Rebranding or not?

My blog is around 4 yrs old now. I think bloggers sometimes wonder is anyone still interested? Have I or my blog become boring, stale, old ? Everything around us is fast, changing, new, different or you're out! Must we all be Madonna to stay cutting edge? I think not! Must we try to be like others who are more popular? Only if their popularity is somehow tied to good Islamic deeds and we should only envy two; the one who has more knowledge and the one who has more money and gives it away in charity. Otherwise we shouldn't fool ourselves. We are born with our unique personalities which we had when we were even souls and our bodies too come from different parts of the earth and have an impact upon us. This is all sound islamic knowledge. We need to be gentle with ourselves. Can we be interesting and cool and still Muslim of course but we must never sacrifice suratul mustaquim for all that jazz and sparkle. Its a balancing act. People are basically the same person all their lives ie since I was in grade 3 I wanted to do cake decorating, so here on my blog you will see how I went to cake decorating classes. However, I never in my wildest dreams thought I would become a Muslim, but I always cared about religion. People who are going to like you are going to like you for the good in you no matter how sparkly or shiny you are. You may not have the best pics or the most interesting blog and maybe you don't update that often but people who really care about what you have to say will remain true. Hang tough fellow bloggers. You have a unique voice and a unique perspective, people want to hear you, let yourself shine!

Because your blog, your blog is on my list
Because your blog, your blog, I can't resist

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Owning Calamity Al-Shura (The Consultation) Chapter 42: Verse 30 "And whatever misfortune befalls you, it is because of what your hands have earned. And He pardons much." It is against the scientific way of thinking to oversimplify complicated issues, underrate serious issues, view difficult problems with an alarming superficiality or deal with major issues with the mentality of the uneducated and the practices of the dervishes. It is detrimental to our thinking that we should see behind anything that we do not like those invisible hands and evil foreign powers that had masterminded our plight wickedly and waited patiently until we stepped into the trap of our own accord. This may be true in some cases, but it is wrong to generalize it. Explaining events in our history to be the results of schemes and conspiracies, regardless of whether the events in our countries are political, economic, social or cultural, only bears two bad fruits: Firstly, if such a feeling escalates, it breeds a sense of fatalism that there is nothing we can do about these satanic schemes because of the gigantic financial and intellectual capabilities of the forces of them and because of our own weaknesses and shortcomings. This way, we become "chessmen on a chessboard" and such a feeling would breed only despair and a destructive sense of defeat. Secondly, this attitude prevents us from self­-criticism and precludes any sincere attempt to understand our deficiencies, remedy our ailments or examine our failures and sins. It impedes any effort to look for the causes of our diseases so that we may find a cure for them. This situation will remain as long as any deficiency, neglect, corruption or ruin is seen as the result of a devious foreign scheme, not as the consequence of our own behaviour. We had often adopted this attitude despite the fact that the Quran teaches us to blame only ourselves whenever we are met by a misfortune or are the target of a calamity or a defeat, as Allah the Almighty mentions in the above verse. Compiled From: "Priorities of The Islamic Movement in The Coming Phase" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, pp. 115,116

Understanding the Prophet's Life Sobering Reality The travels of a believer may be very long before he meets his Lord. Along the way, there are many things that may distract him. There are even enemies along the path. Satan, for example, is ever ready to take the believer away from the path. Therefore, the believer who is on this journey must always be seeking Allah's guidance and His help to keep him moving in the right direction. Any straying from that path could be disastrous; his end may come suddenly and he may never have the chance to return to the straight path. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), has awakened the believers to that sobering reality by his example of constantly making the following supplication, "O the One who Turns the Hearts, confirm my heart upon your religion." [Tirmidhi] Compiled From: "Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi" - Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, p. 1547

Blindspot! Beyond Headlines When you see violence in other parts of the world portrayed on the evening news, do you look at the rage and hatred in people's faces, or do you ask yourself about the distress that has inspired this anger? Make a habit of looking behind the headlines to the ordinary people who are affected by a crisis. Remember that they did not choose to be born into that part of the world. Like you, they simply found themselves in a particular situation and may have been forced to conduct their lives in a context of violence, deprivation, and despair. We know from our own experience that deeds have long-term consequences. We are all affected, consciously and unconsciously, by the unkindness, neglect, contempt, and violence we have endured in the past. This is also true of whole nations: persecution, chronic warfare, bad governance, exploitation, marginalization, occupation, humiliation, enslavement, exile, impoverishment, and defamation all leave psychic scars that persist long after the event. They affect the way the new generation is brought up and can infiltrate the religious, intellectual, ethical, and social development of a country. People who have been taught to despise themselves cannot easily respect others. Those who have been brutalized by hatred, persecution, or oppression cannot cultivate the trust that makes it possible to reach out to others. We should ask whether our own nation has contributed to the problems of a particular region and realize that, in our global world, if we ignore the pain of a people, it is likely that at some point this negligence will rebound on us. Compiled From: "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" - Karen Armstrong, pp. 150, 151

