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MIA x MSA Women in Academia Panel: An Evening Full of Wisdom, Sisterhood, and Connection Maryam Noor  In mid-January, Muslims in Academia (MIA) had their first event of the year in collaboration with the Muslim Students' Association (MSA). The purpose of this event was to bring together established Muslim women in academia for a panel discussion where they shared their academic journeys, experiences, and advice for younger Muslimahs navigating academia. The four panelists, Salma Sheikh, Alaa Hamid, Rayan Awad Alim, and Labiba Nawar, and moderator Bahja Farah (all pictured seated above), have studied and/or work at the University of Toronto in the fields of STEM, making their stories and experiences incredibly relevant to the attendees!  For the first part of the event, the panelists responded to guided discussion prompts, with topics including how they experience being visibly Muslim, how they deal with the pressure to shrink parts of their identities in academic spaces, and how their faith empowers them in the face of challenges. This was followed by an open group discussion where the audience was handed mics to ask their burning questions. The atmosphere during the open discussion was incredibly supportive and reassuring, illustrating the power of sisterhood when it comes to building confidence in your identity!  The event concluded with pizza and a networking session. The pizza was delicious, the conversations were thriving, and LinkedIn contacts were shared. I went around and asked some of the attendees for their key takeaways from the event. One girl responded, “Trust in your identity and don’t change yourself for the position you are in.” Another response was, “The Muslim experience isn’t as isolating as you think, and you’re guaranteed to find someone else with the same experiences if you explore your community.” A few people shared that they really valued the perspective of turning academia into an opportunity for ibadah (worship) by approaching their work with the right niyyah (intention). They also found reassurance through the perspective of how, just because you dedicate two years of your life to studying something, if you find you aren’t passionate about it, don’t feel obliged to see it through because, at the end of the day, you have decades of work life ahead of you. So, take those extra few years to pursue a career you’re actually passionate about! Overall, the Women in Academia panel provided a much-needed safe space for female Muslim students and academics to share their experiences and support each other as they each navigate their academic journeys. In sha Allah, we have more events similar to this one in the future!
Tuning Inwards and Outwards: Making the Most of Ramadan
Rumia Owaisi Ramadan is a month of tuning both inwards and outwards. A time where we collectively engage in spiritual growth and enhance our sense of community, all while working towards gaining personal closeness to Allah SWT. Balancing all these different pieces while being a university student can feel stressful! Fortunately for us, Ramadan is not about perfectionism, but about striving to do our best. Here are some examples of how to make the most of Ramadan this semester: Pause and Reflect Through Tafakkur As students, it is easy to live in the future. I mean, it is hard not to when you constantly have looming deadlines and one task after another. From this perspective, Ramadan can also seem like another fast-approaching deadline that we must be prepared for. However, this is where it is helpful to pause and take a deep breath. There is Divine Wisdom in you experiencing Ramadan as a student this year. Make the most of the opportunity by engaging in tafakkur, which refers to contemplation over the signs of Allah SWT and the wisdom in His creation of the world around us and within us. Engaging in tafakkur is a beautiful act of worship that can help bring mindfulness and presence into your life. Here are some guiding reflection questions:
Take a Relational Approach to Faith A lot of us struggle to feel a sense of connection when we are praying, making du’a, or reading the Qur’an. We crave a deeper emotional response to our prayer, but often get stuck in what feels like a more habitual cycle of worship. It can be tough to feel a sense of connection when we do not know who we are connecting with. Allah SWT created us as relational beings and introduced Himself to us through His Names so that we could get to know Him more deeply and closely. Reading about or watching a YouTube series on the Names of Allah SWT can be a way to develop our relationship with Him. Next time you are making a du’a, try to connect with the name most relevant to your situation. Similarly with the Qur’an, internalizing it as the words that Allah SWT is speaking to us directly can foster a more interactive experience. Allah SWT chose you to engage with His message. Sit with that, and reflect upon how you can level up your relationship with Allah SWT through the Qur’an this year. For example, while completing your recitation of the Qur’an in Ramadan, choose a handful of verses to reflect upon for that day. See what lessons you can take away and how you can apply them into your life. Remember What Your Soul is Housed in Our souls are housed