-
Ramadan Reflections: Day 17 Nafs Hack with Ain’t Afraid
Nafs Hack: Give What You Have Assalam alaikum! It’s Ain’t Afraid here with your Nafs Hack for today. Growing up, our mother kept us around the masjid. She wanted to teach us our religion. She wanted to instill Islamic values within us, like charity, even though we were a poor family. I remember when we were younger and we used to go to Muslim gatherings in the masjid, and the imam or the organizers would ask the community for donations. It was a tradition for us to go to our mother so she’d give us something to give in the basket—whether it be .50 or $1. She later told us…
-
Ramadan Reflections: Day 12 Nafs Hack with David Hawa
Nafs Hack: Increasing Your Giving Assalamu alaikum! This is your brother, David, with Islamic Relief USA with today’s Ramadan Reflection, Nafs Hack edition. This month, we have increased our worship and ibadath, we increased our salah, we increased praying, we increased our fasting, we increased our sadaqah, our charity that we’ve been giving. Now, some of us will ask, how do we, if we give throughout the year and we kind of live almost paycheck-to-paycheck, how do we give extra during the month of Ramadan? Well, this is a little hack that I’ve done for myself to increase my giving during the month of Ramadan. What I’ve done is calculate…
-
Donor Report: A Poem
Disclaimer: The following poem was submitted by a guest contributor. Guest blog posts do not necessarily reflect endorsed viewpoints from Islamic Relief USA. Donor Report Feel for these families Fill up these pantries Put your heart in your hand and the money will land with ease Donations for what every woman and man needs There's a humanity that these tight demands squeeze Time is sinking, catch the opportunity before the land leaves Oh traveler, who couldn't even afford a shawl We've tossed Js on tree branches while from off your bare feet you had to crawl This is a letter of apology that I'm going to attempt to scrawl What…
-
From the Heart: Loving the Yateem
Islamic Relief USA’s Lina Hashem reports how one dedicated Islamic Relief USA donor has dedicated a significant part of his life to helping orphans in Afghanistan. Ahmad Sohail Ayam has an extra motivation to get to work every morning. Well, more like 41 extra motivations. They’re the orphans he sponsors. Ayam is from Afghanistan and so are his orphans, but that’s not why he sponsors them. It’s because he’s seen how the poor are living there, right now in the 21st century, after decades of war. Especially the yateem—the orphans. “There are people living in the 10th century,” he said. “I saw them last year when I was there. Poor…
-
IRUSA Makes Education for Syrian Children a Priority
Enas was nine years old when her and her family fled Syria more than a year ago in January 2014. Their home is now a simple tent in eastern Lebanon in one of the more than four hundred informal settlements that are scattered throughout the country.
-
One TechGirl inspires with a special message to leaders everywhere
Islamic Relief USA’s Nada Shawish writes on a special letter she received from one very special TechGirl who is working hard to become a leader in a male-dominated field. I’ve read so many pieces of writing here at Islamic Relief USA. Some are from the field, some are from donors, some are from staff members, and some are from community leaders. But the ones that mean the most are the ones we receive from the people we support with your donations and volunteered time. One particular piece we received from a high school girl makes me so hopeful for the future of our world. Kenza, from the group TechGirls, believes…
