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8 Guidelines for a Friendly Divorce

8 Guidelines for a Friendly Divorce

More or less half of folks who marry end up divorced. In divorce as in marriage, friendly trumps fighting for creating positive outcomes for everyone. A collaborative divorce process speeds up the inevitable grief at loss of what was and sets the stage for a better future.  Here’s therefore eight guidelines for keeping the marriage disengagement process, and […]

20 Must-Try Winter Science Experiments for Kids

20 Must-Try Winter Science Experiments for Kids

It’s almost WINTER! Dropping temperatures, holidays, and changes in the weather mean there are lots of opportunities to explore some new and exciting science experiments. If you are a regular here, you know just how much we love science. For us, winter is an awesome time to do some of the science experiments for kids we have been putting on our to do list […]

How do you know if you are marrying the right person?

How do you know if you are marrying the right person?

How to Marry the Right Person Finding Miss or Mr. Right is not always an easy thing to do. Once you think you’ve found the right person, you may have doubts. Having doubts about who you are marrying is not only normal, having doubts is healthy. Hopefully you already know that you shouldn’t marry someone […]

Dear White Moms

Dear White Moms

Dear White Mom: I’m writing this to you as a friend, as a dear friend. We’ve shared so much over the years, before kids – blissfully ignorant childhoods, angsty teenage years, the discovery and recklessness and uncertainty of college and early adulthood, and now this. Motherhood. We’ve been there for each other all the time […]

10 Family Bonding Activities

10 Family Bonding Activities

The typical family’s daily routine is often so chaotic that it’s much too easy to grow apart. Sure, your oldest son might make time to pound on his little brother for a few minutes every day, but true quality time is often a rare luxury. Here’s a little bit of unsolicited but very useful advice: […]

Got Kids With Irrational Fears? 5 Powerful Strategies You Should Try

Got Kids With Irrational Fears? 5 Powerful Strategies You Should Try

Don’t you think one of the most helpless and frustrating moments as a parent is when our kids have irrational fears, and nothing we say seems to make a difference? It may be something common like the fear of darkness or monsters under the bed. Or something completely out of ordinary like the fear of ants, […]

Empty nesters: Now that the kids are off to college what do we do?

Empty nesters: Now that the kids are off to college what do we do?

Each year, parents across the country help the last of their young-adult children begin their own journey in life, be it settling into college, moving into an apartment with that first job, or seeing them off to the military. This life phase is commonly called the empty nest period, or the second half of the […]

Parent Rap: Whose House?

Parent Rap: Whose House?

Parenting is never easy. And if we aren’t careful, what ends up happening is that the kids take over the reins of control. But in this video, Fellowship Church and Fellowship Creative set the record straight. And kids quickly learn how it’s going down when MOM and DAD are in the house!       […]

How to Help Teenagers Get More Sleep

How to Help Teenagers Get More Sleep

From the time they hit puberty until the age of 22, adolescents need about 9 hours of sleep a night to function optimally—to be physically, mentally and cognitively healthy. Tell this to nine out of ten teenagers (or their parents for that matter) and they will laugh. What teenager has time to sleep for 9 […]

15 Fun & Cheap Family Game Night Ideas & Board Games

15 Fun & Cheap Family Game Night Ideas & Board Games

Restaurants are great places to gather with all your friends and family, but they can get really expensive rather quickly! That’s why I love hosting  a good old-fashioned game night. It’s so much fun to get together with family or friends and laugh the night away – without spending a dime. Sure there are board […]

8 Ways to Help Your Aging Parents

8 Ways to Help Your Aging Parents

As they age, our parents might need more help. But you might not know exactly how to lend a hand or even where to start. Plus, what do you do if your parents balk at your attempts to assist them? While every situation is unique, Christina Steinorth, MFT, a psychotherapist and author of Cue Cards […]

Zakat eligibility of The FYI

The Family & Youth Institute, or The FYI, is a well-known Muslim organization in the United States. It works to promote mental health and wellness by strengthening and empowering individuals, families, and communities through research and education. It has been working for many years to bring Islamic perspectives to understanding and promoting mental health in our communities.

It is dedicated to serving and supporting Muslims – safeguarding our deen, our families, and our future generations. Therefore, the work of The FYI comes in the category of ‘fi sabeelillah’ or the Path of Allah, within the eight categories where Zakat money can be used.

Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed for it and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah, and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation [imposed] by Allah, And Allah, is Knowing and Wise.”
(Al-Tawbah 9:60)

According to scholars who widen the meaning of fee sabeelillah to include any activities that promote Islamic growth, The FYI is indeed eligible to receive part of the Zakat funds for its programs and services. I urge Muslims in America to support this organization through their donations, general charity, and through their Zakat. I ask Allah swt to strengthen and guide The FYI to continue its good work in supporting Muslims.

Shaikh Ali Suleiman Ali, PhD

About Shaikh Ali

Sh. Ali Suleiman Ali was born in Ghana where he spent his childhood studying with various Muslim scholars. He then moved to Saudi Arabia and enrolled in the Islamic University of Madina.  He graduated with a degree in both Arabic and Islamic Studies. Dr. Ali went on to complete his Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor.

Sh. Ali serves on the Advisory Council of The Family & Youth Institute. He is the Senior Imam and Director of the Muslim Community of Western Suburbs in Canton, Michigan. Additionally, he serves as the Director of Muslim Family Services in Detroit and is a council member of the Fiqh Council of North America (FCNA). He is also a member of the North American Imams Federation (NAIF) and the Association of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA).