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Muneeb Nasir

A collection of 112 posts

Friday reflection: Ramadan - a wellspring for the spiritually dry

Friday reflection: Ramadan - a wellspring for the spiritually dry

By Muneeb Nasir Ramadan is a sacred time - it is the ‘anniversary of anniversaries’, a time that the One God, Allah, singles out sincere believers for rewards. God's Apostle, peace be upon him said, "God said, 'All the deeds of sons of Adam (people) are for them, except fasting

Friday reflection: In today’s world people could all do with a dose of Ramadan

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: In today’s world people could all do with a dose of Ramadan

By Muneeb Nasir There is great anticipation in the air - families are making plans, children are getting excited, homes are being cleaned and spruced up, special foods and ingredients are being purchased to welcome a most noble guest, Ramadan, the Islamic month of fasting, set to begin next week.

National organization recognizes interfaith leaders

National organization recognizes interfaith leaders

The National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee (NMCLC) recognized two long-time Canadian faith leaders with the BMG (Berthrong, Muinnudin, Gregerson) Award for Interfaith Collaboration at their annual event on February 23, 2023. The awardees were Shirley Tetreau and Muneeb Nasir. The National Muslim Christian Liaison Committee brings representatives of Muslim and

Friday reflection: ‘The real House of God - where those who have lost God will find Him’

Friday reflection: ‘The real House of God - where those who have lost God will find Him’

By Muneeb Nasir Outside the sacred sanctuary of houses of worship, hospitals and health institutions are among places where the most sincere prayers are offered. They are places where many people seek God for solace and comfort, and where they may rediscover and reconnect with God. Many years ago, I

Friday reflection: Let's change our way of relating to each other

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: Let's change our way of relating to each other

A successful life is one in which we develop, maintain and nurture meaningful relationships with the One Transcendent God, Allah, with our fellow humans and other creations. We are a growing and beautifully diverse Muslim community in this city. However, one of the greatest challenges we face is how to

Türkiye and Syria Earthquake - Which charities to support?

Reflections Featured

Türkiye and Syria Earthquake - Which charities to support?

By Muneeb Nasir and Irshad Osman Two devastating earthquakes hit southern and central Türkiye in the early hours of February 6, 2023, and it also affected regions of north-western Syria. This is the fourth costliest earthquake in world history. The property damages and the financial loss are estimated at USD

Friday reflection: Those who walk on the earth ever so lightly

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: Those who walk on the earth ever so lightly

By Muneeb Nasir The world is full of self-important, self-absorbed, self-promoting, brash, egotistical and arrogant people. These are the people who lead the news. Look at the recent headlines – it is all about political leaders who are arrogant and brash; who proudly display their character flaws and feel no shame

Friday reflection: These words will change your life

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: These words will change your life

By Muneeb Nasir Say, “Bismillah Hir Rahman Nir Raheem - In The Name of God, the All Merciful, the Mercy-Giving before you do anything,” was the first lesson that our parents taught us. “If you say ‘Bismillah’ you would not do anything wrong,” they reasoned with us. These words, ‘In

Friday reflection: Who are the Muslims next door?

Friday reflection: Who are the Muslims next door?

By Muneeb Nasir Canadian Muslims truly stand out as being among the most enthusiastic group of Canadians - 83 percent of Muslims feel very proud to be Canadian. However, because Muslims have a religious and cultural background unfamiliar to most other Canadians they face questions about their commitment to becoming

Friday reflection - Can we be at home in different places?

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection - Can we be at home in different places?

By Muneeb Nasir Where are you from? This is the question that I am frequently asked by people and they are expecting me to say India or Pakistan or from Asia. They're absolutely right insofar as 100 percent of my blood and ancestry does come from that region in the

Friday reflection - The success of Canadian Muslims lies in our relationship with Indigenous peoples

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection - The success of Canadian Muslims lies in our relationship with Indigenous peoples

By Muneeb Nasir We are all settlers on Turtle Island. As settlers on Turtle Island, I believe we have much to learn about right relations, reconciliation and the rights of Indigenous peoples and their traditions. The Indigenous peoples have always been gracious and welcoming of newcomers. This welcome has been

Friday Reflection - The days of our lives

Friday Reflection - The days of our lives

By Muneeb Nasir First lesson as we go through the days of our lives: Appreciate that each day is a gift and live each day purposefully. The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is reported to have said: “Purity is half of the faith. The praise of God fills the

Friday reflection: God loves those who are steadfast

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: God loves those who are steadfast

The Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, is reported to have said: “How wonderful is the case of the believer; there is good in everything and this is not the case with anyone except a believer. If good attends him, he expresses gratitude to Allah (One God) and that is

Friday reflection: Finding your why

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: Finding your why

By Muneeb Nasir The companions of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) transformed themselves and their societies in a short period of time. We cannot be but amazed at what they achieved. These women and men were from among the most deprived lot in their society - many came

Friday reflection: To what are these times calling us as people of faith?

