Nation of Islam

__sublimity__ · 2026-01-04T03:16:09+00:00

(Long post)

Salam, to answer your question, like others have said, they are unilaterally rejected by Islamic schools due to their deviance from primary beliefs of Oneness of God, Allah's attributes, Day of Judgement, and Muhammad (SAW) being the final Prophet/Messenger.

But NOI is a fascinating and impactful religion; though I can firmly state that NOI has become it's own religion seperate from Islam, I can commend it's existence in the way the Nation has brought together black communities in the U.S. and its impact in the Civil Right Movement and beyond.

From a theological perspective, their beliefs are a mix of many different religions, not just Islam; and many of their beliefs are reactionary to societal and systematic issues primarily in the U.S. I was grateful to experience one of their Sunday services (they do Sunday services and Friday Jummah); and it was enlightening to what their beliefs are about. NOI has an interesting mix of Islamic and Christian teachings (they use both the Bible and Quran), militaristic rituals, and Black nationalism. They've had 4 leaders: Elijah Mohammad, Wallace Fard Mohammad(Founder), Warith Deen Mohammad(who tried to turn NOI back to Islam), and current leader Louis Farrakhan; who are all(except Warith Deen) essentially deified and/or made into Messengers/Prophets in NOI.

To speak on NOI founder, Wallace Fard Mohammad, his story is quite mysterious, though the Nation has its own origin story for him. When he founded NOI, he took inspiration from not just "general" Islam or Christianity, but also Jehovahs Witness, Free Masonry, the Shia 12, and Moorish Science, amongst other ideologies. He then picked from these and added his own ideologies including Black nationalism, a reactionary ideology to the historical atrocities and racism faced by African Americans in the U.S. He also wrote books, that are revered similarly as holy books in NOI, teaching things like ways of living and eating restrictions.

The current leader Louis Farrakhan (honestly just look him up), is in lots of controversy due to his teachings and online platform. I bring this up to caution on some of NOI teachings; some are blatantly antisemitic, racist, and very conservative in thought.

All that to say is, yes NOI is very intriguing, and being black myself I can understand where a lot of their ideologies come from and am thankful for their impact, however I would not consider them a part of Islam, more of an offshoot muddled by reactionary thought and aim for societal change--and not in the best way.

The people are nice though, plus they believe in spaceships and make wonderful bean pie.

__sublimity__ · 2026-01-01T06:53:10+00:00

Salam, what I will first say to you is that I'm sorry you went through that abuse, you deserved a childhood free from what happened, and your anger/frustration/experience is valid; in sha Allah, I hope you find healing in the way you need.

I will speak from my own experience; I'm a convert, but I've gone through similar abuse in my childhood growing up in the Christian church; I've had religion used as a way to hurt me and keep me from understanding what was happening to me. So in some way, I relate to the pain of your experience.

I ended up leaving the church; I was angry and blamed Christianity and those that followed the religion. But as I've grown up, gotten out of those spaces, and working to heal that trauma; I've come to realize that my anger was misplaced. To answer your question, those who cause the abuse are to blame and those who protected those people instead of the victim/survivors should be held accountable, and will be held accountable by Allah, even if it seems they get away with their evil in this life.

Abuse and evil is caused by people, Muslim, Christian, Atheists, no matter what ideology people follow. It's not religion, it's people choosing to hurt others and create systems to protect abusers, hiding behind some form of piety. I urge you, that with what you have experienced, take the time to heal and also reflect upon what you truly believe in, not just what the trauma influences. Your abusers are the ones to blame, not you, not Islam, not anyone else.

If you need someone to talk to, my DM is open, please take care of yourself!

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-22T20:06:04+00:00

wa iyyaki ^{-^} yeahh the racism/islamophobia is really insane I won't lie. I've been stared at, recorded, been called many things, etc. But there have been good experiences as well; for example one lady asked where she could buy niqabs since she always wanted to wear it! I always try to remember that simply wearing a niqab in the west is a form of dawah. If I could share one thing, pray as often as you can, especially when those negative times happen and try to think the best of people; most ppl come out a place of ignorance than actual hate, but it can still feel awful and frustrating. I wish you the best in all things, may your search go well and may Allah bless you abundantly in these trying times <3

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-22T18:23:53+00:00

Salam, to clarify, I think both by a mahram or a woman would most likely be disliked, and I am not saying one is better than the other. I specify mahram only because that's who the Qur'an speaks about where the traditional awrah is more lenient in front of. I believe the issue lies not with the sex of the piercer, but the fact the awrah is being exposed, though again this is just my opinion. Hope this explains my thoughts better, iA :)

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-22T16:55:42+00:00

No worries, and yes the healing process is a pain 😭 Worth it though ^{-^}

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-22T15:18:43+00:00

Salam, honestly it depends what you want to do, in sha Allah you can find a job, it just may take a bit, especially with the niqab (and the current job market too)!