within a material reality, namely, our bodies! Our bodies go through a lot during Ramadan. With fasting, our meal and sleep times shift. We may also be eating special foods that we otherwise do not get to enjoy so often. However, similar to how we are intentional about fasting and prayer, it is important to remember that Allah SWT has entrusted our bodies to us as an amanah (sacred trust). In this case, we can fulfill our amanah by taking care of our bodies, which will enhance the Ramadan experience. It can be easy to be overwhelmed with where to start with managing our health. Remember, small steps can give us big results. For example, eating slowly and mindfully prepares the body for digestion and allows nutrients to be extracted from your food in an optimal way. You will find yourself feeling more satisfied and energized after taking your time to eat. Also, do not forget the water! Keeping a water bottle to sip from while you are doing your school work post-iftar, or praying taraweeh can be a game-changer. Engage in Community Care Sometimes, the additional tasks that we have to do in Ramadan, like housework or hosting friends and family at our homes, can seem like distractions. However, serving others is a primary act of worship and medicine for the soul. Being intentional about our service brings barakah (blessings) into our lives and softens the heart. Think about some ways that you can engage in community care that will be meaningful for you. Here are a couple of examples:
May Allah SWT make this Ramadan a source of blessings and goodness for us all. Ameen! Frankenstein in Baghdad by Ahmed Saadawi – Book Review Sadiah Bemat 3.5/5 Stars Ahmed Saadawi’s Frankenstein in Baghdad is a retelling of Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein, where readers are transported to the United States’ invasion of Iraq. The novel follows Hadi, a junk dealer, considered an oddball, who enjoys spending his days at the local cafe telling tales and stories. A close companion, Nahem, endures a violent death. Hadi spirals and begins to collect the body parts of people who die these sudden deaths in everyday bombings, and begins to stitch them together, becoming the reimagined Victor Frankenstein in Shelly’s classic story. His reason for doing so is simple: he wants the government to recognize the innocent civilians as people, and to give them a proper burial. Things begin to go awry when this amalgamation of Hadi’s collected and stolen limbs comes to life, whom he calls Whatsitsame, chases his own justice as he begins to enact revenge for the people whose limbs he is composed of, murdering their killers, and then beginning to kill anything in his path. Hadi’s creation of Whatsitsname challenged a common pattern within media coverage of devastating conflicts, genocides, and war zones, which is the dehumanization of innocent civilians who are killed. Similar to the realities during the US invasions of Iraq in 2002, the journalists in the novel document the daily tragedies and deaths of innocents, to the point that it is just a part of the daily existence of the characters. Hadi is pushed to his breaking point after his friend Nahem is killed. This profound loss pushes Hadi to his breaking point, and he begins to collect the limbs of the forgotten. Victim deaths are often quantified into numbers and statistics, removing individual stories and suffering, making observers detached, and perpetuating a notion of normalization of the tragic loss of lives. By collecting the limbs of the innocent, Hadi pushes to end this reduction of lives, and for the government to see each life as its own significant existence, not just faceless masses that fade and are forgotten. Saadawi’s reinterpretation makes us question who the real monster of this story is. Is it the Whatitsname, for enacting revenge, then delving into senseless killing? Is it Hadi for creating the creature in the first place, and avoiding Whatitsname altogether because of his immense fear towards the creation that he ‘fathered,’ as he calls it? Or, is it the political forces at play? In my interpretation, the creation of Whatsitsname is not a fearful and violent monster. Rather, he serves as a mirror of the various political forces that are involved in Iraq's destruction. The creature serves as a reflection of their crimes and their consequences, which is the death of Innocent Iraqi civilians, whose limbs he is created from. While I immensely enjoyed the novel, there were a few moments where I think the story lags. There is a huge list of characters, which is a list provided at the front of the book, but it was still difficult to keep track and made me less invested in some of the characters, creating this disconnect at some points of the story. One of my favourite aspects of the novel was the description of the setting and everyday life. Saadawi was masterful at placing readers within Iraq in 2002, showing how life for ordinary people was uprooted through violence, sudden losses, and showing the unstable conditions that people had to live through. At one point, we follow the soul of a man who goes home and sees his wife and infant child asleep, before any news of his death reaches them. These characters are all ordinary citizens who are living simple lives, but the invasion has made their ordinary lives