Shabab ul-Haq : Online Publication for Muslim Youth

Review: ‘Final Fantasy XIII’ two thumbs up

Going into a Final Fantasy game is like transferring yourself to another world – one of kooky magic, zany, off-beat characters, and embarrassingly beautiful visuals, (whether that’s something one prefers or not is up to individual taste). Longtime fans of the series know that each successive installment comes with its own history: no two Final Fantasy games are ever the same, yet they share a common lore and mythos. For me, it was incredibly mind numbing booting up the latest installment in the long running series for the first time– anyone that’s followed the development of this game knows the drama, ...

Patience at the first stroke

The tears stung Zaynab’s eyes like fire. She felt that she was alone in this time of distress, that no one cared for her, that not even her Rabb would give a second thought about her. The 6.0 magnitude earthquake that hit Kovancilar town of Elazig in Turkey on March 8. She was 7 weeks pregnant, just starting to feel her child grow, as well as the love blossom in her heart. Zaynab and her husband woke up earlier than usual this Friday morning, preparing for the doctor’s appointment. They were both looking forward to the ultrasound and updating ...

Biggest Loser, just for show

[caption id="attachment_834" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Father and son, Mike and Ron Morelli on season 7 of the Biggest Loser"][/caption] Shirtless, cold and shivering, Mike walks up to a cold steel zoo animal weight scale. He can feel the icy coldness of the scale against his bare feet, and the eyes of his teammates glaring at him. He hears his weight called and sighs in relief. He lost weight, 22 pounds in one week! Too good to be true? Can you really lose 22 pounds in one week? Well, contestants like Mike on the show the Biggest Loser manage to lose large amounts of ...

Local Imams face challenges to connect

[caption id="attachment_799" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Sheikh Waleed Basyouni Ph.D, Imam of Clear Lake Islamic Center"][/caption] What is the best characteristic your imam has? Here are a few first responses to some of the prominent Masajids of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston (ISGH). “He’s really approachable,” Hira Sheriff from Woodland’s Masjid Al-Ansaar said. “They answer questions and really break down the ahadith and make them more relative to everyday life,” Najeem Bajudu said about the imams at Masjid At-Taqwa and Masjid Mumineen. “He’s really nice; you don’t feel weird going up and talking to him,” Anum Abbasi from Masjid At-taqwa said. “He gives good advice and he’s ...