Originally published in Dallas News Today Muslims will be celebrating Eid al-Adha. This holiday marks prophet Abraham’s symbolic sacrifice and the close of the hajj or the pilgrimage to Mecca. Muslims are enjoined to sacrifice animals, and the meat is divided equally among the poor, neighbors and family members. The Quran emphasizes the feeding of the needy when it states, “Feed, for love of Him...
Originally published in the Daily Herald I would like to take my time to remember the millions of fallen soldiers who have served humanity 24/7, 365 days a year, throughout our country’s history. These powerful men and women sacrificed their lives, their wealth and their time for the sake of their country and nation. As a Muslim-American, I feel as though it is my duty to honor and salute...
Originally published in The Orange County Register Most people are often surprised to hear that Jesus is a highly esteemed figure in Islam. My friend once asked, “Is this a new idea within Islam?” thinking that, perhaps, Muslims recently concocted this notion. In reality, Jesus is not only considered a prophet in Islam (a fact many Christians are familiar with). In fact, Jesus is...
Originally published in the Daily Record Last week, while talking to my Christian friend Jim, I felt a sense of pride that after presenting a saying of Muhammad — “Paradise lies under the feet of mother” — Jim replied, “Very beautiful message.” Jim replied to have a Merry Christmas, I replied “same to you” (avoiding actually saying “Merry Christmas” in return, and Jim probably noticed it). And...
Originally Published in the Times of Trenton Islam and Christianity seem to be completely different. During Christmastime, as a Muslim-American, I think these differences seem to stand out. Islam states that Jesus is not the son of god, while Christianity would clearly disagree. Islam does not recognize Christmas to be the birth of Jesus Christ, while Christianity would clearly disagree. Islam...
Originally published in the Sun Opinion Can Muslims celebrate Thanksgiving? Of course they can! Muslims should celebrate Thanksgiving because it’s all about being thankful to God and that is what Islam is all about. As Muslims, we are taught that God blesses us all the time — indeed, every breath we take is a gift from God — and so we should be grateful to God all the time. To this end, Islam...
Originally published in the Orange Country Register In Judaism, the Torah shares the mitzvah of bikkurim, which emphasizes the importance of giving thanks. The New Testament shares instances of Jesus Christ thanking God for His providence. And the Prophet Muhammad taught us that one who is not grateful to man cannot be grateful to God. Similarly, all religions stress the importance of giving...
Originally published in the Oshkosh Northwestern As Thanksgiving comes around, many of us will become pre-occupied with food, family, shopping and football – this is Packer nation after all. It would be nice if we were also thankful for all the blessings we enjoy. Thanksgiving should be about tradition and food but it should also include thinking and caring for the less...