unsafe, and unexpected tragedies have become expected and a normal part of everyday life. Something that I think was highlighted well was the coexistence of Muslims, Christians, and non-religious people, showing the diverse population of Iraq, rather than the dominant hegemonic view that is usually depicted. While Hadi is non-religious, his close friend Nehman was a devout Muslim, and had left a lasting memory within Hadi’s life, particularly when Nehman had glued the Throne Verse, also known as Ayat al-Kursi, from the Qur’an in the place they lived. This verse is one of the most powerful ones and is used for protection, so it made sense as to why Nehman glued it to make it difficult to remove. This reminds me of when I was younger and had issues with sleep paralysis and nightmares; my dad also taped this verse to my headboard, where it still resides to this day. There are moments when I laughed, and moments when I felt angry. For me, a novel where the characters make me care and feel deeply invested in their lives is automatically highly rated, so I recommend everyone to read this novel, whether you are a die-hard fan of Frankenstein, enjoy a good sci-fi book, or want an exploration of how individuals living in Iraq were impacted during the US invasions though a literary critique.  The Cookie Chronicles 2: The Russian Chapter (русская глава) Soundous Louardiane Zoyeb needed cookies. But not just any cookies. Russian-style cookies. Ahmad was organizing an MSAxIAW lecture event about the history of Islam in the Russian empire and Zoyeb thought it would be a good idea to have some small baked Russian treats for the attendees and the guest lecturer (who SAID YES!!) So, he headed over to the grandma’s legacy group chat and issued a call to find the next MSA Cookie Warrior. This brave soul would be baking alongside MSA Cookie Queen Ainaa, with whom he had previously discussed the matter. A few minutes later, Soundous responded saying that she might be able to contribute, but couldn’t confirm just yet. Following this, a barrage of puns on baking and Russian artistic culture rained down on the group chat. Zoyeb and Ahmad led the charge while Soundous pitched in occasionally. Some of their best work includes Ainaa Karenina (Anna Karenina), Recipes from Underground (Notes from Underground), The Sisters Caramelsov (The Brothers Karamazov), War and Treats (War and Peace), Baked Souls (Dead Souls), The Cooksacks (The Cossacks), What is to be Baked? (What is to be Done?), Baker of our Time (Hero of our Time), The Death of Ainaa Cookivych (The Death of Ivan Ilyich), Swan Bake (Swan Lake), and The Cookie Cracker (The Nutcracker). Later that night, Soundous went down a rabbit hole of looking up Russian desserts and this put her in a baking mood. She therefore decided to commit to baking for the event. She asked Zoyeb, the MSA’s resident Russian expert, if he had any suggestions for what would be good to make. Unfortunately, his expertise did not extend to the Russian art of cookery, so he asked his Russian professor and came back the next day with “Qurabiya,” which is essentially a butter cookie with jam. He provided Soundous with a recipe in Russian. Soundous cannot read Russian, but Google translate came to the rescue. While reading the ingredients, she noticed two interesting quirks. Instead of simply saying “egg whites,” the ingredients list specified chicken egg white (as opposed to ostrich eggs or quail eggs perhaps?) It also indicated the quantity of egg white needed in grams, as opposed to a number of eggs. For future reference, this narrator would like to make it known that 25 g of (chicken) egg whites is more or less equivalent to the white of 1 (chicken) egg. Meanwhile, Ainaa decided to try her hand at baking a Napoleon cake. Zoyeb warned her that his Russian professor had said that it was difficult and time-consuming to make, but he also added that if she were to try it, it would be one of her top 5 moments. Ainaa curiously asked what her top 4 moments were, but he never replied. This narrator will venture to say that winning the MSA Charity Week Bake-Off is one of them, but the rest will remain a mystery. A few days before the event, Soundous decided to do a test batch, mostly to see how many cookies the recipe could produce, since it failed to mention this rather important detail. She got all her baking supplies and ingredients ready, pulled out the translated recipe on her laptop, and feeling all pumped up and excited, she began. Two seconds later, she stopped. She had just read the first line of instructions: “Take the butter out of the refrigerator an hour or two in advance – let it become completely soft.” She looked at the unsoftened butter that she had just pulled out of the refrigerator 10 minutes ago and contemplated her options. She could either stop now and try again later, or she could carry on with her unsoftened butter. She stubbornly (and foolishly, this narrator might add) chose the second option, thinking that her hand mixer could speed up the process of making the butter soft and creamy. It did not. After fighting with the butter for about 10 minutes, she finally admitted defeat and left it to soften on its own for an hour. Let this be a lesson for all: read the full recipe before embarking on any cooking or baking activity. When Soundous later