I am a big fan of Imam Zaid Shakir. I find him to be classically knowledgeable in ways that are highly relevant to modern life, and still very humble and sincere. May Allah aid him and preserve him. He is now publishing some of his writing at his website, New Islamic Directions. Click on the “blog” link at the top to read his writings. Here’s an excerpt from a poem he published on August 10, 2010:

As we stand on the verge of beginning the great fast,
let us pray that the blessings we enjoy are decreed to last.

Let us pray for the people, who have lost their homes, fields and cattle in the flood,
that they are patient and see their sins washed away by torrents of forgiveness and divine love.

Looking at the website just now I see there are some new pieces that I have not read yet. But I’ve read his piece titled “A Higher Ground for Our Marriages”, and I think it is a must-read for every married Muslim. I read “Graveyard Detroit” and was impressed by the historical context in which Imam Zaid framed the murder of Imam Luqman Abdullah. You really can’t go wrong reading Imam Zaid’s work. He will educate and enlighten you.

I like the color and look of the website as well. It’s a good showcase for Imam Zaid’s work. My only real complaint is that although there is a comment link at the bottom of each post, none of the comments appear. When you click on the comment link you get a form to fill out your comment, then when you submit the comment you get a message saying that the comment will be published after review.

However, no comments are published. It can’t be only my comments that are denied, because none of the posts have any published comments. So why waste our time? Why let us sit there typing out our comments, and letting us believe they are being reviewed? It’s annoying. To compound matters, there is a form to submit feedback about the website. I wrote to complain about comments being published, and received no response.

Imam Zaid himself is a generous soul, a great thinker ma-sha-Allah, and an important Muslim American leader. Whoever is managing his website is not doing him justice in their handling of reader comments.

I don’t think there is anything else on the web like IslamicAnswers.com. There are several good fatwa websites, but IslamicAnswers.comis the only one in which a staff of lay people armed only with common sense and experience dole out common-sense advice on every imaginable type of family, marriage, parenting, or relationship issue. Some of the problems people bring to the website are quite shocking. Adultery, drug use, abortions, lies and abuse. The editors reply to each one with compassion, and sometimes indignation.

The amazing thing is that the volunteer staff of only five editors (three women and two men) every single question, even if there is a delay due to the large backlog of questions in the queue. They answer about two or three every day. The answers are frequently given with evidence from Quran and Sunnah, but again the focus is not on fatwas or legal rulings but simple common-sense advice.

The formula is clearly working, as the website traffic has been constantly climbing and recently soared past 2,000 readers per day. The website is looking for additional qualified editors, by the way, so if you think you’ve got what it takes you should contact them. The requirements are basic Islamic education, life experience, common sense, and compassion.

IslamicSunrays.com: finding hope and inspiration in Islam

I recently completed two new websites, one for a client, and one for myself. The website I built for the client is IslamIsLife.org. It is a da’wah website, intended to provide basic information on Islam for non-Muslims and also for new converts, and to address timely issues regarding Muslims.

(By the way, I am available for hire for any web development work you may need, whether building a new website or improving an existing one).

The website I built for myself is IslamicSunrays.com. I built this site in order to express some ideas I have about finding hope and inspiration in Islam. I write from the heart, sharing the lessons I’ve learned and the positive messages that I derive from Islam. Please visit it.

IslamicSunrays.com also has a Facebook page. So if you have a Facebook account, please become a fan.

Alhamdulillah, I’m also pleased with the evolution of Zawaj.com Muslim Matrimonial Service, and IslamicAnswers.com. I feel that both of them are on a good track, and doing a good service to the community Insha’Allah. I hope to see readership and participation continually increase.

New Zawaj.com logo

The redevelopment of the Zawaj.com Muslim Matrimonials website is coming along, and  as a special treat only for readers of IslamicSearch.com, here’s a preview of the new website. That second link is a test site only, so don’t bookmark that URL. What do you think of the new look? This is one of my websites, so I am quite naturally biased, but I like it.

I think it’s quite lovely, though the search box at top center needs a little work, and there’s a bit of wasted space in the bottom right of the Featured Post area. But the content is fascinating and presents a unique spectrum of Islamic articles and features. I’m looking forward to the official debut of the new website.