While America celebrates its birthday today, here's something almost nobody learns in school:
Muslims have been part of this land longer than the United States has existed.
The first Muslim known to have walked this continent was Mustafa Azemmouri, a North African Muslim who arrived in 1527. He survived a shipwrecked Spanish expedition and spent eight years crossing the American interior on foot. He was the first person from the Old World to reach the American Southwest. A Muslim. Before the Mayflower. Before the Constitution. Before any of it.
Then came the enslaved. Historians estimate 15 to 30 percent of Africans brought to America in chains were Muslim. They built this country while holding onto their deen in secret.
One of them was Bilali Muhammad. The man behind America's first masjid.
Born in West Africa, enslaved and brought to Georgia, Bilali became the head driver of a plantation on Sapelo Island managing over 500 people. He fasted Ramadan. He prayed five times a day facing east. He wore his kufi. In the middle of antebellum America, this man never stopped being Muslim.
He wrote a thirteen page Islamic manuscript in Arabic while enslaved. It is one of the oldest surviving Islamic texts written on American soil. It still exists today.
During the War of 1812, when the British threatened the Georgia coast, Bilali gathered eighty armed Muslim men to defend the island. An enslaved Muslim man, defending American land, with his community behind him.
Then there was Omar ibn Said, who wrote his entire autobiography in Arabic while enslaved in North Carolina. His words survived 200 years in a country that tried to erase him.
When the Founding Fathers debated religious freedom, Thomas Jefferson owned a Quran. John Adams wrote that the laws of Arabia and the Prophet ﷺ had contributed to the civilisation of nations.
Muslims didn't arrive in America recently. We were here at the beginning. In the soil. In the struggle. In the story.
Tell the people you love that today. This land has always had Muslim hands in it.
Would you put your baby in a river? Would your mother, when you were a baby? One mother did. And that baby ended up being raised in the house of the man trying to kill him.
Four men were secretly worshipping Allah alone. They did not know each other existed.
Before Islam. Before the Prophet ﷺ. Makkah was the epicenter of Idol-worshipping. Until the whole city left for one day.
And only the "Hanifiyya" were left behind.
Makkah had one annual festival. Everyone went. Every idol worshipper. Every chief. The whole city emptied. Four men stayed behind. They looked at each other. Strangers. But something felt familiar. "Why did you not go?" The answer was the same.
The first was Uthman ibn Al-Huwayrith. He had travelled to the Byzantine court searching for truth. He found Christianity but felt it was incomplete. He attempted to become the "King of Makkah" but failed. He died just a few years before the prophethood began.
The second was Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh. He would later accept Islam when the Prophet ﷺ came. But unfortunately left Islam and became a Christian. He died in Abyssinia. He kept searching.
The third was Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl. The "One Man Ummah". He stood at the Kaaba and said openly: "I worship the God of Ibrahim." In a city full of idols. Alone. Unafraid. The Prophet ﷺ later said he will be raised as a nation by himself.
And the last one was Waraqa ibn Nawfal.
A scholar. He had read the Torah and the Gospel in their original languages. He knew a prophet was coming. He had been waiting his whole life.
Waraqa was also the uncle of Khadijah رضي الله عنها. The woman who would become the Prophet's ﷺ wife. Allah had placed him exactly where he needed to be. Right at the centre of the greatest story ever lived.
Iqra. The first revelation came. The Prophet ﷺ came home shaking. "Cover me, cover me". "Who would believe me, Khadijah?"
Syeda Khadijah took him straight to Waraqa. The old blind scholar listened. Then he said: "This is the same angel Allah sent to Musa...
"I wish I were young. I wish I could be alive when your people drive you out." He had studied his whole life for this one moment.
Waraqa died only a few weeks later. He never saw the migration. The battles. The opening of Makkah. But he was the first person outside the home of the Prophet ﷺ to confirm the revelation was real.
Some scholars say that although He was the last of the Hanifiyya but He was the first of the muslim men.
SUBSCRIBE to @JournalHarris as he documents forgotten and lost Islamic History, especially in Europe.
