Umm Zakiyyah's Blog, page 15

You Need Islam, Renee: Story 9 Realities of Submission series

Click HERE for ALL STORIES in this series It took a full three weeks for me to come to terms with the fear that had become more suffocating by the day. It numbed me into inactivity. I wasn’t inspired to go out with Felicia or Anita, and I withdrew from nearly everyone. I went to […]

Judgment of Others Is Your Mirror

“I don’t care about yours or anyone’s judgment of me,” the woman shot back at me in an e-mail. I sat before the computer screen for some time, troubled by the words of someone I once knew as an intelligent, funny, and energetic person I enjoyed being around.   I didn’t know what to say in […]

The White Convert: Story 8 Realities of Submission series

Click HERE for ALL STORIES in this series Late Saturday morning I stepped out the passenger side door of Sumayyah’s car feeling an air of confidence that permeated every part of me. Part of my confidence, I knew, was due to the outfit I had chosen so carefully. Heeding the advice of Sumayyah, I chose […]

Modestly Sexy: Story 7 Realities of Submission series

Click HERE for ALL STORIES in this series I was walking back to the metro station in D.C. after my African dance class one Saturday morning when I spotted some street vendors selling various Afro-centric paraphernalia. It was late February and the snow had melted but the air was still a bit cold, though nothing […]

Killing Me Softly: Story 6 Realities of Submission series

Click HERE for ALL STORIES in this series Growing up we didn’t have money Or much of those other things That don’t grow on trees. We didn’t have acceptance By friends or classmates Or any of those others so many want to please. Yet Daddy said we were rich And Mommy smiled, Pleased. And although […]

But Is Jesus God? Story 5 Realities of Submission series

Click HERE for ALL STORIES in this series I returned to school almost two weeks after I’d left for the funeral, and I was numb. While I was gone, I’d missed most of my mid-terms, and although I was given an extension for them all, it was difficult to study or remain attentive in classes. […]

Is Writing Fiction Allowed? What’s Your Proof?

“I hope your daughter marries a scholar,” the woman told me jokingly.  “Then you’ll be able to ask him all the questions you want.” She laughed good-naturedly then said to me, “You shouldn’t ask so many questions.  This is not the Sunnah.  In Islam, you must learn what is required or forbidden for you from […]

Trouble At Home: Story 4 Realities of Submission series

Click HERE for ALL STORIES in this series My first year of college was, for the most part, uneventful. I lived alone in a dorm room despite my assignment to a roommate that I saw, at most, once a week. I had been nervous and excited when my parents unloaded my belongings into the room […]

Thank God I’m a Woman

“Fear Allah,” the woman was advised by the local imam upon seeking a khula’ from her husband. “Marriage is serious. Don’t you know that a woman who divorces her husband for no reason will not even smell Paradise?” The words fell upon the woman like a prison sentence. She had been married for almost ten […]

Two Boys, One Girl: Story 3 Realities of Submission series

Click HERE for ALL STORIES in this series “Well, I guess you won’t be needing my gift then,” Reggie said late morning on New Year’s Day. He had given me a pair of gloves with an “R” inscribed on each. I knew he couldn’t afford William’s gift, and I couldn’t tell him the gloves meant […]