By HabeebaThey thought the clock the robotics-loving Muslim teen created was a bomb. Typical. Fourteen-year-old Ahmed Mohamed from Texas woke up Tuesday morning excited to take his latest creation to his new high school. He built a clock over the weekend and wanted to show his engineering teacher what he could do. But Ahmed’s teacher wasn’t…
By HabeebaAnyone else remember the phrase “Impossible is nothing”—that old adidas slogan? That was plastered all over my basketball magazines and on ads during games on television. It was an inspiring phrase, a little play on the oft-repeated verse “nothing is impossible” or “anything is possible,” what Kevin Garnett (one of the faces of adidas) passionately…
By HabeebaWe’ve reached the homestretch, girls. These are the last days of Ramadan… And you know what? None of us are guaranteed this opportunity again. Think of it like this: you really, really want to land this internship or job. You’ve been on the search for months for something perfect, and this one landed in front…
By Habeeba“Are you special? Me too!” Those were words too often said by my middle school self and my middle school friends. Back when we were in an Islamic school and Zuhr time rolled around, we’d all go make wudu in the bathroom. That is, unless one of us was “special.” See, “special” was our code…
By HabeebaThe holy month of fasting is upon us, and it’s time we finally prepare for the spiritual recharge that awaits, God-willing. Pray a little more, read additional pages of Qur’an, and make extra dhikr to welcome Ramadan. Let’s tear out a sheet of paper from a notebook, grab a pencil, and write a du’a list….
By HabeebaBefore leaving for Umrah this spring, a lot of family and friends offered me their words of advice. They told me that my shoes would certainly go missing. That it’d be crowded. That praying next to people from different parts of the world would feel incredible. They were right about all that and then some,…
By HabeebaAnyone who’s ever been to my house knows that the floors squeak — like, a lot. The squeakiness paired with my parents’ early bedtime made for some very cautious tip-toeing down the steps when my cousins and I would crave cookies and milk at a late hour during a sleepover. My room is directly on…
By HabeebaDear Mummy, I know we don’t really celebrate Mother’s Day in our household… or birthdays or anniversaries or anything really, but I’m going to take this opportunity to type some words that I’m too shy to ever say to you in person. I love you. That’s silly, right? I mean other people say, “I love…
By Habeeba“None of you will believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself.” — Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim These beautiful words stand out in the hadith from Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). They are words that sit at the top of the webpage for the new non-profit organization Global Aktivine launched by Bosnian-American basketball player Indira Kaljo….
By HabeebaLife isn’t easy—and NEWSFLASH—it isn’t meant to be. It can feel like trial after trial, bad news after bad news. But Allah guaranteed us in the Qur’an that it’ll get better: “For indeed, with hardship [will be] ease. Indeed, with hardship [will be] ease.” (94:5-6) Whenever I’m feeling down in the dumps, totally unmotivated, or…
By HabeebaMany Muslim women choose to don the hijab, not merely as a fashion choice, but as a mode of behavior extending far beyond covering parts of their body. Hijab is modest action, talk, and dress—and of course, it is for both Muslim women and men. The bans we see trying to eliminate the physical cloth that…
By Habeeba“Bride, 8, dies of injuries on wedding night in Yemen. Rawan dies hours after marrying a man more than five times her age.” This issue of child marriage is one that really boils my blood. As a 21-year-old, I’m terrified of marriage, and to think elementary school-aged girls are forced into a relationship with a…
By HabeebaWith Ramadan and Eid officially over and summer not far behind, we find ourselves getting back into the routine of our non-fasting, non-Taraweeh-praying schedules. On Eid, the Imam at the prayer I attended reminded the congregation: Eid is not the day to break the connection established with Allah during the month of Ramadan; rather, Eid…
By HabeebaShow of hands: who has trouble focusing during prayer? The first step to conquering a problem is realizing there is one, right? The five daily prayers shouldn’t be a quick jumble of Arabic words and physical movements thrown together for a span of a few minutes. But with our minds in 20 places at once,…
By HabeebaRunning with fire in one hand and water in the other, Rabi’a explained, “I am going to burn paradise and douse hellfire so that both veils may be lifted from those on the quest, and they will become sincere of purpose. God’s servants will learn to see Him without hope for reward or fear of…
