An Unbalanced Lifestyle

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Maaan, that was a tough day for Muhammad and I. I had to help him pay for the damage to the masjid and the medical bills for all of his injuries. He still hasn't paid me back!

But we did learn an unforgettable lesson from this:

Feed Your Body, But Don't Forget to Feed Your Soul! + Soul Food Videos!

I was trying to study yesterday, when Muhammad called me. I knew he'd get me into a long conversation so I ignored it. He left me a voice mail, then a text message and then 10 more text messages. I finally gave in and called him back. 

Me: Asalamu Alaikum. What's up?

Muhammad: Walaikum Asalam! I MET SHEIKH BOHOT ACHA!

Me: WHAT?! The world renowned Islamic scholar? You actually spoke to him?

Muhammad: Well not really. I just went to an MSA event he was speaking at. I was too shy to talk to him.

Me: Uhhhh did you call me just to tell me that?

Muhammad: No, not just that. He answered a question. 

Me: Ohh so he answered your question?

Muhammad: Not really. It was someone else's question. I couldn't think of anything to ask. 

Me: Muhammad! Why does this matter? I'm trying to study!

Muhammad: Listen, it's really good. So this guy went up to the mic and said that he was researching Islam for a while. They had a discussion that went something like this:

The Face Veil Ban: Who Are The Niqabis?

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As you may have heard, a law in France has been put into effect, which bans face veils such as the niqab or burqa. Many people have stated that this is simply a move by French President Nicolas Sarkozy to improve his public image and to win over votes. This seems more likely than the common argument that the law is in defense of women's rights, which the niqab and burqa apparently violate. 


While I can understand why someone who has never met a niqabi (a person who wears the niqab) may be misled into believing this, especially with the way Muslims are portrayed in the media, I know from my personal experience that such an idea is completely untrue. When I used to volunteer at an Islamic summer program,

Interactive Cartoon Muhammad! Share Your Answers to the Questions Below!

So I was watching the video below and questions the guy asked really made think and reflect. I can tell I wasn't the only one with this reaction. I just jokingly asked my friend one of the questions and some random person who was walking by answered with complete seriousness. I thought it would be interesting to hear what everyone else's answers would be.

So here are the questions:

1. Why are you here? (Basically, what are you doing now (or nowadays) and why?)
2. What motivates you more, love or fear? Why?
3. Do you believe in government? Do you believe they tell the truth? Do they have your best interest at heart?
4. What does freedom mean to you?
5. What makes you happy in life?
6. What is the meaning of life?

Leave your answers in the comment section and check out the video too.

Catch Your Tongue: A Response to MuslimMatters Comments on New York Times Article About Sheikh Yasir Qadhi

There once was a man who was born and raised in the United States, but left to pursue an education in Islam in the Middle East. After that he dedicated many more years to further his education in Islam at one of the United State's most eminent universities. Not only that, but he has constantly been helping to improve the condition of American-Muslims communities. This is the story of Sheikh Bohot Acha, who is shown above. 

Now what would you say if random person comes out and questions Sheikh Bohot Acha in a rude and condescending matter? You may say something like, "What a jerk!" or "Who does he think he is?!" What ever you may say, we would all agree that acting in such a way, even if the issues brought up are valid, is plain annoying and not consistent with the manners taught to us by our religion. 

That's why I was very surprised to see this behavior at Muslim Matters in the comments section of a post about a New York Times article on Yasir Qadhi. Now we all know how comments sections are on most websites (a hotbed of internet trolling), but this is going on a Muslim website and is about Sheikh Yasir Qadhi, a very intelligent brother who has done so much for our community. What was even more annoying was that these comments were:

Salah: You Get What You Put Into It + Video On How To Improve The Quality of Your Prayers

I remember a few years ago, I was praying at the masjid. Of course, someone's cellphone went off during the prayer playing some music. It's funny how it has almost become a sunnah (prophetic tradition) to say, "please turn off your cell phones" before prayer, yet there is ALWAYS one person who forgets. After the prayer, a brother said to the entire congregation:

Whatever You Do, Just Ihsan It Up!

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Last week, Muhammad and I were chilling as usual. It was 8 pm and Muhammad was playing videos. I remembered that he had an exam the next day so I asked him:

Me: Hey Muhammad, shouldn't you be studying for the exam?
Muhammad: Yeaaa, this professor is easy. I'll start studying at 9 pm.
Me: Umm you sure?
Muhammad: Yea, don't worry bro.

A few days ago I asked Muhammad about his exam: