Family - Al Jumuah Magazine

A Bittersweet Homecoming | Sumayyah Meehan

“THERE’S NO PLACE like home. There’s no place like home.” Those are the magical words uttered by Dorothy in the iconic movie The Wizard of Oz as she found her way back to Kansas, with just a couple of clicks of her…

The Best Inheritance: A Lesson from Surat Maryam | Ghada Khafagy & Farid Al-Toni

Sûrat Maryam, Verses 2-15: Zechariah and His Son Yahya THE NINETEENTH SÛRAH of the Quran starts with Prophet Zechariah supplicating to the Lord. Zechariah was anxious to have an heir, but the inheritance he wanted his son to receive had nothing to do with…

Your Child’s First Ramadan Fast | Sumayyah Meehan

THE HOLY MONTH of Ramadan is upon us. And for many families, this will be the first month of Fasting for some of its youngest members. Allah says in the Quran: O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as…

Qawama: The Essence of Masculinity | Part 2

WE CONTINUE OUR exploration of the meaning of qawwâm, as found in Sûrat Al-Nisâ’, 4:34: Al-rijâlu qawwâmûna ʿala al-nisâ’i… ‘Men have a degree over women.’ In Part 1 we found—in a nutshell—that the concept of qawwâm focuses on the responsibility and commitment of…

Qawama: The Essence of Masculinity | Part 1

AMONG THE SEVERAL âyât that are considered points of contention amongst Muslims and non-Muslims alike, one stands out in particular: Al-rijâlu qawwâmûna ʿala al-nisâ’i… [Sûrat Al-Nisâ’, 4:34] [1] Commonly translated as ‘men have a degree over them’ or ‘men are in charge over them,’…

A Postpartum Look
at Stewardship of the Earth

“SAY HELLO TO your new master,” my aunt told me. I looked down at him, laying peacefully in my arms, his big brown eyes staring innocently back at me. I could not help but laugh at the irony of it. But she…

Cultivating Racial Camaraderie In Children

TO EMBRACE THE diversity around us, and to find our own place in this common humanity is not as easily beautiful as it sounds. Especially so for children. A child in Kindergarten (in the USA) one day asked his teacher when other…

The Almost-Polygynous Woman’s Checklist – 1 | Zainab bint Younus

DISCUSSIONS ABOUT POLYGYNY amongst Muslims tend to be quite stilted and repetitive – the same old tired mantras regarding a man’s “right” to take on other wives; that enduring the situation with patience is a first wife’s jihâd; that polygyny is a…

What Advice Would You Give to Your 14-Year Old Self? | Maryam Amirebrahimi

ISLAM TEACHES US the importance of appreciating sound advice. The Prophet ﷺ has taught us: “The religion is naṣiḥa.” We said: “To whom?” He ﷺ said: “To Allah, His Book, His Messenger, and to the leaders of the Muslims and their common…

Polygyny: What It Means When African American Muslim Women Share Their Husbands: Book Review | Zainab bint Younus

POLYGYNY IS THE pink elephant in the room for so many Muslims – a topic both titillating and embarrassing, one that comes up in questions from non-Muslims and in debate in Muslim gatherings, a subject that elicits strong emotional reactions from almost…