After disaster struck, all three faiths are worshiping under the same roof, forming a microcosm of peaceful coexistence

Entering a sacred space like the First United Methodist church in Pasadena can stir emotions. Curious visitors often wander through the church doors, attracted by its gothic exterior, and instinctively start to whisper.

The space on Colorado Boulevard – a busy thoroughfare that doubles as part of the Rose Parade route every New Year’s Day – has always felt holy, said the Rev Amy Aitken, the pastor. Now she wants it to feel like a safe space for two other religious groups that are sharing the facilities for worship: the Islamic Center of Southern California and the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center.

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This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 24

Transcript

In this episode, I wanted to reflect on a verse from Surah Ash-Shura, verse number 27, where Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala presents us with a hypothetical scenario and the consequences of that hypothetical scenario, had He allowed it to happen. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says:  

۞ وَلَوْ بَسَطَ ٱللَّهُ ٱلرِّزْقَ لِعِبَادِهِۦ لَبَغَوْا۟ فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ وَلَـٰكِن يُنَزِّلُ بِقَدَرٍۢ مَّا يَشَآءُ ۚ إِنَّهُۥ بِعِبَادِهِۦ خَبِيرٌۢ بَصِيرٌۭ ٢٧ 

Had Allah given abundant provisions to ˹all˺ His servants, they would have certainly transgressed throughout the land. But He sends down whatever He wills in perfect measure. He is truly All-Aware, All-Seeing of His servants. (Quran 42:27) 

 Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says that had Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala given in abundance to all of His servants, then they would have transgressed on the earth. But Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala sends down or gives in proportion to what He wills. And indeed, Allah is all-aware and all-seeing of His servants. This particular verse reminds us of the outcomes of our du’as. We believe Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is all-seeing, all-hearing, and all-knowing of our du’as. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala accepts all of our du’as, hears all of our du’as, and knows what we will ask for before we even think of asking for it. Yet, when a person makes du’a, they obviously do not see the outcome of their du’a as they wished for it, all the time.  

 So how are we supposed to believe or expect from Allah when it comes to the acceptance of our du’as? Well, we have one of three outcomes. Number one, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala gives you exactly what you had wished for, what you had asked for. It might be soon. It might be later, but you get exactly what you asked for. And if you think about it, this is going to be perhaps the smallest category of outcomes simply because if Allah had granted every person exactly what they wish for, even though He has the power to do so, then this world would be in chaos. So, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala does not give us always exactly what we ask for. This leads to the second outcome of all of our du’a’s.  

 The second outcome of all of our du’a’s is that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, instead of giving us exactly what we ask for, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala gives us something else in return. It might be something that we never expected. It might be something that we never considered. It might be something that we never thought about and we never thought it would be better for us. But, Allah, in His wisdom and knowledge and mercy, knows that it is better for us. So instead of what we ask for, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala gives us something better. And we believe in this. In lieu of our du’as being given in any other form, Allah could also remove a trial or a difficulty from our life. We don’t know what challenges may be placed in our lives and what challenges may have been removed because of our du’as. We might not have known about that challenge, or we might not have asked Allah to remove that challenge from our life. Yet, in lieu of granting us exactly what we wished or giving us something else in return, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, in His wisdom and mercy, removes a harmful difficulty from our life.  

 Outcome number three is where a person’s du’a is kept in reserve in the hereafter. Meaning, they are able to ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala for anything that they wish in the hereafter and Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala will grant their du’a in the hereafter. And Allah reminds us through this ayah why it is exactly like this that everything that we ask for is not granted to us in this world, even though it is very difficult to accept at times. Because we, in our finite perspective, think we know what is best for us and we ask Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala for a particular outcome; we work towards a particular goal; and ultimately, we see that all our efforts have been for nothing. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has not granted it to us exactly what we wanted. 

 And a person can feel very despondent. A person might feel that their du’a was not accepted. That’s why they weren’t granted this particular blessing, which they truly wanted. But Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says that if He had given everything that his servants had asked for, if the world was literally open to us and the treasures of the world were accessible to every person, then which one of us would turn to Allah in a time when there was no du’a in the hereafter? When there was no need to? Which one of us would turn to Allah when we seemingly had everything that we needed at our feet? Would you and I turn to Allah Subhanahu Wa Ta’ala if we didn’t have anything to ask for? 

 Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala’s wisdom in holding back some of the things is for our own benefit. It’s for our own good because Allah knows that perhaps, if He were to grant us this blessing, it would take us further away from Allah. It might cause a difficulty that we would be unable to overcome. We don’t know. But, we trust in the judgment of Allah. We trust in the knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. And we trust in the fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has absolutely given us something better in return. Or that we will absolutely get that outcome. Either in this world or in the next.  

