MuslimMatters

What's the best form of Islamic education for kids? Islamic school? Boarding school? Sunday school at the masjid? A traditional madrasah? Shaykh AbdulRahman Chao, a teacher and education consultant, Shaykh AbdulRahman Chao provides a critical look at Islamic pedagogy and discusses what a holistic Islamic education for children should include. 

You’ve heard of seemingly random Muslim organizations collecting zakat funds by now. Giving zakat fisabilillah (in the path of Allah) is a hot topic of discussion and debate among scholars. This discussion has also played out on MuslimMatters, and you can read all of those opinions and put them in conversation with each other. So, what have various experts written about giving zakat to the poor versus Muslim nonprofits working in various sectors such as education, politics, and community organizing?

Excitement is in the air as the last 10 nights of Ramadan have arrived! But for some people - especially busy mothers or menstruating women - this is accompanied by a sense of sadness or frustration that they can't do as much as they wish they could. Ustadha Raidah Shah Idil introduces a paradigm shift that believers should develop for the last 10 nights of Ramadan. 

This podcast episode delivers a reminder about the beauty of the last 10 nights, the best du'a to recite, and how Muslim families can create a community-wide revolution, starting at home. 

Why do we only talk about parenting in Ramadan when it has to do with mothers? What are fathers' roles in training their kids in Ramadan? How can Muslim women stay spiritually connected in Ramadan while going through menstruation or PMDD? And do we really have to accept all iftaar invitations in Ramadan?

Ramadan can be an exciting time of increased acts of devotion and more time spent at the masjid in communal prayers. However, for parents with young children, Ramadan may be a stressful time of extra responsibilities and a feeling of missing out on all the bells and whistles of Ramadan worship.   Listen to this narration of an article posted on MuslimMatters last year to hear about the plan one  mom with a toddler has devised to not only survive Ramadan but to also make the most of it.

Mansoor Adayfi, former Guantanamo Bay detainee and author of "Don't Forget Us Here: Lost and Found at Guantanamo Bay", speaks about how his faith in Allah helped him survive over a decade of illegal imprisonment and torture.

Kirin Nabi is known as the Islamic School Librarian, with years of teaching and librarian-ing under her belt! You can find her on Instagram (@islamicschoollibrarian) and her website: https://islamicschoollibrarian.com/

Zainab bint Younus is a Canadian Muslim woman who writes on Muslim women’s issues, gender related injustice in the Muslim community, and Muslim women in Islamic history. She also provides in-depth book reviews of Muslamic literature on her Instagram account, covering everything from YA and adult fiction, academic treatises, and Islamic religious literature. You can find her on Instagram (@bintyounus) and support her via Patreon (patreon.com/bintyounus)