"The film is offensive because it misrepresents Islam. Senseless violence and murder is offensive for the same reason." Nouman Ali Khan

One act of stupidity doesn't justify another. My heart goes out to the US ambassador, his family and to anyone who has suffered as a consequence of the foolishness, immaturity and barbarianism. Muhammad, Peace Be Upon Him, would have trash thrown on him by a woman every day. He did not go out and throw it back on her. He didn't do anything at all. A few days went by without him getting trashed. Instead of rejoicing he went a visited her to see if she was ok.

Islam teaches peace. It teaches kindness and respect. The act of a group of people does not reflect anyone except those involved. If an eye for an eye makes the whole world blind, what does overreacting to a stupid cartoon and killing an innocent person do? 

I am not afraid

Fear is a major role in how people handle their business.

For example, fears and phobias can prevent a person from doing something, or going somewhere, or participating in some kind of event.

It can manifest from a small entity of life to a larger part of your personality.

Why be afraid?

What is there to be afraid of?

Fear can eat up time. It can destroy relationships. It can prolong distress. It can cause anxiety.

In Islam we are taught to only Fear God. To fear Him is to ask Him for protection, to rely solely on His aide, to seek His Wisdom and to take responsibility for our actions.

In Surah Kahf, there is an example of the Sleepers in the Cave who escaped from their homeland in fear of losing their religion, and out of love for the sake of worshiping God.

They said, '"Our Lord! Bestow on us mercy from Yourself, and facilitate for us our affair in the right way!'"

The Sleepers then woke up after 300 years (years debated) to find themselves in a safer environment.

Therefore, fearing Him means relying on Him.

When we commit sin, fear means understanding our connection to God. It means repenting. It means coming back to him. It means getting closer to Him, and getting to know ourselves better.

Fear can be beautiful when there is a balance with love. The balance is called taqwa, belief.

"Those who answered (the Call of) Allah and the Messenger (Muhammad ) after being wounded; for those of them who did good deeds and feared Allah, there is a great reward... Those (i.e. believers) unto whom the people (hypocrites) said, "Verily, the people (pagans) have gathered against you (a great army), therefore, fear them."

But it (only) increased them in Faith, and they said: 'Allah (Alone) is Sufficient for us, and He is the Best Disposer of affairs (for us).' (3:171-173)"

Destiny is written. In the book "Don't Be Sad" by Adullah Aaidh Al-Qarni, he said, what is meant to happen will surely come to pass. Don't get trapped by what you think will /can happen in the future.

What is there to be afraid of when we have God by our side?

Islam for the Muslim Dummy

That would be me.

The Muslim dummy.

Considering I have so many people in my life with Islamic knowledge, I feel like I know nothing about Islam. I lack motivation. For the life of me, I can't self-motivate myself. And once, after much time, I am motivated, I feel like I lack resources and teachers. For some time, my friends have been my main source of learning and knowledge. But since every one of them has kind of gone their own separate way and busy schedules leaving everyone drowning in God knows what, my friends and I haven't been able to connect----Islamically, I guess you could say.

But yeah.

Anyways, so recently I experienced two things that most Muslims experience very early in their life. Or at least by their prime years. And here I am experiencing it in my mid 20's.

I went to visit the graveyard and I went to the mosque for Eid prayer.

I don't think many of my close friends know this about me. Normally I would have felt kind of embarrassed to admit this. But right now, I think I can get past it. Or at least force myself to, in order to share the story.

I recently got married (Finally!??? And Alhamdulilah!) and since I've gotten married, I've talked to my husband about my maternal grandfather a lot. As I've mentioned before, I lost my maternal grandfather a couple of years ago to cancer. And I've always referred to nana as my partner in my crime. So since getting married, I've always felt that missing piece knowing that my grandfather wasn't there to celebrate this joyous occasion with me and my family and is not able to get to know my husband. Nonetheless, it's something I've learned to not think about or dwell on.

Since my grandfather passed away though, I haven't had the courage to visit his grave site. It's something that I chose not to do because I felt like I wasn't emotionally ready to do so. I knew that I couldn't handle seeing his name on a tombstone and think about how he wasn't around anymore. It just became a personal choice of mine to not visit his grave. And I know some people might think it's a bit harsh and a bit inconsiderate considering the relationship my grandfather and I had, however I don't feel the need to defend this.

So along came my husband, and I wanted him to know my grandfather. My sisters, my husband, and I were near the graveyard one day and my sisters suggested going to the graveyard and sending our blessings to everyone we knew that was buried there, including my grandfather. I said that I would stay in the car and send my peace and blessings from the car. But my husband insisted that I go and told me that it would be okay if I went and how in Islam, Muslims believed that there was a reward for visiting the deceased and sending your peace and blessings to them. And praying for them and their soul and their mercy.

