played an inspirational role in the founding of many Islamic institutions and centers, including the first Islamic college in the United States, the American Islamic College of Chicago. He was a founding member and president of the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), and a founding member of the World Council of Mosques in Makkah. Dr. Sakr was a staunch supporter of ICNA, active in interfaith activities, published more than fifty books, and was a board member of the Islamic Food and Nutrition Council of America.

    Dr. Sakr was a selfless community leader and tireless Islamic worker. He was regularly invited to fundraise for various community projects and he did so without compensation. He happily accepted his role in serving communities around the country and beyond. He also offered his guidance and wisdom to individuals facing personal problems, be they Muslim or non-Muslim, and he was always tried to make himself available to those in need.

    One of the early Muslims hoping to build a strong community in America, Dr. Sakr collaborated with brothers and sisters from nations around the world who had settled in the U.S., helping to clear the path for the future Muslim generations in America. They prepared the foundation for the vibrant and active American Muslim spirit that we see around us today. They learned to adapt to a new culture, assimilating into the American fabric of life while holding strong to the teachings of Quran and Sunnah. Dr. Sakr’s confidence in meeting the challenges he and his contemporaries encountered set the bar high so that today’s generation can move forward armed with trust in Allah SWT, guided by His light and empowered through the knowledge of His deen. He was a father, an uncle, a teacher, and a counselor. He inspired in us the ability to channel the strength of Omar, the gentleness of Abu Bakr, the shyness of Othman, and the knowledge of Ali, may Allah bless them all.

    Dr. Sakr once shared with me an issue that bothered him. He said, “Why do the obstructionists do what they do, despite having knowledge and understanding that what we are trying to do to build Islam [in America] is a good thing? They make us fail in endeavors again and again.” I pondered this question for many years since then, and I finally realized the obstructionists’ aim was to disrupt our unity. I would say to Dr. Sakr, my teacher, if he were still with us, a phrase uttered by the Emperor of Rome, Marcus Aurelius: “What we do today echoes in eternity.” Thus, we must persevere to make today better.

    I would also say to him, “My teacher, you have departed from us as we face challenges today that are unprecedented. We have met the challenge of absolving our faith from the deception enacted by people from our own creed. We must now carry the torch of faith and pass it on, uncorrupted, to the next generation. Then, insha’Allah, we will deliver the new generation to a safe ground so they can grow into faith with the clarity that the Prophet, may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, left us with.

    “I say to you my teacher, we will, God willing, be the men and women who stand firm, carrying this generation on our shoulders and uplifting the spirit of the dejected. Allah only allows us to succeed when we care for the weak and empower the destitute. May Allah SWT allow us to meet on the Day of Judgment in the circle of the beloved Prophet and his companions. Ameen.”

  • Early American Mosques

    Early American Mosques

    Many early Muslim communities were comprised of a few individuals and/or families. They met in private homes for prayers, and rented out halls for the Muslim holidays.

    1900 – First Documented Communal Muslim Prayers

    Muslims of Arab descent in Ross, North Dakota gathered in homes for the first documented communal prayers held by American Muslims.

    1915 – Mosque Built in Biddeford, Maine

    Albanian Muslims built a mosque in Biddeford, Maine and established an Islamic association. In 1919, they established another mosque in Waterbury, Connecticut. These were among the first Islamic associations in America.

    1929 – Mosque Built in Rural North Dakota

    The small Ross community built the mosque, but in time it fell into disrepair as some Muslims relocated and others passed away. It was rebuilt in 2005 in memory of one of the town’s few remaining Muslims.

    1934 – The Mother Mosque of America

    Lebanese Muslims in Cedar Rapids, IA built this mosque in 1934; it is the longest continually standing Muslim house of worship still in use today.

  • Timeline of Major Milestones in American Muslim Politics

    Timeline of Major Milestones in American Muslim Politics

    Click here for the timeline of major milestones related with Islam and Muslims in American Politics

    Click here to listen audio podcast of this article

  • Do You Know America’s First Muslims?

    Do You Know America’s First Muslims?

    Click here to listen audio podcast of this article

    Estevanico (Stephen the Moor)

    Estevanico, also known as Stephen the Moor, was born in Morocco around 1503 and raised as a Muslim. He was sold into slavery and in 1527 his owner, Andres de Dorantes, took him on an expedition to Florida, along with six hundred colonists and soldiers. During his time with Dorantes, Estevanico converted to Christianity. After encountering hostile Native Americans, the surviving contingent of colonists and soldiers escaped by barge, sailing toward Mexico, but ended up in Texas. After being enslaved by Indians, only four men survived — Estevanico, Dorantes, Cabeza de Vaca, and Alonso Castillo. These four traveled for eight years across northern New Spain (present-day U.S. Southwest and northern Mexico), reaching Spanish forces in Mexico City in 1536. He is said to have been the first African man in North America.

