Explore | Muslim Youth Musings

Al-Ghaffar: The Perpetual Forgiver

While we go about living our daily lives, caught up in the speed and realness of each moment, an occasional “oh my Allah!” moment interrupts, reminding us to step back and reassess our situation. Reality dawns upon us, and we suddenly find ourselves at a loss of hope because of our sins. All of...

17 February 2012 | 5 Comments

Everything As It Seems

Surraya uncrossed her feet and then crossed them again. She shoved her hands deeper into her pockets, her itchy freezing fingers in search of some warmth. Gosh, it was cold, she thought. She was sitting in the doctor’s office, waiting for her turn. Her throat wasn’t getting any better, and after a week of...

09 February 2012 | 22 Comments

Quantum Barakah

“All right, everyone. Let’s recite Surah Al-Asr before we finish class,” I announced to thirteen pairs of brown eyes staring up at me. In unison, the chorus of excited third-graders began to read the Surah. One little girl in a puffy white coat and gauzy blue hijab leapt up in excitement, waving her hands...

07 February 2012 | 5 Comments

Where is Home?

Home. Where is home? I thought of this and only then was I faced with the inevitable. “We’re going to move by the end of the year.” My father’s sudden words temporarily silenced me. I paused for a moment, unsure of what to say or how to feel. “Do I have a choice?” I...

27 January 2012 | 20 Comments

Colors of the Wind

Become one with the earth. Lay upon the dirt from which you came. Sinking, melting, Streaming down the crevices Cracks, slipping further. We return to the earth, don’t we? Go, return to your Lord. Creator. Guardian. Let the sun wash over your skin. Bask in the beams of mercy, A gift from your Lord...

21 January 2012 | 14 Comments

Servant Thievery

She was dragged mercilessly to the balcony, clutching her black plastic trash bag close to her side as if her life depended on it. The dusty, mosquito-infested balcony was perhaps two feet wide, five feet long. She stared aimlessly into the crowded and polluted city of Dhaka, Bangladesh, a woman in her early twenties....

12 January 2012 | 16 Comments

Send Me to the Planetarium

As a young girl, I developed an overzealous fascination with outer space. The balance of the blazing stars astounded me – especially as they contrasted against the composed and appeasing moon. When I was ten years old, my mother gifted me with a miniature telescope which I treasured whole-heartedly. I loved everything about it:...

01 January 2012 | 6 Comments

The Birth of Death

I had just dropped my sisters off at madrassah – the mosque school – and was heading home. The sun was finally calling it a day, decorating the sky with a glorious mix of orange and pink. It was raining lightly, my windscreen wipers wiping tiny specks of water away as I drove on....

31 December 2011 | 9 Comments

A Vignette of Two Vendors

I know a woman who sells perfume, and keeps me apprized of the richest scents in bloom. Whenever I find my fragrances nearly finished, I peer into her shop window before the store hours diminish. Ever ready is she with scents that enliven the air: Freesia, Jasmine, Vanilla, and Pear. Finally, when I manage...

30 December 2011 | 8 Comments

A Palace of Dark Windows

Sometimes we think that just because there is light everything is clear. We fail to see the shades. We are blind to the shadows of their stories. On one of your semi-solitary strolls along the river of cement, you encounter a palace whose only openings are windows. You reach for a broad bright window...

29 December 2011 | 8 Comments

So You Think I’m Immodest?

The whole day had simply been concocting the ingredients for a famous dish, fiasco. I’d woken up for Fajr dreading getting dressed, because today’s dress code was to wear jeans and a t-shirt. How I could wear that modestly mystified me. I sighed and finally pulled on a long formal dress shirt that went...

28 December 2011 | 11 Comments

A Friend To Remember: Part II

Continued from ‘A Friend to Remember: Part I‘ Kalia got upset at the worst of things. I walked over to my mother’s car after school, stepping over the cracks in the sidewalk in front of the school. Being called a terrorist was just something I ignored, something stupid that media sensationalized and used against...

20 December 2011 | 12 Comments

A Friend To Remember: Part I

It was another year at beloved public school, another year at Valley Falls High – home of brand new desks and bats in the ceiling. Lockers slammed and kids laughed as I walked through the halls, bumping shoulders and finding pathways in the crowd. I sighed. Summer had flown by in a midst of...

19 December 2011 | 8 Comments

Weeping Stars

Oh weeping stars, Do your falling tears bring any benefit? The night has brought its cover over the sky, Soothing many eyes to rest under its blanket. But mine refuses to close from the grief they behold, They search for an answer to relieve their mourning. I’ve explored the heavens above, Tracing your kin...

18 December 2011 | 7 Comments

Tracing The Prophets’ Footsteps

As we leave the Arafat sunset, And ride to Muzdalifa. The whiteness of our ihrams Gleams in the darkness. “Hajj Mubarak,” a sister whispers, As she embraces me tightly. Her tear stained cheek touches mine, In silent salaam. “What are we doing here?” my ten year old sister asks, As we lie on the...

15 December 2011 | 8 Comments

Painting Time

I’m wasting colours, painting time, Throwing the pen in the air, Slicing okra in the orange-faded Kitchen, watching the thirds tessellate Like broken stencils in the colander. The metal fades, so I drag the blinds And unscroll the curtains to see rain Slipping down the windows. The Song? Tapestries of water Drops, puddles, oceans,...

13 December 2011 | 5 Comments

Living Life to the Fullest

Last week, my sister and I went out for a walk and began to discuss our experiences at school. I loved speaking to her since I could talk to her about just about anything, and knew she wouldn’t tell anybody else about our conversations. This time, I told her about a previous teacher of...

11 December 2011 | 7 Comments

Feel free to explore MYM!

Al-Ghaffar: The Perpetual Forgiver

Everything As It Seems

Quantum Barakah

Where is Home?

Colors of the Wind

Servant Thievery

Send Me to the Planetarium

The Birth of Death

A Vignette of Two Vendors

A Palace of Dark Windows

So You Think I’m Immodest?

A Friend To Remember: Part II

A Friend To Remember: Part I

Weeping Stars

Tracing The Prophets’ Footsteps

Painting Time

Living Life to the Fullest

Recent Articles

Feel free to explore MYM!

Al-Ghaffar: The Perpetual Forgiver

Everything As It Seems

Quantum Barakah

Where is Home?

Colors of the Wind

Servant Thievery

Send Me to the Planetarium

The Birth of Death

A Vignette of Two Vendors

A Palace of Dark Windows

So You Think I’m Immodest?

A Friend To Remember: Part II

A Friend To Remember: Part I

Weeping Stars

Tracing The Prophets’ Footsteps

Painting Time

Living Life to the Fullest

Recent Articles

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