Made of Earth

I Know, I Can't Believe it Either...I've Updated!!!!

2011-03-20T00:01:00.002-04:00

as salamu alaykum!!!

O My Allah, the Most High. I still can't believe I'm typing out a post for my blog that I thought was 'so over'. hmm I wonder if it will even be read. Oh well, it doesn't hurt to try, plus I've been blogging posts in head to type out and actually post but never get to it for several reasons..the biggest being that I'm the queen of procrastination and the smallest being that I have the most wonderful little baby girl ever!!!! MashaAllah, Alhamdulillah. Oh I know, everyone thinks their baby is the most cutest, wonderful, and all that good stuff..but mine really it. Ok Ok, I'll stop with 'my baby is the best' thing (I was just joking...not being arrogant and crazy mommy at all), all babies are just the cutest little things ever mashaAllah, SubhanAllah!!!

I must admit though, having this girl in my life has really changed things, and I'm loving it. We're loving it I should say. My husband and I are madly in love with our baby mashaAllah and Alhamdulillah...can't say it enough. Seriously, I just think about a year ago she was baking inside of me and here she is, 6 months old now! She's getting a personality and all. We can't thank Allah (swt) enough..just can't. She's become apart of us and is so full of life and joy it's mind blowing.

So it wasn't as bad as many, many people make it to be. Being a new mom and all. Yeah, I know it'll get harder when I have more then one kid..but that'll be then and InshaAllah I'll have the strength and courage to do it all and try being the best Muslimah, wife, mother, daughter, sister and human being as I can be. I don't know if it's just me or that people like to scare others when they get married about how married life sucks, getting pregnant sucks and having kids is the worst possible thing that can happen to someone. They just make it all seem so horrible. If there's one thing I know it's the fact that life isn't easy and will never be perfect. We just have to learn and work hard to get through the tests and trials of life by the way of Islam. That's it. That's the secret to being truly happy with whatever we've got and have coming. If a husband and wife BOTH work at making their marriage full of happiness, love, joy and all that is good then that's what it'll be... Do the marriage the right way, base it on halal, sunnah and pleasing Allah and we can have it all inshallah.. Success in both worlds. How? Well, having a good marriage leads to a couple helping each other coming closer to Allah. Then that will lead to having barakah and true happiness in the marriage. Which then leads to good upbringing of children and inshaAllah these children will grow up to be pious and will grow up to be sadaqatul Jariyah and will always make du'a for their parents even after they've passed away, InshaAllah.

All I'm saying is marriage isn't bad as people make it to be, it can be your jannah on earth. Being pregnant (having a normal pregnancy) isn't that terrible at all, and having children is more then just a blessing. Just ask those who can't have. I'm not saying it can be perfect or all lovey-dovey, there are always, always going to be ups and downs but follow the sunnah, do it for Allah (both husband and wife) and there will be far more ups then downs even in the worst possible times inshaAllah.

Maybe I should continue that marriage series again huh? Well, I guess I can try and see where that goes. My little princess hasn't starting crawling yet (this is where all the moms roll their eyes at me and say, "oh you haven't seen it yet then" lol ) Life is life.

SubhanAllah wa Alhamdulillah wa la ilaha illallah wa Allahuakbar, wa la hawla wa la quwata illa billahil a'liyiladheem!

Glory be to Allah, all Praise be to Allah, there is no god but Allah, Allah is the Greatest and there is no power or might except from Allah, the Most High the Great.

It's all for the hereafter, it'll all be more then perfect then inshaAllah and we'll have it all inshaAllah. May Allah grant us success in both worlds, fill our lives with baraka, iman, taqwa, love and all that is good and pleasing to Him.

Alhamdulillah!

2010-10-05T18:59:00.005-04:00

Finally my little one is here! We had a beautiful baby girl, Haniah (Pleasant in Arabic). She was born on September 20th, the 12th of Shawwal.

Alhamdulillah she and I are doing well. JazakAllahu Khairan to everyone who made du'a, please continue to remember us in your du'as!

So MashaAllah now she's 2 weeks and a few days old and our love for her just grows...

SubhanAllah I can't get over how she was inside of me growing from litterly nothing...Allah is truley the Almighty! Motherhood is going pretty well so far mashaAllah..that's probably because I'm at my mum's lol. I know it's not going to be easy and it wasn't easy bringing her into the world but seeing her cute little face (mashaAllah) is all worth it. Besides, it's another step in life and there are more to come.

May Allah (swt) make our children the coolness of our eyes and amongst those that He loves and favours in this world and the next.

the end is near

2010-09-03T16:27:00.004-04:00

We're in the last part of Ramadhan, with only 6 days left. As exciting it is when Ramadhan was about to start and with Eid at the end, the ending of Ramadhan is hard to accept without being sad. We all know it starts off slow but then it goes like a fast breeze of wind. It's the only time of the year where there's so much worship and remembrance of Allah (swt) being done that it fills the air around us with Sakinah. In the last days we exert ourselves and beg our Creator for His forgiveness and more. We've tried to overcome our desires during this Blessed Month. Becoming closer to Allah (swt) and changing ourselves for His sake is what our life's goal is, inshaAllah we will succeed in that, in it's least bit if anything, during this month so far.

I still can't believe Ramadhan is almost over...

Please remember my family and I in your humble du'as in these last few days we have left!
And forgive me for my shortcoming and anything I've done to you knowingly or unknowingly!

I'm also 37 weeks and soon to be 38 weeks in pregnancy, the waiting is driving us nuts already! Well, whenever it is time for the baby to come, InshaAllah it'll be an easy, fast, healthy and normal labour with the end result being that my baby and I are healthy, strong & beautiful (physically, mentally and spiritually) as can be! This goes for all the expectant mommies out there!

Oh what a blessing and truly marvelous miracle pregnancy is, SubhanAllah. I'm going to miss it as well. They say the excitement for the first baby is unlike any other...inshaAllah the others in the future will be just as amazing an experience as this has been so far :) I feel so fortunate to be a woman to have the privilege to carry such a miracle and great sign of Allah (swt), the Creator of the heavens and the earth, all that is in between and all that we know and do now know, and of everything that there is including, time and space itself. SubhanAllah, Alhamdulillah, wa la ilaha illAllah wa-Allahu akbar! (Glory be to God, All praise be to God, there is no god but Allah, and Allah is the Greatest!)

It's COMING!

2010-08-09T19:49:00.004-04:00

It's coming!!!!!

I can't wait, been waiting so long, I'm so excited to finally meet you, and there's only a little while left!!

I can't wait for Ramadhan and my beautiful baby to finally come into this world inshaAllah!

First it'll be the most glorious of all months, Ramadhan then soon after this blessed month my baby's due date will be even closer and I'll finally get to meet it too inshaAllah!

It's such an exciting time alhamdulillah.

During Ramadhan there's so much Barakah (blessings) and so much Rahma (mercy) being showered down that inshaAllah it'll be the time were we can become closer to our Creator in every possible way. There's still a short while till Ramadhan, so may Allah (swt) grant us this blessed month that's coming upon us soon. Not all get too. Some pass away (as I type) right before Ramadhan even comes in! We need it for our poor souls and our hearts, we need it bad. We need the shayateen all locked up, the doors of hell closed and the doors of Jannah open! We need the mercy and blessings of Ramadhan to replenish our Ruh (souls), purify our hearts, and squash our nafs (base-self) inshaAllah!

May Allah (swt) grant us all this blessed month and accept all our good deeds, fasts, worship and du'as!

Then soon afterward the time for my baby to come to this world will be ever so close. The excitement, nervousness, and all these other feelings is indescribable right now. I'm 34 weeks alhamdulillah and it's like the clock is ticking louder and louder...

With all the symptoms of pregnancy coming, going or getting worse, it doesn't really matter so much because I can't wait for the end result of it all. Sure, it won't be all rainbows and glitter, but what's life for a couple without the blessing of a child?

SubhanAllah...

InshaAllah the baby comes at the right time, not too early and not too late! InshaAllah it comes healthy as can be and as easily as can be!!!

PLEASE remember us in your du'as during the blessed month of Ramadhan, especially while fasting!!

Everything's ready but I still feel like there's so much to do! I have so much cleaning and preparing to do...I guess it's that 'nesting phase' that I'm going through now lol

Oh and how's the new look of the blog? Thought it needed a change...I'm still playing around with it so we'll see what it comes down to finally.

I'm also very sorry I haven't been updating! After my last post I got very busy with preparing exams and whatnot for our Evening Islamic classes at the Masjid. Then right after that, at 27 weeks I went to T.O and had a LOT of fun there. We drove back from there a few weeks later, don't worry we took it slow and came in 4 days. Alhamdulillah everything went well. I'll have to post some pics of our trip inshaAllah.

Then I had a few appointments and some more baby shopping to do. We just finished it all this weekend so we don't need to run around in Ramadhan. It's also a very, very busy time for my husband, since he's the Imam here in Regina!

So that's my post for now. InshaAllah I'll try to update a few more times before the baby comes. And don't worry I'll post (a quick short one) when the baby comes inshaAllah.

Just remember us in your du'as!!!

Passed the Half Way Mark

2010-05-20T15:09:00.004-04:00

Now this picture is from Regina...spring is finally here!

Alhamdulillah.

I'm 22 weeks and therefore more then halfway through my pregnancy. I was supposed to post at 20 weeks but that was the week of my ultrasound and I wanted to make sure everything was just perfect. Alhamdulillah it was. Seeing our baby moving around, cuddling against the placenta, stretching it's hands and kicking it's legs (in 3D!) was just overwhelmingly amazing and awesome, subhanAllah. The radiology place here that does ultrasounds also show in 3D and I'm so glad that they do, you get to see the details more clearly then the normal black and white images. The woman who was doing the ultrasound was super nice, showed us all the vital organs and gave us lots of pics to take home. I had to obviously wait for the report to go to my doctor and finally get her say on the health of the baby...that felt like ages. Soon as I knew that it was all good alhamdulillah, it was such a relief.

I just started my 6th month now, so that means I have like 4 months to go inshaAllah! All the mothers were telling me how fast it will go and to make the most of it. Well, it sure went fast! I feel like it was just a while ago that I found out I was expecting...subhanAllah. Now time's flying even faster with the summer just around the corner, our masjid activities getting busier and our evening madresah coming to a close for the year. Wow, I feel like there's so much still to do. Soon I'll be in TO inshaAllah for a little visit then there will be just a few weeks till Ramadhan and then the due date will be unbelievably closer!!! Then inshaAllah our family of two will be three...oh I can't wait!

So besides all that, the spring (and almost summer) weather feels great. Seeing everything turn green just makes you feel better from the inside, subhanAllah. It's all so dead looking in the winter and then Allah (subhanahu wa ta'alaa) brings the world around you back to life in the most beautiful way that there is no way one can deny His existence. I just love being able to open the windows, hear the birds, and feel the warm breezes. Now we just have to wait for the actual summer then the fun begins inshaAllah! BBQs, freezes, watermelon, popsicles, ice cream, home-made kulfi, pani puri (ok that's just a majorly big craving that I'm having), lying in the hammock (when we go to TO), getting wet by someone waving the water hose around, going to parks, etc, etc, etc are things I just love doing in the summer and InshaAllah I'll be able to do ALL and more when I go to TO this summer! Then next summer we can introduce it all to our baby inshaAllah...can't wait for that and many more years after that inshaAllah.

Please, please continue to remember us in your humble du'as, du'a is quite the powerful tool for the believers, subhanAllah.

Almost Half Way!!!

2010-04-28T22:55:00.003-04:00

Unfortunately not it Regina yet...the buds on the trees are just starting to show

Well right now I'm 19 weeks Alhamdulillah! I'll be 20 weeks next week inshaAllah, so until then
PLEASE, PLEASE remember us in your du'as!! My next post will be then since it's the middle point (approx) of my pregnancy and it just makes more sense to do a nice long post then inshaAllah.

But please remember us in your du'as as much as you can!!

Time Sure Flies!

2010-04-11T18:25:00.005-04:00

Wow SubhanAllah I feel like the last post I did wasn't so long ago and I was only 14 weeks then, now I'm 17! Time is really flying now... I remember in the earlier stages I was hoping for the weeks to go faster and now it seems like it is. I know that always happens to me around April every year, time seems to move so fast for some reason. Next thing you know it'll be June (and it'll be warmer)!

I've been reading up about the progress, went for a check-up a while ago & everything seems to be going well ALHAMDULILLAH. Just waiting for the next appointment so I can hear the baby's heartbeat again, it's such an amazing feeling that no words can describe it other then I guess, subhanaAllah. I always get a sense of relief and comfort hearing it and even more so when the doctor smiles and tells me the baby's doing great alhamdulillah. That just reminds me how much I love my doc- she's just awesome mashaAllah! May Allah (swt) reward her and bless her and her family with great success in both worlds!

I thought I would call her up everyday and bug her about every little thing that goes on, but alhamdulillah for the internet! Soon as I start feeling/experiencing something different I get the weekly progress of the baby in my inbox telling me it's a normal symptom. Then sometimes even before something new starts happening, I get an email telling me about it. Like, for this week I "might start snoring" which should be interesting if I do but I'm hoping I don't! These sites are so helpful and full of so much information for new mothers like me who would otherwise panic about everything. It's also great for fathers because some sites have special weekly info for dads only, and I know my husband likes it.

Other then that, we're just waiting for some signs of spring here in Regina. Well, at least the snow's 98% gone...unless tonight's 'flurries' decide to stick to the ground which would be very depressing indeed. Can't wait till the weather gets better and things start looking green and bright again...inshaAllah it's soon :)

It's Finally Here! Earth Hour 2010!

2010-03-27T19:16:00.005-04:00

Like I've said many times before about Earth Hour, it seems small and fruitless, but it really isn't. It's about raising awareness and doing something that may seem useless to some but is actually the first step of action on a larger scale for many. I know for myself, it's done quite a bit and it has allowed me to really open my eyes to what's happening to this beautiful world of ours. As Muslims especially, we were supposed to do this a real long time ago.

It's a duty of ours as vicegerents on this world to protect and save the environment that we live in. We all know it's against Islam to waste all the resources that we have been blessed with. Whether it's water, food, electricity, money, etc we will be questioned by our Creator for all that we've used, consumed and wasted. The Scholars say that to show gratitude to Allah (swt) for His blessings is not just by saying shukr, but it is by using those blessings in the correct manner and not wasting it.

Turning off our lights for one hour today isn't what we as Muslims or even as human beings should only be doing, or doing it just for fun. Rather, it's the first step to taking more action to do what we should have been doing ages ago. InshaAllah with the right intention this will be a great means of reward for us and a time to reflect on our role as khalifahs (vicegerents). It can be a time of doing shukr to Allah (swt), reflecting on His marvelous creation, and even spending some quality time with our families.

Members of our families are sometimes too busy either watching T.V, sitting on the computer, cooking in the kitchen and being on the phone (texting included) with someone these days that they consider doing all that under one roof to be as spending time 'together'. Come on, we can do better then that and it can start today!

So let's get our candles out everyone!

Alhamdulillah- The 1st Trimester Over

2010-03-21T22:27:00.006-04:00

Alhamdulillah I’m done my 1st trimester! Just knowing that is so exciting =D. Also, my nausea is starting to fade away (Alhamdulillah to that one!!) and I think I’m starting to finally show now. Well, it’s not much really but it’s something like a little bump! You know, even through all the unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy I still secretly enjoy them in a way...ok that may not make sense. Let me give you an example. Initially, I never felt the slightest bit of nausea, so I worried about it secretly then once I started too, it was like a relief! lol it sounds crazy but after I read that having nausea is something normal and actually good for the baby because of the hormonal changes that are happening in order to protect the baby, I thought, ‘Oh no!’ So, you can understand that when I did start feeling it in the mornings it was a sucky feeling but definitely a big relief!

There are still so many things going on right now, some symptoms are going away some increasing and some new ones! I guess it’s because this is where the baby really starts growing. The uterus expands, baby gets more meat on, ooh and I’ll start to feel some movement in a few weeks inshaAllah! Also, next month should be around the time when the ruh will be blown into the baby soo that will be something.. I heard that when that happens the baby will give a big kick to let its moma know that it’s alive now. Hmmm I’ll have to wait and see but it would be incredible to feel that and know that the ruh was just blown into the baby while it being inside of me!! SubhanAllah again.

Soon it will also be able to hear and react to sounds, I tried researching to find out when babies in the womb can actually start hearing but I got mixed information. Some say 20 weeks and some say from 15 weeks but basically scientists are not exactly sure when they are able to hear and also be able to remember those sounds. It’s just something I’m really curious about because as Muslims we’re encouraged to recite Qur’an and do dhikr as often as possible but it’s even more essential to do so during pregnancy. If today there is research proving to some extent that sounds that that baby hears in the womb actually do affect the baby and it’s development, it’s something to really think about. They suggest playing classical music like Mozart but what is the best sound in the world? It’s the recitation of the Words of Allah (swt), our Creator. Nothing can beat that now can it? SubhanAllah.

I think that’s enough for now, I’m still reading up on what happens at 14 weeks and generally what to expect in the 2nd trimester inshaAllah. With that said, please continue to remember my family and I in your du’as!

made of earth

2010-03-11T22:04:00.003-05:00

Allah Almighty says:

“And verily we did create man from a product of (chosen) clay. Thereafter we placed him (as a drop of sperm) in a place of rest, firmly fixed. Then we made the sperm into a clot of congealed blood. Then of that clot we made a (foetus) lump. Then we made out of that lump bones and clothed the bones with flesh. Then we developed out of it another creature (by breathing life into it). So Blessed be Allah, the Best of all creators” (Surah al-Mu’minoon 23: 12-14).

Abdullah ibn Mas’ud (Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said:

“The seed of one of you remains in the womb of the mother for forty days in the form of a Nutfa (sperm). Then it remains like a clot for another forty days, and then for a same number of days like a lump of flesh (when the formation of the limbs and the growth of the bones begin) (Sahih al-Bukhari & Sahih Muslim).

Reading these and knowing that it's happened/happening/will happen inside myself is beyond explanation. SubhanAllah. Just reading about the changes that my body is experiencing and how the baby is developing makes the entire experience of pregnancy so exciting to learn about and I just can't believe it's happening!! More then anything though, it just puts so much awe in the heart and mind for our Creator, Allah the Almighty and Glorious. SubhanAllah, it's so amazing and beyond anything man can ever create. At random times I just stop and think about how there's life growing inside me and it's so overwhelming, it's unbelievable! Allah (swt) is indeed 'Ahsanul Khaliqeen', the Best of all creators.

So finding out in January was one of the biggest joys of my life and for my husband as well. For us to go through this together is such a blessing in every way possible, alhamdulillah and mashaAllah. Our families are obviously thrilled, especially my family because I'm the eldest and therefore the first having a baby. My sisters are already planning on doing every type of spoiling they possibly can...so to my dear sisters, there will be rules laid down :p haha

I've nearly finished my first trimester and I can say that having nausea all day is definitely not fun. It's like having the stomach flu everyday! Oh and feeling very tired is an understatement, the tired feeling is like you've haven't slept for days and days and all you want to do is sleep more and more. These are just 2 of the symptoms of early pregnancy, 2 of very many I must add. But alhamdulillah it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, it went much better then I expected! Like they say, every pregnancy if different.

Anyways I'm starting to get some heart burn (another perk of pregnancy!) so I'll end it here for now. I just want to ask for everyone's du'as that Allah (swt) protects the baby and keeps it and myself healthy throughout this whole process inshaAllah. And that the child be born healthy, strong, beautiful physically, mentally and spiritually with Iman and Taqwa making him/her a salih child inshaAllah!

I know, I know..but I have some good NEWS

2010-03-03T20:41:00.004-05:00

Okay, I said I was going to be posting more this year and now it's March and there hasn't been any postings. Hehe can I be forgiven? I have a perfectly good excuse though! It's because of it I've been sort of unable to sit and make posts for the blog but now I'm at the stage where I think I can be up to it again. I missed the blog a lot and I miss posting too.

So what's the big excuse then? Actually, before we get to that, let me say that I wasn't going to say it on this blog. I was thinking of making another blog for it. But then I thought of the name of the blog and I realized, hey, this is the blog to talk about it! I'm sure you've guessed it by now :)

If you haven't, I'll let you keep guessing!

Now I'm super excited to blog about this whole new experience (Alhamdulillah, MashaAllah) and all the ups and downs that go with it inshaAllah. Don't worry, I'll still post other things and I still haven't forgotten about the Marriage Series ;) I know people are still waiting for the 3rd part in that one.

Any guesses??

I'll wait for someone to comment and then I'll begin the posting inshaAllah!

Take care for now, and remember me in your du'as!

A New Year Brings New Promises!

2010-01-21T13:08:00.001-05:00

So after going to Toronto again, my life here just gets more busy! Alhamdulillah I had the opportunity to attend the RIS conference this year and it went pretty well I think. Although I wouldn’t say it was of one of the best ones that they’ve had, but it was still fun.

Well besides that, I think I need to get on with my blog now. I will continue the next part of the ‘Seeking to Get Married’ series and I will add some posts that have been in the works for some time now, inshaAllah. I also have many, many pictures yet to share and I will get to those too inshaAllah. Until then, I hope the readers of this oh-so-sad blog will forgive my poor efforts of maintaining it. I shall again try to redeem myself and try my best-est to continue keeping it ALIVE.

Swiss Minaret Ban- John Stewart

2009-12-10T10:39:00.003-05:00

John Stewart (The Daily Show, Dec 3) on the Swiss Minaret Ban

I just came across it today, it's pretty funny because it shows how ridiculous the whole thing really is.

Watch the clip here

--

Salawat (Durood)

2009-12-10T09:48:00.006-05:00

Spiritual - Salawat (Durood))
by Hazrat Moulana Yunus Patel Sb
Monday, 07 December 2009 10:18

During a visit to Madina Munawwarah, I was sitting in the courtyard, on the marble floor, outside the Musjidun Nabawi, near the Raudha Mubarak, looking at the Green Dome, and in deep thought, when a doctor from Johannesburg, walked by. After making Salaam he asked me as to what I was watching.
I replied : ‘The flights coming into Madina Sharief.’
He replied : ‘No planes are permitted to fly in the vicinity of the Haram Sharief.’
I explained : ‘The flights are the flights of the angels, who have collected the Salawat (Durood) and Salaam of millions of Muslims, throughout the world, and who are now conveying these to Rasulullah (saw).’
The Hadith Sharief mentions : ‘ Verily Allah has certain angels wandering all over the earth. They convey to me the Salaat of my Ummat.’

…This should not be difficult to understand in this day and age of advanced technology. Thousands of people are making phone calls to people in different cities and countries of the world. Within seconds, there is a connection and the person is able to speak.

Rasulullah’s Ihsaan (favour) upon us is tremendous. Salawat (Durood) should therefore become our daily practice as it develops that connection with Rasulullah .
Using the remarkable gift of imagination, one should imagine the angels conveying one’s Salawat (Durood) in the court of Rasulullah or imagine standing before the Raudha mubarak and personally presenting Salaat and Salaam to the Master of all men, the Seal of all the Prophets, the Crown of the Believers, the Illuminator of the universe, the Leader of the pious, the Protector and Guide of the Believers and the Beloved of Allah Ta’ala, Sayyedena Muhammad .

This noble and lofty ibaadah of conveying Salaat and Salaam with sincerity, attention and such meditation will create a ‘kaifiyyat’ or special feeling within the heart as well as gain one the Qurb of Allah Ta’ala, since Rasulullah is the Beloved of Allah Ta’ala.

Moreover, the person who conveys Salaat and Salaam becomes the beneficiary to many, many bounties, in this world and the next. Some of these are : sins are forgiven, stages elevated in the hereafter, protection from Jahannum, protection from harm, intercession of Rasulullah , securing the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala. It also draws the Rahmat of Allah Ta’ala and invites barakah into our homes, businesses, etc., and relieves from various anxieties.

Through the recitation of Salawat (Durood), duas are also accepted.

--

"Undoubtedly Allah and His Angels send blessings on the Prophet. O' you who believe! Send upon Him Blessings and salute Him with all respect." (Al-Qur'an 33:56)

"The one who recites Salawat (Durood) once Allah sends ten blessings upon him, eradicates ten of his sins and improves ten of his grades." (Mishkat)

"On the Day of Judgement the nearest person to me, from amongst the people, would be the one who would have recited Salawat the most in this (mortal) world." (Tirmidhi)

"(Truly) a miserly person is he who (when) heard my name being mentioned did not recite Salawat in my favour." (Mishkat)

"You decorate your meetings by reciting salawat on me because your salawat would (turn out to) be the Divine Light for yourself on the Day of Judgement." (Jamih us-Sahih)

"Recite salawat on Friday in abundance because it is the "Day of presence of angels (for witness)." On this day Angels present themselves (in my court). And undoubtedly when any one from amongst you recites salawat in my favour then before he has finished his recitation of salawat in my favour, his salawat reaches my court." (Jamih us-Sahih)

"In the magnificent night of Friday (i.e. the night between Thursday and Friday) and the luminous day of Friday recite salawat in my favour abundantly, because your recited salawat is presented to me (by the Angels)." (Jamih us-Sahih)

"Recite salawat on the day of "Friday" and the "Friday Night" (The night between Thursday and Friday) excessively because who-so-ever does that, I shall stand witness to him and would be his advocate on the Day of Judgement." (Jamih us-Sahih)

Eid Mubarak!

2009-11-27T01:09:00.000-05:00

Eid Mubarak!

First 10 Days of Dhul-Hijjah and the Day of Arafat

2009-11-23T17:06:00.004-05:00

First Ten Days of Dhul Hijjah: Days of Virtue And Righteous Deeds

By Jimas, Islaam.com

bn 'Abbas says about the Aayah, "Remember Allaah during the well known days," that it refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. [This is related by al-Bukhari]

Allaah swears an oath by them, and swearing an oath by something is indicative of its importance and great benefit. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): "By the dawn; by the 10 nights" [al-Fajr 89:1-2]. Ibn Abbaas, Ibn al-Zubayr, Mujaahid and others of the earlier and later generations said that this refers to the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Ibn Katheer said: "This is the correct opinion." [Tafseer Ibn Katheer, 8/413]

Praise be to Allaah Who has created Time and has made some times better than others, some months and days and nights better than others, when rewards are multiplied many times, as a mercy towards His slaves. This encourages them to do more righteous deeds and makes them more eager to worship Him, so that the Muslim renews his efforts to gain a greater share of reward, prepare himself for death and supply himself in readiness for the Day of Judgement.

This season of worship brings many benefits, such as the opportunity to correct ones faults and make up for any shortcomings or anything that one might have missed. Every one of these special occasions involves some kind of worship through which the slaves may draw closer to Allaah, and some kind of blessing though which Allaah bestows His favour and mercy upon whomsoever He will. The happy person is the one who makes the most of these special months, days and hours and draws nearer to his Lord during these times through acts of worship; he will most likely be touched by the blessing of Allaah and will feel the joy of knowing that he is safe from the flames of Hell. [Ibn Rajab, al-Lataaif, p.8]

Ibn 'Abbas reports that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "No good deeds done on other days are superior to those done on these days [meaning the ten days of Dhul-Hijjah]." The companions asked, "O Messenger of Allaah, not even jihad in the way of Allaah?" He said, "Not even jihad, except for the man who puts his life and wealth in danger [for Allaah's sake] and returns with neither of them." [This is related by the group except Muslim and an-Nasa'i]

Ahmad and at-Tabarani record from Ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "There is no day more honorable in Allaah's sight and no acts more beloved therein to Allaah than those in these ten days. So say tahlil (There is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah : Laa ilaaha illallaah), takbir (Allaah is the greatest : Allaahu Akbar) and tahmid (All praise is due to Allaah : alhumdulillaah) a lot [on those days]." [Reported by Ahmad, 7/224; Ahmad Shaakir stated it is saheeh]

Abu Hurairah relates that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "There are no days more loved to Allaah for you to worship Him therein than the ten days of Dhul Hijja. Fasting any day during it is equivalent to fasting one year and to offer salatul tahajjud (late-night prayer) during one of its nights is like performing the late night prayer on the night of power. [i.e., Lailatul Qadr]." [This is related by at-Tirmidhi, Ibn Majah, and al-Baihaqi]

Ibn 'Umar narrated that at Mina, the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "Do you know what is the day today?" The people replied, "Allaah and His Messenger know it better." He said, "It is the forbidden (sacred) day. And do you know what town is this?" They replied, "Allaah and His Messenger know it better." He said, "This is the forbidden (sacred) town (Mecca). And do you know which month is this?" The people replied, "Allaah and His Apostle know it better." He said, "This is the forbidden (sacred) month." The Messenger added, "No doubt, Allaah made your blood, your properties, and your honour sacred to one another like the sanctity of this day of yours in this month of yours in this town of yours."

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: On the Day of Nahr (10th of Dhul-Hijja), the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) stood in between the Jamrat during his Hajj which he performed (as in the previous Hadith) and said, "This is the greatest Day (i.e. 10th of Dhul-Hijjah)." The Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) started saying repeatedly, "O Allaah! Be Witness (I have conveyed Your Message)." He then bade the people farewell. The people said, "(This is Hajjat-al-Wada)." [Bukhari 2.798]

Fasting Day of Arafat

Abu Qatadah reported that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "Fasting on the day of 'Arafah is an expiation for two years, the year preceding it and the year following it. Fasting the day of 'Ashurah is an expiation for the year preceding it." [This is related by "the group," except for al-Bukhari and at-Tirmidhi]

Hafsah reported, "There are five things that the Messenger (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) never abandoned: fasting the day of 'Ashurah, fasting the [first] 10 [days of Dhul-Hijjah], fasting 3 days of every month and praying two rak'ah before the dawn prayer." [This is related by Ahmad and an-Nasa'i]

'Uqbah ibn 'Amr reported that the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) said, "The day of 'Arafah, the day of sacrifice, and the days of tashreeq are 'ids for us--the people of Islam--and they are days of eating and drinking." [This is related by "the five," except for Ibn Majah. At-Tirmidhi grades it sahih]

Abu Hurairah stated, "The Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) forbade fasting on the day of 'Arafah for one who is actually at 'Arafah." [This is related by Ahmad, Abu Dawud, an-Nasa'i, and Ibn Majah]

At-Tirmidhi comments: "The scholars prefer that the day of 'Arafah be fasted unless one is actually at 'Arafah."

Takbeer

It is Sunnah to say Takbeer ("Allaahu akbar"), Tahmeed ("Al-hamdu Lillaah"), Tahleel ("La ilaha ill-Allaah") and Tasbeeh ("Subhaan Allaah") during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, and to say it loudly in the mosque, the home, the street and every place where it is permitted to remember Allaah and mention His name out loud, as an act of worship and as a proclamation of the greatness of Allaah, may He be exalted. Men should recite these phrases out loud, and women should recite them quietly.

Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning):

"That they might witness things that are of benefit to them (i.e., reward of Hajj in the Hereafter, and also some worldly gain from trade, etc.), and mention the name of Allaah on appointed days, over the beast of cattle that He has provided for them (for sacrifice)..." [al-Hajj 22:28]

The majority of scholars agree that the "appointed days" are the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, because of the words of Ibn Abbas (may Allaah be pleased with him and his father), "The appointed days are the first ten days (of Dhul-Hijjah)."

The Takbeer may include the words "Allaahu akbar, Allaahu akbar, la ilaaha ill-Allaah; wa Allaahu akbar wa Lillaahil- hamd (Allaah is Most Great, Allaah is Most Great, there is no deity worthy of worship but Allaah; Allaah is Most Great and to Allaah be praise)," as well as other phrases.

Takbeer at this time is an aspect of the Sunnah that has been forgotten, especially during the early part of this period, so much so that one hardly ever hears Takbeer, except from a few people. This Takbeer should be pronounced loudly, in order to revive the Sunnah and as a reminder to the negligent. There is sound evidence that Ibn Umar and Abu Hurairah (may Allaah be pleased with them) used to go out in the marketplace during the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah, reciting Takbeer, and the people would recite Takbeer when they heard them. The idea behind reminding the people to recite Takbeer is that each one should recite it individually, not in unison, as there is no basis in Sharee'ah for doing this.

A letter from a Christian to Muslim women

2009-11-19T14:03:00.007-05:00

A letter from a Christian to Muslim women

March 7th, 2007
By Joanna Francis
Writer, Journalist – USA

Between the Israeli assault on Lebanon and the Zionist “war on terror,” the Muslim world is now center stage in every American home. I see the carnage, death and destruction that have befallen Lebanon, but I also see something else: I see you. I can’t help but notice that almost every woman, I see is carrying a baby or has children around her. I see that though they are dressed modestly, their beauty still shines through. But it’s not just outer beauty that I notice. I also notice that I feel something strange inside me: I feel envy. I feel terrible for the horrible experiences and war crimes that the Lebanese people have suffered, being targeted by our common enemy. But I can’t help but admire your strength, your beauty, your modesty, and most of all, your happiness. Yes, it’s strange, but it occurred to me that even under constant bombardment, you still seemed happier than we are, because you were still living the natural lives of women. The way women have always lived since the beginning of time. It used to be that way in the West until the 1960s, when we were bombarded by the same enemy. Only we were not bombarded with actual munitions, but with subtle trickery and moral corruption.

Through Temptation
They bombarded us Americans from Hollywood, instead of from fighter jets or with our own American-made tanks. They would like to bomb you in this way too, after they’ve finished bombing the infrastructure of your countries. I do not want this to happen to you. You will feel degraded, just like we do. You can avoid this kind of bombing if you will kindly listen to those of us who have already suffered serious casualties from their evil influence. Because everything you see coming out of Hollywood is a pack of lies, a distortion of reality, smoke and mirrors. They present casual sex as harmless recreation because they aim to destroy the moral fabric of the societies into which they beam their poisonous programming. I beg you not to drink their poison. There is no antidote for it once you have consumed it. You may recover partially, but you will never be the same. Better to avoid the poison altogether than to try to heal from the damage it causes.

They will try to tempt you with their titillating movies and music videos, falsely portraying us American women as happy and satisfied, proud of dressing like prostitutes, and content without families. Most of us are not happy, trust me. Millions of us are on anti-depressant medication, hate our jobs, and cry at night over the men who told us they loved us, then greedily used us and walked away. They would like to destroy your families and convince you to have fewer children. They do this by presenting marriage as a form of slavery, motherhood as a curse, and being modest and pure as old-fashioned. They want you to cheapen yourself and lose your faith. They are like the Serpent tempting Eve with the apple. Don’t bite.

Self-Value
I see you as precious gems, pure gold, or the “pearl of great value” spoken of in the Bible (Matthew 13: 45). All women are pearls of great value, but some of us have been deceived into doubting the value of our purity. Jesus said: “Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you” (Matthew 7: 6). Our pearls are priceless, but they convince us that they’re cheap. But trust me; there is no substitute for being able to look in the mirror and seeing purity, innocence and self-respect staring back at you.

The fashions coming out of the Western sewer are designed to make you believe that your most valuable asset is your sexuality. But your beautiful dresses and veils are actually sexier than any Western fashion, because they cloak you in mystery and show self-respect and confidence. A woman’s sexuality should be guarded from unworthy eyes, since it should be your gift to the man who loves and respects you enough to marry you. And since your men are still manly warriors, they deserve no less than your best. Our men don’t even want purity anymore. They don’t recognize the pearl of great value, opting for the flashy rhinestone instead. Only to leave her too!

Your most valuable assets are your inner beauty, your innocence, and everything that makes you who you are. But I notice that some Muslim women push the limit and try to be as Western as possible, even while wearing a veil (with some of their hair showing). Why imitate women who already regret, or will soon regret, their lost virtue? There is no compensation for that loss. You are flawless diamonds. Don’t let them trick you into becoming rhinestones. Because everything you see in the fashion magazines and on Western television is a lie. It is Satan’s trap. It is fool’s gold.

A Woman’s Heart
I’ll let you in on a little secret, just in case you’re curious: pre-marital sex is not even that great. We gave our bodies to the men we were in love with, believing that that was the way to make them love us and want to marry us, just as we had seen on television growing up. But without the security of marriage and the sure knowledge that he will always stay with us, it’s not even enjoyable! That’s the irony. It was just a waste. It leaves you in tears.

Speaking as one woman to another, I believe that you understand that already. Because only a woman can truly understand what’s in another woman’s heart. We really are all alike. Our race, religion or nationalities do not matter. A woman’s heart is the same everywhere. We love. That’s what we do best. We nurture our families and give comfort and strength to the men we love. But we American women have been fooled into believing that we are happiest having careers, our own homes in which to live alone, and freedom to give our love away to whomever we choose. That is not freedom. And that is not love.

Only in the safe haven of marriage can a woman’s body and heart be safe to love. Don’t settle for anything less. It’s not worth it. You won’t even like it and you’ll like yourself even less afterwards. Then he’ll leave you.

Self-Denial
Sin never pays. It always cheats you. Even though I have reclaimed my honor, there’s still no substitute for having never been dishonored in the first place. We Western women have been brainwashed into thinking that you Muslim women are oppressed. But truly, we are the ones who are oppressed; slaves to fashions that degrade us, obsessed with our weight, begging for love from men who do not want to grow up. Deep down inside, we know that we have been cheated.
We secretly admire and envy you, although some of us will not admit it.

Please do not look down on us or think that we like things the way they are. It’s not our fault. Most of us did not have fathers to protect us when we were young because our families have been destroyed. You know who is behind this plot.

Don’t be fooled, my sisters. Don’t let them get you too. Stay innocent and pure. We Christian women need to see what life is really supposed to be like for women. We need you to set the example for us, because we are lost. Hold onto your purity.

Remember: you can’t put the toothpaste back in the tube. So guard your “toothpaste” carefully!

I hope you receive this advice in the spirit in which it is intended: the spirit of friendship, respect, and admiration.

From your Christian sister “with love”

--The original can be found on Crescent and the Cross. Joanna Francis is a writer and journalist. She manages her own blog.

$$ Stats on Halloween

2009-10-31T14:06:00.004-04:00

Trick-or-treat! Statistics Canada breaks down Halloween

By The Canadian Press, October 31, 2009

A look at the scariest night of the year, by the numbers.

OTTAWA - The annual celebration of ghosts and witches will be in full swing today, as kids make the rounds of their neighbourhoods in pursuit of holiday treats.

In honour of Halloween, Statistics Canada has rolled out some facts and figures on everything from pumpkins to zombies to give Canadians a better understanding of some familiar items and characteristics associated with the holiday.

Trick-or-Treaters:
3,807,039 - The number of children in Canada of prime trick-or-treating age, five to 14 years old, in 2008, down from the previous year. This is the lowest turnout since 1990.

The number of children aged five to 14 peaked in 2002 at 4,103,114.

12,435,520 - The number of private dwellings across Canada in 2006 where children might be able to receive treats.

Jack-o'-lanterns:
2,634 hectares - The estimated area of pumpkins harvested in Canada in 2009.

2,317 - The number of farms with pumpkin patches in Canada according to the 2006 Census.

65,840 tonnes - The amount of pumpkins and squash produced in Canada in 2008.

Halloween apples:
In some parts of Canada, children chant "Halloween apples!" in their quest for treats. Where the French-Canadian culture is dominant, trick-or-treaters must sing a song for their reward.

6.85 kg - The average amount of fresh apples eaten by each person in Canada in 2008.

393,435 tonnes - The marketed production of apples in Canada in 2008, with a farm gate value of $174.5 million.

(how many lives of poor and food-deprived people could be saved with that many apples?)

A vampire's favourite hangout:
$117.1 million - The estimated value of wood coffins and caskets manufactured in Canada in 2006.

(all that money could probably solve a food or any kind of crisis in some part of the world right now....)

Quiet professionals:
Between 1996 and 2006, the number of female funeral directors and embalmers in Canada nearly doubled.

4,600 - The number of funeral directors

and embalmers in Canada in 2006. Of this numbe

r, 3,235 were men and 1,365 were women.

3,735 - The number of funeral directors and embalmers in Canada 10 years earlier, in 1996. Of this number, 3,015 were men and 720 were women.

Halloween candy:
$317 million - The spike in monthly sales of candy, confectionery and snack food sales at large retailers

in October 2008. December, however

, was the month with the highest monthly sales in 2008, at $394 million.

$255 million - The average monthly sales of candy, confectionery and snack foods at large retailers in 2008.