    Omar ibn Sayyid

    Omar ibn Sayyid was born around 1770 in what is present-day Senegal. He was an educated Muslim man who was kidnapped from his home at age 37, transported to South Carolina and sold into slavery, remaining enslaved until he died, in 1864. He converted to Christianity while a slave, but wrote heartfelt reminiscences of his early days as a Muslim and some scholars maintain that he stayed true to Islam throughout his life. He wrote 14 manuscripts, all in Arabic, including his autobiography which begins with verses from the Quran.

    Adbul Rahman Ibrahima Sori

    A man who spent 40 years as a slave in Natchez, Mississippi, Abdul Rahman Ibrahima Sori, was born in 1762, a prince from the Kingdom of Futa Jallon, a territory in present-day Republic of Guinea. He was sold into slavery in 1788, at the age of 26. Upon being freed in 1829, he and his wife set sail for Timbuktu, his birthplace, but they made it only as far as the American colony in Monrovia, Liberia on the west coast of Africa. He died soon after arriving, while his nine children remained enslaved in America. His remarkable story is told in a 2008 film, “Prince Among Slaves” which includes the reunion of Abdul-Rahman’s descendants, from both Liberia and the U.S., in 2003.

    Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq

    From a family of learned and prosperous Muslims in Mandingo (now Ghana), Abu Bakr Al-Siddiq was taken as a prisoner of war at the age of 15, sold into slavery and sent to Jamaica in 1807 to work on a plantation. He was forced to change his name and convert to Christianity, but he always thought of himself as Abu Bakr, maintained his faith as a Muslim, and years later wrote a short autobiography in Arabic. Abu Bakr compiled detailed lists of trade routes in Western Africa, and some of his works were later translated into English.

    Salih Bilali

    Most of his life was spent as a slave on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, a long way from where Salih Bilali was born, in Massina (present-day Mali) in the 1770s. Then he was kidnapped and sold into slavery around 12 years old, ending up in the Bahamas where he worked as a slave until he was purchased by the Couper family of Georgia. Bilali was characterized by his owner’s son as the most religious man he had ever known, stating that Bilali’s last words before his death were “Allah is God and Mohammed his prophet.” (The above image is an artist’s rendering of a native of Hausa, said to resemble Salih Bilai. Image from African Muslims in Antebellum America.)

    Bilali Mohamed

    Bilali Mohamed was born in Timbo, Guinea around 1770. His family was Muslim and highly educated. He was enslaved as a teenager and taken to the Caribbean where he worked for 10 years, and then sold to a planter on Solepo Island, Georgia. Among the slaves, Bilali was seen as a leader and a teacher and some of his writings are preserved in the Georgia State Library in Atlanta. Upon his death in 1857, a 13-page Arabic manuscript was found and it has come to be called the Bilali Mohamed Document. It is a statement of Islamic beliefs. Bilali is also known for motivating his fellow slaves during the War of 1812 as they defended the island from the British. (Image of Bilali Mohamed descendant, Shad Hall of Sapelo. Photo circa 1930s, from African Muslims in Antebellum America.)

    Ayuba bin Sulaiman

    Ayuba bin Sulaiman, known in Europe and the U.S. as Job Ben Solomon, was born in 1701 of a religious Muslim family, was well-educated, and became a merchant. He was captured and sold into slavery in 1731 and sent to Annapolis, Maryland where he spent two years on a tobacco plantation. He was briefly imprisoned after attempting to escape from the plantation. He was later purchased by a British man and granted his freedom, and in 1734 he sailed back to Africa where he stayed until he died, in his seventies. He was known for his intelligence and conveyed a great pride in his African and Muslim identity.

    Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua

    Born around 1830 in Djougou (now Benin in West Africa), Mahommah Gardo Baquaqua was from a Muslim family of merchants. He was captured and shipped to Brazil as a slave in 1845. After two years, his owner, a ship captain, took him on a voyage to New York where abolitionists secured Baquaqua’s freedom. He made his way to Haiti and worked there for a time, converting to Christianity. He returned to New York in 1849, enrolled in college, but in 1853 he moved to Canada and collaborated with a local writer to produce his biography.

