"In reflecting on the experiences of Yūsuf, Shuʿayb and the other luminaries whom AllahSubhanahu wa ta ‘ala (Glory to Allah, the Most High) favored with revelation, I am struck by the prophetic role that Black American Muslims play in raising the banner of truth, justice
"The superficiality of the good deeds that are decried in this section of the Qur’an reminds me of my younger years, when I found myself searching for and stumbling around for genuine meaning in my own religion."
“Fighting is an aspect of human nature - it should give us a feeling of being cared for to know that God instructs us on how to properly deal with conflict. That in itself is a sign of guidance.”
How can we, a people who come from a lineage of Prophets who knew the pain of the abandonment of their friends and family, let others suffer that same pain?”
“It is an unspoken rule that our Black men can speak openly about their past trifling (sometimes criminal) pre-Islamic ways and be praised for their redemption. Yet for a Black woman’s righteousness to eclipse her past, she must remain silent."4
Verses like these are likely to make uncomfortable those, such as myself, who live in a cosmopolitan society.
The theme of adherence to the Sacred Law and avoidance of transgressing the boundaries thereof, which the late Charlie Murphy would refer to as being a “habitual line-stepper,” is consistent throughout this juz’.
I begin to re-examine the manner in which the mercy of G’d speaks directly to me in all of the identities I inhabit, and calls on believers to embody the mercy of G’d in our interactions with each other.
