The First Voice

I hope the blessed morning of Arafah brings peace, mercy, and happiness to our brothers and sisters in Islam and to all of humanity. Ameen. While sitting in the masjid this morning for Fajr prayer, and listening to Imam Zaid speak about the preparation for Eid al-Adha prayers and share a few beautiful Hadith related to this blessed occasion, I wrote down a few thoughts that were coming into my heart. One thing many of us regularly do is come to the masjid to pray. Yet we often forget to recognize the people who dedicate their lives to serving the masjid and the community, including our imams and countless volunteers. Today, I especially want to reflect on the contributions and sacrifices of our imams. They help ensure that the masjid remains not only a place of worship, but also a sanctuary where communities can grow and thrive with the values we hope to pass on to future generations. They are there before most of us arrive and remain long after everyone leaves. Imams live in the same ...

Life has a strange way of teaching us the most valuable lessons. Sometimes those lessons come from successful people, mentors, books, or difficult experiences. But once in a while, life sends a teacher so unexpected and so simple that it changes your soul forever. For me, that teacher was a mother Killdeer bird. One morning, I arrived at my office and parked my car as usual. As I walked toward the building on the same path I had taken countless times before, I noticed something different on the gravel near the entrance. The office administration had placed safety cones around a small area and blocked people and cars from crossing through it. At first, I did not understand why. But as I looked closer, I saw a small bird sitting quietly on the gravel. Instinctively, I changed my direction and carefully walked around her. At that moment, I had no idea that I was standing in front of one of the greatest teachers life would ever send me. Every morning after that, I started stopping to obser...