    Mahammed Ali ben Said (Nicholas Said)

    Mahammed Ali ben Said, later named Nicholas Said, was born in 1836 in northern Africa. When Said was around 15 years old, he was enslaved and transported across the desert, subsequently being owned by masters of various nationalities including Arab, Turk, and Russian. He was eventually hired as a valet to a European man and traveled with him to America. Said became a teacher in 1862 in Michigan and fought in the Civil War as part of the 55th Regiment of Massachusetts Colored Volunteers. His autobiography was published in the Atlantic Monthly in 1867 in which several references to Allah are found. He died in 1882.

  • Entrevista: Mujahid Fletcher (Islam in Spanish)

    Entrevista: Mujahid Fletcher (Islam in Spanish)

    Nacido y criado en Colombia hasta la edad de 8 años, Mujahid Fletcher emigró con su familia a Houston, TX. Sin embargo, tras una adolescencia llena de violencia pandillera y serios problemas, sus padres lo mandaron de vuelta a su país de origen donde, Fletcher dice, su vida dio un giro positivo. Permaneció en Colombia dos años y regresó nuevamente a Houston. Poco tiempo después, un amigo le hablo acerca del Islam. Después de estudiar la religión por un año, decidió abrazar el Islam, y luego fundó IslamInSpanish (IslamEnEspañol), una organización sin fines de lucro que ofrece productos y servicios audiovisuales islámicos en español. IslamInSpanish recientemente celebró su décimo aniversario con un banquete y recaudación de fondos en Dallas, TX.

    P ¿Cuáles han sido algunas de las dificultades que has encontrado como un nuevo musulmán?

    R Algunos meses después de que me convertí en musulmán, ocurrieron los atentados del 11 de septiembre, y me di cuenta durante ese tiempo que no había ninguna materia en español para darle a mi padre ni a cualquier otra persona que quería saber del Islam. La Sociedad Islámica de Greater Houston me pidió que hablara con la prensa hispanohablante para informar al público sobre el Islam, y después de explicarle más a mi papá acerca de la religión, él se convirtió tres meses después de mí. Luego me dijo que si no existía ningún material audiovisual para educar a la gente latina acerca del Islam, entonces debería ser mi responsabilidad producirlo. Este reto me llevo a mí y a mi esposa a matricularnos en el Instituto de Arte de Houston para obtener licenciaturas en Multimedia y Diseño Gráfico. Lo que nos motivo fue el hecho de que los musulmanes parecían muy débiles o no suficientemente preparados para presentar al Islam en los medios de comunicación de una manera efectiva, de tal manera que hicimos esto nuestro objetivo en la vida, y nos graduamos con honores siendo una pareja joven de nuevos musulmanes latinos de 22 y 24 años.

    P ¿Qué has contribuido para el dawah a los hispanohablantes y en general (incluyendo a tu familia)?

    R Una de mis humildes contribuciones al dawah en el idioma español es la fundación de IslamInSpanish, que por más de diez años ha producido el material islámico audiovisual en español tan necesario para educar a los latinos sobre el Islam a nivel mundial. Yo soy el fundador, y como tal, un productor de cine y televisión. Mi padre ha sido el narrador y mi esposa es la diseñadora gráfica para la compañía. Mi madre, mi suegra y su hermana, y muchos otros en nuestra familia han abrazado el Islam, al igual que miles de otros a nivel mundial por medio de nuestra página web www.IslamInSpanish.org y otros medios sociales como www.Facebook/IslamEnSpanish, nuestro canal en YouTube IslamInSpanishTV que tiene miles de visitantes, y a través de canales locales de televisión y también internacionales desde Madrid, España.

    P ¿Qué otro tipo de servicios ofrece IslamInSpanish?

    R También se nos invita a lugares públicos como universidades, Iglesias, sinagogas, Sam’s Club, convenciones, y otras avenidas, para hablar en inglés y en español acerca de lo que es el Islam y el punto de vista latino dentro del Islam. Yo, personalmente, he tenido la oportunidad de hablar en la Universidad de Harvard, la Universidad Rutgers, iglesias Unitarias, estaciones de radio católicas, Sam’s Club para entrenamiento de sensibilidad cultural durante el mes de Ramadán, y estaré hablando en una clase de confirmación en una sinagoga el próximo mes. Los propietarios de negocios musulmanes incluso piden que visitemos a sus empleados que están interesados en aprender del Islam.

    P ¿Cuáles son algunos de los obstáculos que ha tenido que superar en sus proyectos educativos?

