901 Ummah held their first workshop of the year on Friday at the Memphis Islamic Center with guest speaker Drost Kokoye, a Kurdish law student from Knoxville, Tennessee. Bringing out a large number of youth, adults, and families, Kokoye was able to create an interactive environment informing attendees about the origins of Islam in America and pointing out discrepancies found in history. Dividing Islamic history in America into 3 parts, race, region and sect, attendees were able to better understand their history and further learn from each other about Islam’s impact in America. "The event was very enlightening and allowed me to gain a new female role model, Drost,” said Ibtihal Malley, a Ple

901 Ummah's first "Feed the City" of 2017 took place Saturday at Morris Park in downtown Memphis and gave out food and water to people in need. The event aims to provide meals to people affected by homelessness. Over a dozen volunteers of all ages showed up to the park to help pack the meals and hand them out to anyone that needed them. Although the event was shortened due to rain, the event successfully provided food for around 20 people. The majority of the meals were delivered by hand, and leftovers were taken to a shelter. "This was my first time coming to a Feed the City and I really enjoyed it," said Mohammad Abaji, one of the volunteers at the event. "I definitely want to come back wh

University of Memphis Muslim Student Association students spent three days in the Great Smoky Mountains competing in various competitions against other universities’ MSA across Tennessee and beyond. “MSA Showdown” is a statewide competition that engages the MSA of different schools in spirituality and the arts, with competitions in art, photography, spoken word, short film, improv, nasheed, tajweed, team spirit and best team overall. The showdown is hosted by University of Tennessee at Knoxville and in previous years was held on their campus, but this year the showdown was held as a retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains. “I myself have felt the religious and social growth the retreat stimulat

Memphis Islamic Center Youth Director Safi Khan's "Hangouts" program returned on Saturday at MIC with attendees enjoying the afternoon at the mosque. The event focused on giving the youth as well as parents the opportunity to socialize as well as engage in their faith. During "Hangouts," attendees played soccer, basketball, video games, ate and enjoyed each other's company. The event concluded with everyone congregating together to pray Asr together. Attendees had positive feedback on the event with some even arriving early including Mohammed Yusuf, a senior at Harding Academy who came to MIC early for a NBA Playoffs watch party. One of the attendees, Abdallah Elkhayat, a freshman at Germant

Masjid Ar-Rahman held its first Youth Night on Saturday night and brought out young guys and girls from around the area. The event started with a social barbeque at Memphis Islamic Center and progressed into the night. Individuals from different masjids gave short talks on the importance of being young Muslims. After Maghrib prayer, Ar-Rahman Program Director Omar Alani and MIC Youth Director Safi Khan joined forces and talked together on the topic of the night. At Isha prayer, Imam Abdullah from Masjid As-Salam added beneficial points to the discussion. "We're all in this, we need to work together,” said Alani in regards to bringing different people from other areas of the city. The rest of

Memphis Islamic Center’s Youth Director Safi Khan and the Rhodes College Muslim Student Association hosted a college hangout titled “Balancing College and Faith,” on Wednesday. "With finals coming up, it was a timely reminder that I think all in attendance benefitted from immensely,” said Hamid Shirwany, a sophomore at Rhodes and president of the MSA. Khan opened the discussion by noting the reality that life is full of struggles- anything worth pursuing will require effort and struggle. However, Khan also pointed to the ayahs of the Qur’an and the traditions of the Prophet (PBUH) to show that Islam tells us how to deal with that struggle and how to use it to make us stronger people- stronge

Memphis Islamic Center's flourishing youth program hosted another event lead by Safi Khan, the mosque's youth director, on Saturday. Youth talked with friends and ate barbecue at "Grill and Chill" the picnic Khan created to allow students to a break from school and everyday life. Over 100 people attend the picnic, enjoying hamburgers made by Adam Munshi, a member of 901 Ummah. “Grilling has always been a staple thing (my friends and I) like to do, so we translated that out to the Grill and Chill that happened this past Saturday,” said Khan. The attendees played basketball, soccer, four-squares and just hung out outside the mosque’s gazebos and near the lake. “Grill and Chill” marked another

Starting at a new time, Youth Director Safi Khan started his “A Beautiful Life” class at 8 p.m. on Friday rather than the usual 7:30 p.m. time with a bigger crowd attending. Khan highlighted the importance of the definition of sabr (صَبْرٌ). The word is often associated with fasting and patience, however patience is like "getting stuck in a downpour and waiting for it to pass," it is gathering the courage and keep going. Thus perseverance better defines the term “saber.” Khan discussed a very important lesson that entailed Omar Ibn Al Khattab’s strong and straightforward characteristics. Al Khattab's stance on trying to rid the Quraysh of the new emerging religion (Islam) was to directly get

Artists and poets within the Muslim community came out to showcase their work at the "Bluff City Art and Poetry Slam on Sunday at the University of Memphis. Around 40 people came to see the numerous art pieces donated by the artists and hear spoken words and poetry by the poets. Fatema Habib and Lyba Naseer, members of 901 Ummah, organized the event to promote the arts within the community. Naseer organized the event "to allow young Muslims to showcase their artistic talents, whether it be through painting, photography, or spoken word to others in the community." Attendees voted for the best art piece in the show. Three winners were announced and received cash prizes. The event was held in t

The "A Beautiful Life series continued this week with Youth Director Safi Khan about resistance, humility and exile. Khan began by discussing the viral video of Ibn Ali Miller who stopped between two high schoolers in Atlanta. Khan explained Miller's bravery as he faced off against the rowdy teens. Miller's story lead into the reason there was so much resistance against the Prophet (PBUH). Many opposed his message because they saw it as a threat to the norm and their wealth. The Prophet (PBUH) showed his humility when one of the resistance members, Utbah ibn Rabiah, came to him with a bribe suggesting the Prophet (PBUH) should give up his message. Rather than taking the money offer

Over 2000 people came out to Shelby Farms Park to participate in the "Kosten Foundation's 5K Run for Pancreatic Cancer Awareness" on Sunday April 2nd. 901 Ummah fielded a team of 16 runners in honor of community member and pancreatic cancer survivor, Umar Khan. The run began promptly at 2 p.m. and over the course of the next hour, participants ran, jogged and walked the 3.2 mile course. "We came, we saw, we hustled, and ended up getting medals out of it so it was a good day," said Muaz Khan, second place winner in his group. 901 Ummah's Talha Khan, a sophomore at White Station High School, claimed first place overall with a time of 20 minutes and 16 seconds. His brother, Muaz, a freshman at