So reluctantly I obliged. And I went into the graveyard. And I saw many people I knew that had passed away.

And it was hard.

Harder then I thought it would be.

And it was definitely a learning experience.

Second thing I've very recently experienced was going to Eid prayer. This Eid being the Eid where we commemorate and remember Prophet Ibrahim (peace be upon him) and Eid falling on a Sunday, I was able to attend the prayers with my husband. It was such a happy day for me. I felt like such a kid going to the candy store. I was in awe by things that might be mundane for everyone else. And I was nervous and felt like I would make mistakes. So I asked my husband to tell me what to expect and what to do. I even learned about some traditions and customs that are performed in the masjid during this particular Eid. And I also learned about the pilgrimage that Muslims make to Hajj during this time. And lastly in the lecture, or khutba that, the imam (leader of the mosque), I finally heard the full story about Prophet Ibrahim and the sacrifice he was willing to make for God.

And yes, it is sad that I didn't know that story.

It's also sad that I'm experiencing this so late.

But I'm very grateful that I was able to.

Alhamdulilah. I feel incredibly blessed.

Cat, Spider, and I

A couple days ago I had an incident with a spider. It was quite the confusing and adrenaline filled incident. It mostly involved me watching a spider go around in a circle 10 times around the light on my ceiling for almost 10 minutes (the spider took several breaks and went off course several times). Eventually I decided I could not trust this spider to continue staying on the ceiling and circling around the light in full view for the rest of the night. So I got my cat involved.
Correction: I TRIED to get my cat involved.
I awakened the said cat and started communicating to her that she has a job to do.
Said cat, however, just stared at my hand motions and blinked sleepily a few times. I tried pointing but said cat just followed my hand's motions back and forth.

Eventually I gave up and told said cat that I shall have to do this myself.
I rather liked the said spider. It was cute in the way it harmlessly circled. But, the thought of cute spider crawling on me while sleeping was not cute anymore. And if I cannot trust said cat to listen to me, I sure cannot trust a cute spider.
I contemplated capturing the said cute spider and unleashing it to the outside world. Oh the havoc it would spread.
But that method usually involves a lot of complications and yelling and screw ups.
And I was tired.
So I went with the unfortunate route.
I first asked the said cute spider to leave on its own three times. (No one wants a random animal to attest against you on the Day of Judgement in front of God)
Then I grabbed the closest napkin and showed said cat how to kill a spider.
But I was not to be lucky; the said cute spider fell on my bed when I swiped at it with my napkin. Panic ensues. Adrenaline squirming.
It was a game of cat and mouse. Only it was confused human and said cute spider.
Spider ran, I ran. Spider hid, I searched.
Eventually I found Spider as it ran on to my laptop.
And it was the end of Spider.

Said cat, that was observing the whole time, stood up as though to pay its respects either to said spider or to confused human. It even sleepily came over and sniffed the napkin that held Spider, approved, and then walked back over and lied down to sleep

It was a weird experience between a spider, a cat and a human. And as I type this, a wonder if I should have built an enclosure for Spider and kept it. Sure, it would have been the weirdest thing and I would have definitely crossed the weirdo line but it was not an ordinary spider.
It was said cute Spider.

From God we come, and to Him we return. {An Islamic prayer recited upon hearing the death of someone or in this case, a spider}

Patience like Ayub

Two days ago I felt a "choking sensation," went to the hospital to get it checked out, and now am in the waiting process to see an ear nose and throat doctor (ENT) specialist after Labor Day weekend.

God tests us to see if we can withstand the difficulties He imposes on us, and if we become stronger in faith.

"And surely we try you with something of fear and hunger, and loss of wealth and crops, but give glad-tidings to the steadfast, who when a misfortune befalls them, say lo! we are Allah's (possession of Allah) and to Him shall we surely return. · Such are they on whom are blessings from their Lord, and mercy. Such are the rightly-guided."  (2:155-157)

Ayub, (Job) the Prophet best known for his patience, was one of the 25 named prophets in the Quran.

He began with an abundance of health, wealth and children. Satan was convinced Ayub was only grateful to God due to his many blessings. Satan pleaded to God to test Ayub by taking these things away:

He lost his wealth.
The roof of his home fell and killed his family.
He lost his health; gnats chewed up his skin.
People left his side.
His wife who cared for him, left.

But he chose to be patient. He realized all his former possessions were gifts from God. He said, God had a right to take what He had granted.

At the very end when gnats were about to chew up Ayub's tongue, he prayed to keep the ability to remember God by worshiping with his tongue.

