Master Naturalist K Majeed

[00:00:00] Imam Tariq: Assalamualaikum. May the peace that only God can give be upon you. Welcome to the American Muslim podcast presented by Bayan On Demand. I'm your host, Imam Tariq El-Amin, and it is my Distinct pleasure to be able to bring to you new conversations each week with leaders from across the country, Muslim men and women who are serving their community in a variety of ways.

[00:00:24] Imam Tariq: We not only tell the story of their work, but more importantly, we tell the story behind their work. So we get into who the people are that are doing the work. Today, we are blessed to have with us sister Corrie Majeed. She has used her Green Ramadan platform to encourage Muslims to eat mindfully and to tread lightly by cultivating sustainable habits during Ramadan.

[00:00:46] Imam Tariq: These are habits that are based on. Islamic teachings and principles that call humanity to give all of Allah's creation their rights. Sister Corrie is a Maryland Master Naturalist Chair of the Green Team at Masjid Muhammad, [00:01:00] known as the Nation's Mosque in Washington, D. C., and a 2022 graduate in Islamic Studies from Bayan Islamic Graduate School.

[00:01:08] Imam Tariq: She's also the co author of a ebook, 40 Green Hadith, Sayings of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam on Environmental Justice and Sustainability. Welcome to the American Muslim Podcast, Sister Corey. Assalamualaikum. Walaikum

[00:01:24] Kori Majeed: Assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. And thank you so much.

[00:01:30] Imam Tariq: Uh, you are very welcome.

[00:01:31] Imam Tariq: And thank you again for being here. Uh, we'd like to start out by saying that we. We want to encourage our guests to be as open and as transparent as they are comfortable being and sharing their story. So we want to go to the very beginning. Where did it all start for Sister Kori

[00:01:50] Imam Tariq: Majeed?

[00:01:53] Kori Majeed: So where we start for me definitely has to be in [00:02:00] the red clay of Alabama.

[00:02:05] Kori Majeed: Um, little town called Waverly, Alabama. It's got one little road that goes through it. People don't go to speed limit, probably one street light. It's got, it's got to start there. Yeah.

[00:02:20] Imam Tariq: So what is it about this small town, Waverly, Alabama, that is so special?

[00:02:26] Kori Majeed: So, you know how, when you think of home, sometimes you think of specific people and the home, the person who is my home is.

[00:02:38] Kori Majeed: Mozelle Benson.

[00:02:40] Imam Tariq: Okay. All right.

[00:02:42] Kori Majeed: Yes. Yes. She has a farm. She called it her garden, but it's got sugar cane and it's got corn and watermelon patch. At one point, um, she had a horse, she had chickens, plum [00:03:00] trees, peas growing everywhere. Just pear trees, just. Through all the good stuff that's home, the place that she made, the, the place that she developed, the place that she cultivated, that's home.

[00:03:21] Imam Tariq: So in addition to everything that you described about the garden, the farm, who is Mozelle Benson?

[00:03:33] Kori Majeed: Okay. She was a woman who got up when the sun rose and she also. Uh, went to sleep most times on the couch with the TV when the sun, when the sun went down and in between that time she would be in her garden when she wanted a snack, she'd go out to the watermelon patch.

[00:03:56] Kori Majeed: Get a watermelon, cut it open, sit on the porch, eat that [00:04:00] watermelon, spit out the seeds. She would be having cobbler cooking on the stove. She'd get greens fresh from the garden, and I remember the food at the end that people didn't eat. She'd just give it to the dog. This is a woman who also would collect scraps from people all over, and she would make them into quilts to warm her children and her grandchildren.

[00:04:23] Kori Majeed: So this Mozelle Benson. Uh, this woman who took the scraps of life and made it a home for her children, for her grandchildren. This is my home.

[00:04:34] Imam Tariq: Okay, now you have to tell us, who is this superwoman? Who is Mozelle Benson to you?

[00:04:40] Kori Majeed: She's my grandmother. She's my, she's my You know?

[00:04:44] Imam Tariq: You didn't say that.

[00:04:45] Kori Majeed: I didn't say that?

[00:04:46] Kori Majeed: No. Oh my gosh, I said all that stuff and didn't say that she's my grandmother. She is my mother's mother. Yeah.

[00:04:53] Imam Tariq: Oh, thank you very much. Oh

[00:04:55] Kori Majeed: my gosh, I can't believe it. It's just so ingrained in me. Yeah.

[00:04:59] Imam Tariq: Okay. [00:05:00] So tell us, what was life like for you as a child on the farm? Was it just play? Was it no work? Were you a tourist?

[00:05:08] Kori Majeed: Of course not. So people of my generation didn't go to summer camps like we send, like I send my children to today. Our summer camp was grandma's house. And so this is where I would go for the summer. And this is where I will also go when my mother needed some extra support, she couldn't take care of me.

[00:05:25] Kori Majeed: She would send me to my grandmother's house. This is where I distinctly remember times when I would sit in a circle with a whole bunch of butter beans in different buckets and we're like shelling these butter beans and this is a time when I would sneak and eat green plums. I did, I just couldn't wait until they turn, you know, the, the beautiful purple.

[00:05:46] Kori Majeed: So I would sneak and eat green plums and my uncle would tell him me and I get in trouble. This is the place where I would spend time with my cousins and we would get in trouble together and we had to go pick our own switch things like that. This is the place [00:06:00] where I would see my grandmother, you know, plow the ground till the earth plant some seeds and then.

[00:06:07] Kori Majeed: At the end of the summer, I'm seeing rows and rows of sugar cane and corn and stuff like that. So, I wasn't, I had to, I had to do my share of work and also got in my share of trouble and it was all good.

[00:06:20] Imam Tariq: Okay, so, uh, obviously there's a big imprint in terms of your grandmother, uh, Mozelle Benson. What about your mom?

[00:06:29] Imam Tariq: Your mom was in the service, right?

[00:06:33] Kori Majeed: My mother was in the Air Force.

[00:06:36] Imam Tariq: Hmm. You know, it's always seemed to me that military kids were really well adjusted folks. They adapted to new environments and new people pretty well, better than most folks. And I guess that would be attributed to those who had to move from place to place.

[00:06:56] Imam Tariq: Would you say that your mother's military service, that it left an imprint [00:07:00] on you?

[00:07:01] Kori Majeed: So, um, I, I do think so. My mother also had another daughter, um, my little sister and, , whereas I enjoyed moving from place to place would move from place to place every, like, 3 or 4 years. I enjoyed it. She, she hated it. But I enjoyed, , meeting new people, learning new languages, and that's definitely been helpful there.

[00:07:27] Kori Majeed: I think I just have a ear , for languages and the way my mother did her military service, when we lived abroad in, , the Netherlands and in Germany for much of the time, we lived off base. We didn't live on base. My mother had the mindset like, well, we're going to be here. We're going to be here. We're not going to be in the bubble that is based.

[00:07:48] Kori Majeed: I like trying new things. I like traveling. , and that comes from the times when we're living off base and I had so much freedom as a young black [00:08:00] girl. There were times when my mother would just let me go down the street to the shops and go shopping. And I'm like, Eight, nine, 10 years old, and I'm going, but come back to the States and I'm in high school.

[00:08:14] Kori Majeed: I can't go as far and do the things that I did. You know, there's a different level of safety

[00:08:18] Kori Majeed: that,

[00:08:19] Kori Majeed: um, we experienced living in Germany and in the Netherlands. So it's definitely had an effect on how I live my life today.

[00:08:29] Imam Tariq: So is there anything that you point to specifically from your upbringing that has shaped you and Uh, influence you in the work that you do today, uh, particularly around sustainability.

[00:08:45] Kori Majeed: So that definitely came from my grandma, Moselle Benson, where she would collect fabric scraps. She would have bags and bags of fabric scraps that she would collect during the summer. And then when it [00:09:00] comes to the wintertime, when. You know, the fields are resting. She would be, um, in her bedroom at her sewing machine, putting these fabric scraps together like a, a pure artist.

[00:09:15] Kori Majeed: And she would no plan, no plan, but she would come up with these masterpieces that not only warmed your soul and warms your body.

[00:09:25] Imam Tariq: mmmmm

[00:09:26] Kori Majeed: she would give these things away. She would give them to her children, but she would also, if someone needed them. Something to keep warm, she would give them the way if someone needed something to add beauty to their life, she would give this both away.

[00:09:40] Kori Majeed: And so that way, and also, you know, she would work in the fields and harvest from the fields, but nothing would go to waste. So we would eat what we would eat and what we didn't eat. She would give to the hog. She would give to the dog. She would give to the chickens. She would give to the horse. So. Nothing will go to waste.

[00:09:58] Kori Majeed: , people today talk about eating [00:10:00] farm to table. And then after the table, where does that waste go? It doesn't go to waste. There's always some use for it. And so I do that even today, not many people know this, but I have a worm hotel. My food scraps, I give it to my worms and I use their worm poop in my garden.

[00:10:17] Kori Majeed: So nothing goes to waste.

[00:10:19] Imam Tariq: Hmm. Interesting. Does that take up a lot of space?

[00:10:23] Kori Majeed: Not at all. So it's just like maybe three storage buckets stacked on top of each other and not even stacked totally on top of each other. This is like a brick's worth of space in between the containers and it doesn't even smell.

[00:10:38] Kori Majeed: I had it in the garage just because I didn't know what I was getting into when I was trying it, but didn't even smell, not at all. And it actually smells, actually smells good. That's earthy, earthy smell. Like, I don't know what people think worms smell like, but it's an earthy smell. That's really smells good.

[00:10:56] Imam Tariq: You know, you've just kind of brought back a memory of [00:11:00] the day after it rains and looking at the ground and seeing the worms. And there was definitely like this, like you said, like an earthy smell. You've just triggered a whole memory. I haven't thought about this in years, man. Okay. So is that something that is pretty commonplace for folks who are into sustainability?

[00:11:25] Kori Majeed: I don't think it's that common, but where I got it from, you remember COVID, when people were all cloistered inside, what I did was, , I think right before COVID started, I started a beginning urban farming program. So after the classroom session, most of our training was outside. And, , on the farm, on this urban farm, not five minutes from my house.

