June Book Club Pick 2011 - Of Hockey and Hijab

Its June boys and girls! Time to be reading Of Hockey and Hijab. A little out of season but still relevant anytime of the year here in good ol' Canada where hockey never dies! She shoots, she scores!

Lonely Am I

This is the poem of an anonymous convert. Read it here.

More Royal Botanical Garden pics.

All these pictures were taken by dd3 who is only 11.

Two Interesting Midwife books

The other day at Walmart I saw two new interesting books. One is The Midwife's Confession and the other is The Midwife of Venice. These might be right up my pregnant readers' alley and mothers too. Anyone read these? You might also like The Birthhouse which is set in Canada which I've read and loved especially for its historical references and explanation of how doctors took over the practice of attending births from midwives. Nowadays it seems to be going the other way.  While you're at it,why not follow a muslim midwife's blog here.

A Big Fat Thank You!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I want to give a big fat thank you or jazakullah khair to my daughter handmade beginnings for revamping my blog! I'm clueless about html but I did have some ideas about what design I wanted. Insha Allah even more can be added. I love the new look; its fresh, inviting and more readable. What do you think? Did you check out the new book club button? She has totally organized all my book picks along with reviews. I love ya awesome daughter!

Royal Botanical Gardens

Last week on the long weekend we finally went to the Royal Botanical Gardens, a place that has been on my list of must sees for a long time. DD1 and my granddaughter joined us there too. Although it was lovely I think it will be more in bloom later in the season. We intend to go again insha Allah. One funny thing I noticed was that most of people who were there were orientals and white senior citizens. I wonder why? Everyone should go to places like this to see Allah's grandeur and to think about Jannah, the best garden of all.  The most memorable thing for me was touching a cork tree. It looks just like the cork you see in bottles,lol. I looked at their program book and saw that they have activities for homeschoolers but we live too far away. It made me think of RiverCityHomeschooler. Enjoy the pics!

December Book Club Pick - Married to a Bedouin

December's book club pick is one I came across by accident but it sounds really interesting and I think you would all enjoy it. Has anyone read it? So that completed the reading list for 2011. Happy reading!

Uncle Tom's Cabin

Recently we went to Uncle Tom's Cabin as they were having an open house. This was our second time going. The first time I only had 5 kids and this time 10 but the oldest two were missing this time. I first read this book when I was a teen in high school and went on to name my first daughter after one of the characters in the book. My dd3 has been studying about the Underground Railroad so this was a good field trip for her. We are also watching Roots now which I borrowed from the library. The older kids have already seen it but its all new for the young'uns.

Friday Nasihah -Strong Bond, Company of the Righteous, Sadness

Living The Quran Strong Bond Al Hashr (The Gathering) - Chapter 59: Verse 10 "Those who come after them pray: 'Our Lord! Forgive us and forgive our brethren who preceded us in faith. Leave no malice in our hearts towards those who believe. Lord, You are compassionate, ever merciful." The true nature and wonder of the Muslim community is clearly depicted in these verses. We recognize the strong bond that unites all generations of believers generating feelings of love and compassion between them, as well as feeling of closeness that transcends time, place, race and family. It is a bond that takes precedence over all else, stirring pleasant feelings across generations. A believer remembers another who lived many centuries earlier, just like he remembers one who lives next door, and warms to him with love and honour. The present generation of believers takes into account the needs of future generations, and the ones still to come will follow the footsteps of their predecessors. They all constitute one rank, in the same brigade, across generations, despite belonging to countries and times that may be very wide apart. They all march steadily, under God's banner, trying to achieve the high standards expected of them, looking up to their Lord, the Compassionate, the Ever Merciful. It is a wonderful, amazing picture, yet it represents a reality as well as the best ideal cherished by noble hearts. The beauty and nobility of this picture of humanity can be best appreciated when compared to the grudges we see against social classes, past generations of humanity, and against religion and believers of all faiths and communities. The two situations are wide apart: they share no feature, colour or shade. One of them elevates humanity to the highest standards it can achieve, and the other takes it down to its lowest possible level. The first represents generations of humanity transcending barriers of time, place, race, country, tribe and family and promoting a bond of love and compassion, with pure hearts that are free of all grudges or selfishness, seeking only God's pleasure. The other shows humanity in conflict, with people always in strife, harbouring wicked feelings towards each other and resorting to deception, cheating and evil. Compiled From: "In the Shade of the Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol 16, pp. 435,436

Understanding the Prophet's Life Company of the Righteous The Prophet told us that the baraka or blessing of Allah is with those who gather and work as a unified jama'a for the cause of Islam: 'Allah's hand is upon the jama'a.' (Tirmidhi.) Indeed engaging in remembrance of Allah collectively is encouraged in many ahadith. The Prophet is reported to have said: If a group of people sit together remembering Allah, the angels will circle them, mercy will shroud them, peace will descend onto them and Allah will remember them among those with Him. (Muslim.) Dhikr in a group may help teach those who do not know the desired adhkar and bring hearts together and strengthen their noble ties. To ensure that our company is always filled with remembrance of Allah, it is of paramount importance that we continuously seek the company of the righteous if we wish to be elevated in the eyes of Allah. You must be careful with the selection of friends, for your companionship can and must be a form of dhikr. The Messenger of God said: `The best friend is the one who makes you remember Allah when you see him.' Also: 'Whosoever Allah wishes good for, He will grant him a righteous friend who will remind him if he forgets and aid him if he remembers'. As soon as you see the seed of iman planted in your heart and you recognise it in someone else's and you find that he agrees with you, you will feel ten times stronger. Social scientists have also discovered that group life is one of the most powerful forces to stimulate and improve the human being. Compiled From: "In the Early Hours" - Khurram Murad, pp. 51, 52

Blindspot! Sadness When you experienced sadness yesterday, your situation didn't get any better by you being sad. Your son failed in school, and you became depressed, yet did your depression change the fact that he failed? Your father passed away, and you became downhearted, yet did that bring him back to life? You lost your business, and you became saddened. Did this change your situation by transforming losses into profits? Do not be sad: You became despondent due to a calamity, and by doing so, created additional calamities. You became depressed because of poverty and this only increased the bitterness of your situation. You became gloomy because of what your enemies said to you; by entering into that mental state, you unwittingly helped them in their attack against you. You became sullen because you expected a particular misfortune, and yet it never came to pass. Do not be sad: Truly a large mansion will not protect you from the effects of depression; and neither will a beautiful wife, abundant wealth, a high position, or brilliant children. Do not be sad: Sadness causes you to imagine poison when you are really looking at pure water, to see a cactus when you are looking at a rose, to see a barren desert when you are looking at a lush garden, and to feel that you are in an unbearable prison when you are living on a vast and spacious earth. Do not be sad: You have the true Religion to live by, a house to live in, bread to eat, water to drink, clothes to wear, a wife to find comfort with; why then the melancholy? Compiled From: "Don't Be Sad" - Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni

May Book Club Choice and June Reminder

Has anyone read the book choice for May; Islam and the Discovery of Freedom? I have not yet myself but intend to soon insha Allah. Also just reminding everyone that the choice for June is Of Hockey and Hijab. If you would like to request anything please let me know. August's book choice and November's were chosen due to reader input.

November Book Club Pick - Heaven Under Your Feet

I've had a request for pregnancy and birth books, so for November I've chosen the book Heaven Under Your Feet: Pregnancy for Muslim Women.

Struggling to Find Community

This is a great article that sheds light on the plight of new muslims. Read the comments too and click on the great links that were left. Very interesting,  like the helpful group in London for reverts sisters, called Solace.