Friday Nasihah - Moral Code

Living The Quran The Moral Code Al-Nisa (Women) - Chapter 4: Verse 58 "God commands you to deliver whatever you have been entrusted with to their rightful owners, and whenever you judge between people, to judge with justice. Most excellent is what God exhorts you to do. God hears all and sees all." These are the main obligations placed on the Muslim community and these sum up its moral code: 1. Fulfilment of trust The basic and most important trust is that which God has implanted in human nature. This is the one which the heavens, the earth and the mountains refused to accept, but which man undertook. It is that of willingly and deliberately recognising Divine guidance and believing in God. Giving testimony in favour of Islam is an important way of delivering this trust. Another trust which is implied in the above is that of dealing with people and delivering to them whatever they have entrusted to us. That includes honesty in daily transactions, giving honest counsel to rulers and ruled, taking good care of young children, protecting the interests of the community and defending it against hostile forces, entrusting positions of responsibility only to those who are capable of shouldering the burdens of such positions, and observing all duties and obligations outlined by the Divine code. 2. Maintaining justice The order to maintain justice is stated in the most general terms so as to make it obligatory between all people. Justice is due to every individual human being. Hence, justice should be extended to all: believers and non-believers, friends and enemies, white and coloured, Arabs and non-Arabs, etc. This verse makes it clear that both orders to be true to one's trust and to maintain justice between people are part of God's admonition. Good and greatly beneficial indeed is whatever God directs and admonishes us to do. Moreover, the order to do both comes from the One who hears and sees all things. God is certain to hear and see all matters related to the fulfilment of trust and maintaining justice. Compiled From: "In the Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, vol 3, pp. 193-195

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Understanding the Prophet's Life Path to Paradise In a hadith related by Bukhari and Muslim, God's Messenger, peace be upon him, said: "Paradise is surrounded by trouble and tribulation, and Hell is concealed in pleasure." Paradise and Hell are, in essence, blessings for humanity. Fear of Hell causes us to observe God's prohibitions so that we may go to Paradise. However, being saved from Hell and becoming deserving of Paradise requires great self-discipline and strict intellectual and spiritual training. Hell is an abode of torment placed within an attractive setting of enticing lures and pleasures. If we are captivated and live only to satisfy such desires, we are lured toward Hell. To reach Paradise, we first have to train ourselves to ignore worldly attractions. Hell is part of the way to Paradise, for we must travel to Hell without allowing any of its attractions to seduce us. To reach Paradise, we must persevere, endure affliction, perform what is obligatory, avoid sin, and thank God for His bounties and blessings. Such virtuous acts are hated by our carnal desires. Compiled From: "The Messenger of God: Muhammad" - Fethullah Gulen, pp. 113, 114

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Blindspot! Revelation and Reason As revelation ended with the death of the Prophet and reason was accorded a greater importance, ot the extent of considering its proper use (ijtihad) and act of ibadah (worship), it goes without saying that reason has an important role in conducting this life. Reason has no role to play if there is a clear-cut revealed statement, since revelation supersedes reason. If there is no specific revealed statement on a given issue, then reason must be used to distinguish between good and bad and to direct man to the right path. Over time, the strong pressures of life led some people to regard all revealed statements as non-conclusive, thereby nullifying and voiding revelation. This might have been the result of confusing the two levels of the intellectual approach to revelation: understanding revelation and establishing rules. If those who fell under the pressures of life had merely questioned the applicability of conclusive revealed statements to life, their positions would have been regarded as ijtihad. Instead, they challenged the definite understanding of revelation, claiming that it should be changed. They believed that they were pursuing the way of Umar ibn al Khattab, who they thought had voided the hadd (punishment) for theft (cutting off the hands of thieves) during the "Year of the Famine." In fact, he neither changed nor suspended that punishment, which remains conclusive; rather, he believed that the punishment lacked the conditions for it to be applied at that particular time. Therefore he applied ijtihad; he did not change the definite understanding of revelation. Compiled From: "The Vicegerency of Man" - Abd al Majid al Najjar, pp. 84, 85

Why do people have to leave each other?

This is a repost from Suhaib Webb's website. This article explains how I have been feeling all these years.

