Imam Omar Hazim

My updated book, Islam in the Heartland of America, offers insight into how Islam is taught at the Islamic Center of Topeka in Topeka, Kansas.
In this edition, I explore key topics such as honoring parents, the role of women in Islam, the importance of prayer, charity, and fasting.

I also address the concept of Jihad, a word that is often misunderstood. In Islam, Jihad means to struggle and to strive. It can refer to the internal struggle of choosing between two competing ideas and striving toward what is best. In Islam, responding to the call to prayer is considered a call to success — both in this life and in the next.

The Qur'an teaches that when you give in charity, Allah promises to return to you more than what you have given.

One of my primary goals with this book is to help build bridges of understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims. I believe the future of Islam in Topeka, Kansas — and in America as a whole — is very bright.