Zombies:
These people are not really zo

mbies a but close!

3.3 million - The estimated number of Canadians aged 15 or older who had problems going to sleep or staying asleep (i

nsomnia) in 2002.

Tricksters:
We don't know if these delinquent acts were committed at Halloween ...

1 out of 5 - The proportion of middle-school students in Toronto who reported that they had committed at least on

e delinquent act in 2006.

Findings from the International Youth Survey also suggest that a relatively small proportion of the young people were responsible for a high number of repeated delinquent acts. Delinquency, as defined in this report, refers to all behaviours explicitly set out in the Criminal Code of Canada.

There is a general increase in the number of criminal incidents reported to police at Halloween (compared with the previous week). Data are provided by 155 police services representing 98 per cent of the population of Canada.

49 per cent - The proportion of all criminal incidents reported during Halloween 2008 that were violations against property.

18 per cent - The proportion of all criminal incidents reported during Halloween 2008 that were violations against the person.

20 per cent - The percentage increase in violent offences, such as robbery, aggravated assault, assaults causing bodily harm and assaults against police officers, reported during Halloween 2008 compared to a week earlier.

11 per cent - The percentage increase in property violations, including general mischief and arson, reported to police during Halloween 2008 compared to a week earlier.

0 per cent - The percentage change in Criminal Code traffic violations reported during Halloween 2008 compared to a week earlier.

Witches and worshippers of Satan:
850 - The number of Canadians who reported that they were Satanists in 2001. This was up from 340 in 1991.

9,575 - The number of Canadians who reported their religion as Wicca in 2001.

(Source: Statistics Canada) http://money.ca.msn.com/investing/insight/article.aspx?cp-documentid=22450160

Summer's Gone :(

2009-10-23T00:40:00.006-04:00

Goodbye Summer!

This time of the year is sort of sad for me. With summer ending so fast here in Regina (did we even have a proper summer?) and with a very bad winter coming along (Allahu Alim, but that's what's the farmers apparently say) it's pretty depressing! Usually it's nice, bright and sunny in Regina, but it's been more cloudy then usual. Now, to actually get not-so-cold days and some sunshine seems exciting. I'd say to my husband after checking the weathernetwork.com, "It's going to be 8 degrees today!!!" I'm saying it as if it was the best thing that happened to me in a long time. Yeah, it's pretty sad.

With all that sad stuff aside, Alhamdulillah I can at least say that I had a great summer! I went to Toronto, drove from there with my family to here, drove with them to Alberta, went to Jasper and Banff. Then Ramadhan came, Eid came, went to T.O again (as my Eid gift from my husband) for a week after Eid and I went to see my friend in Minnesota (US) during the Thanksgiving Day long weekend! Alhamdulillah I had a lot of fun =D

I'm actually finally settling in again. I mean, since July I've just been sort of all over the place and not really on a fixed schedule. Now that it's all over and evening madresa has started again, I'm falling back in my schedule. Oh and InshaAllah the Seerah halaqah (at IAOS Regina) will also be starting again. With a few more other classes, I'll really be busy and in Regina for a long time.

So here's the poster for that, I actually enjoyed making this one a lot. I'm still not satisfied with it because I hardly know how to use Corel Draw still. Anyone know where I can get good tips (easy to understand and with lots of screen-shots) about how to do some creative things on there?! I'd really appreciate it, it gets me so frustrated sometimes.

Besides all of the above, I really want to rant on some of the things going on right now. Ok there's actually one in particular I'd like to rant about, can you guess?

It's the whole niqab issue. Yes, that one. However I'll have to do that later, I need to still organize myself with this blog, there are some over due things that need to be posted first. Until then, keep visiting! I'm sorry for not updating often, I really don't know why I still have a blog..

Eid Mubarak!

2009-09-19T23:15:00.006-04:00

Eid Mubarak! Happy Eid!

It's hard to be so excited, when you know it's the end of Ramadhan. It went so unbelievably fast that it's actaully scary. SubhanAllah, May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'aala) give us life for the next
one!

Just a reminder, try your best not to let the Shaitan and and our Nafs ruin whatever we have reaped from harvest of Ramadhan. Sisters and Brothers, remember what Allah ta'aala has commanded us,

“Tell the mu’mineen men that they should lower their gazes and guard their chastity. And tell the believing women that they should lower their gazes and preserve their chastity.” (24:30-31)

You know very well what that means, do not let the Eid Salah (and other Eid gatherings) be a means of you directly disobeying your Lord. Remember your fasts, night prayers, your du'as, your tears, remember Ramadhan and remember Allah, have Taqwa and you will get to keep the benefits of the Blessed month of Ramadhan, inshaAllah.

May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'aala) accepts all our good deeds (whether big or small), our ibadah (worship, whether big or small) and all of our du'as!

Lets end it there, I have so much to do before tomorrow!

Eid Mubarak again!

oh and please remember my family and I in your humble du'as.

*******Oh and another thing I must share, Alhamdulillah, we have a new-Muslim sister, Carrie, who just converted today! SubhanAllah, Allah ta'aala has guided her right before Ramadhan ended! May Allah (subhanahu wa ta'aala) keep her on the straight path (and the rest of this Ummah), with a strong Iman and Taqwa!

--

Shaykh Al-Hadith Fazlur Rahman Azmi of Madrasah Arabia Islamia, Azadville, South Africa is in Toronto!

2009-09-16T19:58:00.005-04:00

Shaykh Al-Hadith Fazlur Rahman Azmi of Madrasah Arabia Islamia, Azaadville, South Africa is finally in Toronto!

Alhamdulillah, Canada is finally being blessed with the presence of my husband’s ustadh (teacher) and mentor Shaykh al-Hadith Fazlur Rahman Azmi. I’ve heard so much from my husband about his shaykh that even I started to feel the excitement of his coming. Then I finally got to reading his biography, and I must say that just by reading about him, my heart is already anticipating his mere presence. SubhanAllah, I envy all the brothers, especially my husband, who can spend their time with such Shuyukh. InshaAllah at least I’ll be able to reap from the benefits that my husband will get from the Shaykh al-Hadith's visit.

I just received the biography on Monday, I just finished reading it this morning, and while I was finishing it off today, my (very excited) husband gets a call from his Shaykh who is now in Toronto. There I was, thinking, “SubhanAllah, the person I’m reading about, the person who this book is all about, is on the phone right now…wow.”

The Shaykh al-Hadith is known for his teaching, his depth in knowledge, his ability to do amazing research, his love for the Deen, his worry for the Ummah, his love for Sayyidinah Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhim wassalam), and of course, his immense love for Allah (subhanahu wa ta’aala). These are probably just the few things I can think of right now. All I keep thinking about is how fortunate my husband is to have learned from him, mashaAllah. Alhamdulillah I’m very grateful that at least I got to read his biography and subhanAllah, the reason why the biography was done on him while he’s still alive was so that people can benefit from him while he is still with us.

You know when you read a biography of a Shaykh (from let’s say in the past 100 years) and he has already passed away. Don’t you really wish you could have met this person or at least sat in one of his talks hoping to take as much pearls of knowledge and wisdom as you can? It always happens right? But Alhamdulillah, this is the first time for me, where that’s not the case at all. InshaAllah, he’ll be coming to Regina (IAOS) and I’ll be able to sit in his talks and inshaAllah, I hope and pray I’ll be able to take as much as I possibly can from such a scholar’s talks.

So, to all the folks living in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area), take advantage of such an opportunity! You shouldn’t have someone all the way in the prairies tell you this.

And to the folks in the prairies (the land of canola and buffaloes) make sure you come for the talks! Whether you’re in Regina or Saskatoon (where he’s also coming on Mon., Sept 21 inshaAllah) you’ve got no excuse! MashaAllah the GTA gets many Ulema visiting throughout the year, and we hardly ever do. This is a great blessing for us and it should be a great honour to have someone like Shaykh al-Hadith come to us to share his knowledge. The talks will be in Urdu and Arabic, but translation will be done in English inshaAllah.

Click on the poster below for more info.

Alhamdulillah, I'm getting better with the posters right?

Here are some links to where the biography can be purchased inshaAllah.
Ar-Rashad Books and Gifts (UK)
Al Zahra Online (Canada)
The Fountain Islamic Bookshop (UK)
Iqra Bookcenter (US)

--

The Night of Power (Laylat'l Qadr) - Abu Eesa

2009-09-14T15:56:00.002-04:00

The Night of Power (Laylat'l Qadr) - Abu Eesa

watch the full video here

2009-09-13T19:47:00.003-04:00

See, didn’t I say it was going to go so fast? SubhanAllah, Ramadhan is almost over. We’re already in the last ten days, and soon it’ll be Eid…
With that said, please remember me and my family in your humble du’as and forgive me if I’ve wronged anyone knowingly or unknowingly.

Here’s a part of last Ramadhan’s post :)

May Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) help us take advantage of these last 10 days of Ramadhan, accepting all our worship (small to big) and all our du'as. May He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) forgive our sins, save us from His anger, from the fitnas of Shaytan, fitnas of Dajjal, from the love of this dunya, from the diseases of the heart, from all the evil that is in this dunya, from the punishments of the grave, from the torments of the Day of Judgment and from the fire of hell.

May Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) through His infinite Mercy and Grace, purify our hearts, minds, souls and nafs, filling it with His Noor and love for Him (subhanahu wa ta’ala) and His Rasul (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) only. May Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) give us success in both worlds and make us and raise us amongst those that He (subhanahu wa ta’ala) loves and favours. May Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) forgive those that have died and fill their graves with His Noor, mercy and blessings. May Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) forgive, give sabr, and grant ease to all those believers in hardship and sickness. May the Most Just (subhanahu wa ta’ala), help oppressed, give them sabr and give justice to those who know no justice.

We are the ummah of Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala)'s beloved Nabi, Sayyidinah Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wassalam), and today we are drowning in our own sins and in the love of this dunya. We've become deluded to the extent that we take, see, practice, and preach from this deen only we want. Our ignorance and arrogance have made us blind and deluded from the true way of Islam.

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala) says, "It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, whether he be hid by night or goes forth freely by day. For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the command of Allah. Verily, Allah will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves. But when Allah wills a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, and they will find besides Him no protector." (13:10-11)

Allah (subhanahu wa ta’ala), the Most Merciful has given us the Night of Power for a reason, and we all know quite well what that reason is. So lets take advantage of these last 10 days and so that we may purify ourselves and become closer to Him (subhanahu wa ta’ala).

I just came across at-Talib’s blog, and there was this very good article that he wrote about the last 10 days; you must read it inshaAllah!

Maximize in the Last 10 Days of Ramadan

“Verily, We have sent it (this Qur’an) down on the night of Qadr. And what will make you know what the night of Qadr is? The night of Qadr is better than a thousand months. Therein descend the angels and the Ruh (Jibreel) by Allah’s Permission with all Decrees. (All that night), there is Peace until the appearance of dawn.” (Surah Qadr - 97)

• Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Qur’an as, “better than a thousand months” (97:3). Thus, any action done on this night is more virtuous than carrying out that action in any other time of the year.

• Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam would exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time. (Muslim)

• A’ishah radhiyallahu anha related that Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: ‘Search for Laylatul Qadr on the odd-numbered nights during the last ten nights of Ramadan.’ (Bukhari) Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: ‘Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven.’ (Bukhari and Muslim)

• Here are some tips of things we can do to maximize these blessed days:

1. Take a vacation for Allah
We take a break from our jobs for almost everything in life. Why not take out time to focus on worshiping and thanking our Creator? If this is not completely possible, take a few days off at least if you can. This can make it easier to stay awake at night to do extra Ibadah, not having to worry about getting to work the next day. It will also facilitate doing I’tikaaf.

2. Perform I’tikaaf
It was a practice of Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam to spend the last ten days and nights of Ramadan in the Masjid for I’tikaaf. Those in I’tikaaf in the Masjid perform various forms of Thikr (remembrance of Allah), perform additional Salaah, and recite and study the Noble Qur’an. I’tikaaf of a shorter period of time, like one night, a day or a couple of days is encouraged as well.

continue reading here

Slipping Away

2009-09-03T20:02:00.002-04:00

Before iftar : An Afghan man prays before iftar, the breaking of the fast, during the holy month of Ramadan in Kabul. (AFP/Massoud Hossaini)

1/3 of Ramadhan has already gone, just like that. With all the iftars, tarawih prayers and all the other stuff, it truly feels like Ramadhan is slipping away. Well, at least until next year but then again Allah only knows how many of us will even witness it, incase death is already written for us before it.

With that said, let’s remind ourselves about what Ramadhan is, why it’s here and what our purpose for this month is. Let’s refresh our intentions, and push ourselves to do more in this month. We have to take benefit of this month; it’s just not an option. I mean, let’s face it, with our mountain load of sins, delusions, diseases of the heart, extreme love for this materialistic world and our lack of concern for the hereafter…we really need to juice out whatever we can from what this month has to offer, or we’ll be amongst the losers on the Day of Judgment (May Allah ta ‘ala save us).

Listening to talks about Ramadhan before or just on the first few days isn’t enough. With our weak Iman, we need constant revival. We get into it enthusiastically at first then after a few days of fasting and Tarawih, it dies out and so does our efforts. The first 10 days are gone; soon (sooner then soon actually) it’ll be half of Ramadhan gone. Then the last 10 days will come and before we can catch our breath, it’ll be 2 days before Eid!

So, wake up while you can and strive (same goes for myself of course), for there is no limit of how much worship you can do during this month. Read the Qur’an, listen to it, give sadaqah (charity), busy your tongue with adhkar (remembrance of Allah subhanahu wa ta ‘ala), send salutations on His Beloved Nabi (sallallahu alayhi wassalam), memorize Surahs, dua’s and ahadith. Read Islamic books and listen to lectures in order to gain ilm (knowledge). Bring the Sunnahs into your life and strive to make them your habits. Do your best to stay away from ill habits and try to cut them off so you’ll be free of them even after Ramadhan inshaAllah.

Also, make lots of du’as. Every now and then especially while you’re fasting, make du’a. This is the perfect time to ask for whatever you need/want. It’s also the time to ask Allah (subhanahu wa ta ‘ala) for forgiveness, to turn to Him in repentance.

Please remember me, this sinful sister (and the rest of this Ummah) in your humble du’as.

Mishary al Afasy-Ramadhan (in Arabic, French & English)

2009-08-28T13:23:00.006-04:00

You might want to pause the nasheed already playing on the blog to listen to this.

MashaAllah, it's very beautiful, it really makes your heart go soft..

Here is the video for the english part. All 3 parts have the same video.

SubhanAllah

2009-08-26T19:13:00.005-04:00

The crescent moon of the holy month of Ramadan
is seen through festive lights in Amman August 26, 2009.
REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN RELIGION)

SubhanAllah, with the long hot days and the beautiful recitation of Tarawih in the night, you can feel the nurturing that the ruh (soul) receives. All year round, we cater to every whim and fancy of our nafs (our base-self) and our ruh is deprived of what it really needs; having a intimate connection with our creator! Alhamdulillah we have been given the opportunity to witness yet another month of Ramadhan. Not making the most of it would be very pitiful indeed.

Before Ramadhan began, everyone (married ladies) that I talked to would always ask, “Are you ready for Ramadhan (or Ramzan :D)?” Now as you may have seen in one of my resent posts, I am currently doing a Ramadhan program for sisters, and it started before Ramadhan. In the first talk, I mostly talked about preparing our selves, spiritually, for Ramadhan so that we can take maximum benefit of it inshaAllah. I talked about the meaning of Ramadhan and how it’s an opportunity from Allah taa’la to turn back to Him. So, whenever I got asked this question, you know what I’d be thinking that they meant right? But boy was I wrong! I would reply,

“Well, I’m-”

“Oh so what did you (or are you) make(ing)?”

That’s where I would say, “huh?”

“samosas, springrolls…”

Then I realize what they meant. “Oh that! My mum made them all for me. Alhamdulillah.”

And the conversation would continue regarding the food.

It sounds funny, but if you think about it, it’s actually very sad! I mean, this is what happens all the time before every Ramadhan! The ladies prepare for Ramadhan with food and ask one another how many items they’ve made and how much they’ve stocked up in their freezers. What we should be asking one another is, how are you preparing yourself for Ramadhan so that you don’t miss out on the blessings? Have you taken out the TV plug? Have you made a goal for how many times you’ll complete the Qur’an? Are you going to go for Tarawih this year? See, these are the questions, we should be asking (to others as well as, more importantly, our selves). We should be encouraging one another to make the right and much needed preparations for Ramadhan.

Sure, the food is great, but that’s not what Ramadhan and sawm (fasting) is about.
As Imam al-Ghazali (May Allah be pleased with him) puts it,

“It should be known that there are three grades of fasting: ordinary, special and extra-special.

Ordinary fasting means abstaining from food, drink and sexual satisfaction.

Special Fasting means keeping one's ears, eyes, tongue, hands and feet -- and all other organs -- free from sin.

Extra-special Fasting means fasting of the heart from unworthy concerns and worldly thoughts, in total disregard of everything but God, Great and Glorious is He. This kind of Fast is broken by thinking of worldly matters, except for those conducive to religious ends, since these constitute provision for the Hereafter and are not of this lower world.”

You can read the rest of it here and I really recommend it.

So I’m going to ask the obvious question, what level of fast do we want to achieve?

The answer to this rhetorical question obviously is (or it should be) that we want to achieve the highest level possible. Our goal should be to reach for the Extra-special Fasting. At the very least, we should be shooting for the Special Fasting.

All year long we’ve overfed ourselves and sinned beyond comprehension with our tongues (gossip, backbiting, slander, telling lies, etc.), our eyes (checking out the opposite gender, watching things we shouldn’t be watching, etc.), our ears (MUSIC, backbiting, etc.) our hands, our feet, our mind (evil thoughts) and with our heart (hatred, arrogance, jealousy, etc.).

We don’t know how long we’re going to live or if we’re going to get the next Ramadhan. Now is the time to change our habits and to mould ourselves the way we aught to be as true Mu’mineen, in this Most Blessed Month. Once the heat of Ramadhan moulds us, we can carry on our good habits after Ramadhan inshaAllah.

May Allah taa’la give us all the tawfiq (guidance) to take full advantage of this Blessed Month so that we may enter into Jannah and have freedom from the Hell Fire.
May He (subhanhu wa ta’ala) accept all our du’as and ibadah (worship) and forgive our sins whether they reach the heavens or are small like an atom.
May He (subhanhu wa ta’ala) shower the entire Ummah of Sayyidinah Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wassalam) continuously with His infinite mercy, blessings and forgiveness throughout this Blessed Month.

Please remember this sinful sister in your du’as and forgive any shorting comings whether done knowingly or unknowingly.

Also, check out these images of Ramadhan from around the globe.

Ramadan 2009- The Big Picture. They're amazing MashaAllah!

Oh and here is the updated poster with the updated programs that are taking place at IAOS.

And Ramdhan Has Begun, Alhamdulillah

2009-08-24T17:37:00.004-04:00

Ramadhan Mubarak!

Yay, it's finally here!

Alhamdulillah the Blessed Month has finally dawned upon us. May Allah (swt) give us the tawfiq to take full advantage of all it's blessings. Ameen!

So here I am, finally updating the blog, which no one probably reads now. For some reason however, I'm still willing to post the "Ramadhan Pictures" from around the world like I always do ever since I started this blog (which also wasn't so long ago :) ) So here they are! Please remember me and my family (along with the rest of this Ummah) in your du'as and forgive any shortcomings of mine.

