New Islamic Directions
Shorter reflections and statements on the events of the day.
Imam Zaid Shakir · October 27, 2009
We will now continue our translation from Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali’s work, Lata’if al-Ma’arif . In this section, he begins a discussion of the Hajj and some of its virtues, pp. 400-402. It is related in the two sound books (Bukhari and Muslim) on the…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · October 21, 2009
Today was a beautiful day. After a period of days that brought howling winds and driving rain, the California autumn yielded to a bright, blue cloudless sky. The rain has transformed the vacant space to the side of our front yard into a lush carpet…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · October 6, 2009
Today (October 5, 2009), I was in Scotland for the Launch of Shaykh Abdul Aziz Ahmed's Book, Living with Blindness: Lessons from the Life of Imran Sabir , who passed away this past March after struggling his entire life with the devastating effects…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · September 24, 2009
'Id Mubarak! Another Ramadan has passed. We pray that Allah accepts all of the righteous deeds undertaken by His servants during this month and that all of us have left the month with our sins forgiven and our prayers answered. For me this was an…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · September 8, 2009
Generosity We often focus on the fasting and Tarawih prayers during Ramadan. However, the blessed month is also a time when generosity is greatly emphasized. One should try to be exceedingly generous during this month. In this section (pp. 305-310)…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · September 3, 2009
This is the final installment of what we have translated from Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali's work, Lata'if al-Ma'arif. In this section, he mentions the liberation from Hell that is a gift countless people receive during Ramadan. He also mentions many…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 31, 2009
In this section, Ibn Rajab mentions some of the sayings of the righteous forebears to illustrate the magnitude of the fear they had concerning the acceptability of their acts. (pp. 375-376) We should not take for granted that our fast will be…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · August 22, 2009
Ramadan Lessons Based on Lata’f al-Ma’arif, by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali Translated by Imam Zaid Shakir Lesson One: Hope Translator’s note: رمضان مبارك Ramadan Mubarak! May you all be blessed during this blessed month. The month of Ramadan combines fear…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · July 12, 2009
To spend a moment in your love, beyond this world of strife. To know the beauty of your face, beyond the realms of life. To pay the price you ask of us O Lord of life sublime! To purge the darkness from our hearts within this brief lifetime. As…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · June 6, 2009
As we daily witness President Barack Obama making history as the first American president of African descent, it is critical for us not to forget the giants whose sacrifices have made his ascent possible. One of the those giants is Muhammad Ali.…
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Imam Zaid Shakir · April 17, 2009
This poem is written by Hasna Abdul-Majid, the daughter of a longtime family friend, Saida Abdul-Majid. We first met them in Washington DC while I was a student at the American University. Hasna was born during those years. When we moved to New…
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