[00:11:53] Kori Majeed: And so I got to spend COVID connected with the earth and breathing in [00:12:00] the particles from the soil. And one of the things on the farm is that they have a huge vermicompost setup, basically huge tanks of worms where they put the farm waste and the worms give what they call black gold that you put back into the soil as an enrichment.

[00:12:18] Imam Tariq: And

[00:12:18] Kori Majeed: so they taught us how to just make a home one for our home, for our own garden. So I did it and it turned out great.

[00:12:26] Imam Tariq: Hmm. Interesting. So what are you growing in your garden?

[00:12:30] Kori Majeed: Right now?

[00:12:32] Imam Tariq: No. Right now, nothing.

[00:12:34] Kori Majeed: In general. Right now, I'm just feeding. Yeah, because it's the time. There's not a growing season right now.

[00:12:40] Kori Majeed: I guess I could grow some things like in like a, a small. , incubator, but right now, I'm not growing anything. I, I am still composting and I am feeding my worms as well.

[00:12:51] Imam Tariq: Hmm. Okay. So there is an awareness of the cycle. , of the cycles, right, of growing that you have to have, [00:13:00] it's not just going out, putting seeds in the dirt.

[00:13:03] Kori Majeed: You have to, you have to understand the cycles, just like you understand the cycles of the moon to tell the time, you have to understand the cycles of your area so you can be fruitful.

[00:13:13] Imam Tariq: Hmm. So every area is different, , potentially. When it comes to being fruitful. Right. There is also that goes along with sustainability is the idea of replenishing what has been used.

[00:13:27] Imam Tariq: And I can't think of the exact term for the crop that is planted that that provides that type of replenishment. , can you help me out here?

[00:13:39] Kori Majeed: That term is not coming to me right now, but, , maybe you're talking about crop rotation and a cover crop is something that you plant. This crop during the winter time, well, during the late fall, and then it grows during the winter time and it puts nutrients back into the soil.

[00:13:55] Kori Majeed: So there is that.

[00:13:58] Imam Tariq: So when it comes [00:14:00] to the work that you do with regard to helping people to develop more sustainable habits, and you do this during the month of Ramadan, that's the, the launching path for it. How do you frame that? Because we know how difficult it can be to develop new habits.

[00:14:19] Kori Majeed: I don't think I said this.

[00:14:21] Kori Majeed: I told you my mother was in the military and I was in the Air Force as well.

[00:14:26] Imam Tariq: Thank you for your service.

[00:14:27] Kori Majeed: , thank you. So, , I think of Ramadan as kind of a boot camp for the soul. And I remember going to boot camp. We did so much in one day. And at the end of the day, you're like, how did I put all that?

[00:14:43] Kori Majeed: In my day, you know, you don't think you can accomplish so much but definitely boot camp will show you that You can put a lot in your day

[00:14:51] Imam Tariq: I think

[00:14:52] Kori Majeed: of ramadan as like a boot camp for the soul and so ramadan is the time to Create new habits to come back to the [00:15:00] habits to come back to The beneficial actions that allah has told us are good for us with green ramadan I try to keep it very simple and I ask people to just try Three simple things during Ramadan and then take that with them throughout the rest of the year.

[00:15:17] Kori Majeed: Those three simple things is to use reusables. The second one is to eat less meat. And the third one is to use water responsibly. And that means like when you're making wudu, make wudu like a prophet. Peace and blessings be upon him, make wudu , there was very little wasted. He could make wudu with just a small cup of water.

[00:15:42] Kori Majeed: I'm sure you know, the masjid water bill is probably extensive, right?

[00:15:48] Imam Tariq: Yeah.

[00:15:50] Kori Majeed: So if you can make wudu with just, just turn that tap on, just a small stream of water, you can make wudu with just that. It doesn't have to flow, [00:16:00] you know. Doesn't have to flow like that. Just make wudu like the prophet.

[00:16:10] Imam Tariq: So you've got three main asks that you present to people. using water responsibly, eating less meat and using reusables. And a big part of the American identity is wrapped up in consumerism. How much you have or how much you're able to buy or spend is a reflection of your worth. Now, it's not always said like that, but That's certainly the message, you know, we're not even called citizens, we're referred to as consumers.

[00:16:42] Imam Tariq: Are you very overt with how this message of sustainability, how this actually kind of flies in the face of this idea of a consumer identity? [00:17:00]

[00:17:00] Kori Majeed: You know, one thing I say often, And I definitely remind myself of often, especially living in the area that I live in, Allah did not make us consumers, Allah made us Khalifa, right?

[00:17:13] Kori Majeed: And Khalifa is an encompassing word, but it's someone who has been given the responsibility to take care of something that does not belong to them. And then they will return it, you know, when their time is over. That is. That is who we are. So it's, it's

[00:17:32] Imam Tariq: just, you got to say that again. I'm sorry. Say it again for the people in the back.

[00:17:36] Kori Majeed: This was coming off the domes. I don't know if I can say it exactly.

[00:17:43] Imam Tariq: Come on now.

[00:17:44] Kori Majeed: Okay. All right. So Allah did not make us consumers. Allah created us to be Khalifa and that Khalifa is someone who was given responsibility. [00:18:00] Um, and authority over something that does not belong to them and when their time is over, they give that back and someone who has responsibility for something, who is the caretaker for something and you understand that you have to give it back.