    R Un problema que tenemos es que la producción de multimedia es costosa por el hecho de que requiere personal con entrenamiento técnico y requiere mucho tiempo. A pesar de las limitaciones presupuestarias y el desafío de encontrar las personas con las habilidades para llevar a cabo nuestros proyectos de producción ambiciosos, IslamInSpanish ha producido el primer set de 26 CDs de una traducción española del Corán, así como la producción de audios en español de otras obras clásicas como Los 40 Hadices de Al Nawawi, El Néctar Sellado (Biografía del Profeta Muhammad), y CDs muy informativos como Conozca a Jesús y María en el Islam, Conozca el Corán, y Conozca al Profeta del Islam.

    P En tu opinion, ¿Cuáles son algunos de los más grandes logros de?

    R Hoy somos la primera fuente auténtica de multimedia islámico en español para educar a los latinos sobre el Islam, y ahora después de diez años estamos a punto de viajar a zonas donde las personas quizás no sepan de nosotros o donde no se han celebrado eventos en vivo, con el fin de aumentar nuestro alcance y la conciencia. En los últimos cinco años hemos recaudado e invertido 200.000 dólares en nuestro estudio de producción llamado “Centro de Artes de Medios de Andalucía (www.AndaluciaCenter.org).” Hemos producido en los últimos diez años, más de 500 títulos de audiolibros y 200 programas de televisión hasta la fecha.

    Llevamos a cabo una firma de puertas abiertas para los latinos no musulmanes en los EE.UU. titulado “Raíces islámico en la cultura latina” – “Raíces Islámicas en la Cultura Latina” – donde cientos de personas han abrazado el Islam. Otros talleres de eventos en vivo se les da a los no musulmanes. Dos clases de español semanales se llevan a cabo en Houston y dos sermones españoles se entregan mensualmente, que es una actividad pionera que esperamos, en el futuro, que tendrá lugar durante todo los EE.UU.

    P ¿Cuál es la mejor manera de presentar el Islam a los latinos aquí [en nuestros países]?

    R En primer lugar, hemos aprendido que la clave es conectarse con la gente basada en la situación que se encuentran. En general, todos queremos el bien para nosotros mismos y para nuestras familias. Si hay una oportunidad para ayudar a alguien, mucha gente lo haría. La manera que nos dirigimos a las personas cuando hablamos con ellos es de la misma manera que nosotros quisiéramos que ellos nos hablen. Nunca se trata de debatir o discutir, porque esto abre la puerta de la negatividad. Esto es una regla mayor que se encuentra en el Islam y es una regla universal.

    En segundo lugar, nos acercamos a la gente para levantar los puentes de comprensión entre nosotros a nivel humano para poder conocernos bien. Si no nos conocemos, eso es cuando los problemas ocurren; no importa la raza, cultura, o afiliación religiosa. Y hemos sido creados para conocernos, basado en un verso en el Corán, en la Surah (Capítulo) al-Huyurat 49:13 –

    “¡Oh, humanos! Os hemos creado a partir de un hombre [Adán] y una mujer [Eva], y [de su descendencia] os congregamos en pueblos y tribus para que os conozcáis unos a otros. En verdad, el más honrado de vosotros ante Alá es el más piadoso. Ciertamente Alá es Omnisciente y está bien informado de lo que hacéis”.

    En tercer lugar, el idioma juega un papel enorme en la comunicación, por eso escogimos el nombre IslamInSpanish. Hablamos el idioma de nuestra gente, porque esta es la manera de comunicar el mensaje de manera natural – en nuestro propio idioma –como hicieron los mensajeros enviados por Alá, tal como Adán, Noé, Abrahán, Moisés, Jesús, y Muhammad (que la paz este con todos ellos). Alá menciona esto en el Corán en la Surah Ibrahim 14:4 –

    “Todos los Mensajeros que enviamos hablaban el idioma de su pueblo para transmitirles claramente el Mensaje. Pero sabed que Alá extravía a quien Le place y guía a quien quiere; ciertamente Él es Poderoso, Sabio”.

    Por lo tanto, se establece el sentido más profundo de comunicación entre ambas partes, y el corazón del que escucha se conecta al corazón del que habla basado en la cultura y el idioma que comparten. Esta es la razón que los eventos de IslamInSpanish son organizados en el idioma de la gente que sirven. Si la audiencia habla inglés, podemos presentar la información en inglés también, pero cuando una persona de habla hispana escucha la misma información en su lengua natal, su impacto y efecto son duraderos y los lleva al punto de aceptación, o al menos, de empatía hacia el Islam y los musulmanes.

