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!