Where Muslims meet

Want to know the best things to do in Chicago? The Windy City is famous for its cultural diversity, dynamic city life, and amazing food. Dawned as the “American Medina” by the Chicago History Museum, and home to some of the first masjids ever built in the United States, Chicago is a beacon of Islamic culture and history. 

With its exceptionally diverse Muslim population, Chicago offers a unique city experience for Muslim travellers and residents alike. From unique sights to see to annual Muslim conventions, we will cover the best things to do in Chicago as Muslim travellers!

Table of contents

Downtown Attractions

Outdoor Festivities

Halal Food Spots

Masjids of Chicago

Annual Muslim Conventions

Conclusion

Downtown Attractions

One of the things to do in Chicago is to visit the downtown attractions. There is certainly no shortage of them in Chicago. Whether you want to enjoy some culture, or history, and simply wish to marvel at the skyline, there is fun for the entire family in downtown Chicago. 

Read also: 5 Female Muslim Travel Bloggers To Follow Now

Chicago Cultural Center 

Located at the corner of Michigan Avenue and E Washington Street, the Chicago Cultural Center is a must-see while you’re in town. Just minutes away from the riverwalk, the Chicago Cultural Center is a hub for art, culture, and humanities. You can enjoy free art exhibits, support local artisans, attend film screenings or lectures, and of course, appreciate the beauty of the building’s architecture!

Field Museum

You can’t go to Chicago without checking out the iconic Field Museum. Opened in 1894, the Field Museum is home to more than 4.6 billion years of natural history! Some of the Field Museum’s permanent exhibits include: Inside Ancient Egypt, the Cyrus Tang Hall of China, Grainger’s Hall of Gems, and more! Before you leave, be sure to get your photo opp on the famous steps outside.

Outdoor Festivities

Among other things to do in Chicago you can choose to visit outdoor spectacles. Chicago has a variety to choose from. If you’re visiting during the spring or summer months, enjoy the brisk weather while taking a stroll through one of Chicago’s most walkable attractions. 

Buckingham Fountain

Starting strong with the beautiful Buckingham Fountain, one of the world’s largest fountains, this popular fountain is located in Grant Park right next to the Chicago Harbor. If you make your trip between May and October, you can also enjoy a brilliant water show with lights and music that occurs each hour of the day!

Chicago’s Riverwalk

Keeping up with the water theme, Chicago’s Riverwalk is a great choice if you wish to enjoy a beautiful walk along the river, while taking in the extravagant scenes of downtown Chicago. If you prefer organised tours, Chicago’s First Lady can take you for a ride on the river and provide fascinating insights into more than 50 of Chicago’s downtown attractions. 

Halal Food Spots

Some might say the mark of a good vacation is how much you enjoyed the food. For the Muslim traveller, this is especially important as your search is narrowed down to the halal offerings the city has. Luckily for Chicago, it is a hub for some of the best halal food in the country! While it ultimately comes down to your personal preference, here are some of our top recommendations for halal spots in the Windy City.

Read also: Halal Dating Guide: Chicago

Noon O Kabab

Our first pick is Noon O Kabab located in Albany Park. Serving authentic, delicious Persian food since 1997, this is a familiar favourite for locals and tourists alike. Their most popular dishes include delicacies such as chicken kabab, baba ghannouj, and ghormeh sabzi. Embrace the beauty of Persian culture (and the deliciousness of their food) at this family-owned Chicago staple.

Old Jerusalem 

If you’re craving the rich flavors of Lebanese cuisine, look no further than Old Jerusalem nestled in the heart of Old Town Chicago on the Northside. Since its establishment in 1976, Old Jerusalem has been a beloved institution, building a loyal customer base with its authentic Middle Eastern flare and welcoming hospitality. Each of Old Jerusalem’s dishes is a testament to their commitment to quality and tradition. Some of their signature dishes include musaheb, arayess, and of course- shawarma! 

Sabri Nihari

Last, but certainly not least, is Sabri Nihari! A Pakistani gem located in the heart of Chicago, Sabri Nihari is an award-winning restaurant with accolades from customers from all over the world. Their renowned signature dish is their Nihari, but honourable mentions include their biryani and mattar paneer! Whether you are a connoisseur of Pakistani cuisine or are looking to branch out and try something new, a visit to Sabri Nihari is sure to satisfy your taste buds.

Masjids of Chicago

One of the best things to do in Chicago as a Muslim is being able to immerse yourself in the Muslim community of the city. Chicago’s long history with Islam has allowed for a diverse, multicultural Muslim community to develop and flourish to this day. 