Article

April Book Club Choice - From Behind the Veil

The month is almost over. Has anyone else read this book? I finished it in one day early in the month.

Conver(t)sations- Unheard Stories

Boy can I relate to this. Finally converts telling their stories about after they became muslims.

Make Every Second Count

Good message for homeschoolers at the end.

Surfer saves drowning woman.

Every year I say it, please learn how to swim. Yet again, here is another muslim woman who didn't know how to swim. You never know when you'll need to know how to swim. Take lessons today!

Here is the article.

Malaysian Baba Ali - 70 Excuses

Ha, so this guy is all over Facebook and apparently he's a Malaysian student studying in Toronto. See what he has to say about making 70 excuses for your muslim brother/sister.

Voting: Damage Control or Morality?

The other weekend we were graced by a politician at the mosque. We were not forewarned but had this sprung on us; we only came to eat, people! Once again muslims are saying vote Liberal. I'm sick of being told who to vote for. Why we should vote for a party now comes down to who is the nicest to muslims. I'm all for a party that doesn't want to ruin the lives of muslims but whatever happened to good old-fashioned morality? Aren't muslims supposed to enjoin the good and forbid the evil and not just look out for number one? Huh? Anyone? The Conservatives don't even want to talk about what they stand for on moral issues and you wonder if they have any morals at all. There was a day when the Conservatives could be looked at as  a party that stood up for something. Now they are only known for keeping the status quo plus bombing the heck out of muslims. Liberals well I don't see them as being any better plus the money they stole and now apparently their leader is some kind of clone of Harper. Anyone else miss Trudeau? I was too young to vote then but the country seemed to be doing well then. Then there is the NDP. Oh yes they are very kind to muslims, think Maher Arar, but they were the first party to ditch morality. As for the other parties I haven't seen anything better but of course the green party are being good stewards of the earth. I would be happy to vote for a party that even followed the 10 commandments as that would make them pretty islamic. But everyone is secular these days as most Christians are only token ones and 16% of the population are atheists. On top of all this what are the platforms? I would like to see politicians talking about ditching school fees. In other countries, especially muslim ones, post-secondary education is free! Then immigrants come here debt-free and have an easy life. Canadians end up in debt and its worse if you can't get a job to pay back your loan. As for muslims OSAP is forbidden although I would say 99% are using them. My kids didn't alhumdullilah. They have to work and go to school. Its hard but no one cares not even muslims who keep telling me to be involved in riba. Why should a rich country like Canada charge for education anyway? All the money goes to research anyway and the teachers barely teach according to my daughter and tell you to basically learn on your own? Why spend all that money then? But no one is talking about this issue. How about getting more doctors into rural communities? What, you don't want to force them? Hey I'm sure if you let all those taxi driving doctors in Toronto into the hospital they would be glad to work anywhere you put them!!!! But nobody wants to talk about that either!   In the end I have no idea who to vote for. Actually I pick none of them based on moral issues so I'm left with damage control. If a party is nice to muslims that's great but what about all the other issues? Who's going to help me pay back my student loan that I could never pay because I converted to Islam after college and couldn't get a job because of discrimination? I don't think there is anyone who frankly gives a ####!  I'm fed up with politics. Hard to believe I was once going to become a politician.