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Love of Wealth An-Adiyat (The Courses) Chapter 100: Verse 8 "Verily the love of wealth is strong." Every man is created with a natural love of wealth for its own sake. He is naturally endowed with a love of possession and with a desire to retain what he possesses. There is no harm in the competition that arises from these natural inclinations for it encourages every man to give of his best so that he is zealous to work and to earn, and he both wants and needs such work. He is not conscious of being forced to work, and hence he does not expend his labour grudgingly or hopelessly. But in the end it is society that profits from his labour and his toil. Islam lays down principles that will ensure that profit to society and that will make it certain that no harm can arise from such complete freedom of individual or from the ratification of his right of personal possession. Justice demands that the social system shall conform to the desires of the individual and satisfy his inclinations – at least so far as will not injure society – as a return for his contribution to it in the way of ability and labour, in the sweat of his brow, in the labour of his thought, and in the exertion of his nerves. Justice is the greatest of the foundations of Islam, but justice is not always concerned to serve the interests of the individual. Justice is for the individual, but it also is for society. Compiled From: "Social Justice in Islam" – Sayyid Qutb, pp. 130, 131

Understanding the Prophet's Life Blocked from Generosity The two authoritative collections contain the hadith narrated by Abu Huraira, who said, “The Prophet (may God bless him and grant him peace) depicted the miserly and the charitable person as two men in robes of iron that bind their hands to their chests and throats. Every time the charitable person gives something, the robe loosens until it hangs by his mere fingertips and erases his tracks. And every time the miserly person thinks of giving (but holds back), it tightens, every coil of the robe in its place.” At this point, Abu Huraira said, “And as he spoke, I saw the Messenger of God put his fingers in his robe and make as if to loosen a garment that would not loosen” [Bukhari, Muslim]. The miserly man is blocked from generosity and kept back from good deeds. And he receives the same in return. His breast is constricted, unable to expand. His stomach contracts. His soul is small, and his happiness paltry. But his cares and woes are many. Rarely will he help the needy or the beggar. He is indeed like a man in a robe of iron, his hands so bound to his neck that he can neither move them nor free them. Whenever he tries, the coils spring back in place. For whenever such a man wishes to give, his miserliness holds him back and his heart remains imprisoned. Compiled From: "The Invocation of God" - Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya, p. 38

Blindspot! Vulnerability If we are going to recognize and accept what makes us human, including our imperfections and less-than-extraordinary lives, we must embrace our vulnerabilities. This is extremely difficult, because we are afraid to be vulnerable. We equate vulnerability with weakness, and in our culture, there are very few things we abhor more than weakness. It is extremely painful to share a vulnerability or fear with someone, only to have them use it against us as an insult, as leverage in an argument or as a fodder for gossip. However, the need to reach out and talk about our experiences can be a strong force. So strong, in fact, that it sometimes leads us to purging with people whom we have not developed the kind of relationship that can absorb that information. When it comes to sharing information, it would be nice to believe that most of us have the ability to recognize the right people, the right times and the right ways to share. But alas, the reality is that most of us have turned to people we barely know and thrown up vulnerability all over them. When it comes to sharing vulnerability, it’s wise to take time to test whether the other person is worthy of hearing our stories and to assess our own level of safety and comfort in sharing sensitive material. We want to trust that the other person isn’t going to deny and minimize our pain, or alternatively, overfocus on our problem in an unhelpful way. We don’t want to be put down, pitied, or gossiped about, nor do we want to have sensitive information used against us. Compiled From: "I Thought It Was Just Me" - Brene Brown, pp. 205-207