In between the exciting activities you may have planned throughout the day, consider heading to some of these masjids we have compiled to offer your daily prayers, as well as meet with the local Muslim community in the city. 

Muslim Community Center

First, we recommend checking out the Muslim Community Center located in Irving Park. Established in 1969, the Muslim Community Center is one of the oldest masjids in the Chicagoland area and has been named by many as the mother organisation of the masaajid that has since been established. The MCC offers dawah programs, classes for converts, health screening, counselling, and many more services for the Muslim community. 

Downtown Islamic Center

Located in the heart of downtown Chicago, the Downtown Islamic Center is within walking distance from landmarks such as Grant Park, the Field Museum, and the Art Institute of Chicago. If you’re looking to stay closer to the downtown area, the Downtown Islamic Center is a great option. 

Located on the fourth floor of 231 S State St, this beautiful masjid is perfect for travellers, commuters, and anyone looking to take a break from the hustle and bustle of the city, and take a moment aside for prayer. 

Annual Muslim Conventions

If you’re willing to brave the Chicago Winter, our ultimate recommendation for the Muslim traveller is to check out the annual MAS-ICNA convention! Hosted by The Muslim American Society (MAS) and Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), MAS-ICNA hosts over 30,000 each year for a weekend full of Islamic lectures, Quran competitions, workshops, and a 450+ booth bazaar highlighting Muslim-owned businesses and organisations. 

With Muslims travelling from all over the globe to partake in the festivities of MAS-ICNA, this is a unique opportunity for you to grow your Islamic knowledge, meet Muslims from all walks of life, as well as support Muslim businesses.

Conclusion

In summary, Chicago offers a rich blend of culture, history, and culinary experiences for Muslim travellers and residents. From its iconic landmarks like the Chicago Cultural Center to its diverse halal dining scene, the city provides a unique and inviting atmosphere.

As you explore Chicago’s attractions, savour its delicious halal offerings, and connect with its Muslim community through visits to local masjids, you’ll find a warm environment (even during the harsh winters!)  that embraces diversity and fosters spiritual enrichment.

For those seeking more spiritual enlightenment during your visit, the annual MAS-ICNA convention offers an opportunity to immerse yourself in Islamic knowledge and community building on a grand scale.

Chicago presents dynamic and enriching things to do for Muslim travellers, blending cultural immersion, culinary exploration, and spiritual connection in one vibrant cityscape.

What’s your love language? If you’re not familiar with love languages, you’re in the right place! We’ll explain what they are so you can discover yours. 

Dr. Gary Chapman came up with the “Five Love Languages” to help couples connect and communicate better. Understanding your partner’s love language is key to knowing their needs and wants. 

So, ready to find out? The five love languages are: words of affirmation, quality time, physical touch, acts of service, and receiving gifts. Let’s figure out which one speaks to you!Related content: Islam: What’s Love Got To Do With It?

Table of contents

Words of Affirmation

Quality Time

Physical Touch

Act of Service

Receiving Gifts

Why the Love Languages Are Important

Conclusion

Words of Affirmation

Words of Affirmation is about expressing affection through spoken words, praise, or appreciation. Do compliments make your day? Does a simple “You did great!” give you a boost? If hearing praise and sweet words makes you feel appreciated and loved, then this might be your love language. It’s all about those little verbal pick-me-ups that make you feel special. If this sounds like you, words of affirmation could be your love language!

Example of Words of Affirmation

Fatima and Ahmad have been married for five years. Ahmad’s love language is Words of Affirmation, while Fatima’s is Acts of Service. Fatima started complimenting Ahmad more, reminding him of the hadith about being good to your family. She’d tell him things like, “You’re amazing for how you take care of us.” Ahmad loved hearing these affirmations and felt more connected. In return, he helped out more around the house, which is how Fatima feels loved. They found a great balance by understanding each other’s love languages.

Quality Time

Quality time is all about feeling loved when someone gives you their undivided attention and you share meaningful moments together. It’s not just about being in the same room while you both scroll through TikTok – it’s about truly connecting and being present with each other. 

Imagine doing your favourite activities together, like going for a walk in the park, taking a cooking class, or even working out side by side. These shared experiences create special memories and deepen your bond. When someone sets aside time just for you, focusing on enjoying each other’s company, it shows they truly care. 