    Para más información acerca de IslamInSpanish, consulte:

    La página web: www.IslamInSpanish.org

    Número telefónico gratuito: 1 (877) 717-4961

    www.IslamInSpanish.org

    www.facebook.com/islamenspanish

    www.youtube.com/user/IslamInSpanishTV

  • Racism After Ferguson: Where Do We Go From Here?

    Racism After Ferguson: Where Do We Go From Here?

    Following the fatal shooting in Ferguson on August 2014 of an unarmed African American teenager, Michael Brown, by white police officer Darren Wilson, protests were sparked in Ferguson. The protests spread nationwide in November when a Missouri grand jury decided not to indict Wilson and then the soon-to-follow decision not to indict the Staten Island police officer who put a chokehold on Eric Garner, resulting in his death. The killing of Michael Brown, along with other similar incidents throughout the country, has heated up a debate about racism, excessive force by police officers, and the targeting of young black men. Some Americans are asking the hard questions: Where do we go from here? How can we stop this heinous extrajudicial killing of African American males by law enforcement in the streets of our cities? More fundamentally, how can we as a nation address racism and improve race relations in America?

    Many Americans now recognize what African Americans have been  saying for a long time –  that there is institutional  racism and there is  still much work to do…”

    A Guardian columnist, Isabel Wilkerson, has recently noted, “Not terribly long ago in a country that many people misremember, if they knew it at all, a black person was killed in public every four days for often the most mundane of infractions, or rather accusation of infractions – for taking a hog, making boastful remarks, for stealing 75 cents. For the most banal of missteps, the penalty could be an hours-long spectacle of torture and lynching. No trial, no jury, no judge, no appeal. ” While America has come a long way from that horrific stage in its history, one wonders if we are regressing. How is it possible that coming well into the new century, the rate of police killings of black Americans is nearly the same as the rate of lynching during a time when blacks were denied due process and whites discriminated against and victimized them with impunity?

    Isabel Wilkerson has also said, “ Even though white Americans outnumber black Americans fivefold, black people are three times more likely than white people to be killed when they encounter the police in the US, and black teenagers are far likelier to be killed by police than white teenagers.” Imam Khalid Griggs has rightly observed: “Ferguson and St. Louis, Missouri are, unfortunately, not aberrations, but social barometers of the relationship of the law enforcement community to African American males nationwide. Urban enclaves have too often been reduced to being incubators for the Prison/Industrial Complex and its voracious appetite to incarcerate Black males.”

    The tragedy in Ferguson makes it imperative that Americans of all races and backgrounds call for national action to address the issues of systemic racism and police profiling – issues that the shooting of Michael Brown brought to the surface. That these issues have been simmering for a long time is without question, and we must be willing to confront racism, whether overt or hidden away under the cover of political correctness. A position paper on racism put out by the Australian Psychological Society describes the challenge: “Modern racism still involves a rejection of minority groups and discrimination, but is now framed in terms of values and ideology rather than a straightforward dislike. Research has demonstrated that the modern variant of racism is more insidious, entrenched, resilient and difficult to counteract.”

    If there is any good to have come out of the heartbreaking Ferguson incident is that many Americans now recognize what African Americans have been saying for a long time – that there is institutional racism and there is still much work to do to create a society in which people ‘’will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.’’ It is encouraging that President Obama has issued an executive order to establish oversight of the increasing militarization of police departments; it also calls for funding for body cameras for officers.

    We urge all Americans to contact their elected officials to support passage of the End Racial Profiling Act (ERPA) and any similar legislation that addresses unconstitutional actions by law enforcement. We also call upon the Department of Justice to complete its independent investigation of the killing of Michael Brown in a transparent and thorough manner. We strongly feel that people of conscience in all walks of life must work together to seek an end to racial profiling and the injustices perpetrated against racial, ethnic, or religious minorities.

    Last but not least, we would like to remind everyone that racism is primarily a moral and spiritual problem. The pathology of racism therefore requires a spiritual remedy at both the individual and the collective levels. We pray that our fellow citizens recognize this. Then we might all open our minds and hearts to the spiritual cure Islam freely offers. The Qur’an declares: “O Mankind, We created you from a single [pair] of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is he who is the most righteous of you” (Qur’an 49:13). This is indeed divine wisdom that can break the vice grip of racism. The quicker we recognize this and submit ourselves to it, the better for all of us.