"Truly adversity has afflicted me and You are Most Merciful of all who show mercy." (21:83)

God then instructed him to bathe in a spring after striking a particular area of the ground with his foot. His illness was removed and his youth, family, and wealth were returned to him.

May  God give us the strength to bear the burdens that He entrusts us with.

Shibly, the man of cheer

My sister-in-law went on vacation to England to see her family: an uncle, three brothers, and several cousins. Her brother Shibly escorted her and her three kids home.

I briefly spoke to him on the phone many times, while I received and delivered the phone to my sister-in-law.

During those conversations he would joke: You sound like a little girl ha ha ha! (in the gentlest way) I could not help but laugh with him. He told me how he loved my son's name, named after one of the companions of the Prophet Muhammad who's name means "abundance" in Arabic.  And he would encourage me to keep good relations with his sibling who I live with, as a gesture of keeping it real. 

And there he was, in person.

Everyday for a week, Shibly attracted guests, neighbors, and family members to our home. He would sit on the couch and literally all you would hear would be him talking followed by a heartfelt good laugh. Laid back, easy-going and friendly he would generate and carry-on even the dullest of conversations.

For example, my father-in-law asked him, "Is your wife older or is your (younger) brother's wife older?" His wife is older.

Shibly, who has been married for about a decade doesn't have any children, brought a handful of toys for the kids to play with. His wife and he are trying to conceive. They have been trying.

One day while he sat on the couch in the living room, he talked about the treasure of mothers.

A summary of what he said:

Child services are so expensive. In England you could get paid about 350 pounds a week in foster care, or $700. That's a lot of money. On the other hand, a mother doesn't get paid anything. For some women who chose to work (full-time) rob themselves the joy of raising their children and giving them a peace of mind. They are not only expected to bring home money but they are also expected to start their second full-time job as soon as they get home: homemaker and mother. They are on a short-end. Some cannot stand it when their children make noise. When they are excited and loud. By the second time, the kids are in trouble.

For others, mothers leave primary child-rearing to their mothers/mother-in-laws, and that is for free. What do the grandparents get in return? Nothing. Not a payment nor a gift (he meant in general child-caring is just expected of them). Yet childcare is worth at least $700 a week, per child.

All this made me think. I finished my undergrad last December and haven't been "seriously" looking for a job. One of my reasons is to care for my infant son. As a writer, I can find jobs online jobs and petty things. Most of my services end up being for free.

I'm afraid of just what Shibly described; losing precious much-needed time with my son.

I am guilty of leaving my child with his grandparents while I went to school, which I justified through a pre-marriage talk of continuing my education after marriage. I also justified that while he was a baby he wouldn't "miss me as much" or "need as much care" rather than when he was older. It would also be harder for me to leave him home once he was older and understood I was leaving him behind. I was afraid I'd be less motivated to continue my education if I gave up just then (I was in my 3rd year of college when I was pregnant.)

When I was pregnant I thought about giving it all up. At the time I was taking full-time credits, doing an internship and transitioning from single college life to married college life. I was dealing with living in a multi-family multi-complex home. I still live there.

But then I came to my senses. One of my favorite verses in the Quran is: " No soul shall have a burden laid on it greater than it can bear. (2:233)" This verse has given me the strength to carry on every time the road looked rough. God tests us to make us stronger and to bring us closer to Him.

"Your wealth and your children are but a trial, and Allah has with Him a great reward. (64:15)" Subhanallah, Glorious is Allah. 


As parents, our reward on Earth is already mentioned in the Quran too...good treatment and respect from our children.


"And We have enjoined upon man, to his parents, good treatment. His mother carried him with hardship and gave birth to him with hardship, and his gestation and weaning [period] is thirty months. [He grows] until, when he reaches maturity and reaches [the age of] forty years, he says, "My Lord, enable me to be grateful for Your favor which You have bestowed upon me and upon my parents and to work righteousness of which You will approve and make righteous for me my offspring. Indeed, I have repented to You, and indeed, I am of the Muslims. (46:15)"

Sometimes we need people who don't have children to remind us of the gifts we have, and the blessings we take for granted.

I don't like bacon anymore.

Muslims, like Jewish people, aren't allowed to eat pig or pig products in any form.

I happened to be obsessed with it. When I accidentally ate baked beans with bacon bits in it, I attributed the good taste to the bacon bits. Some Muslims are shaking their head at me, thinking I shouldn't be so obsessed. God said don't eat pig, He didn't say I had to abhor it. I've never intentionally tried pig/pig products. Ever. I don't even eat meat that isn't Zabiha or kosher {Muslims can eat meat from Jews and Christians}.

I'm just a curious cat.

Anyways, my obsession ended the other day.

