Meena Malik Islam has a holistic definition of worship, including sacred rituals and also mundane everyday actions. Muslims are encouraged to seek the pleasure of Allah in all aspects of their lives. Believe it or not,Islam does not command Muslims to stay in the mosque all day reading the [...]
By Laura El Alam Sometimes people feel their hearts are drawn to Islam, but they hesitate to call themselves a Muslim. Perhaps they are afraid that they don’t know enough about the faith yet, or that they’re not the “right kind” of a person to fit the description. Maybe [...]
By Laura El Alam Ramadan is right around the corner. If you’re new to Islam, and this will be your first time observing the holy month, you might have some questions. Here is a Ramadan Cheat Sheet to get you started. Fasting basics. Able-bodied adult Muslims fast from dawn [...]
By Laura El Alam New Muslims often have many questions about how to practice Islam properly. At the same time, they are often bombarded with unsolicited opinions, information, and advice. Whether it’s an unknown brother or sister in the mosque approaching them with a critique, or a random “born Muslim” [...]
By Laura El Alam I’m considering becoming a Muslim, but I’m hesitant about wearing hijab. What should I do? For women in the West who decide to embrace Islam, wearing a headscarf (also called hijab or khimar) can be the most difficult step. There may be various reasons why [...]
By Laura El Alam People who embrace Islam are often called “converts,” and some members of the Muslim community insist that the correct label is “reverts.” Ustadh Wm. Halim Breinnis believes that both “convert” and “revert” are insufficient terms. In this interview, Usdadh Halim explains why these terms can [...]
Interview by Melissa Barreto Candice Elam, DNP, FNP-C, accepted Islam 19 years ago. Like many converts, her choice meant practicing a new religion, navigating changing family dynamics, and learning how to maintain her own identity in the wider, and often ethnocentric, Muslim communities. This is her story and the lessons [...]
Hamza Dudgeon Converting to Islam is often not just a religious conversion, but also entails learning the culture(s) of your local Muslim community. Learning about a new religion and possibly new cultures can be daunting to the new convert. Hence, this article is here to help! Connecting to Community [...]
By Dr Laurence Brown Let’s talk frankly. Almost never do non-Muslims study Islam until they have first exhausted the religions of their exposure. Only after they have grown dissatisfied with the religions familiar to them, meaning Judaism, Christianity and all the fashionable “-isms”—Buddhism, Taoism, Hinduism (and, as my young [...]
"I did not want to 'trade in' my culture. I wanted access to new meanings." - How an American writer born of a Jewish father and a Christian mother found spiritual fulfillment in Islam. After twenty-five years as a writer in America, I wanted something to soften my cynicism. I [...]
