More in this series
Teaching Our Children How to Mourn
“We teach each other the prayer so that when someone dies, we are ready to fulfill our obligations.”
This is a monthly column about parenting and faith coauthored by Saadia Faruqi and Shoshana Kordova.
Where does the soul go after death? Why did my loved one die in the first place?
Where have you been?
Why was he under the groundHow could he breathe?
What about his eyesCan he still see? What did they do with him after he died? Is the big hole in the ground like the hole that Angelina Ballerina falls into with Henry and they can’t get out?
When I told you I needed water last night and nobody answered me, I thought you died.
Saadia Faruqi is a Pakistani American writer. She is the editor of Muslim literary journal Blue Minaret and author of the short story collection Brick Walls: Tales of Hope & Courage from Pakistan. She lives in Houston with her husband and children. @saadiafaruqi
Shoshana Kordova is an Orthodox Jewish writer and editor raised in NJ and living in Israel. She has written for Smithsonian, Prevention, Quartz, NYT's Motherlode, and The Daily Beast. She has four daughters. @shoshanakordova
Shoshana and Saadia are co-founders of Have Faith, Will Parent, a meeting place for parents of all religions.
Enter your email address to receive notifications for author Saadia Faruqi and Shoshana Kordova
Success!
Confirmation link sent to your email to add you to notification list for author Saadia Faruqi and Shoshana Kordova
More by this author
Please Don’t Pray for Us—We’ll Have Children When We’re Ready!
People I hardly knew implied that without children, I was failing as a woman, a Muslim, and a human being.
How to Mark a Child’s Religious Milestones
Shoshana and Saadia discuss milestones and coming-of-age ceremonies in their respective faith traditions.
“God will not forgive until the person you have wronged forgives”: On Repentance, Faith, and Family Life
“God is sometimes easier to please than our fellow humans.”
More in this series
Home, Mosque, and Synagogue: On Parenting and Sacred Spaces
“All the world is a mosque for a believer.”
“God accepts more prayers on Fridays”: Marking God’s Time in Our Muslim and Orthodox Jewish Families
“How do I find the opportunity to celebrate the day as different?”
Fasting With Children
“Fasting has been a source of comfort, a way to become closer to God. All that changed when I had children.”