[00:18:18] Kori Majeed: You're going to give it back. insha'Allah better than you found it. I'm also a girl scout and that's, that's a girl scout thing. You return things better, return things better than you found it. That's what, you know, that's what girls scout do, but that's also what Muslims, that's what Muslims, uh, Khalifa, that's what we do.

[00:18:35] Kori Majeed: That's what we're here on earth to do.

[00:18:37] Imam Tariq: That's right. That's right.

[00:18:45] Imam Tariq: Okay. So we have something else to put on the list. , you're also a girl scout. Now. I know you have roots in Alabama, Waverly, Alabama. Is that something that came about in Maryland? Are you Originally from Maryland and, and [00:19:00] just visited Alabama as a child.

[00:19:02] Kori Majeed: Oh, no, I'm from Alabama. Okay. All right. I was actually born in Alabama.

[00:19:08] Kori Majeed: I lived there for the first seven years of my life. Then my mother went into the military. We went to Shreveport, Louisiana. We went to Ramstein, Germany, and we went to, we went to someplace in the Netherlands that's escaping me now, but, and then we went, came back to the U S. So I'm from Alabama, born in Alabama, but a military brat.

[00:19:27] Imam Tariq: Okay. So where did the Girl Scouts come in?

[00:19:32] Kori Majeed: You know, , this is a story that I remind my mother of. I joined Girl Scouts in Germany. And this is when there was still an East and West Germany, you

[00:19:40] Imam Tariq: know how

[00:19:41] Kori Majeed: old I am.

[00:19:47] Kori Majeed: So this is when there's an East Germany and a West Germany. Don't you know, my mother made me put on my Girl Scout uniform. And go with her into East Germany as some type of, I don't know, prideful [00:20:00] thing. I don't know. She made me wear my Girl Scout uniform in East Germany. I was so, so embarrassed. But, you know, years later, years later, I have five daughters.

[00:20:11] Kori Majeed: So I have to put them in Girl Scout. So we started a Girl Scout troop, a Muslim Girl Scout troop locally. So. I'm a Girl Scout troop leader, been a Girl Scout and all my daughters were Girl Scouts.

[00:20:22] Imam Tariq: I think that is so awesome to be able to have that experience. My wife and I, we have three girls.

[00:20:28] Imam Tariq: They were plenty busy. They never did the Girl Scouts, but I just think that is awesome. , and I want to pull on a thread here, , if I may, and that's from your military service, your work with the Girl Scouts, and your, , Identity as a Muslim. Has your military service had any bearing on the way that you see Islam?

[00:20:56] Kori Majeed: That is a good question. Well, [00:21:00] being a child of a parent who was in the military and also being in the military, you know, I'm familiar with, guidelines, protocols and rules and, , I'm good at following rules. I have, that's not a, it's not a problem for me. I like to know the protocols and things, so, you know, I can do them, do them well.

[00:21:21] Kori Majeed: So that has shown up in learning how to be Muslim in, not only in American culture, but in, in other cultures. So my husband and I, we lived in Jordan for a year. And we lived in Turkey for a year and also, visiting, , Senegal and being Muslim in those spaces, it looks a little different and that's okay, I can learn how to move in those spaces.

[00:21:52] Kori Majeed: So as far as being in the military, I've learned how to learn the protocols of how to move in different spaces.[00:22:00]

[00:22:02] Imam Tariq: I appreciate the way that you frame that answer, because that's a question that. Even the people who are listening right now may have expected that it would have a political leaning as opposed to thinking about the nuance of what military represents. And for me, I think about the different branches. I think about the different uniforms and how it is clearly identifiable what branch of service one belongs to and how that could be.

[00:22:35] Imam Tariq: It's not only somewhat of a representation of how we are all under the banner of Islam. But our cultural, our ethnic, , national identities all play a role in coloring the way Islam is represented or presented in our lives. So thank you for that. Now let's turn the [00:23:00] page. You are a master naturalist. Tell us, what does that mean?

[00:23:08] Kori Majeed: A master naturalist is someone who is excited about the natural world, , and likes to learn about it and share that excitement with others and also help other people connect with the natural world. So this master naturalist program, I believe is in all 50 States. My program is in the Anacostia watershed, which touches Washington, D.

[00:23:34] Kori Majeed: C. which touches Maryland and I believe a portion of Virginia and , we are trained and. The flora and fauna and geography and biology of our natural area, and then we are obligated to. Share that with others through service. And also we have the obligation to continue learning. So we have to do 40 hours of [00:24:00] service in our community, whether that be teaching others or serving through trash cleanup.

[00:24:06] Kori Majeed: And we also have the obligation to continue learning like eight hours of learning each year.

[00:24:13] Imam Tariq: What has that experience been like for you?

[00:24:15] Kori Majeed: So it's like, I'm a nerd. I'm always going to be in some class learning something. It could be on YouTube. It could be in person. I love learning. So I love learning about our area, just being able to see our world differently.

