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Steps to Ease Dinner Stress for Stepfamilies

Steps to Ease Dinner Stress for Stepfamilies

Some of the most intense challenges for stepfamilies unfold at the family dinner table. In a stepfamily, the deepest bonds are typically those between the parent and his or her children, not between the stepparent and stepchildren.  The parent-child relationship shares so much history, not to mention unspoken agreements about everything from whether Grape Nuts […]

Creating a Healthy Relationship With Your Parents

Creating a Healthy Relationship With Your Parents

A funny thing happens when you become an adult. You finally start to realize that your parents are real humans, flaws and all. Also, just because you’re not a kid anymore doesn’t mean that there won’t be any challenges in your relationship with your aging parents. Family is family, and there is always opportunity for […]

Understanding Religious OCD

Understanding Religious OCD

In families with religious beliefs, a child expressing faith and strong moral principles is usually a welcome development. But sometimes a child’s faith may become an obsession, and instead of consolation, the child experiences extreme anxiety that he is violating religious norms and desperation to correct his perceived mistakes. This is what happens when children […]

30 Ways To Stay Connected With Your Teen

30 Ways To Stay Connected With Your Teen

Parents of teenagers frequently tell me that they no longer know how to connect with their children. So I asked Elyse Suter, who had recently graduated from college and was working as my assistant, to help me write an article for the Aha! website with teen-tested ideas for parents. From Elyse: Finding common ground with […]

Defining Your Family Of Origin & How It Impacts You

Defining Your Family Of Origin & How It Impacts You

For all of us, our family has a large impact on who we are, our values, our belief systems, and how we view ourselves. This initial socialization and the bonds created will often have an impact far beyond childhood. When this childhood was involved trauma or other issues, then it can be seen as a […]

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).