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Getting Rewarded An-Nahl (The Bee) Chapter 16: Verse 35 "The worshippers of false gods say: ‘If Allah had so Willed, we should not have worshipped aught but Him, neither we nor our fathers, nor should we have prescribed prohibitions other than His.’ So did those who went before them. But are Messengers charged with aught but to preach the clear message?" It is false to argue that we should have been compelled to follow guidance, because Allah gave us the freedom to choose belief and righteousness and equipped us with everything necessary for this purpose in accordance with His Divine Will, so that out of our own free will we could choose and abide by truth and virtue and then get our reward. This leads us to two important results: 1) If Allah had guided aright all men and prevented them from doing any wrong or committing any sin, which Allah could easily have done, this would have transformed human beings into angels and rendered all their human responsibilities and obligations meaningless since these require freedom of choice and action. 2) When people try to absolve themselves of their obligations on the pretext that they are helpless in the face of Divine Will, they in fact reject the blessing with which Allah has honoured them – the blessing of free will. This is nothing short of rejecting the pattern fixed for human nature by the higher Will of Allah. In such a case man could not rightfully hope for any reward for following and obeying Him. None of these false assertions is supported by any factual evidence in life. And both the Quran and the Hadith explicitly and conclusively reject and repudiate them. Compiled From: "Freedom and Responsibility in Quranic Perspective" - Hasan Al-Anani, pp. 138-139

Understanding the Prophet's Life Lover of Humanity The man destined to be the Messenger to all humanity and the leader of all humanity was endowed by Allah with a great love for all people, black or white, red or yellow – a love for people without discrimination. In his farewell sermon to the Muslim community, Muhammad, peace be upon him, declared: “All of you descend from Adam and Adam was made of earth. There is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab over an Arab; neither for a white person over a black person nor a black person over a white person except the superiority gained through God-consciousness (taqwa). Indeed the noblest among you is the one who is most deeply conscious of God.” This great love was indispensable for such a great task as his. Without this great love for humanity, he could not have led people upon the prolonged and patient path towards the great Truth, towards the liberation of mankind from the worship of false deities to the worship of Allah, the True Divinity. As an insight on this point, recall a rare situation the Prophet faced. When he was abandoned in Makkah by his near relatives through hatred and enmity to his cause, when he was persecuted under the violation and the tyranny of Quraysh, what did he do? He said to his Lord, “O Allah! May you forgive my people, for they are ignorant, they do not know the Truth.” Compiled From: "Islam: The Way of Revival Vol 1" – The Way of The Prophet: Muhammad Qutb, pp. 129-130

Blindspot! Passions The monotheistic religions did not base their teachings on the sciences, and the psychologists and psychoanalysts of the late nineteenth century and the first half of the twentieth tried to formulate theories and establish methodologies on the basis of experiments they were able to analyse by examining the behaviour of their patients. And yet all these approaches make the same observations and strive to achieve a similar objective: no matter whether their message is based upon moral principles, the aspiration to inner freedom or even the desire to achieve a psychological equilibrium, the goal is always to achieve and maintain mastery and control over one’s emotions and passions. They are beyond our control, and the task of philosopher, initiate, believer or patient is to become aware of the indeterminate element within himself or herself and to understand, insofar as that is possible, how that element functions in an attempt to control it and thereby attain an inner harmony. Our emotions are often beautiful, but they can also be dangerous. They represent our spontaneity and seem to speak to us of our freedom. And yet all contemporary studies – from neurology and psychology to marketing – prove that our emotions are the form of self-expression over which we have least control, that they are highly vulnerable and, basically, easily manipulated. Advertising, music, atmospheres, subliminal messages and films can have an impact on our emotional life, and we cannot control it because we are not even conscious of it. In effect, he who can know and master its functioning and psychology from outside can become twice its master. Compiled From: "The Quest for Meaning" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 113-115

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran

Hope
Al-Ahzab (The Confederates) - Chapter 33: Verse 21

"Indeed, in the Messenger of God their is an excellent model for you - for whoever is hopeful of God and the Last Day and remembers God much."
Striving with the energy of hope is more exalted than being compelled by fear. This is especially true when the benefits of one's acts touch the lives of others, which is the case with sadaqa (charity) for the needy. There is so much hope in Islam, its creed and ethos are rife with optimism and buoyancy. Planting a tree from which birds eat reaps the planter reward so long as that tree stands. Hope is light!
An act of worship done for the love of God is a higher station than those acts done out of fear of Hellfire. This is a common understanding among scholars throughout the ages. This view does not belittle the fear of punishment, but it does assign a higher station to guiding one's conduct out of awe of God and a heightened sense of His majesty and greatness.
Compiled From:
"Purification of the Heart" - Hamza Yusuf, pp. 156, 157

