We’re most of the way through the last 10 days of Ramadan, the most blessed days of the most blessed month of the Islamic year. I didn’t fast this Ramadan. I haven’t fasted since the third year of grad school when I no longer had enough classes to fill my need for social interaction. During […]

Ramadan is a month when many of us try to spend more time reading the Qur’an, or listening to recitations.  I recently spoke to Zahra Khan about her efforts to draw more attention to recitations by women and girls. KR: Can you describe the project? ZK: The FITNA Women Reciters Ramadan Campaign is an online project […]

This post was written by guest contributor Nahida (@haraammermaids). One of my favorite ahadith states the following: the Prophet (SAW) said, “The souls are like an army joined in the world of spirits; whichever souls knew each other [in that world] are attracted towards each other in this world, and whichever remained distant and indifferent […]

This is the second, stand-alone, part of Decolonizing the Mosque. Part I is available here. “Mexican and Muslim? Does that mean Al-Qaeda is teaming up with El Chapo, now?” Border patrol officer in Canada, 2014. I am on edge. As Ramadan unfolds, I know images of Latinx Muslims will make it into the media again. […]

Two years. Life does not look like I had planned. I wash myself in the form of wudu remembering what I envisioned my life being. She had a name. She was going to be named Sara. It worked in Spanish, in Arabic and in English. She would also be given the middle name Nhis YA, […]

I have been burned a lot, fam, in this fasting stuff. This year, for a series of TMI medical reasons signed off on by the appropriate Muslim medical personnel, I am not fasting.  I laugh at the meme going around (“Not even water?” – White Person Proverb) because my medical issues are such that it […]

My kids are fasting again this year. Officially, 3 of my kids are fasting. Unofficially, all 5 are fasting. Basically, the 5-year-old and 7-year-old are fending for themselves. Truth is, besides iftar I’m not making food. I’m just not. That’s why cereal was created. Besides the “How much longer to go?” question about a 100 […]

Just over one year ago, I officially accepted Islam. At the time, I was familiar with the fundamental philosophy of Islam, but I was still learning about the different aspects of Islamic practice. I knew that as a Muslim, I would be expected to pray at least five times per day, that I would be […]

The days are getting longer and all too hot. The heat is unbearable with the sun’s directness. Open windows can only do so much. Ramadan is the perfect moment for you to realize just how much the body needs water. We are sixty percent water, but in the middle of June, it can seem a […]

This guide is a light-hearted insight into some of my experiences embarking on Ramadan for the first time. It goes without saying that this might not apply or be relevant for everyone, but I wanted to share it nonetheless, so others who might be fasting for the first time don’t feel alone in their Ramadan […]