 May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala guide, bless and protect us all, accept all of our du’as, give us the best outcomes of all of those du’as, and give us the ability to accept the outcomes of all the du’as, whether we know it or not. May Allah guide, bless and protect us all.  

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Why Not? | Sh Zaid Khan appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

“Those who have believed and whose hearts are assured by the remembrance of Allah. Unquestionably, by the remembrance of Allah hearts are assured.” [Surah Ar-Ra’d: 13;28]

 

 

My piercing gaze of blood-burst boiling eyes

Has rent the seven curtains of the sky;

My burning chest is fanned by anguished sighs,

But lips are sealed from ever asking why;

   For one who’s spent a life in racing grief,

   Your name is where he’s fled to seek relief

 

Your name’s the rain that gentle drips on earth –

That gasps like desert traveler gripped by thirst;

Like the desperate pleas of a mother giving birth,

When child comes, will turn to sudden mirth!

   Your name’s the flame that pulses in the cold,

   The only place to place the weight I hold

 

O, friend who’s walked with me on every road!

Friend when I’ve been forced from all abodes!

Friend who’s held me when the grief that snowed

Has melted into gushing tears that flowed!

   You’re this journey’s only constant friend –

   You’re the beginning, you’re the only end

 

Your name is heard in whispers of the breeze,

In songs of larks, in buzz of busy bees,

In conversations between the rustling leaves

That dance upon the gentle sway of trees;

   Your name is heard on hearts in steady beat –

   That accept their loss but won’t accept defeat

 

Your name’s proclaimed like thunderous battle cry,

Or secret love that’s whispered in a sigh;

It sweetens grief like sugar mixed with chai,

Gives life its color like a vibrant dye!

   Your name is life that flourishes in spring

   As winter melts with all the warmth it brings

 

Your name is echoes heard in silent halls;

Your name is drops that rage as waterfalls;

Your name is mortar turning bricks to walls;

Your name is storm-struck mountain standing tall;

   Your name is balm upon my cracking lips,

   The taste of home that comes in frequent sips

 

Come, hold me as my mind’s in trembling shake,

Grasp me in this world in constant quake;

Come, be my cool as I’m burning at the stake,

Or gather shards of heart in constant break;

   Come press your hand against this restless chest

   And bring my bursting heart to long-awaited rest

 

Related:

– Looking To Allah To Save Me: A Ramadan Poem

– The Definition of Fasting – A Ramadan Poem

The post When Calm Descends As Dhikr Ends – A Ramadan Poem appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

“The war didn’t kill us, but this dust might.”

Wafa Aludaini trained English speakers to defend the Palestinian cause.

Post-Eaton fire, congregants who want a quick rebuild are met with a question: how long are they allowed to grieve?

Before the Masjid Al-Taqwa, a mosque in Altadena, was reduced to rubble in the Eaton fire in January, it was a space that belonged to all its worshippers. When the urge for prayer stirred the soul during off-hours, a faithful follower could borrow the key and have the place to pray.

Now without a mosque during Ramadan, members are worshipping in diaspora. The weekly communal prayer services are temporarily held in a park community room. After hours at a Muslim elementary school, members break their fast together. It’s a fragmented spiritual existence.

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This Ramadan, MuslimMatters is pleased to host the Institute Of Knowledge‘s daily Ramadan series: Ramadan Reflections. Through this series, each day we will spend time connecting with the Qur’an on a deeper, more spiritual, uplifting level.

Episode 1, Episode 2, Episode 3, Episode 4, Episode 5, Episode 6, Episode 7, Episode 8, Episode 9, Episode 10, Episode 11, Episode 12, Episode 13, Episode 14, Episode 15, Episode 16, Episode 17, Episode 18, Episode 19, Episode 20, Episode 21, Episode 24

Transcript

All thanks and praise are due to Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala, and may His peace and blessings be upon His last and final Messenger ﷺ, his family, his companions, and those who follow Him until the end of times.   

 In this episode, I wanted to reflect on two verses from Surah Az-Zumar, verses 36 and 37 where Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala reminds us that He alone is sufficient for the believers and that the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is sufficient for us to overcome any difficulty, to prevent anything from happening to us and from being destroyed. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala reminds us, in verse number 36,  

أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُۥ ۖ وَيُخَوِّفُونَكَ بِٱلَّذِينَ مِن دُونِهِۦ ۚ وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍۢ ٣٦ 

Is Allah not sufficient for His servant? Yet they threaten you with other ˹powerless˺ gods besides Him! Whoever Allah leaves to stray will be left with no guide. (Quran 39:36) 

Meaning, is Allah not sufficient for His servant? And the disbelievers make you fear, or they threaten you with the power of that which they worship other than Allah. And in our context, it might not necessarily be idols, but the people who have power and influence make us fear with their power and influence. That they have the capacity to destroy us, to harm us at will and there’s nothing we can do about it. 

But Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala reminds us, is Allah not sufficient for his servant? Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala reminds us that Allah is sufficient for us even though they make us fear. True power is Allah’s and true protection lies only with Allah. And whomever Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has let go to be a stray (وَمَن يُضْلِلِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا), then there is no one that can bring them back (فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍۢ). There is no one that can guide them. 

Elsewhere in the Quran, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says that if a person is going astray, it is with the knowledge of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala because nothing escapes the knowledge of Allah. But this is implied as Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala allows a person to make their own choices because of their arrogance, stubbornness and disbelief in Him. Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala ultimately lets them go to face the consequences. And whoever is on that path, then there is no one that can bring them back to the right path (فَمَا لَهُۥ مِنْ هَادٍۢ) because the only One that can guide is Allah. 

In verse 37, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala says that Whomever He guides, there is no one that can lead them astray. 

وَمَن يَهْدِ ٱللَّهُ فَمَا لَهُۥ مِن مُّضِلٍّ ۗ أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِعَزِيزٍۢ ذِى ٱنتِقَامٍۢ ٣٧ 

And whoever Allah guides, none can lead astray. Is Allah not Almighty, capable of punishment? (Quran 39:37) 

 Because Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is the focal point that we have to focus on, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala has put us on this path and He is the one that keeps us on this path. Then His guides one. If Allah does not will it, then that can take us off this path. And Allah reminds us, as a way of comforting us, is Allah not the one who is mighty (أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِعَزِيزٍ ذِنْدِقًا)? Is Allah not the one who is capable of taking revenge? Is He not the One capable of exacting punishment from the disbelievers and oppressors on the Day of Judgment? 

 Within the last year, we have seen so many atrocities. Hundreds of pictures and videos are coming out of Gaza. We have seen poverty and displacement in Sudan. We have seen constant bombing in Yemen. And we have seen atrocities happening throughout the Muslim world in the last two decades.  

At times, it feels like we are very helpless. It feels like we don’t have any capacity to defend ourselves, influence or control, and that we are simply at the mercy of Allah Almighty. We are at the mercy of people who are willing to harm us for any reason whatsoever. We are at the mercy of those who have no faith. We are at the mercy of those who have no compassion. We are at the mercy of those who are helped by others, who also have no compassion. Our lives, as believers, and as people who think differently, are devalued. And our personhood is dehumanized to the point where, when we have thousands and hundreds of thousands of losses and there is no one that blinks an eye. Or if the people do blink an eye, those that are in capacity, power, and control, do nothing to change the course. It is disheartening at times. And it is very natural to feel disheartened because as human beings, Allah has given us that capacity to feel a multitude of emotions. Yet, our over-the-top, overpowering emotion should always be hope. 

 Is Allah not sufficient for His servant? (أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُۥ ۖ)? Just like how the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم and the Sahaba رضي الله تعالى عنهم had firm faith on Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala and how in the battle of Badr, which happened during the month of Ramadan, Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala allowed a small group of believers who were not well-equipped nor fully armed, to face an army who was willing to do them harm, who were fully equipped and intent on wiping out the believers. 

Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala granted the believers victory (أَلَيْسَ ٱللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُۥ ۖ). It is a reminder for you and I that Allah is sufficient for us. There is no one that we need if we have the help of Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala. In order to receive the help of Allah, we have to constantly turn back to Allah.  

 May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala guide us and protect us, give us knowledge that benefits us, give us the ability to always turn back to Him, to always ask for His help, and to always be convinced of the fact that Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala is sufficient for us and we have no need for anyone else. May Allah subhanahu wa ta’ala bless us all.  

 

The post IOK Ramadan 2025: Allah is Sufficient | Sh Zaid Khan appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The cherished tradition reminds us to pause and reflect on our words and actions, and cultivates a profound sense of empathy

With its month-long array of beautiful rituals and meditations, Ramadan offers an enriching pause from the demands of daily life, allowing people to cultivate compassion and prioritise truthfulness in both small and significant ways.

As a Muslim observing the challenging yet cherished daytime discipline of refraining from food and water, the experience within a multicultural landscape is particularly fascinating. In a society often fixated on material pursuits and instant gratification, fasting provides a sense of contentment that cannot be found in worldly possessions.

Fasting has been prescribed for you, as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may learn self-restraint.

Shadi Khan Saif is a Melbourne-based journalist and former Pakistan and Afghanistan news correspondent

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Craig Mokhiber on Israel’s accelerating genocide, Eli Clifton on Trump mega-donor Miriam Adelson aiding free-speech crackdown, Abubaker Abed from Gaza and more.