The 2026 midterm elections are over. Most of us voted, several donated, and many knocked on doors, made phone calls, drove neighbors to the polls, and spent long hours as election volunteers. Now is not the time to go to sleep.

Congratulations: The First Muslim in the United States Senate

Congratulations to all Americans, on the election of Dr. Abdul El-Sayed of Michigan as the first Muslim ever elected to the United States Senate.

He won despite tens of millions of dollars spent to defeat him. The Israeli lobby AIPAC and corporate-backed PACs, spending against him and a barrage of Islamophobia by president, vice president and others.

Michigan voters looked past the money and the fear and judged him on his record and his message. This reflects the fairness of American voters, who rejected Islamophobia. It is a reminder that hate does not have the last word in America when ordinary people show up. We also congratulate to everyone elected yesterday to school boards, city councils, state legislatures, and Congress across the country.

To Those Who Lost: Today's Loser Can Be Tomorrow's Winner

To every candidate who lost, and every volunteer who worked for them: your effort was not wasted. Dr. El-Sayed himself lost the race for Michigan governor in 2018. Eight years later, he is going to the U.S. Senate. Abraham Lincoln lost two races for the Senate before he was elected President.

Every campaign builds a list of supporters, trains volunteers, raises issues that did not get attention before, and introduces a candidate to voters who will remember them. Thank your volunteers, keep your list, stay in touch with the people you met, and keep serving the community. 

Why We Cannot Go to Sleep

Election Day is not the finish line of civic life. It is the starting line of governance. The people we helped elect will now make decisions about our schools. In Texas, the State Board of Education has approved a curriculum that Muslims say teaches children that the Prophet was "brutal." These elected leaders will decide about our civil rights, our neighborhoods, and our economy, and whether our tax dollars will be used to kill people around the world or to save lives. A vote cast on Tuesday and forgotten on Wednesday is like planting a seed and never watering it.

Muslims are no longer at the margins of American public life. Before this election, CAIR's 2026 directory identified a record 255 Muslim elected officials, and a record number of Muslim Americans were on the ballot this year. But representation is not only about Muslims in office. It is about every elected official, of every faith and every party, knowing us, trusting us, and keeping the promises made to us and to all of their constituents.

As always, we must pray, think, talk, and take action.

Praying Points

• First, thank Allah for the blessing of a voice in the affairs of our country, and for a system of checks and balances where power is shared, leaders answer to the people, and no office is permanent. Many people around the world pray for such an opportunity.
• Thank Allah for every volunteer, donor, and voter who worked alongside you, Muslims and neighbors of other faiths alike.
• Make Dua for those elected, whether or not you supported them, that Allah guides them to justice, mercy, honesty, and wisdom.
• Make Dua for Senator-elect El-Sayed and all Muslims elected, that Allah protects them, keeps them sincere, and makes them a source of good for all people.
• Make Dua for those who lost, that Allah rewards their effort and opens better doors for them.
• Ask Allah to make our civic engagement a sincere Amal Saleh (righteous deed) and not a pursuit of personal gain or status.

Thinking Points

Gratitude to Allah is the root of every blessing that follows. Allah says:

وَإِذْ تَأَذَّنَ رَبُّكُمْ لَئِن شَكَرْتُمْ لَأَزِيدَنَّكُمْ

Remember when your Lord proclaimed: "If you are grateful, I will surely increase you in favor." (Quran 14:7)

A promise is a trust, and the Quran says every commitment will be asked about:

وَأَوْفُوا بِالْعَهْدِ ۖ إِنَّ الْعَهْدَ كَانَ مَسْئُولًا

And fulfill [every] commitment. Indeed, the commitment is ever [that about which one will be] questioned. (Quran 17:34)

Public office is a trust. Our vote was also a trust. Following up is how we fulfill ours.

Sincere advice to those in authority is not interference in politics; the Prophet called it the religion itself, Allah's blessings be upon him (Muslim).

Our relationships with officials must be clean. We ask for the public good, not private favors.