Boys take a nap in a mosque while waiting to break their fast in Makassar of the Sulawesi province during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan August 24, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.REUTERS/Yusuf Ahmad (INDONESIA RELIGION SOCIETY)

A Filipino man embraces Saudi Sheikh Noah to celebrate his conversion to Islam before breaking fast during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Riyadh August 24, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.REUTERS/ Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA POLITICS SOCIETY RELIGION)

A man serves food distributed for free to poor people during breaking fast time, known as iftar, in Cairo August 24, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.REUTERS/Asmaa Waguih (EGYPT SOCIETY RELIGION)

A Pakistani boy arranges food stuff for 'Iftar', a time to break the fast, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan, Monday, Aug. 24, 2009 in Lahore, Pakistan. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan observant Muslims throughout the world refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from sunrise to sunset.(AP Photo/K.M.Chaudary)

A Palestinian child reacts during a struggle to get a ration of donated food from the Islamic Waqf, during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in the West Bank city of Hebron, Monday, Aug. 24, 2009. Muslims throughout the world are celebrating the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, and smoking from dawn to dusk.(AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

A Palestinian youth uses a drum to wake up Muslim worshippers for the traditional Ramadan meal before the start of the daily fasting, in Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, Monday, Aug. 24, 2009. Muslims throughout the world are celebrating the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, and smoking from dawn to dusk.(AP Photo/Nasser Ishtayeh)

A crescent moon is seen next to to the King Hussein Bin Talal Mosque in Amman, August 23, 2009, during the holy month of Ramadan. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN IMAGES OF THE DAY RELIGION)

Plates with fruits are laid as fasting Muslims pray before breaking their fast on the first day of Ramadan in the compound of Jamia (Grand) Mosque in Amritsar, India, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan observant Muslims throughout the world refrain from eating, drinking, smoking from sunrise to sunset.(AP Photo/Altaf Qadri)

A Palestinian man prays, as others rest in the Al-Omari mosque in Gaza City, Sunday, Aug. 23, 2009. Muslims throughout the world are celebrating the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, and smoking from dawn to dusk.(AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

A man prays after reading the Koran at a mosque in Karachi on August 23, 2009. Pakistani Muslims observe the first day of Ramadan on Sunday, the Islamic holy month when Muslims fast from dawn until dusk.REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro (PAKISTAN RELIGION SOCIETY)

Pakistani Muslims offers an evening prayers called 'Tarawih' marking the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at a road in Karachi, Pakistan. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which is starting Sunday, Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn until dusk and spend time in prayer and contemplation.(AP Photo/Fareed Khan)

Palestinian girls read the Koran in a mosque on the first day of the holy month of Ramadan in the West Bank city of Nablus August 22, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Abed Omar Qusini (WEST BANK RELIGION SOCIETY)

A Saudi man reads the Koran at Al-Feryaan mosque during the Muslim month of Ramadan in downtown Riyadh August 22, 2009. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA RELIGION SOCIETY)

A Pakistani Muslim recites holy book 'Quran' in Mohabbat Khan mosque in Peshawar, Pakistan on Saturday, Aug. 22, 2009. During the Islamic holy month of Ramadan which is starting Sunday, Muslims abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex from dawn until dusk and spend time in prayer and contemplation. (AP Photo/Mohammad Sajjad)

An Indonesian man examines a giant Muslim holy book of Quran on display in an exhibition held to mark the beginning of the holy fasting month of Ramadan at a hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, Friday, Aug. 21, 2009. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. The Quran that was handwritten by two Muslim scholars was 2 x 1.5 meters (6.5 x 4.9 ft.) and weighs at 300 kilograms (660 lbs). (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)

A Palestinian Muslim man, decorates an alley of Jerusalem's old city with festive lights in preparation for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, Friday, Aug. 21, 2009. The holy month of Ramadan, when observant Muslims fast from dawn to dusk, will begin Saturday. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Unidentified Bahraini men search the sky over Hamad Town, Bahrain, on Friday, Aug. 21, 2009, for the new moon that signals the start of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. Several predominately Muslim nations are beginning Ramadan, a month of prayer, fasting and charitable giving, on Saturday. (AP Photo/Hasan Jamali)

I'm Back!

2009-08-13T22:17:00.007-04:00

As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh!

After a nice loooong holiday in good ol' T.O I'm back in Regina getting ready for the most blessed month of the year, Ramadhan! May Allah (swt) give us the ability (and life) to take full benefit (to the max) of the Holy Month.

For those wondering if I miss T.O-- I do. But not that much. Just the thought of Ramadhan getting closer doesn't make me miss it that much. I'm just so excited!!
Yay!

About my summer, I'll explain it when I post the pictures up inshaAllah. Right now, I'm just busy with a Ramadhan Series (Seerah is on hold until after Eid) for sisters in highschool and university. So if you fall under that catagory and live in Regina, come and join us inshaAllah. My wonderful husband (mashaAllah) will also be doing a Family Halaqah this Saturday inshaAllah, so if you don't fall into the former catagory then this one should do it as it is for everyone!

Like the amateur poster? It's by yours truly! As you can see, I'm still new with CorelDraw...more about that later!

Until then, I promise I'll be updating sooner then you think inshaAllah! :)

Day in pictures --BBC News

2009-06-17T22:05:00.004-04:00

Day in pictures --BBC News

Israeli children from Muslim, Christian and Jewish families prepare a banner which will be taken into space by Nasa in November and displayed in the International Space Station.

Robbery Gone Horribly Right!

2009-06-06T22:50:00.003-04:00

SubhanAllah, this video can bring a smile on anyone's face for sure :)

Allahu Akbar!

Microsoft Unveils New Controller--BBC News

2009-06-02T23:40:00.005-04:00

I honestly don't even know where to begin with this. The Wii console doesn't seem like much after this. It's strange, but I have a mixed feeling about this new technology. I mean it seems really "cool" and it's definitely a great leep forward in technology. However I was just thinking, wouldn't it take one away from reality a bit too much? Movies and the like slightly (or more then slightly) do but this really, really would...but I don't know, take a look and let me know what you think. Allahu A'lam we'll see how far this gets and how fast.

I tried putting the video on my blog, but it came out so big, so just click on the link below to view it. Watch the second video first, then the first.

Microsoft unveils new controller --BBC NEWS

Youth Tarbiyah Conference 2009

2009-05-27T18:59:00.006-04:00

Oh My Allah!

I. Am. Like. So excited! I can't wait! I just can't wait to go to T.O!

InshaAllah I will be going to Toronto this summer for a visit, and as you can probably tell, I can't wait! Don't get me wrong. Regina's not that bad. It's just that I was born and raised in the GTA, so it's kinda hard not to miss it. Everyday, since our tickets were booked, I've been saying to my husband and everyone here in Regina, "I can't wait to go home!" Yeah, I still consider it home- so what? You'd call it the same too...

Anyways let's get back to the topic of this post. We were originally planning to come in the first week of July, but my husband found out that the Youth Tarbiyah Conference (YTC) will be on the last weekend of June, so we decided we can't miss that. Therefore, we will be coming a bit earlier so we can go to the YTC inshaAllah! See, that's how amazing it is. It's definitely something to look forward to. I missed out on Path to Piety unfortunately, but Allah Ta'ala has blessed us with another opportunity to seek ilm (knowledge) and be around those with ilm inshaAllah.

I can't emphasize it more- well maybe I could, but I think this trailer says it all mashaAllah!

--

PART 2 for Brothers and Sisters Seeking to get Married

2009-05-21T23:46:00.015-04:00

So, everyone’s been making du’as right? See, that’s why I posted the second part so late. It gives you ample time to make du’a! Okay, okay, that’s not the reason. That’s just an excuse I thought of a few days ago when I felt guilty for not finishing it sooner, hehe. So, please forgive me and Allah Ta’ala will reward you for your patience with me! I actually finished this post a week after the last post, but it had to undergo some editing (through procrastination and whatnot). I had to put my foot down, and make sure I posted this today! Alhamdulillah I've managed.

Part 2

Make sure you continue to make du’a, whether you are ready to propose/accept a marriage proposal, planning a wedding (engaged) or even if you are already married. As Muslims, we should always and always be making du’a for everything (not only for marriage!). I thought I should just make that clear. Just in case.

Now lets start from before the stage of proposing/accepting marriage proposals. Basically, readying yourself before you start proposing or accepting marriage proposals. It’s really important that before you come to that stage, you are presentable. What I mean here is that for example, if a sister wants a good pious husband, then she should be doing proper hijab. Now that’s not the reason for doing hijab, it should only be for the sake of Allah Ta’ala, but if you’re not, then how can you expect Allah Ta’ala to give a good, pious husband to you? Remember, you want someone who can help you become closer to Allah Ta’ala but don’t expect someone to make you start wearing hijab after you get married. That’s not very easy for a man, and you’re intentions may be shaky. So do yourself a favour and start practicing like a Muslim woman should, for the sake of Allah Ta’ala. He’ll help you with the rest (meaning everything in this world and the next) inshaAllah.

It goes for the brothers too. Don’t go expecting a good Muslimah if you’re walking around with your pants falling off, girly faced (be a man and grow a beard!), and smoking (whether it be cigarettes or drugs, it’s all haram anyways!) Remember to change your condition for Allah Ta’ala, turn towards Him (do taubah) and He will help you in both worlds.

The reason why I started with your dressing is because the eyes see first. What people see on you, your ‘outward’ image, is how you will be judged by others. Let’s think of it this way; if a sister sees you dressed like a gangster or a punk, how do you think you’ll be perceived and which Muslimah would want to be your wife? Same example for the sisters, if you dress flauntingly or ‘simply’ showing your beauty to the world, how do you think you’ll be perceived and which Muslim man would want to be your husband? If you want a pious spouse who will respect you, fulfill your rights and treat you with Taqwa (fear and consciousness of Allah Ta’ala), you should be deserving of that. If you saw a sister or a brother looking like that, would you want them to be your spouse? Your spouse is for a lifetime inshaAllah. You want to make sure you’re with someone who knows your rights as a husband/wife and who will spiritually bring you closer to Allah Ta’ala making your Iman stronger. You also want a good parent for your future children and someone who will help you raise them to be the best of Muslims.

The next point is, DO NOT GET INTO ANY SORT OF RELATIONSHIPS BEFORE MARRIAGE! Unless of course you want problems later with your spouse because it will make any brother or sister hesitant or unwilling to propose/ accept a proposal. Also, no husband/wife likes hearing and knowing that their significant other had a relationship before marriage with someone else.

So there might be a lot of you out there who don’t get into a relationship before marriage. But it’s not only about that. It’s also about what can lead to it too. You might not even be in a relationship but why would you do things that may lead to it or make it appear as though you are. To make it clear, avoid things like,

· Mingling with the opposite gender
· Talking and being “friends” with the opposite gender (no such thing as being friends with a non-mahram in Islam! Just watch this, Ask Baba Ali - "We're Just Friends")
· Hanging out with the opposite gender
· Having the opposite gender on your msn, and chatting (IM) with them
· Talking or texting with the opposite gender on you cell phone

Islam is so perfect. Allah Ta’ala has already made ways for us to avoid getting into these sorts of situations. First off, Allah Ta’ala says to the believing men,

“Tell the mu’mineen men that they should lower their gazes and guard their chastity.” (24:30)

In the next verse, He gives the same order to the believing women to emphasize the importance of this issue. Allah Ta’ala says:

“And tell the believing women that they should lower their gazes and preserve their chastity.” (24:31)

Umar (Radhiallahu ‘Anho) reports that our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu ‘alaihi wa sallam) has said, “Whenever a man and women are together in solitude, Shaitan is the third person with them.” (Tirmidhi)

See how simple it is? I mean, I know it’s tempting and seems very harmless, but do you really want to fall into those sins? These types of actions (sins) bring undesirable consequences in both worlds and if not in this world, definitely in the next. The displeasure of Allah Ta’ala brings no blessings. Just avoid these things and you won’t have to worry about getting into a relationship (even if you ‘think’ or try to make yourself ‘think’ that the person is the one!) because if it doesn’t work out, and in many, many, many cases it doesn’t work out. Then you’ll have problems proposing/accepting a proposal, because the person at the other end of it will be very hesitant indeed. If you think they won’t find out, then you’re only fooling yourself. Everything travels through the wind; well actually, it’s more like through the aunties, khalas, uncles, text messages, and things like facebook, twitter and message boards. Yeah, you know what I mean.

If you are proposing/accepting a marriage proposal then you have a right to ask people that may know that person about them in order to be able to make an informed choice and whoever you ask has to tell you the truth, especially if there was bad and the ugly things that took place in your prospects past.

It is the permissible type of backbiting as mentioned in the books of ahadeeth in the commentary of the hadith where Fatima bint Qays (Radhiyallahu ‘Anha) said, "I went to the Prophet(Sallalahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam), and said, 'Abu'l-Jahm and Mu'awiya have both proposed marriage to me.' The Messenger of Allah (Sallalahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) said, 'Mu'awiya is poor and without property. Abu'l-Jahm does not put down the staff from his shoulder.'" [Agreed upon]

In a version of Muslim, "As for Abu'l-Jahm, he beats women," which explains the transmission, "He does not put down the staff from his shoulder." It is also said to mean he travels a lot. (Taken from Riyadus Saliheen, hadith 1533)

So it’s REALLY important not to get into these things. It’s a sin to begin with, and it can really mess life up for anyone in both worlds. Remember, it’s out of fear of Allah Ta’ala’s wrath and displeasure that we should be avoiding these things. So that is the primary reason why we shouldn’t get into them. However, I just want to make clear that in many cases this sin has very serious repercussions in this world also that will haunt a person for a great part of their life. Besides, I’m sure we’ve all heard stories where proposals never worked out, because of situations like these.

Be strong! Have Taqwa!

Now I know some of you may be asking, “What about love marriage? Is there love marriage in Islam?” SubhanAllah, I always get that question from the sisters. Maybe it’s all the romance novels, love songs and romantic movie flicks giving us the impression that we can’t get married with someone without being in love first! We all know that dating is not allowed in Islam, and if, Islamically, you can’t get into a relationship before marriage then obviously there is no “falling in love” before marriage! See, true love actually comes after nikkah,

Ibn Abbas (Radhiyallahu ‘Anhu) narrates that Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) has said, "We have not seen anything that creates love between two individuals such as nikah." (Ibn Majha)

So, whatever you’re feeling now is either infatuation or love but it’s definitely not the love that Allah Ta’ala places in your hearts when you get nikkah done

As Allah Ta’ala says in Surah ar-Room, “Also among His Signs is that He has created spouses for you from yourselves so that you may find solace (peace and rest) with them and He has placed (tremendous) love and (a great deal of) mercy between you. There are certainly Signs in this for the people who contemplate.” (30:21)

This is what we learn from the Qur’an and Hadeeth. Allah Ta’ala has promised us love between the spouses after marriage while our beloved Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) has informed us that there is nothing more effective in creating love then nikah. This should be enough for us. Even if we ask for a more logical explanation, we will find many reasons why the love that is born after marriage is by far superior to the infatuation that is found before marriage.

Here is something that was once explained to me: When a boy and girl are “going out”, they are in the courting phase. If we look at animals in nature, we see that when this courting phase is in effect the male will showoff whatever beauty he has while doing all types of dances to impress and attract the female. It’s exactly the same thing with humans. The only difference is that in humans it takes place in both the male and female.

So basically, what happens when a couple is dating, is that, for the most part, both of them only see the good things that the other has to offer. So, before the marriage takes place they have already seen all the good things. The only things left to see, are the bad habits and traits that will only become apparent when they start living together. When they do get married and start seeing things that they have never seen before, a person begins to question whether he/she made the right decision. This obviously has a very bad effect on the happiness in the marriage and can ultimately, in the long run, cause the marriage to break down.

On the other hand, when a boy and girl get married in the sunnah fashion, which is that the boy sees the girl and they talk a little in the presence of others so that they get to know one another a little bit. After this, if both are satisfied, they will do Istikharah where they ask Allah Ta’ala to guide them in doing what is best for their deen and dunya. If this goes well the boy will send a proposal and the girl has the choice of accepting this proposal.

When these two individuals get married, they will both see the good as well as the not so good. In this stage of the marriage, it will be easy to accept the faults of the spouse because of the intense love that Allah places in the hearts of both spouses (Especially in the beginning!). So, in this way the faults don’t have such an adverse effect on the marriage as in the case of the love marriage.

If you do get yourself into a situation where you’re “in love” (note that it’s in quotation marks), then you need to get married asap. Get the walis involved, and let them arrange it and make preparations for the nikkah in the proper manner. Don’t prolong the haram. Make it halal as soon as you can. (This obviously doesn’t mean that someone should take this course if they are not already in this sad state!)

The next thing to sort out is your expectations. You should have some expectations in what you’re looking for in a spouse. You can ask your friends and families for some tips too. However, you must refrain from setting your expectations too high, because that will only lead to failure and disappointment. Always keep in mind this golden hadith,

Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) has said, "A woman is married for her wealth, her reputation, her beauty, or her religion. Choose the religious one so that you may prosper." [Bukhari].

This Hadeeth goes for both the brothers and the sisters.

So the brothers should expect things like, a hijabi sister who is modest and is practicing, who has good qualities (hayah, adab, ilm, etc.), who comes from a good family and who is good looking, etc. A sister should expect things like, a practicing brother who has a beard, goes to the Masjid often and has knowledge (ilm). Then look at whether he has a good job (Is he able to take care of your needs? doesn’t have to be a doc!), is he from a good family, good looking, etc. We know looks, money, status are definitely things to consider and they are there in the back of our minds, but that shouldn’t be the primary factor for marriage, or as some say, “the make or break factor”. Marrying someone who is religious and who has ilm, is essential because they will know how to treat you and know your rights as a spouse. If they have taqwa, they will never go against your rights even in the hard times.

A lot of times when people have high expectations with all the factors, usually the last 3, it becomes unrealistic, resulting in it being very, very hard to get married. If you’re looking for Mr. or Mrs. Perfect, you’ll be looking for a very long time until you’re old and no one wants to marry you. Then you’ll just give in on anyone, or not get married at all. That’s the reality my dear sisters and brothers! This happens very often, and it’s sad and depressing for the families that have to go through with it as well. There’s a limit for everything, and you can’t always have what you want. Everyone has some kind of fault in them and no one is perfect. And if the parents are the one’s with the high expectations, you should talk to them. If they still don’t comprehend the reality, then get a person whose opinion they respect, to talk to them about it and InshaAllah that should help.

The next point I want to mention is generally for the parents. Quite often parents think it’s better for their daughter to get married from their country “back home”. In some cases, it could be, but in many cases in today’s time, it’s not better. It’s worse. The reason is that growing up or even being born here in the western countries is different then being raised in a country back home. The mindset towards life and the expectations in marriage are different. The environment and culture is definitely different and that can cause a barrier and a clash in a marriage. For many of you, it can be a language barrier as well, since some of you probably can’t speak their mother tongue so fluently and the potential spouse may not even know fluent English. For the brothers getting married to someone from back home is in some ways still ok, but for the sisters, it’s taking a huge risk. I remember all my teachers were against getting married to a brother from back home. I know all of you know what I’m talking about, so I’m not going to go in much detail about that.

Nevertheless there are still some sisters for whom the marriage has perfectly worked out well mashaAllah. You know yourself better and only you know if you can handle getting married back home or not. If you can’t, you should really let your parents know and explain to them the pros and cons. I know some parents think there aren’t any decent and pious boys here (See brothers! You need to show the mothers that you’re decent enough!), but you and some family or friends can try to point out some decent and pious brothers who are from here and are married or unmarried still. Ask some married friends of yours to ask their husbands if they know any potential bachelor brothers. So, all the brothers looking to get married, make sure to let your married friends know that you’re looking! Just remember to make du’a, and inshaAllah it will all work out.

The last point I wanted to make clear was about this whole “proposing/accepting” concept. Usually it’s the brother who sends out a proposal to a sister who would either accept it or decline it. However, many have the misunderstanding that it’s only that way and not the other way around. There is actually nothing wrong with a sister sending out a proposal to a brother. We all know how Khadijah (Radhiyallahu ‘Anha) proposed to Rasulullah Sallalahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam so it’s not improper for a sister to do the same.

Unfortunately, it’s a cultural way of thinking. Many think that it’s degrading for a woman to propose while many say that the man (or even his family) will later say, “well, it’s you who proposed to me, you wanted to marry me, I didn’t ask you too…” That’s just sad, but that’s why many sisters (or their families) would never take the risk. I’m sure not all men would do that though. A good, pious man would never do that. Rasulullah (Sallalahu ‘Alaihi Wasallam) and Khadijah (Radhiyallahu ‘Anha) are the examples that we should be following.

InshaAllah on the next part of this series (which is turning out longer then I thought) I’ll go more into detail on the proposing/accepting stage. So, until then, continue to make du’a and change yourself for the sake of Allah Ta’ala to better yourself in this world and in the next.

I'm working on part 2, don't ya worry 'bout it!

2009-04-27T16:07:00.006-04:00

"Part 2 for Brothers and Sisters Seeking to get Married" is coming along and you'll get to read it soon, I promise (InshaAllah!!!)

