As I write this, Ramadan is still about six months away. Some may wonder why we should speak about Ramadan now. Yet, over the years, I have noticed a distinct pattern: many of the wounds we hope to heal in Shaaban were not actually created in Shaaban. They are heavy burdens we have carried for […]

The post Is It Ever Too Early To Prepare For Ramadan? Reflections On Rifq, Forgiveness, And Healing The Heart appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Human beings are constantly engaged in internal battles. According to Robert Greene in his book The 33 Strategies of War, humans have a continuous battle within themselves, reflecting a deeper psychological truth about personal transformation: growth doesn’t happen in the comfort zone but rather by confronting fears, managing uncertainties, and having eternal faith. Islam, being […]

The post Lessons From The Battle Of Badr: A Personal Transformation Perspective appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Perhaps no country is as identified with the American war on terror that began twenty-five years ago than Afghanistan; its launchpad and the site of what is still the longest war in American history at the time of writing. September 2026 marks not only a quarter-century since the war on terror began, but a landmark […]

The post Taliban Tale: How Afghan Militants Survived Campaigns In 2006-2016 appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Huda Fahmy’s latest graphic novel, “Huda F Would Love You?” is coming out October 20 – the last volume in the best-selling Huda F series! It’s the summer after Huda’s high school graduation, and love is in the air! Or it’s about to be, anyway. Because Huda has the ingredients for a perfect love story: […]

The post [Podcast] Yes, She’s Funny In This | Huda Fahmy appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

A troubled Darius is comforted by Ahmed, confronts a prince, and meets a pair of fearsome Kurdish mercenaries.

The post Far Away [Part 29] – Kurdish Killers and Stolen Gold appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The most dangerous religious deepfake may not look strange at all. It may show a scholar we have listened to for twenty years sitting in a room much like the rooms from which he has taught before. His voice carries the same cadence. He reaches for the same expressions. His Arabic sounds natural. He quotes […]

The post When The Shaykh Never Spoke – Deepfakes, Synthetic Scholars, And The Coming Crisis Of Religious Trust appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Maymuna is originally from Ghana and immigrated to the United States ten years ago. Her family had to remain behind. We first met when Maymuna knocked on my door one day. She had seen my name on the door and was proud that a Muslim woman lived and taught at the university. You would never […]

The post Invisible Heroes: Muslim Immigrants And Refugees In Our Community appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

There is often an uncomfortable unevenness in contemporary Muslim moral courage. Western Muslim leaders and organizations have shown admirable clarity in confronting the crimes of Empire and Zionism. The more difficult test comes when the same principles implicate governments, institutions, or relationships closer to home. Pakistan has become an unusually revealing test. Western Muslim leaders […]

The post CAGE, Muslim Leadership, And Imran Khan: The Silence Test appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Journeying into the poorest neighborhood in Herat, Darius comes face to face with tragedy and makes a new friend.

The post Far Away [Part 28] – Death In District Nine appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Seeing Rural Japan Through a Single Prefecture: Hyōgo Rural Japan is living through two forms of population decline at once, and Hyōgo Prefecture distills the whole structure into a single frame. The first is the aging of business owners. Across Japan, hundreds of thousands of small firms are run by owners over seventy who have […]

The post The Stirring Of A Muslim Population In Japan: The Story Of Yusuke Fujitani appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

A dinner and a duel in the Persian citadel bring Darius face to face with wealth, power, and an opportunity beyond anything he ever imagined.

The post Far Away [Part 27] – The Prince’s Ring appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Dr. Samaiya Mushtaq’s book “A Beautiful Patience: A Memoir of Marriage, Motherhood, and a Mission to Gaza” pulls readers into the story of her husband, Dr. Mahmoud Sabha, who went to Gaza on multiple medical missions – and takes us along on her own journey, struggling with fear, guilt, motherhood, and more. In this episode, […]

The post [Podcast] Faith, Motherhood, and the Call to Gaza | Dr. Samaiya Mushtaq appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

The 11th of September, 2026, marks a quarter-century since the “9/11” attacks that killed three thousand Americans and set into motion a generation of the “Global War on Terror”.  The anniversary will no doubt bring with it the very human emotions of grief as well as the more cynical, arguably long-dominant, strain of cynical exploitation […]

The post Long War Without End: A Quarter-Century Since The War On Terror appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

“What do you want for your mahr?” is a question that piques dread in some, glee in others. Mothers advise their daughters to hide money from their husbands. Men wonder if it’s really true that “her money is her money, but your money is her money.” There are a lot of uncomfortable money conversations around […]

The post [Podcast] 50k Mahr, Hiding Money, & Who Pays for the Wedding? | AML Finance appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

On August 7, 2026, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Turkiye signed a defence pact termed as the Makkah Defence Alliance. This is primarily an agreement for collective security, quite similar to NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)’s Article 5. The official announcement states: “Any armed aggression against any one of the three states shall be considered an […]

The post What The Makkah Agreement Is Missing appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Darius awakens to discover the guards have been betting on him; Weili makes a plea; and Longwei reveals a frightening secret.

The post Far Away [Part 26] – Shaytan Is A Liar appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Today marks the launch of the SIXTH year of the Muslim Book Awards! The Muslim Book Awards (MBA) is an annual celebration of Muslim voices in publishing, from mainstream publishers, Islamic publishers, or authors who self-publish. Hosted by MuslimMatters.org and featuring a panel of well-known Muslimah reviewers from Bookstagram, the MBA takes in nominations before […]

The post The Muslim Book Awards 2026 appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

Darius awakes in a strange land, only to stumble into the midst of an assassination attempt—and once again finds himself fighting for his life.

The post Far Away [Part 25] – To Save A Prince appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

In Episode 2 of the Muslim Money Matters mini-series, brother Adam Taufique breaks things down to the basics! What’s the difference between financial literacy and Islamic financial literacy? How should you start managing your money? Is it all just a numbers game? If you’ve ever struggled to even start handling your finances, this episode is […]

The post [Podcast] Muslim Money Matters: Do You Know How to Halal Hustle? | Adam Taufique appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.

When the things around him begin to vanish, Bashir searches desperately for an explanation.

The post When The Bed Walked Away [Part 2] – Primordial Muck appeared first on MuslimMatters.org.