Example of Quality Time

Ayesha and Ibrahim are always busy with work. Ayesha’s love language is Quality Time, while Ibrahim’s is Physical Touch. They decided to spend more time together doing things they both enjoy, like reading the Quran or going for a walk after Fajr prayer. 

These moments without distractions really helped them reconnect. Ibrahim also made sure to show physical affection, like holding hands or giving Ayesha a hug, which made their time together even more special.

Physical Touch

For someone whose love language is physical touch, they feel loved through physical affection. We don’t mean just about being intimate as a married couple, but also about small gestures like holding hands while walking or sitting close together while watching a movie. Physical touch is about feeling most loved when physically interacting with their partner. If you feel a deep connection and affection through physical closeness and gestures, physical touch might be your love language!

Example of Physical Touch

Zainab and Omar have been married for two years. Omar’s love language is Physical Touch, while Zainab’s is Receiving Gifts. Zainab made sure to show her love through physical affection which made Omar feel secure and loved. Omar, in turn, started surprising Zainab with small gifts like her favourite perfume or a special dessert. These simple gestures made them feel more connected and appreciated.

Act of Service

Acts of Service is all about doing nice things for your partner that make them feel loved and appreciated. For instance, when you come home tired from work and find that your partner has taken care of all the household chores so you can relax. Or when they offer to do the grocery shopping because they know you’ve had a busy day. 

These little gestures can mean a lot to someone whose love language is acts of service. If you feel most loved when your partner helps you out and makes your life easier, acts of service might be your love language!

Example of Act of Service

Mariam and Ali have been married for seven years. Mariam’s love language is Acts of Service, while Ali is Quality Time. Ali started helping more with household chores, inspired by the Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH) example. He also spent more quality time with their kids, which made Mariam feel loved and supported. 

In return, Mariam made sure to spend quality time with Ali, planning family outings or quiet evenings at home. By understanding each other’s needs, their relationship grew even stronger.

Receiving Gifts

For someone whose love language is receiving gifts, presents are more than just material things—they symbolize love, care, and thoughtfulness. It’s about feeling cherished when your partner takes time to think about you and gets you something special. It could be as simple as your favourite chocolates to satisfy your cravings or a meaningful gift that shows they’ve been listening and paying attention. 

For instance, if a wife tells her husband she wants to read the Quran but finds it difficult in Arabic, and the next day he surprises her with a transliteration version, it shows he not only supports her goals but also truly cares about her. Gifts like these make someone whose love language is receiving gifts feel loved and appreciated.

Example of Receiving Gifts

Let’s dive into another scenario for receiving gifts: Noor and Bilal have been married for three years. Bilal loves Receiving Gifts, while Noor values Words of Affirmation. Noor started giving Bilal thoughtful gifts like a beautiful prayer mat. Bilal appreciated the effort and felt more loved. He also made sure to express his love through words, often telling Noor how much he valued her and the gifts. These little gestures made their bond stronger.

Why the Love Languages Are Important

Understanding and speaking your partner’s love language can really transform your relationship. When you know what makes your partner feel loved, you can avoid misunderstandings and resolve conflicts more easily. 

Conclusion

Understanding the Five Love Languages can really help you and your partner connect on a deeper level. When you know how each of you prefers to give and receive love, you can make sure you’re meeting each other’s emotional needs. Take some time to explore these love languages together – it’s like uncovering the secret code to a stronger and more fulfilling relationship!Using the Five Love Languages takes a bit of effort, communication, and a genuine desire to understand and support each other. By mixing these love languages with our Islamic values, we can build even stronger and more loving relationships. You’ll experience a deeper sense of closeness and mutual appreciation, knowing that you’re both loved in the ways that mean the most. 

When looking to find a potential husband, you’re going to come across men that come from many unique cultures, either similar or different from yourself. Many questions can arise if you don’t have much knowledge about these cultures. 

Don’t stress! In this article, we’re going to discuss the richness of Arab culture and how the foundation of it influences Arab men to carry the familial and community-driven values they have. 

Marrying outside of your culture is a beautiful way to showcase your own culture while opening yourself up to someone else’s world. Although it is also known as being taboo, it is also considered a sunnah. Arab men are extremely diverse in their culture with each country having its spin on common traditions and different dialects of Arabic spoken. 

Table of Contents

Islamic Stance on Intercultural Marriages

Foundation of Arab Culture

Arab Men: Stereotypes vs. Reality

Getting to Know Someone Outside of Your Culture 

Arab Wedding Traditions 

Conclusion

Islamic Stance on Intercultural Marriages

The Quran states “O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allâh is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa” [49:13]. 