Friday Nasihah - Path of Moderation

Living The Quran Path of Moderation Al-Baqara (The Cow) - Chapter 2: Verse 143 (partial) "Thus We have made of you a community justly balanced that you might be witnesses over other nations and the Messenger a witness over yourselves." The renowned Quran commentator, Ibn Kathir wrote concerning this verse that the Muslim community (ummah) qualifies as a witness because of its commitment to moderation (wasatiyyah) and truth. The renowned Tunisian scholar, Muhammad Tahir ibn Ashur, went on record that 'in moderation lies the essence of all virtues and it is a great protector against indulgence in corruption and caprice.' Yusuf al-Qaradawi has similarly observed that moderation is the correct path that leads the Muslim community to its ideals of attaining material and spiritual success: 'It is the divinely ordained moral and humanitarian mission of the Muslim community to pursue all its goals through moderation. Deviation from the path of moderation brings nothing but destruction and loss.' Moderation is manifested, according to Wahbah al-Zuhaili, in the balanced attention one pays to one's rights over, and one's obligations towards, others, to the material world and the spiritual world; it also means a balance between forgiveness and resistance, between extravagance and niggardliness, and a resolute aversion to extremism and terrorism in all their manifestations. Zuhaili added that Islam advocates these values, not only among Muslims themselves, but also in their relations with other communities and nations. One ought to acknowledge, perhaps, in the same spirit of moderation, that something has gone wrong with the substantive equilibrium of Islamic legal thought concerning the treatment of women. To refer once again to Yusuf Al-Qaradawi's insightful remarks: 'It is an obligation of the ummah to protect the women from the excesses of the Muslim juristic legacy of the past, and those of the Modern West, both of which strip women of their essential humanity.' Both need to be corrected through search for balanced and moderate solutions. Lastly, is it a coincidence, one might ask, to note that this verse of moderation occurs in the exact middle of the longest chapter (al-Baqarah) of the Quran, which consists of 286 verses. Compiled From: "Shariah Law - An Introduction" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, pp.288-296

Understanding the Prophet's Life Organic Body Ummatic unity is organic, that is to say, the ummah is like an organic body whose parts are mutually and severally interdependent with one another and with the whole. For the part to work for itself is for itself to work for each of the other parts as well as for the whole to work for itself, is for itself to work for each of the parts. The Prophet, peace be upon him, hit the nail on the head when he described the ummah as a body "which reacts in total with discomfort and fever whenever a part of it is hurt." [Muslim, Bukhari] Comparing the ummah to an organic body, is perhaps the most apt description of Islamic society. The organic body is alive, and its very life is its organicness, i.e., the interdependence of its various parts to the end sustaining the whole, and their continuous sustenance by that whole. Organicness is not only a quality of life; it is life. For the ummah to be otherwise is for it to lapse into the pre-Islamic tribalism of the desert. Even that order, however, is built upon the assumed organicness of the tribe without which it could not exist. The ummah merely widened the tribe to include humanity. To deny the need of the ummah, is to assume as good the detached existence of individuals isolated from one another in a way which not only makes Islam impossible but equally makes civilization - indeed human life itself - impossible and unthinkable. Interdependence can be exaggerated; for it can be intensified to the point of rendering the human person a mere clog in a larger body or machine, impervious to the cog's own advancement, self-fulfillment and happiness. The evils of regimentation and collectivism have always weighed heavily in man's consciousness, whether in the age of the tribe, the city, the nation, or the universal community. Here Islam has declared its purpose to be the achievement of felicity of the person as well as that of the group. Compiled From: "Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life" - Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi, pp. 124, 125

Blindspot! First Step to Repentance The soul wrongs and harms itself. One can imagine someone, for example, wronging someone else for the sake of some worldly benefit - this is imaginable and witnessed, although it is obviously not proper. However, it does not make any sense for a person to harm and wrong his own soul. This means that he is working against his own good; he is doing something that is of direct harm and no true benefit to his soul. This is what happens over and over again to the majority of mankind. This demonstrates the depths of misguidance that mankind can reach. The main way a person harms his own soul is by disobeying Allah, His creator, who, out of His mercy, sent him guidance to lead him to the path of true bliss and happiness. In reality, a human has no right to wrong himself. Hence, one of the first steps along the road to repentance and purifying one's soul is the recognition that one has done wrong to his soul. He must repent to Allah for the wrong that he has done to his own self as it is only Allah who can forgive him for what he has done. Compiled From: "Purification of the Soul: Concept, Process and Means" - Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, pp. 63-65

Vault into Spring with Veilkini

Spring is in the air! Whether you are going on spring break or gearing up for summer, order your Al-Sharifa Veilkini suit now!!! Use code shoe10 to get 10% off !

Read the original post here.

Super Berry Crepes

Yesterday dh made these for me, masha Allah. I should have taken a pic but I expected the link to have one. These are so yummy. You'll want to have them again and again. Fresh berries are best. We didn't try blackberries but maybe next time or maybe even raspberries. I sprinkled the whole thing with icing sugar. Looks so nice and tastes so good. Here is the recipe.

Small Town Quebec wants muslims!

