After Muslims were hassled by the Quraysh on their way to Mecca to perform the umrah, Prophet Muhammad (SAW) decided that it was time to take diplomatic action. The Treaty of Hudaybiyyah was composed, providing for a ten-year-truce and allowing ample time for outside tribes to make their alliances. Peace came to the hijaz. Little…
Khadijah (RA) and Muhammad (PBUH)
“Indeed Allah did not grant me better than her; she accepted me when people rejected me, she believed in me when people doubted me, she shared her wealth with me when people deprived me, and Allah granted me children only through her.” When Muhammad (SAW) first met Khadijah (RAA) , he would never have imagined…
Sister Nebraska
I’m Muslim. I’m also from Nebraska. This sounds like it should be the punchline to a joke. My quest for mutual understanding in the reddest of the red states is often funny. Sometimes, it’s inspiring. Newsflash of the century: Ramadan is coming up. It’s my third Ramadan ever. Sometimes I feel like I’ve always been…
The Umayyad Era
Muawiyah bin Sufyan was seen as the most qualified caliph to take power after Ali, which began the Umayyad Era. Muawiyah was a great and capable man who governed of Syria and led the strongest military force in the Muslim world. He was admired for his impeccable self-restraint – he had said, “I apply not…
The Hijra and Strengthening of the Muslims
The small Muslim community in Mecca eventually expanded until its members began to clash with the Quraysh tribe–the tribe Muhammad (SAW) and many others had broken off with. Close-knit Arab society was ripped apart by the seams with the arrival of Islam, as many who had once affiliated themselves with family tribes abandoned their social…
Re-Tweet Revolution: Twitter & the Iranian Presidential Protests
Upon its creation, Twitter became a fascination for some and the butt of jokes for many. The social networking site allows users to “micro-blog,” describing their current mood or thoughts in 140 characters or less — a constraint that, in a swirl of other similar sites, made it seem like a waste of time. Politicians eager…