Ask Yourself

• Did my involvement end on Election Day? What would it mean to see civic engagement as ongoing Amal Saleh rather than a once-every-two-years event?
• If my representative's staff were asked, "Who in the Muslim community do you call?", would anyone from my Masjid be named?
• Does my Masjid have a civic engagement committee that continues after the election? Did we collect the contact information of campaign staff before the campaigns closed?
• Am I ready to thank an official sincerely when they keep a promise, and to disagree respectfully when they break one?
• Who are the young people in our community who could intern, join a staff, serve on a board or commission, or one day run for office themselves?
• If my candidate lost, am I walking away, or am I helping build the next campaign?
• Relationships are built in peacetime, not in crisis. If the first time an official hears from us is after a hate crime or a harmful policy, we have waited too long.

Talking Points

For Imams, khateebs, teachers, and community spokespersons:

1. American voters rejected Islamophobia. Michigan elected the first Muslim U.S. Senator despite massive spending against him and attacks on his faith. That is a tribute to the fairness of American voters.
2. Gratitude is the first civic act. Thank Allah for a peaceful transfer of power and for the ability to hold leaders accountable. Then thank the volunteers, drivers, phone bankers, donors, youth, and elders of the community.
3. A vote is a trust, and so is a campaign promise. We supported candidates because of commitments they made. Following up is not pressure; it is partnership and accountability.
4. We congratulate all who were elected. Whoever won now represents all of us, including those who voted against them. We look forward to working with every official, of every party, for the good of our community and our country.
5. Losing today can mean winning tomorrow. Many who lost this year will be back, stronger and better known. We honor their courage in stepping forward.
6. We advocate for everyone. Our concerns include affordable housing, health care, safe schools, fair policing, civil rights, religious freedom, refugee welcome, and a just foreign policy. Justice for all is the Muslim agenda.
7. We are a resource, not just a constituency. Muslim Americans are doctors, teachers, business owners, engineers, first responders, and public servants. We offer our skills to help officials serve all constituents.
8. Patience and persistence. Policy change takes years. Allah loves the deed that is consistent even if small. A monthly email, a yearly visit, and a steady presence are worth more than one angry rally.
9. Respectful disagreement is our tradition. When we disagree with an official, we say so clearly, honestly, and with good manners.

Action Items

For Individuals

1. Send a congratulatory note this week to officials you supported, and a courteous note to winners you did not.
2. Thank at least five people who worked on the campaign with you, especially neighbors of other faiths.
3. If your candidate lost, send them a thank-you note too, and ask how you can stay involved.
4. Sign up for your officials' newsletters and follow them on social media.
5. Save the phone numbers of their district offices in your phone.
6. Attend at least one town hall or district office event in the next 90 days.
7. If you are a professional or student, apply for a staff job, internship, fellowship, or a seat on a local board or commission.
8. Keep donating and volunteering between elections. Steady support builds the strongest relationships.

For Masjids and Community Organizations

1. Appoint a civic engagement coordinator or a small government relations committee with men, women, and youth.
2. Build a directory of every official representing your area, from school board to U.S. Senate, with staff contacts.
3. Send an official congratulatory letter from the Masjid board within the first week.
4. Request introductory meetings with each new and returning official within 60 days.
5. Host a thank-you gathering for volunteers and coalition partners, and an open house for newly elected officials.
6. Create a promise tracker (see the article below) and review it every quarter.
7. Hold a short civic training after Friday prayer once a quarter on how to call, write, and meet officials.
8. Submit resumes of qualified community members to transition teams, boards, and commissions.
9. Remember that tax-exempt Masjids may educate and advocate on issues but may not endorse or oppose candidates.

For Imams, Khateebs, and Teachers

1. Dedicate one Friday sermon this month to gratitude, trust, and keeping promises.
2. Make Dua for those in authority to be guided to justice and wisdom.
3. Teach students how government works; have a class write letters to their officials together.
4. Accompany a community delegation to at least one meeting with an official this year.

For Neighbors of Other Faiths Who Ask, "What Can I Do?"

1. Join your Muslim neighbors in meetings with officials. Interfaith delegations carry special weight.
2. Co-sign letters on shared concerns such as civil rights, hate crimes, religious freedom, refugees, and community safety.
3. Speak up when any official uses language that targets Muslims or any other community.
4. Invite Muslim neighbors to your congregation's civic and advocacy committees.
5. Attend Masjid open houses and help introduce officials to the Muslim community.

O Allah, we thank You for the blessing of a voice in the affairs of our society. Guide those in authority to justice, mercy, and wisdom. Make us sincere in our advice, faithful to our commitments, and fair to all of Your creation. Accept our civic engagement as an Amal Saleh, and make it a source of good for our neighbors of every faith. Ameen.