Shocking as it may sound a small town in Quebec has a mayor who wants muslims to move to town. He wants French speaking Arabs. He's willing to build a mosque, a halal meat store and have a space for a muslim cemetary. Big question though is 'are there any jobs?' Would you move there? We can speak french (well me and the kids) but if there are no jobs then what is the point. Imagine if my town offered to do all these things!
Read the article here

I think I'm alone now.

Yesterday I got a sad call. My only muslim neighbour, the only other muslim in this town said she will be moving away next month. Not just down the street but to another city. I mentioned her before in my Ramadan posts. She was always sending me food for iftar. Alhumdullilah. The only other muslim before that left in 2009. Now we will be the only musim family in town. I doubt anyone else will move here because there are no jobs unless a muslim doctor would move here which we really need. Doctor shortages are extreme in little towns. So this news just makes me want to leave even more. Sadly my quran teacher will be leaving for 3 months in the summer which will also make things worse. Life is a test. When we are alone we still have Allah.

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Certainty of Faith Al-Baqara (The Cow) - Chapter 2: Verse 4 (partial) "And in the Hereafter they have certainty of faith." The word translated as "certainty of faith" is yaqin. It means having no doubt about the truth of a matter and arriving at accurate doubt-free knowledge. This knowledge can come from either Revelation, or study and verification. Yaqin has three degrees: first, that which comes from knowledge (ilm al-yaqin); second that which depends on seeing and observation (ayn al-yaqin); and third, that which comes from direct experience (haqq al-yaqin). For example, rising smoke is the sign of fire and gives us some certainty about the existence of a fire where it is rising. This certainty is that which is based on knowledge. When we go to where the smoke is rising and see the fire with our own eyes, our certainty of the fire's existence is the kind coming from direct observation. If we put our hand into the fire and feel its burning quality, then we obtain experienced certainty about the existence and quality of fire. One may acquire certainty about or certain faith in the Hereafter through Revelation or discovery; or through the seeing of the "heart" (the spiritual intellect); through intellectual deduction or reasoning; or through some sort of contact with the spirits of the dead (provided that this last is done through authentic ways); through true dreams; or through scientific studies. In all these cases, it will be certainty based on knowledge that is certainty of the first degree. Compiled From: "The Quran: Annotated Interpretation in Modern English" - Ali Unal, p. 12

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Understanding the Prophet's Life Strength Remembrance gives to the one who practices invocation such strength that he is able to do what he does not have the strength to do without it. When Fatima, may Allah be pleased with her, came to ask the Prophet, peace be upon him, for a servant, and complained to him about the difficulty she suffered in grinding flour, running errands, and doing other chores, he taught her and [his son-in-law] Ali, may Allah be please with them, to recite the formula of glorification thirty three times (Subhan Allah), that of praise thirty-three times (Alhamdulillah) and that of edification (Allahu Akbar) thirty-four times - every night upon going to bed. He said, 'This will be better for you both than a servant.' It is said that anyone who is constant in this practice will find such strength in his body that he will have no need for a servant. The first thing that Almighty God had created, when His Throne was upon the waters, was the bearers of the Throne. They said, "Our Lord, wherefore have You created us?" God answered, "To bear My Throne." "Our Lord, who is strong enough to bear Your Throne, when upon it lay Your greatness, might and honour?" He said, "For that I have created." And they repeated this several times, until He told them, "Say: There is neither strength nor power save in God." (lâ hawla wa lâ quwwata illâ bi Allâh) And they bore the Throne. These words - 'There is neither strength nor power save in God' - have the striking effect of helping one to accomplish difficult work, bear fatigue, and endure fear or dreadful experience. For according to a hadith related by Ibn Abil-Dunya, the Messenger of God said, 'For whoever says, "There is neither strength nor power save in God" one hundred times, no day shall be afflicted by poverty." Compiled From: "The Invocation of God" - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, pp. 99-100