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Lying

"For as long as a person lies or justifies a lie, his (or her) name is recorded before God as one of the liars." [Ibn Hanbal]
Imam al-Ghazali elaborates: 'Lying is forbidden in all things except when it is absolutely necessary. I must, therefore, be avoided at all times even in one's imagination and self-suggestion. One ought to make a deliberate effort not to sow the seeds of falsehood in one's thoughts, and to try to avoid it at all times.'
Among the instances when telling a lie may be necessary, is when it helps to save an innocent life. For example, if someone is trying to capture and kill an innocent person and asks another of his whereabouts, the respondent may tell a lie in order to prevent bloodshed. In the sayings of the Prophet, peace be upon him, three other instances when lying is permissible are noted: firstly, when it helps to remove hostility and create harmony between two parties; secondly, when it is done in order to mislead the enemy in warfare; and lastly, a man is allowed to praise and encourage his wife in order to please her, even if the speech so uttered is not literally true. [Al-Maqdisi]

Compiled From:
"Freedom of Expression in Islam" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, p. 122

Blindspot!

Idolatry

Idolatry has always been one of the pitfalls of monotheism. Because its chief symbol of the divine is a personalized deity, there is an inherent danger that people would imagine "himself" as a larger, more powerful version of themselves, which they could use to endorse their own ideas, practices, loves, and hatreds - sometimes to lethal effect. Once a finite idea, theology, nation, or ideology is made supreme, it is compelled to destroy anything that opposes it. We have seen a good deal of this kind of idolatry in recent years. To make limited historical phenomena - a particular idea of "God," "creation science," "family values," "Islam" (understood as an institutional and civilizational entity), or the "Holy Land" - more important than the sacred reverence due to the "others" is a sacrilegious denial of everything that "God" stands for. It is idolatrous, because it elevates an inherently limited value to an unacceptably high level. Atheists are right to condemn such abuses. But when they insist that society should no longer tolerate faith and demand the withdrawal of respect from all things religious, they fall prey to the same intolerance.
Compiled From:
"The Case for God" - Karen Armstrong, pp. 321, 322

Friday Nasihah

Kindness All Around
Al-Nisa (Women) - Chapter 4: Verse 36

"Worship God alone and do not associate with Him any partners. Be kind to your parents and near of kin, to orphans, the needy, the neighbour who is related to you and the neighbour who is a stranger, the friend by your side, the wayfarer, and those whom your right hands possess. God does not love those who are arrogant and boastful."
The first commandment is to worship God, which is followed by a prohibition of worshipping anyone other than Him. This is a total and absolute prohibition of all sorts of worship which man has practised in all ages and communities.
This is followed by a commandment to extend kindness to parents in particular and relatives in general. We also note in this verse, as in many others, that Divine directives begin by emphasizing the need to be kind to one's relatives before widening their concern to include all those who need to be looked after in society or in humanity at large. Compassion towards others begins at home, in one's own immediate family. A person who has not shown compassion towards his family, hardly ever shows compassion towards others.
This commandment to extend our kindness to all these groups is followed by a comment which denounces conceit and arrogance, miserliness, suppression of God's favours, boastfulness and showing off. All these are attributes to one basic cause, namely, lack of faith in God and the Day of Judgement.
Compiled From:
"In the Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol 3, pp. 144-147

Understanding The Prophet's Life

Two Types of Charity

Other than the charity of giving part of one's wealth to others, charity, in its broadest Islamic concept, can be divided into two main categories. The first category consists of the acts of goodness and kindness that are done toward other human beings. Acts of goodness that are done directly toward oneself constitutes the second category.
The first category includes acts as mentioned by the Prophet,
"Your smiling at your brother is a charitable act for you. Your ordering good and eradicating evil is a charitable act. Your guiding a man in a land wherein he is lost is a charitable act. Your helping a man with bad eyesight to see is a charitable act. Your removing a stone, thorn or bone from the road is a charitable act. Your emptying your cup into the cup of your brother is a charitable act." [Tirmidhi]
An important act of charity of the second category that is available to everyone, no matter how poor or rich, is the act of refraining from harming others. Abu Dharr once asked the Prophet, peace upon him, what he should do if he does not have the ability to perform some of the good deeds. The Prophet told him,
"Keep your evil away from the people and that will be a charitable act from yourself upon yourself." [Muslim, Bukhari]

Compiled From:
"Commentary on the Forty Hadith of an-Nawawi" - Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo, pp. 976, 977

Blindspot!