  • Finding God and a Purpose in Islam

    Finding God and a Purpose in Islam

    My name is Martha Guadalupe; I am originally from Ecuador, but live in New Jersey, and I have been Muslim since 2003, alhamdulillah (all praise is due to Allah).Why did I embrace Islam? Interestingly, every time I have been asked this question, I have a different story to tell. There is never enough time to say it all. I recently saw a post on Facebook which drew my attention. It stated: “Searching for happiness, I found Islam.” What I can say is, “While searching for God, I found Him in Islam,” alhamdulillah!

    At first I was not the one who was searching for this beautiful religion. My family and I had distanced ourselves from the Catholic religion, but I never stopped worshipping God, praying to Him, asking him to guide my children by whatever means would permit them to reach Him, and to never abandon them. I was sure that God always protected us and that He was the only one who provided us with everything we need.

    It so happened that on September 11, 2001, my son Hernan (the eldest and a university student at the time) visited us in the evening and told my husband and me that he had accepted the Islamic religion. In my ignorance, I responded, “What is that?” He explained to me that it was the true religion of Allah, and I remember saying to him, “If this is the path that will take you to God, blessed be His Name, then may He continue guiding you,” and I hugged him.

    It was my eldest son who brought the religion of Islam to our home but a month after he became a Muslim, my second son did so as well, alhamdulillah. Then I began to learn for myself about the basics of this religion. Hernan would tell me about the life of Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him), that he was the last and seal of all the Prophets. At first I found it strange because for me, the last prophet had been Jesus (may peace be upon him).

    Whenever he could, Hernan would teach me about Islam. I began to worry because during one of our conversations, he told me about the punishments in the hereafter for those who did not obey the laws of God. That filled my heart with terror, and I feared God more than ever. “What will happen if I don’t follow what God wants? What will happen if I don’t have any time left? What will happen if I don’t wake up?,” I would ask myself. This is one of the reasons why I began to reflect deeply about what was better for me. I wanted to be a good servant so that God would not punish me.

    Two years later I accepted this wonderful religion. Now I am a proud Muslim, alhamdulillah. I won’t say that the change was easy. At first, it was very difficult, but Allah eased the way and I have been able to persevere, breaking through barriers and overcoming all obstacles in my path. I know that Allah has always guided me, but I had been blind for a portion of my life. Today everything is clear and I am very happy knowing that I am a humble servant of Allah; to Him we belong, and to Him we will return.

    In my daily living, my faith imbues all aspects of my outlook on life with hope and trust in God. When I left my job, I said to myself, “If Allah has taken me away from this job which has been very good, it is because He has something better for me.”I have always loved sewing and I used to make clothes for girls, but had stopped doing so 11 years previously. Then during a conversation, I heard some sisters speaking about how they would like to buy Islamic clothing online but it was too expensive. I suggested, “If you want, I can make the clothing for you at a much lower price, insha’Allah.” With the help of Allah, and my sons, I decided to start my own business, which we called, “Modasty Designs,” alhamdulillah. The business has been successful at a national level due to internet sales and Islamic conferences, and above all, Muslim women in my locality who ask me to make their clothes. It is always a pleasure for me and I am here to serve my Muslim community, insha’Allah.

    Since I have been Muslim, I dedicate myself to prayer and following the Sunnah, or the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (may peace and blessings be upon him). May Allah bless us, protect us, and guide us always. Ameen.

  • My Conversion Story

    My Conversion Story

    It’s hard to believe how different my life was just three years ago. Alhamdulilah, Allah (SWT) blessed me by guiding me to the straight path. My story was written by Allah (SWT) and happened solely by His will. In early 2009, I attended a wedding at a Catholic church, and subhan’Allah, I don’t know what it was about the wedding ceremony, but I walked out of that church knowing that I no longer wanted to be Christian. I didn’t know what I wanted to be, but I knew I didn’t want to be Jewish because I knew the conversion process was very lengthy and involved.

    I had an Egyptian Muslim friend during that period who I spent a lot of time with. I witnessed the unity of the their family during Ramadan and it was something that really stood out and appealed to me. I sat at my computer one day and I googled “what does it take to become Muslim,” and to my surprise, all it took was saying a few words!

    I told my Muslim friend and family that I wanted to be Muslim and they were very excited. I was given a Quran, but truth be told I didn’t really read it much. I did know, however, that I wanted to take my shahada before Ramadan of 2009.