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Blindspot! Declaration of Faith Did you know that there is one phrase said at least 17 billion times a day? It is called the Shahadah, or Declaration of Faith. It is said a minimum of 17 times each day within the daily prayers of each of the 1 billion Muslims on Earth. Anyone who says that people don't praise God enough obviously hasn't met a Muslim! In Arabic, the most basic Shahadah formula is said this way: Ashahadu an la ilaha ill Allah, wa ashahadu anna Muhammadar Rasulullah. The English translation is: "I declare that there is no god except God, and I declare that Muhammad is the Messenger of God." This phrase includes the two founding principles of Islam and is sometimes called the Muslim Creed. It is a very strong ideological statement in that it lays out the Muslim frontline position: There is Only One God, and Muhammad is his last Prophet. What are the benefits of reciting the Shahadah so many times each day? Think about it: All Muslims have the chance to remind themselves about the reality of God in their lives. Whereas the hustle and bustle of the daily grind may cause us to forget that we are living through a big test and will have to face God one day, the Shahadah and its recitation focuses our hearts and minds on our ultimate purpose. We are here to surrender our wills to God and lead virtuous lives. Compiled From: "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam, 2nd Edition" - Yahiya Emerick, pp. 125-126

An Apple a Day

When I was in college I used to watch the other students in the caf. Maybe it was wrong, but I was curious. I soon started to notice a trend. All the slim people brought their own lunch and what did they always have in their lunch? An apple! All of the overweight people always ordered from the caf and mostly chose fries. I don't really like apples that much myself but these studies show that they low cholesterol. The best apples are those that are freshly picked yourself. I know this first hand. My kids had a blast picking them at an orchard nearby and ate them like crazy even though they lasted for months!  What's your favourite apple?

Beautiful Scarves

If you are looking for some great future eid gifts or want to treat yourself then check out this etsy shop with its handpainted scarves. So many gorgeous choices. You won't be able to stop at just one!

Missing Muslim Woman in Georgia

I just read on another blog about this case. Please spread the news and make dua. This is a 30 yr old mother of 5. Read the blogpost here and watch the video here.

From My Heart

I want to send out a prayer to my readers. I appreciate each and every one of you  and your comments and your kindness and your company.

May Allah (God) bless you and keep you on the straight path or lead you to it, may He give you wealth and health and keep you close with your family and your friends, may He make you steadfast in difficulty,increase your knowledge, give you children and protect them,protect you from tribulations and disasters, forgive your sins and grant you jannah (heaven) and save you from the hellfire. Amin.

Friday Nasihah - Freedom, The Womb, Belonging

iving The Quran Freedom Al-Zumar (The Crowds) - Chapter 39: Verse 41 "We have revealed to you the Book in truth. Whoever decides to be guided by it does so to his own credit. Whoever goes astray, does so to his own discredit. O Muhammad, you cannot do more than to convey and warn." The social order of Islam is free. If it is built by force, or if it executes its programs through coercion of the people, the social order would lose its Islamicity. Regimentation may well be necessary, but it can be legitimate only if it is restricted to the area of implementation. Prior to that, Islam requires shura (mutual consultation) on the very instituting of regimentation which can, at any rate, only be temporary and pertinent to specific projects. Where regimentation is the rule and coercion is recoursed to on principle, the outcome may well be a successful actualization of the divine pattern, but it is an actualization whose value is utilitarian, not moral. For it to be moral, it would have to be entered into by its subject voluntarily, as a free decision taken out of personal commitment to the value, or divine pattern in question. Were humans like angels, incapable of evil, their deeds would fulfill every divine desire or imperative, but they would not be moral. Throughout the heaven and earth, the will of God is actualized with the necessity of natural law; the creatures of heaven and earth are not free to do or not to do. Hence, their actualization is not moral. Only man's is moral, because only he is free before the divine imperative. To cause humans to actualize value, if it cannot mean to coerce them into such actualization, must mean to persuade them to do so of their own accord. This means that for value-actualization to be moral, it has to mean no more than teaching and convincing humans that values are values, that divine commandments are the desirable patterns. This makes of the social order of Islam a seminar or school on a large scale where the business of government and leadership is to teach, to educate, to convince, to persuade, to enlighten and to guide. Compiled From: "Tawhid: Its Implications for Thought and Life" - Ismail Raji Al-Faruqi, pp. 110, 111