Female, Male

No human society has ever succeeded in promoting complete equality between women and men. We still have a long way to go. Even though the old representations that associated women with the body, seduction and impurity have been done away with - albeit not entirely in certain traditional societies or in some fundamentalist or literalist circles - the fact remains that we have yet to achieve the objectives of justice, the absence of social discrimination and the right to autonomy and equal pay. We find in all societies - without exception - social and cultural behaviours that encourage the ill treatment of women, domestic violence and the stigmatization and marginalization of girls.
And yet neither women nor men can make it on their own. They must walk together along the road of the quest for meaning as they assert the existence of a shared universal and as they demand freedom, dignity, autonomy and justice. They are equal but not the same, and both men and women must allow the other to bring their distinctive outlook towards the resolution of common problems. Within this partnership, both men and women will be able to take a new look at the basic questions of meaning, freedom, masculinity, paternity and authority by coming to terms with what they are. Their beings and their paths may well be distinct, but their destinations and their hopes are surely the same.
Compiled From:
"The Quest for Meaning" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 92-95

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Friday Nasihah (sorry its late)

Living The Quran Challenging Intellect Al-Rum (The Romans) - Chapter 30: Verses 23-24 "And among His signs is your sleep at night and in the daytime, and your seeking of His bounty; surely in that are signs for people who listen. And among His signs is that He shows you the lightning that bears fear and hope, and that He sends down water from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after it had been lifeless; surely in that are signs for people who use their minds." The succession of sleep and wakefulness followed by activity in earning one's living shows a biological and intellectual ability for the human being to live in harmony with the cosmic design of day and night in general, with the exception of those whose work is at night and thus they must sleep during the day, but such people are substantially fewer in their numbers. The same natural features, such as the lightning that accompanies thunder, can have benefit and/or harmful effects on different people, and thus can raise hope, with its ensuing rain as well as fear of possible damage to homes or lives, in the human being, who is challenged to find protection from the harm through the human intellect. As a result of the challenge to the human intellect to find protection from lightning, the lightning rod was invented in the eighteenth century. Through such contrasting messages, the human being ought to think deeply about the creation and the Creator, about this life with all its pleasures and insecurities as well as the eternal pleasures of the life to come. Nature in its various phenomena represents an open and comprehensive exposition of knowledge throughout the world for all those who may perceive and contemplate. Compiled From: "Concepts of The Quran" - Fathi Osman, pp. 40, 41

Understanding the Prophet's Life Intention Causes are not made victorious through the efforts of fame seekers, but through the efforts of those who were described in a hadith to be "righteous, pious and quiet ... those who if they are present are not known and if absent, not missed, and those whose hearts are the lamps of guidance." [Al-Hakim] Allah the Almighty does not accept a deed with shared objective, nor a heart with shared beliefs. We might say that we seek to establish an Islamic community, and Islamic State or an Islamic ruling system or that we work for restoring the integrated Islamic way of life, or any other short or long term objective, but our goal in all this should be to gain the Pleasure of Allah so that He may count us among His righteous servants. Compiled From: "Priorities of The Islamic Movement in The Coming Phase" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, p. 103

Blindspot! Past Pain The suffering we have experienced in our own life can also help us to appreciate the depths of other people's unhappiness. That is why it is important to revisit your own past pain. The dynamic of this Golden Rule is beautifully expressed in an early sura of the Quran (Ad-Duha) in which God asks Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, to remember the sorrows of his childhood - he had been orphaned as small child, parceled out to relatives, and for years was a marginalized member of his family and tribe - and make sure that nobody else in his community would endure this deprivation. Our pain, therefore, can become an education in compassion. Some people deliberately steel their hearts against involvement with other people's suffering: the businessperson has no option but to sack an inefficient employee, and the doctor cannot afford to become emotionally distraught each time a patient dies. It is natural to try to avoid unnecessary grief. We don't want to listen to the sad story that a colleague is telling us. We feel that we have enough to deal with and push her troubles from our mind. We hurry past the homeless man outside the supermarket, refusing to allow his plight to disturb our equanimity. But when this happens, it is time to recall our own past distress. Remember the things that help you when you are having a bad day - a kind word, a smile, a joke - and try to give that gift to a testy colleague. Remember what it is like to feel alone with sadness and take the trouble to listen to your friend's tale of woe: "And one who asks for help - do not turn him away." Compiled From: "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" - Karen Armstrong, pp. 99-102

Homeschooling and books I'm reading.

Well my son started homeschooling this week and I think the book I mentioned before is not quite challenging enough for him and he completes the work quite quickly. The book is in English and not offered in French so I am worried about him losing his French skills as he has always gone to French school except for the time he homeschooled before. I'm thinking of supplementing his work with French material from the library.

Remember when I had a book club? Seems so long ago. So what have you been reading? Right now I am reading Lost History which I had to get through interlibrary loan. It was recommended to me by one of my blog readers. I've also been reading various books by Malcolm Gladwell; an author who has such interesting book topics. Also The Sealed Nectar was gifted to me and it goes quite well with reading Lost History.