I’ve just been busy each week with Seerah. I tend to read during the week, but write up everything 1 day or on the very day of the Halaqah (I'm a big procrastinator if you don't already know). Oh if any young sister (in high school or university) living in Regina, Saskatchewan is interested in learning the Seerah of the Prophet (a.s.) it’s never to late to join! Just check out the poster below for more info. I should have posted it before, but unfortunately I just realized now.

By the way, aren't you happy spring is here? I sure am! Alhamdulillah, I survived the long bitter-cold winter in Saskatchewan. So no, I didn't turn into a Popsicle. Well, almost but completely :D

After a spring rainfall in Regina

Vote Earth On Saturday March 28, 2009, 8:30 pm is Earth Hour

2009-03-26T17:05:00.005-04:00

Rasulullah (s.a.w) said, "If any Muslim plants any plant and a human being or an animal eats of it, he will be rewarded as if he had given that much in charity." (Sahih Al-Bukhari, 8:41)

It’s that time again! I remember how amazing it was and how good it felt to take part on Earth Hour. I can honestly say that I’ve changed some of my ways since that day. I know many say, “it’s just one hour, how’s that going to help?” It’s all about awareness and then taking action and changing our ways.

As human beings and especially as Muslims we should take part in this. We can do it with the right intentions and InshaAllah we will be rewarded for trying to take action on saving this planet, making a better place to live and worship Allah (swt).

Allah (swt) has created the Heavens and the Earth for us, and we are the vicegerents of this world, so is it not our responsibility to take care of this Earth? Will Allah (swt) not question us on how much food we waste and on how much water we waste everyday? Will He not question us on how we polluted the earth with toxins harming not just ourselves but also all the living creatures that He (swt) has created? Knowing that all of these creatures are in constant dhikr of Allah, the Most High. Just as this body of ours is an Amana (trust) of Allah (swt) and we will be held accountable for how we used it, the same is with this world and all it contains (water, earth, air, wildlife, etc) that Allah (swt) has created for us to use. The earth is like our mother, we came from her and we will return to her.

“God is one, who sends water down from the sky. For you there is a drink and out of it (grow) shrubs in which you let cattle graze freely. There with for you He makes sown fields, olive, palm trees, and all kinds of fruits grow.” (Surah Al-Nahl 16: 10-11)

There are millions of people (many of them Muslims) with no clean water, no food and here we are continuously consuming, and wasting everything we have.

So spread the word, vote earth and turn off your lights for an hour. In that time we can do dhikr of Allah (swt) and spend time with our families talking and reflecting on how we live in this world and what we can do to change it for the better.

Check out these links for more info:

http://www.earthhour.org/home/
Ecology in Islam: Protection of the Web of Life a Duty for Muslims
Islam: Environmental Protection
Islam and Earth Day
Environment In The Eyes Of Islam
AN ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE OF ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS
Islam and the Environment

Part 1 for Brothers and Sisters Seeking to get Married

2009-03-23T02:08:00.005-04:00

Part 1 for Brothers and Sisters Seeking to get Married

Just as I promised, my post for people seeking to get married! This is Part 1, because it turned out so long and I know some of you see a long post and just don’t feel like reading it.

Well, I hope inshaAllah that it helps all the seekers out there. This first post is all about making du’a, because it all starts from there. Islamically we can’t date, “There is no courtship in Islam!” as many like to say, so how do you start looking for the right person? You don’t start with looking; you start with asking for the right person. We don’t know our future, who will come into our lives and heck, we don’t even know our very own selves, so why not ask the one who knows everything and all! Of course that’s Allah (swt), our Creator. And SubhanAllah, the beauty of it all is that He (swt) wants us to ask Him, so why not!

“Invoke Him only, making your religion sincere to Him” (Qur’an 7:29).

“And your Lord says, ‘Call on Me. I Will answer you [i.e., your prayer]. Surely those who are too proud to serve Me will enter Hell abased’” (Qur’an 40:60).

“And when My servants ask you concerning Me, (tell them) I am indeed near. I respond to the invocation of the supplicant when he calls” (Qur’an 21:187)

“Invoke your Lord with humility and in secrecy” (Qur’an 7:55)

“So invoke Allah making your worship pure for Him” (Qur’an 40:14)

Anas bin Malik (r.a) relates that Rasulullah (s.a.w); said, “Du’a is the essence of Ibadah (worship)” (Tirmidhi)

Abu Hurairah’s narrated that Rasulullah (s.a.w) said; “Anyone who does not invoke Allah, will cause Allah to be angry with him.” (Ahmad)

He also narrated a Hadith in which Rasulullah (s.a.w) said, “There is nothing as venerable in the sight if Allah as du’a” (Tirmidhi)

Ibn Abbas(RA) narrated that Rasulullah (s.a.w) said; “If you ask, ask Allah and if you seek help, seek help from Allah.” (Ahmad, Tirmidhi)

He (s.a.w) also said, Du’a is a weapon of the believer, a pillar of Islam, and the light of the heavens and the earth” (Mustadrak)

Start making du’a for a good spouse now, even if you’re only 15 years old. I remember when I went for Hajj, my mother explicitly told my sisters and I that we had to make du’a for a good husband, and I was just disgusted. I said something along the lines of, “Ew! A husband? I’m only 15; I’m not getting married right now! That’s gross!” She told me it didn’t necessarily mean now, but it would be for whenever I did get married so that I wouldn’t end up with a bad husband. It made sense so I started making du’a for the perfect husband. Obviously my expectations changed as I got older and what not, but I didn’t stop with the du’as until the very end, and I’m still doing it (For my one and only of course).

So through experience I can guarantee that it works, alhamdulillah! I had a huge list of what I wanted my hubby to be like, I had all the details I could think of (don’t worry, I didn’t go too extreme), and I made sure that whenever I made du’a I would go through the whole list. Call me crazy, but having faith in Allah (swt)’s control of your life, is all you need. Alhamdulillah for me, I got my gift perfectly wrapped and made by Allah (swt), just the way I wanted, mashaAllah. But you know, at the end of the day, if someone did make their du’as and they didn’t get what they wanted, we must remember that Allah (swt) knows us inside out, more then we know ourselves and does things with His infinite wisdom.

Remember to make proper du’as with all its adaab (etiquettes, to read more on the etiquettes of making du’a, click here. You can make detailed du’as like these, “Oh Allah (swt) give me a spouse who is amongst those that you love and favour, who loves You and your Nabi (s.a.w), who will bring me closer to You, who will love me and make me happy for your sake, who will have taqwa especially in matters of our marriage, who has ilm of your deen, who’s family has taqwa, who’s family will accept me as their own, he/she who will me be the coolness of my eyes, who will help me become a better person, who will accept who I am, who is intelligent, humorous, romantic, caring, down to earth,, soft, loves to read, go out, have fun, play sports/games, etc, etc, etc, etc….these are just examples of what you could be asking for. You don’t need to go to extreme details, like asking for a spouse with certain features, hairstyle, etc. Now that would just be crazy.

Another great du’a to always say, married or not,

Rabbana hab lana min azwajina wa dhurriyyatina qurrata a’yun(iw), wa `j’alna li `l-muttaqina imaman.
Our Lord! Grant us spouses and offspring that wil be the comfort of our eyes, and give us [the grace] to lead the righteous. (Qur’an 25:74)

Here are some du’as I found from Sunnipath.com,

“Some scholars have mentioned that it is good to make the Qur'anic du`a, "Rabbana aatina fi'd dunya hasana wa fi'l aakhirati hasana wa qina `adhab an-nar." [O Lord! Grant us good in this life, and good in the next, and save us from the torment of the Fire] (Qur'an, 2: 200), intending a suitable and righteous spouse with "fi'd dunya hasana" (good in this life).

This is taken from one of the more specific explanations of this verse, as mentioned by major imams of tafsir such as Khazin, though the most general meanings of good are understood to be primarily meant. [see: Hashiyat al-Jamal `ala al-Jalalayn, 1.161] “
“The best of duas are those that are heart-felt. Make dua from your heart, out of neediness and slavehood.”

Also from Sunnipath,

“Aum Alawi (Habib 'Ali's sister) went back home and our hearts feel like a piece is missing. She taught us girls a du'a/dhikr for a good spouse (actually, I'm not sure if it is specifically for a husband or for just a spouse in general, I never asked):

It's the ayah:
Rabbi innee limaa anzalta ilayya min khayrin faqeer
136x's everyday
[My lord, I am in absolute need of the good You send me]”

I had also read this du’a but I found it in a book, but I can’t remember from which book…

Performing the Prayer of Need (Salat al-Haja) also helps! It’s very simple, and you can read about how to perform it and what to read here.

Don’t forget to ask others to make du’a for you also, like your parents. Well, we know our mothers probably started making du’a for us from the moment, if not before we were even born, so that helps!

So what’s next you ask? Part 2! Keep a lookout for it! InshaAllah, it’ll be posted soon.

--

Path to Piety April 2009

2009-03-23T01:33:00.007-04:00

Every time I see links and emails regarding the events being held in the GTA it makes me really miss home! Path to Piety brings back a lot of good memories and that conference just blew my mind away last year mashaAllah. Unfortunately, I remember the days leading up to the conference with not having high hopes for it, but SubhanAllah it had in every way exceeded everything including all hopes and expectations. MashaAllah.

I had learned so much especially at the workshop, I still have my notes and look through them often. Shaykh Hussain's workshop really changed great aspects in my life since then, Alhamdulillah. So there really is something to look forward too. Take advantage with what you have and are getting oh people of the GTA! I really wish I could be there for it this year, looks very promising but alas, I won't be able to.

So go for it! I mean it’s a great blessing to have such notable scholars close to you for 3 days just teaching Ilm. It’s the perfect opportunity to gain closeness to Allah (swt), to earn His pleasure and bank in on some rewards inshaAllah. To everyone going, please remember me in your du’as while you’re there, also remind my sister to give me a text message so I can call her and listen in to bits of the talks inshaAllah.

good news and bad news

2009-03-12T12:24:00.003-04:00

Oh I got some good news and some bad news. Let's start with the bad news, unfortunately I'm not doing Riyadus Saliheen anymore at the halaqah . I decided to stop as I'll be starting a Seerah series for the youth sisters (high school and university) every week. So Riyadus Saliheen is on hold for now on the blog as well. The good however, is that I was thinking I'd post some tips on marriage and tips for those wanting to get married inshaAllah. That should be interesting, no? Yeah, I know some of you would love to read it! I guess I'll start with those wanting to get married then.

So you'll have to check back again for the next update. Don't worry, I'll make sure it's soon, inshaAllah!

A Little About Imam Nawawi (rahmatullah 'alaihi)

2009-02-27T21:58:00.006-05:00

Riyad us-Saliheen (the Meadows of the Righteous)

Compiled by Al-Imam Abu Zakariya Yahya bin Sharaf An-Nawawi Ad-Dimashqi (rahmatullah 'alaihi)

Imam Nawawi was a great Shafi’i scholar born in Nawa, a place near Damascas, in the year 631A.H. Just to summarize his youth, a very pious person from Nawa, Shaikh Yasin bin Yousuf Marakashi had noticed him as a boy not playing with children his own age but keeping busy with the recitation of the Holy Qur’an. When the children urged him to join them, he refused to join their foolish actions. Shaikh Yasin then saw greatness in young Imam Nawawi and went to his teacher and urged him to take special care of him as he was to become a great Islamic scholar, and one of the most pious figures in the future. The teacher questioned him as to whether he was some sort of a soothsayer or an astrologer. Shaikh Yasin told him he was neither a soothsayer nor and astrologer but Allah (swt) had caused him to utter these words. The teacher relayed this incident to Imam Nawawi’s father and from there, his father made sure that his son would dedicate his life for Ilm and to promote Islam.

Imam Nawawi then went to Damascus to study under great scholars and sacrificing even from his needs like sleep and food for Ilm. During his stay in Damascus alone, he studied under many great scholars (more then 20). Then there were hundreds of students that he taught as well. He had a great desire for learning and was blessed with many gifts and qualities from Allah (swt) like fast memory, depth of thought, concentration, absorption of Ilm, his simplicity of life, piety, teaching, excellent character, etc.

He has written many books on different subjects like, Al-Minhaj fil Sharh Sahih Muslim, Sharh Sahih Al-Bukhari, Tabaqat Ash-Shafi’iyahm Munaqib0 ush-Shafi’i, and many more.

He died at the age of 45 in the year, 676 A.H.

May Allah (swt)’s Mercy be upon him.

I'm not the best at summarizing but I am trying and inshaAllah by the time I get half way through the book I'll be a pro! I could type out the whole thing at I do at the Halaqah, but that goes from 30-45min so I don't think my blog will stay alive if I try to do that. You all know I'm not as regular with posting anymore so for now summaries it is. Unless that is you want to come all the way to the Prairies and listen to me babble on and on--yeah, I'm not that popular. Make du'a that Allah (swt) helps me with the Halaqahs and the blog summaries.

--

Riyadus Saliheen

2009-02-27T01:04:00.005-05:00

So it’s been a while since I’v updated, I just can’t make up my mind on what to post about. I came on my blog and I ‘noticed’ that I last posted on January 5^th, that’s when I signed in on to blogger.com. And since I’v been reading/teaching from Riyadus Saliheen (with commentary) on our weekly sister’s halaqah’s I thought I’d share a bit and summarize from each chapter inshaAllah. I’ll start with a short summary of Imam Nawawi’s biography, which I will post later today inshaAllah, I just have to check a few things before I post, so keep checking for updates!

Racial Equality

2009-02-27T00:50:00.004-05:00

Racial Equality

Source: Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) & Jami'yyatul Ulama Canada (CCMT)

Throughout history mankind has always been plagued with problems and arguments based on the principles of social classification. We have always been trying to find a concrete platform on which to base social classification and merit. Many have opted for lineage and some for financial standing to classify people into different brackets. Perhaps the most hurtful and shameless has been the common tendency to classify people on the basis of colour or race with one race being regarded as superior to the other. In essence, the overriding point of the matter is that whatever means of social classification and distinction were derived by man, they lead to nothing but strife, hatred and generations of bitter conflict.

Such tendency towards discrimination was also very prevalent amongst the Arabs in the time of Rasulullah (saw). The blacks were generally regarded as inferior and fit only to be slaves, while social pride and standing based on which tribe or lineage an individual belonged to was something synonymous with the Arabs who very often made such fickle and petty grounds the basis for years of bloodshed and killing.

Islam being the only code of conduct and mode of lifestyle which would enable mankind to exist in perfect harmony and peace has beautifully addressed this burning issue and thus emancipated mankind from the shackles of racial discrimination.

In order to fully understand the Islamic viewpoint on this issue, let us briefly reflect on one or two incidents of the period of Rasulullah (saw). After the conquest of Makkah, Rasulullah (saw) gave Hadhrat Bilal (RA) the singular honour of climbing onto the Kaabah and calling out the Adhaan for the first time. Till Qiyaamat nobody else was ever going to be given the distinction of being allowed to stand on the roof of the Kaabah to call out the Adhaan. The choice of an individual who was black and a former slave for this position of tremendous merit and prestige was like a slap in the face for the disbelievers of Makkah, in whom the fire of racial and class discrimination burned so strongly. It was not surprising that one of them passed the comment, 'I offer thanks to Allah Taãla that my father passed away without having to witness this disgraceful day.' Harith bin Hishaam retorted, 'Could not Muhammad (saw) find anybody else besides this black crow to call out the Adhaan?' Such was the divine rejection of such ignorance that Jibraaeel (AS) was sent to the Prophet (saw) with the following revelation:

'O People! Verily We have created you from a man and woman and we made you into various tribes and creeds for the purpose of mutual recognition (not discrimination and racial pride). Verily the most prestigious and honoured amongst you is he who fears Allah Taãla most. Verily Allah Taãla is all Knowing. All Aware' (Surah 49 : 13)

On that same day, having completed his Tawaaf, Rasulullah (saw) addressed the people saying, 'O People! Allah Taãla has abolished all forms of discrimination based on lineage or creed, etc. There are only two categories and classes of men. A pious and God-fearing individual is honoured in the sight of Allah Taãla while a disobedient and sinful individual is debased and valueless in the sight of Allah Taãla.' Thereafter he recited the abovementioned verse clearly illustrating the Islamic concept that the only basis of distinction and honour is the piety of an individual. (Tirmidhi; Baghawi)

So firmly was this concept entrenched practically into the Sahaaba (RA) that once Rasulullah (saw) overheard Abu Dharr (RA) addressing a black Sahaabi with whom he was arguing as 'O son of a black slave'. He was severely rebuked and reprimanded by Rasulullah (saw) who said to him, 'You are a person in whom the remnants of ignorance still remain.' The lives of Sahaaba are replete with incidents enunciating the beautiful principles and guidelines given by Islam on this matter. In essence, all men have originated from Aadam (AS) who was himself made from sand. Hence, how can these frivolous things ever form the basis of social distinction?

This concept is further supported by the Hadith of Rasulullah (saw), wherein it is reported, 'No Arab holds greater esteem over a non-Arab; nor a Black person over a red person; except on the grounds of the one having greater Taqwa than the other.' (Tirmidhi)

ISLAMIC MEASURES TO OVERCOME DISCRIMINATION

Cooperation and solidarity among humans. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an: “Cooperate in (what is) virtue and piety but not in (what is) sin and aggression”. (Al-Ma’idah: 2)

Humility and humbleness. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) upon him says: “Allah has revealed to me (to tell you that) you should humble yourselves until none wrongs none and none takes pride over none”. (Saheeh Muslim)

Mercy and compassion toward humans. The Prophet (pbuh) says: “He who has no mercy on humans, Allah has no mercy on him.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

Prohibition of injustice and aggression. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an: “And do not commit aggression for Allah loves not the aggressors.”

Prohibition of envy and hatred. The Messenger of Allah (pbuh) says: “Do not hate each other, do not envy each other, do not turn your back (in hostility) to each other, do not sever ties between you, and be, o servants of Allah, brothers.” (Bukhari & Muslim)

Prohibition of ridicule, contempt, backbiting, and offensive name-calling. Allah Almighty says in the Qur’an: “O you who believe, let not some men among you laugh at others; it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor let some women laugh at others; it may be that the latter are better than the former. Nor defame nor be sarcastic to each other. Nor call each other by (offensive) nicknames; ill-seeming is a name connoting wickedness, (to be used of one) after he has believed. And those who do not desist are (indeed) doing wrong.” (Al-Hujurat: 11)

Prohibition of arrogance, self-admiration and showing off. Allah the Almighty says in the Qur’an: “And swell not your cheek (for pride) at men. Nor walk in insolence through the earth: for Allah loves not any arrogant boaster.” (Luqman: 18)

Source: Jamiatul Ulama (KZN) & Jami'yyatul Ulama Canada (CCMT)

Casualties rise in Gaza offensive --BBC NEWS

2009-01-05T16:57:00.004-05:00

Inside Gaza's al-Shifa hospital

Casualties have been pouring into over-stretched hospitals in the Gaza Strip as Israel presses on with its offensive against Palestinian militant groups...

continue reading here

Propaganda war: trusting what we see? --BBC NEWS

2009-01-03T12:12:00.001-05:00

Propaganda war: trusting what we see?

By Paul Reynolds
World affairs correspondent, BBC News website

Israel has tried to take the initiative in the propaganda war over Gaza but, in one important instance, its version has been seriously challenged.

The incident raises the question of how to interpret video taken from the air.

Israel released video of an air attack on 28 December, which appeared to show rockets being loaded onto a truck. The truck and those close to it were then destroyed by a missile.

This was clear evidence, the Israelis said, of how accurate their strikes were and how well justified. A special unit it has set up to coordinate its informational plan put the video onto YouTube as part of its effort to use modern means of communications to get Israel's case across.

The YouTube video has a large caption on it saying "Grad missiles being loaded onto the Hamas vehicle." As of Saturday morning UK time, more than 260,000 people had watched it.

Different version

It turned out, however, that a 55-year-old Gaza resident named Ahmed Sanur, or Samur, claimed that the truck was his and that he and members of his family and his workers were moving oxygen cylinders from his workshop.

This workshop had been damaged when a building next door was bombed by the Israelis and he was afraid of looters, he said.

The Israeli human rights group B'Tselem put Mr Sanur's account on its website, together with a photograph of burned out oxygen cylinders...

continue reading here!