    It happened one June day. I was on my way home from a trip to Los Angeles and I was walking to my car, and at that moment I was overwhelmed with a feeling of absolute, one hundred percent certainty, that I was ready to take my shahada. I really didn’t know much about Islam at that point, but it was implanted into my heart at that moment that I was ready to become Muslim. The next Friday I took my shahada. I didn’t know how to pray until my first day of Ramadan 2009. Fortunately, after that Ramadan, at the end of October, I found the M.E.C.C.A. Center and their New Muslims Program. It has been an amazing journey ever since.

    I have been blessed to be able to use my professional expertise to help Muslims. I am a movement therapist and nutrition coach and have been in the health and fitness industry for over 20 years. I operate a training and nutrition business in Manhattan and my students have nicknamed me “the hijabi drill sergeant.” In addition, I run Fit For Allah, a group strength-training class held weekly at the MECCA center in Manhattan, and work as director for the non-profit, health and fitness organization, Nadoona.

    Through this organization and their Nadoona Body Makeover, I am able to create and design individualized programs for weight loss. It is very fulfilling to bring an entirely new perspective to the fitness industry, utilizing the teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. I begin each class with a du’a, striving for the pure intention to spread health and fitness for the sake of Allah SWT.

  • Gift of Islam

    Gift of Islam

    There was a wooden shelf in the corner of my parents’ bedroom with a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and every Sunday my father replaced the flowers in a vase that was set by the statue. I remember him so clearly as he stood in front of the shelf which also had many other statues and he prayed with such strong belief. When I was nine years old, before his passing, he taught me many prayers, and I was taught to perform a spiritual cleansing of the evil eye (in Spanish “mal ojo”).

    Soon after my father passed, I started catechism (principles of the Christian religion) classes, and I spent most nights and Sundays at church. I received the communion as a Catholic and also the sacrament of confirmation, but I never felt close to God. During most of my younger years I had the Catholic religion forced upon me by my family; it wasn’t a choice to attend classes or mass, it was just obligatory in my home.

    As I got older, my mother distanced herself from the church as she became busy with her full-time job and we weren’t practicing our religion much anymore. In my mother’s bedroom was still that homemade shelf my father had built and all the statues he prayed to. But no one placed any flowers in the vase or prayed as my father had done.

    By my high school years my life had changed tremendously. I had become a very rebellious teenager. I was definitely lost. I experienced so many unwholesome things during my teenage life and I had lost my faith and didn’t believe in God.

    Alhamdulillah, after my daughter’s birth when I was 27 years old, I realized it was time to change the way I was living. I was introduced to Islam by a few friends online and I will never forget the first time I heard the Qur’an recited—I felt a connection with God! I felt something that I had not felt before in my life. Even though I had no idea what was said during the recitation, I fell in love with the Qur’an.

    I was blessed to be in contact with many wonderful brothers and sisters who provided me with the information I was looking for. It wasn’t long after that I decided to become Muslim. I took shahada in 2006, alhamdulillah. Today I know why I fell in love with the Qur’an; I know why I felt an instant connection with Allah SWT. Allah the Almighty Says: “This day have I perfected your religion for you and completed My favor upon you and have chosen for you Islam as your religion” (Qur’an 5:3).Islam is beautiful and Allah SWT has granted us the greatest gift possible and that is the gift of guidance to His religion, the complete and final religion.

    My life as a Muslim woman is amazing. My days are filled with so much peace and contentment — my family, home, and daily efforts are continuously blessed and it only gets better alhamdulillah. Muslims are bound together in heart and this unity is the means of strength for the Muslim ummah. In fact, it’s a divine gift that we Muslims must make use of. “And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends one of another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong, and they establish worship and they pay the poor-due, and they obey Allah and His messenger. As for these, Allah will have mercy on them. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Wise (Qur’an 9:71).

    That we are meant to be supporters of one another means so much to me. I want for my brothers and sisters what I want for myself, and after contemplating for months I finally decided to launch an effort that would be of benefit to my sisters in Islam. In May 2011 I established Muslimahs Covered With Care (MCWC). This initiative is designed to provide hijabs and abayas to Muslim women. I personally understand the difficulty in adopting the Islamic attire and I understand the number of reason why some Muslim women do not cover.

    Presently the MCWC team consists of seven wonderful women and others are always encouraged to join us. We have coordinators in the US, Europe, Canada, Australia, and the UK. Join our team in helping Muslimahs around the world to dress modestly, one hijab and one abaya at a time. Visit www.muslimahscoveredwithcare.org for more information.