returned to the kitchen, she found the butter softened and thus began baking in earnest. Everything went smoothly until she reached the stage of forming the cookies into their cute little flower shape (which coincidentally looked like the TMV logo, as Kenda later pointed out). Her mom had given her a cookie press, but the instructions had gone missing somewhere and Soundous had no idea how to use the contraption. She set it up, put the cookie dough in, and proceeded to play around with the lever in an attempt to press the dough onto the baking sheet (this narrator is at a loss as to why she did not simply look up how to use the tool on the internet). She fought with the press (or the torture device, as she affectionately started calling it) for about 5 minutes before it finally occurred to her to find a demonstration video on YouTube. While she was away, her mom, who had been watching her struggle the whole time, decided to give it a try. Soundous happily returned to the baking (battle) field a few minutes later with her newly-acquired knowledge, only to find that her mom (an engineer) had completely dismantled the cookie press in her attempt to figure it out. The worst part is that she couldn’t reassemble it; one of the pieces simply wouldn’t go back to its original position. Soundous couldn’t even understand how her mom had managed to remove it in the first place. She tried to force it in for a while then gave up, leaving her mom to fend for herself. It took about half an hour, but her mom finally (one might even say miraculously) managed to fully reassemble the cookie press (alhamdullillah). But Soundous was yet again prevented from finishing up the cookies, as it was time for dinner. After getting some food into her belly, Soundous was ready to face the cookies once more. She knew how the cookie press was supposed to work in theory, but actually using it was a completely different story. She tried. And tried. And tried. The cookie dough was coming out in all sorts of ways, but after a while, she more or less got the hang of it and produced about 50 cute-looking cookies. Her second attempt the day before the event was far less chaotic. She learned from her mistakes and managed to produce about 120 cookies in a timely manner. Meanwhile, Ainaa was working on her Napoleon cake. She had decided to make a small one for the guest lecturer and an even smaller one for the event organizers. She found herself baking well into the night and finally finished at 2h30 AM. She topped the cake off with raspberries and thought it looked depressing. But after rearranging the raspberries a little and adding powdered sugar, she was satisfied with the end result (the powdered sugar ended up melting into nothingness on the raspberries, but the cake looked good nonetheless). She didn’t taste the Napoleon, but having tried both the puff pastry and custard cream that made it up, she logically concluded that, in theory, it should also taste good (this narrator can confirm that this was indeed the case). Later that morning, Ainaa got into the car with her brother to drive to the university. She was hoping that the cake would survive her brother’s driving. It did not. The raspberries went flying and the cake barely made it out in one piece. Once on campus, Ainaa balanced 5 IAW trifold posters under one arm while pulling a trolley containing the Napoleon cake with the other. As she made her way across the street, a sudden, strong gust of wind made her lose her grip and the posters flew off. In her rush to get them back, Ainaa abandoned the trolley with the cake on the road and they almost got run over by cars. After this near-death experience, Ainaa fixed the cake up a little and it looked as good as new. The red raspberry marks on the cake box walls were the only indicators that a massacre had occurred. The event went well, alhmadullillah! Ahmad’s hard organizational work and Zoyeb’s support paid off. More than 40 people attended the lecture, ma sha Allah. Even the weather contributed to creating an authentic Russian winter experience by delivering freezing cold temperatures and strong winds that day. The guest lecturer gave a wonderful talk and the attendees asked many good questions. Everyone enjoyed Soundous’ Qurabiya cookies, ma sha Allah. Many people praised their charming appearance and this made all the suffering she endured to shape them feel worthwhile. Ahmad’s mom later said that they were “very nice” and one person even asked if Soundous had a business and took baking orders! She took it as a beautiful compliment, despite Zoyeb’s claim that they wanted to know in order to call the Canadian Food Inspection Agency on her. Ainaa’s Napoleon cake was also a great success, ma sha Allah. The organizing team, after scrambling to acquire utensils (thank you to Safiyyah and Ainaa for getting them!) quite literally dug into the mini-version made for them and enjoyed it tremendously. The guest lecturer, who was very touched by the gesture, also loved her cake. She later wrote to Ahmad that “It is DELICIOUS!!!” (caps lock and all). And that’s how Cookie Queen Ainaa beat Napoleon and became the Empress of Cookies and Cakes.  Qurabiya Cookies  Napoleon Cake My Lord Before Me: Testimonies of Why Muslim Women Choose to Wear the Hijab