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Understanding the Prophet's Life The Womb The origin of man and ties of kinship are very important and every human has responsibilities toward those peole to whom he is related. The word for womb, rahim, itself is related to the word rahmah, meaning mercy. This is because people have mercy towards one another due to their relationships through the womb or blood relations. It is also related to Allah's name al-Rahman (the All-Merciful). In fact, a hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) states "Verily, the womb (al-rahim) has taken its name from al-Rahman (the All-Merciful). Allah has said, 'Whoever keeps your ties, I shall keep his ties. Whoever cuts you off, I shall cut him off." [Bukhari] Compiled From: "Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi" - Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, p. 397

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Blindspot! Belonging We have to come from somewhere. We may try to forget, regret or try to erase the fact or we may, on the contrary, make an effort to reclaim our origins, homeland or traditions, but our personal or family past will always be an important part of our being and our identity. Whether we like it or not, we belong to our memories. Life is short, and none of the important events we remember will ever disappear; images return or fade away, echo and mirror one another, speak with one voice or clash in the midst of our joys, pain, doubts or hopes. We are always looking for 'something' in the light of our past-belonging, because we want to rediscover certain joys, a few habits and a friendly or loving presence, or because we want to avoid suffering, abandonment, disappointment, pain or violence. What are we looking for? Probably for well-being, peace, reassurance, harmony and love. Our past sometimes helps us and sometimes hinders us. We always have to revisit the past, understand it, disentangle it, tame it and forget it, but we can never really flee from it. We have to live with it and come to terms with it. We know that we have to seek and, basically, to find. Sometimes we do not even know what we are looking for, and other times we know exactly what we have to find, but cannot find it. And sometimes we have already found what we are still looking for. This is disturbing and difficult. And as we wander, we really want to belong to ourselves, to be ourselves and to feel that we possess ourselves. Compiled From: "The Quest for Meaning" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 161-165

Muslim Womenpreneurs article

Women showcase businesses at Bazaar

Sampling. Amal Alsadek shows customers her products during the Muslim Womenpreneurs Bazaar held yesterday at the Anatolia Islamic Centre. Photo by Claudio Cugliari

Puneet Parhar
April 3, 2011

The Muslim Womenpreneurs Bazaar at the Anatolia Islamic Centre, yesterday, gave several Muslim women across Mississauga, who own and operate small businesses from their homes, their first opportunity to make introductions to the community at large.
“I wanted to create support for minority women who feel shy to go out there and make sales,” said Ibtissam Sebbahi, founder of the event and a Milton mother of three, who owns Jasmin Jewels.
Sebbahi decided to give Muslim women a means of advertising that they could afford, after she realized that her own small business could not afford the cost of renting a table at large trade shows such as the Suhaag Wedding, Fashion and Lifestyle show in Toronto.
She browsed through several online directories like TOmuslims.com for the names of small business owners like herself. “I searched for them,” said Sebbahi, who worked the phones, calling the women one by one to invite them to participate in a local bazaar.
By the time the flyers went out, Sebbahi had already filled 90 per cent of the available spaces in the bazaar, which consisted of several tables set up around the lower level of the Islamic Centre. She was ultimately forced to create a waiting list of over 20 local business owners.
Abeer Qita of Canadian Smile Clinics explained why the bazaar is so popular. “Nowadays, a lot of women do not want to put their children in daycare, and so they look for jobs inside their homes, they want to generate incomes from their homes, with low investment.”
The bazaar represents an opportunity to do business for vendors like Sadia Khan, a fashion designer and clothing importer, who added that  “women don’t have the resources at home” to put themselves out there.
Sebbahi said she was also motivated by a desire to showcase Muslim women offering services, since the usual local bazaars singularly display clothes and jewellery.
She limited the number of clothing vendors to four each in the Arab and Pakistani communities in order to challenge a misperception that “Muslim women do not contribute, and that when they do, they do clothes and stay inside the community.”
Dania Obaidi displayed the paintings of some of her art students and offered registration to the art courses she teaches from her home. Qita performed a teeth whitening service, while May Dajani of Abjad Educational Resources, which sells Arabic language books to teachers in the Peel Language Resources program, explained how to use the “speaking Koran,” which recites and explains the origin of each verse aloud to users.
“A womenpreneur is a chance for ladies to express themselves and come out of their ‘shells’,” said Khadija Youssef, Women Service Coordinator at Community Microskills Development Centre, which provides settlement and employment services. “We need to show that we are not just here to co-exist.”
Noseiba Rifi, a mother and Mississauga native, said the usual bazaar fare consists of hijabs and abayas. “I was happy to see a sister doing homeopathic medicine, and another sister doing a “Sisters” magazine!” she said. "I’m still looking for a hairdresser though!”

