Convert Connection Chicago

Ta’leef Events in Chicago

ibn yahya — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 15:26:00 +0000

Upcoming Event: ”Living Right” w/ Usama Cannon 1-28-2012 @ American Islamic College, 1-3pm

“Moments Can Last a Lifetime”

ibn yahya — Tue, 06 Dec 2011 05:59:25 +0000

It was a cold October day, the 29th night of the blessed month of Ramadhan, when I found myself at dinner with a childhood friend. A friend who always remained my friend during our times of companionship and at times of estrangement. It had been over 2.5 years since I departed in my search for the divine; my journey for a path to empower my soul. Where did I find myself? Sitting in a sushi restaurant in my hometown, opening my long day of fasting with a dear friend during the blessed month of Ramadhan.

I recall how surreal the thought was that it was only in a matter of a few hours that I would officially be a member of the global Muslim family, “The Ummah”. Although my heart had already submitted to God’s Oneness and that Prophet Muhammad’s (peace and blessings be upon him) Messenger-ship, I hadn’t yet publicly proclaimed it.

We drove together in his car until we reached the local mosque. I had previously visited this mosque once while talking to the shaykh (Islamic Scholar) about taking my shahada. On that previous visit to this mosque I was ready to take my shahada (testimony of faith), but decided that I couldn’t make such a move without letting my family know beforehand. They opted out of attending so, it was on this night that I had decided to make my leap of faith.

We entered the mosque, seemingly foreign, lined with faces that delivered me distant stares. We made our way to the prayer hall and joined the congregation in the evening prayer (taraweeh). We prayed for a while until the congregation took a break. This was it! The moment I had been waiting for, yet fearing at the same time.

The Director of the Mosque made an announcement in a thick subcontinental accent, ”where is that boy who said his friend wants to take his shahada?”. My nerves were stretched up to my throat and I could barely utter any words as the gentle man with a detached look on his face asked me my name.

There I stood in front of a few hundred people whom I had never met. The man began to say these words that I could hardly understand and I struggled to repeat them after him. When we reached the end of the short string of Arabic words, the crowd erupted with “ALLAHU AKBAR” “ALLAHU AKBAR” “ALLAHU AKBAR.” At this moment I was so overcome with an ethereal sense of serenity that everything became a blur.

Here was where it all began. Welcomed with a line of men, young and old, white, black and brown, all waiting to come give me a hug, bestow upon me some sagely wisdom, and welcome me to this religion. Such a warm welcome from so many unfamiliar faces. Many of those faces remain etched in my heart to this day. However, the tears of loneliness from the weeks to follow also remained in my memories until this day.

This feeling of isolation from the community and loneliness that I felt is not unique to myself. It is a common narrative in the experiences of converts to Islam. When we see someone become Muslim we should do our utmost to try to become a friend to that person and do what we can to make their development in this faith easy and sustainable for them.

For converts who feel lonely or feel like they don’t have community, I highly recommend you go out and seek it! You might have some bad experiences along the way, but I know that every community has people out there that are caring and can support us through this journey. Never stop seeking for a sense of community. Try looking into your local MSA, local mosque, or even try going to a nearby Muslim business and become friends with the owner. If you are in Chicago there are many great opportunities to find a safe and welcoming space.

May God guide us all to the straight path and provide us the strength to care for one another as God says in the Qur’an “the believers are compassionate towards one another” (Surah Fath)- ameen

(You can read more pieces from our community members @ the Our Voices page)

The Guiding Light

ibn yahya — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:36:43 +0000

The Guiding Light – Interactive Discussion Series with Omer Mozaffar

Asalaamu Alaykum, Greeting you with Peace!

Come participate in our new discussion series focused on understanding our humanity and learning how to refine ourselves through the teachings of the Qur’an and the Life of our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessing be upon him.

We will be covering topics related specifically to personal and social conduct, such as forgiveness, reflection, hope, repentance, reliance on God, humility, generosity, and many more attributes regarding good character with others and with our Creator. Our events are focused intensely on spiritual development and community cultivation, so let us honor each other by coming with an open heart and a big smile!

What: The Guiding Light – An Interactive Discussion Series

When: Sat. January 14th / 6pm – 8:30pm

Where: American Islamic College – Entrance and parking on 613 W. Bittersweet pl. (In Dorm Building)

We will open with ice breakers/team building exercises then begin our discussion. After the discussion we will have tea, coffee, and cookies available. You can feel free to linger and meet some new people or chat with old friends

-ConvertConnectionChicago

For more information regarding Convert Connection please visit ccchicago.wordpress.com

Reflections from Eid al-Adha

ibn yahya — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 05:12:34 +0000

Asalaamu Alaykum, Greeting you with Peace,

I have officially been Muslim now for over 5 years now. I have had many amazing experiences, many horrible experiences and MANY, MANY unmemorable moments over these past 5 years. However, this Eid Al-Adha was the first time I really felt like the “Eid” holiday was indeed a holiday.

