On this juma (jum’ah, jumu’ah, etc), I encourage us to reflect on the fact that even the Prophet (pbuh) was at the receiving end of bitter hostility as he walked his path. So were many other great men and women, including Jesus Christ (pbuh), the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. (accused by fellow Black clergy of creating “needless tension” - needless tension! Civil rights!), and even Mother Teresa!

As signifant changes unfold in my own life, I’ve found that taking more time in quiet reflection (rather than panicked freneticism), including prayer, is invaluable. I stumbled across this song quite by accident, but it was grounding to remember the struggles faced by extraordinary people as I lead my absolutey ordinary life. May their resilience allow us to grow our own.

Enjoy and juma mubarak to you of all faiths and none.

(Another from Dawud Wharnsby here.)