Friday reflection: To what are these times calling us as people of faith?

By Muneeb Nasir These are times of brokenness, disruptions, dislocation, and uprootedness. What are we being called to in these times as people of faith? First, we are being called to respond to our calling as religious people. In the Qur’an, God invites us to this calling: “You who

Friday reflection: On Trust

Reflections Featured

Friday reflection: On Trust

By Muneeb Nasir Trust is what makes our lives and relationships meaningful and rewarding and, as we have learnt during the pandemic, make us safe. Damien Cave, New York Times bureau chief in Sydney, Australia, wrote in a recent article [https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/15/world/australia/covid-deaths.

An inspiring man

Real Lives Featured

An inspiring man

By Brian Carwana So often when Muslims make the news, it is as either victims or perpetrators of violence (the murdered London family or the Taliban respectively). Where, I always wonder, are the stories of Muslims like those I know – people who are excellent neighbours, insightful colleagues, and community supporters?

Muslim Philanthropy in a Canadian Context

Muslim Philanthropy in a Canadian Context

Emmanuel College’s Centre for Religion and Its Contexts, in partnership with the Journal of Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society, is hosting theMuslim Philanthropy in a Canadian Context Symposium [https://www.emmanuel.utoronto.ca/the-centre-for-religion-and-its-contexts/muslim-philanthropy-in-a-canadian-context/] on Saturday, March 27, 10:30 a.m.–4 p.m. EDT. This symposium

Muslim Torontonians Forge a Canadian Muslim Identity

Muslim Torontonians Forge a Canadian Muslim Identity

By Muneeb Nasir — Since the turn of the 21st century, Toronto’s dynamic Muslim community has spawned homegrown organizations committed to Muslim participation and integration into mainstream society — Toronto’s Muslim community has been a leader in North America when it comes to forging an integrated Muslim identity. Muslim Torontonians

Practicing Islam in the age of COVID-19

Practicing Islam in the age of COVID-19

By Muneeb Nasir Canadian Muslims, as all Muslims throughout the world, are grappling with the catastrophic changes on their personal as well as their religious life brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. Mosques, Islamic Centres and religious schools have been closed since mid-March and all communal services have been suspended.

Restoring the true ‘Spirit of Fasting’ During the Pandemic

Restoring the true ‘Spirit of Fasting’ During the Pandemic

By Muneeb Nasir We could be experiencing our most significant Ramadan and greatest Ramadan experience ever in our life. The holy month, in the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, could be the great spiritual reset many of us have longed for during previous Ramadans but have never quite achieved. This

Toronto Mosque Hosts Open House to Celebrate Islamic History Month

Toronto Mosque Hosts Open House to Celebrate Islamic History Month

Masjid Toronto held an open house on Saturday, October 26th to celebrate Islamic History Month. At the event, members of the public, religious leaders from different faiths, and representatives of the police services visited the mosque to meet their Muslim neighbors and learn more about Islam and the contributions of

Islamic Foundation of Toronto: A Tribute & Lessons Learnt From 50 Years

Canadian Muslims

Islamic Foundation of Toronto: A Tribute & Lessons Learnt From 50 Years

By Muneeb Nasir* [Keynote address delivered at Islamic Foundation of Toronto 50th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, September 22, 2019] Over the past 50 years, all of you and your families have given of yourselves and dedicated your time, energies and resources in service to the Islamic Foundation. May Allah reward

Islamic Foundation of Toronto History – Building a Community in Scarborough - PART 5

Canadian Muslims

Islamic Foundation of Toronto History – Building a Community in Scarborough - PART 5

By Muneeb Nasir [This is the fifth part in the series covering the history of the Islamic Foundation of Toronto, the first purpose built Islamic Centre to be established in Toronto. Many of the men, women and young people involved in the Islamic Foundation would become leaders and community activists

Olive Tree Foundation Announces Grant to Support Ryerson University’s Muslim Community

Canadian Muslims

Olive Tree Foundation Announces Grant to Support Ryerson University’s Muslim Community

The Olive Tree Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded a grant to support the projects of the Ryerson Muslim Staff and Faculty Community Network [https://www.ryerson.ca/equity/community-networks-and-committees/muslim-faculty-and-staff-community-network/] that was formed in response to requests from the Ryerson community to support Muslims on campus.