It might sound strange, but it is difficult coming from a family that celebrated Christmas with all of it’s gifts, it’s amicable season, it’s related events, and it’s cultural prevalence. The same can be said about Halloween and Easter. It is difficult because, in all honesty I have never really felt like our two holidays in Islam “Eid al-Fitr” and “Eid al’Adha” were indeed holidays. They usually just consisted of me waking up, going to the mosque in the morning for prayer and maybe meeting up with a friends family for food.

This year for Eid al-Adha, Convert Connection and Chicago Muslim Convert hosted a central Eid prayer place with events to follow. We met for prayer at DIC where I entered to the beautiful sounds of some of best friends (Will, Nate, and Ryan) leading the “Takbirat” ( a chant like remembrance of God). We prayed and had a good khutba or sermon about the life and legacy of Abraham (Arabic- Ibrahim) since this holiday is dedicated in his honor, peace be upon him. I saw so many faces I hadn’t seen in such a long time welcoming with such large smiles and big hugs. That is the way we Muslims roll

After prayer, we went to brunch at a local restaurant and had about 25 people join us. Brunch was nice and was filled with sincere and intriguing conversation. After we ate, we prayed dhuhr or prayer #2 of the day right in front of Trump Tower. Then we got our bowl on. We went bowling and all showed off our “impeccable” bowling skills. We had some unexpected people join us for bowling and it was so wonderful to have their company.

My wife and I ended the day by visiting her parents and going out for a meal. It was so great to finally feel like this was a holiday. Of course, the purpose of our holidays are worship, but it certainly feels good to be able to place this holiday in my “most memorable moments” box!

I strongly encourage all Muslims to find a way to make our holidays meaningful beyond just going to prayer. Perhaps we can spend the rest of the day with our family, go out to a dinner, go do something fun. Whatever it may be, it is crucial that our holidays feel like holidays. I am so grateful for being able to share this experience with all of the people I was able to this year and pray that I will make it to the next year.

Until next time, peace….

(You can read more pieces from our community members @ the Our Voices page)

Discussion – The Paths We Traverse

ibn yahya — Tue, 08 Nov 2011 04:44:06 +0000

“The Paths We Traverse” Discussion

When: Sat Nov. 12 from 6-8pm is our next discussion and is a natural continuation from last months event.

Where: American Islamic College 613 W. bittersweet pl. Chicago (free parking/near redline)

What: Interactive Discussion w/ Omer Mozaffar

Event Description:

”That person is a ______ ” (fill in the blank with any number of terms – sufi, salafi. shia, sunni, tablighi, etc).

These are labels we hear thrown around recklessly in our community in an attempt to define a person or group of people by a certain set of general and usually misleading characteristics. In our previous discussion we discussed the texts and the traditions we draw on as Muslims. In this discussion we wish to continue the discussion to understand the different approaches people take towards understanding those texts and traditions. It is vital that we know what these labels mean, not to carelessly label people, but to understand where people are coming from in our interactions with them. Our hope is also to demystify and break stereotypes that have been placed on different sectors of our Muslims community making it is easier for you, as a more informed person, to navigate the landscape.

**After-Events:**

1. After the Discussion: 830 pm – Some of our attendees will be going to CAMP’s Whirly Ball Event after the discussion.

Eid Al-Adha on 11/6/2011

ibn yahya — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 21:56:39 +0000

PRAY-EATT-BOWL

Eid Al-Adha will be on Sunday November 6th. CCC and CMC are organizing events for anyone who wants to attend. Our goal is to make sure their is no excuse for someone to celebrate Eid with loneliness. Our plans our listed below. If you cannot make it to our event, but are looking to meet up with some cool people in your locality, feel free to post on our Facebook page.

If you want to learn more about the tradition of and the story behind Eid Al-Adha, you can Read Here.

Eid Al-Adha events this SundayWe invite you to join ChicagoMuslimConvert (CMC) and ConvertConnectionChicago (CCC) for the Eid prayer, a group brunch, and bowling on Eid Al-Adha this Sunday 11/6.