Our New Home!

2008-12-24T00:18:00.003-05:00

So here are some more pics of our home now that it's all done. I'll just post the pics and then I'll post a long post sharing more about regina soon inshaAllah.

From T.O, ON to Regina, SK

2008-12-18T22:16:00.008-05:00

Well here it is, all the pictures of our drive from Toronto (well actually Malton, people just understand T.O quicker. So no offense to Malton, you are still my home!), Ontario to Regina, Saskatchewan that I promised to upload and share

So as I had posted in a previous post, my husband Shaykh Abdullah, got a position as the Imam for the Masjid in Regina, SK, known as the Islamic Association of Saskatchewan (IAOS). We've been here for exactly a month tomorrow. Alhamdulillah we're settled in and getting used to the place. The people here are just wonderful, especially the Muslim community, MashaAllah. There's over 300 Muslim families here as I been told and the community is really growing mashaAllah. A few families moved in after we did from Ontario, especially from T.O. I just heard on the news that Saskatchewan is No.1 in Canada right now with it's economy, because of it's job opportunities. So I guess this is the place to be right now.

Regina's a pretty nice place, they have a science centre, a museum to a man-made lake. The drivers are much more calm then the drivers in ON that's for sure. You'll always see people jogging outside, especially old folks. There's even a lot more Natives then in T.O. We even have a few Reverts, alhamdulillah. As for the weather here, well you're probably hearing about it in the news. We're getting the cold and icy air from the arctic so it gets from -33 to -44 these days with windchill. Oh and we plug in our cars so the oil doesn't freeze at night, cool huh? (no pun intended).

So yeah there's a bit about Regina. I'll probably be sharing a whole lot more over time. There are a lot of interesting stories and what not to share, but for now I think this is a good introduction. I've placed a slideshow of the pics below. However, if you want to view larger pictures, just click on it and it'll take you to the actual album. From there on the right-hand corner click on "slideshow" for easier viewing. Then there are two short video's I took while we were driving. be warned, I'm no good at video recoding.

Ok, so that's all for now folks, remember me in your du'as and keep checking the blog for more updates inshaAllah!

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Video of while we were driving through Berrie, ON.

Driving through Northern Ontario, very beautiful MashaAllah.

Eid Mubarak!

2008-12-08T01:40:00.004-05:00

As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Eid Mubarak!!!

Well I was hoping that I’d post before Eid, but I didn’t get to it. I’ll spare you all with my excuses. It’s a happy time and May Allah (swt) bless this ummah of His Beloved Nabi (s.a.w) with the true understanding of sacrifice so that we may become of those with Taqwa and May He (swt) shower us with His infinite blessings, mercy, noor, and love on this very blessed day. Ameen.

InshaAllah I’ll do a post about Regina soon as I get all my pictures sorted out, I can’t wait to post them! There’s a video or two as well. It should be soon, I mean I’ve finally uploaded them and deleted the blurry ones now I have to pick the ones I want to post. Then InshaAllah I’ll get to posting them online. Okay you’re probably thinking, “great, she’s just going to post this in January now…” InshaAllah that won’t happen!! I’ll do it as soon as I can. :D

I'm Moving!

2008-11-03T18:03:00.005-05:00

Okay I know it's been very long since I've posted, but with so many things going on right now I just hardly feel like sitting down and updating, or you can just call it being lazy to update. I would think of random posts to write since the last real post but I could never get down to it. Then today after I decided that I must post, I thought I should put all the thoughts (I actually forgot many of them so just some of them) into points and post in 1 BIG (or medium) blog post!

So here they are, all the updates and random thoughts:

It's FALL!!!! Oh the horror! I still remember seeing the first brown leaf on our drive way and I pointed at it in distress to my husband, crying (not literally!) about summer ending. Now I'll have to embrace the wind chills and piles of snow, and not just any winter, I'm going to have to get ready for Regina, Saskatchewan's winter! Yup, you just read Regina, and that's were I'm moving too.

So I guess that's the second point. I'm moving out of the GTA (Greater Toronto Area) were I was born, raised, and married to the other side (the western side) of Canada, aka the Prairies. I would have never thought I'd be moving there someday...but here I am packing away all my things and planning our move to Regina inshaAllah, in 2 weeks. My husband got an offer to be the Imam at the Masjid in Regina and he took it after we went to see it, talked about it with our families and finally doing istikharah. So lot's of du'as needed! We'll be moving on Nov., 16 inshaAllah. It's exciting and sad at the same time, and sometimes one of them is more then the other...I'm pretty sure you can guess which one, please remember us in your du'as!

The conservatives are in Parliament again. yippy! (in a very sarcastic tone) The liberals are a disgrace, and I never liked Dion from the start. They seriously need to step up and to go over what it means to be Liberal and not the babbling group of opposition in Parliament. Someone like Trudeau is needed to be the head of the Liberals.
I wonder (as does the rest of the world, since it effects us all) who will be the head in the white house...

Tina Fey is just too good, and I just don't like Palin, she's the wrong chess move that McCain made. So far that move isn't helping him, I guess we'll see for sure tomorrow.

I played Nintendo Wii yesterday at my sis-in-law's with my husband. All I can say is, it's too much fun! :D

Man, the GTA is becoming so dangerous now. From shootings and stabbings to all the schools (including the elementary schools that I went too) in my hometown going in lock down just a while ago. It's crazy! May Allah (swt) protect us from all harms and evils around us! I mean just a few years ago, you would hardly hear about murders and gun violence on the news. Unfortunately now, it's an everyday thing. It's all to do with the drugs, the guns (coming from the border...), the weak justice system and the weak education system here.

I just stopped teaching at Lote Tree on Thursday and we had a little party with my class. Oh, I'm really going to miss them all, teaching them was definitely a pleasure, alhamdulillah. They were really good kids mashaAllah.

My poor ipod stopped working, I don't know why, but I miss playing it while I'm in the kitchen. It was the first most expensive thing I bought with my own money about 3 yrs ago. It works when I connect it to the computer but otherwise it just doesn't work! :(

So now I'm running out of things to write, so I'll just stop here. I'll update again, at least once or twice before I leave InshaAllah.

A small bunch of flowers that one of my students gave me last week.

Collin Powell Endorses Obama

2008-10-24T17:19:00.002-04:00

Collin Powell Endorses Obama

watch the video here on msnbc!!!

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The Night Preceding Eid ul Fitr

2008-09-29T21:42:00.002-04:00

A girl prays at Al-Wehadat Palestinian refugee camp on the last day of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in Amman September 29, 2008.REUTERS/Ali Jarekji (JORDAN)

I can't believe Ramadhan is almost and practically over! It just flew by! No, it actually zoomed by! It's just so sad... May Allah (swt) accept all our acts of worship and all our du'as, May He (swt) forgive our never-ending sins, save us from His punishments and enter us into Jannatul Firdaws.

So Eid Mubarak to those celebrating Eid tomorrow...yeah, it's just wierd knowing that after reading that it's going to be impossible to see the moon today but there's a small possibility of seeing it in the Ploynesian Islands (Moonsighting.com) And there's Isna who announced Oct. 1st to be Eid... we'll just be following the Sunnah and wait for the news tomorrow evening (T.O Hilal committee and Cresent Watch)

Ahh! I have soooo much left too do!

Remember me in your du'as all!

The Night Preceding Eid ul Fitr

It has been the practice of the Holy Prophet (PBUH) that he would not sleep in the night preceding the day of Eidul-fitr. This night has been named in a Hadith “Lailatul Jazaa” - the night of reward.

It means Allah bestows his rewards to those who have spent the month of Ramadan abiding by the dictates of Shari’ah, and all their prayers in this night are accepted. Therefore, it is desirable to perform nafl prayers in this night.

The Propet (PBUH) is reported to have said: “Who ever stands in worship in the nights preceding the two Eids expecting rewards from his heart will not die when the other hearts will die. (Ibn Majah)

To benefit from this opportunity, one should perform as much worship in this night as he can, and should pray for all his needs and desires.

Source: Mufti Taqi Usmani

Labbayk, Rhymes of Praises

2008-09-29T00:28:00.003-04:00

I've been meaning to share this new nasheed album that's been out in the UK for a while now. I haven't gotten it as of yet, but I do plan too inshaAllah.

The group is called Labbayk, and their new album is called Rhymes of Praise. MashaAllah it has no instruments and no duff, just voice! (You know how much I prefer that, and there's not too many options out there with voice-only nasheeds)

So alhamdulillah and mashaAllah they sound great and their words are beautiful too (from whatever I've heard in the samples). So here's 2 of teh videos that are out, and the link to their site.

Rhymes of Praises

Muslim Aid Ramadan Nasheed by Mujahid ul-Haq (ft. Labbayk)
by mazi2u

Church makes Ramadan fast meals

2008-09-22T21:21:00.001-04:00

Church makes Ramadan fast meals --BBC

A Christian church in the Indonesia city of Solo is providing meals for fasting Muslims during Ramadan in the hope it will help build community relations.
Watch video report here.

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Make the Most of the Last Ten Days

2008-09-21T21:04:00.008-04:00

Hundreds of thousands of Muslims circle the Kaaba inside the Grand Mosque during night prayers in the Muslim month of Ramadan in Mecca September 19, 2008

Please remember me, this very sinful sister, in your du'as (and my husband requested du'as as well!), and please forgive me if I've wronged anyone in anyway intentionally or unintentionally.

May Allah (swt) help us take advantage of these last 10 days of Ramadhan, accepting all our worship (small to big) and all our du'as. May He(swt) forgive our sins, save us from His anger, from the fitnas of Shaytan, fitnas of Dajjal, from the love of this dunya, from the diseases of the heart, from all the evil that which is in this dunya, from the punishments of the grave, from the torments of the Day of Judgment and from the fire of hell.

May Allah (swt) through His infinite Mercy and Grace, purify our hearts, minds, souls and nafs, filling it with His Noor and love for Him (swt) and His Rasul (s.a.w) only. May Allah (swt) give us success in both worlds and make us and raise us amongst those that He (swt) loves and favours. May Allah (swt) forgive those that have died and fill their graves with His Noor, mercy and blessings. May Allah (swt) forgive, give sabr, and grant ease to all those believers in hardship and sickness. May the Most Just (swt), help oppressed, give them sabr and give justice to those who know no justice.

We are the ummah of Allah (swt)'s beloved Nabi, Sayyidinah Rasulullah (s.a.w), and today we are drowning in our own sins and in the love of this dunya. We've become deluded to the extent that we take, see, practice, and preach from this deen only we want. Our ignorance and arrogance have made us blind and deluded from the true way of Islam.

Allah (swt) says, "It is the same (to Him) whether any of you conceals his speech or declares it openly, whether he be hid by night or goes forth freely by day. For him (each person), there are angels in succession, before and behind him. They guard him by the command of Allah. Verily, Allah will not change the (good) condition of a people as long as they do not change their state (of goodness) themselves. But when Allah wills a people's punishment, there can be no turning it back, and they will find besides Him no protector." (13:10-11)

Allah (swt), the Most Merciful has given us the Night of Power for a reason, and we all know quite well what that reason is. So lets take advantage of these last 10 days and so that we may purify ourselves and become closer to Him (swt).

Make the Most of the Last Ten Days
Jamiatul Ulama (KZN), www.jamiat.org.za

Greater Than a Thousand Months

"Most certainly We have revealed it in the Night of Power; And what will inform you what is the Night of Power? The Night of Power is greater than a thousan

d months; The angels and Jibraeel (alayhis salaam) descend in it with the permission of your Lord with all decrees; Peace prevails till the rising of dawn." (Surah Qadr)

The Night of Power is indeed unique in every sense. Most befittingly it has been afforded exclusively to the Ummat of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam), which is in itself unique from all previous Ummats (nations). The magnanimous rewards and benefits of this auspicious night also dictate that its occurrence remains partially disclosed. Allah Ta’ala alone knows the true date of Laylatul Qadr and those wanting to earn this night have to vigilantly search for it in the odd nights of the last ten nights of Ramadaan.

The person who finds this night and observes it appropriately earns himself a great fortune, a fortune that will only be realised and appreciated in the hereafter. It has been the practice of Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam), the Sahaba (radiyallahu anhum), Mashaikh, Ulama and generations of Muslims too observe I’tikaaf (seclusion) in the Masjid during the last ten days of Ramadaan in search of this auspicious night.

Ubada bin Saamit (radiyallahu anhu) reports that he asked Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) about "Laylatul Qadr". Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) replied: "It is in Ramadaan, during the last ten days, on the unevenly numbered nights, either the 21st 23rd, 25th, 27th, 29th or the last night of Ramadaan. Whosoever stands in 'Ibadah' (worship) on this night, with sincere faith and conviction of gaining reward, his previous sins will be forgiven. Among the signs of this night is that it is a serene, quiet, shining night, neither hot, nor cold but temperate as if a moon is shining clear, and no meteors are shot at the 'Shayateen' on that night; it lasts until the break of dawn. Another sign is that in the morning, the sun rises without any radiant beams of light, appearing rather like the moon in its fullness. On that day, Allah Ta’ala prohibits the 'Shayateen' from rising up with the sun." (Fazaail A’maal)

May Allah Ta’ala grant us all this auspicious night.

I'tikaaf in the Last Ten Days of Ramadan

The observation of I’tikaaf during the last ten days of Ramadaan was a practice which Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) observed assiduously throughout his life in Madinah Munawwarah. The devotion that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) attached to this beautiful Sunnah can be understood by the fact that on one occasion when he was unable to observe I’tikaaf, due to being out on an expedition, he observed twenty days I’tikaaf the following year.

The spiritual benefits that are attained from this wonderful Sunnah are innumerable. Who can possibly describe the spiritual ecstasy experienced from communicating in solitude with Allah Ta’ala, while one is a guest in the Masjid with the Malaaikah (angels) as his companions.

Undisturbed seclusion in the Masjid is indeed an excellent way to exclusively engage oneself in personal communication with Allah Ta’ala. Away from the comfort of the home, family members and daily work routine, I’tikaaf enhances one’s proximity to Allah Ta’ala and secures the internal and external purification of the Mu’takif .

Remember! Such precious moments come but once a year - and who can guarantee being present for the next Ramadaan.

Hazrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas (radiyallahu anhuma ) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said; "Whosoever performs I’tikaaf for a day thereby seeking the pleasure of Allah Ta’ala, Allah Ta’ala will open three trenches between him and the fire of hell, the width of each (trench) being the distance between the heaven and the earth." (Tabraani)

The Ulama, considering the importance attached by Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) to this noble practice, have ruled it necessary that this Sunnah be observed by at least one member of every locality. Failure to do so will result in the entire locality being guilty of neglecting this great Sunnah.

Ramadan Reruns- Ummah Films

2008-09-12T00:12:00.002-04:00

Just an old reminder video by Baba Ali about Ramadhan, enjoy!

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CityNews: Mississauga Grandfather Held For Ransom For Three Days By Kidnappers

2008-09-11T23:28:00.002-04:00

Mississauga Grandfather Held For Ransom For Three Days By Kidnappers

Thursday September 11, 2008

CityNews.ca Staff

When Kuldip Bhullar walked out of his Mississauga home around 8pm Monday night to go for a walk, it was part of his normal routine.

What happened next was anything but normal.

The 58-year-old grandfather found himself in the middle of a terrifying kidnapping, lured by several suspects and spirited away to a hiding place that may have been in Brampton...

CityNews: Mississauga Grandfather Held For Ransom For Three Days By Kidnappers

" It is done for Me and I will give reward for it..."

2008-09-10T23:15:00.005-04:00

The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said,

"Every good deed of the son of Adam will be multiplied. He will receive ten-fold to seven-hundred-fold reward for a good deed. Allah the Glorious and Majestic has said 'but fasting is exceptional, for it is done for Me and I will give reward for it, since one abandons his passion and food for My sake. There are two occasions of joy for one who fasts, joy when he breaks it and joy when he meets his Lord; and the breath (of an observer of fast) is sweeter to Allah than the fragrance of musk."

[Related by AI-Bukhari and Muslim].

A Muslim girl prays in a madrasa or school during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan on the outskirts of Jammu September 9, 2008. REUTERS/Amit Gupta (INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR)

Just a little note regarding the previous post, Tasawwuf.org has the whole book, "Love for Allah" online. Personally I'm not too into reading books online, but if anyone wants too, click here.

Love For Allah

2008-09-09T22:23:00.004-04:00

A Saudi man reads the Koran during the Muslim month of Ramadan in downtown Riyadh September 7, 2008. REUTERS/Fahad Shadeed (SAUDI ARABIA)

‘Love For Allah” By Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad (translated by Brigadier Ashfaq Ashraf)

is an

amazing book that I recommend everyone read. This book is one of the best

books I’ve read. SubhanAllah, the effects of it can be felt deep inside where it starts (or adds to what was) a flame of great love for Allah (swt). Sadly, for many of us, this flame is on the edge of burning out. I can say for sure that this book can fuel that spark and make it burn inside with great passion. I seriously can’t think of the right words that could do justice to it. You need to read it to experience it. It makes your heart yearn to be closer to Allah (swt), it wakes you from the darkness and leaves your heart filled with awe and love for Him (swt).

I was thinking of sharing something from it, but I just can’t make up mind! I want to share everything but then I’d have to type out the whole book! So inshaAllah, every once in a while I’ll type us a little

something from it. So for now, I thought since it’s Ramadhan and we all read Tarawih, many of us read

a few du’as or praises in between the rakats, and here’s a story behind one of them that was in this book.

A Story About Prophet Ibrahim (a.s)

Once, when Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) was grazing his flock of sheep, a man passed by loudly reciting the following words in praise of Allah (swt):

Suhana dhil mulki wal malakoot , subhana dhil I’zaati wal a’dhmati wal haybati wal quoodrati wal kibriyaee wal jabaroot.

Glorified is the Master of the earthly and heavenly kingdoms. Glorified is the Honored One, the Exalted One, the Venerated One, the Powerful One, the Magnificent One, and the Omnipotent One.

When Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) heard his Beloved (swt) praised with such beautiful words, his heart leaped in exultation. He requested the man to kindly recite the words one more time. The man asked what he would give him in return. Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) replied that he would give half of his flock of sheep. The man complied and repeated the words. Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) was so captivated by these beautiful words that he asked him to repeat the words again. The man asked what he would be given in exchange this time. Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) replied that he would give the remaining half of the flock. The man complied and repeated the words for a third time. Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) was so overcome with ecstasy by these words the he once again implored the man to repeat his words. The man responded, “You have nothing left. Now what will you give me?” Prophet Ibrahim (a.s) replied, “O brother, I will tend your sheep forever if you recite these praises of my Beloved (swt) one more time.” The man then said, “Ibrahim Khalilullah [friend of Allah]. I bring you glad tidings. I am an angel sent by Allah (swt), who told me, “Go and take My name before My Khalil and see how much he values it.”

SubhanAllah.

Page 34

Visually impaired Palestinian students read verses of the Quran, Islam's holiest book, written in Braille, during the holy fasting month of Ramadan at Al-Qabas Islamic school in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2008. The Islamic school is funded by local donations, that usually increase during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

(AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)

Ramadhan Mubarak/Kareem!

2008-09-02T13:04:00.008-04:00

Ibn Khuzaima reported on the authority of Salman al-Farisi that the Prophet (saaw) delivered a Khutbah on the last day of Sh'aban saying:

"O people: You are about to enter the shadow of a great blessed month. A night therein is better than a thousand months. Allah (swt) made fasting during this month an obligation and encouraged people to perform extra prayers during its nights.

Seeking nearness to Allah (swt) through a good deed would be considered like performing an obligatory act of worship. In turn, performance of an obligatory act of worship during this month would be rewarded seventy times more than during any other month. It is the month of patience, and the reward for patience is Jannah. It is the month of comforting others, and the month during which believers would enjoy plentifulness.

The Prophet (s.a.w) went on to say:" Make sure you frequently do four things, two of which would please your Lord and the other two are indispensable for your salvation in the Hereafter. As for the two things that would please your Lord, they are: testifying to the oneness of Allah (swt) and seeking repentance. And the other two are: asking Allah the favour of entering Jannah and seeking refuge in Him from the Hell Fire."

"Whosoever fasts in Ramadan with faith and seeking Allah's reward, all his past sins will be forgiven."
(Bukhari)

Ramadhan Mubarak/Kareem!

