Jamillah & Ayisha Karim
Jamillah & Ayisha Karim | Muslim Community Members (Atlanta, GA)
بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ ٱلرَّحْمَٰنِ ٱلرَّحِيمِ
Jamillah Karim: From the Qur’anic perspective, sisterhood is a treasure. It is highly sought after because of the peace and contentment it plants in the heart. It is a gift, not earned but given from Allah Ta’ala [G-d, The Most High]. Allah is the One who joins the hearts.
When I was two years old, I told my then pregnant mother that I didn't want her to bring the baby back from the hospital. However, my mother, may Allah have mercy on her, reported, as soon as I saw Ayisha, I fell in love.
We call each other first loves, and I've always had a best friend in my beloved sister Ayisha.
Privileged to be the older, I gained from her cheers as I explored uncharted terrain and served as her mentor and model as she followed in my footsteps. So it was quite stunning surprise when I visited our home in Atlanta on spring break from Duke University and witnessed my little sister hosting the Muslim teen talk show that I had previously hosted. I remember my admiration at her eloquence, style, and perfect fit for the camera. She was a better host than I ever was.
Two other times this happened. When she followed me to Duke and earned a better grade in Islamic Law than I, having taken it two years prior with the same professor. The other has been watching her serve as co-commentator for the Atlanta Masjid fashion show in recent years. I used to do it as a teen, and community mothers praised and predicted that I'd be a great speaker some day. But now I know fashion and stirring a crowd is clearly her calling more than mine.
MashaAllah! What a blessing from Allah that this aspect of sisterhood–a big sister to be admired and followed–has expanded to the delight of watching my sister excel and shine in her uniquely fabulous way.
With Ayisha, I have always had a friend and partner as we navigate life and identity as African American female Muslims in America. We have always seen ourselves as mirrors, understanding that one's success is the other’s, always knowing that her struggle is mine, always an opportunity to grow closer to Allah.
The best part in these most recent years has been witnessing my sister’s increased love for Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه وآله وسلم) prayers and peace be upon him. It is in this way that I most hope that we are mirrors. May we taste the sweetness of faith, loving Allah and His Messenger above all else and loving one another for Allah.
Jamillah Karim is an award-winning author, lecturer, and blogger. Karim specializes in race, gender, and Islam in America. She served as an associate professor in the Department of Religious Studies at Spelman College, where she taught courses on the study of Al Islam for six years. She is the author of Women of the Nation: Between Black Protest and Sunni Islam (2014, with Dawn Marie-Gibson), which explores women’s experiences and contributions in the Nation of Islam, and American Muslim Women: Negotiating Race, Class, and Gender within the Ummah (2008). She obtained her Ph.D. in Islamic Studies at Duke University where she also did her undergraduate work in electrical engineering.
Ayisha Karim, an Atlanta native, has been a math teacher, diversity practitioner, and student advisor in Atlanta’s top independent schools for 18 years. She is the mother of two school-aged children and enjoys traveling, writing, spending time with friends and family, and painting. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Math/Arabic from Duke University and a Master of Educational Leadership from Columbia University Teachers College.