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Persuasion Al-Fussilat (Clearly Expounded) - Chapter 41: Verse 34 "Nor are the good deed and the evil deed equal. Repel evil with what is better; then will he between whom and thee was hatred, become, as it were, thy friend and intimate." The message in this verse is that wickedness must not be allowed to perpetuate itself: if evil is reciprocated with evil, then this will be the necessary outcome. To avoid this, the Quran enjoins the Prophet, peace be upon him, to repel evil with what is better and, by doing so, to turn potential hatred into friendship. Another point to be noted here is that God Most High has granted no one, not even the Prophet, absolute freedom of speech. For the Prophet is given specific guidance as to the way he must propagate his call and communicate with people through good advice and courteous methods of persuasion. Compiled From: "Freedom of Expression in Islam" - Mohammad Hashim Kamali, p. 129

Understanding the Prophet's Life Knowledge Seeking and getting knowledge is both an act of worship in itself as well as a means to further purify one's soul. The act of seeking knowledge itself is a potential means of receiving forgiveness and mercy from Allah while it, in turn, has an effect upon the person that leads to even more benefits. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said, "Whoever follows a path in order to seek knowledge thereby, Allah will make easy for him, due to it, a path to Paradise. No people gather together in a house of the houses of Allah, reciting the Book of Allah and studying it among themselves, except that tranquility is descended upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them and Allah makes mention of them to those in His presence." [Muslim] Compiled From: "Purification of the Soul" - Jamal al-Din M. Zarabozo, pp. 292, 293

Blindspot! Education Education means 'drawing' or 'guiding' individuals out of themselves so that they can establish a conscious relationship with themselves and their physical and social environment. When we are born, we are all physically dependent on our parents or carers. We need to be welcomed into the world, fed, protected and looked after if we are to survive, live and reach the first stages of learning. This dependency in itself requires education, and it is only then that the individual begins to revolve naturally. Being a human being means, first of all, 'becoming a human being' ... and it is only through education that we become human beings. That is why education is a basic, inalienable right that must be guaranteed in all human societies. Education has as much to do with the transmission of a value-system, behavioural norms and elements of culture as with the transmission of pure knowledge and the skills pertaining to what is usually called training. If there is one universal principle common to all spiritualities, religions, philosophies, civilizations and cultures, it is education. Education is a precondition for man's humanity, and it is an immutable and inalienable right. Compiled From: "The Quest for Meaning" - Tariq Ramadan, p. 127

Trip to Malaysia part 11 -Twin Towers

After going to Shah Alam it was time to go back to Kuala Lumpur or KL for short. We made our way by taxi to The Twin Towers or properly Petronas Twin Towers. Although I had been to KL briefly before in 2000 I never had the chance to go there. I made sure it was a must see this time. After seeing places for years in pictures its always surreal to see them in real life. The twin towers are basically a huge mall and we did spend time there shopping and eating with relatives that live there.  Its beautiful but I couldn't not notice the huge Chinese influence there; Chinese people are everywhere and the majority are not Muslim so you feel like you are not really in a Muslim country when you are there. I was not impressed when the Chinese girl in the mini-skirt tried to ply her Playboy perfume samples on me. I really felt like screaming. I couldn't blame her because the other Muslims seemed to have no problem with the whole scenario. I still remember the first time I saw this brand at the pasar malam in Kota Bharu and was so shocked. Now that brand is all over Canada and it makes me sick. But in a Muslim majority country I just felt intense anger. If Muslims are really controlling the gov't I would say they are just a bunch of paper tigers. Money talks and it really seems like the Malays are living under the thumbs of the Chinese aside from the so-called Bumiputra rights. Another thing that really stood out to me was how all the menial jobs were being done by Malays and Indians. The Chinese are all fit and trim and the Malays have become overweight and depressed. Back in 2000 I never saw so many happy people in my life. I told my kids you are going to see how smiley and happy Malays are when you get there but I was soon to be proved wrong. I don't know what has happened in the last 12 yrs but everything is a big mess in Malaysia now. Since leaving all I hear about is the high crime rate over there, the lack of jobs and gov't corruption. So the towers are beautiful but underneath there is a lurking ugliness. I also noticed a lot of Arabs this time who I am told have driven up the prices of everything

and white foreigners who were not speaking English. Of course Malaysia is closer to Europe than North America but it was so weird for me. After our visit to the twin towers we went to Aquaria which was suggested to me by someone on this blog if I'm not mistaken. It was also very beautiful and amazing and the kids loved it but I kept thinking about how the world is a paradise for the animals since they will never go to Jannah and keeping them behind glass on display is not my idea of a paradise for them. I would suggest scuba diving or snorkeling instead but I'm too chicken myself. There is a lot of walking around to be done on such a trip and I did become exhausted due to my leg problem and had to demand a break. Its hard to have an invisible disease because you look just fine on the outside and people think you are just slacking.

