Showing posts with label Deen. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Deen. Show all posts

Friday, December 30, 2011

The Death Scare

I got the shivers as I watched Grey's Anatomy, a show on doctors and surgeons who do their jobs and intermingle with life.

Tonight's episode revolved around deaths.

I got the chills.

Although I've never watched a full episode of the show before, today I think I was meant to watch it.

My eyes were glued to the TV. My son was sprawled on my lap as he tried to fall asleep. My heart wept. I wept.

I turned off the TV, put my child to bed and went to pray Isha, the night prayer, or the last prayer of the day. I felt the presence of death. The reminder of having to one day pass away.

In a hadith, saying of the Prophet Muhammad, he said we should not wish for death. Be optimistic.

Abu Hurayra reported that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "None of you should wish for death. If he does good, he may increase in it, and if he does evil, he may turn in repentance." [Agreed upon. This is the version of al-Bukhari]

In another hadith, the Prophet said, death is one of those things we can wish for when we feel like we are not doing our best. To me that means, there are times we all wish for death (although we may not mean it). Again, be optimistic, and wish for the best.

Anas reported: "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, 'None of you should wish for death because of some harm which has befallen him. If he has got to do something, he should say, 'O Allah, make live if life is best for me and make me die if death is best for me." [Agreed upon].

Knowing time is short makes us want to do the best things in life - in just the right time. The Prophet said, the smartest people are those who prepare for death, and use this time wisely.

Today I felt my prayer was more bonding with God. We all need a good "death scare" to waken us up spiritually.

What do you think? Share your experiences!

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Your Life Before Your Death

There was a death in the community the day before yesterday. The funeral was yesterday. I did not know or meet the woman or her family but I went to the funeral. I went because there is a reward in attending a funeral and I also want people to pray for me when I die. Is that selfish? I'm glad I went because there weren't many people there and I figured we all can use every prayer we get, especially when we die. There's nothing more than can be done except pray for the deceased and hope that their stay in the grave is a comfortable one. 

I don't know her or her life story or her family, but I became pretty emotional. Death isn't easy to deal with. I've attended only a handful of funerals in my life and half of them were 3 of my grandparents'. The fourth I was too young to understand what was going on.

Anyways, everyone is going to die. We just don't know when. And I realized that I should make the most of my day, my hour, my minute, my second. I shouldn't squander my time on things and thoughts that don't matter. Living life to the fullest doesn't mean doing crazy things. I know people have a bucket list of things they want to do in their life, things they must do before they die. Some of those things include sky diving or something daring. That's fine, I have my own list of things I would love to see and do, but we should also try to include more meaningful things. Things that will leave an imprint on people's lives after we die. We should do things that make a difference, because honestly, after we're dead who is going to remember that we jumped out of a plane as a big milestone in our lives?

The prophet Muhammad Peace and blessing be upon him said, "Take advantage of five matters before five other matters: your youth, before you become old; and your health, before you fall sick; and your richness, before you become poor; and your free time before you become busy; and your life, before your death." This is so true. When I'm sick, I regret that I didn't get my work done when I could have. When I'm busy, I mentally kick myself for procrastinating, etc.

If you believe in the Hereafter then invest this time into it, because once we are gone, the only thing that will help you are your good deeds and the only thing that will harm you are your bad deeds. Nothing else, except a few things which can benefit: Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him said, "When a human being dies, all of his deeds are terminated except for three types: an ongoing Charity, a knowledge (of Islam) from which others benefit, and a righteous child who makes supplication for him." (Muslim and others).

So, if you put a water fountain somewhere and people drink from it, you will get the reward for supplying them with water. That's just an example of the first. 

If I can't do something great now, I know I need to work towards being able to do great things in the future. I just hope I can get there before I die and I hope I get an A for effort if I don't make it. 

I planned on writing something happier and less serious, but funerals make me sad. 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

"I make dua because in the end that's all that I can do. And because it's the strongest thing I know of. " -A.A.

This has been my motto for the past couple of months.

Muslims pray five times a day. This is basically the five times of the day where we are required, and it is incumbent upon us, to worship our Lord. And this is known as salat.

This five- times- a- day prayer is not to be confused with making a prayer to God. The kind of prayer where you verbally send a letter to God saying "Hey God, can you help a sister (brother) out!" or "Hey God, I need you right now. Are you listening?" That form of prayer is also a form of worship, however it is known as dua.

And obviously that's in laymen terms, cause I would hope no one would go around saying "Hey, God!" Cause that's just rude.

These past couple of months, weeks, and days I've just spent making as much dua as I possibly can. It is said that there are certain times when a dua is accepted. And those particular times and moments include when it's raining and while a person is traveling, etc. And every time I see rain, the first thing I try to do is make dua. And I dont travel, but this past weekend we went out of town, and I was so excited to be considered a "traveler" and instead of reading the book I took along with me, I spent the trip, making dua.

It's funny because a couple of years ago, if memory serves me right, I wasn't so keen on making dua. For anything. It wasn't my thing. And it wasn't what I did in times of distress, helplessness, or even gratitude. And I didnt quite understand it, which can be attributed easily to just plain old ignorance.

And I dont know when my thoughts changed and how they changed over the past couple of months. It could be because a person constantly reminds me never to forget the immense power of dua. It could be because during a very weak moment in my life, a friend and I made salat together, made dua together and I felt a peace inside of me that I hadnt thought was possible. It could be because during a lecture I heard a Hadith Qudsi* where God says "I am as My servant expects Me to be". And to paraphrase, God is saying I am whatever you think I am. If you think I am merciful, then I am merciful. If you think I am forgiving, then I am forgiving, and so on a so forth. I really loved that Hadith because I never thought of it that way until I heard the lecturer explaining it, and I never realized we, humans, could have that type of relationship with God. (Does that make sense?)

It could have been a combination of so many things.

Whatever it was, I'm glad it happened.