Dawah - Angry Caller calmed down

Living with the Beautiful Names of Allah - London,Ontario

There will be an Al-Maghrib seminar in London,Ontario in June. I don't know the price and can't find it on their site but I do know if you can get 10 people together then there is a discount. Have you ever taken an Al-Maghrib course? How did you like it? Did it change your life?

Before its too late

Nightmare of Disbelief

I finally got around to reading this book which my son lent me. I should have read it a long time ago. Although its geared to non-believers it still has a message for muslims like me who find it hard sometimes to accept our qadar. We have to remember that something we hate may have something good in it and something we like could be bad for us and remember to always be grateful.  I would recommend this book for anyone who wants to convince anyone about Islam and also for those who might need a nudge.

Islamic Book Swap

Who would like to join my spring Islamic book swap? Here's the idea. Each person will be partnered with another reader who will then email each other and get to know each other to see what types of Islamic books they like to read ie fiction,non-fiction and all the sub categories like historical non-fiction. Each person will send the other an Islamic book (new or used) by May 20th 2011. Each person will take a picture of the book they sent and recieved and a short report about the book they read. Be sure to send a book your partner has not read yet. A good idea is to send them a list of 10 possible books and asked them which ones they've already read. Please send an email to owits at gmail.com .

Participants

oldmuslimwomanintheshoe
handmadebeginnings

RIS Links

I meant to do this ages ago but  late than never. I want to share some links from all the flyers I got from RIS. Most of them had booths and some of them you know and some maybe not. I hope that these will be useful for those who couldn't make it last year to Reviving the Islamic Spirit..

Fashion Links.

Sister has Style  ( I don't remember this booth at all but a little boy in the auditorium picked up this business card off the floor and handed it to me thinking it was mine.)

Om-Anas Islamic fashion and bookstore

d'kir Designs 
(I bought two jilbabs from them; teal and mauve and I love them and would buy from them again!)

Wedding Related

HnR Desserts

CHIC Weddings & Events 

Khatbah "Matchmaker"


Books


Alexandria educational center  
(these were the only people selling pink kids' prayer mats)

My Islamic Books
(Islamic and Arabic studies books)

Charity

International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy

 Muslim Welfare Centre

ICNA Relief Canada 

Muslimat Al-Nisaa (Woman's Shelter)
(It was at her booth that I found out that Paradise4ever has shut down, how sad is that?)

Education

Alif Arabic

Al Kauthar Institute 

Islamic Forum

Travel

Travel Guide

My Stellar 

Dar El Salam Travel 

Misc.

Green Bidet

 Fountain Magazine

i Freedom Mastercard 

Food

Campbell soup
(thanks for the free soup)

Blossom Pure Organic
(expensive but 100% halal and organic)

Maple Lodge Zabihah
(thanks for the hamburger coupon but seems no one sells it)

Whew ok I'm tired now. If you know anymore links from RIS let me know. I think I missed some. And just to let you know, no company paid me a cent for these endorsements and information. :)