  • Sh. Al-Husary – Spotlight on Islamic Traditions

    Sh. Al-Husary – Spotlight on Islamic Traditions

    In the narrative that chronicles the preservation of the Qur’an, Shaykh Mahmud Khalil al-Husari occupies a unique position. He was born in 1917 in the center of Tanta, Egypt, with an excelling aptitude for learning the Qur’an. He began his journey at the age of four with local Qur’an teachers and finished memorizing the Qur’an by the age of eight. Too young for admission to any of the Qur’an schools, he began to recite in the village mosques and quickly became a local sensation. As his voice matured, he was invited to gatherings and events to recite the Qur’an. When he reached the age of 12, he entered formal studies at the renowned al-Azhar University schools and completed formal degrees as well as attaining proficiency in the Ten Readings of the Qur’an.

    In 1944, Shaykh al-Husari became nationally known when he won first place in a radio competition, and thereafter became a familiar voice in Egypt. He held various positions in the region’s mosques and religious institutions, as well as serving on several academic and government councils to advance the cause of the Qur’an.

    His passion turned global as he became one of the first Qur’an scholars to travel widely throughout the world as an informal “Ambassador of the Qur’an.” He travelled to India in 1960 to recite at a conference in the presence of Egypt’s president Gamal Abdul Nasir and India’s Nehru, and went to Kuwait in Ramadan of 1963. He frequently visited the major Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Pakistan where he was chosen as the head of an International Reciters Forum at a conference in Karachi in 1966.

    His passion to spread the voice of the Qur’an did not exclude the West. He visited France in 1965 where ten individuals embraced Islam upon hearing his recitation. He visited the U.S. on multiple occasions in the 1970s, met President Jimmy Carter, and visited some of the oldest Islamic centers in the country. On one occasion, it is said that 18 men and one woman embraced Islam after hearing him. He was the first individual ever to recite the Qur’an in the U.S. Congress, the first to recite at the United Nations, in 1977, and in London’s Buckingham Palace in 1978.

    A Rich Legacy

    In addition to being a reciter, Shaykh al-Husari left behind a dozen written works on the Qur’an and its sciences, including a textbook on the science of Tajweed. His greatest legacy, however, is one that placed his name squarely on the historical roadmap of pioneers in preserving the Qur’an and advancing its status in the world. Shaykh al-Husari has the distinction of being the first person in history to record the entire Qur’an in audio media and preserve it for posterity. Although there were others who did partial recordings before his time, and many who did recordings after him, his work became preeminent for a number of reasons.

    To begin with, he was simply the first to record the entire Qur’an. The story behind this project reveals a glimpse into his visionary spirit as well as the workings of destiny. Shaykh al-Husari was greatly concerned about the efforts of Christian missionaries, particularly in Africa, to spread confusion and doubts about the Qur’an. Moreover, this was the dawn of the age of electronic communication and the world was just beginning to take shape as a global village. Shaykh al-Husari used his influence and position to raise awareness of the need to preserve the Qur’an, in the spirit of its early pioneers, this time in an audio format.

    The project had initially been presented to a number of reciters but never came to fruition due to disputes about monetary compensation and related issues. After exhausting these avenues, the matter returned to Shaykh al-Husari, who reluctantly agreed to do it. But he did it as a service to the ummah, without any monetary compensation. He did the same for all his written works, preferring charitable distribution rather than selling for profit.

    Most importantly, his complete mastery and precision in articulating the letters and words of the Qur’an were undeniable. After the project’s completion, the recordings were presented to numerous scholarly experts, and it was only after all of them testified to its precision that the project was allowed to proceed. And to this day, with the unanimous and universal approval of the leading experts of Tajweed, Shaykh al-Husari’s crystal clear voice continues to resonate with divine beauty and power from schools, cars, audio players, and computer software throughout the world.

    Finally, the ambitious nature of the project was also a key factor in its success. After recording the entire Qur’an in the rendition of Hafs in 1961, Shaykh al-Husari’s work was not over. He proceeded to do another entire recording in the Reading of Warsh in 1964 and additional ones in Qalun and Duri in 1968. He also produced another recording in Mujawwad form, a slower style of recitation, as well as one in a teaching style (Muzallam). These recordings have all been widely available since, and continue to our times.

    In 1980, Shaykh al-Husari began suffering from a heart condition and ultimately passed away on November 24, 1980 after completing the last prayer of the day. Upon his death, he left a third of his wealth for charitable works for advancing the cause of the Qur’an.