I am proud of this young Muslim brother who has taken upon this mission to revive our historical significance and identity. May Allah bless his work. Ameen
Devastating news out of California today. My heart breaks for the community at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD) following the horrific shooting at their masjid.
To think of a sacred space of worship, community, and learning being shattered by this kind of violence is deeply painful.
I had the privilege of visiting and documenting this beautiful masjid and meet Imam Taha. One of the most inspiring and dedicated people I ever met on my journey. After our interview he immediately got busy with phone calls doing dawah and connecting with communities of other faiths.
Outside his office, the staff were busy helping struggling Muslim families with financial and other resources.
I prayed Dhuhr there and outside the musalla, I heard the beautiful sound of children studying and talking in their classrooms.
Looking back at the documentary, I am reminded of how welcoming, peaceful, and vibrant the community there is. It is a place where families gather, children learn, and people find peace. They deserve safety, dignity, and protection.
"Whoever kills a soul... it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely." (Quran 5:32)
We stand firmly with our brothers and sisters in San Diego, and with Muslims everywhere who continue to face the threat of Islamophobia and targeted hate.
May Allah (SWT) grant the highest level of Jannah to those who lost their lives, including the brave souls who stood up to protect others.
May He grant swift healing to the injured, bring comfort to the traumatized children and families of the School, and wrap the entire community in His perfect peace and protection. May Allah keep them safe. Ameen. 🤲🏽
After years of documenting hundreds of masajid across North America;
from Texas to Alaska
from Chicago to California
from remote isolated villages to the heart of American Muslim communities.
Together we met some of the most beautiful people this country has to offer, and being blessed to be part of a growing movement that documents our struggle, our diversity, our progress, and our resilience…
It is time for a new beginning.
A new chapter of documenting Islam, beginning with the most sacred landmarks of our faith, Makkah and Madinah, and with Allah’s permission, many more across this world.
But before I go, I have to let go of my beloved traveling companion.
My Qaswa.
Before she goes to anyone else, I want her to stay within the Ummah. And a portion of the proceeds will be donated to our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Sudan.
If you’re interested, email me before she’s gone: sobukharee@gmail.com
The masajid were full just days ago. Now they're empty.
This happens every single year and it doesn't have to be you.
Ramadan wasn't just a month. It was 30 nights of building something real between you and Allah. A habit. A relationship. A home away from home.
Don't let Shaytan talk you out of what you worked so hard to build.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most beloved places to Allah are the masajid." — Sahih Muslim, 671 One prayer. One visit. Every week. Don't let it end here. 🕌
Swipe through and share this with someone who needs the reminder ➤
To my beautiful community: you did your best. And that matters. Every effort, no matter how small, was seen by Allah. Every struggle, every moment you kept going when it was hard; it all counts.
Two years ago, on Eid ul Fitr, I began my biggest journey to document Islam, that took me all the way to Alaska. What started as a simple intention has grown into something far bigger because of this community. You’ve been part of that journey every step of the way.
May Allah accept every fast, every prayer, every tear, and every intention. May He place barakah in your homes, peace in your hearts, and light in your path moving forward.
As we celebrate, don’t forget, Eid isn’t the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of becoming the person Ramadan helped you discover.
And as you celebrate, don’t forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering around the world. Keep them in your duas, your charity, and your hearts.
I look forward to sharing exciting content with you in our new chapter ahead.
BUKHAREE
Happy 4th of July.
While America celebrates its birthday today, here's something almost nobody learns in school:
Muslims have been part of this land longer than the United States has existed.
The first Muslim known to have walked this continent was Mustafa Azemmouri, a North African Muslim who arrived in 1527. He survived a shipwrecked Spanish expedition and spent eight years crossing the American interior on foot. He was the first person from the Old World to reach the American Southwest. A Muslim. Before the Mayflower. Before the Constitution. Before any of it.
Then came the enslaved. Historians estimate 15 to 30 percent of Africans brought to America in chains were Muslim. They built this country while holding onto their deen in secret.
One of them was Bilali Muhammad. The man behind America's first masjid.
