MUSLIM MARRIAGE MAKEOVER: A "Literary Equation" - One Band, One Sound

Last weekend when the menfolk stepped out, my husband Luqman and our 2 sons, Sajdah and I finally had some alone time ... just mother and daughter.  So we were talking - sharing and talking, talking and sharing.  At some point she went to get her clarinet and she began to share with me an observation that she had made earlier in the week during band at school.  She was telling & showing me that during rehearsal, a piece on her clarinet had come loose.  She made the observation that ONE particular piece being dislocated on her clarinet had altered the sound of ALL the other notes on the clarinet.  But once the piece was firmly back in place, everything was back to normal.  I of course smiled inside my heart and outwardly with my lips as she related this story to me.  

I was instantly taken in my mind to a saying of Muhammad the Prophet (PBUH). There are various translations for this particular saying but here is one: "The Believers in their affection, compassion, and love for one another is like one single body.  If a part of it suffers from pain, the whole body will suffer in pain."  So, I immediately shared this analogy with Sajdah so that she could also make the connection between what happened with her instrument and what happens in real life not just with the individual human body, but with the human family and the human community!  G-d says: "On earth there are signs for those with sure faith and in yourselves too.  Do you not see?" (Holy Qur'an 50: 20-21)

And THIS is the reason why G-d has moved me to write "MUSLIM MARRIAGE MAKEOVER: Modeling Muhammad the Prophet to Make Waves in Your Marriage with the R.I.P.P.L.E. Effect" (Respect, Intimacy, Partnership, Peace, Love, & Equality). Even as a young child, my sensitivities were directed towards the preservation of family life.  Inspired by personal family experiences, at the age of 13, I coined a speech on "Broken Homes" which I subsequently delivered in oratorical competitions including ACT-SO (Afro-Academic, Cultural, Technological and Scientific Olympics) sponsored by the NAACP.  After winning at the City Level, I was mentored in public speaking by the renowned Civil Rights Activist Julian Bond to prepare me for the competition at the State Level.  And so my journey towards speaking out about preserving families began and after 15 years of marriage, this journey has come full circle.

I am an advocate for the preservation of healthy marriages, families, and communities.  I see communities as a group of healthy families, marriages, and individuals that are "banded" together as one, helping each other as in a relay race, striving together towards all that is good.  In the movie Drumline, one of my FAVORITE movies, the main character has to learn that even though he is GREAT as an individual musician, when the entire band is on the field, the motto is "ONE BAND, ONE SOUND."  If one individual is trying to steal the show or if one section is off key, this dysfunction disturbs the inherent UNITY of the BAND.

This principle of "One Band, One Sound" is the same that is present in the saying of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) about the "band" of Believers - that in terms of affection, compassion and love, if one body of a Believer aches then the whole body of the Believers aches.  The same holds true for marriages in community - if one marriage or family aches, then all families and marriages in the community ache.  This simply means that we should all be concerned about the condition and longevity of ALL marriages and families, past, present and future.  They are the foundation upon which model communities are built.  This simply means that we should want and desire for our brothers and sisters what we want and desire for ourselves.  It's no coincidence that the development of mathematical and musical abilities are in the same portion of the brain.  As a math major, I have concluded that this "formula" of care and concern for one another is also the "solution" for establishing healthy, productive and happy marriages, families, and communities.

Our beloved spiritual leader and teacher Imam W. Deen Mohammed has said, "In your education, your schooling, the academic world tells you that the family is the first unit of society and this is what we have lost, family.  This problem is not germane to any one group.  It has taken over all people and all religions.  All religions are suffering the corruption of the family."

As I merge my degree and passion for mathematics with my passion for using my writings to help build, heal, and sustain healthy marriages, as a Duke administrator recently expressed to me, "This is a Literary Equation!"

"MUSLIM MARRIAGE MAKEOVER" is a solution-oriented book that is sure to do just that - help to build, heal, and sustain healthy marriages, families and communties!!! While the book itself is universal in its application, it uses faith-based strategies from the Qur'an, the authentic life example of Muhammad the Prophet (PBUH) and the commentary of my spiritual leader and teacher Imam W. Deen Mohammed to address common marital issues such as: the treatment of women, gender stereotypes, distribution of household labor, work-life balance, and the rearing of children.  These issues transcend race, religion, socio-economic status, & spiritual and educational achievement.  

You can PRE-ORDER my debut book "MUSLIM MARRIAGE MAKEOVER" for a discounted price for a limited time on my website www.writing4peace.com

Let's make waves TOGETHER with the R.I.P.P.L.E Effect!!!

#MuslimMarriageMakeover
#OneBandOneSound
#Unity
#Cohesion