We were created from different nations and ethnicities to discover one another through our cultures. Through culture, you find out how a person forms their lifestyle and beliefs, as well as their morals and values. 

Arab culture is known for its vibrant customs and hospitality. Arab men in particular are taught to hold chivalrous roles in the household, especially towards women. Respect is always at the forefront of Arab culture as they want to make everyone feel comfortable and welcomed in their presence. 

When you enter an Arab household, you’re going to be given the utmost respect. Your hosts are going to make sure you feel as comfortable as you can in their household and will be right by your side to offer you food, dessert and tea until you can’t eat anymore! This is only a sneak peek into their cultural values and how they treat each other. 

Foundation of Arab Culture

Family is the heart of Arab culture. Oftentimes in the media, we see many stereotypes and misconceptions about Arab men. They’re made to be portrayed as controlling and self-obsessed. You may also see that they have hyper-masculine traits, but these stereotypes steer those who are outside the Arab culture away from the truth. 

The media fails to depict the gentleness and loving attributes of a father towards his daughter, a son looking up to his mother’s loving attributes and a husband making it his mission to make sure his wife is valued and loved in their marriage. 

In Islam, we see clearly the role of the husband and wife in a marriage. We see that the husband’s job is to provide for his family and to make sure they never feel any lack. This directly challenges the stereotype that women are meant to be “slaves” in the household and are only present to serve the men. We see these values embedded into Arab culture through their generosity and eagerness to support their family in any way possible. 

Arab Men: Stereotypes vs. Reality

The media show us that Arab men thrive off of oppressing women, further driving a wedge between their real personas. Arab culture works with the rights of a woman and makes it known that wives, mothers, daughters, etc. are the foundation of a household and hold such a monumental role in the life of a man. 

Marrying women strong in their beliefs (religious and non-religious beliefs) is encouraged as these same women will help raise the next generation of families with this same belief system. Arab households want to ensure that their children grow up with the same strong attributes that both men and women possess. 

Related content: We make it easy to chat with Arab singles

A common theme is that Arab men are not supposed to show emotion, they’re supposed to present themselves as resilient and strong all the time. The question then poses, if emotion and vulnerability are not shown, then how are members of a household supposed to effectively communicate and grow community? 

Arab culture thrives off of community which begins at home. As the husband holding the head of household title, it begins with him as he collaborates with his wife to create a safe community for generations to come. 

Getting to Know Someone Outside of Your Culture 

Marriage and getting to know someone can feel like an overwhelming task, especially if you’re new to putting yourself out there. Culture serves as a great ice breaker if you’re speaking to someone with the same ethnicity as you. 

Related content: Finding Arab love has never been easier!

However, if you’re okay with meeting people outside of your culture, you may need to work slightly harder to find a common ground at the first meeting. Although many cultures share similar values, it is important to talk about these values so that person is informed. You can also learn a lot about marriage expectations through these cultural values. 

Don’t be afraid to speak about your experiences within your culture and the parts you would like to take into a marriage and parts you’d want to leave behind. Discussing culture aspects  in depth gives you insight into how understanding and accommodating someone is to your familial values and future lessons you want to teach the next generation. 

Arab Wedding Traditions

As mentioned earlier, each Arab country has its own set of cultural traditions, but they also hold many similarities that unite the cultures together.  Two of the more known Arab dominant countries are Saudi Arabia and Egypt. When it comes to Egyptian weddings, pre-wedding events such as the Laylat Al-hinna, also known as the “night of the henna party” are arranged for the bride to celebrate her upcoming big day. This tradition dates back centuries and is rooted in celebrating a happy and blessed marriage for the couple ahead. 

Related content: The Traditions of an Arabic Wedding

As for Saudi Arabian culture, they hold a similar ceremony called “Laylat al Ghumra” which holds the same significance and concept. The bride adorns herself with a beautifully embroidered dress and jewellery from her fiance. Friends and family join in the celebration in anticipation and happiness of the bride’s new chapter of life, which directly connects back to the foundation of Arab culture being family-oriented. 

Conclusion

It can be a unique experience getting to know someone from a different culture and we would hope you find it to be an insightful one as well. As Muslims, we put our religion first and want our deen to be the foundation of our marriage. Culture comes after that, and we hope to combine cultural values to supplement the religious values we’re bringing into our marriage. Through respecting one another, finding the beauty in each other’s cultures and improving each other through the values you possess, you’re bound to set yourself up for a successful marriage and healthy family for the next generation to come.