Born in West Africa, enslaved and brought to Georgia, Bilali became the head driver of a plantation on Sapelo Island managing over 500 people. He fasted Ramadan. He prayed five times a day facing east. He wore his kufi. In the middle of antebellum America, this man never stopped being Muslim.
He wrote a thirteen page Islamic manuscript in Arabic while enslaved. It is one of the oldest surviving Islamic texts written on American soil. It still exists today.
During the War of 1812, when the British threatened the Georgia coast, Bilali gathered eighty armed Muslim men to defend the island. An enslaved Muslim man, defending American land, with his community behind him.
Then there was Omar ibn Said, who wrote his entire autobiography in Arabic while enslaved in North Carolina. His words survived 200 years in a country that tried to erase him.
When the Founding Fathers debated religious freedom, Thomas Jefferson owned a Quran. John Adams wrote that the laws of Arabia and the Prophet ﷺ had contributed to the civilisation of nations.
Muslims didn't arrive in America recently. We were here at the beginning. In the soil. In the struggle. In the story.
Tell the people you love that today. This land has always had Muslim hands in it.
1 week ago | [YT] | 23
View 2 replies
BUKHAREE
1000 Days of Gen*cide.
1 week ago | [YT] | 40
View 2 replies
BUKHAREE
Would you put your baby in a river?
Would your mother, when you were a baby?
One mother did.
And that baby ended up being raised in the house of the man trying to kill him.
1 week ago | [YT] | 12
View 0 replies
BUKHAREE
Four men were secretly worshipping Allah alone.
They did not know each other existed.
Before Islam. Before the Prophet ﷺ.
Makkah was the epicenter of Idol-worshipping.
Until the whole city left for one day.
And only the "Hanifiyya" were left behind.
Makkah had one annual festival.
Everyone went. Every idol worshipper. Every chief.
The whole city emptied.
Four men stayed behind.
They looked at each other.
Strangers. But something felt familiar.
"Why did you not go?"
The answer was the same.
The first was Uthman ibn Al-Huwayrith.
He had travelled to the Byzantine court searching for truth. He found Christianity but felt it was incomplete.
He attempted to become the "King of Makkah" but failed. He died just a few years before the prophethood began.
The second was Ubaydullah ibn Jahsh.
He would later accept Islam when the Prophet ﷺ came.
But unfortunately left Islam and became a Christian. He died in Abyssinia.
He kept searching.
The third was Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl. The "One Man Ummah".
He stood at the Kaaba and said openly: "I worship the God of Ibrahim." In a city full of idols. Alone. Unafraid.
The Prophet ﷺ later said he will be raised as a nation by himself.
And the last one was Waraqa ibn Nawfal.
A scholar. He had read the Torah and the Gospel in their original languages.
He knew a prophet was coming. He had been waiting his whole life.
Waraqa was also the uncle of Khadijah رضي الله عنها.
The woman who would become the Prophet's ﷺ wife.
Allah had placed him exactly where he needed to be. Right at the centre of the greatest story ever lived.
Iqra. The first revelation came.
The Prophet ﷺ came home shaking.
"Cover me, cover me". "Who would believe me, Khadijah?"
Syeda Khadijah took him straight to Waraqa.
The old blind scholar listened. Then he said: "This is the same angel Allah sent to Musa...
"I wish I were young. I wish I could be alive when your people drive you out."
He had studied his whole life for this one moment.
Waraqa died only a few weeks later. He never saw the migration. The battles. The opening of Makkah.
But he was the first person outside the home of the Prophet ﷺ to confirm the revelation was real.
Some scholars say that although He was the last of the Hanifiyya but He was the first of the muslim men.
Allah knows best.
1 week ago | [YT] | 14
View 0 replies
BUKHAREE
He was born worshipping fire.
He died as family of the Prophet ﷺ.
2 weeks ago | [YT] | 35
View 3 replies
BUKHAREE
SUBSCRIBE to @JournalHarris as he documents forgotten and lost Islamic History, especially in Europe.
