Packing the Essentials

we become impatient for God to intervene. Ieasha Prime (executive director, Barakah, Inc.) provided the perfect answer: “God never leaves us, for He is always with us.”

Along with Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi (chair, FCNA), she noted that difficulties allow believers to rediscover their true worth and revive themselves, thereby making us leaders and inheritors of this world (28:5). Each panelist stressed that prayers and worship can help us Islamize our habits, profit from adversity and become better leaders. Many Muslim Americans have used this stratagem to turn a predicament into a possibility.

The next two sessions, each containing three parallel discussions, featured some of the leaders and activists who use their faith to remain resilient and deal with the difficulties they face. For example, Cleveland councilman Basheer Jones revealed how religion helped him adopt the role of Prophet Yusuf (‘alayhi as salam), a victim of politics who later participated in it to establish justice.

Farooq Mitha, the Biden presidential campaign’s Muslim outreach director, said that he serves the American community because he is Muslim. He was worried about Muslim voters in the potentially crucial states of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Florida. Abdul El-Sayed (D-Mich.; past gubernatorial candidate) proclaimed, “Misogyny is on the ballot, racism is on the ballot, public health and climate is on the ballot and we must vote.” Considering voting the bare minimum responsibility, Mitha expected his fellow Muslim Americans to get more involved in establishing equality and justice.

The pandemic has exposed the ugly underside of our healthcare system and made Muslim involvement more impending. African Americans are 13% of the population, and yet 60% of them are subject to infections, with a 50%+ mortality rate and severe underfunding. Sana Syed (director, American Muslim Health Professionals) called for wider Muslim participation in preparing policies, strategies and advocacy. All speakers of this panel emphasized the need for increased participation, “if not possible by hand, then by words, and if not by words, then by hearts.”

In its session, members of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) discussed the bifurcated educational system and possible ways to fix it. Dr. Ahmed Alwani (CEO, IIIT) shared some of their initiatives, among them Advancing Education in Muslim Societies (AEMS). MYNA MEET

BY ALAA ABDELDAIEM

Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) asked Muslims to live in this world as strangers and travelers, passing by this earthly life on our way to our final destination. He taught us to walk with a sense of purpose, to not get sidetracked by distractions, to pack only that which is essential.

During its first-ever virtual convention, MYNA taught its youth to do exactly that. Hundreds of virtual participants gathered over Labor Day Weekend to explore this year’s theme, “Packing the Essentials: Living in this World as the Prophet Wanted us to Live.”

“Coping with the lifestyle changes associated with quarantine create a space for reflection about what we truly need in order to live in this dunya, and it has been proven that a lot of our practices tend to be unessential,” organizer Maham Bawaney said. “There are several worldly matters that tend to distract us from what is truly important in terms of our akhira. Looking into the Hadith about living with ‘the essentials’ inspired us to create a message centered around the prophetic example for youth in today’s world.”

This event’s several speakers touched upon the topic’s relevancy, diving deeper into what it means to focus on the essentials as a youth in today’s day and age. Sheikh Rami Nsour (scholar, Tayba Foundation) opened the virtual convention by discussing how we can replace nonessential worldly distractions with “essential” matters that will prepare us for success in both this world and the hereafter. He also referred to the prophetic example of living a simple life free of excessive distractions.

Participants then explored tawakkul (trusting God) with Ustadha Khadija Bari (student career coordinator in the Workforce Development department at VISIONS/Services for the Blind & Visually Impaired). It is often hard, Bari reflected, to remain positive when facing struggles or uncertainty. Tawakkul helps us seek closeness to God and can light up our lives. She emphasized that our Lord, who is the All-Merciful and the All-Rewarding, always has a plan for us and how believing this can strengthen our faith and trust in Him. This session also dealt with how our prophets turned to God in times of hardship.

The weekend concluded with practical and timely lessons from Sheikh Ubaydullah Evans (executive director, ALIM) and Dr. Jawad Shah (neurosurgeon, Flint, Mich.), who discussed how youth can find their passions here — an artistic hobby, devotion to activism, social leadership or something else — which might help them stay connected to their communities while developing positive skills and characteristics. This session also delved into passion in regards to Islam, helping youth maintain that sense of devotion to it while excelling in doing what they love.

