When I was growing up, I was distinctly detached from my faith. You could say I was in a type of oblivion. Yes, we believed, we prayed here and there, and fasted in Ramadan, but faith was not a priority for me. I was more worried about the clothes I wore, the brands I displayed, or how I styled my hair. That is, until my classmate Jim died my sophomore year. Then reality hit me, and it hit me hard. Jim and I had a bunch of classes together my freshman year but none our 2nd ye

We walked off the basketball court together and stepped onto our prayer mats. We recited verses from the Qur’an, sent prayers upon our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), and uttered supplications to our mutual Creator. Without saying much more, we contently exchanged smiles and headed back into the gym. I then continued to watch in awe as Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir, 28, taught over 50 teenage Muslim girls how to handle a ball, dribble, shoot and guard. She was thorough, f