Alhamdulillah, Allah (swt) has bestowed upon us yet another year in which we can take advantage of this Blessed month and even for that we must do shukr. Many die before Ramadhan approaches yet many of us are still here, given another opportunity to cleanse, purify, and illuminate our hearts and souls with the mercy and light of Allah (swt) and to be closer to Him (swt). It is the month wherein the Holy Qur’an was revealed to Sayyidinah Rasulullah (s.a.w) on the Night of Power (Laylatul Qadr), the night that is better then a thousand months of worship. SubhanAllah, how great is Allah (swt)’s mercy for the Ummah of His beloved Nabi (s.a.w).

May Allah (swt) make it easy for us during this blessed month to gain guidance, taqwa, ilm, piety, subr, His mercy, His forgiveness and His pleasure. May Allah (swt) save us from the punishments of the grave and hellfire and raise us amongst those that He loves and favours and make our home Jannatul Firdaws. Ameen

Remember me in your du’as (by NAME!) and I ask for forgiveness from anyone who I might have wronged knowingly/unknowingly.

Narrated by Abu Huraira (ra):
The Prophet (s.a.w) said, "Whoever does not give up forged speech and evil actions, Allah is not in need of his leaving his food and drink (i.e. Allah will not accept his fasting.)" [Bukhari Vol. 3: No. 127]

An officer of Brunei's Islamic authority leads a call for prayer or Athaan during the sighting of the new moon for Ramadan over the sky of Bukit Agok outside Bandar Seri Begawan August 31, 2008. Muslims scan the sky at dusk at the end of their lunar calendar's eighth month in search of the new moon to proclaim the beginning of Ramadan, Islam's holiest month during which observant believers fast from dawn to dusk. REUTERS/Ahim Rani (BRUNEI)

People buy food before the breaking of fast on the first day of Ramadan in Lahore September 2, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza (PAKISTAN)

Pakistani Muslims youngsters recite the holy book of Quran at a seminary in Rawalpindi, Pakistan on Sunday, Aug. 31, 2008. Muslims across the world usually increase their religious activities during the holy month of Ramadan, which is expected to officially begin Tuesday or Wednesday in Pakistan, though the timing depends on the alignment of the moon. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

A man shops in the downtown market area in Amman, ahead of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, August 31, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed (JORDAN)

A boy prays before a session marking the start of Ramadan at the Golden Mosque in Manila September 1, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Cheryl Ravelo (PHILIPPINES)

A boy sleeps in a mosque while waiting to break his fast on the first day of Ramadan in Makassar September 1, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Yusuf Ahmad (INDONESIA)

A child prepares food for Iftar (evening meal) before the breaking of fast on the first day of Ramadan at Memon Mosque in Karachi September 2, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Athar Hussain (PAKISTAN)
Kashmiri Muslim men, who were under a curfew for the past nine days, perform prayers on a road outside a mosque during Ramadan in Srinagar September 2, 2008. REUTERS/Fayaz Kabli (INDIAN-ADMINISTERED KASHMIR)

Egyptians shop at a vegetable market in Cairo during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan September 1, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Nasser Nuri (EGYPT)

A Pakistani Muslim prepares food stuff for 'Iftar', a time to break the fast, at a mosque during the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2008 in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. During Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, Muslims refrain from eating, drinking, smoking and sex from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)

An elderly man reads the Koran on the second day of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, at the Grand Mosque in Sanaa September 2, 2008. REUTERS/Khaled Abdullah (YEMEN

Students of a religious school recite the Koran during Ramadan at a seminary in Islamabad September 2, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Faisal Mahmood (PAKISTAN)

Foreign workers gather to break fast at the end of the first day of Ramadan in Jeddah September 1, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Stringer (SAUDI ARABIA)

Palestinian Muslims youths read verses from the Quran, Islam's holy book, while waiting to break their daily fast during the first day of the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan in a mosque in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Monday, Sept. 1, 2008. Muslims throughout the world are celebrating the holy fasting month of Ramadan, the holiest month in Islamic calendar, refraining from eating, drinking, and smoking from dawn to dusk. (AP Photo/Muhammed Muheisen)A Palestinian man reads the Koran at in front of the Dome of the Rock mosque, at the al-Aqsa compound in Jerusalems old city on the first day of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. Muslims around the world this week begin the fasting and feasting month of Ramadan amid hopes of violence easing in some of the Islamic world's conflict hotspots but hit hard by rising food prices. (AFP/Ahmad Gharabli)

A moon crescent appears in the background of the Prophet Mohammed Mosque in the holy city of Medina in Saudi Arabia. Muslims around the world this week begin the fasting and feasting month of Ramadan amid hopes of violence easing in some of the Islamic world's conflict hotspots but hit hard by rising food prices. (AFP/File/Roslan Rahman)

Saudis shop at a market in the Red Sea city of Jeddah one day before the start of the holy month of Ramadan. Saudi Arabia, cradle of Islam, and other oil-rich Arab monarchies in the Gulf has ushered in Ramadan, the Muslim holy month marked by an upsurge of charity and a slowdown in activity. (AFP/Omar Salem)

Fishermen offer prayers before the breaking of fast on the first day of Ramadan in Karachi September 2, 2008. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/Athar Hussain (PAKISTAN)

"Most certainly We have revealed it in the Night of Power; And what will inform you what is the Night of Power? The Night of Power is greater than a thousand months; The angels and Jibraeel (alayhis salaam) descend in it with the permission of your Lord with all decrees; Peace prevails till the rising of dawn." (Surah Qadr)

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BBC NEWS | Special Reports | Audio slideshow: Inside influential Indian madrassa

2008-08-24T21:22:00.000-04:00

Audio Slideshow: Inside Influential Indian Madrassa --BBC

An Islamic theological school in northern India is undergoing a major image makeover.

The teachings at the Darul-Uloom Deoband madrassa are said to have inspired tens of thousands of other seminaries across south Asia - but also groups such as the Taleban.

Now the school is trying to equip its students with 21st-Century skills.

The BBC's India Correspondent Sanjoy Majumder made a rare visit to the institute, which for years has been closed to the outside world.

click on the link below to see and hear the the audio slideshow.

BBC NEWS | Special Reports | Audio slideshow: Inside influential Indian madrassa

Death and Pre-Ordainment

2008-07-14T20:03:00.009-04:00

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji'un

Family mourns man in Wasaga Beach drowning --The Toronto Sun

Police Identify 20-Year-Old Wasaga Beach Drowning Victim -- CityNews

Man, 20, drowns at Wasaga Beach --CTV Toronto

Irfan Jogiat...

This is the first time someone I know and met a few times before, has passed away. It came as a shock and as a great reminder from Allah the Almighty about death, and how we must all face it, no matter how old or young we are.

MashaAllah, he was a Talib-ul Ilm who had drowned, Allah (swt) has blessed him with 2 ways of dying as a martyr, SubhanAllah. May Allah (swt) raise him amongst the Ulema and the Shuhadah. I didn’t know him so well but I had heard loads about him through his cousin Aishah. Like about his great akhlaq and adhab (manners, morals, etiquettes, etc) and his great personality that everybody knew about. He always lowered his gaze and not only wore the Sunnah, but tried to emanate and practice it as much as he could. His family and his many friends are feeling his loss, but it indeed is from Allah (swt). Allah (swt) has called him back and saved him from the ugliness of this dunya.

May Allah (swt) open the gates and windows of Jannah tul Firdaws in his grave, illuminate his grave with His (swt) blessings and Noor, raise him amongst those that He loves and favours and grant sabr (patience, understanding, acceptance, etc) to his loving family and friends. Ameen

Death is not something to take lightly and forget. It is something that we must all prepare for. Do not fall for the love of this dunya and all that it holds. Stay away from the haraam and the doubts. Don’t hold grudges, malice, jealousy and hatred for one another in your hearts, just forget and forgive everyone, before it’s too late. There is no room or time for all of that when love, mercy, and the Noor of Allah (swt) should be illuminating it. We may never know when or where we or someone else close to us may die.

May Allah (swt) take us with the Kalimah on our lips, with imaan and when He (swt) is most pleased with us. May Allah (swt) forgive our sins and protect us (and all those who have already passed away) from the punishments of the grave and the hellfire. May He (swt) open the doors of Jannah tul Firdaws in our graves and fill it with His Noor. May we be raised amongst those that He (swt) loves and favours and be with Him and His Rasul (s.a.w) for eternity… Ameen.

Here is an excerpt from the book, Don’t Be Sad. It’s perfect for this loss…

Pre-ordainment

No calamity befalls on the earth or in yourselves but is inscribed in the Book of Decrees – before We bring it into existence. (57:22)

The pen has dried, the pages have been lifted: all events that shall come to pass have already been written.

Nothing shall ever happen to us except what Allah has ordained for us (9:51)

Whatever has befallen you was not meant to escape you, and whatever has escaped you was not meant to befall you: If this belief were to firmly ingrained in your heart than all hardship and difficulty would become ease and comfort. The Prophet (s.a.w) said, “Whoever Allah wishes good for, He inflicts him (with Hardship)”

For this reason, do not feel overly troubled if you are afflicted with sickness, the death of a son, or a loss in wealth. Allah has decrees these matters to occur and the decisions are His, and His alone. When we truly have this faith, we shall be rewarded well and our sins shall be atoned for.

For those that are afflicted with disaster, glad tidings await them: so remain patient and happy with our Lord.

He cannot be questioned as to what He does, while they will be questioned. (21:23)

You will never completely feel at ease until you firmly believe that Allah has already pre-ordained all matters. The pen has dried and with it has been written everything that will happen to you. Therefore do not fell remorse over that which is not in your hands. Do not thing that you could have prevented the fence from falling, the water from flowing, the wind from blowing, or the glass from breaking. You could no have prevented these things, whether you wanted to or not. All that has been preordained shall come to pass.

Then whosoever wills let him believe, and whosoever wills, let him disbelieve. (18:29)

Surrender yourself: believe in pre-ordainment, before pangs of anger and regret overwhelm you. If you have done all that was in your power, and afterwards what you had been striving against still takes place, have firm faith that it was meant to be. Do not say, ‘Had I done such-and-such, such-and-such would have happened’; rather say, ‘This is the decree of Allah, and what He wishes, He does.’

Page 40-41 from the book, Don’t Be Sad (La Tahzin) by ‘Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni

Happy Anniversary to me and Happy Canada Day!

2008-07-01T18:49:00.004-04:00

So it’s been 1 year since my nikkah. A year of my marriage has passed, and mashaAllah it has been one of the best years of my life so far. May Allah (swt) continue to bless my marriage (and all marriages) with love, happiness, patience, understanding, and all the other blessings that come in many great ways. Ameen

My husband isn't here so he told my sis-in-law to buy a rose and give it to me today(the one in the pic), along with presents that he bought for me! MashaAllah, he also left a sweet letter that I had to open today...it made me cry!

Those that are still single and do not want to get married, believe me it can be one of the most wonderful things that can ever happen to you. Not only do you fulfill half of your Iman, but you also get a best friend, a lover, a partner (inshaAllah in the Hereafter as well), and a person who becomes your other half. As Allah (swt) says in Suran al-Baqarah, “they are garments for you and you are garments for them…” your spouse becomes your garment in ways you might have never thought. They become a barrier between you and evil, a way to become closer to Allah (swt) and His Rasul (s.a.w), an adornment, a comfort, a warmth, the coolness of your eyes, your passion, your jannah in this world and without them you feel incomplete and empty. SubhanAllah, it’s truly amazing how Allah (swt) blesses us with such beautiful gifts, we just need to make sure we’re grateful to Him (swt) and thank Him as often as we can. May Allah (swt) give us the Tawfiq to do so.

Wow, it’s the summer and a time where your wallet just seems to have a hole in it! I just went shopping yesterday with the girls, got some good deals at Heartland Town Centre, and not to mention a really big migraine by the end of the day. From spending almost an hour in every store to some very hungry girls “accidentally” breaking a table at Popeye’s to going to the Tim Horton’s drive-thru 3 times in a row (some people just can’t make up their minds) can give anyone a headache but a lot of laughs too!

Oh and it’s Canada Day! I just love Canada, even though it can be so expensive sometimes (yeah, I’m thinking of yesterday). Still, you can never really hate Canada, eh?

Anyways, that’s all for now folks! I’ll try to update soon, inshaAllah.

In the mean time check out this nasheed.

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Dubai plans 'moving' skyscraper

2008-06-25T18:30:00.003-04:00

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Dubai plans 'moving' skyscraper

The world's first moving building, an 80-storey tower with revolving floors giving a shifting shape, will be built in Dubai, its architect says.

The Dynamic Tower design is made up of 80 pre-fabricated apartments which will spin independently of one another.

"It's the first building that rotates, moves, and changes shape," said architect David Fisher, who is Italian, at a news conference in New York.

"This building never looks the same, not once in a lifetime," he added.

The 420-metre (1,378-foot) building's apartments would spin a full 360 degrees, at voice command, around a central column by means of 79 giant power-generating wind turbines located between each floor.

Computer animation of David Fisher's 'Dynamic Tower'

The slender building would be energy self-sufficient as the turbines would produce enough electricity to power the entire building and even feed extra power back into the grid, said the Italian architect at the unveiling of the project in New York.

The apartments, which will take between one and three hours to make a complete rotation, will cost from $3.7m to $36m.

There are also plans to build a similar, 70-storey skyscraper in Moscow.

"I call these buildings designed by time, shaped by life," said the Florence-based architect, who has never built a sky-scraper before.

"These buildings will open our vision all around, to a new life."

The skyscraper will cost an estimated $700m to build and should be up and running in Dubai in 2010.

BBC NEWS | Business | Oil summit calls for supply boost

2008-06-22T21:36:00.001-04:00

BBC NEWS | Business | Oil summit calls for supply boost

Leading oil exporters have acknowledged the need to boost supplies to curb soaring prices but stopped short of specific commitments on extra output.

Following their crisis summit in Saudi Arabia, officials noted price levels were "hostile" and more investment was needed to ensure "adequate" supplies.

Saudi Arabia blamed speculation, not lack of supply, for surging prices but said it was willing to raise output.

Earlier, Gordon Brown said more supply was needed to ease price "instability".

'Ready to act'

The US, UK and other major consumers of oil have urged producers to boost supply, blaming lack of capacity for the recent price surge.

Business Secretary John Hutton reacts to Jeddah summit

In a statement issued at the end of the meeting in Jeddah, officials from Opec oil exporters and consumers said "an appropriate increase in investment" in production was needed to ensure that the markets were "well supplied in a timely and adequate manner"...

continue reading here

CityNews: CityNews Exclusive: Toronto Family Terrified By Abduction Attempt In Home

2008-06-22T21:33:00.000-04:00

CityNews: CityNews Exclusive: Toronto Family Terrified By Abduction Attempt In Home

A Toronto mother was still trembling Sunday, hours after an alleged abduction attempt was foiled just feet from her three-year-old daughter's bed.

The near-tragic turn of events apparently unfolded around 10pm Saturday, at a Regent Park home near Sumach and Gerrard.

A shadowy male figure reportedly reached through an open window into the child's room, attempting to pick up and abscond with the youngster.

Perhaps it was a mother's intuition, perhaps just saving grace, but it was reportedly at this time the girl's mother caught on, spotting the would-be abductor in the act and scaring him off with a scream.

It was then he jumped into a waiting car and sped away.

Mother Newa Begum doesn't speak English, but her eldest daughter explained the frightening exchange.

"She opened the whole thing (window) and then the guy grabbed her," Tanjila (pictured) explained. "And then my mom yelled ... and he went away."

Got My CD!

2008-06-06T19:47:00.005-04:00

As salamu alaikum,

Boy is it getting hot in Toronto or what? With humidity it's 41 C. Which is just insane. It feels like there's a gigantic heater blowing outside along with a humidity machine...

I was supposed to be ironing, but I thought the blog needed some updating.

As you can tell, I got my NBN (NoBeatsNecessary) cd (Open Your Eyes). I actually got it a few weeks ago, just never got to update about it on the blog. What can I say? It's the only thing playing in our car other then 680 news. In the beginning we didn't really love all the tracks because it was different from all the other nasheeds we were used too. It only took a few times listening to them and they started growing on us. Now we're loving it! MashaAllah I have to say they've done an awesome job. The words have great meaning and really makes you think, like this track that I added on the blog.

Enjoy!

I'll update again later this week inshaAllah.

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BBC NEWS | Middle East | 'Bush apology' for Koran shooting

2008-05-20T11:36:00.000-04:00

'Bush apology' for Koran shooting

US President George W Bush has made a personal apology over the shooting of a Koran by an American soldier, Iraq's government has said in a statement.

Prime Minister Nouri Maliki's office said Mr Bush had promised to send the accused American sniper to trial.

The soldier was sent home by the US military after the Muslim holy book was found riddled with bullet holes at a shooting range by Iraqi police.

continue reading -> BBC NEWS | Middle East | 'Bush apology' for Koran shooting

CBC news -- Israel Doesn't Want You to See! THE OCCUPATION

2008-04-30T22:17:00.001-04:00

CBC news -- Israel Doesn't Want You to See! THE OCCUPATION

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SubhanAllah

2008-04-24T22:26:00.002-04:00

I've heard about this video before, but I just came across it today.

SubhanAllah

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Islamic Foundation of Toronto Events

2008-04-22T11:28:00.006-04:00

The Annual North American Qira'at-ul-Qur'an and Hifz Competition

Click here for details

The Youth Tarbiyah Conference 2008

Unfortunately it's the same weekend as MuslimFest, but I've made up my mind already and so i'll be the YTC, inshaAllah. You cannot miss out on this when there's such an amazing list of speakers this year. I mean every year there is but this year mashaAllah it's even better. I really want to hear Shaykh Ebrahim Bham, SubhanAllah I've heard a lot about him from my husband.

Don't forget to register!

Yeah I know, I was supposed to be at MuslimFest this year to sell my paintings, since I missed out last year (for the first time because I was in Panama enjoying the palm trees and the rain forests). I guess I'll have to do it at RIS, even though the tables are so expensive! I really don't want to price them too high, inshaAllah we'll figure something out by then.

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Headscarves "R" Us

2008-04-10T21:44:00.002-04:00

Headscarves "R" Us

I just came across this youtube video yesterday, it's pretty cool if you ask me.

NoBeatsNecessary -- Open Your Eyes

2008-04-04T19:14:00.004-04:00

From Takbir Productions, comes NBN (NoBeatsNecessary) and their album (Open Your Eyes) is finally out!

I've already posted their first nasheed video called, "How Can You Deny" and here's another one called, "I'm Your Sinful Slave".

MashaAllah NO MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS!

FINALLY!!!!

You have to read the note that they have on their website. No other site has anything like this, SubhanAllah. Just when you think this Ummah is losing its self to the Fitnas of dunya, Allah (swt) sends some hope.

Read it here

I've already ordered the CD and I cannot wait to get it (InshaAllah)! It's $18.00 AUD (Australian) with shipping and all that (to Canada), it's $23.00 AUD but when it's converted to Canadian it's only $21 (and something cents). Everyone should support these brothers (and whoever worked with them) and May Allah (swt) accept their efforts, keep them on the straight path and raise them amongst those that He (swt) loves and favours. Ameen

So here's the video,

Earth Hour 2008

2008-03-27T11:04:00.005-04:00

SubhanAllah, what an effort this is. As human beings, Canadians and especially as Muslims we should really take part in this. We can do it with the right intentions and InshaAllah we will be rewarded for trying to take action on climate change.

Allah (swt) has created the Heavens and the Earth for us, and we are the vicegerents of this world, so is it not our responsibility to take care of this Earth? Will Allah (swt) not question us on how much food we waste and on how much water we waste everyday? Will He not question us on how we polluted the earth with toxins harming not just ourselves but also all the living creatures that He (swt) has created? Knowing that all of these creatures are in constant dhikr of Allah, the Most High. Just as this body of ours is an Amana (trust) of Allah and we will be held accountable for how we used it, the same is with this world and all it contains (water, earth, air, wildlife, etc) that Allah (swt) has created for us to use. The earth is like our mother, we came from it and we shall return to it, and inshaAllah it’ll be in the best of ways.

There are millions of people (many of them Muslims) with no clean water, no food and here we are consuming, consuming and wasting everything we have.