1. Eid Prayer - 9am at DIC
We will first attend the prayers at the Downtown Islamic Center (http://www.dic-chicago.org/ - 231 S State St, Chicago) at 9am. If you want to enter as a group, please meet in front of the DIC at 8:45am. Sisters will be available to assist other sisters with hijab, and brothers/sisters with our group will be there to guide you on this prayer. Brothers- look for Mike, Sisters- Look for Kelly and Alia.2. Group Brunch - 11am at EATT
After the prayer, we will meet on the sidewalk in front of the DIC and then head over to the restaurant EATT (http://www.eattchicago.com/ - 6 W Hubbard, Chicago). EATT is .7 miles away from DIC so we can walk or take the Red line to the Grand stop. If you live downtown, this should give you time to change between the prayer and brunch if desired.

3. Bowling – around 1pm at 10pin
After our group brunch, we will walk 2 blocks from EATT to 10pin (http://www.10pinchicago.com/bowl.php - 330 N State St, Chicago) for a fun afternoon of bowling.

You can attend one of these activities or all of the activities with us, and your friends and family are welcome to join as well.

Please remember to bring cash for brunch and bowling ($5 per game + shoe rental), socks for bowling, and a casual set of clothes to change into at the restaurant or bowling alley if desired.

*** If you plan on joining, do us a favor and send us an email so we have a rough estimate of how many people to arrange for. convertconnection@gmail.com

“Those Awkward Moments”

ibn yahya — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 06:02:30 +0000

Whether a convert or someone new to a community, we have all had our strange, funny, or awkward moments. Below is a list made by Kelly K. of Chicago Muslim Convert about experiences some of the sisters from our Chicago Convert community have experienced. Please give it a read, have a laugh, relate to the experiences, and feel free to share your own awards moments with us! To read more of our stories please visit Our Voices.

Top 10 Awkward/Funny Moments Most Converts Will Experience

1. During Taraweeh prayer in Ramadan, not knowing you don’t immediately bow in the last rakaat (cycle) of the witr prayer because du’a is about to be read. And so you do. And nobody else does. Awkward!

2. Having that awkward moment when a fellow Muslim of the opposite gender gives you “that look” when you attempt to shake their hand, and you have to awkwardly retract your hand and try to casually resume conversation. That’s when you learn that many Muslims don’t shake hands with people of the opposite gender.

3. Being around Muslims the first time and they start saying things in Arabic like “Assalamu Alaykum” and you’re like, “Umm, no speaky Arabicy”.

4. Females: The first time you are given a ‘Muslim Make-over” to go to Jumu’ah (the Friday prayer). For me it was like a tornado of fabric being thrown all around me, women shaking their heads “this simply won’t do…do you have a longer winter coat” > “On me? Are you asking if I brought several winter coats with me to mosque? No!” > “Not a problem. We will find a way to make you acceptable.”

5. Females: Your first encounter with a man who will not make eye contact with you while having a dialogue in public. You keep trying to move your head to go into his line of sight, and he keeps moving his eyes or head in any direction away from where you are until he can only look at his feet or the clouds. That’s when you learn about the ‘divert your eyes’ passage regarding interactions with the opposite gender.

6. Females: When wearing hijab…Finding efficient ways to convince cab drivers that you are not Desi. “No, I don’t have any Palestenian/Indian/etc. in my bloodline..Really, I’m Caucasian…No, neither do my parents….Honestly, I’m Caucasian…(sigh) No, neither did theirparents…Yes, we are sure. Yes, we are sure. Positive!”

7. Before “coming out of the closet” as a Muslim, trying to not let others reach the conclusion that you are anorexic during Ramadan since you never seem to be eating. Also, finding creative reasons to give as to why you are not eating, can not do brunch with friends, drink coffee during ‘coffee breaks’, etc. Going to a friend’s house for a dinner party, only to realize EVERYTHING is made with pork/bacon/sherry.

8. Explaining to your parents what a ‘Matrimonial Dating Site’ is; Having to broach the sex topic with your parents when you explain that no, Muslims don’t have premarital sex. Yes, even if we’re are going to get Married. Yes I am attracted to him.

9. For the first time in your life, having to ask someone you are pursuing for marriage (1) if they have a Green Card or are a Permanent Resident of the USA, and (2) (females) if they intend on marrying multiple wives at any point. Those words are very very hard to get out of one’s mouth!

10. The first time you drive up to a mosque with the windows down and the music blaring, wondering why you are getting all those dirty looks. And then you learn that some Muslims believe music is haram (forbidden).

“Your call cannot be completed at this time”

ibn yahya — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:40:39 +0000

Bismiʾllah.

