Search
Search
Close this search box.

mental health

How To Fight Depression: 20 Things To Try

Depression can drain your energy, leaving you feeling empty and fatigued. This can make it difficult to muster the strength...

Are You In A Relationship With No Give And Take?

Healthy relationships are designed to be a give and take, with both partners working together to provide support, encouragement, and...

How Mindfulness Can Help Caregivers

One of the biggest challenges of raising a child with intense needs is managing the emotional fallout. We want the...

20 Therapeutic Activities For Teens To Increase Positive Thinking

Changes in behavior, way of thinking, and identity are common during adolescence. But in some teens, these changes could lead...

Burnout Prevention and Treatment

If constant stress has you feeling helpless, disillusioned, and completely exhausted, you may be on the road to burnout. Learn...

Articles

3 Muslim Mental Health Myths that Might be Holding You Back

When we’re struggling with a mental illness, we sometimes feel alone–often because of the stigma about mental illness in Muslim...

Our Struggles – Mental Health And Muslim Communities

Fariha just started her freshman year at university. Overnight, she was separated from her support system of family and friends...

Educators’ Guide To Supporting Muslim Students Around 9/11

This year marks the twentieth anniversary of September 11th. Educators have the responsibility of meeting the needs of all their students as they experience this...

9/11 Anniversary Response Guide For Parents

As parents, you may be concerned about what your children and teens may experience in schools and social circles during...

Coping with 9/11 As A Young Adult

On September 11th, 2001, the world mourned the loss of life and destruction. It was also a pivotal moment in...

How To Ask What Kids Are Feeling

“Our job as parents isn’t to provide certainty in a time of uncertainty. Our job is to help kids tolerate...

It’s Suicide Awareness Month – The FYI’s Suicide Toolkit Update

In recognition of National Suicide Prevention Week, The FYI set out to create comprehensive and culturally specific resources addressing suicide risks,...

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).