New Islamic Directions
Shorter reflections and statements on the events of the day.
Imam Zaid Shakir · August 10, 2010
As we stand on the verge of beginning the great fast, let us pray that the blessings we enjoy are decreed to last. Let us pray for the people, who have lost their homes, fields and cattle in the flood, that they are patient and see their sins washed…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 1, 2010
The Statue stands tall, symbolizing liberty. Liberty is a gift handed down by the constitution through time. But have all accepted it, and given it a home in their minds? Are the graces of liberty truly free? If it cannot extend to my incarcerated…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · May 6, 2010
This essay, written in the immediate aftermath of the failed New York City bomb attempt [1], will examine some of the theological implications of Muslims violating civilian immunity. I have written elsewhere why attacks against innocent civilians…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · May 1, 2010
Our hearts are calling out to us, into the dark and maddening night. Our hearts are calling out to us, to seize our hands and lead us right. Too blinded are we by the glare, of power, money, war and fame? Yet with perverse, blinded eyes, we ignore…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · April 11, 2010
This essay is the unedited version of a response Imam Zaid wrote to a question posed by Helen Thomas to the White House press corps, "Why do they want to do us harm?" Thomas never got an answer so "In These Times" posed the question to several…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · March 2, 2010
The theme of the recently concluded (December 25-26, 2009) Reviving the Islamic Spirit Conference in Toronto, Canada, was Saving the Ship of Humanity . In the words of the program’s brochure: When a ship is lost at sea, is in imminent danger of…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · February 3, 2010
The autopsy report on Imam Luqman Abdullah, who was gunned down in a Dearborn, Michigan warehouse, Wednesday, October 28, 2009, was finally released Monday, February 1, 2010. The details revealed by the report show why law enforcement authorities…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · December 18, 2009
This is our final translation from Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali’s, Lata’if al-Ma’arif , this year. It deals with some of the virtues and duties associated with the winter seas, which is rapidly descending upon us. This excerpt is taken from pages 557-560…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 26, 2009
The following excerpt is from Lata’if al-Ma’arif by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali concerning the virtue and some of the actions to be undertaken on the Day of Arafa (pp. 487-495) I wanted to get this out today for the benefit of the believers so I have not…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 25, 2009
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 24, 2009
Is Treachery Against Ones Fellow Citizens Sanctioned by Islam? One of the questions forwarded to me in the aftermath of the article I wrote on the Fort Hood tragedy [2], is the following, “What proof from the Islamic Law can you give that a person…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · November 11, 2009
Note: This essay was started before the tragic shootings at Fort Hood, TX. I have much to say on that issue, but I felt I should finish this essay first. The poor people, including poor Muslims, are oftentimes denied a voice. The meaning of their…
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