Comfortable with the Uncomfortable!

 *Unpopular opinion*

Today, an account that is identified as “Trans Muslims” showed up accidentally on my feed, and it left me wondering. I was like” Interesting…🤔”.

In chaotic times like we live today, where random haters/competitors/attention seekers/jobless reporters/hungry attorneys are actively fishing for a misspoken word, targeting platforms, or going after your sustenance, it’s very unlikely someone can stay sincere and truthful to their honest, innocent thoughts, where every word is a mistake. Every term is anti-something.

And as individuals, with platforms, no matter how big or small our networks, it’s almost impossible to persuade random folks, followers, coworkers, customers, neighbors, or acquaintances that you, as a practicing Muslim, and your beliefs have nothing to do with hating or disrespecting or being unjust or unkind to anyone.

And to be honest, I really have witnessed local people from the Republican Party who were sued until some filed for bankruptcy, only for their fierce stances against communities they publicly opposed by all means.

Not sure how “progressive Muslims” would combine the mixed identities/terms together, and how they view public safety in terms of transmitting lethal diseases to communities and individuals who are never interested in being exposed to explicit content in school curricula, over normalizing homosexuality in every event, blurring identities through overly exposing youngsters to culturally non-relevant content? How do they manage to view the safety of public speech and democracy when it comes to community partners who disagree with them, peacefully but publicly? 

By silencing one another, people have become the bullies we once complained about!

I’m encouraged to ask these questions now after observing news about lawsuits against the current government adminstration that’s aiming to defund sexual education in schools.

As coexisting community partners and being a minority as well, many Muslims thought, “We warned you…”🤷🏻‍♀️

Just a quick question: why can't sex education money go to feed the kids, and to house the homeless? Or fund the school district's foundational resources?

Many school districts have existing and emerging lawsuits against them, they are short-staffed, and they always ask for volunteers. Many districts turned all district communications to be paperless as they’re running out of funds, and the staff pay rates are slightly above state wage rates.

Maybe, you probably would agree with me that the Liberal West is pro homosexuality, and it won’t be a good idea to get caught saying something that seems “hateful. Maybe👀”

But remember, people untangling their truths and voicing concerns is not hateful. Silencing them with labels, legal liability issues, and stalking their lives and social networks is.

As a Muslim, I have witnessed Bi-Partisan hate, Bi-Partisan animosity, and Bi-Partisan greed.

So, I personally don’t care if a whatever Muslim wins whichever seat.

All I’m trying to say is that the legal foundation and robust legislation behind how some minorities are getting more favorability over other suffering minorities, and how some minorities are sought after like a winning card in every campaign effort, is really deterring for practicing /conservative Muslims seeking leadership roles in Liberal areas.

There’s NO WAY for a real practicing Muslim to make it to the office unless they earn some legitimacy from certain groups.

And it’s only the community that would pay for this “temporary” legitimacy.

Thought you might like what this young Imam had to say about how we, as Muslims, in pursuit of status and respect in the public eye, we tend to compromise our own values by our own hands. 

Being overly trusty and never questioning what has been shoved down our throats.

May we be inspired to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, yet pleasing to God.

And the unpopular truth is, and has always been pleasing to God!

P.s. I block haters. I block content thieves, too. This blog has thousands of visitors, even if u can’t observe post interactions. You’ve been warned. You will get caught.😑

 

Email me: Shama_farag@outlook.com

Check website: https://shamafarag.net/

Thanks to all my blog visitors!

With Respect,

Shama 

The Story of the People of Sabbath. Quranic Reflection

 

While our visions are getting blurrier, as it's getting extremely hard to see truth as truth and follow it, and to distinguish falsehood and lies as falsehood and stay away from it...

Someone should never claim themselves as a pious person. And we should always seek and attribute guidance and reasons of righteousness to Allah. 

We should never judge people based on their outer appearance or calamities. We simply don't know if they were in grace or in the process of being tested. This knowledge is exclusive to the divine.

Let's remember that the higher your level, the harder your test is.

Do People think that once they say 'We believe', they will be left alone and not be put to the test?

The Quran displayed many stories of ancient nations and people who were severely tested. One of the hardest tests that you may hear of is the test of the People of the Saturday (Sabbath).

Those were people in the old days. They were from the children of Israel. They were mainly dependent on fishing for sustenance. Allah wanted to test their level of faith. So, He prohibited fishing during their Holy day, Saturday. They abided by what God had ordained, and they stopped fishing on Saturday.

Allah wanted to test how much they would stick to His Almighty commands when circumstances are turning tougher. He Almighty made it harder for them as He made all the big fish appear on the surface of where they would usually fish only on Saturday, and the fish would completely disappear during the rest of the week. The fishermen found it hard to keep fishing when no fish appeared.

“

Ask them about the town which was by the sea and what befell its people when they broke the Sabbath. On their Sabbath the fish came to them near the surface, but on week-days they never came near them--thus We tried them because of their disobedience”. Quran.7:163. Al-A’raf.

