An Inspiring Writer : Yasmin Mogahed

I came to know her by a piece named The Dream of Life which was really a wonderful one. Then I found another write-ups titled Emptying The Vessel which I liked a lot. After that, I watched her to deliver a speech on Manhood and Womanhood in Islam which was educative, thought-provoking and enchanting. After all these, I found many more thoughtful, amazing writings and still counting. The most interesting part of her writings to me is the philosophical essence of our beliefs which adds a new dimension in the heart of readers. Like other Dayees (preachers) of Islaam, who presents the message of 'Deen' to people, she is a devoted intellect who writes and speaks for ummah. She writes in Suhaibwebb.com, which is a wonderful website. She has a website where all her activities are found altogether. Her contribution for Deen is inspiring the Muslim ummah, especially for our Muslimah sisters. 

Biography of Sister Yasmin Mogahed

Yasmin Mogahed, who holds a B.S. in Psychology and a Masters in Journalism and Mass Communications, is an internationally published journalist. 

She is also a writing instructor at Cardinal Stritch University, a staff columnist for the Islam section of InFocus News, and an independent media consultant based in North Carolina. 


She has lectured extensively around the country on Muslim affairs, and her written works, including a book chapter on the portrayal of Islam post-9/11, have appeared in print and online publications worldwide.

Related Links:

• Yasmin Mogahed Website: Website which is taglined: 'A life of Submission, A piece of Serenity'!
• Suhaibwebb: Sister Yasmin is a regular contributor in Suhaibwebb. All her beautiful writings are available in this website. 
• One Legacy Radio: Yasmin Mogahed hosts a program named "Serenity" which is broadcasted live on Wednesday at 3:30 PM (PST). It is repeated on Wednesday 7:00 PM (PST) and Thursday 3:00 AM (PST)
• Personal Blog -- A Soul's Journey: Collection of poetries by Yasmin Mogahed.
• Huffington Post: Yasmin Mogahed writes in the popular Magazine Huffington Post.
• Facebook Page: She updates her views and new writings for the readers 
• Twitter: Yasmin Mogahed on twitter.

Emptying the Vessel by Yasmin Mogahed

Note: This article is taken from Suhaibwebb and it is written by sister Yasmin Mogahed.

Before you can fill any vessel, you must first empty it. The heart is a vessel. And like any vessel, the heart too must be emptied—before it can be filled. One can never hope to fill the heart with God, so long as that vessel is full of other than Him subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He).

To empty the heart does not mean to not love. On the contrary, true love, as God intended it, is purest when it is not based on a false attachment. The process of first emptying the heart can be found in the beginning half of the shahada (declaration of faith). Notice that the declaration of faith begins with a critical negation, a crucial emptying. Before we hope to reach true tawheed (true monotheism), before we can assert our belief in the one Lord, we first assert: "la illaha" (there is no illah). An illah is an object of worship. But it is imperative to understand that an illah is not just something we pray to. An illah is what we revolve our life around, what we obey and what is of utmost importance to us—above all else.

It is something that we live for—and cannot live without.