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10 tips to keep intimacy alive and well in your marriage

10 tips to keep intimacy alive and well in your marriage

After intimate contact, couples need to take time to savor the closeness they feel in that moment. Intimacy between married couples starts slowly and deepens over time with kindness and understanding. Read more at muslimvillage.com

Coronavirus Tips for Caregivers of Elders with Dementia

Coronavirus Tips for Caregivers of Elders with Dementia

Most likely, dementia does not increase risk for COVID-19, the respiratory illness caused by the new coronavirus, just like dementia does not increase risk for flu. However, dementia-related behaviors, increased age and common health conditions that often accompany dementia may increase risk. For example, people with Alzheimer’s disease and all other dementia may forget to […]

7 science-based strategies to cope with coronavirus anxiety

7 science-based strategies to cope with coronavirus anxiety

As the SARS-CoV-2 virus continues its global spread and the number of diagnosed COVID-19 cases continues to increase, anxiety related to the outbreak is on the rise too. As a psychologist, I am seeing this in my practice already. Although feeling anxiety in response to a threat is a normal human reaction, sustained high anxiety can […]

What to Say To Your Child About the Coronavirus — and How To Cope As a Parent

What to Say To Your Child About the Coronavirus -- and How To Cope As a Parent

As if parenting weren’t already hard enough! As more and more schools close, panic is rising in the US about the coronavirus pandemic. There is obviously reason to be very concerned, as we see families struggling in Italy, China and across the world. It’s scary that we don’t know what’s ahead, and how bad will […]

Depression in Men

Depression in Men

What is male depression? As men, we like to think of ourselves as strong and in control of our emotions. When we feel hopeless or overwhelmed by despair we often deny it or try to cover it up. But depression is a common problem that affects many of us at some point in our lives, […]

10 Cognitive Distortions that Can Ruin Relationships

10 Cognitive Distortions that Can Ruin Relationships

There is a term in psychology known as “cognitive distortion.” This is when your mind convinces you that something is true, when it really isn’t. These thoughts are inaccurate and reinforce negative thinking. This is a problem because there is a direct link between what we think and how we feel. Which means — you may […]

Taqwa (Virtue) through Anti-Bias Education

Taqwa (Virtue) through Anti-Bias Education

My first taste of racism occurred in kindergarten, where my classmates barred me from drinking out of the water fountains. When I was in fourth grade, a sixth grader in the neighborhood took her rage out on me, called me a N—- and pulled out a plug of my waist length hair. The trauma I […]

Helping Siblings Communicate Instead of Fight

Helping Siblings Communicate Instead of Fight

Conflict is part of every human relationship, because every relationship has two people with different needs and perspectives. Our job as parents is to teach our children to manage that conflict in ways that bring them closer. What doesn’t work is jumping in to make a decision about who is right and who is wrong. […]

How to Keep Job Stress from Ruining Your Marriage

How to Keep Job Stress from Ruining Your Marriage

No doubt, a successful marriage requires a lot of hard work at times. While getting married may seem simple, staying married can often be a challenge. If you and your spouse want to spend the rest of your lives together, there are certainly things you can do to help your relationship remain healthy for many years to […]

It’s not your fault when you’re triggered

It’s not your fault when you’re triggered

Recently when we had a heart-to-heart, my wife confided in me that in her twenties she felt there was something not quite right… with her preaching. Something she could not identify. But fifteen years onward she knows what it is. It’s no longer there. Then she gave me that look, as if it were my […]

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).