[00:24:33] Kori Majeed: So for a lot of people, I think our world is kind of narrow where we go to work. We go to school, we go shopping, go on vacation, but , there's so much in just like one foot of space. Even in your backyard, there's so many signs that are waiting for us to connect with them and these little signs where it could be a [00:25:00] seed, it could be a roly poly, it could be a worm, it could be a blade of grass.

[00:25:04] Kori Majeed: There's so many signs that are telling us, look for a law. That's where you, that's where you need to look. , this world is pointing to its creator. And so that's what being a master naturalist is. , was for me, it's finding these signs and reconnecting with the natural world and these signs that, that's pointing to the creator of it and of us all.

[00:25:27] Imam Tariq: Sitting here listening to you, it is dawned on me that we have been cheated. You should know the flora and fauna of your local area. Like that should be a part of a standard education. And maybe I missed it. I'm not sure, but I do not remember learning about these things and I feel cheated.

[00:25:55] Kori Majeed: I agree with you.

[00:25:57] Kori Majeed: I don't know. I saw something, I don't know, somewhere in social media [00:26:00] where we can identify commercial brands, but we can't identify a plant that will stop mosquito bites from itching. It's literally. Well may not be in other people's yards, but it's definitely my yard because I don't use pesticides On my yard.

[00:26:15] Kori Majeed: I got dandelions. I got this little plant called plantain Plantain leaf I can just put it on my mosquito bite. I can just chew it up put on my mosquito bite, you know

[00:26:24] Imam Tariq: We

[00:26:25] Kori Majeed: know what mazda looks like. Yeah, we know what Kfc looks like we know what coca cola looks like But we don't know the plants, uh, the flora, we don't know the plants and the flora and fauna that can help us right now.

[00:26:43] Imam Tariq: You know, that's going to be, I'm sure in multiple khutbahs, the Friday sermon or halakahs, study circles, the idea that we can recognize luxury [00:27:00] brands and car brands and all of these other things quicker than we could recognize. The plants, the flora and fauna, and the areas that we live in. Many of us have been in the same places our whole lives, and would be at a complete loss if we had to tell you what we were looking at.

[00:27:25] Imam Tariq: And this also makes me think about our dependence on the supply chain. And We're looking at grocery prices right now that continue to amaze the eye. I went into the grocery store last week and saw 18 eggs for 14 and I turned around and left. And just thinking about the reality of not having an option at all.

[00:27:57] Imam Tariq: And if we did have to go out and fend [00:28:00] for ourselves. Many of us would be in some serious trouble because we would be as likely to pick up Something out of the ground out of the earth that would bring us harm as we would Be to pick up something that would actually be a nourishment for ourselves. So that's a problem

[00:28:21] Kori Majeed: I agree and I'd also add The supply chain, that should be really short.

[00:28:27] Kori Majeed: Like, you should know your local farmers. You should know where you can go and you can get the basics that can supply you for a week or two. There's a, the farm that I did my beginner farmer training with, I could walk to it. I could walk to it. It'd be like maybe a 20, 25 minute walk. You wouldn't even know because it's in a neighborhood in the cut.

[00:28:51] Kori Majeed: It used to be a couple of tennis courts. And now it's growing food for the community and not only growing food, but also growing farmers. They [00:29:00] train urban farmers year after year after year. So, you should know who your local farmers are, even if they are maybe 20. 30 minutes away, an hour away, you should know who these people are and, and support them.

[00:29:16] Imam Tariq: That's right. I agree with you a hundred percent. And, , I love the farmer's markets. And I think about the folks who are showing up there and sometimes they are coming from maybe an hour, two hours away to , first of all, let you know that they're there. And of course, secondly, what, which really is the first thing they're there to sell , their produce.

[00:29:39] Imam Tariq: But for the customer, I think maybe that an hour away or two hours away might be an accessibility issue for some. What are your thoughts?

[00:29:52] Kori Majeed: An hour away, two hours away is a lot closer than, um, Ecuador, you know, where we get. [00:30:00] Well, we can get strawberries, you know, uh, and avocados out of season. What's growing in your area is probably going to be what you need nutrient wise.

[00:30:10] Kori Majeed: It's probably going to be what you need to be healthy.

[00:30:14] Imam Tariq: You know, what I'm also hearing here is that we need to be able to make the distinction between necessity and convenience. And that there are a lot of things that are actual necessities that we look at. As if they are conveniences and being quite clear and deliberate and reiterating what you said, knowing who the farmers are in our communities is a necessity, not a convenience.

[00:30:45] Imam Tariq: That said, you are also an author. So how did 40 Green Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam How did this come about?

[00:30:57] Kori Majeed: I remember when I said I was a nerd, [00:31:00] so I'm on all the knowledge. I want all the skills. And I also want to not only to learn, but also to teach. Inshallah. So there is a program that I heard of through someone.

[00:31:12] Kori Majeed: I admire the organization is called green faith and green faith has a program where they get, , , people who are. Leaders and lay people who are concerned about, , our planet and, , where we're going and, but they are also very much embedded in their faith tradition. And so there's a program where they got people of different faith traditions together, all different flavors of Christians, Buddhists, and also Muslims in the cohort that I was in, I think it.

[00:31:48] Kori Majeed: At that point, it had been the most amount of Muslims, , at that time, I think it was like, I want to say like five Muslims or so, but there are people from different countries, different faith [00:32:00] traditions, and we got together to learn from each other to learn how to share the message with our communities.