I just know that making dua is something that I have truly embraced and have been fortunate enough to do so. It's reassuring to know that when I think all hope is gone, I can just make a dua to God, and he is listening. I can ask for something, I can beg for something, I can cry for something, and my distress, anger, or hurt may not go away immediately, but the simple fact that God is listening, knows what's in my head, knows what's in my heart, and will eventually respond in some way, sooner or later, gives me immense comfort.

And when I'm feeling extremely helpless, and I dont know what to do for those around me and for those that I love who are going through difficult times, such as losing a loved one, school, or anything really, all I'm left with is making dua for them. Keeping them in my prayers.

Because in the end, that's all a person can do for another. And that's all there is to do.


*Hadith Qudsi are the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad (Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon him) as revealed to him by the Almighty Allah. Hadith Qudsi (or Sacred Hadith) are so named because, unlike the majority of Hadith which are Prophetic Hadith, their authority is traced back not to the Prophet but to the Almighty.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Making Memories

Cooking can be a fun task if done right. I don't like to cook...until I convince myself otherwise.

My mother-in-law LOVES to cook. She literally thinks of what to make, who to feed and when to do it when preparing meals. Some days there will be four dishes, other days add-ons for "if we need an extra dish."

My mother was not like this. My mother is a laid-back person who doesn't cook if she doesn't need to. That means if her kids rather eat something other than rice with curry, she won't complain (unless its a few days in a row). She is also willing and able to eat "American" dishes such as pizza, pastas, baked foods unlike the oily salty spicy Bangladeshi dishes. My mother-in-law cannot eat outside foods. She barely eats anything anyone else makes.

When I was a teenager my mother would not make us cook meals. I could if I wanted to, yet she'd be around to yell if you did the slightest thing wrong. I wasn't responsible for feeding mouths. Usually cooking meant the meats were cut, the onions were chopped and all I had to do was toss food in a pot and stir on the stove.

Now it's different.

I have to cut meats, fishes, vegetables, prepare meals and cook. It's a part of my chores and duties as a wife.

As a teenager my mother prioritized our education, therefore she didn't force us to cook. I can only count a few dishes I knew how to make (enough to survive) before I was married at 20. I'd tell my mom, "I'll hire a chef, who needs to cook?" She would get upset.

I have no chef indeed but I do have a master chef, my mother-in-law, who chooses our meals, and a head chef, my sister-in-law, who cooks most of the food to make sure it comes out perfect. What do I do? I'm the helper. I cut, clean, stir, cook, and do whatever is needed on the side. In the end, we all help each other.

This reminds me of a hadith, a saying of the Prophet Muhammad, about helping people:

“He who removes a burden from a believer in this world will have his burden removed by Allah on the Day of Judgement.Whosoever eases the hardship of another, will be given ease by Allah in this world and in the Everlasting Life.... Allah continues to help a worshiper As long as he continues helping his brother...(Muslim)."

Religion can be a motivation to do good things you don't like, to earn rewards.

My sister-in-law said if a person starts a chore saying, "Bismillah" or "In the Name of God" and ends the task saying, "Alhamdulillah" or "Thanks be to God," the time spent is counted as a good deed.

Every time I think of how much I don't like to cook, I think of the blessings in disguise: my family is happy, I get to eat healthy and I spend my time wisely. Count your blessings.

Friday, June 10, 2011

Why I Love to Pray

There was a time when praying five times a day felt like such a burden in life. The times were so inconvenient to my schedule and my heart was never truly in it. Then I came to know of the following saying of God:

I have divided prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. When the servant says:

All praise belongs to Allaah the Rabb of all the Worlds.
God says: My servant has praised Me. And when he says:

The Most Gracious the Most Merciful
God says: My servant has extolled Me, and when he says:

Master of the Day of Judgement
God says: My servant has glorified Me -and on one occasion He said: My servant has submitted to My power. And when he says:

You alone do we worship and from You alone do we seek help
God says: This is between Me and My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for. And when he says:

Guide us to the Straight Path, the Path of those whom you have favored, not of those upon whom is Your anger, nor of those who are astray

God says: This is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he has asked for."

[Narration reported by Muslim, Maalik, at-Tirmidhee, Abu Daawood, an-Nasaaee and Ibn Maajah]

The verses that God responds to in the above narration are the translation of the verses from the Opening Chapter of the Qur'an. It is what Muslims recite in every prayer unit every time they pray.



Prayer to me is my time of solitude with God; one-on-one time with Him. Its the time that I get to talk to God and I know that He is responding and its almost as if I can physically hear it. And most of all it is a time in which God will answer my prayer of seeking guidance directly with no hesitation and no doubt on my part.

I try to surround my day, my activities, my schedule around prayer. When I'm in class I think about where I'll pray after it. When I'm finished with one prayer I'll think about when the next prayer is. When I sleep I think about when I'll wake up for prayer again. Its a cycle that keeps going on without end.

Sometimes people get frustrated with my constant worry about my prayers and not missing them. But I don't care because when you drink from the elixir of God's love who cares about what others think? Its His love thats a necessity for me in life.

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, "When anyone of you is engaged in the prayer, he is holding an intimate conversation with his Lord."

May we be amongst those who are intimate with God. Ameen.

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Happy Eid

HAPPY (belated) EID EVERYONE! 

Hope everyone had a wonderful celebration and ate tons of delicious food! 

=D 

Friday, September 10, 2010

Eid Mubarak!!

Eid Mubarak [Happy Eid] to everyone!!!!

Ramadan has come to a bittersweet end. It was a month of mercy, a month of forgiveness, a month of development, and a month of God-consciousness.



And now...the time has come to celebrate and eat tons of foood!! :)

So hope you all have yourselves a wonderful day and don't forget to be grateful to God for each and every blessing He's given us.