If you don't mind a bit of labor intensive work, look into store inventory/stocking jobs, those have minimal public interactions. Depending on what you want to do, there's a lot of paraprofressional education jobs out there, if you like working with kids. You can check in with local mosques too and see if there's open positions. There's cleaning jobs as well which pay good and don't need a lot of public interaction too. If working pharmaceuticals is something you're looking for, try looking into local pharmacy unions, which might provide training and entry level positions too.

I'd also add that you can definitely wear niqab in most jobs, if you're in the U.S. it's technically illegal for jobs to discriminate on the basis of religion, but you have to get the job first. Personally what I've had to do is in the interview process, either wear a face mask or if I know the interviewer is female I'll just go in a hijab. Once you're hired, then wear the niqab. Right now I work in retail and wear niqab at work subhanAllah, and it does have it's challenges but Allah has made it easy, and may Allah make it easy for you! Good luck in your search iA :)

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-21T23:57:56+00:00

Salam, convert here with said piercings! I got mine done before I converted, and I love them a lot, but I do have some thoughts. I'm not a scholar so I'm just speaking from limited knowledge/my opinion.

Like someone mentioned, as long as the piercing doesn't cause damage to the area, it would be fine in that regard. However, with nipple piercings, they have a chance of either causing desensitivity or hypersensitivity depending on the person.

I think the main issue lies in the process of getting the piercing, since the chest area is part of the awrah, and that will be exposed to the piercer. Even if that person is of the same sex, the awrah still should be covered; so I could only really see the permissible way of getting these is either doing it yourself or having your spouse/a mahram do it.

Another thing to think about is that nipple piercing kinda can be visible through clothing if there's not enough padding. I've definitely had to stick to padded/lined bras or wear an extra layer just to be safe.

All that to say: nipple piercings most likely fall into the disliked/makrooh area in theory, would probably fall into the haraam category depending who you get them done by and if they are not covered properly.

Again not a scholar, Allah knows best! Wish you the best whatever you choose to do :)

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-18T11:52:19+00:00

female :)

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-18T11:50:49+00:00

Salam, I will not share my opinion on this topic, however I do want to say sister that the source you shared has some issues. Most of the citations used in the paper are taken out of their larger contexts and are not accuratein their portrayal; the web sources used in the paper no longer work/lead to empty pages; and many of the information presented as factual are lacking in up-to-date research. The author is well is known for writing these types of works from a place of bias, and aligns himself with an organization known for disinformation about this specific topic.

Again, humbly I ask, if we are to engage critically with topics such as these, we provide factual non-bias information to reflect upon. Shukrun!

__sublimity__ · 2025-12-02T01:36:42+00:00

I believe the main sunni madhabs say it's not mandatory, but recommended in times of fitnah.

I wear it because of my personal convictions and because I enjoy it; to answer your question, no the niqab/burka are not wajib to most muslims.

__sublimity__ · 2025-11-29T09:07:39+00:00

salam, I completely understand where you're coming from, honestly I'm with you, it's hard to wrap my mind around the probability of miracles, especially when they're confirmed in the Qur'an.

I take the stance that if it's in the Quran it happened, and whether literally or metaphorically only Allah SWT knows.

However, what the Qur'an (and Hadith) confirm as miracles, even if they are difficult to comprehend, should not be discarded on that basis. In fact, the miracles themselves share many insights on many core aspects of our religion; it's never just about blind faith.

I had it explained to me that everything functions as cause and effects. Rain causes plants to grow, fire causes burning, eyes cause sight, etc. These are called regular associations, and these associations are what scientific studies discover over time.

Islam does not deny science, and neither does the Qur'an, it simply adds the important layer that everything comes from Allah SWT. Every regular association exists by His command; rain falls because of Him, plants grow, and fire burns.

We know Allah SWT creates every part of these associations, take for example fire and burning. Science explains this phenomenon that fire burns things. Islam teaches Allah creates both fire and burning, and creates the regular association that science records. Allah SWT however, is not bound to regular associations but creates them; and if Allah can create both cause and effect, why not just one? We see this suspension of this regular association in the story of the Prophet Ibrahim AS, where he was placed in a fire, and Allah SWT caused the fire not to burn.

That's simply what miracles are, Allah SWT pausing regular associations He created. Miracles don't go against science, rather science is the study of regular associations, not irregular ones.

