Category: Islam
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Why Arabic Still Matters: Protecting Our Connection to the Quran and the Sunnah of Rasoolillaah ﷺ, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد In every generation, Muslims have faced new challenges that test their understanding of faith. Today, one of those challenges is emerging quietly within parts of the Black American Muslim community: a growing suspicion toward the Arabic language and, by extension, toward the Arab…
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The Islamic Ruling on Attending the Funeral of non-Muslim relatives or non-Muslims in General, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد Muslims praying over a deceased Muslim, burying him and attending his or her funeral is a communal obligation (fard kifaya). There is no difference of opinion on this according to the consensus of all Muslim scholars. However, a Muslim attending the funeral of a non-Muslim is a matter where scholars differ…
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Beyond Skin, Beyond Wounds: Why Black American Muslims Must Reject ‘Racial Islam’, by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد The lived reality of Black American Muslims includes a distinct history, a unique set of social pressures, and a long record of struggle inside and outside the Muslim community. These realities deserve to be named honestly. They shape how we build…
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The Islamic Ruling on Zakatul Fitr (زكاة الفطر), by Imam Luqman Ahmad
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ، وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَبَعْد What is Zakatul Fitr? Zakatul Fitr, also known as Sadaqatul Fitr, is a mandatory charitable contribution that every Muslim must pay at the end of Ramadan, before the Eid al-Fitr prayer. It serves as a purification for the fasting person and…
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Who Holds the Key to the Kaʿbah? The Ancient Custodianship That Still Lives Today
Most Muslims know that the Kaʿbah is the holiest place on earth—but very few know who actually holds its key, who opens it, who oversees its care, and why that responsibility has remained in the same hands for over 1,400 years. This sacred duty is called al‑Hijābah or al‑Sadānah—the custodianship of the Kaʿbah. And it…
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How Ignorance of Fiqh and the Absence of a Madhhab Damages Black Muslim Families in Divorce, Imam Luqman Ahmad
A lot of Muslims believe that ignorance of religion is a trivial matter that has no consequences. Nothing can be further from the truth. Divorce is one of the most legally detailed areas of the sharia, designed to protect families from chaos, prevent injustice, and ensure that separation does not destroy the rights of spouses or children. When…
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Madhhabs as Instruments of Unity, Order, and Civilizational Cohesion. By Imam Abu Laith Luqman Ahmad
Across fourteen centuries of Islamic history, no institution has done more to unify diverse peoples, stabilize communities, and create civilizational coherence than the madhhab. Whether in Baghdad or Timbuktu, Cairo or Aceh, Damascus or Zanzibar, Muslims who shared no language, no ethnicity, no political system, and no cultural background could still pray together, marry each…
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Beyond the Dollars: Why Our Collective Character is the Real Key to Economic Power. By Imam Luqman Ahmad
By Imam Luqman Ahmad “Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.” (Surah Ar-Ra’d, 13:11) This verse is one of the most quoted in our community. We recite it when we talk about building businesses, demanding justice, or escaping the cycle of poverty. We rightly criticize…
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Contextualized Fiqh for Black American Muslims and the Distinction from Founding a New Madhhab. By Imam Luqman Ahmad
A Juristic, Historical, and Methodological Analysis Abstract As Black American Muslims, we have to examine the difference between contextualized fiqh (fiqh al‑waqiʿ) for Black American Muslims and the concept of founding a new madhhab. Drawing on Qur’ān, Sunnah, and the legal methodologies of the four Sunni schools, contextualization is a necessary and classical function of Islamic law, while founding a new madhhab requires a new…
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Do Black American Muslims Need Their Own Madhhab? Imam Luqman Ahmad
While a new madhhab is unnecessary, there is a genuine need for a contextualized fiqh discourse rooted in the lived experiences of Black American Muslims.
Imam Luqman Ahmad Mosque Without Borders 