Currently Browsing: Notes
notes
Reflecting on Quiet Lake and Snow
by Imam Zaid Shakir
The sun she rises over quiet lake. To let the snow know that there’s no mistake. To let the morning know that she’s alive. To let earth know that she will survive The folly of mankind and all his wars The pain, disfigurement and all the scars,…
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On The Passing of Dr. Sulayman Nyang
by Imam Zaid Shakir
I have been blessed to know Dr. Nyang for many long decades. He has been a teacher, mentor and an exemplary role model not just for myself but for countless others. He was a true giant who leaves a large pair of shoes that will be difficult to fill. When…
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Final Follow-up on The Kavanaugh/Blasey Ford Affair
by Imam Zaid Shakir
I appreciate the spirited discourse around the previous post that has been removed as well as the constructive criticism, and I understand the anger motivating many of you. I appreciate the advice from the educated and that of the laity -our religion after all is predicated on sincere advice. I…
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notes
Siding With The Truth
by Imam Zaid Shakir
Yesterday, August 14, 2018, marked the passing of five years since the massacre of at least a thousand innocent protesters and the injuring of thousands more in Cairo’s Rabaa Square. Merely writing these words will generate charges of siding with the ousted Egyptian President, Mohammed Morsi, and the Egyptian Muslim…
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notes
The Blessed Man
by Imam Zaid Shakir
The blessed man he asks himself, “Who am I meant to be?” The people come they praise his words, But him they cannot see. Am I for real? Am I a fraud? Am I the one they see? The blessed man he just stands tall
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The Promised Land
by Imam Zaid Shakir
How many highways have we trod, In our unceasing journey unto God? The signs we pass are loud and clear, The path is steep the goal is dear. Onward we go by night and day This path we walk the only way. Some will give up their…
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notes
Today is Husband Appreciation Day
by Imam Zaid Shakir
In the literature discussing Futuwwa, which has been translated as Muslim chivalry, there is the story of a young man who was engaged to marry a particularly beautiful woman. Before the wedding day, his fiancée was afflicted with a severe case of chicken pox which left her face terribly disfigured.…
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notes
On “Punish A Muslim Day”
by Imam Zaid Shakir
Now that “Punish A Muslim Day” has passed uneventfully we should really take stock of the general immaturity permeating our community. This nonsense should never have seen the light of day. It is like the so-called movie denigrating the Prophet (peace and blessings upon him) several years back. It had…
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Women’s Day 2018
by Imam Zaid Shakir
International Women’s Day is on 8th March. The day has been set aside to celebrate the social, economic and political accomplishments of women. March is a most appropriate month for such a celebration. In the northern hemisphere, March signals the arrival of spring and the blossoming flowers whose colors and…
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Let Them Fly: Ode to A Little Dreamer
by Imam Zaid Shakir
The butterflies can no longer go home. We have destroyed the grounds on which they nest. And if this little butterfly can’t roam Then how can we as a country be blessed? We pimp liberty like she is a whore. Racism, hatred and greed defile her…
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notes
Yemen: A Crying Shame
by Imam Zaid Shakir
O Allah, Bless us in our Syria and in our Yemen! Hadith Sharif The people of Yemen will come to you. They have the most tender minds and the softest hearts. Wisdom and faith are Yemeni. Hadith Sharif The dastardly murder of Shaykh Aydrus bin Abdullah bin Sumayt, may…
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As Ghuta Bleeds…
by Imam Zaid Shakir
O God, bless us in our Syria! Hadith Sharif The Ghuta of Damascus is one of the four worldly paradises… Mu’jam al-Buldan As I write these words, a large swath of the Ghuta, an area which was once a beautiful belt of forests, orchards and gardens surrounding Damascus,…
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School Shootings: More Than Deranged Teenagers
by Imam Zaid Shakir
Our condolences to the families of those killed and wounded by Nikolas Cruz in the “Valentine’s Day Massacre” yesterday in Parkland, Florida. The fact that Parkland was recently rated the 15th safest city in America and the safest in Florida, indicates the kind of mindless violence which has befallen that…
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They Don’t Know
by Imam Zaid Shakir
Unfortunately they don’t know the pain Of hungry kids and no shelter from rain. They’ll never know the feel of grime and dirt, Or just how hard some people have to work, Or what it means to have to ride the bus, Or place your…
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The Monk of Mokha
by Imam Zaid Shakir
“The Monk of Mokha,” Dave Eggers chronicle of the revival of Yemeni coffee through the efforts of an unlikely young man, could well have been entitled, “The Mad Adventures of Mokhtar Alkhanshali.” If fiction is art and nonfiction life, this book would definitely qualify as life imitating art. The unlikely…
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notes
America, Stop Exporting Your S**t!
by Imam Zaid Shakir
America, Stop Exporting Your S**t! Trump and the millions of racist Americans he faithfully represents love to point out the problems of what Vijay Prashad refers to as, “The Darker Nations.” However, there is no acknowledgement of what we and other western nations have done to create what Trump so…
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