Lived, Had, Hoped For
  I open my eyes, and I can see.  Without conscious intention, I blink moistening the delicate windows through which the world around me is made apparent.  For me this has always been possible.  But I have a friend afflicted with multiple sclerosis who suffers just to raise her stiffened, bent hand to rub her dry, aching eyes.  She is bound to a hospital bed in her home u...

We are not all Equal
  True.  We are all created by the Giver of Life as descendents of Adam and Eve and born into this world with pure souls having free will.  But in accordance with the All-Knowing's infinite wisdom, that is the extent of our equality.  Each and every one of us faces different surroundings and circumstances from the moment we are born.  Even children in the same family ...

Don't Get Branded
The media lassos whirl around the airwaves and falls around the unsuspecting necks of consumers thousands of times a day. Drawn in by the powerful pull of corporations who spend extensive amounts of time and money on how to make the tightening of the rope around our necks seem to be a symbol of acceptance by beautiful, wealthy people. Forced to the ground by peer pressure to join the crowd, our h...

A Wig of Oppression
For years she had taught math with joy and enthusiasm.  Student after student looked forward to her class, and she looked forward to them.  This happy arrangement of daily sharing knowledge and encouraging its pursuit was one she hoped to look forward to for many years to come.  But that was not the case. One day all that changed when this Muslim teacher was told she could no longe...

Fathers Every Day
Shame on us if we think a copycat holiday for our fathers is any way to honor them. Burdened with the responsibility to provide for their immediate and extended families from the moment they reach adulthood (by Islamic standards that's puberty) our young men grow into the leaders of our households through marriage and the passing on of their elders. Ever increasing in their understanding of the m...

Call to Prayer
One of the five pillars of Islam is the ritual prayer (salat) which is performed by Muslims around the world five times a day. How Muslims know that the prayer time has come is by the adhan, or the call to prayer that is recited from the minaret of a mosque. The first adhan was recited in the first Hijri year, or 622 CE. Bilal was the first Muslim to deliver it, and ever since, it has been an et...

A Call to Mankind
I had heard those words before.  Strange and mysterious initally, with time I learned what they meant.  If I had heard them before becoming a Muslim, I had no idea what they were.  Like someone who is not Muslim recently told me, "I thought they were different each time."  But they weren't.  They were always the same but not like a chant.  It was not a mindless act to...

Successfully Enduring
The deep green leaves of the ivy covering the wall that ran along the sidewalk fluttered in the cool spring breeze as I made my way downhill on a morning errand.  The sky was clear blue with the occasional puffy cloud.  Having the sun to brightly highlight and warm all it touched, others too were out taking advantage of the fine day. Ahead and to my right, a covered Muslim lady had come...

Mom Deserves Better
Whether it began with the ancient Greek tradition of mother worship epitomized by a celebration for Cybele, an important mother of Greek gods, or in ancient Rome with a holiday dedicated to Juno on which mothers were given gifts, it has taken on many forms since then.  From being a day to visit one's Mother Church in the 16th century United Kingdom and Ireland to a day when mothers calle...

Where to?
With the decision made months in advance, the tickets are purchased, and the planning begins. As the date approaches, the list of things to do fluctuates in length as one thing is marked off and five more need to be added. The closer the departure date comes the more matters of greater detail come to mind. "Okay, I have to remember to pack an extra of this or that just in case. And, oh yeah,...

Who’s the Master?
Being his school's administrator and counselor for several years, I observed him from the moment he arrived at the school to register that first summer.  He was the tall, silent type that could easily be misread as insecure.  But if one paid attention, one could see in his eyes the spark of strength and intellect that the lay just below the surface. As he found his place among the o...

Lost Hopes
Slowly I climbed the steep hill toward my destination.  Reaching the place where I was to turn, I paused for a moment to catch my breath.  The subtle morning breeze caused the edge of my scarf to flutter as it cooled and refreshed me. Turning to my right, I gradually descended along the dead end street to a high wall partitioned by a heavy metal gate.  Through the vertical bars mak...