Fig & Olive

I have to make this quick because I’m desperately tired. But I’ve been trying to write in the early mornings, you know, productivity. So I had a discussion with my sister yesterday and among other things we talked a lot about hair. Since were from Caribbean heritage which involved a lot of African ancestry we […]

Winter gets a depressing portrayal. In our metaphors and in our life we think of winter as the time of year where things die, life choices are limited and the warmth of comfort food is all we can hope for. In thinking about my health lately and trying to be more in tune with my […]

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 […]

The Woman: a parable © Nuh Ha Mim Keller 2001 A man was walking through the marketplace one afternoon when, just as the muezzin began the call to prayer, his eye fell on a woman’s back. She was strangely attractive, though dressed in fulsome black, a veil over head and face, and she now turned […]

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 […]

Granted I’m a hijabi but there’s still some hair under there. If you’re a non-Muslim reading then I’ll inform you us Muslim women only wear hijab around marriageable men and when praying. We may also wrap it around when reading the Quran or other religious obligations and sometimes, yes, when we’re having a bad hair […]

Without innocence there is no beauty Without you there is no me Drowning in sorrow is the only way To seek Damaged and war torn The only war To be With nothing left There is only you I see

Fajr has always been tough for me. There are a few times in my life when I’ve actually enjoyed waking up or even woke before Fajr for extra prayers or stayed up after to read Quran. But, if I’m honest, Fajr (the early dawn pray) has never been a walk in the park. Today I’d […]

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, […]

For a couple of months, I was a teacher for new Muslims and anyone else interested in Islam. I taught them some of the basic rules of Islam the basic beliefs and the culture of Islam. I got very used to this position. It became a part of my identity I was a teacher. I […]