What a Week - Reflections on Our Mortality and The Launch of the Global Muslim Life Weekly
Over the last week we have had our lives turned upside down and we have no real idea when or if things will go back to what we used to consider to be “normal.” Blessings we took for granted like simply going outside, our daily work and outings, praying at the Mosque, Friday prayers, they are gone for now. We pray for this disease to be eradicated and taken from our lives, we pray for healing for all those who are suffering, and for ease for families who have lost loved ones around the world, Ameen. There is no greater example of how little control we have of this world and how interconnected our lives are beyond the barriers and borders placed around us.
These are some of the most difficult times that most of us have ever lived through. The uncertainty of these times should create empathy in our lives in imagining what it is like for the millions around the world who have had their lives uprooted by war and disease.
It should also be a reminder that as people of faith our lives are rooted in our belief and love of God, we must turn to Him with absolute humility and prayer in this moment. We should also reflect on the reality that if this world as it was is unacceptable to our creator, then what type of world should we create that is more in balance with our teachings?
LaunchGood, Penny Appeal, and Celebrate Mercy have put together a beautiful fundraiser that now has a goal of $300,000 to support people who have lost work and income because of the Corona Virus. You can donate here.
The Center for Global Muslim Life
In 2018 as I was living in Kuala Lumpur, I was reflecting on how little we actually know about the diversity of Muslim life around the world. We know about our crises, the wars, and Islamophobia but what do we know about the leaders in our community building the collective future of the world’s largest and most diverse faith? What do we know about diverse narratives about Muslims being produced around the world? The diverse startups growing around the world to serve Muslim communities? What do we know about Muslims making a social and spiritual impact around our world?
We asked the question, what would it look like to create a center that is future oriented and that creates space for cultural incubation? What would it look like to create something visionary and move away from the constant reactionary thinking that our community has been stuck in for the last twenty years?
This is our answer, and although it is a difficult time to launch anything as the Prophet ﷺ has taught us "Even if the end of time is upon you and you have a seedling in your hand, plant it!" So we dig in and plant our seeds with high intentions and the love of humanity in our hearts. As we work towards launching the center we are starting small with this weekly newsletter where we gather some of our favorite faith reflections, films, and sounds from around the world. You can learn more about what we are building here: GlobalMuslimLife.com
The Friday Khutba
Since many of us are now going into our second week where we will not be going to Jummah, it is important that we find time for faith-rooted reflections in the midst of this crisis. Here are a few that I watched this week:
Shaykh Mokhtar Maghraoui on “A Spiritual Response to the Coronavirus”
A powerhouse all women’s panel of doctors hosted by Shaykha Tamara Gray from Rabata
Celebrate Mercy had a very good webinar with reflections from many physicians and scholars like Imam Zaid Shakir, and Imam Omar Suleiman
I also watched my local khutba on livestream at one of my favorite Mosques in the world, the Islamic Center of San Diego with Shaykh Abdul Jalil Mezgouri. You could see the raw emotion as he preached to a virtually empty congregation that usually has thousands of worshipers every Friday.
Global Muslim Startups of the Week
It makes sense to feature online learning platforms this week as everything has had to quickly move online as we all go into quarantine for who knows how long.
One of my all-time favorite global Muslim Startups, Noor Kids, featured in our first 50 Muslim Startups list way back in 2015 has come out strong as we all face a new reality with our children at home. They are offering a two week course for children dealing with the difficult issues of our times for members, called “Lion Hearted Muslims.” They are offering a deal on their membership plans starting at ninety-nine cents.
With everyone staying home the global has become local and so many great organizations and teachers are offering courses online. Here are a few resources I came across this week.
Imam Suhaib Webb has a wealth of courses on his SWISS platform and they are also conducting nightly Quran readings as a response to this crisis.
Imam Adeyinka Muhammad Mendes is conducting a number of classes throughout the week, including Quranic Healings, through the Muslim Center of Greater Princeton digital platforms.
You can find Imam Wesley Lebron teaching in Spanish and English daily on his Facebook live feed.
Shaykha Muslema Purmul and Shaykh Jamal Diwan have almost daily classes scheduled online with their Orange County based organization, The Majlis.
I’m sure there are many more that should be added here, please send learning platforms and classes to me and I will include them next week.
Read This
I took my 3 young daughters to get Linda Sarsour’s book “We Are Not Here to Be Bystanders,” at the bookstore and they were so excited to see auntie Linda’s face with all the other books. The livestream of the New York book launch is well worth the watch.
Fascinating article on the history of Sufism in Black American Muslim communities from Rasul Miller for Sapelo Square.
I can’t wait to get my hands on this new translation of Rumi’s Masnavi.
Speaking of books, my favorite Islamic bookstore in the world is Wardah Books in Singapore, check out this fascinating article about the history of Islamic booksellers in the neighborhood where Wardah is today, Kamung Glam.
Watch This
What seems like a lifetime ago now, before the virus exploded all over the world about eight days ago, Riz Ahmed released a truly shocking short film for his new album “The Long Goodbye.” The film takes you down a deep dystopian hole of fear that seems only a few steps away from reality for Muslims living in the West with growing White supremacist hatred towards our community.
I’ve been enjoying watching films from around the world on Alchemiya’s channel on Amazon. Some of the films I’ve checked out so far include, Blessed are the Strangers
One of my favorite docs of all time, Al-Ghazali The Alchemist of Happiness
And this beautiful film “Circling the House of God,” about Martin Lings Hajj, with incredible footage from 1958.
Listen to This
This past week we lost one of the great Muslim jazz giants, McCoy Tyner, also known as Sulieman Saud, who converted to Islam at 17 and played with John Coltrane until 1965 and went onto have a lifelong career in Jazz as a master pianist and bandleader.
In times like this, I love listening to my favorite spiritual podcast, Path & Present with Baraka Blue. I especially enjoyed the recent episodes with Shaykha Ieasha Prime and with Dr. Bilal Ware.
Riz Ahmed’s new album, “The Long Goodbye” is a political break up song to Britain, and it is well worth the listen.
One of my favorite artists over the last few years is the Indonesian Reggae artist Ras Muhamad. Check out these beautiful songs, one from his forthcoming album about the sirat al mustaqem (the straight path), and one older song that fits the mood of this moment well.
Is there something we missed this week that you think we should include in the coming weeks? A company we should feature? You can send it to me on Twitter, Instagram, or Twitter at @dustincraun