WATCH NOW: "I love being Muslim." - Carmen Gomez

I love being Muslim. I love Islams humble approach to understanding God through His beautiful names, I love the example given to us in our beloved Prophet of a man who so fully and beautifully reflected the Divine in his humanity, and I love the understanding I am gaining about myself and the nature of my connection to God. Since that newcomer retreat, I have benefitted so much from Taleefs work.

I have been a spiritual seeker for as long as I can remember. Many of my journal entries going back to my early adolescence are addressed to God. In the ensuing years, despite encountering loving people of faith in a variety of communities, largely Christian, my own heart was lost. I rarely prayed, and I did not know if I believed in prayer. I was desperate for spiritual refuge. I began to read anything I could find about spiritual responses to suffering. I did not know at the time that loss was my path to Allah, and to Islam. 

During this time, a Muslim friend sent me one verse, 2:177, my introduction to the Quran. I read this verse over and over, printing it out and pinning it up. It reflected all that I believed and wanted to believe, how I wanted to live the rest of my life, what kind of person I wanted to be. It made sense. Every week or so I would choose one of the 99 Names of Allah and reflect on it. I downloaded a prayer app to remind me to pray on a schedule. This was transformative. I was falling in love with Islam. I was beginning to learn how to surrender what was not mine to begin with. 

I began to wonder if I could continue this journey by myself, and came to the conclusion that I wanted and needed a community. From here things moved quickly: the Muslim Community Center of the East Bay connected me with a mentor, who would become a dear friend, and with Taleef, and soon Mike Swies reached out to me. About a month and a half later, after weekly meetings at Taleef with my mentor, I took my shahada at Taleef.

Within a day or two of taking my shahada, Mike was arranging for me to come to the Newcomer Retreat that upcoming weekend. The retreat was an incredible experience. I didnt yet know how to pray, but I could pray alongside my sisters and brothers and learn the movements after two years of doing my own thing. When someone said as Salaamu alaykum to me, I froze and fumbled my salaams in response, but it didnt matter. I felt more at home in a spiritual sense than I had ever felt in my life. 

I love being Muslim. I love Islams humble approach to understanding God through His beautiful names, I love the example given to us in our beloved Prophet of a man who so fully and beautifully reflected the Divine in his humanity, and I love the understanding I am gaining about myself and the nature of my connection to God. Since that newcomer retreat, I have benefitted so muchfrom Taleefs work.

In these last few days of Ramadan help Ta'leef "Welcome Home" many more individuals like me. Support by donating today!

Peace and blessings, 

Carmen Gomez

Taleef Collective, 43170 Osgood Rd, Fremont, CA 94536, United States, 510.573.2719