Have you ever heard any of the following statements? You are not “religious” because ….. you listen to music. you don’t have a beard (males). you don’t wear the hijab (females). you say “hi” instead of “Salaam.” you like to put on make-up and wear nail polish (females). you wear shorts while praying (males). you…
when it feels like the walls are closing in around you and the darkness is louder than the silence and the footsteps that once created a sense of companionship are now gone and it feels like there is no breathing soul in sight and it feels too hard to breathe in the sharp, stinging air,…
Marie : Hey, a couple of friends and I are going out tonight to a frat party. Want to come? Salma : No I can’t. Marie: Why not? Salma: Because I’m Muslim, and I am not allowed. 5 minutes later… Marie: We are going to take a couple of tequila shots before we go. Since…
By Michelle Schafieh
On my commute to and from school, I sometimes watch Islamic lectures on my smartphone. Not too long ago, while I was on the bus, I remembered a post on the UCLA MSA page mentioning Hamza Yusuf’s “Life of the Prophet,” so I decided to listen to it. Right next to me was a man,…
Think of a person that you may have fallen in love with or are already in love with. Then answer Yes or No to the following questions to determine if your love is real. Does your heart race every time you hear his/her name? Do you feel at peace every time you are around him/her?…
“Say: ‘If mankind and the jinns were together to produce the like of this Qur’an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they helped one another.’” [al-Israa’ 17:88] My parents taught me how to speak Farsi, and although they also attempted to teach me the Arabic alphabet, I never learned it. However, I…
The Prophet (peace be upon him) said; “The strong is not the one who overcomes the people by his strength, but the strong is the one who controls himself while in anger.” [Sahih Al Bukhari, Vol. 8, Book of Good Manners, Hadith. No. 6114] Have you ever been in a situation where you felt uncontrollable…
“Or were they created by nothing, or were they the creators [of themselves]?” (Quran Surah 52. Ath Thuur verse 35) During my first year at UCLA, I decided to go to a Dawah workshop held by one of the brothers involved in the MSA. The goal of the workshop was to teach Muslims how to…
“And He provides for him from (sources) he never could imagine. And if anyone puts his trust in Allah, sufficient is (Allah) for him. For Allah will surely accomplish his purpose: verily, for all things has Allah appointed a due proportion.” (Surah At-Talaq: 3) One summer, my dad and I went to the airport to…