Statesman. Terrorist. Noble. Blood-thirsty. Warrior. Warlord. Pedophile. Ideal husband. Monster. Exemplar. Prophet. False prophet. Messenger of God. Harbinger of doom. Epileptic. Visionary. Illiterate. Gentile. I’ve heard all of these attributes and more for the man history calls, Muhammad. Like most things, history is colored by the observer. If you aren’t a fan of Islam, you…

I was saying the isha prayer (the night prayer) two nights ago when I suddenly felt compelled to stop. My forehead and tip of my nose on the red leaf pattern of my prayer rug during prostrations, I slowly leaned back and settled on my knees. I was at the end of my second rakah (prayer unit). Like a painter near the conclusion…

Many obstacles and limitations come against me during Project Conversion. One of those is visiting the holy places of each religion. Sometimes I have to remind myself that, while I am always welcomed to explore the religion, there are some portions which are off-limits. These are the holy, members-only sections of religion. Enter the fifth…

Ramadan is the ninth month on the Islamic lunar calendar in which Muslims honor the fourth pillar of Islam: The Fast. The month of Ramadan begins at the first siting of the new moon for the month and ends on Eid ul-Fitr, the beginning of the next month in the lunar calendar.  This month is special and…

More from Beliefnet and our partners
More from Beliefnet and our partners