Fig & Olive

Believers, stay away from conjecture; acting upon some conjecture may lead to sin. Do not spy on one another or back-bite. Would any of you like to eat the disgusting dead flesh of your brother? Have fear of God; God accepts repentance and is All-merciful. (49:12) Backbiting is a part of life, or at least […]

Sometimes we love people so much that we begin to fear losing them. We panic wondering what we’ll do if they ever leave us. We dread long gaps between texts messages, long awaited phone calls and distance eyes. We worry if we’re losing them as each moment goes by and don’t even realize. Have they already […]

There’s so much to learn, always. Arabic grammar is… complex but I’m glad to have a go at it. I can almost say I’ve been studying Arabic for 10 or 12 years if I count all my failed attempts but the past year has been my best attempt and this year will be better, in […]

He said to us our issue is in accepting our flaws. At some point we begin to say “Well that’s just how I am”. We turn our flaws in to parts of us and lead ourselves to believe that we are what we do, both good and bad. But this is not only untrue but […]

“By the fig and the olive. And [by] Mount Sinai. And [by] this secure city [Makkah], We have certainly created man in the best of stature; Then We return him to the lowest of the low, Except for those who believe and do righteous deeds, for they will have a reward uninterrupted. So what yet […]

Excellence. That’s what we’re supposed to implement. Who we’re supposed to be. What we’re supposed to do. But the goals of the mind are so far from the actions of the body. At times seemingly at war with each other. But it feels too hurtful to give-up our goals, that would be the obvious solution. […]

There are times in my life where I could say I’ve been depressed. The clinical meaning of depression is: a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest. Also called major depression, major depressive disorder or clinical depression, it affects how you feel, think and behave and can lead to […]

I’ve been wondering to myself lately: What if my only job was to look after myself? What kind of life would I live? What kind of decisions would I make? How much greater would my health be? How much better would I be? Taking care of myself is something I’ve never done an excellent job […]

Every time I see my sheikh’s wife or another of the sheikha’s in the Zawiya, I kiss their hand. A strange thing for an American like myself to do but I do it. At first out of following, everyone else is doing it, and later out of honor and respect. I’d only see the practice […]

Shaykh: A male religious figure in Islam, usually someone who is well learned in traditional knowledge. The term ‘Shaykha’ is probably not one known to many, it means a ‘female shaykh’, i.e. a woman who has pursued and acquired sacred knowledge. Islam is often blamed for oppressing women, many point to “wife beating”, veiled women, […]