pop culture
Some pop-culture families incite envy with their picture-perfection, while others make you acutely grateful for the one you're stuck with.
Story of Maryam (Mary) and the Birth of Isa (Jesus)
"This is the true story of 'Isa (Jesus), the son of Maryam (Mary) — a statement of truth, about which they are in doubt." (Surah Maryam, 19:34) AL QUR’AN Story of Maryam (Mary) and the Birth of Isa (Jesus) And mention in the Book (the story of) Mary, when she withdrew from her family to a place in the East. She screened herself away from them; then We sent to her Our spirit (angel Jibreel/Gabriel), and he appeared before her as a well-proportioned man. She said, "Indeed, I seek refuge in the Most Merciful from you, if you fear Allah." He said, "I am only the messenger of your Lord to give you a pure boy." She said, "How can I have a boy while no man has touched me, and I have not been unchaste?" He said, "So it will be; your Lord says, ‘It is easy for Me. And We will make him a sign to the people and a mercy from Us. And it is a matter already decreed.’" So she conceived him, and she withdrew with him to a remote place. Then the pains of childbirth drove her to the trunk of a date palm. She said, "Oh, I wish I had died before this and was in oblivion, forgotten." But he (a voice) called her from below her, "Do not grieve; your Lord has provided beneath you a stream." "And shake toward you the trunk of the palm tree; it will drop upon you ripe, fresh dates." "So eat and drink and be contented. And if you see from among humanity anyone, say, ‘Indeed, I have vowed to the Most Merciful abstention, so I will not speak today to any man.’" Then she brought him to her people, carrying him. They said, "O Mary, you have certainly done a thing unprecedented!" "O sister of Harun, your father was not a man of evil, nor was your mother unchaste." So she pointed to him. They said, "How can we speak to one who is in the cradle, a child?" He (Isa/Jesus) said, "Indeed, I am the servant of Allah. He has given me the Scripture and made me a prophet." "And He has made me blessed wherever I am and has enjoined upon me prayer and zakah (charity) as long as I remain alive." "And (He has made me) dutiful to my mother, and He has not made me a wretched tyrant." "And peace is on me the day I was born, the day I will die, and the day I am raised alive." That is Jesus, the son of Mary—the word of truth about which they are in dispute. It is not befitting for Allah to take a son; exalted is He! When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, "Be," and it is. (Isa said), "Indeed, Allah is my Lord and your Lord, so worship Him. That is the straight path." Then the factions differed concerning him (Jesus), so woe to those who disbelieved from the scene of a tremendous Day. How clearly they will hear and see the Day they come to Us! But the wrongdoers today are in clear error. And warn them of the Day of Regret when the matter will be concluded; and yet they are heedless, and they do not believe. Indeed, it is We who will inherit the earth and whoever is on it, and to Us they will be returned.
By Atif jamal about a year ago in Families
Things I Wish I Told My Mom Before I Moved Out
The morning I moved out, my mom made pancakes. She never said, “I’ll miss you.” She just slid the plate toward me with a quiet, practiced grace and asked if I wanted syrup. I nodded, heart thumping, trying not to cry. My car was already packed. The keys were in my pocket. The rest of my life waited in a two-bedroom apartment across town.
By Muhammad Sabeelabout a year ago in Families
Family Dynamics and Sibling Relationships
Emma still remembers the day her parents brought her baby brother home from the hospital. At four years old, she had been the center of her universe for what felt like forever, basking in the undivided attention of two doting parents. Suddenly, this tiny, wrinkled stranger commanded everyone's focus, leaving Emma feeling displaced and confused. Twenty-five years later, Emma and her brother share an unbreakable bond, but the echoes of that early displacement still influence how they interact—and how Emma approaches relationships in general.
By Muhammad Sabeelabout a year ago in Families
The Day We Forgot to Say Goodbye
I still remember the coffee we never drank. That morning had been unusually cold for August. Clouds hung low and heavy like wet blankets over the city, and people rushed down the streets as if they could outrun the weight in the air. You stood by the window, watching the rain without really seeing it. I stood in the doorway, trying to memorize the way you looked right then—half here, half somewhere far away. “I made coffee,” I said, though you already knew. You didn’t answer. Not right away. You just gave a small nod, the kind that’s supposed to mean thank you, but felt more like don’t push me. I didn’t. Not yet. We had been drifting for months by then. Conversations reduced to bullet points: groceries, bills, your mother’s surgery, my deadlines. What used to be laughter had become silence, and what used to be plans had become avoidance. But no one said it aloud. We didn’t fight. We didn’t scream. We just… forgot how to touch each other gently. That morning, I thought maybe coffee could fix it. Or at least delay it. You sat down across from me at the kitchen table, your hands wrapped around the mug as if for warmth. You stared into it like there was some answer waiting in the swirl of cream. “I’m not sure when it stopped feeling right,” you said. Your voice was soft. Honest. Tired. I looked at my own coffee but didn’t taste it. “I know.” I wanted to ask why didn’t we stop sooner?, but the truth was, we were too good at pretending. Too polite, too scared, too hopeful. Like people who keep watering a dead plant because it feels too cruel to admit it’s already gone. “I think we loved each other,” you said, like you were telling me the weather report. “I still love you,” I whispered. That made you look up. For a moment, I thought maybe that would be enough. That love, said out loud, could glue something back together. But your eyes were kind, not hopeful. Gentle, not reaching.
By Hamid khanabout a year ago in Families