*Picture credit: Boston.com

Thursday, September 2, 2010

The Last Ten Days of Ramadan

We've been fasting for over twenty days now and it's going great. People get worn out, what with school and work. I guess what keeps some of us going in the final stretch is the abundance of rewards found in the last third of the holy month.

These last ten days are the days of forgiveness. We ask for God's forgiveness for anything we've done. The cool thing is, God loves to forgive, and if we ask sincerely, we will be forgiven. It's encouraged to say this supplication in the final ten days, "O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me."

On one of the last ten days there's a night called Laylatul Qadr, the Night of Power. Any worship on this night is equal to the worship of a thousand months. Most people don't even live more than a thousand months. So it's equal to continuous worshiping God day and night for more than your entire lifetime. It comes every year so multiply that by how many years you live... I stink at math, so I can't calculate. But I know it's a lot of reward.

One specific thing some people do during these last ten days are they take a break from work or school, if possible and live in the masjid {Muslim house of worship} for the last ten days, called I'tikaf. Men go the the masjid and women can stay at home. It doesn't have to be the full ten days, but it really cleanses your mind and soul if you can do the whole ten days. I haven't done this before, but I'm thinking about doing a day or even half a day tis year. You can even do it for a few hours.

Those ten days go into worship like doing extra prayers, reciting the Qur'an, memorizing the Qur'an, asking God for His blessings and Mercy upon us, etc. You don't even physically have to do anything. I'm going to add that talking to others is usually minimal unless needed. Talk to God. Just reflecting on yourself and trying to figure yourself out counts as worship. Reassessing your position with God and as a human being and reflecting about how to become better works.

Other things people try to do or increase in last ten days are:

1. Ask for forgiveness. Muhammad {Peace be upon him } said, "Whoever stands (in prayer) in Laylatul Qadr while nourishing his faith with self-evaluation, expecting reward from Allah, will have all of his previous sins forgiven." {Bukhari and Muslim}.

2. Ask of God. Ask, ask, and ask some more. He gives, gives, and gives. Ask for Paradise. Ask for a car. Ask for a good job. Ask for a spouse. Ask for chocolate cake. Just ask. 

3. Pray extra prayers. The best time to pray is the last third of the night. God bestows His blessings the most during this part of the night. It's difficult wake up before dawn, but there's a huge amount of reward in it. And the fast that you're getting up from your sleep for God draws Him nearer to you.

4.   Since the Qur'an is in Arabic, we also try to read the translation so that we can understand what's going on when we read. I mean this, of course, can be done any time. But it's also good to do this during the final ten days of Ramadan.

5. Memorize the Qur'an and supplications.

6. Just remember that God is always there. People usually praise God or do some sort of remembrance. This can be done any time, seriously. Like while your driving, or brushing your teeth. Or working. Any time. 

7. Worship doesn't mean sitting in a corner praying. It can be in the from of helping people out, picking up trash or even a smile. Anything can be turned into worship with the intention of doing something good for God's sake. 

Friday, August 6, 2010

I Swear My Hymen is Still There

I'm a virgin.

Apparently.

What does that even mean? I took a human sexuality class last semester and the professor posted a really good question. What does it mean to have sex?

Does it mean to have actual intercourse? Ok let's break it down by throwing out some scenarios. Before I do that let me put down a disclaimer that physical contact between men and women is generally a big no-no in Islam, let alone dating or even coming close to premarital relations. At the same time our reality in the US is that so many young Muslims are doing it anyway, regardless of its prohibitions in Islam.

With that said, let's look at the following three scenarios.

  1. Couple A want to remain 'virgins' so they decide to dry hump (keeping their clothes on)
  2. Couple B decide to engage in oral sex especially so the girl keeps her hymen in tact
  3. Individual C is frustrated so masturbates to release tension
What's in common with all three?

The possibility of reaching orgasm for one.

So let's suppose 1, 2, and 3 all reach climax. What does that mean? They're all sexual experiences but does that mean they've lost their 'virginity'?

I feel like this is a topic that Muslims need to speak up about. It's prevalent in our communities and it's time we talk about it! A lot of times for Muslim women, virginity equates to keeping one's hymen intact. A lot of girls who become sexual active actually go and get get their hymen sewed so their future husbands don't suspect anything. Does that mean she has suddenly been given back her virginity?

So what does it really mean to have sex or lose your virginity.

God says in the Qur'an "But let them who find not [the means for] marriage, abstain from sexual relations until Allah enriches them from His bounty..." [24:33]


From my understanding, the Arabic here leaves leeway to the meaning of sexual relations which connotes all types of sexual relations with a person who is not your spouse. That includes touching, kissing, hugging, etc. The wisdom behind this is that these types of sensual actions all lead up to sex.

I think that these types of relations are on a continuum and virginity deals with all of them. I mean honestly there are so many ways to be sexual active other than intercourse.

I guess that next question is, what do Muslims that engage in these behaviors thinking they're still 'virgin' do?

Friday, June 18, 2010

So what's that thing on your head?

Muslim dress has been extensively discussed and debated over. From experience I can say that religion is not difficult, nor has God wanted it to be so. The Prophet said, "Religion (Islam) is very easy and whoever overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in that way. So you should not be extremists, but try to be near perfection and receive the good tidings that you will be rewarded; and gain strength by offering the prayers in the mornings, afternoons and during the last hour of the night."

Modesty is a big part of the Muslim faith. It isn’t just a reference to our clothing, but it also refers to how one should act. The topic of hijab has already been blogged about here on Symphonic-Discord. But we really haven’t gone into the proper overall attire for women AND men. Today I want to address a few issues regarding what Muslim women and men are supposed to wear, or not wear. There are different opinions from different scholars regarding the matter. As per all religions, there is a wide spectrum of religiousness and, depending on where your level of faith is, you’ll have a different opinion. So the best way to go is to post up quotations from the Qur’an, the Muslim Holy book, as well as some quotations from our Beloved Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, as he was sent as an example for us to follow. You can’t go wrong with that.