We have a KFC here that serves Zabiha meat. Zabiha = meat that is prepared in the Islamic way. Like Kosher for Jews. I'm not sure what Christians call their method, but I will look into this. Basically I can eat all the sandwiches and fried chick'n I want. It's finger licking good. And it feels finger licking good, too.

One of us ordered the Doublicious. We didn't know bacon was involved. I don't know how we did not know, but we obviously didn't look at the picture or read the description. Short story shorter, it stank & KFC is responsible for killing my curiosity. And it looked gross, too. Maybe because it was fast food. Maybe it tastes better than it's appearance. This was an important milestone in my life. And I was met with disappointment. I guess it's a good thing, from a religious perspective.

We returned the sandwich, telling them we didn't know about the bacon strips and they kindly replaced it with a new one, which smelled completely different. And it was yummy.

The house near the school I went to swimming classes for as a child had a dog. 

And a pet pig. And we weren't even in the boonies. 

I hope they didn't eat it. Eating your pets is a no-no.

Preparing for Ramadan

Ramadan, the month in which Muslims fast for 29-30 days without food or drink, is coming in a few days.

Because the Arabic months and the Islamic calendar is based on the lunar system, we have to wait for the moon to show up to start fasting (the next day). This year Ramadan may begin on August 1.

I am trying to prepare ahead of time for Ramadan by reading verses, hadiths or sayings of the Prophet Muhammad sws, articles, and listening to lectures on Ramadan to fully embrace the holy month.

Rituals in Ramadan include fasting from dawn until dusk, by beginning with a pre-dawn meal (suhoor), and breaking of the fast (iftar). During the night Muslims will pray Tarawih or extra prayers for a full-on spiritual awakening. 

The Prophet said,  "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven." 

During physical fasting, Muslims must also refrain from gossiping, cheating, back-biting, lying, or doing any sins which may take away the blessings of fasting. God says in the Quran fasting was prescribed to learn self-restraint and to help people become better.


"O you who have believed, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous. (2:183)"

Deeds during this month are multiplied from 10-700 times.

Abu Huraira related that the Prophet said: Allah the Majestic and Exalted said: "Every deed of man will receive ten to 700 times reward... (Muslim).

What a beautiful way to spiritually bring yourself back to God.

Happy Ramadan!

More verses on Fasting in the Quran:  http://quran.com/2/183-187
http://www.soundvision.com/info/ramadan/qhfast.asp

"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.

To Veil or Unveil?

In light of NPR's recent piece "Lifting the Veil," in which Muslim women describe why they took of their headscarves, I've been having multiple discussions on the meaning of "hijaab" in Islam. 


The literal meaning of the word "hijaab" ( حجاب ) in Arabic is NOT headscarf. It actually means a barrier or partition. It comes from the verb which means "to form a separation between" and "to cover." 


Its interesting how the word is used in the Quran. God says: 

وَبَيْنَهُمَا حِجَابٌ ۚ وَعَلَى الْأَعْرَافِ رِجَالٌ   يَعْرِفُونَ كُلًّا بِسِيمَاهُمْ ۚ وَنَادَوْا أَصْحَابَ الْجَنَّةِ أَن سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكُمْ ۚ  لَمْ يَدْخُلُوهَا وَهُمْ يَطْمَعُونَ

And between them will be a partition, and on [its] elevations are men who will recognize all by their marks. And they call out to the companions of Paradise, "Peace be upon you." They have not [yet] entered by they long intensely. [7:46]

In this verse the "hijaab" is referring to a wall/partition/barrier that is put between the people of Heaven and the people of Hellfire. And on this partition are a group of people whose good deeds are equal to their bad deeds and so they're waiting for their judgement, not knowing which side of the barrier they'll be put on.


What is interesting here is the purpose of this barrier. It clearly and physically separates those who were righteous in this world from those who were not.


Now lets backtrack to the cultural use of the word "hijaab." These days its used to refer to the headscarf which many Muslim women wear to cover. Historically however it is a state which a Muslim man and Muslim woman both observe; a state of modesty and a state of openly identifying as a Muslim. This state is both internal and external. Internally, one's heart is attached to God and thus puts a barrier around it protected one's self from that which will deter him or her from God. Externally, it puts a barrier from oneself from those who are not Muslim. This external barrier is not to shun people, but it is to show and be proud of one's Islamic identity.


The beauty of Islam is that its not actually a religion as we define religion. It is a way of life which encompasses every facet of the believer's life rather than compartmentalizing it like many other religions.


Thus when a Muslim woman specifically chooses to observe hijaab, part of it manifests outwardly in covering her external beauties by covering her hair, breasts, and dressing modestly in a dignified manner.