When I declared shahāda back in September 2006, I didn’t tell my parents until a month later. Like many others whom I’ve spoken to about their coming-to-Islām sagas, there was an apprehension

about the way that such news would be received by family members and other loved ones. Even if in the case of those, myself included (al-Ḥamduliʾllah), who have parents and/or a pre-existing familiar network that are well-educated and open to many varying concepts and experiences, it is still a daunting notion to think that one decision could change how they look and interact with you.

Albeit this preoccupation with acceptance was genuinely menacing, it was the “when” as opposed to the “if” that became the primary issue. At the time of Writing, my maternal grandmother was ailing miserably from the throes of lung cancer. It is a given that my immediate household family and several others were absorbed in the mindset and tasks associated with such a burden. Being seven time zones away did not grant me the luxury to speak to my loved ones, especially my grandmother, on a consistent basis. I expended my money on calling cards. With foil shavings caked under my thumbnail and a whore of a receiver to my ear, I spent my nights leaning against a pay-phone post and kept my shoulders introverted to stave the stiff, autumn breezes from making me feel colder than I already did. In the five months that I was away, the phone was only picked up nine times… five of them being my brother.

So it was the one time that I did get to speak to my mother (she had just returned from a hospital visit) that I told her that I became Muslim, and proceeded to sheepishly explain my spiritual needs and their satiation within this new and permanent venture. I already knew that her mind was still back in the extended care unit from whence she just came. Yet the expectation that I would be able to have a meaningful and understanding discussion with her was too lofty. It was a harrowing and depressing feeling to know that your mother is hearing you but not listening.

“I can’t wrap my mind around what you’re telling me right know, but just know that you will be changing the dynamics of this family. I’ll talk to you tomorrow, okay? Love you lots.”

I wouldn’t get a chance to speak to her again until I came home for the funeral.

In retrospect, I still lack clarity on what Allah ﷻ manifested to me during that ordeal. I question whether I was selfish in my timing or if I was justified for taking a sparse opportunity. As of yet, there is no closure to that feeling, much like the end of this post.

- Ryan

(You can follow Ryan on his blog @ http://ryanbhilliard.tumblr.com and you can read more pieces from our community members @ the Our Voices page)

“The Path of the Convert”

ibn yahya — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 03:36:05 +0000

There is something about being a convert that forces you to take sides; to choose between choice A and B; say goodbye to Switzerland.

Most of us have tread the water between being non-Muslim and Muslim for an estimable period of time of time, until we finally give in to the fatigue and decide. Or perhaps more accurately, a divine tide compels us so far we can no longer swim back to the other side. Eventually, we choose Islam.

Except, no matter how much we’ve traveled, we never fully land on the other side.

Even after we’ve made what is arguably the biggest decision of our life, there are still more decisions to be made. Where do we stand on this spectrum of religiosity? How do we claim Islam without succumbing to the cultural mutations? How do we love our non-Muslim family and our Creator at the same time? The path of the convert is not clear-cut.

We make changes– sometimes go too fast–get confused, frustrated, feel lost. The Islam that had once seemed so simple and clear, is made foggy by well-intentioned Muslims and an onslaught of facts.

So once again we are thrown into the tumultuous water, swimming in all directions, trying to stay afloat amongst the waves of Muslims and even greater tides of information.

But, fear not. If ever we find ourselves drowning, we must only remember the reason we became Muslim in the first place. We must rekindle that beautiful feeling deep in the depths of our soul, that feeling of being Muslim–whether or not it was apparent to others. We can breath freely knowing that regardless of the myriad questions that remain, one thing is certain: La ilaha illallah. We can exhale.

And Allah Knows Best.

By: Bint al-Nas , a member of our community in Chicago.

(You can read more pieces from our community members @ the Our Voices page)

Discussion – Connecting to Allah: the texts and the traditions

ibn yahya — Mon, 10 Oct 2011 21:29:51 +0000

Asalaamu alaykum, greeting you with peace,

We pray that you all had a productive and pleasant Ramadan. Convert Connection successfully hosted a few iftars and organized an Eid get together. We were so honored to have shared moments of that blessed month with many of you. We are excited to continue our “Calling on Him” discussion series and hope that we can share more wonderful moments with you.

Topic- Connecting to Allah: the texts and the traditions
We will have an interactive discussion with Br. Omer Mozaffar about our Holy text, the hadith collections, texts of the scholars, the traditions of our Muslim community and how they all fit together. It is our hope that with this discussion participants will leave with a more solid understanding of how our texts and traditions connect us to our Creator.

Event Details:

What: Connecting to Allah: the texts and the traditions
When: October 15, 5-8pm
Where: American Islamic College dormitory building 613 W Bittersweet Pl, Chicago, IL 60613
Free parking available in Parking Lot.

space provided by American Islamic College