Spaghetti sqash and homeschooling soon.

So I made spaghetti sqash for the first time yesterday. Nadoona advised it last year instead of real spaghetti but I never got around to making it. I'd never tried it in my life before either. Only one of my kids liked it and I liked it a little so instead of it going to waste I decided to see if there was such thing as spaghetti squash bread and there is, so I morphed my meal into that! While it was baking its smelt amazing and then when I got to try it finally I thought; sweet and savoury. This time my kids actually liked it! Phew!

Homeschooling is something however that I've tried before. I didn't really want to go down that road again after way too many bumps but my son has decided he would like to be homeschooled again. Wasn't he the one who begged to go back? He is in grade 7 and not impressed with the curriculum which forces you to dance, listen to music and have co-ed gym. So insha Allah I will be homeschooling again. Already picked up his curriculum book Complete Canadian Curriculum for grade 7 from Indigo where I also got myself a blanket (its warm and cuddly, I couldn't resist). So maybe I'll start blogging about homeschooling again..hmm...

I wonder...does anyone read my blog anymore? Does anyone miss the book club? Is anybody out there? My daughter has accused me of abandoning my blog due to facebook but really its just that I'm not sure if anyone is interested in what I have to say anymore.

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Sacred Months Al-Tawba (Repentance) - Chapter 9: Verse 36 (partial) "The number of months in the sight of Allah is twelve (in a year) - so ordained by Him the day He created the heavens and the earth; of them four are sacred: that is the straight usage. So wrong not yourselves therein." Ever since Allah created the sun, the moon and the earth, the new moon takes place only once in a month; thus the year has always been of twelve months. Muharram is the month with which the Muslims begin their lunar Hijrah Calendar. It is one of the four sanctified months. These four months, according to the authentic traditions, are Dhul-Qida, Dhul-Hijja, Muharram and Rajab. The specific mention of these four months does not mean that any other month has no sanctity, because the month of Ramadan is admittedly the most sanctified month in the year. In fact, every month, out of the twelve, is originally equal to the other, and there is no inherent sanctity that may be attributed to one of them in comparison to the other months. When Allah Almighty chooses a particular time for His special blessings, the same acquires sanctity out of His grace. The meaning of the names of the months in Hijrah calendar: Muharram ["Forbidden" - it is one of the four months during which time it is forbidden to wage war or fight] Safar ["Empty" or "Yellow"] Rabi al-Awwal ["First spring"] Rabi al-Thani ["Second spring"] Jumada al-Awwal ["First freezing"] Jumada al-Thani ["Second freezing"] Rajab ["To respect" - this is another holy month when fighting is prohibited] Shaban ["To spread and distribute"] Ramadan ["Parched thirst" - this is the month of Islamic daytime fasting] Shawwal ["To be light and vigorous"] Dhul-Qida ["The month of rest" - another month when no warfare or fighting is allowed] Dhul-Hijja ["The month of Hajj" - this is the month of the annual pilgrimage to Mecca, again when no warfare or fighting is allowed] Compiled From: "Muharram" - Taqi Usmani "Towards Understanding the Quran" - Sayyid Abul Ala Mawdudi "Making Resolutions That Matter" - Young Muslims Canada

Understanding the Prophet's Life Skills Due to misconceptions, most people define religion as blind faith, meaningless acts of worship, a consolation for life's problems. Some Muslims have compounded this mistake by reducing Islam to an ideology, a social, economic, and political system. They ignore one fact stated in the Quran, the Traditions, and throughout Islamic history: Islam, the middle way between all extremes, addresses itself to all human faculties and senses, as well as to each individual's mind, heart, and feelings, and encompasses every aspect of human life. That is why Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, stressed learning, trading, agriculture, action, and thought. Moreover, he encouraged his people to do perfectly whatever they did, and condemned inaction and begging. For example, he said: "God loves a believing, skilful servant." [Fayd al-Qadir] As all of our actions will be displayed on the Day of Judgment, we cannot be careless and do something half-heartedly just to get rid of it. Moreover, the Messenger declares: "When you do something, God likes you to do it perfectly." [Kanz al-Ummal] Compiled From: "The Messenger of God: Muhammad" - Fethullah Gulen, p. 193