I've been asked many times by people about my hijaab: "Don't you feel oppressed? Wouldn't it just feel liberated to not have to cover?"

My answer: 

My hijaab is my representation of liberation, a right God has bestowed on all women. We live in a day and age where women are oppressed by men's sexual desires. Women are the objects of sexual entertainment in media all around us. We're oppressed by this media that tells us to be free by taking off our clothes and exposing ourselves the world. My hijaab reminds me that I am of extreme worth and value, that my value is not by my external body but by my internal soul, that to have a sense of dignity is where my freedom lies. So no, I don't feel oppressed. Rather, I feel liberated. I feel free. I feel beautiful. I feel Muslim.

El oh el!

Laughing is refreshing. It's fun to do. It's a helluva lot better than sulking.

Occasionally me and Chuckle have laughing fests. I'll laugh about something, she'll laugh at my distinctive laugh. And next thing you know, we have tears streaming down our face and we're holding the sides of our stomachs from pain.

We also used to lie down next to each other, in an upside down position, and talk to one another. The way your mouth looks in this position, while you talk, used to crack us up! It just looked so dumb and funny to see your mouth move from an upside down angle.





So after watching the recent CNN special on "Unwelcome: The Muslims Next Door", I was in a state of panic and worry and disgust and anger and just an overall upset mood. If you haven't watched it or didn't hear about it, it's basically about the city of Mursfreesboro, Tennessee, enraged that the Muslim residents of the city decided on relocating and constructing their mosque to a larger space. There were many people for and OBVIOUSLY against the building of the mosque and many protests over it. So much controversy surrounded it that it was taken to court. Just a lot of tension, bigotry, and ignorance in the city of Mursfreesboro. It was very disheartening to watch and take in.

However I got an email today from one of our former authors, Artistic Logic, that has kept me laughing all day. Instead of getting upset and outraged, Artistic Logic, more or less, pointed out the ridiculous things people say, ludicrous things people do, and even the outrageous things people wear. Not to mention the lack of knowledge people have about a lot of things these days, particularly that of Islam and Muslims. Don't get me wrong, the special presented by CNN is a very serious issue and impacts many people, myself included. And I applaud CNN for taking the initiative and raising awareness about this. But after some time, if you really look back on it, and listen to some of the stuff and watch the actions of people, it really makes you guffaw at it all.

While talking about subject and predicate parts of a sentence with my class, I randomly thought of it, and I suppressed a giggle. And then again when I was yelling at my students for shouting out during instruction, I had to force the smile away that was creeping up on my lips. And while driving home from work, I was grinning from ear to ear, while thinking about it.

I dont know about you, but I just love to laugh. I feel like my whole day was much nicer cause of that email that had me hooting since dawn.

Not to mention that LOL-ing is much more fun and better,then say, FML-ing.

Ham burger please! Sorry, our menu is halal-only.

Wearing a veil in public places may be banned in France, however that didn't stop the second largest retailer in the country from starting a new line of 22 halal-only restaurants.

Halal Digest reports The Quick company, which owns 362 restaurants in France, can be compared to McDonald's going halal in the U.S.

Read more: http://www.ifanca.org/newsletter/2010_10.htm

Halal I'm lovin' it T-Shirt
http://www.redbubble.com/people/nuhsarche/t-shirts/1623478-4-halal-im-lovin-it

Journalist

Islam for Dummies: 20/20 Edition

ABC's 20/20, the news broadcaster, took the initiative and did a special on Islam and Muslims in America. An assorted group of Muslims, men, women, children, from just about everywhere answered questions posed from thousands of viewers worldwide, such as:

• What is Islam?
• Are Muslim women oppressed?
• What does the Qu'ran really say about violence against non-believers?
• Does Islam condone violence?
  
• Is there such a thing as a moderate Muslim?
  
• Where are all of the moderate Muslims?
• Why aren't more Muslims speaking out against acts of hate?

If you didn't catch it last night, no worries, because you can catch it here:

(click on the picture to view the episode)

Obviously they weren't able to answer all the questions that were posed, in such a short period of time, as one hour. So from my understanding, they are planning to do another special of Islam: Questions and Answers.

Although, in my personal opinion, this should have been done years ago, kudos, again, to 20/20 for taking this course of action and trying to build bridges between the Muslims and non-Muslims in America. And hopefully the rest of the world.

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. 