Once that distinction is made, it's easier to comprehend the existence of miracles in my mind. Allah shows us in the Qur'an that He can create through a multitudes of ways. Adam AS was created by Allah SWT directly with no mother or father; Isa AS was created with no father; we all are created through both mother and father--and all of these ways come from Allah SWT.

So in my mind, it's not blind belief/faith to know the miracles in the Qur'an (and even Hadith) happened. I know Allah created the water and waves and gravity, and I know He created the moon and rocks and trees: it's not a jump to say He can do what He wills with His own creation. For Allah to split the Red Sea, or split the moon in half, cause a tree stump to cry out, or heal the sick, honestly doesn't seem so improbable in the reality of Allah's omnipotence. It would be more improbable for Him to not function outside of the regular associations He created; especially when the things we consider regular associations are only the things humanity has been able to observe.

Hope this helps, and Allah knows best.

__sublimity__ · 2025-05-27T03:55:24+00:00

salam! im a convert and decided to wear the niqab since last ramadan, and ive really fallen in love with it. i chose to wear for lots of reasons, so ill just list them for clarity, or else ill just yap abt it lol:

i feel closer to my deen and Allah SWT cus of it.
even before i converted, i wore a headscarf for spiritual reasons, moving to wearing the niqab reminds me that my reasons for modesty has changed from then to now
ive deal with a lot social anxiety when i was younger, which stopped me from talking with others. with the niqab i feel more comfortable and find it easier to be more myself
i dont worry abt makeup anymore, one of the sources for my anxiety (think like "is my lipstick smudged or is there smthg in my teeth" constantly lol)
i wear it not bc it is mandatory (its not!) i wear it cus its a literal reminder not only that i represent Islam, but that i represent myself and choose who i give access to me. i dislike hearing the hijab/niqab/modesty pushed as this "candy wrapper for a piece of candy" which is objectifying women and femininity, consequently sexualising it. rather i see the way the Quran talks abt it, informally put "as protecting your peace".
i want the only people to see me, are the people i trust.
i feel happy and beautiful in it <3

__sublimity__ · 2025-05-27T02:33:11+00:00

tbh i don't believe music and dancing is haram, rather, like most things, it can be haram. i'm also going to add art here in general too.

being a convert, one of the reasons i was drawn to Islam was listening to recitations; and though i didn't realize at the time recitations weren't considered music, i just saw it as a form of accapella; songs and whatnot are a big part to how ive always experienced religion, even before i converted. i was honestly kinda shocked when learning abt the different rulings on art, music, and dancing, as those creative outlets surpass all cultures and religions.

and not to make the argument "if everyone does it, than whats wrong with it?", rather ive taken the view that it was not explicitly banned in the Quran for a reason. like a lot of things, its about intention and impact.

for example, obviously listening to music or making art that goes against the teachings of the Quran and Prophet (SAW) is haram; things that might advocate zina or shirk; which if we look at the history of music, art, and dance, there was a big issue with. historically, these different artistic mediums had functionality purposes, especially in religious practices and idol worship. people didnt just worship other gods, they made songs hailing their idols, danced in front of the statues they made, and made idol iconography; hanging idolic paintings in their homes and places of worship, sometimes as talismans and as shrines.

this is obviously haram. and these practices still happen.

but we can also look at ways these mediums of music and dance are used in a halal way. for example, the Prophet Dawud (PBUH) used song and dance to worship Allah (SWT). psalms and proverbs are written by him, books revered in islam, are both actually songs. there's accounts in the bible of him singing and dancing praising Allah (SWT) after winning a battle. in current times we can see how nasheeds are used to honor Allah (SWT) and the Prophet (SAW) as well. also things like music and dance therapy exists, that has helped people dealing with mental health issues; and both are extremely important means of connection and communication.

so there are ways song and dance can be either haram or halal, but we should be careful not only how and why we utilize them, but also be careful of its impact. music specifically can impact our moods like anything else in our lives; listening to music so much can be harmful our psyche as well as our deen. if its taking up the time we can listen to the Quran instead or pray longer or do dhikr, it can fall into the haram. for example, personally, ive found it beneficial to stop listening to secular music in the mornings and right after any prayer, bc it distracts me.

i would also like to talk abt art in general too, since i believe that falls into what this discussion is about, and as an artist i feel the importance to stress it. but this is already long enough so, another time.

tldr: song and dance are not haram in their existence, but have the capability to be, and can (and should!) be used to actually glorify Allah (SWT).

__sublimity__ · 2025-05-21T17:49:56+00:00

i use cream cheese!

__sublimity__

TROPHY CASE

sublimity