[00:32:08] Kori Majeed: , we're still embedded in our faith, but we're also working together because we have this shared planet. , 40 Green Hadith was the idea for , our capstone project. So, we had, , learned about different Hadith that had to do with environmental justice and sustainability. But we wanted to, in the tradition of collecting 40 Hadith and sharing that, we decided to create 40 Green Hadith.

[00:32:34] Kori Majeed: Of 40 Green Hadith because it's a resource that we as Muslims needed, , to educate our communities, but also it's something that we could share with people in other faith traditions who are , working for our planet and for, , humanity.

[00:32:49] Imam Tariq: Can you share with us some of the more meaningful? I know they're all meaningful, but some that maybe resonate with you a bit more, , [00:33:00] from your book.

[00:33:01] Imam Tariq: Maybe one or two of the Hadith.

[00:33:03] Kori Majeed: Oh my gosh. No, you didn't. Okay.

[00:33:09] Kori Majeed: , it, it very much is. And it's something that I, you know, I referenced to this day and I share to this day, it's something that I always get something from, and just as a side note, we have it. In English, but we also working with another green faith fellow, we were able to get it translated to Spanish and I know the Spanish speaking community is growing among Muslims.

[00:33:33] Kori Majeed: , it's not just for Muslims, but, there are a lot of Spanish speakers period, but it's also in Indonesian. So, Alhamdulillah for that, but one of my favorite hadith, . That I guess I shared earlier, there are 3 simple ways that I share. And which people can, , start a green Ramadan and take it with them throughout the year.

[00:33:56] Kori Majeed: But that's relate to that. Is [00:34:00] that, , there are small deeds. There are small deeds that we should try to do, but a lot of loves when we. , do these small things. These small good deeds, even if they are a few. So that's why I try , to, , to keep it simple, , with those three things.

[00:34:17] Kori Majeed: Another hadith. That I like and it has to do with responsible use of water, is when the prophet seller would sell him. He saw one of his companions making oo next to a, like a small stream, and the prophet seller sell asked his companions, what is this wastefulness? And the companion was like, I can have wastefulness with wudu.

[00:34:38] Kori Majeed: This is something that we have to do in order to pray. Right. This is something that puts us in a state of ritual purity. So there's wastefulness in that. And the prophet Sallallahu Alaihi Wasallam said, even if you're by a flowing stream, use water responsibly. And so there's something that I remember learning in the master naturalist program, [00:35:00] and it's that most of the water is seawater.

[00:35:02] Kori Majeed: We can't drink that. And then there's water that's locked up in glaciers, and there's water that's, , groundwater that, , we can't yet reach. Less than 2 percent of the water is that the water that we have for use for our drinking, for our cooking and things like that. And so water is, is, is super, is super sacred, is super sacred.

[00:35:24] Kori Majeed: And I also think about, the water cycle where you have the water that's, trapped in the clouds, and then, comes down as rain and then, , flows over the land and goes into our rivers and streams and goes out to the ocean and then it comes back up and you have this beautiful water cycle.

[00:35:42] Kori Majeed: And so I'm thinking. You know our prophet sallallahu alayhi wa sallam used the same water use the same water to make wudu and how The companions used to catch the water dripping from his beard , inshallah, there's got to be a water [00:36:00] particle in this earth that has touched the prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam you know this this precious water and so why not, be mindful of your water use it's so precious So there we go.

[00:36:10] Imam Tariq: Well, thank you very much. , sister Kori, what you have been able to do is to demonstrate the value of being able to give simple instructions to people that empower them. And that I believe is a, a core, , representation of leadership, right? As being able to get people to move from point a to point B, to be able to give an objective to say that this is.

[00:36:39] Imam Tariq: Not an issue that is too big for you to take on, that you can do small things that can have a profound and a lasting impact. Now, when you think about the community level and your leadership, the work that you do leading the green team at, , Masjid Muhammad, can you talk to us about [00:37:00] what that work looks like in a community setting and what are you trying to push the community, , to engage with?

[00:37:07] Kori Majeed: So the, what I use the green team as is a way to promote the prophetic model of environmental justice and sustainability and community life. I think we talked about, individual ways that we can live more sustainably and live as Khalifa, but the green team is more of a way of promoting that in community.

[00:37:31] Kori Majeed: And one of the ways that we do that is citing the moon. I think. , let me just tell you what we do. So we invite the community to come out and. Learn how to cite the moon and this is a Suna these days that a lot of people do not do have never done been Muslim for years and I have never done this and it brings so much joy to first go out.

[00:37:59] Kori Majeed: And, , [00:38:00] revive this sooner and then make an effort to connect with the signs of Allah and this sign that you see in the sky, this little sliver of the moon that's, , Quran describes it. It's just , like the sheet that's on top of the pit of the date. It's just so tiny, but it brings so much joy and you can understand, when you make this dua, Oh moon, your creator and my creator are the same.

[00:38:24] Kori Majeed: And this moon is telling you, , it's inviting, especially the Ramadan moon. Everybody does that. But , we have this opportunity to connect with the signs of Allah month after after month. And if you're citing the Ramadan moon. But you didn't sight the moon before, how you gonna know?

