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2 Thoughts on Finding a Hajj State of Mind
Wrapped in Love A house with solid pillars holds firm, can survive the worst storms, and keeps the people that live inside safe. So too is the beauty of the five pillars of Islam: with the adoption of each pillar, another layer of security wraps around the heart. When the intentions of Hajj are made and Allah allows a believer to place their feet upon the pilgrimage, fulfilling that pillar forever changes the heart of the one who is blessed to go. As the 2019 Hajj season approaches, the words of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ ring loudly and true: “Whoever performs Hajj and does not commit any obscenity or transgression will…
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Women’s Empowerment in Pakistan: Meet Nabila
Nabila, a Pakistani woman, is making great strides as a professional now, but that wasn’t always the case. At 16-years-old, she was married. Within a year of marriage, she became a widow with a baby boy to care for. Her husband had fallen ill and was on his deathbed for 16 days. While she waited at his bedside, his family grew suspicious. They eventually put her and her young son out, believing that it was Nabila who caused her husband’s illness and ultimately death. She had nowhere to go but back to stay with her father. Although he worked hard as a driver, his salary still wasn’t enough to support…
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5 Humanitarian Highlights from Nelson Mandela
Prophet Muhammad said: “(Angel) Jibril kept recommending me to treat my neighbour well until I thought that he would tell me to make him one of my heirs” (Bukhari: 6014). When we look to contemporary examples of what it means to truly embody the principle of care for our neighbors, we see the legacy of Nelson Mandela. He became President of South Africa after being former political prisoner, and championing the rights of disenfranchised South Africans. For many humanitarians across the world he has illuminated a path the we can all find lessons in. Here are a few highlights of his impactful life. 1. MANDELA TOOK 1948 APARTHEID LEGISLATION HEAD…
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Islamic Relief USA’s Goals Centered On Compassion and Social Justice
The following is a guest blog post by Amna Amin, an intern with Islamic Relief USA’s Public Affairs department. Muslims have been in the United States since the 1600s, as many people who identified with the Islamic tradition were among those taken across the ocean via the atrocities of the slave trade in Africa. Of the slaves brought over, approximately 15% were Muslim. Even more had contact with Islam before coming to North America. Consequently, Islamic values became embedded within the earliest culture of the United States. In fact, Thomas Jefferson, one of our founding fathers, owned a Qur’an and even wanted to specifically mention Muslims and their religious freedom…
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Islamic Relief USA Invited To Tour New Headquarters for Food Bank of Delaware
It was a proud moment for the Food Bank of Delaware on the morning of Friday, June 21, 2019. The agency’s brand new, 80,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art food bank—complete with two enormous, walk-in coolers, a freezer, a huge staging area, a cafe, and greenhouses containing locally grown vegetables like tomatoes and peppers—is a symbol of modernity and creativity. Islamic Relief USA (IRUSA) was one of the lucky 200-plus guests to receive an invitation to the facility’s grand opening ceremony. IRUSA has been a strong supporter of the organization, having awarded grants to the agency. U.S. Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware), the first lady of Delaware, and various county officials were among the…
