Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 13. September 2023
Greetings of Peace (al salamu 'alaykum) dear Friends, This week marks the 22nd anniversary of the tragedy of 9/11, in my mind, the day that changed everything for Muslims. It kicked off the rise of what would become the incredibly lucrative (for some) and devastating (for Muslims) billion-dollar Islamophobia Industry, which bore abundant evil fruit from which we all now suffer. For my generation and those who are old enough to remember, 9/11 was one of those markers in time that one will never...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 05. September 2023
Dear friends, Greetings of Peace (al salamu 'alaykum)! I pray you are well and looking forward to the Fall season! I am truly amazed that somehow, it seems like we jumped from January to June and then landed in September with three blinks of an eye. I knew this year would pass quickly. Looking at the calendar and the months ahead, I know it will be just a few more heartbeats before we are upon the new year. May God help us to savor every precious moment and slow down to appreciate what is truly...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 01. September 2023
As I often do, I was recently looking at some books on Amazon, and I noticed something rather interesting. I noticed some titles on black magic and books on nefarious rituals that teach people how to perform rituals for whatever their heart desires. For many of these books, especially those with more prominent titles, it is not unusual to see as many as one thousand reviews or more. The sad irony is that if an Islamic book manages to get 20 reviews on Amazon, that is considered a pretty good...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 29. August 2023
Greetings of Peace (al salamu 'alaykum) dear Friends, I pray you are well! I am always so grateful when I can share great news and this week, I have lots to share! First, I must say that we have always been so blessed at the start our virtual Friday prayers to hear the angelic voices of Shayan and Wietske, calling the adhan (the Islamic call to prayer). [Yes, I do perform the call to prayer as well, but I am not a lifetime musician, unlike Shayan and Wietske. I do it on principle because I...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 25. August 2023
There is always the challenge of trying to think through all the challenges that confront us as Muslims. Once you have a full awareness of what Islam is truly about, in every fiber of your being, then it is as if you are privy to a truth, as if you have been handed the key to enlightenment. That key is the key of Islam. Once you know this truth, you know that many other religions have aspired toward monotheism but ultimately failed to achieve it. Other religions deified human beings. In...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 22. August 2023
Dear Friends, Greetings of Peace (al salamu 'alaykum)! I pray you are well! This past weekend, our youngest son, Mido, left "the nest" to start his adult life in college. Brings back so many memories, emotions, and feelings... I was 17 when I left home for college - and completely clueless. Growing up, my mother would always tell me, "I want you to have everything I never had." I have exactly the same sentiment as my mother when it comes to Mido, but what I want for Mido is very different from...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 18. August 2023
As I was preparing for this week’s khutbah, I was struck by how many issues I could choose to focus on. There are so many incidents and events unfolding, so many occurrences that, in direct and indirect ways, are relevant to Muslims. When confronted by so many grand issues that drown the consciousness and overwhelm the intellect, I often escape to micro-level events, for these help us to unpack and unravel the much larger events that surround us in the world. This week, what caught my...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 14. August 2023
Dear friends, Greetings of Peace (al salamu 'alaykum)! I pray you are well and easing gently into the Fall season. Unbelievably to me, this is our last week before our youngest son, Mido, heads off to college for the first time. I didn't think that 18 years would pass so quickly from the time he was born until now, as he "leaves the nest" to start his journey into adulthood. Truthfully, it is probably a lot harder on me than on him. I am not quite sure how I will feel next week when I walk into...
Friday Khutbahs (Sermons) · 11. August 2023
We are quickly approaching the end of August. For many families, it is a time of considerable promise, excitement, trepidation, nervousness, and anticipation. The summer is wrapping up, and many families find their children returning to college. Other families are facing the more burdensome and transformative occasion of their children leaving to go to college for the first time. In both cases, it is a critical time in which the child stands at the doorsteps of adulthood, with all its promises...
Usuli Weekly Newsletter · 07. August 2023
Greetings of Peace (al salamu 'alaykum) dear Friends, I pray you are well! Today, I had a lovely conversation with someone who has been following our work at Usuli for a few years and he said something that struck me - in my paraphrasing, he doesn't have time to waste anymore on what tries to pass off as Islam or "authentic" in the Muslim community. He has stopped going to jumu'a (Friday congregational prayers) because all of the khutbahs are repetitive and not very valuable, to say the least....