Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 17. April 2024
Greetings of Peace (al salamu ‘alaykum) dear Friends! I pray you are as well as can be expected given the state of the world. I, for one, am enjoying returning to non-fasting brain mode! :) Time to get busy trying to make change for the better… Ramy Youssef on SNL! Speaking of changing things for the better, congratulations to our dear friend, Ramy Youssef, who made history on the iconic Saturday Night Live Opening Monologue recently! At a time when things are dark everywhere for the Muslim...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 31. March 2024
Greetings of Peace (al salamu ‘alaykum) dear Friends! I pray you are well! I can’t believe we are already upon the last ten days of Ramadan! May God fill your home and soul with light and peace in this most blessed time. I am looking forward to another night of halaqa with The Book of Illuminations tonight at 6 pm ET! I am in California this weekend and will be joining online, so I am especially looking forward to the always surprising and uplifting (?) introduction from Rami Koujah, who...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 29. March 2024
The last 10 days of Ramadan are upon us. Another Ramadan has gone by very quickly, they seem to go by faster and faster. This Ramadan has been very different, but also not different. Palestine is not something new, but what is new are our reactions to it. The amount of people and the spotlight that it is occupying in public discourse, both Muslim and non-Muslim. It is different because the grief and the shame are much heavier, perhaps as heavy as they always should have been. Today I want to...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 24. March 2024
Greetings of Peace (al salamu ‘alaykum) dear Friends! I pray you are well and looking forward to another night of halaqa with The Book of Illuminations tonight at 5:30 pm ET! It was so wonderful to gather together again after such a long time. The learning was priceless, especially in our times. Also, Dr. Abou El Fadl gave us the gift of yet another incredibly powerful khutbah this past Friday entitled, “Turning Faith Into Superstition: God is Not Responsible for Gaza - We are.” You will...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 22. March 2024
It is the second jumu‘a in Ramadan, and I dare say that except for a few obscene exceptions in the Muslim world, the entire mood and spirit of this Ramadan is deeply affected by what is happening in Gaza. If we include those who are missing, the number of those killed in Gaza has so far reached over 40,000 people, and that number is likely to be much higher when all is said and done. The United Nations continues to warn about famine in Gaza, and there are atrocities taking place in front of...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 17. March 2024
Greetings of Peace (al salamu ‘alaykum) dear Friends! I pray you are well and settling in to the beautiful rhythms of this blessed month, with special prayers for Palestine as we try to process the chasm between Ramadan there and wherever you are. May God help us aid all those suffering around world this Ramadan, and may next Ramadan find us all in a better, not worse, situation insha’Allah (God willing). First, I am so excited to announce that we will be gathering again TONIGHT to resume...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 11. March 2024
Greetings of Peace (al salamu ‘alaykum) dear Friends! Ramadan Mubarak! I pray you are well and wish you a most blessed and rejuvenating holy month! May God help us grow, reflect, and draw closer to the Divine with each passing day! During Ramadan, so many blessings are multiplied. One of my absolute favorite parts of Ramadan are the Ramadan miracles, big and small! We are currently working on some very important projects for 2024 and beyond! I pray that you will join us in these causes with...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 08. March 2024
Ramadan is at our doorsteps. I believe Ramadan will begin on Monday. There is no way we can receive this Ramadan without a deep sense of sadness in our hearts as we witness the ongoing genocide in Gaza, from children dying of malnutrition to adults starving to death. Dying from starvation is one of the cruelest ways to die. It is agonizingly painful, and we are already seeing pictures of severely emaciated children, pictures of flesh hanging onto the bare bones of children in Gaza. It is very...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 01. March 2024
Ramadan is approaching. It is only days away now. We receive this coming Ramadan with a reality that puts all of us, all 2 billion plus Muslims in the world, to shame. We are all aware of this reality. Whether we express it or repress it, whether we deal with it consciously or allow it to act on our subconscious, the fact of the matter is that our existence on this earth at this time is marked by the fact that we are living through a genocide committed against a largely Muslim people. And the...