So, the fishermen were inspired to beat around the bush. They seemed to see that it is still permissible to leave off their nets hanging on Fridays, then when the fish reappear on Saturday, they will be stuck to their nets, and when the fishermen come back on Sundays, they will pull up the nets with the fish they indirectly hunted. It seemed that they were not technically fishing, but they were manipulating God's orders.

Some among the wise intellect and pious people who fear God reached out to the fishermen and advised them with the truth, and warned them of the consequences of not following the divine commands as prescribed, so they may obtain divine mercy and protection. Unfortunately, those pious folks were not so many.

The mainstream wasn't fully agreeing with what those corrupt fishermen allowed and facilitated. They remained silent even though it was wrong and against God's commands.

When Scholars and mentors mentioned this Quranic story specifically, they usually highlight that Allah had mentioned only two groups of people: the people who manipulated God's command openly, and the people who stood up for the truth and reminded people of the purpose of this life and how it might be a test that people should aspire to their best to pass. The scholars and people of knowledge also highlighted that God never mentioned the third group, the bystanders, the hypocrites. 

This is how God looks at those who see the truth and those who are acquiring calamities because of the bad they have done. And for those who were bystanders were dropped and weren't even given the divine honor to be mentioned.

May we be inspired to be by the side of the truth, with the people of truth, and be guided by the divine truth in this life and in the hereafter. Amen!

May we be guided, forgiven, and reminded that fear of God is rewarded while fearing anything else is forgone. Amen!

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Meeting With An Editor

My Interview with Farah Magazine

“What made you write?”

Wise people say, when you can't find the book you wanted to read, just write it. All of the books I wrote or the articles I published were ideas that no one else talked about the way I wanted. Plus, I'm a reader. When you are a committed reader, you will be full of ideas, and your knowledge will broaden, and eventually, you will tend to analyze, comment, or criticize what you read. Writing gives you this privilege. Reading allows you to reach greater thinkers' minds and live their experiences, and if you are a loyal reader, you will learn how to go through what they have been through but with wisdom and knowledge that these thinkers didn't have. Writing allows you to say what you could have done better. Or how you see things for yourself. Writing gives you a space to reflect and leave a legacy or a message for someone who really needs to hear it. People transmit their knowledge and share real-life experiences through writings.

“What do you like about writing books?”

Two things: 

1 - I admire the spirit of teamwork. Writing Books allows me to collaborate with different talents to deliver the final product. I work with an illustrator, a graphic designer, an editor, and a publisher, and sometimes I collaborate with many illustrators or photographers to get it done.

2 - I love reading people's emotions and feelings through how they react to my writings. When I write something, and I see someone moved by it, it brings me delight. When I write something that impacts someone positively, I feel that I can make so much change in people's lives and this kind of success is eternal, huge, and priceless!

“Why have you chosen the target audience?”

Writers wear many hats. Writers can write to many types of audiences and write on many topics. However, the most impactful writings are the truest as you write from the heart. Your writing doesn't have to be something you have gone through personally. It can be something you have learned from someone important to you, or it can be something that touched your heart, and you wanted to share the experience or something no one else wrote about it the way it should be. Or it could be something that impacted someone so deeply to the point that they were so hurt to speak up. Hence, writing is mandatory in this case.

“What do you recommend for kids who want to write?”

I like reading a lot. Reading will keep your ideas flowing. I suggest going out for a walk regularly. Also, hiking is encouraged. Writing is a talent that can be a way to earn a living if you're lucky, or it can be the cave you go to when life is hard. Either way, writing is a talent, and every talent is God's blessing. See your talent as a blessing.

Why Muslims too Should Learn about Juneteenth? Bless the Roots!

 This is one of the BEST yet quickest lectures/seminars that discussed why American Muslims regardless of their backgrounds should give extra attention to the African American History from an Islamic lens Perspective. MashaAllah!

The lecture has the background educational element, the narrative element “what it really means to be an American Muslim with true history and preserved roots to this country”, it has the historical facts, real people from the tradition with open hearts coming to you at your mosque with your like minded community sharing and refelecting on their ancestors’ history and how we as a nation can best utilize this opportunity to heal the divides and bridge the gaps and block the unintentional intellectual and historical gentrification that has been going on for decades.

And the leadership in this org is allowing community dialogue and dedicating their platform for honest and dignified voices and not only trendy and commercial voices.

What a great example to follow!

Community building starts with amplifying truthful stories, dignifying the stories of true struggles, and encouraging unity, brotherhood, promoting true equity and appreciating diverse leadership.

Some Great Books about Race from Islamic Perspective. 

Servants of Allah: African Muslims Enslaved in the Americas: Diouf, Sylviane A.: 9781479847112: Amazon.com: Books

Blackness and Islam: Walid, Dawud, Ware, Dr. Rudolph Bilal: 9781909853195: Amazon.com: Books

The Walking Qur'an: Islamic Education, Embodied Knowledge, and History in West Africa (Islamic Civilization and Muslim Networks): Ware III, Rudolph T.: 9781469614311: Amazon.com: Books

Ahmadu Bamba: Sage of Senegal: Yakub, Rukayat: 9780977660728: Amazon.com: Books