“Listening to the speakers discuss concepts such as the limiting of distractions, reliance on God, worldly passions, and more, I was able to gain a deeper understanding of how to prioritize deen over dunya,” Bawaney said. “It can be easy to get caught up with the stress of worldly responsibilities, but the message that was related with this theme was a beautiful reminder. This dunya is a test from God, and we define our own success. The first step is to step back and reflect about what truly helps us reach where we want to be, both in this world and the hereafter.”

While Covid-19 forced this year’s convention to go virtual, Bawaney believes the youth still walked away with transformational knowledge.

“Though this convention was virtual, a lot of the lessons that were conveyed … are applicable to our lives moving forward as well,” she said. “Next year, when the convention is in person inshaAllah, we hope to continue to touch on such relevant topics that can guide our youth through the experiences of this dunya.” ih

Alaa Abdeldaiem is regional coordinator, ISNA Youth Programs and Services Department

To facilitate the pursuit of excellence among youth, Rami Nsour (scholar, Tayba Foundation) advised his MYNA session’s audience to avoid distractions and temptations by continually classifying our deeds as obligatory, recommended, permissible, disliked and forbidden. Doing so will reveal one’s true level of faith and help improve one’s inner righteousness.

In a parallel session, AMSET professionals shared Muslim researchers’ contributions to overcoming coronavirus in daily life. Dr. Taher Saif (University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign), Umbreen Nehal (MIT) and Santy Alexander’s (Lilly Careers) presentations stated that challenges are meant to convert problems into opportunities to enhance one’s individual abilities.

The next round engaged health care professionals. Ismail Mehr (president, IMANA) spoke on providing personal protective equipment and raising awareness amidst pandemic uncertainties. Because of their due-diligent work, FEMA invited IMANA to travel across the nation to set up Covid19-related practice and policies.

Dr. Hasan Shanawani highlighted his American Muslim Health Professionals’ collaboration with IMANA, ISNA and FCNA to form the National Muslim Taskforce for Covid-19, which quickly became a 30-member organization coalition. Rep. Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.) stressed extending our help towards the community. Rania Awaad (psychiatrist, Stanford University School of Medicine; clinical associate professor, Stanford Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences) spoke on Covid19’s impact on youth and women’s mental health. She remarked that children must be dealt with in an age-appropriate manner, that more Muslimahs are seeking spiritual health and that almost 10,000 women had signed up for i‘tikaf (spiritual retreat) in her organization, the Khalil Center. These stories and statistics manifest the diverse types of support that our communities need and are waiting for us to provide.

Ingrid Mattson

One of the pioneer responders was recognized by the ISNA Founders Committee, which helps ISNA and its development foundation formulate its strategic priorities and create a sound financial base, at the Community Service Award ceremony. Recipient Dr. Ingrid Mattson’s (former president, ISNA; chair, Islamic Studies, Huron University College, the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada) brief inspirational words motivated thousands of virtual participants.

Saiyid Masror Shah

Prior to the evening session, the ISNA Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Dr. Saiyid Masroor Shah, a retired medical physicist who has been serving Muslim Americans for about 50 years and expects

Sayyid M. Syeed

to do so for many more years.

Joe Biden

Biden’s message, shared immediately after the ceremony, highlighted that there is no limit to a person’s aspiration to serve one’s people and country. ISNA, a nonprofit organization, contacted both presidential campaigns, but only the Biden campaign responded. Biden promised that if he were elected, he would remove the Muslim Ban as a first step toward promoting equality and justice.

Linda Sarsour

The Sept. 5 evening session, “20/20 Vision on Racism,” featured Linda Sarsour, Dr. Bilal Ware (historian of Africa and Islam) and Imam Siraj Wahhaj. Sarsour stressed our lack of respect for other races, ethnicities or denominations and abrupt attitudes that are not often intentional but nevertheless very impactful. She envisioned 2020 as being

similar to the 1960s civil right movement, but being led by Muslims.

Ware’s rhetorical approach exposed the non-interaction of many Muslim groups with African American Muslims, whose blood and sweat enabled us to reach the point where we are today. Referring to their commemoration of 400 years of brutality last year, he compared them with the Hebrew slaves liberated by Prophet Moses (‘alayhi as salaam) 426 years after Prophet Yusuf (‘alayhi as salaam) had welcomed them into Egypt. Siraj Wahhaj provided examples of key Black Companions who were very dear to Prophet Muhammad. The night ended with an update on Imam Jamil Al-Amin’s appeal against his incarceration.