Friday Nasihah - Aspire for Perfection

Living The Quran Fighting Tyranny Al-Hajj (The Pilgrimage) - Chapter 22: Verses 39 - 40 "Permission to fight is given to those against whom war is waged, because they have been wronged. Most certainly, God has the power to grant them victory. These are the ones who have been driven from their homelands against all right for no other reason than their saying, 'Our Lord is God!' Were it not that God repels some people by means of others, monasteries, churches , synagogues and mosques - in all of which God's name is abundantly extolled - would surely have been destroyed. God will most certainly succour him who succours God's cause. God is certainly Most Powerful, Almighty." Muslims are commanded never to accept or even tolerate oppression practised against them or against others (non-Muslims). Islam makes it an obligation and privilege of Muslims to fight tyrants who are unjust and oppressive to their subjects. The objective of fighting these tyrants is not to convert them to Islam, or even to convert their followers. It is solely to liberate humanity at large, and rid it from oppression and tyranny. It is to make religious freedom an overriding ideal and obligation for all religions, be that Islam, or other faiths. The above verses make it abundantly clear that the objective of waging war in Jihad is not to convert people to Islam, it is merely to assure religious freedom for all: to protect churches, synagogues, monasteries as well as mosques. It is indeed significant that mosques are mentioned at the end of the list. It is also very significant that waging of Jihad is made sanctionable in self-defence. The Muslims were given permission to fight back, because they were wronged, persecuted and driven out of their homes, for no cause except that they worshipped One, True God - Allah! All places of public worship can be destroyed despite their sanctity and dedication for worship. Evil will not respect the fact that these places are made for extolling God's name. They are protected only through people's efforts, with the advocates of faith standing up to repel falsehood's aggression. Indeed, falsehood and evil will not stop their aggression unless they realize that the truth has enough power to counter their own. Truth may be valued by people, but such value is not enough to provide it with protection against aggression in man's world. It requires the appropriate means of self defence. Compiled From: "War and Peace In The Life of the Prophet Muhammad" - Zakaria Bashier, pp. 292, 293 "In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 12, p. 137

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Understanding the Prophet's Life Usurping Rights It is the duty of a Muslim to ensure that he never usurps anyone's rights, be these related to his material possessions or anything else. He should not try to get what does not lawfully belong to him. Nor should he lag behind in discharging any of his obligations towards another person's life, honour and property. The Prophet, peace be upon him, exhorted Muslims: "Allah has prescribed Hellfire and forbidden Paradise for him who usurps a fellow Muslims' due under oath." When the Companions asked whether this applied to something of little value, he replied in the affirmative, saying that it held good even for a twig taken from an ordinary tree. Once addressing his Companions he asked them as to who is poor. When they identified a resourceless person as someone poor, he clarified that a poor member of the community is one who appears on the Day of Judgement with lots of good acts of worship to his credit, yet he is guilty also of abusing, slandering, hurting, beating and depriving others of their due. His victims will therefore be granted his good deeds. As a result, he will be left with nothing. They the sins of his victims will be transferred to him. Eventually he will be hurled into Hellfire. (Muslim) Compiled From: "Inter Personal Relations" - Khurram Murad, pp. 19, 20

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Blindspot! Aspire for Perfection Seeking the virtuous deeds is the end goal of those who strive, and there are varying levels of good deeds. The highest virtues are none other than combining knowledge and action, for when they are achieved, the person is raised to the highest status, for that is the aspired goal, and according to one's ambition, opportunities arise. Thus, your ambition must be to seek perfection. Some people restricted themselves to ascetism, and other devoted themselves to knowledge, while yet others combined complete knowledge with complete action. However not everything one desires is achieved, nor does every seeker find what he is seeking, nor does every one who begins a praiseworthy matter complete what he began! But one must strive, and each will have that for which he was created for facilitated for him, and Allah, Glory be to Him, is the Giver of Aid. Compiled From: "The Value of Time" - Abd al-Fattah Abu Ghuddah, p. 71

Solar Model Kits and Earth Day

Just came across this kit for kids. Do you ever use kits with your homeschooling kids? I 've used a magnet one and a electricity one but today I came across a Solar Model kit and its just in time for earth day this month (April 22nd). I think my kids would love this, in fact I would like to make one of these models!

What will you be doing for Earth Day this year? A walk in the woods,picking up litter, planting trees,remembering to use your own grocery bags/boxes,watching Avatar,making a birdhouse,composting,recylcing, making a quilt out of old clothes,river/lake side cleanup,using public transportation,buying local,turning off your lights,using cold water for your laundry and using clothes line or drying racks,avoiding chemicals in cleaning products and personal-care products (visit davidsuzuki.org), eating meat less often and/or switching to organic, becoming a gargage picker,making your own babyfood, using cloth diapers,nursing your baby,walking your kids to school donating your clothes or other household items on freecycle or to a local charity or having a cheap date ie picnic in the park? Have a happy Earth Day!