Hearts of Ta’leef

Yaasha Abraham’s story

When did you first come to Ta’leef?

I first came to Ta’leef in April of 2017. About a few weeks prior to that I’d had attended an event called “Have a coffee with a Muslim” where I developed a deep interest in Islam after I had such a lovely and positive experience talking to these Muslims. It inspired me to order a copy of the Quran and start learning about the faith. It wasn’t until I asked some friends about local organizations I could go to in order to learn more about the faith when a friend recommended Ta’leef and referred me to Mike Swies and said, “This is the guy to go to if you want to have your questions about Islam answered in a way that wasn’t going to be too preachy and make you feel that you’re trying to get sold on something.” I then proceeded to search up Ta’leef on Facebook and register for two classes: Quranic Arabic and Being Muslim, and the rest is history. It was the great hospitality and people at Ta’leef that treated me with so much kindness that inspires me to continue coming to Ta’leef to this day.

What is one of your fondest memories of/at Ta’leef?

One of my fondest memories of Ta’leef is one of my earliest experiences. When I first joined Ta’leef, I knew that I wanted to become more involved in the community right away because I felt that I was given so much and I had to give back. So I decided to join the volunteer crew and one day we gathered to have iftar when the crew told me that they had a surprise for me. I was quite perplexed when I saw the gifts they had gotten me and did not expect it at all. They gave me a gift bag with flowers and knick-knacks to celebrate my shahada and I was completely shocked. It just endeared me to everyone who was there ever since that day and made me feel so loved and appreciated and it really went a long way.

Why do you come to Ta’leef?

I am blessed to live only a 10-15 minute walk away from Ta’leef and it’s been such a joy to be close to people with whom I’ve learned how to redefine community, friendship, and even family. Whether it’s coming for a weekly class, a seasonal event, or staying up all night for Qiyam during Ramadan, there’s always been a reason that keeps me coming back. I always look forward to the opportunity to extend the same kindness and open-heartedness and friendship that I was shown the first day I walked into Ta’leef to other people because you could never know how it’s going to impact their day or their whole life.

Tell me about your life from as far back as you can remember until now.

I was raised in a patriarchal, Ethiopian, and Jewish household where everything I learned about how to see the world was from my father who was a rabbi. He was my spiritual teacher for a very long time because he was well versed in Eastern philosophies and religions which influenced my spirituality and curiosity about God. That same curiosity is what inspired me to engage with different cultures which my father was not very pleased with and eventually left me estranged from my family for a very long time. My xenophilia prevented me from having a relationship with them and for a long time, I was very lost and did not know what to do. But then I realized that I was not going to allow a group of people to determine my relationship with God so I decided to explore more religions. I entertained Christianity for a while but then I felt that its beliefs did not resonate with me which is when I decided to explore Islam. After a friend told me about Ta’leef and referred me to Mike Swies, I started attending his classes. I had no intention of becoming Muslim and just wanted to learn, however, the more I learned about Islam, the more I felt my heart incline to the faith. Until one day, a week before Ramadan, I volunteered to help pack bags of food to those in need, when it dawned upon me to fast this Ramadan and become a Muslim. I was still quite hesitant and did not know what to do until I got the chance to speak with Dr. Umar Abdullah, who is now my spiritual teacher, about my hesitation and he said, “If you know in your heart that you want to become Muslim, it shouldn’t be a delay because the future is not promised to anybody and we have no control over when our heart takes its next beat. So if this is something that you truly feel, then you should do it as a protection for yourself, but if you want to wait, I understand why you would.” After my conversation with Dr. Umar, I decided to take my shahada that day and ever since then, I’ve been trying to be the best possible version of myself that I could be, not just for God and myself, but for his creation thanks to Ta’leef. Almost every pivotal moment in my Muslim journey happened at Ta’leef and for that, I will be forever grateful.

If you could send out one message to the world, what would it be?

Building organizations like this is truly a labor of love. There is absolutely no amount of compensation that would ever equal the value that organizations like Ta’leef bring to the community. Not just in a religious way, but in a way that feeds the heart and the soul and that is able to stand as a support system for people using Islam as a common bond. If you could think of any better reason to give your resources, time, or energy to an organization like this just think about the fact that people like me are able to find somewhere to call home when other places don’t feel as inviting.

Sign up to join #1000heartsoftaleef today to help support Ta’leef & individuals like Yaasha. taleefcollective.org/donate