The entertainment program included Preacher Moss, Raef, Kashmir Maryam and Alman Nusrat.

Eradicating internal reservation was a perfect transition for the Sunday morning session on community building. The second day’s events immersed us in thoughts of community engagements. Three philanthropists talked about how faith can help us reframe our mindset and guide a new community toward empathy, affinity and prosperity.

Anwar Khan (president, IRUSA) noted that the growing participation of lay people empowered IRUSA to inaugurate new projects. New York University chaplain Khalid Latif shared how students are working together to combat coronavirus. In collaboration with the Celebrate Mercy and Penny Appeal, his community raised $520,000 for micro-grants. He said that about 3,900 people made pledges long before the government offered the stimulus check. Another 21,000 people donated $886,916 to the Ramadan Emergency Fund for needy Muslims. These were not big donations, but examples of regular people’s collective power and sense of urgency. Marium Husain (vice president, IMANA) stressed that all Muslims are obliged to participate in this endeavor, and only for His sake.

The parallel sessions continued to shed light on unifying a vision fit for offspring, entrepreneurs and youth. Sameera Ahmed (director, The Family & Youth Institute) urged elders to demonstrate micro-resistance to combat micro-aggression. Magda Elkadi Saleh (head of school, Bayaan Academy) suggested reflecting on past mistakes to learn the way forward, and Habeeb Quadri (principal, MCC Academy) discussed how Islam could help solve them all. Abdalla Idris Ali (former president, ISNA) talked about the ISNA

ISNA Team: (l-r) Anjum Khan, Tabassum Ahmad, Basharat Saleem, Safaa Zarzour, and Azhar Azeez

ISNA Staff: (l-r) Anjum Khan, Tabassum Ahmad, Basharat Saleem and Dr. Mukhtar Ahmad

Elementary School at Mississauga, Canada, which has implemented these insights.

The stories of Anwar Khan, Farooq Kathwari (chairman, Ethan Allen) and Mohamad Ali (president and CEO, IDG) inspired many prospective entrepreneurs. Their success stories were not confined to worldly achievement, but illuminated the religious and spiritual dimensions ensured through social welfare. Ubaydullah Evans (executive director, ALIM) and Dr. Jawad Shah (neurosurgeon, Flint, Mich.) explained how our mundane daily activities could be sources of worship.

The following two parallel sessions sought to raise our awareness of the genocidal tendencies in South Asia; the importance of the U.S. census; interfaith and youth engagement for racial justice; climate change; and what’s going on in Myanmar, Palestine, Illegally Indian-occupied Kashmir, Syria and Xinjiang.

In the concluding session, Imam Zaid Shakir (Zaytuna College, Berkeley, Calif.) circled back to Gray’s example of Satan and Adam and confirmed that every racist is a soldier of Satan, who introduced racism to humanity. He emphasized that sincere Muslims cannot simply show sympathy and remain silent. Evans talked about using the Quranic worldview to overcome racism. They both presented racism as a spiritual problem that requires purifying one’s heart and doing one’s best to establish justice.

Imam Yasir Qadhi (resident scholar, East Plano Islamic Center, Plano, Texas) noted that the pandemic allows us time for introspection and self-purification to fulfill our accountability toward humanity and its Creator. Prime provided prophetic examples of such reevaluations. All of these speakers shared different perspectives of faith toward injustice and called upon us to strive harder to realize justice. Global justice is imbued within Islam’s very fabric, and yet the Muslim American community has not paid much attention to it, a blind spot that is making us accountable before God.

The ISNA virtual convention organized sessions to instill this sensitivity deeply and walked us systematically through various arenas. It highlighted the integrated solutions embedded within the Quran and Sunna to establish justice in all spheres of human life and urged self-reformation by embracing diverse ethnic groups. As we live in “the home of the brave” and faith makes us braver, this year’s annual convention sought to instill that bravery with personal piety and integrity. Available recordings can help motivate us to carry forward the struggle for justice. ih

Rasheed Rabbi, an IT professional who earned an MA in religious studies (2016) and a graduate certificate in Islamic chaplaincy from Hartford Seminary, is also founder of e-Dawah (www.edawah.net); secretary of the Association of Muslim Scientists, Engineers & Technology Professionals; serves as a khateeb and leads the Friday prayers at ADAMS Center; and works as a chaplain at iNova Fairfax, iNovaLoudoun and Virginia’s Alexandria and Loudoun Adult Detention Centers.

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