I did state that modesty includes action as well, but it’ll make for a really long blog post, so I’ll do a part two on the other parts of modesty in the near future, inshaAllah.

WOMEN

Not every man has the right to look at us. Since the dawn of time women have been used as sex objects, used, and then casually tossed aside. We have been viewed and treated as property. We have been passed from man to man as a temporary pleasure. Women in Islam are on a higher pedestal than men. We are honored. Not every man has a right to look at us. The only men allowed to see you without the headscarf as your father, brothers, sons, nephews, uncles, grandfathers etc, it’s all in the first quote below. And of course your husband. With your husband there is no privacy or barrier.

Here’s an excerpt from somewhere. It's about Muhammad Ali giving his daughter advice about modesty. I think he hit the nail on the head when he's describing the value of a woman and how she shouldn't give herself away like she's not any worth.
“When we arrived, the chauffer escorted my youngest sister, Laila, and me to my father’s suite. As usual, he was hiding behind the door waiting to scare us. And we exchanged as many hugs and kisses as we could possibly give in one day.

“My father then took a good look at us. He sat me down in his lap and said something I will never forget. He looked me straight in the eyes and said: ‘Hana, everything that God made valuable in the world is covered and hard to get to. Where do you find diamonds? Deep down in the ground, covered and protected. Where do you find pearls? Deep down at the bottom of the ocean, covered up and protected in a beautiful shell. Where do you find gold? Way down and in the mine, covered over with layers and layers of rock. You’ve got to work hard to get them.’

“He looked at me again with serious eyes and said, ‘Your body is sacred. You’re far more precious than diamonds and pearls, and you should be covered too.’”


So how and what are we supposed to wear?

The clothing should cover everything but the face and hands and feet. Most women follow this.
The wives of the prophet Muhammad covered their faces and so did many women around the time of the Prophet when Islam was revealed. So some women also cover their faces, as the wives of the Prophet serve as examples as well. But I think the mainstream agrees that covering the face gives you brownie points. Mad props to women who do.

Also, some women wear a Burqa, which is a long robe that loosely covers everything. It's the easiest way to cover oneself and quickest. My mommy wears one. Maybe I will, too, in the future. But, you can still be within the Islamic requirements if you don't wear it.

It shouldn’t be see through. Sheer material is a no-no unless you have something under it to cover your body. Thin clothing that shows off your body shape shouldn’t be worn since, well, it shows off your body, duh.

It should be loose. You can wear clothes but not really wear clothes since you can pretty much size a person up if they’re wearing really tight stuff. So the clothing should not reveal our shape when we’re out in public.

Vanity. Clothing should not be worn with the intention of it being to bring attention to yourself. For example, if you buy something because it’s expensive and you want people to know that it was expensive. It shouldn’t be to get attention.

I suppose makeup falls under this category. Don't layer it on and look like a barbie or something.
Here’s are some quotes giving some idea of how Muslim women should dress.

here are some related quotes to the general post:
The Qur’an says: "And tell the believing women to lower their gaze and guard their private parts from sin and not show of their adornment except only that which is apparent, and draw their headcovers over their necks and bosoms and not reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husbands' fathers, their sons, their husbands' sons, their brothers, or their brothers' sons, or their sisters' sons, or their women (i.e., their sisters in Islam), or their female slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants free of physical desires, or small children who have no sense of women's nakedness. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And turn unto Allah altogether, O you Believers, in order that you may attain success.[An-Nur, 24:31]
and
O Prophet, Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their outer garments about themselves (when they go out). That is better so that they may be recognised and not molested. And Allah is Forgiving, Merciful. [Al-Ahzaab, 33:59]
It was narrated by the companions of the prophet, peace be upon him:
Abu Dawood narrates that `Aishah (RAA) said: "Asmaa' the daughter of Abu Bakr (RAA) came to see the Messenger of Allah (SAAWS) wearing a thin dress; so Allah's Messenger (SAAWS) turned away from her and said: O Asmaa', once a woman reaches the age of menstruation, no part of her body should be seen but this-and he pointed to his face and hands.”
Let me stress here that this is the dress that should be worn OUTSIDE the home.

At home, you don’t have to wear a scarf on your head, you don’t have to be covered head to toe. Women in front of women have to cover from the navel to the knee. But I think that exposing your chest is not okay, except if you’re breastfeeding or something. I mean, you can’t walk around topless in front of other women. Lol eew??

MEN

Men have to cover from their navel to the knee. But I mean, they can’t walk around shirtless to show off, nor should they wear clingy shirts or anything if it’s secretly to get people to notice their abs or whatever. Their pants shouldn’t be tight either.

And they can’t wear silk or gold because those are seen as feminine things and men and women shouldn’t imitate each other.

Do you guys have any questions??

Q. So what's that thing on your head?
A. It's called a hijab. You can read more about it here. :)

Q. FU, Don’t you get tired of covering yourself all the time?
A. Hmm, good question. I’d have to say that yes, sometimes I want to dress like a hoochie mama. But I do know why hijab was commanded by God and it’s for our own benefit. What random guy has the right to look at me like a piece of meat? Why should I feel like I have to dress a certain way to get acceptance from guys? Why do I even need their acceptance?

BUT instead of girls’ night out we have a Girls’ night IN. This is where we can wear whatever, get our hurr and makeup done all pretty and glamorous and dance and have a good time. We do not miss the men.

Q. Don’t you get hot in the summer?
A. I did once upon a time. But there are breathable but not transparent clothing out there that has made that much easier. I got used to it.

Q. Where do you buy your clothes from? Most of the clothes in the stores don’t comply with the Islamic dress code.
A. We go to normal stores. We buy normal clothes. We just have to tweak them. For example, I could wear a dress with nice pants or jeans. I cover my arms with a matching cardigan or a long sleeves shirt underneath. I can later use that dress as a girl party dress and glam it up with pretty accessories. I just killed two birds with one stone yayy.