[00:38:41] Kori Majeed: It's like, you need to sight every moon, you know? And it's such a joy that I'm inviting a lot of Muslims to this joy, this sunnah of sighting the moon that starts the beginning of the month. When people actually come out and try it, there's this [00:39:00] excitement. They're like, okay, I know, I know that Ramadan has started because Allah has shown us the moon.

[00:39:07] Kori Majeed: And at the same time, at the same time, sometimes the moon cannot be seen because Allah said, I'm putting this cloud right here and you just going to have to submit. You're going to have to remember what submission is. You sometimes, you know, when we see the moon, okay, we're like, I know this. But when we can't see the moon, we have to submit to Allah's will.

[00:39:28] Kori Majeed: It's a practice and submission. Allah didn't want me to see the moon and I have to do what I have to do, , in order to, for this month to start.

[00:39:39] Imam Tariq: You know, what came to mind when you were talking about citing the moon, right? I see this almost as the celestial representation of grounding. , when you take your shoes and socks off and put your feet. On the ground, your feet are touching the [00:40:00] soil in the dirt and it has this, , effect , of really.

[00:40:07] Imam Tariq: I mean, I hate to define a process by using the same word, but it, it grounds you, it connects you and the sighting of the moon. Likewise it's, it is a, a sort of celestial grounding. Well, we're connecting ourselves to the creator through the creation. And I think that is, , that's just awesome. So I really appreciate the way that you framed that.

[00:40:37] Imam Tariq: And I'm always looking for New metaphors and new analogies. And, , and I think I'm just going to put that one right in my pocket. So thank you very much.

[00:40:49] Kori Majeed: When you said grounding, like taking off your shoes, putting your foot in the soil, you know what, there is no, no sweeter grounding than putting your [00:41:00] head on the soil, none. None. I really feel, I could feel like the curvature of the earth. And then there's the sense of the soil. , and then, your senses are like, you hear the birds and you hear like the crickets.

[00:41:16] Kori Majeed: There's no sweeter feeling, no sweeter feeling eating a fresh tomato with pollen on it. Don't even come close to put in your head on the soil

[00:41:27] Imam Tariq: hmm. Hmm. Okay. So that's two things folks need to try, right? Yes,

[00:41:35] Kori Majeed: absolutely.

[00:41:37] Imam Tariq: Well, I didn't mention at the outset that you are a 2022 graduate of Bayan Islamic Graduate School, as am I.

[00:41:46] Imam Tariq: And I would love to hear you share a bit about your journey at Bayan. Or just to share what the day and experience meant to you. [00:42:00]

[00:42:00] Kori Majeed: I guess the biggest takeaway from my journey through Bayan is learning the breadth, breadth, like the, the vastness of Islam, there's so much knowledge and so many wells to take knowledge from, and, , That was, yeah, that was it.

[00:42:19] Kori Majeed: Like the Sufi well, the well of the Quran, , the science of Arabic. There's so many wells to take from. And it's like these wells. , , they never end. They don't even slake your thirst. I feel like they make you thirstier for knowledge.

[00:42:36] Imam Tariq: So,

[00:42:37] Kori Majeed: it's, yeah, it's just like, yes, the vastness of, , of the many ways to connect with Allah.

[00:42:46] Kori Majeed: You know, there are several doors to Jannah, right? It's like these wells of knowledge. Can connect us to any of those doors are, and, you know, our favorite door, like my favorite door is [00:43:00] connecting with the signs of law and inshallah, you know, the small deeds that I do and that I share can inshallah help that door open to Jenna, you know, for me and, , others that I'm able , to share with.

[00:43:18] Imam Tariq: You know, when I think about my experience and I think about those doors that you mentioned and we all are oriented towards a particular door and for me, it's community. It's community building and my experience at Bayon has been one that has allowed me to number one appreciate being in community with other seekers with other students with other people who have Also responded to, as I say, the demands of leadership and service and community.

[00:43:56] Imam Tariq: And number two, [00:44:00] also have provided a space where someone, you know, like myself, and I'm not an anomaly. Coming to this space as a, as an older learner,

[00:44:09] Kori Majeed: I'm with you,

[00:44:13] Imam Tariq: and of course, you know, that means that we bring a lifetime of experience with us and some things to be refined and some things to, to be critiqued and investigated, but certainly not a blank slate.

[00:44:27] Imam Tariq: But there's value in that. And, uh, idea that when we're having these discussions in community, when we're looking at information that we're all bringing something with us and that just elevates the experience and I've just, I'm, I've just appreciated that so much has been, uh, an extremely enriching part of the whole process of, of learning, but, and being able to do that in community has made it, [00:45:00] You

[00:45:01] Kori Majeed: That reminds me of, um, my grandmother's quilts, you know, we're, we all come with, our knowledge, but people share things with us.

[00:45:10] Kori Majeed: Right. And then in this community effort, we're putting together this quilt of knowledge that will bring warmth inshallah to our hearts and to others hearts, you know, in the, the intensive weeks, just as good as the classes. Yeah. Is the, the after party when we're out, at dinner and we are, learning, we're sharing, some things that we learned, but we're also sharing each other you like, who likes chai who likes this restaurant or, , and we're also sharing, you know, things about our family life and stuff like that.

