The Sahabiyyat (Women Companions) were the noble women who were the contemporaries of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu A’laihi wa Sallam). They were the pure, ideal muslim women, and were honored during the very lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad (Sallallahu A’laihi wa Sallam) with the prediction that they would live forever in Paradise in the Hereafter. Their achievements and influence are found in every sphere of that momentous period in the history of the world, when the whole of humanity would be transfigured forever. They were as active in religion as in politics, as courageous in war as in the peaceful and persuasive propagation of the teachings of Islam. These noble selfless women could be found in the battlefields among the foremost ranks of those taking part in Jihad. They were to be found in the political arena, in the field of education, in the courts of Islamic jurisprudence, in the interpretation of Shari'ah, in trade and commerce, in agriculture, in medicine and in nursi

But what we’re learning of the suspects, the brothers Tamerlan and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, suggests a different story, and one that has itself become familiar: radicalization does not happen to young people with a strong grounding in the American Muslim mainstream; increasingly, it happens online, and sometimes abroad, among the isolated and disaffected.

Don't be so lazy to assume that the worst of a group represents the entire group. They hardly ever do. Perhaps a better idea is to meet them, learn about them and treat them as your neighbor.

What does it take for parents to get a teen to become a practicing Muslim?

Sound Vision has talked to parents, Imams, activists and Muslims who have grown up in the West to ask what are some practical things parents can do to help Muslim teens maintain their Deen. These are some of their suggestions:

London Veil is an exhibition by photographic artist Sara Shamsavari.

The series aims to pay tribute to young muslim women in London by documenting and celebrating the expression of their individual identities through their hijabs.

After engaging more with the Muslim community through activities like da`wah (calling to Islam), conferences, and halaqat (study circles), I have observed something intriguing: there seems to be a fascination—even obsession—with the topic of marriage. Regardless of whether a particular lecture is dedicated to something other than gender relations, the topic of marriage somehow always creeps up.

Now, do I consider this a bad thing? Not necessarily. Indeed, considering the magnitude of fitan (trials) that many unmarried folks face, such as the pressure to date or deal with the opposite gender on terms outside of the boundaries of Islam, I believe that marriage is something that should be discussed and encouraged.

Artist-activists add a wheatpasted "HATE SPEECH" image over Islamophobic ads in SF; and a new ad from the same hate group shows up in New York.

Ibn Qayyim's tafsir on Sura Al Ankabut, Verse 1-11. Extracted from his book Al Fawaid. A MUST READ.

Your mother-in-law fixes you a plate of food. Does she determine what you eat, and how much?

The discussions at Slim Peace meetings range beyond members’ concerns about food and weight control.
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Gretchen Ertl for The New York Times

Emma Samuels, left, and Aminah Herzig are the Brookline group’s leaders.

So went the question, part of a nutrition-themed game inspired by “Family Feud,” during a meeting of a women’s weight-loss group here the other night.

Last year, when we published a survey of advertising in Islamic and Muslim countries, the slideshow was one of our most popular galleries of commercial creativity.

From McDonald's famous golden arches in jarring Arabic script, to a beauty contest in which only women's eyes were shown, we were all fascinated by the way advertisers in strict religious cultures handled — or avoided — the universal themes of sex, wealth and consumption.

Now we've updated our survey of Arabic and Middle Eastern advertising.

The one thing that hasn't changed is the cleverness with which advertisers handle the burdensome rules on their creativity.