Q. How come some women cover their hair and some don’t? Some women say that covering their hair is not mandatory.
A. As observed in all religions, every person is at a different level of faith. It’s difficult for a woman to start wearing the hijab out of fear of backlash, or whatever personal issues one may have with it. Some people are not ready to wear it yet. There is no compulsion in religion. Not covering doesn’t take one out of the fold of Islam. The passage from the Qur’an specifically states to cover ones head so the argument saying it’s not required is weak.

Q. When do you have to start dressing modestly?
A. At puberty.

Q. Why are your clothes so colorful/accessories so coordinated? Doesn't that defeat the purpose of wearing Hijab and being modest?
A. Well there is no restriction on color. Maybe avoid red but WE DON’T HAVE TO WEAR BLACK. When we’re in public we shouldn’t call attention to ourselves. IN MY OWN PERSONAL OPINION {THAT CAN BE WRONG} I feel like wearing black head to toe might be calling more attention here in America than wearing colors. Imagine: it’s summer. Everyone’s all bright and colorful then in the crowd you see someone in black. All black. Idk. They pop out more to me. To each his own but we don’t have to wear black. As for jewelry, some say adorning oneself outside of the home is not encouraged {I couldn’t find anything about this}, but hey, no one is perfect. Islam didn’t ban us from our culture. Indian clothes are pretty blingy compared to other ethnic dresses but in that crowd I wouldn’t be standing out. We can still wear out cultural dresses so long as it complies with the general guidelines. {There are examples of Indian/Pakistani/Bangali clothing below. They’re pretty similar.}

Q. Do you guys swim? Do you have to cover yourself then, too?
A. Yesss! We swim and we do!! We wear legging and long shirts. That's not safe, I know. When I was younger a lot of the Muslim girls and women in the area would rent out a pool to go swimming once a week. it was fun. No men allowed of course. And we had a female lifeguard. When we get out of the water our clothes are all clingy, which is why most women don't go swimming in public pools or beaches. So the recent popular solution has been the Burqini. Burqa + Binki. HOW COOL IS THAT? See?

Q. Wouldn't the way you described how you dress look all..frumpy?
A. Hmm that's for you to decide. I think we look pretty good. :) Note: these are some of us and our friends. Not all these girls are authors and not all the authors are in these pictures.


If you guys have any other questions, feel free to as us anytime. Just leave it in the comments or email us at symphonic1discord@gmail.com. :)

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Picture Perfect

Remember that one post I wrote? Picture (im)Perfect.

Yea, well I found someone who takes them quite perfectly, unlike myself. He has a really sweet blog where he features Muslims across nation doing really cool and different things. They're all Muslims who are proud of their Islam and who show their Islam by pursuing what they love! It's a great way to show the perfect balance of one's lifestyle and spirituality.

I know him personally and rumor has it that he's about to post up some baller status features soon! Check it out!



Seeking Nearness (dot) com

Thursday, April 15, 2010

It's blazing

Its orange-yellow hues lurk for prey
Fresh human flesh and decay

It moans and groans
It’s in need of food

Nor will it fill
It urges for more

Patches and spots
Of bright fire

Starting to spread
With each desire

Humans are no longer
Protecting themselves from sin

And the hell is blazing
Waiting for humans to go in

(Journalist)

Monday, February 22, 2010

Reflections Journal

I started something new last week. It's been going pretty much amazing.

Basically I read a section of the Qur'an everyday and write down my reflections on verses that struck my eye in my reflections journal (which is on Word b/c I hate writing and love typing).

It's been quite a spiritually enriching experience. I mean each verse has newer and deeper meaning when I'm reading and actually reflecting on the God's words.

So far I've written my reflections on the verses of the first two chapters of the Quran in my journal).

Here's an example of one of my reflections...


وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ ۖ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ ۖ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ


And when My servants ask you about Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me so that they may be rightly guided. [2:186]

A group of believers once asked the Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings upon him, 'Is our Lord nearby so that we should talk to Him secretly, or is He far away, so that we should call out to him?’. This verse was revealed to answer their question.

I love looking at how Arabic syntax and sentence structure gives depth to the meaning of the verse. In this case, look at the red phrase above. God responds by saying "If my servant asks about me, Indeed I am near." God uses the Arabic language in such an eloquent way to convey to us that He is very close to us.

God is showing His nearness to His servant first by mentioning him as "
عبدي" ('abdi) which in Arabic generally means "My servant." [Technically speaking it means someone who willingly puts himself in servitude of someone]. God could have answered the question saying “if someone asks you about me” or “if a believer asks you about me,” but He doesn’t. Instead he uses a very special word in Arabic which connotes a more intimate meaning.

Second, the form of the word (because it’s all one word) makes the possessor (God) and the possession (servant/believer in Him) close in actual space in this verse. In Arabic the way the language looks also gives depth the meaning.

Third, God shows His nearness to us, His servants, by not putting the word "say" after the conditional clause. For example, I could say, "If someone asks them about SD's blog, tell them its www.symphonic-discord.blogspot.com." In giving an answer to the question you would put "tell them" or "say to them" or some type of verb that indicates what you should be communicating to the questioner. But in the verse, God turns to the first person and just says, "Indeed I am near." It's beautiful because you don't need a mediator or intercessor speaking on your behalf to God...it’s a direct relationship between you and Him.

I like to picture verses like a movie. For this verse I imagine God first facing the Prophet and then for the second part just turning to the believers who asked the original question and letting them know directly, "I'm right here for you!"

Lastly, God says "Indeed I am near." He could have just said I am near but He used emphasis on the fact that there is absolutely no doubt of the fact that He's near.

I don’t know if this all was too technical or not but I really just love analyzing the Arabic of the Qur’an. I feel like it gives me such a strong connection with God’s words.