Nightly Prayers

Side-by-side they stand in prayer
Shoulder-to-shoulder and their feet touching
No room for pride and arrogance
Keep out the distance
Spread the feelings of faith

Men young and old
Women silly and intelligent
Children who are only learning
Teenagers who are putting a hold on chilling
For blessings they are yearning

They all come together 29-30 days
At night in one large congregation
Men on one side; for the obligatory prayer
Women on the other; voluntarily joining at the masjid
But each pray 2-20 sets of prayers

Prayer is a short price to pay
For the ridding of sins
As one prayer ends
Another one begins

Fasting is a blessing during the day
No food water or drinks
No lying, spying, cheating, gossiping
No stealing, hating, wasting

Prayer is a blessing during the night
Retreat, refresh, recharge, reconcile
Rejoice, restore, remind, recite the Quran
Remember the Lord.


Muslims pray the tarawih prayers during the nights of Ramadan.
Narrated Abu Huraira: I heard Allah's Apostle saying regarding Ramadan, "Whoever prayed at night in it (the month of Ramadan) out of sincere Faith and hoping for a reward from Allah, then all his previous sins will be forgiven."

What are tarawih prayers? http://blog.beliefnet.com/ramadan/2007/09/tarawih-filling-the-night-with.

Journalist

What's the Point Anyways?

Most people already know that we're in the blessed month of Ramadan in which Muslims all over the world are fasting sunup to sundown. However, not many people, even Muslims, know the true purpose of fasting during this month.

From dawn to dusk Muslims are ordered to abstain from food, drink, and sexual relations with their spouses. But why??

Some people give random answers like...

"Oh its so we feel bad for the poor" ... sure I guess but what does sexual relations have anything to do with that?

"Oh its a month that we get to finally become healthy and lose weight in!" ... um yea except most people stuff their faces with food at sundown and end up gaining weight...

God says in the Quran,

يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيَامُ كَمَا كُتِبَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ

"Oh you have believe, decreed upon you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you so that you may become God-conscious." [2:183]

God states the purpose of fasting during Ramadan clearly in the verses* and that is to become God-conscious. The word used in the Arabic is تقوى (taqwa) which is a hard word to translate but I think the best translation is God-consciousness.

Literally the word taqwa in Arabic means a barrier. It is a barrier that forms through increasing faith in God which prevents a person from doing that which is impermissible out of fear of God and Hellfire. It is also something which pushes a person to do good deeds out of love for God and desire to enter His Paradise. This taqwa is embedded in a person's heart and manifests itself through his or her actions.

The purpose of physically abstaining from certain things during Ramadan is to help a person have a certain level of self-discipline so that he or she may be better able to have self-discipline with internal qualities. So in essence we're not just fasting from physical things but also from any negative or disliked action such as lying, swearing, backbiting, hurting people's feelings, listening to inappropriate things, going to inappropriate places, etc. The physical fast reminds you that you must focus internally to better yourself as a person and stay away from that which is impermissible and not beneficial.

The hope is that this blessed month will serve as a sort of boot camp for Muslims so that they can spiritually develop themselves to be people who are more conscious of God's existence during their everyday life. There's a beautiful concept in Islam that if you do something for the intention to please God (so long as its a good action) that you will be rewarded for it.

The Prophet Muhammed, peace and blessings upon him, said, "The reward of deeds depend upon the intentions (of those deeds) and every person will get the reward according to what he has intended." Because of this concept, mundane actions like eating, talking, sleeping can incur reward! For instance, if I remember God before I eat and make the intention to gain enough strength to go out and do other good deeds and to worship Him then I get rewarded for eating...even if its this amazing cheeseburger or whatever. Or if I help someone out with a situation with a sincere action then I get rewarded by God for doing it.

Basically Ramadan is this amazing month that brings us back to our faith and works on strengthening it because faith in it of itself that naturally goes up and down. So lets all strive to be more God-conscious individuals who seek to do good deeds and spread goodness on their earth!

*Read Chapter 2 verses 183-187 for more details on Ramadan

Guess who's Back. Back again. Ramadan's Back. So tell a friend.

Dear Ramadan,

You are back, my friend. And it seems like you have come back so soon.

If I can be candid, I dont feel like I'm prepared for you this year. Actually, every year that you come I feel unprepared. It's not as if you have come out of nowhere. I have known for 11 months that you were approaching. And before you left last year, you more or less told me, I'll be back.

And so here you are again.

I feel like this time, it's a little harder having you around. The days are much, much, much longer than I have ever anticipated and expected. How will we spend our days together? Will I get bored and want to watch movies with you? Will I want time to go much faster so that we can eat and forget about the true reason you have come? Will I ignore your true purpose of being here? Will I try to teach others about your visit, try to tell them that during your time here, Muslims fast from dawn till dusk, not eating food or drinking water and abstaining from wrongful deeds such as backbiting and slandering. Will I push myself to worship God during your stay here? Or will I just sit around and do what I've been doing for the past 11 months? Nothing. Will I try to help the needy or remain selfish and help myself only. Will I want to party with my friends? Or will I want to worship/learn/engage in productive activities to increase our sisterhood and our Iman (faith) during this time.