[00:45:45] Kori Majeed: So those 2 things together that, the intensive weeks and also, you know, getting to know each other in that short week in that intense time, such balance right there.

[00:45:55] Imam Tariq: I agree. I agree. Uh, 100%. And [00:46:00] one of the other things that comes to mind for me is the importance of an element that we don't often talk about when we are talking about leadership or we're talking about, , education, , seeking knowledge and that's love, right?

[00:46:18] Imam Tariq: I believe that if you don't really love people, you can't serve people. If you don't, Again, if you don't love people, your knowledge will not be used in service of people, it will be used to their detriment. If you don't love the creation. , no. Let me rephrase that. If you don't love the creator, then you will not love the creation.

[00:46:45] Imam Tariq: You won't give the creation the respect or the rights that it is due. You will exploit, you'll use it, all of that. So I'm not going to give a goodbye, but. Love, right? And when I think about the stories that you told about [00:47:00] your grandmother, Moselle Benson with the quilt and how she would take those things that were cast off and turn them into something beautiful that brought joy and warmth to people.

[00:47:13] Imam Tariq: That's love. And it seems like her imprint on you, her example, and what she's poured into you. She's not just home. She's also pointed a direction for you.

[00:47:31] Kori Majeed: Absolutely. I think she would be so proud of me. And I can just like, in my mind's eye, I can see her looking at me in a way where she's like, that's my girl, that's my girl.

[00:47:46] Imam Tariq: You know, listening to you talk about your grandmother, likewise made me reflect on mine. Elizabeth Smith, who I sometimes call one of the best Muslims I have [00:48:00] known, , and she was Baptist, but she gave me some of the most wonderful advice that stays with me to this day. She said, baby, stay in prayer, stay in prayer.

[00:48:14] Imam Tariq: And before I really knew anything about. Islam, right? And I grew up Muslim, but before I really even knew anything, he was my grandmother talking to me about the importance of maintaining that connection and that reliance on Allah. And of course she didn't call Allah, Allah called Allah God, but

[00:48:37] Kori Majeed: that's how, you know, that's how, you know, there's one source.

[00:48:40] Kori Majeed: That's how, you know,

[00:48:41] Imam Tariq: that's right. That's right. And, and I guess from that, I'd like to say that my. Grandmother was teaching me Islam before I even knew Islam. All right. This is not about me. So we are going to get ourselves back on track as we prepare to, , get out of here. [00:49:00] So please let the listeners know where they can get the ebook.

[00:49:05] Imam Tariq: 40 green Hadith sayings of the prophet Muhammad. On environmental justice and sustainability. So where do they go?

[00:49:15] Kori Majeed: One of the things about this is that we wanted to, you know, spread this wide and make it available to anyone who can get it. So, it is free. All you have to do, just literally search for 40 Green Hadith.

[00:49:27] Kori Majeed: You can just search for 40 Green Hadith. You will find it. , and you can also find me on social media as Green Ramadan. And it's probably, if you don't find it on, , Green Ramadan on Instagram or on my website, green Ramadan. com. Email me, DM me and I'll send it to you.

[00:49:46] Imam Tariq: So that's 100 percent free.

[00:49:49] Kori Majeed: Totally free.

[00:49:50] Imam Tariq: Okay. So people can get it for free from you, or they can get it from me for 7 and 99 cents. No,

[00:49:57] Kori Majeed: it's free.

[00:49:58] Imam Tariq: I'm just [00:50:00] joking. I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. No. You know, people are always trying to sell you something that's free. Uh, we're not doing that here. , in all seriousness, sister, Kori, thank you so much for taking the time to talk with us about your journey and about your work, may Allah continue to bless you and your family.

[00:50:20] Imam Tariq: All right. I want to remind you all. I'm talking to the listeners now, I want to remind you that you can support the work of Bayan Islamic Graduate School by going to bayanonline. org and subscribing to Bayan On Demand. Bayan On Demand, that is your window into a world , of knowledge. There are 30 classes right now.

[00:50:45] Imam Tariq: We're adding more classes. You get all of this for 10 a month. Get yourself a subscription, get your family member a subscription, get the person that you have been having difficulty with, right? The person that's given you , the [00:51:00] side eye, because why useful knowledge produces what produces peace.

[00:51:07] Imam Tariq: That's right. Yeah. You haven't heard that before. Useful knowledge produces peace. So get somebody that subscription. All right, last thing, you can also support the work by going to bayanonline. org. That's bayanonline. org and donating directly to the Muhammad Ali scholarship. , as we've told you before, over 70 percent of students at Bayan Islamic Graduate School are scholarship recipients.

[00:51:34] Imam Tariq: So support those who are supporting those who are doing the work in the community. Remember, we are here every week. If you've not already done so, subscribe wherever you get your podcast at, subscribe, share, tell somebody about the program, Inshallah, with God's permission, we will see you again next week.

[00:51:53] Imam Tariq: I'm your host, Imam Tariq Al Amin, and I leave you as I greeted you, Assalamualaikum, may the peace that only God can [00:52:00] give be upon you.