Memoirs of an American Muslim V.02

I have found the love of my life…. the best thing to ever happen to me in my life…

The first feature lenght short film from Ummah Films productions. I loved this video, and look forward to seeing what comes next!

I can’t say that I love this video that much. In fact, this is Lupe’s third video from his album “The Cool”, and I must say that I have enjoyed the video for ‘Hip Hop Saved my Life’ best, which I will also post below the ‘Paris,Tokyo’ video.

I love the song for the above video, but not feeling the video that much. However, I love both the song and the video for ‘Hip Hop Saved my Life’ below:

Peace,
* AM *

Obama 08…

Yesterday I went with my Imam to the regional medical center to visit a brother who is dying of pancreatic cancer. I have visited a lot of individuals in hospitals over the years with my Imam, and it is something that is considered a good deed in Islam to visit the sick. However, most visits to the hospital are visiting individuals that I don’t know that well, or people who are temporarily in the hospital and are to get better and be discharged. Yesterday’s visit was very different however. Memories came flooding back to my mind of when my dear friend Nabeel Khan (may Allah have mercy upon him) passed away, as for the second time in my life, I was visiting a friend (or family friend) whom I had known in better times, and was shocked to see what the cancer had done to his health.

Seeing this brother in the hospital was not easy for me, and it really made me feel ashamed of myself. It seems like every day of my life, I go throughout my days worrying about things. Whether it be worrying about school, work, or other things, I realized my times are consumed with things that really don’t matter in the bigger scheme of things. The day will come when we will all be lying on our death beds, and all the day to day activities will have been a speck on the glass of our lives. This brother really made me want to cry when we visited him yesterday, because his spirits were so high, and he kept praising Allah (swt), and was so strong in his faith that I felt meager in comparison.

Later on in the day, I talked with my friend E about this, and he had told me it had been on his mind a lot lately as well. E made a good point as well, saying that death is the one thing that is certain for every human being on this earth, and we all know that we are heading in that direction, however it is the hardest thing to be prepared for. This made me begin to think why this was. What makes it so hard for us, as human beings, to always live our lives with death in mind. To me, it would seem, that if we did live each and every day as if it were to be our last, then we would probably be more productive, worry less, and take advantage of each and every opportunity that came out way. But, for some reason, this is a major challenge, and one I am struggling to figure out.

* AM *

I found these videos on YouTube showing how Shaitan (the Devil) uses tricks to make us turn away from prayer, doing what is right, and remembering Allah (God). Check them out below. 

The latest, freshest comedy tour to hit the scene focused at a Muslim audience. Although the trio of Baba Ali, Aman Ali, and Asif Ali do stand-up comedy (which is hilarious I might add), they also include improv as part of their show which makes it even better (think “Who’s Line is it Anyways?”). Anyhow, check out the trailer for their new tour below, and be sure to visit their website at www.funnymentalists.com

I know, it has been quite some time since I last wrote in my blog… What can I say, I have been a bit busy lately. The type of busy, however, that I am glad to be busy with. Yeah, yeah… So, I may be avoiding the obvious, but, hey, my blog is not a completely open book of my private life, so keep guessing….

Anyhow, so, I realized that many times in the past I utilized my blog for writing down negative thoughts, feelings, or emotions. Basically, my blog became a venting place for… well… when I needed to vent! It was at all times definitely therapeutic, and always helped me to organize my thoughts as well as re-energize my thought processes.

Lately, as you may be able to see, there has been a lack of postings in my blog. For one reason, I have not had much negative things to write about, which is a good thing. Secondly, I have found a sense of positivity in my life that did not quite exist before. They say the best things in life are free, and without a doubt, money cannot buy things such as friendship, love, or contentment.

Honestly, at this point in my life, I feel as if I have all three components. I have friends that I care about and feel I can trust, and the feeling is mutual. I have contentment in my possessions in life, as well as with all that God has given me.  And lastly, and perhaps more important, I have found love in my life.

What more can a human being ask for in life?! I, honestly, cannot think of anything more I can ask from Almighty God beyond what He has blessed me to have. My only prayer is that God allows me to recognize the immense blessings I have in my life, and to always be thankful for them.

* AM *

This was an amazing piece that ABC news ran on how people react to Muslims being discriminated in America. Spread the word about this.

The newest video from my friend Baba Ali. This video is one of my favorites by far, mostly due to the fact that it covers issues pertaining to racism when young people try to get married.