Again, I knew this was coming, but it feels so soon. I still remember the days when you used to come in February, when the days were so much shorter. I also remember that during those visits, I was still a kid. Not yet a woman that had hit puberty and was obligated to host you. But once I did hit puberty, and I became acquainted with you, it was a little easier because I had not yet taken you so seriously (which I should have, so please forgive me) And the times when you used to come after daylight savings time were the best times EVER. When the sun used to set at like 5 p.m and the days used to go by so much faster because we would be in school. And it would be time to break our fast right when we got home.

Now you have become a summer guest. And I believe that you will be a summer guest for the next couple of years. I'm glad you're here. Dont get me wrong, but I just wished I did so much more before you got here.


However, regardless of when you come, or how soon/late you do, welcome back, you were missed, and I'm glad you are here. Let's make the most of this visit! God willing.



With love,

Constructive Attitude

Is Ignorance Really Bliss?

You will always have racist/prejudiced/hateful people in the world. No matter how much a group of people will try to prove themselves against a stereotype or how much they will try to teach people about themselves, their beliefs, and their culture, there will always be that one group of ignorant individuals that refuse to accept it.There will always be that one Caucasian that abhors African Americans. Or that one U.S. veteran who cannot stand the Japanese. Or that one Black panther that hates the White man. Or that one man who thinks that women should stay at home and cook and clean. Or that one group of people who think that Native American Indians should go back to where they came from. Or the group of people who think that all Mexican immigrants should learn to speak English.

And while most racist bigots keep their thoughts to themselves and only express it to certain people, you still have your fair share that explicitly state and talk about how much they hate a group of people.

Most of, if not all, the time, these thoughts and opinions sound extremely ignorant and only show the lack of education people are willing to seek for themselves because they are so blinded by their hateful thoughts.


The latest act of hate: A Church in Gainesville, Florida is planning to burn the Qu'ran, the holy book of Islam, on the 9th anniversary of September 11. They are honoring and remembering the victims of 9/11 by burning the holy book and declaring Islam, to be "religion of the devil".

(click on the picture for the full story)

I dont know how many times that Muslims will have to say time and time again, that the acts that were carried out on September 11th were not what Islam teaches. I dont know how many times Muslims have to defend themselves because of a horrendous act that was carried out by a group of people that claimed to be Muslims and were following what Islam told them to. I dont know how many times Muslims will have to say that what happened on 9/11 had nothing to do with Islam. I dont know how many times Muslilms will have to face the backlash of the acts that were carried out that day. I dont know when the world will accept Islam as a religion of peace and the actions of Muslims do not necessarily reflect the teachings of Islam.


I do know that a time should come where Muslims should stop having to do/say these things. And the rest of the world, the non-Muslims, should take the initiative and go out and learn these things on their own, so they can truly be able to understand the practices of Islam and what it really teaches.

Mind your own beeswax. haha. ohh elementary school.

 A few weekends ago we had people from out of town. There's this guy who is friends with my dad. And then there's his wife. His wife is "nice" and "sweet", but she has one major issue: she points out people's flaws and mistakes in front of others. In an unkind manner. And does so in a holier-than-thou attitude that can be highly offensive and a huge turn off.

They didn't stay at our house but we did meet at parties and other social gatherings, so I was wearing Indian clothes to said parties because that's what Indians do. Indian clothing generally is loose and long and flowy. Anyways, she asked me for places where she could get nice {western} tops for her daughter's graduation since she wouldn't have time to go shopping when they got home. I gave her the address to a mall nearby which had just about every juniors clothing store so they'd have a lot of places to choose from rather than having to mall hop.

The same night we met at yet another party {it was a busy busy weekend and Indians like any excuse to get together to eat} and I asked her if she found any clothes. And she said no, her daughter doesn't like to wear short and tight clothes like I do, so they didn't find anything.

Huh??

I got offended.

They way she put it was that I wasn't a good Muslim or inferior to her and her daughter. She hasn't seen me in western clothing, because we only meet at parties where Indian clothes are worn so I don't know where she got off on the idea that I dress like that. She could have simply said she didn't see anything she liked.

Maybe I don't dress exactly the way Muslims are supposed to, but:

1. She hasn't seen me in western clothing so how could she make such a statement.
2. Maybe she thought I dress a certain way because of the stores I referred her to? That's stupid. Where in the US in a mall are you going to find a store with only Islam appropriate clothing??
3. There's a way to tell people you're doing something wrong. 

Either way, she didn't need to say it like that.I think it was uncalled for and rude.

