About a personal struggle I had as a teen
Picking up the Wrong Ball By: Yasmin Mogahed Everyone has problems. At least that’s what my 7th grade teacher told us. He asked us to imagine rolling up all our problems into a ball and throwing that ball on a pile filled with the problems of all other people. He then argued to us that-given a choice-each and every one of us would choose our own ball over all others. Although I was too young then to understand his metaphor fully, I knew that everyone had problems. And I was no different. Growing up, depression became a natural part of my life. Throughout middle school and into high...
Read MoreFinding Jennah
I have spent a lot of my life trying to reconcile between hardship and ease. On the one hand, we are told again and again that the straight path is not easy and requires struggle and sacrifice. But on the other hand, as humans we always desire ease. What I have come to realize is that the path will always have challenges, tests and trials. There will be hardships and there will be storms. But, if Allah wills, you can be given ease *within* the hardship. The one who finds refuge in Allah, remains dry—even during the most powerful storm. Outside, it may be raining, but inside the refuge of...
Read MoreI Grieve
I Grieve By: Yasmin Mogahed I lifted my head Once more Only to see The sun had set, The trees had slept, And they’d all gone home I grieve. The sky that was clear is now covered with fog. My path, I no longer see. Why try…when it’s all so gray? I grieve. Today I grieve For what’s been lost. My forgotten people, still on their knees before a snow god in spring I grieve. They’ve forgotten that prayer And to whom they should call. The Essence replaced by mundane ritual, empty symbols. Their hearts… so tired, jaded and...
Read MoreAll Were Delivered
All the voices have hushed to a whisper now. The sounds have slept. I rest here in the cocoon of my heart, Waiting for its’ deliverance. They made you think your pain was small. Small to Him… Because it was small to them. Your pain is not small to Him. Your insignificance is in front of Him—but not to Him. You are insignificant before Him. But you are not insignificant to Him. My deliverance will come. He never left any of them in this state. Not Musa, Muhammad, umm Musa, Maryam, Ayoub, Yunus, Yusuf, Yaqoob, Ibrahim, Ismael, Hajar, Aasiya, Nuh. All were delivered. My...
Read MoreNameless
Nameless By: Yasmin Mogahed There’s salvation in admitting defeat. The peace of prostration. Just stay still in that position, With your head lowered. Freeze. Wait. Stay humbled. Wait. Stay lowered. Until He raises you. They’ve searched the world for what can be found in the quietest corners of a room. They search a million words for what can only be found in silence. They create a million names for the nameless. For what can only be found in wordless thought. Nameless states. Stop letting it own you. Let it go. Let it go for Him and He will honor you. He will raise you. I looked on...
Read MorePoverty of the Soul: United for Change Conference Speech
This is the transcript of the speech I gave at the United for Change Conference in CT on Sept. 29, 2012 Poverty of the Soul: United for Change Conference Today, I’m going to talk about poverty. But, then you already knew that. Yet, the poverty I speak about today isn’t the apparent kind. You see, before we can begin to speak about a concept, we need a criterion. We need definitions. In speaking about poverty, we need to understand that there is external poverty and there is internal poverty. And one is far more dangerous than the other, because while one form of poverty determines how we...
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