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For Better or for Worse: Conflict and Connecting in Crisis

For Better or for Worse: Conflict and Connecting in Crisis

Pre-existing conflict within relationships can be magnified now that so many couples are confined in their homes – some with children, some stressed with working from home, and trying to navigate balance between personal space and togetherness. Pre-existing conflict can be magnified now. And differences in personalities and past experiences play a huge role in […]

Covid Friendly Date Night Ideas to do with your Spouse this Weekend!

Covid Friendly Date Night Ideas to do with your Spouse this Weekend!

One might argue that a date in quarantine looks like spending every waking moment together and then some, as in: This is one long date. But taking time to actually connect is important. Especially in a time as emotionally charged as this. Dating can very much still go on right now. In fact, you might […]

Is COVID-19 Causing an “Epidemic” of OCD?

Is COVID-19 Causing an "Epidemic" of OCD?

The COVID pandemic has caused many of us to reconsider how vulnerable we are as we move about the world and worry about whether we can cope with what this international public health crisis may bring to our communities. While some people will have new-onset OCD or health anxiety, many of us are experiencing what […]

Ever thought of learning a new language?

Ever thought of learning a new language?

What we most enjoy about the times we live in, are the endless opportunities for free education. If you are one of those people, who are interested in foreign languages, and do not need a teacher’s constant mentoring, or if you want to practice a language you already know, this article has a list of […]

How to Identify a Relationship Trigger Before it Hurts

How to Identify a Relationship Trigger Before it Hurts

When a reaction is bigger than the situation, it’s probably a trigger. The intensity of emotion indicates that something more important is happening. What causes an argument is an assumption that the other person doesn’t care about what you needed. Underneath a person’s hurt is the pain of not having their needs validated in a […]

15 Signs of Parental Burnout and How to Recover

15 Signs of Parental Burnout and How to Recover

Feeling like you’re on the edge of losing it or feeling like the weight of everything (baby’s schedule, dishes in the sink, work you have to do today, the list goes on) is on you could point to something called caregiver burnout—a state of mental, physical, and emotional depletion. Some studies suggest that about 14 […]

Three Common Parenting Traps and Tips for Avoiding Them

Three Common Parenting Traps and Tips for Avoiding Them

Parenting. Even though we’ve been doing it for millennia, it’s still a work in progress. Despite generations of passed-down knowledge and experience, it seems like it always comes down to a situation where it’s after bedtime, you’re sleep-deprived and running on leftover mac and cheese, and you will do just about anything to get your […]

How to support a loved one dealing with anxiety

How to support a loved one dealing with anxiety

People who have panic attacks often have no control over when their symptoms will strike. For people with panic disorder, these attacks come on suddenly, without any warning or cause. Those with specific phobias may only have panic attacks when exposed to their specific fear; however, these feared stimuli may not always be easy to […]

Election Wellness For American Muslims. Resisting. Healing. Building. Thriving

Election Wellness For American Muslims. Resisting. Healing. Building. Thriving

The Election Wellness Toolkit was developed by Sapelo Square and Muslim Wellness Foundation for American Muslims. The goal of the toolkit is to provide the American Muslim community with the tools that can help them prepare, across multiple spheres of wellness, for the days, weeks and months to come during this challenging election season. The […]

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).