Blindspot! Family It is true, as the old adage says, that charity begins at home. The family is a school of compassion because it is here that we learn to live with other people. Family life involves self-sacrifice, because daily we have to put ourselves to one side in order to accommodate the needs of other family members; nearly every day there is something to forgive. Instead of seeing this as an irritant, we should see these tensions as opportunities for growth and transformation. Ask yourself what you really feel about your family. What makes you proud and happy about them? Make a list of the ways in which your family nourishes you. Perhaps you could write a letter to them outlining your history as a family, and your hopes and fears for each person in it. Does your family have a black sheep, and how has this situation come about? Can it be rectified? How do you conduct arguments and disagreements? What are your particular strengths in family life? Is there anything more you could do? What would make each member of the family feel supremely valued? How can you make your family a school for compassion, where children learn the value of treating all others with respect? What would life be like if all family members made a serious attempt to treat one another "all day and every day" as they would wish to be treated themselves? How would life be improved, for example, if everybody made a consistent effort to avoid speaking too hastily? We know that people brought up in dysfunctional families find it difficult to make good relationships in later life; they can have psychological problems that cause them to increase the sum of pain in the world. Creating a compassionate family life is one of the ways in which we can all make a constructive contribution to a more empathetic society in the future. Compiled From: "Twelve Steps to a Compassionate Life" - Karen Armstrong, pp. 69-71

Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Place of Sleep Ya-Sin (Ya-Sin) - Chapter 36: Verse 52 "They will cry: 'Woe to us! Who has raised us from our place of sleep?' This is what the All-Merciful promised, and the Messengers spoke the truth!" This statement reveals two facts concerning life in the grave. One is that compared with the dread of the Resurrection and the Place of Supreme Gathering, and the punishment in Hell, the suffering in the grave will be like a sleep tormented by nightmares. The other is: Ali, the Fourth Caliph, may God be pleased with him, says that the life of the world is sleep, and people wake up when they die. So, from the perspective of the truths of faith and the truths concerning creation and life, the worldly life is like a dream. When people die, their seeing and perception will be much keener. Compared with the eternal life in the other world, life in the grave is like a dream during sleep. All truths will be manifested in all their clarity in the Hereafter. Compiled From: "The Quran: Annotated Interpretation in Modern English" - Ali Unal, pp. 912, 913

Understanding the Prophet's Life Tenderness A text is narrated by Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his Musnad from Anas, he said: "There was a slave woman from among the slave women of Madinah and God's Messenger took her by the hand and he did not take his hand from her hand while she went with him wherever she wished to go." Al-Bukhari narrated it with the wording: "There was a slave woman from among the slave women in Madinah, and she took the Messenger of God by hand; then she walked off with him wherever she wished." The hadith demonstrates the extent of the Prophet's, peace be upon him, humility, courtesy and tenderness: though she was a slave woman she clasped him by the hand and she consulted with him through the city streets of Madinah, so that he decided for her certain needs. He was of extreme modesty and great in character, he did not want to hurt her feelings by withdrawing his hand from her hand. Rather, he shaded her, moving along with her in this situation until she was finished with the judgment of her need. Compiled From: "Approaching the Sunnah: Comprehension & Controversy" - Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, p. 165

Blindspot! Collectivity It is impossible to live, to bear witness, to pray, to fast, to make the pilgrimage alone, apart from other people and thinking only of oneself. To be with God is to be with other people: to bear the faith is to bear responsibility for social commitment at every moment. The teaching that must be understood from zakat could not be more explicit: to possess is to have the duty to share. It is impossible shamelessly to accumulate possessions in the name of personal freedom when it leads to exploitation and social injustices; it is impossible, too, to forget the interests of society as a whole and consider only one's own. Of course, people are free, but they are responsible for this freedom before God and other people. This responsibility is undeniably moral: according to this morality, to be free means to protect the freedom and dignity of others. The four practical pillars of Islam have this double dimension - individual and communal. The essence of Islamic teaching lies along this path between these two extremes: either to put first individuals and their own interests and so create a a social space that may turn into a jungle, no matter how lofty the speeches that may be made, or to give priority to the group and to the society and to deny the specificity, the hopes, and desires of each individual by creating a structure that binds and alienates, no matter how many plans there may be for development. A difficult balance, but it is the only way to respond to the demand of the Creator, who expects each person alone to bear responsibility for his or her community life. Compiled From: "Western Muslims and The Future of Islam" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 181, 182