Regarding number three; the prophet Muhammad {peace be upon him} never ever criticized people in front of anyone. If he had to correct someone he would do it in such a way that they wouldn't get offended. He did it indirectly so the person wouldn't feel singled out. The best example I can think of at the top of my head is when the prophets grand kids were washing for prayer and there was an old man doing the same. They noticed that he was doing it the wrong way but felt it wasn't right for them to tell him since they were so much younger and thought maybe he would feel disrespected. Instead, they went to him and basically asked him which of the brothers were correct in washing for prayer because each of them felt the other was doing something wrong. Each boy performed it perfectly and let the man decide. He man realized that he was doing it wrong and problem solved without making him feel inferior/bad about himself.

I have my flaws, and she has hers. Nobody is perfect. I've seen her speak to many people like that and it turns people away even more. Good character is part of being a Muslim. What brought people to Islam is the good character Muslims are supposed to have. Muhammad was one of the most influential people of all time and it was because of his character. NOT because he prayed to God all day long in a corner, or called people out on their flaws.

Nobody is perfect. Maybe she's stronger in areas I am lacking and vice versa.

Outward appearance doesn't necessarily clue you in to what kind of person one is. I know many women who don't wear hijab and are so so so much better than people who do wear it. And I've met so many amazing people and know so many good people out there regardless of beliefs. You can't judge a person based on their outward appearance. Or even what you see or think you know about them.

Why are we dying to live, if we're just living to die?

The other day while I was driving home from the movies, I was stopped at a red light. A group of girls were behind me in their car and they pulled to my right. When they were next to me, the driver, a girl that looked to be about in her teens, turned, looked at me, gave me a nod and a smirk. I was confused by her actions and thought that if it was a smile, I would have smiled back. Whatever. Ignoring her, I carried on waiting for the light to turn green. Once it did, I pressed down on the accelerator. The car next to me did the same. I heard laughter and looked to my right, and realized that the girl that was driving next to me, wanted to race me. Isn't that funny? Like seriously, who does that?

At first, I kept thinking whatever. Weirdo. But when I realized that she was not only trying to race me and beat me, but she was also trying to cut me off, and I got slightly irritated. So I sped up. And I continued to speed up, and would not let her cut me off. Initially I was just going to let her "win" but my ego got the best of me, and I refused to let her.

After we both ended up going our separate ways, and neither one of us "winning" or "losing", I thought "What the hell is wrong with me?" This is how road rage and accidents happen. This is how people get killed. When I was about 6 or 7 years old, my uncle was in a dangerous motorcycle accident because of something similar to this. Someone was trying to race him and he wanted to win. His motorcycle was totaled and he was in intensive care for a very long time. I dont remember the exact details of it, but specifically remember that when it did happen, my grandfather got the news and fainted on the porch.

Alhamdullilah, my uncle came out of the accident with having only a fractured nose. If you saw his bike, you would have wondered, how the heck did he make it out alive?

Anyways, this whole situation made me think of death.

I know it's a very morbid topic and it's something we all would rather not discuss. But I've found myself thinking of death quite frequently for the past couple of months.

How will I die? When will I die? Where will I die? Who will be around when I die? Will I be old? Young? Will it be sudden? Tragic?

Very depressing thoughts, I know. But I think as human beings, we need to keep death on our mind frequently. Not every single second of your day. But it should be one thing you dont forget. Ultimately we were put on this world for a purpose. Whatever you believe your purpose to be, it's a purpose nonetheless. And based on the course of which your life takes, you will either have fulfilled your purpose, tried to the best of your ability to fulfill your purpose, or just...well...failed at your purpose. As Muslims, we believe that our purpose in life is to serve God, worship God, seek God, and submit to God. Everything that we do should be for God. And in the end, we have to leave this life, and go somewhere. Again, depending on your beliefs, that "somewhere" may be different.

Muslims believe in the hereafter. After you die, you will be held accountable for your actions in this world. And we believe that there is a Day of Judgment. A day where every single person will be resurrected and will be held accountable for their actions, their good deeds, their sins, and their intentions.

And this should be reason enough for us to constantly remember death and the afterlife.

I know sometimes when I truly sit and contemplate this notion of an afterlife I get chills up and down my arms. It's not to say that I dont forget it either.

I just feel like I am so wrapped up in this life. This world. Here and now.

I need to remember that there is a life beyond this life.


Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings upon him) says, "Remember more often the destroyer of pleasures - death.'' Being heedful and talking about death checks man from being lost in the worldly pleasures and seductions. We are, therefore, supposed to remember death frequently and to avoid remaining indifferent to post-death affairs and occurrences.

Because as the famous rapper, Tupac's infamous lyrics go, why are we dying to live, if we're just living to die?