Entries for August 2008

Debates and persons in this article are pure fiction; any resemblance with reality is mere coincidence: This is an imaginary debate occurring in the first day of Ramadan among three Muslims: Debater One (DO), Debater Two (DT), and the voice of Commonsense (CS).

I pray that Allah blesses each of you with the best of the blessed month of Ramadan. It is a month of remembrance and reflection, a time for renewed faith and spiritual elevation. We are fortunate to witness the coming of the month, and I pray that our worship and charitable deeds are accepted and multiplied.

We celebrate Ramadan and fast each of its days. But what happened in Ramadan that makes it a special month? Here?s a narrative about the FIRST RAMADAN and God?s revelation of the Quran to His final Messenger. In the far western part of the Arabian Peninsula, there is Mecca, the most visited city on earth. Tens of millions of people each year travel to the ancient city to carry out rites of worship that date back to Abraham.

[The following letter was published in a recent issue of "The New Yorker" magazine with regard to its recent cover depicting Sen. Barak Obama in Muslim garb and the political value of "accusing" Obama of being a Muslim.]

When it is time for the young child to go to bed, immediately, she suddenly gets hungry. She demands chicken. When she is served the chicken, she then demands grapes. When she is served the grapes, she next demands something else. After six months, her father realizes something simple: she is not hungry. Rather, she just wants to stay awake.

How to relate to the Quran is always an important matter for Muslims, particularly those living in the West. The Quran is supposed to be our constitution, our guidance, and our user manual in life. The last few centuries of mental stagnation, deterioration, and fatigue have taken us away from the original premise to some strange

Marriage is about two different people coming together in harmony. This harmony survives on love, sacrifice and forgiveness. Understanding that the other person is different from you based on gender, or family values, religious practices, level of education, and possibly culture, should help you do your part to change, or "bend."  In other words, both husband and wife should be flexible and willing to change

August 2008