So spread the word and turn off your lights for an hour. In that time we can do dhikr of Allah (swt), pray extra nafl salah, and reflect on how we live in this world and what we can do to change it for the better.

Here are some links for more info on earth hour 2008
http://wwf.ca/earthhour/
http://www.thestar.com/earthhour/
http://www.earthhour.org/

And here some links on Islam and the environment
Islam and the Environment
bbc
Islam and Ecology: A Bestowed Trust Inviting Balanced Stewardship
Significance of Islam and the Environment
Preservation of the Environment

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Random Thoughts and Updates

2008-02-21T19:51:00.003-05:00

This is going to be one random post...with many random thoughts.

Okay, I admit it, updating my blog hasn’t been on my list of priorities for a long time, but I can assure you that it has always been on my mind. I’ve started countless blog posts in my head. Unfortunately, there isn’t a USB cable that can connect to my brain and transfer my thoughts to the computer... (actually it IS fortunate we don’t have something like that!)

One thing that keeps poppin' up in my head is, "WHEN'S WINTER ENDING?!" Seriously, I'm done with the snow now...

Life is coming along just well alhamdulillah. No complaints! I started teaching at the Lote Tree Foundation. Just for the evening Qur’an classes though. Alhamdulillah, it’s going well so far. As for my Alimah course... well, we’ve finally managed to sort it out. I’m going to get taught by my husband. InshaAllah it leads me to completing the course. I’m going to have to go over all that I’ve already learnt at JAS and also continue from there on. I’m really, really looking forward to it. Make du’a Allah (swt) accepts me as a student of knowledge and gives me the reality of His Noor, so that it enters my heart and allows me to gain Ilm, put it into practice and teach it to others. I know my husband is already a great teacher. He’s really knowledgeable and motivated. May Allah (swt) make it easy for him to teach me, as I can be a difficult, lazy and forgetful student! I need all the support, motivation, determination, and patience I can get from him, and Alhamdulillah he gives me that everyday.

I’m finally moving steadily along my Child Psychology course…the course ends in July and the thing with distance learning is that you REALLY and I mean REALLY have to be motivated, and if you know me personally, you’d know that I can’t be self-motivated. If it wasn’t for my husband’s motivational talks…I’d have gone all dead with that course, the Alima course and my paintings. Alhamdulillah my paintings are coming along just fine as well. I’m actually surprised they’re turning out so good. I would post pics of them online, but everyone will have to wait and see them at Muslim Fest this year, inshaAllah. (muhahahahaha)

One of the things that I wanted to blog about was Black History Month (actually my husband gave the idea) and it’s important that we, as Muslims also educate ourselves with the History of Blacks, after all, they have a great part in our Muslim History. This brings the topic of racism, which isn’t only an issue amongst the non-Muslims but unfortunately amongst the Muslims as well. We have guji/desi parents (not all..) teaching their kids to be afraid of “karyas” or “kalais”, it’s like, “if you don’t behave the “karyas” will come and get you!!” I know a girl, who’s very VERY afraid of any black person she sees. If there’s a black person on one side of the street she’ll cross over to the other, shaking from head to toe and it tears. Sticking ideas like that isn’t going to help the future of this Ummah in anyway. We should be teaching kids that racism is not accepted in Islam and Islam was the first to oppose racism (1400 yrs ago!!!)

Black History month shouldn’t only be acknowledged at public schools but we should teach our children at home and to not just the children but it should be acknowledged in our communities and in our Masajids. There is so much to talk about; one famous example is Bilal (ra), one of the greatest Companions of Rasulullah (s.a.w). We all know his story of how he was tortured for being a Muslim and how he was given the honour of being the Mu’azzin of Rasulullah (s.a.w)’s Masjid. Umm Ayman (r.a) (also known as Barakah) who Rasulullah (s.a.w) described as “mother after my own mother. She is the rest of my family." She took care of Rasulullah (s.a.w)’s parents. She helped his mother through pregnancy and after she died she took care of Rasulullah (s.a.w) as well. She was one of the first to accept Islam, and was also tormented and tortured by the disbelievers in Makkah.

There were many great black Muslims in the past who were given the honour of being Sahabahs of Rasulullah (s.a.w), and there were many great Ulema afterwards as well. And there still are. We had great personalities like Malcolm X, he’s not only a legacy for the African Americans but for Muslims as well.

Here is a page on Sound Vision with many links on Black History month.

I can go on and on about it, but I’m kinda late with the whole black history month thing. However, it’s not something we should think about only in February!

For the brothers and sisters in the U.K-- Get Married or Die Trying - 14th Feb 2008

2008-02-05T22:47:00.000-05:00

A Path to Piety

2008-01-31T18:33:00.001-05:00

I can't wait!!!!!!!!!

Youth Tarbiyyah Program - Cambridge

2008-01-31T18:29:00.000-05:00

RIS 6 pics

2008-01-15T20:30:00.000-05:00

So I went through the pics from this year, and I have to admit, they're not as good as last years (which are still on my Xanga). It's all the broken camera's fault...

The Farm pics

2008-01-14T20:00:00.000-05:00

As promised, here are the pics taken on Eid-ul-Adha at the Farm (Sanabil Halal Meat Farm). The pictures aren't so good because the camera, which was once working brilliantly, now doesn't work so well. It fell after some kid knocked it down and ever since then the poor camera has been coughing up some not-so-good pics. Tomorrow inshaAllah I'll post up the RIS pics. Those too aren't the best pics but they'll have to do.

Will SA law steal teens' kisses?

2008-01-09T11:14:00.000-05:00

And the world becomes more desperate to save it's self from it's own oppression and kufr...

Will SA law steal teens' kisses?
By Alice Lander
BBC News, Durban

South Africa's new Sexual Offences Act includes a clause which could allow youngsters to be criminally charged for kissing or fondling.

Twelve to 15-year-olds fall under the new legislation, which covers acts that it describes as "consensual sexual violation".

Rights groups say the controversial clause, signed into law last month, should be seen to protect children, despite claims it is unworkable in a country plagued by far greater problems: not least of them, the rape of children...

Reviving the Islamic Spirit

2007-12-27T19:52:00.000-05:00

InshaAllah I'll be going again this year. (I can't wait to hear Mufti Muhammed ibn Adam speak!) I really like the theme of this year, the topics regarding it are definitely needed today. Well I hope to see some familiar faces this year!

My sister (Believeress) will post the Farm (Eid-ul-Adha) pics soon (ahem ahem!) inshaAllah.

From Sandra to Salma

2007-12-27T19:42:00.000-05:00

From Sandra to Salma

CBC News: Sunday

What is it like for a Jewish woman to convert to Islam and decide to wear the hijab? We follow her journey.

Click here to watch the short video on the CBC website.

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MashaAllah it made me very happy that CBC had done this, I'm sure it helped a lot of non-Muslims answer a lot of questions regarding the Hijab, especially after the death of Aqsa Pervez.

Eid Mubarak

2007-12-20T08:46:00.001-05:00

As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh

Eid Mubarak!!

Sorry for not updating more often, but I will update on how Eid was on the farm (when I get back of course).

Remember me in your du'as!

Qurbani at Sanabil!

Ummah Films - The Haram Police

2007-12-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

SubhanAllah, I just love his stuff.

Description: The video is about those who spend more time trying to find faults in others rather trying to improve themselves. We should not just give the benefit of the doubt, but rather benefit of the trust.

Boys from Ajax Madresa in a car crash

2007-11-20T16:36:00.000-05:00

Inna lillalhi wa inna ilayhi raji'oon.

The boys are from the Jaamiah Ajax , and it happened close to the Madresah. The other two boys with him were 15, they died in the crash.

Here's an article from the Toronto Star

Boy, 14, in fatal crash had own car

November 20, 2007

Carola Vyhnak
Staff reporter

The 14-year-old got the 1991 Mazda MX-6 on Friday.

Excited but careful to keep it a secret from his family, he drove it up to his private school in rural Ajax to show off to his buddies on Saturday night.

The next morning, he returned to pick up two friends. Speeding down Audley Rd., he crashed the car moments later, killing both 15-year-olds less than a kilometre from their school.

That's the tragic story of an Ajax boy and two schoolmates at Jaamiah Ajax, according to his family and school administrators. The exclusive school of about 80 students is described on its website as a"world-class Islamic institute."

The boy's sister said the family had no idea he had a car or where he got it.

"It was a big surprise to all of us. Someone gave him the car and we're trying to find out who."

She said she didn't know who, if anyone, might have taught him to drive.

The car left the road, rolled several times and landed in a horse paddock just before 10 a.m. Sunday. One 15-year-old, who was from Etobicoke, was ejected. The other, from Laval, Que., had to be cut out of the car, according to witnesses. Both were students who resided at the school, which teaches Islamic studies and academic subjects.

A 14-year-old, who was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, has been charged with two counts of criminal negligence causing death.

"He came here twice Saturday night, saying he just got the car Friday night. I thought he was 16. If I had known (he was 14), I would have stopped him right there and called his parents," Atif Din, general administrator of school, said yesterday.

"We thought for sure his parents had given him money to buy a car," said Abdul Waheed, an administrator and teacher at Jaamiah Ajax, north of Taunton Rd. "When I called his father Sunday morning to tell him about the accident, he said `what car was he driving?' He didn't know he had a car."

Din said students who live in residence need permission to leave the property, but the 15-year-olds left the school undetected Sunday. The 14-year-old has been a day student at the school for two years.

According to Din, the school, which is set on open land, was founded in 1991 and is open to boys 12 and older, including international students. Its main aim is to turn out young men with high morals, founder and principal Mufti Abdul Majid Khan told the Star in an interview two years ago.

"Fee is not a criteria," says a flyer in the two-storey building's modestly furnished waiting lounge.

Police yesterday confirmed the Mazda belonged to the driver but is registered to someone else.

"We have evidence that he owned it," said Sgt. Paul McCurbin but wouldn't elaborate. Speed and driver inexperience were cited as factors in the tragedy.

Sylvia Dietrich and Melvyn Croft, who manage Ajax Riding Academy, said the car flipped over several boulders and through a fence before coming to a rest in a paddock with five horses.

They didn't hear it but went to the scene a few minutes later when emergency vehicles arrived. The car was "so squished" it was unrecognizable, Dietrich said.

Dietrich said that stretch of road, which is flanked by fields and a golf course, is a popular spot for street racers.

"I've said there's going to be a fatal accident one of these days. Who'd have thought it would be in my field?"

-here's another article from CityNews

nobeatsnecessary

2007-11-19T16:31:00.000-05:00

MashaAllah, it's about time we heard some new nasheeds, one's without beats! Alhamdulillah.

I'm going to buy this for sure inshaAllah. When you purchase their CD, 20% goes to charity, but the album isn't out yet. So you can go on their site (http://www.nobeatsnecessary.com/) and reserve a CD by adding your name and email, inshaAllah.

Back from Umrah (3 Weeks ago)

2007-11-12T17:05:00.000-05:00

As salamu alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh,

Belated Eid Mubarak!!

Well I came back about 2 weeks ago... okay, 3 weeks ago (and I wanna to go back!!). Hearing about people going for Hajj just adds to the pain and makes me miss Makkah and Madinah a whole lot more. I would have updated earlier, but my Internet wasn’t behaving well, so it made it harder for me to do so. It was an amazing experience, SubhanAllah. I didn’t think I’d go back there this soon. I went 4 years ago for Hajj, but even then I didn’t think it would have been this year, especially since I just got married. My husband was also very fortunate (mashaAllah) since he’s just been for Hajj (the previous one) and being with him made the whole experience more then incredible (MashaAllah). I guess when Allah (swt) calls, no matter when and how, we end up there, as a guest to the house of Allah (swt) and the resting place of Rasulullah (saw), one way or another.

I thought going back the second time wouldn’t be as affective as the first, both emotionally and spiritually. Boy, was I wrong. SubhanAllah the emotions running through me were probably more than the first time I went and looking at the Ka’bah again was just like seeing it for the first time ever. For those who are going for Hajj for the first time, I can’t even begin to explain what goes on inside your heart when you reach Makkah, the Harem, and the Ka’bah. It’s like you know that your soul knows that you’re getting closer and closer to the House of Allah. Going in for the first time with your gaze lowered, makes your heart tremble with great anticipation, excitement and nervousness (you can’t even breath, think, or walk straight!). Then seeing the Ka’bah, in all its Glory and Magnificence, is so empowering that it pierces your heart and soul at the very core of your faith. If anyone has ever had a single atoms weight of doubt in his or her heart, just looking at the Ka’bah will remove it forever (InshaAllah). It’s a moment where it’s just you and your Lord; you don’t notice anything or anyone around you. Honestly, I can never fully explain exactly how one feels at that moment, you have to go through it to know. May Allah (swt) take us all there, again and again and again…

There were loads of people there this Ramadhan, it really felt like Hajj time. It was because all the locals came and most of Turkey was there (yeah all those little women…you see plenty of them). In the last 10 days it was nuts. We went to Madinah where it’s much calmer but there were still a lot of people there. SubhanAllahi wa biHamdi, SubhanAllahi-l-Atheem, being in Madinah is a whole different experience in itself. Again, I can never fully explain what goes on in the heart and soul when you know, that this is where Sayyidinah Rasulullah (saw) is (the Beloved of Allah, the Final Messenger, just think of Seera!), Sayyidinah Abu Bakr (ra) is (The great companion of Rasulullah (saw), the one who was with him all the way during Hijrah), and Sayyidinah Umar (ra) is (the one that struck fear in those that knew his name and never even saw him amongst the Mushriks, Romans and Persians). SubhanAllah and then there’s Jannatul Baqi, where so many Sahabahs (ra) and righteous people have been laid to rest. So many emotions just overwhelm you. Saying Salaams to Rasulullah (saw) and knowing that he can hear it and knows who we are just makes one feel so unworthy of coming in front of him covered in sins when one went against his sunnahs countless times. But knowing one is visiting Rasulullah (saw) is so…gosh I don’t even know which word to use, it just increases one’s love for him in every way. May Allah (swt) take us to visit Rasulullah (saw) again and again and again…

There are soo many memories, funny, sad, happy etc. I could share them all but I’d rather tell them personally because I’m more of a talker (as many of you know) than a writer. But I guess I could share a story or two.

-I made a friend in Madinah, and she has the most adorable little girl. She has cute, little, round cheeks, and she looks like a baby doll, MashaAllah. In Masjid al-Nabawi she would wait for the domes to slide open after Fajr and after Isha adhan. She’s around 15 months and I can still remember her giggle and the way she’d look up to see the dome all excited. MashaAllah, they came from Egypt, and her mother is such a kind person. May Allah (swt) bless her and her family in both worlds. Ameen

-In Madina, at Asr time they would start putting large dasterkans (big sheets on the masjid floors, inside and outside to sit on for iftar) and they would get covered in plates, drinks, Zamzam, dates, yogurt (their yogurt is yuuuumy, especially the one made by Nadec), bread, Kahwa (strong Arabic coffee), and a whole lot more. And Arab families would come and set their own dasterkans. Then they go around and get people to sit on theirs to break the fast (to attain reward). Ah, it’s so beautiful seeing the hospitality of the people of Madinah during iftar.

-In the Harem in Makkah, we were going down one of the escalators, and next to the one going down was an escalator going up. And all I see is a boy hanging on to the railing of the escalator by his hands going up. Man, I felt like trying that too.

-Another time in Makkah, in the Harem escalators we were coming down again, and this time at the bottom of the escalator was a little girl trying to go up…and she wasn’t getting anywhere.

-If you ever go to Makkah or Madinah, try the Movenpik ice cream. And I recommend having the blackberry ice cream in a cup…ohh its soooo good.

-One can never forget the old Turkish women, they’re cute little women but man, they’re tough. One may think they’re old and weak, but they can push through a crowd and get to the other side before the blink of an eye. Okay, that was an exaggeration, but you’d know what I mean if you’ve been before.

So that’s it for now folks or else I’ll go on and on and this will become a very long post, which will bore ya.

SubhanAllah we really, really enjoyed going to the Holy Cities for Ramadhan, it’s just something elsereally enjoyed going there for Ramadhan,Ramadhan,Ramadhan,Ramadhan,Ramadhan, its just something else. May Allah (swt) take those who haven’t gone and take those again who’ve already been. We just have to make du’a that Allah (swt) calls us there, accepts us while we’re there (Umrah/Hajj/all other acts of Ibadah) and calls us back there and perhaps even take our sou enjoyed going there for Ramadhan, its just something elsels there at the time of our death.

Your complete guide to Ramadan

2007-09-16T18:44:00.000-04:00

Ramadhan Mubarak!

A Muslim man reads the Koran before attending prayers during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at a mosque in Yinchuan, northwest China's Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region September 16, 2007. Muslims around the world abstain from eating, drinking and conducting sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar. REUTERS/China Daily (CHINA) CHINA OUT

Here's a great site to read up on Ramadhan and all it's virtues.

Your complete guide to Ramadan

on FiSabilillah.org

Finally Updating!

2007-09-06T17:47:00.000-04:00

A Palestinian man prays during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan at the main mosque in the West Bank city of Ramallah September 18, 2007. Muslims across the world abstain from eating, drinking, and sexual relations from sunrise to sunset during Ramadan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar.REUTERS/Loay Abu Haykel (WEST BANK)

Ramadhan Mubarak! Yaaay I'm finally updating, alhamdulillah about time eh? Wow it’s been long since I’ve updated, and many of you probably thought that I’d stop blogging now that I’m married huh?! Well no, I’m actually going to try to continue it, inshaAllah, if I don’t get all lazy about it again.

Sooo I’m married now, it’s been about 2 months since my nikkah and 1 month since my rukhsati. Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah, Alhamdulillah I’ve never been happier in my entire life (Hajj is an exception) it truly is from the Blessings, Mercy and Grace of Allah (swt) and I guess from the many du’as of others (JazakAllahu Khair for those). So the Nikkah took place at the Ijtimah on July 1^st and the rukhsati and walima happened at Islamic Foundation of Toronto (Nugget) and both days went well alhamdulillah. Then we went to Panama for a little holiday (1 week) and I really enjoyed it. I’ll just post a few pictures (that many of you keep bugging me about) because it takes too long on blogger these days to upload pics (at least for me they are). They're just few of the many pics I took...

This is a view from a house in Panama City. Looks, feels and sounds a lot like India.

The very famous Panama Canal. You can read about it here about how it was made and how it works, it's pretty interesting.

This is a view from our hotel balcony at a rainforest...SubhanAllah it was beautiful.

Breakfast outside with a breath taking view. Again SubhanAllah.

Ok so besides Panama, I'll be going for Umrah inshaAllah on the 23 this month and I'll be back after Eid inshaAllah!!!!!! So you all have to remember this sinful person in your du'as that all goes well and that all my ibadah is accepted. Also forgive me if I've wronged anyone knowingly or unknowingly, life is full of surprises and death is the biggest one...

I still can't believe its Ramadhan, time sure flies. SubhanAllah it feels like yesterday I came back from Madresa and my Nikkah was done and was thinking, "Oh it's still a while till Ramadhan." I just love this month, one feels so much closer to Allah (swt) in this month and does more sincere Ibadah trying to build Taqwa and a stronger Iman. If only we could all be steadfast even after this Blessed month passes. May Allah (swt) accept all our acts of worship, du'as and good intentions during this month. And have Mercy on us, open the doors of Jannah and forgive all our sins whether big as a mountain or small as an atom. Ameen!

An Afghan boy reads the alphabet of the holy Quran during the month of Ramadan at a mosque in Jalalabad city the provincial capital of Nangarhar province, east of Kabul, Afghanistan on Monday, Sept. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

O son of Adam...

2007-07-03T21:48:00.000-04:00

Anâs (Radiallâhu anhu) states that he heard Rasulullah (Sallallâhu alahi wasallam) saying that Allâh said,

"O son of Adam, as long as you supplicate to me and have hope in Me, I will forgive you whatever the sin be and I will not bother. O son of Adam, if your sins reach the clouds in the sky and you seek forgiveness, I will forgive you and I will not bother. O son of Adam, if you come to Me with so many sins that they fill the earth, and you meet Me without having ascribed partners to Me, I will forgive you with the same great amount of forgiveness."

(Tirmidhi, vol. 2 p. 194)

May Allah (swt) accept our repentance and du'as.
Ameen.