So don’t forget… if every you need anything or are going through a hard time or anything really just turn to God and ask Him…He’s always right there waiting for you!



Friday, November 27, 2009

Happy Eid

Today was Black Friday.
And today was Eid. Eid -ul-Adha.
There's no relation. I just though it important to mention both. Shopping is my thang.

We have two Eids: One after fasting {Eid-ul-Fitr} and another after a pilgrimage which is Eid-ul-Adha.

The pilgrimage is a journey to Makkah that every Muslim has to make, if he is financially and physically able to do so. We call this Pilgrimage "Hajj". Below is a picture of the Ka'ba. It was built by Prophet Abraham {Peace & blessing be upon him}. All those dot's around it? People!!!


There are a series of things one should do in Hajj. One is we go around the Ka'ba seven times. Another is we run between two mountains. It represents when Hagar ran between the two mountains looking for water for her son, Ishmael. {There are some more but then it'd get into a really lengthy post because I'd want to do it in detail. If you want more info let me know in the comments!}

Oh there's this place called Mount Arafat. We go and pray for forgiveness on that mountain. The day the pilgrims go there is a special day for everyone. If you fast on that day God forgives our sins from the previous year and the upcoming year. Two years worth of sins? It's a good deal. Especially for me. Kinda like Yom Kippur. This is the last day of the Hajj. And then we celebrate!!

Fun fact: Hajj is the largest annual pilgrimage in the world. About 5-6 million people come from around the world to worship God. I think dua to the swine flu situation there was an upper and lower age limit and some countries couldn't come.

It's pretty cool. Not the swine flu situation. Hajj.

I've never been, but I hope to one day. What's cool is that you can't tell who is rich and who is poor. You could have the richest man at one side and the poorest man on your other side and you wouldn't even know it. Everyone is dressed the same. Men are to wear two pieces of cloth that can't be tied/knotted and it can't be stitched. It's a simple garment. And they have to shave/trim their heads. I do not know how it stays on. I'm sure you can find a YouTube demo somewhere. There's no restriction on women, though. We can wear what we want yeeeah. But I think it should also be simple attire. The guy below didn't shave his head yet.




Anyways, Eid is celebrated after Hajj. During this Eid we sacrifice an animal. I think most people do a goat in my part sof the world. We keep 1/3 of it, give a third to other family members and another third to the poor. I know some people out there berate Muslims for this day, saying we love killing animals blah blah and that blood runs through the streets in some Muslim countries on this day. Honestly, what do you think slaughterhouses are?? They're cruel. They shock animals to death. Sometimes the animals don't even die and they're skinned alive. We have a certain way it should be done. And there's no or minimal pain. I don't know why people who choose to speak so hatefully against anything choose to remain so ignorant. At least get the facts straight. Then fight.
1) DO NOT KILL THE ANIMAL IN FRONT OF HIS FRIENDS. The other's freak out.
2) we give it 3 sips of water.
3) We say a prayer
4) Cut the Jugular vein so it doesn't feel any pain and loses conciousness immediately.
That's all I can remember. I think it shouldn't be a baby?? I've never done this and don't like watching it. Goats are my favorite animals, you know. I used to run after them in India when we visited as a little girl screaming "Bakkiiii!!" Bakri means goat but I couldn't say it properly.



Oh and I'd like to give a shout out to Best Buy for mentioning Eid. Although I have a feeling it was to get us out into their stores today lol. Oh and since Muslims go according to the Lunar calendar Eid won't be on Black friday next year. it's about ten days shorter than the Gregorian calendar.

Happy Eid & I hope you guys hauled in some nice stuff in the stores today. :)
Okay folks, I'm out of time. I hope that was a little educational and not so boring. If you do have questions, comments, feel free to leave them. :)

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Count your Blessings

I’m taking a communications class this semester. It’s one of those credits that you have to take but you never found the time to take it until you realize you need it to graduate next semester…

Anyhow I gave a speech a few days ago on happiness. I did a lot of research on the topic in terms of psychology. Something I found that’s phenomenal is the effect of thankfulness/gratefulness on one’s happiness.

There was a study done in which one group of people had to write in a gratitude journal only once a week and the control group didn’t. It was found that after a period of only three weeks the people who were writing in their gratitude journals once a week were had a significantly higher level of happiness and life satisfaction then the control group!

So when people say to count your blessings… it really does work. It’ll make you a happier person! Why? The more we write down what we’re grateful the more appreciation we have for the things that God has blessed us with and the less we’ll complain.

And if you should count the favors of Allah, you could not enumerate them. Indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful. [16:18]
I tried this one day. Just for one minute. Literally. Here’s what I came up with.
I’m grateful for…

1. Islam
2. My parents
3. My sisters
4. My home
5. My friends
6. My laptop
7. My bed
8. Food on the table everyday
9. Money
10. Knowledge
11. My car
12. My ability to walk
13. Ability to talk
14. Ability to taste and smell things
15. My eyesight
16. My hands
17. My heart
18. My brain and ability to think and analyze
19. Clothes to cover me
20. Ability to breathe
21. My teeth to chew with
22. My ears to hear
23. School
24. Running water
25. Hot showers
26. Thick coats for the winter
27. Shoes so I don’t have to walk barefoot
28. Paper
29. Stars to enjoy looking at
30. Beaches
31. My memory
32. The ability to love and care for others
33. Fresh air
34. My ability to blink so my eyes don’t try out
35. Tears
36. Books

And the list goes on. I think I could continue writing this list for the rest of my life and still never be able to count every blessing I have. I took an infant development class once. It’s amazing how many things could go wrong in the womb, how many diseases or infections we could catch, and yet here we are. Most of us alive and perfectly normal. Isn’t that enough to be grateful about for the rest of our lives?

May we become more reflective and grateful people. Ameen.