Sadiah Bemat For as long as I can remember, I have been surrounded by the hijab (headscarf). My mother wore it, my aunts wore it, my cousins wore it. It was the most normal and natural thing to me, so it didn’t come as much of a surprise when I asked my Mom if I could start wearing it when I was nine. She was happy that I was interested in it, but she was also hesitant. She told me something very important that day. The hijab is a lifetime commitment, and it comes with responsibility. Nine-year-old me did not really understand what that meant, nor did I really think about what she said. If I was being honest, I didn’t really understand what the hijab was, not truly. I looked up to my Mom and the women in my family, and I wanted to look like them; that was the only reason. I did not know what the hijab meant. Wearing a hijab at that age and in the area we were living in was a big decision, as there were only two Muslims in my elementary school at the time: me, and the principal. So, in every classroom, assembly, and even field trip with other schools, I was the only hijabi there. While the intentions of all the people in my life were good, I was never taught what the hijab actually was and the real reason behind why Allah SWT commanded us to wear it. During a period in which I struggled with my connection to the hijab, I finally learned the beauty of what it meant to wear it. Hijab is not just commanded upon women, but also men. Allah SWT created men and women differently, and our minds and desires differ greatly as well, so we are commanded to cover differently, but cover we must. It was also not commanded upon women to cover because of men, nor did Allah SWT ever command men to force women to wear the hijab. Allah SWT commanded men to lower their gaze first: “Tell the believing men to lower their gaze and guard their modesty, that is purer for them. Indeed, Allah is all aware of what they do” (Surah An-Nur 24:30). The following verse commands Muslim women to wear hijab second: “And tell the believing women to reduce [some] of their vision and guard their private parts and not expose their adornment except that which [necessarily] appears thereof and to wrap [a portion of] their headcovers over their chests…” (Surah An-Nur 24:31) But hijab is not just an act of modesty. It is meant to identify us, and show people that we are Muslims when we leave our homes. The hijab can be so hard. Having thoughts and feelings about wanting to take it off is normal. Being hesitant to wear it is normal. Just like our iman (faith), it is not always perfect and there are flaws with and without connection to the hijab. There are days when I am excited to wear it. There are days when I am thankful that I get to wear it. And then there are days when I walk into a room where I am the only person wearing the hijab and feel like I stand out like a sore thumb, and I hate it. I asked the women in my life why they chose to wear hijab, their inspiration, and motivation, and here is what they had to say: Anonymous 1 “In a world where everyone is focused on outer beauty, it feels empowering to rise above and choose what my Lord has asked of me. I want to be valued for who I am, not how I look. Wearing the hijab makes me feel safe, strong, and deeply connected to my faith. It gives me a sense of purpose and peace, and reminds me that I’m proudly representing my religion wherever I go.” Anonymous 2 “While dressing modestly has been instilled in me since I was child, no one in my family wears the hijab. Up until the beginning of 12th grade, wearing the hijab was a thought that had not crossed my mind. It was not an aspect of my deen (religion) that I saw in those around me, or was understood as important. However in grade 12, I began to start learning more about Islam and really began working on my relationship with Allah SWT. So much changed in my life within the span of a few months; it was as though a flip had switched in my mind and my heart. It was then that I really began thinking about the hijab and what it means to not only obey Allah SWT and His commands because He asked us to, but to visibly represent myself as a Muslim for the sake of Allah SWT. It was soon after that I began wearing the hijab. Not only because it was commanded on me, but to show the society around me the power of transformation, kindness, and accountability that Islam provides. I have been given the opportunity to challenge secular norms and redefine how the increasingly Islamaphobic country we live in perceives Muslims. There was never a push from anyone in my family or community to begin wearing the hijab. It was a choice I made to please Allah SWT and to show the world that I am Muslim, that I have a set of values and beliefs that I try my hardest to stand firm in, to demonstrate that this deen, this ideology, is a choice I’ve committed to. At times that I think about how much nicer I look without the hijab, I bring myself to when I first put the hijab on. The feelings of empowerment. Of saying I have faith in Allah SWT without having to say a word. Of earning mercy and good deeds for every second I am outside my home. I remember that the hijab is a mercy above all else.” Anonymous 3 “I began wearing the hijab around 9 or 10 years old. It wasn't something forced upon me, but rather, it was something that came naturally to me, and it has always been a