I am proud of this young Muslim brother who has taken upon this mission to revive our historical significance and identity. May Allah bless his work. Ameen
1 month ago | [YT] | 51
View 1 reply
BUKHAREE
Islamic Center Of San Diego Has Been Attacked
Devastating news out of California today. My heart breaks for the community at the Islamic Center of San Diego (ICSD) following the horrific shooting at their masjid.
To think of a sacred space of worship, community, and learning being shattered by this kind of violence is deeply painful.
I had the privilege of visiting and documenting this beautiful masjid and meet Imam Taha. One of the most inspiring and dedicated people I ever met on my journey. After our interview he immediately got busy with phone calls doing dawah and connecting with communities of other faiths.
Outside his office, the staff were busy helping struggling Muslim families with financial and other resources.
I prayed Dhuhr there and outside the musalla, I heard the beautiful sound of children studying and talking in their classrooms.
Looking back at the documentary, I am reminded of how welcoming, peaceful, and vibrant the community there is. It is a place where families gather, children learn, and people find peace. They deserve safety, dignity, and protection.
"Whoever kills a soul... it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely." (Quran 5:32)
We stand firmly with our brothers and sisters in San Diego, and with Muslims everywhere who continue to face the threat of Islamophobia and targeted hate.
May Allah (SWT) grant the highest level of Jannah to those who lost their lives, including the brave souls who stood up to protect others.
May He grant swift healing to the injured, bring comfort to the traumatized children and families of the School, and wrap the entire community in His perfect peace and protection.
May Allah keep them safe. Ameen. 🤲🏽
1 month ago | [YT] | 25
View 0 replies
BUKHAREE
I am selling my motorcycle…
After years of documenting hundreds of masajid across North America;
from Texas to Alaska
from Chicago to California
from remote isolated villages to the heart of American Muslim communities.
Together we met some of the most beautiful people this country has to offer, and being blessed to be part of a growing movement that documents our struggle, our diversity, our progress, and our resilience…
It is time for a new beginning.
A new chapter of documenting Islam,
beginning with the most sacred landmarks of our faith, Makkah and Madinah, and with Allah’s permission, many more across this world.
But before I go, I have to let go of my beloved traveling companion.
My Qaswa.
Before she goes to anyone else, I want her to stay within the Ummah. And a portion of the proceeds will be donated to our brothers and sisters in Gaza and Sudan.
If you’re interested, email me before she’s gone: sobukharee@gmail.com
2 months ago | [YT] | 67
View 3 replies
BUKHAREE
Eid Mubarak, but don't forget the masjid.
The masajid were full just days ago. Now they're empty.
This happens every single year and it doesn't have to be you.
Ramadan wasn't just a month. It was 30 nights of building something real between you and Allah. A habit. A relationship. A home away from home.
Don't let Shaytan talk you out of what you worked so hard to build.
The Prophet ﷺ said: "The most beloved places to Allah are the masajid." — Sahih Muslim, 671
One prayer. One visit. Every week.
Don't let it end here. 🕌
Swipe through and share this with someone who needs the reminder ➤
3 months ago | [YT] | 49
View 3 replies
BUKHAREE
Eid Mubarak 🌙✨
To my beautiful community: you did your best. And that matters. Every effort, no matter how small, was seen by Allah. Every struggle, every moment you kept going when it was hard; it all counts.
Two years ago, on Eid ul Fitr, I began my biggest journey to document Islam, that took me all the way to Alaska. What started as a simple intention has grown into something far bigger because of this community. You’ve been part of that journey every step of the way.
May Allah accept every fast, every prayer, every tear, and every intention. May He place barakah in your homes, peace in your hearts, and light in your path moving forward.
As we celebrate, don’t forget, Eid isn’t the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of becoming the person Ramadan helped you discover.
And as you celebrate, don’t forget our brothers and sisters who are suffering around the world. Keep them in your duas, your charity, and your hearts.
I look forward to sharing exciting content with you in our new chapter ahead.
Eid Mubarak to you and your loved ones 🤍
3 months ago | [YT] | 31
View 8 replies
Load more