Saturday, October 3, 2009

Rollercoastering

So I haven’t written in a long time. A really long time. I think my last post was like two months ago. I’m sorry! Please don’t kill me.

So I’m back in the land of green and clean. It was so strange getting off the plane in Toronto and seeing everyone speaking English and people looking at me weird because I was holding a bright silver Egyptian lantern in one hand. I thought Customs would have a problem with it but Canadians are so darn nice. They didn’t even look at my stuff…as soon as I said I’m driving down to Detroit he said “Bye. Have a nice trip!” Wow…it was amazing. I wish all Customs were like that so I don’t have to stand in long long lines with kids crying and people profusely apologizing after bumping others with their luggage carts multiple times.

Anyhow, when I flew back I was feeling thing bittersweet feeling. I love Egypt. A lot. And I would have loved to spend the rest of Ramadan there praying behind the lovely Sheikh Rida. Sigh. But at the same time I really missed my family. Ramadan is not a true Ramadan without breaking fast with my family, eating Mom’s home cooked meals, and competing with my sisters as to who does more good deeds in the month. Okay the last thing happened only in one Ramadan…but still it was pretty cool.

So when I finally came back I was super excited to see everyone. I had been gone for almost four months now. But after the excitement of being back droned out, school started and my schedule started normalizing again. This is when it happened. My Iman started dropping. A lot. A guess a general meaning of Iman (ee-maan) is your level of faith. Iman is like a rollercoaster, sometimes it’s really high like during Ramadan when you’re able to stand 2 extra hours in prayer every night. And sometimes it’s really low like those mornings when you have a hard time getting up for the early Morning Prayer. Point being, it’s never really stable and you always have to work on it. It’s not easy trying to remember God all the time in everything that you do. We’re human and it’s okay to forget and make mistakes. But not all the time. The point of faith is that you’re continuously working to improve yourself and to strengthen your connection with God, to strengthen your understanding and increase your spirituality.

So why did my Iman start dropping since I came back from Egypt? One, Masjid Bilal was no longer in front my home. This was a huge downer. Seriously. I came back here and started masjid hopping, trying to find someone with beautiful Quranic recitation. Fail. Major fail. Everyone was terrible. Okay maybe not terrible but definitely not up to par. What makes me upset is that people are reciting Qur’an and they don’t even know how to pronounce the Arabic letters properly!! Guess what people? When you change the pronunciation of the letters in Arabic it easily changes the meaning of the words which essentially means you’re changing the Qur’an! Yea… that’s a huge problem.

Okay back to my Iman drop. I think a lot of it had to do with me being mentally exhausted from this summer. I was the Study Abroad Program coordinator for 20 students…running around Egypt trying to make sure everything was running smoothly for the students. Let me tell you, when you have that type of responsibility it becomes really difficult to focus on yourself. So by the end of the summer I was just tired and needed a break from helping others. I know that sounds harsh…but that’s how I felt.

I guess now that I’ve been back for a month its times for me to step up my game and get my connection with God back up there. This connection is a two way relationship. God will always hold up on His part, it’s up to me if I’ll answer His Call. I think I want to focus on slowing down my prayers and actually taking time out to supplicate to God sincerely.

“And when My servants ask you, concerning Me - indeed I am near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me [by obedience] and believe in Me that they may be [rightly] guided.” [2:186]

Saturday, September 19, 2009

End of Ramadan Blues.

Hey, everyone.

I was breaking my fast at my cousin's house the other day. We ate a lot of good food. I thought I died and went to heaven.

At one point my cousin was telling my sister and I about the children at the school her family is involved in. I don't know if they started it but that's besides the point. The children at the school come from really really poor families.

There are three siblings who attend that school. The family doesn't have enough to give each of them a lunch everyday. So one child has lunch while the other two go hungry that day. Then they alternate. I'm sure some kids don't even take a lunch at all. These people are usually part of families where the husband is a drunk with no job who sends his kids and wife out to work so they can buy him more alcohol.

That's how my old maid's family was. She had to work to provide the booze. If there was no alcohol in the house, her husband couldn't sleep. If he couldn't sleep no one was allowed to sleep. They hid the fact that they were sent out to work from the rest of their family. Women and children working is a shameful thing in India. It's like saying that the man of the house can't support his own family and he needs help. In this case the man is too busy drinking to care about his family.

Thankfully, India started a Mid-day meal programme where they provide lunch to kids at school. 1/3 of the daily calorie requirement with 1/2 the daily protein requirement. This is for two reasons: one is to feed the kids. Second, is that a free meal encourages parents to send their kids to school. At least they get some sort of education. We take cases in the hospital and I have to say that more than 75% of the patients are illiterate. Maybe a handful got past the tenth grade.

But it just got me thinking...

Ramadan is here to humble ourselves, to get a feel for how the poor feel. Even though I will never really know. I guess the satisfying feeling when you break your fast serves as a reminder that we at least get to eat something. There are many out there who don't know when they will see their next meal. We will never know how the poor feel because we have never starved. Fasting during the day doesn't mean you've starved yourself. Your body isn't feasting on itself. I don't know what starvation feels like. I am blessed.

This makes me feel guilty. Not because I have food. For that I am grateful. But that I haven't done anything to feed a hungry person. I could excuse myself and say, "who has the money?" But really, I could afford to not buy something I want and donate it instead every now and then. That's better than nothing.

Fun fact: Back in the day like centuries ago people were so generous there would be no poor people in need of money. People would donate money to the mosque and the poor who needed it would take it. But there were so many people donating that there was no one to take the money. How cool is that? {Anyways someone with details on this please elaborate in the comments.}

Anyways, I am no Saint and am not trying to be holier-than-thou. I just feel a pang of guilt right now and thought I'd share. There are some sites like http://freerice.com/ and http://freeflour.com/. I wish they wouldn't be so monotonous, though. And I'm not good at geography so I suck at freeflour. lol. If they were more fun maybe all the unsmart people with ADD like me would play more??