part of me and my identity. This hijab was my pride. I started covering my face when I was 14 and loved it, but when I moved to Canada in 2003, I was 16, and being here, covering my face didn't feel normal, so I stopped doing it. However, I could not leave my hijab. It is not easy covering your face in a Western country and it is something that I regret leaving and I wish I had continued. But I am so thankful that I didn’t stop wearing my hijab. I was pregnant and I didn’t know the baby’s gender until birth. It was a girl! I would dress her up and encourage her to wear the hijab by setting a good example and adhering to it myself. She also put it on at a young age and it made me so happy. I didn’t realize how fast she grew up and how hijab had come so naturally to her because she saw how normal it was when she would see her mom wearing it. She was always very curious as a child and had a lot of questions about the hijab and I never discouraged her from asking and questioning the purpose and reasons behind why the hijab is compulsory. As she matured, she also accepted the hijab, and as a mother, I am so proud of her.” Anonymous 4 “I began wearing the hijab at the age of 18, and now I am 20 years old. These three years have been transformative given the wardrobe, character, and lifestyles that accompany this act of ibadah (worship). For instance, being mindful of my character with the intent to please Allah SWT and represent the values of deen to the best of my ability and wearing a burkini at the beach. As the first hijabi in my family, I faced some pushback with relatives being concerned about my ability to attract a partner and potentially facing discrimination at school and work. My mother reminded me that the hijab is not a light switch and once you choose to wear it, you must commit to it fully, and that advice stayed with me. I am deeply grateful that Allah SWT granted me the strength and ability to carry out this act of ibadah.” Anonymous 5 “I decided to start wearing the hijab in my first year of university, officially in March, but I was wearing it on and off in January. I started to wear it because I was yearning for it. I think previously, in the years before I started university, I was already seeking and I was already practicing and getting much closer to Allah SWT, but eventually, there was a point where I knew that if I continue to keep going without putting on the hijab, I would never truly feel ready, and I knew there was never going to be a day that I truly feel ready. I wore it one day to school, and the first few days were hard. But, I think when I came back from my trip to Cuba, where I did not wear the hijab, it was then that I realized that I wanted to fully commit to it. And this just made it easy for me to commit. I have been going for one year strong. I think what made it easier for me to commit to wearing it was the fact that I slowly eased myself into it. Eventually, when we put it on, it is made easy for us by Allah SWT. Another big aspect that helped me was that I was easily recognized by my community. Being a representation of Islam, that is the best thing, the greatest honour, blessing, and gift. I found my community, and that was really important to me because I now had people I could lean on. When I started wearing the hijab, Allah SWT granted me company where I was comfortable with wearing it, and it was easy. For some people it is not easy, especially if you’re a revert, but one thing that really helped me was knowing that you are now recognized by your Muslim peers, and they say Salam to you and smile at you. It feels like there is a weight lifted off my shoulder because I am doing something that pleases Allah SWT by wearing this garment, and that is beautiful. Sometimes, you forget the significance of the hijab, so it is good to reflect. It’s a beautiful journey to wear the hijab, because of the community but also the longing to be close to Allah SWT. It’s the love we have for Allah SWT and the love He has for us that comes first and foremost. The Morning After IAW
Sumayya Mohammed The morning after Islam Awareness Week feels surreal, as I wake up to the light shining through my window, with new memories of something greater than I could have ever imagined, knowing it is only through my Lord that I experience this profound form of guidance Who was I to have become this person? What have I ever done to deserve this amount of goodness? As I sit on my prayer mat and stare at the place where my forehead rested just moments ago, I feel a deep sense of gratitude, reverence, and indescribable awe for my ever-kind Lord I stepped into this role with His Permission to spread the truth to others, but He reminds me time and time again that I am the one who is in desperate need of His Guidance, that I am the one who is in need of more knowledge, that I am forever in His debt to have been guided to become a devout Muslim We are all just vessels for our Lord I wonder, Allah— What did You see in us? What made us worthy enough to preach Your Divine Message on our tongues? Please keep us upon Your Deen, Ya Rabb-- Ya al-Malik, Ya an-Nur-- for we are nothing and no one without Your Mercy and Your Permission, for we are prone to drowning in darkness for every second that we spend in the absence of Your Light Ameen, Ya Rabbil ‘Alameen. |