Fiance is also a doctor so it's not like I'll have to work. The money I make will be extra so hopefully I'll do something good with it. For now I can't do anything big, but maybe donating some of my allowance every month will add up. Watch me forget all about this in a hour. I suck.

On another note, I didn't take as much advantage of Ramadan as I should have. I pray that I live until the next Ramadan so I can hopefully get a second chance and get the full benefits of this blessed month. Amen. DEAR GOD, I NEED ONE MORE SHOT. Don't let me die for a while.

Anyways, I think I just pooped on the Eid party, huh? I didn't mean for this to sound so solemn. Eid ul-Fitr is tomorrow. It's the celebration at the end of Ramadan. So

Happy Eid, everyone!!

Saturday, August 29, 2009

Ramadan Kareem!!

Ramadan Kareem from Egypt!!!

I can't tell you guys how excited I was to spend Ramadan in Egypt...and now that its finally here I'm super giddy. I've never spent this sacred month of self-discipline and reflection anywhere other than the US, let alone a Muslim country. The first source of excitement were all the lanterns, lights, and decorations strung up around the entire city. All the Masajid (mosques) have lights around them...its gorgeous!

So let me tell you guys how it all goes down. During Ramadan Egypt turns back time one hour for the month which is awesome because we get an extra hour of sleep. We eat at 3:30 in the morning and pray Fajr (the morning prayer) then sleep. The day goes by with classes and running errands. Then around Iftaar time (time to break fast) the streets get filled with people passing out dates and juice, especially around the masjid. There's even special tents every few streets called "Ma'idat ar-Rahman" which are places that serve food to anyone who can't afford it. It's amazing!

Night is my favorite part of Ramadan here. We go to Masjid Bilal for the night prayer. People come all over the city just to come to Masjid Bilal even though there's a masjid at every corner. Ok so Masjid Bilal is huge, four levels and it has a HUGE garden around it. Because the masjid gets overflowed with people in it they lay out tarp on the garden for us to pray on. I've never prayed taraweeh (extra night prayers) outside before. Imagine straight lines and lines of hundreds of people
with the beautiful voice of Shaikh Rida riveting the entire city with his Quran recitation while the wind is billowing amongst the trees. Sigh. I've never enjoyed two hours of prayer so much. Then at the end of the prayer he makes a long dua (prayer) before finishing off. I just realized there's like 3 different words for prayer in Arabic and they all translate to prayer in English... maybe I should do a post on the language comparison sometime soon inshaAllah?



This is a video of one of the dua that Sheikh Rida made at the end of the night prayers.



This is a clip of his recitation. He's reciting the set of ayaat in the Quran about fasting during the month of Ramadan.

Man I'm really going to miss Egypt when I come back home. Note to all my friends... just be cautious of my mood! =D I have only exactly a week left. I miss my family a lot though so its a bittersweet feeling.

Anyhow I pray that all of you guys have an amazing month this Ramadan, that your prayers are answered, and that you all find contentment in your lives. Ameen.

Sunday, August 23, 2009

"Baaba Rahmatak": The Door of Your Mercy

So, speaking of time... Artistic Logic's last entry about quality vs quantity reminded me of this story:


Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi, the great mystic, scholar and poet, relates:


There was once a man of humble existence who used to supplicate to God every single day with a great amount of zeal and sincerity. He would weep profusely during his prayers, singing the praises of the Most High, and calling upon His Majestic Names for his needs in the world. Every single day, without fail, he would do this, humbling himself in the midst of supplications, raising his arms to the sky and asking from his heart.

One day, a neighbor of this man who was a skeptic approached him and asked him: "I have seen you supplicating every day for dozens of years without fail. I have seen you spend many a day fasting, denying yourself of food and water, and many a night standing in prayer, denying yourself of the comfort of your bed. I have seen you call upon your Lord with humility and sincerity, begging and asking Him to fulfill your needs. You have done this for many years, but what have you gotten? What have your acts of worship earned you? Where is the answer to your supplications?"

Upon hearing these words, the man was deeply troubled, for indeed his neighbor had pointed out the obvious: that he, like the dutiful and obedient servant that he strove to be, had prayed for years and asked God to fulfill his various needs and desires of the world. He had not asked for much. He did not want the wealth of princes or the fame of generals but only enough to live comfortably. And wasn't his Lord's treasure endless? Surely, he was not asking for much and for Him to give what he had requested would not diminish him in the least. How could his Lord not respond to him all these years?

Sorely shaken and wearied, the man fell into a deep slumber. And as he dreamt that night, he was visited by the enigmatic Khidr [a wise prophet], who asked him: "Why have you stopped praying when you have been praying all these nights for so many years?"

The man said: "What is the use? I have been praying for so many years and I have not gotten a single thing that I have asked for. I have done no wrong to anyone, I have not asked for much, and yet I have not received an answer to my supplications."

Khidr replied: "For all of those years that you humbled yourself before your Lord, every time you prayed and supplicated, you were at the door of His Mercy. You thought your prayers weren't answered. But did you not consider that if you were already at the Door, what other position could you have wanted?"

And the man realized then that therein lay the answer to his prayers: it was the prayers themselves.


--------------------------

I hope we all reflect on this, and not only look for quality and understanding when we read our holy book, but also when we stand for prayer. And not only for this Ramadan, but for the rest of our lives. Remember, Ramadan is about building character and good habits and to carry that on throughout the your life, otherwise what value did your month of sacrifice have?

Sacrifice your time for it now, and see how time is returned to you. Because: every time you pray, you are at the door of God's mercy. and What better place could there be? So revel in it. Spend time in your prayer and take it slow. Invoke God's Mercy. If you don't feel peace at the end of it, do it over.

and over and over and over....


No compromise.


Wishing a blessed and generous Ramadan to ALL!!