Please Pray-Poor Baby

Just saw this here on yahoo news. Please pray for this poor baby in Windsor who will be forced to die on Monday.

Growing Up X and Green Deen

I've finally finished Green Deen. The last two chapters were called Water and Food. These are really good chapters and I'd like to cover them but I really want someone else to discuss them with so until I find at least one more reader I'm going to take a break. As for Growing Up X my library still doesn't have it so I intend to buy it this month. Insha Allah someone will pick one of these books up and join me because frankly I'm feeling a bit bored reading alone in this so-called book club.

Just for laughs!

Friday Nasihah-Nature

Living The Quran
Primary Guide
Fussilat (Clearly Expounded) - Chapter 41: Verse 39

"And among His Signs is this: you see the earth humble [because of drought]; but when We send down rain to it, it is stirred to life and yields increase. Truly, He who gives it life can surely give life to the dead, for He has power over all things."
In the first years of the Prophet's (peace be upon him) life he developed a specific relationship with nature that remained constant throughout his mission. The universe is pregnant with signs that recall the presence of the Creator, and the desert, more than anything else, opens the human mind to observation, meditation, and initiation into meaning. Thus, many verses of the Quran mention the book of creation and its teachings. The desert, apparently devoid of life, repeatedly shows and proves the watchful consciousness the reality of the miracle of the return to life.
This relationship with nature was so present in the Prophet's life from his earliest childhood that one can easily come to the conclusion that living close to nature, observing, understanding, and respecting it, is an imperative of deep faith.
Nature is the primary guide and the intimate companion of faith. Thus, God decided to expose His Prophet, from his earliest childhood, to the natural lessons of creation, conceived as a school where the mind gradually apprehends signs and meaning. Far removed from the formalism of soulless religious rituals, this sort of education, in and through its closeness to nature, fosters a relationship to the divine based on contemplation and depth that will later make it possible, in a second phase of spiritual education, to understand the meaning, form, and objectives of religious ritual.
Cut off from nature in our towns and cities, we nowadays seem to have forgotten the meaning of this message to such an extent that we dangerously invert the order of requirements and believe that learning about the techniques and forms of religion (prayers, pilgrimages, etc.) is sufficient to grasp and understand their meaning and objectives. This delusion has serious consequences since it leads to draining religious teaching of its spiritual substance, which actually ought to be its heart.
Compiled From:
"In The Footsteps of The Prophet" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 12-14

Did Hijab Cost This Woman Her Job?

I rarely buy newspapers since the internet has tons of news anyway but that title in the Toronto Star caught my eye and I had to buy it and read the story. I can relate to the woman in one way because when I first converted I couldn't get a job at all with hijab but at least she did get one. As for me I got a job without one then put it back on, for that I was treated with contempt and hidden in the back room and told that I had decieved them and that it was the wrong impression I was giving to people since they believed in woman's rights basically. I never fought the issue since it was only a contract job and I had a lot of other things on my plate but I'm glad to see this woman is not taking it sitting down especially since no one can accuse her of deception like they did me. So read it and find out

Did Hijab Cost Her, Her Job?

Green Deen -Watts

So onto the next section; watts. This section talks about electricity. He starts by mentioning the blackout of 2003. Where were you when it happened? I remember that day all too well. Then he goes on to talk about energy from hell (oil, coal, etc) and energy from heaven (solar, wind etc). This expression wasn't coined by him though.Next is efficiency and green jobs. Very interesting chapter. I was very impressed by the Green City Force which 'targets disadvantaged neighbourhoods in Brooklyn' .I was also impressed with IMAN; Chicago's Inner-City Muslim Action Network. In living off the grid he talks about a convert living in Mexico in a community that is self-sustainable.

So here are some questions?

Where were you in 2003 when the blackout happened and how did you react?

Is your home energy efficient?

Would you be willing to live off the grid?

Does your city have any solar panels or wind turbines?

Halal Trip and a Halal Cruise.

Halal Trip which I told you about last year has sent me this press release. If you're looking for a halal hotel  then consult this website.
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Find family-friendly hotels the easy way - HalalTrip revamps its website not only to benefit Muslim travellers

Almost one year after its first launch HalalTrip (http://www.halaltrip.com) has just refreshed its design and logo. The website now appears quite clean and easy to use. The homepage features a new and compact search form that invites travellers to easily search hotels in their desired destinations. Further, a BBC short video report explaining Halaltrip can now also be watched by users.

"We feel quite honoured to see the BBC covering our project in such a great way. Our team was already looking for a new design focussing on the key value of our site: Searching Muslim-friendly hotels! But HalalTrip also targets families looking for alcohol-free hotels around the world", explains Karim Saad, founder of HalalTrip.

HalalTrip is offering more than 1.000 hotels around the globe suitable for Muslim travellers and non-Muslim families. Each hotel profile features information whether alcohol and Halal food is served and if there are prayer rooms, women-only pool facilities or any other Halal extras available. Users may not only search the directory but review any listed hotel.

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HalalTrip - Travel like a Muslim
Web: http://www.halaltrip.com

FB: http://facebook.com/halalhotels/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/halaltrip/
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For a halal cruise that's in the works check out Salaam Cruise.

June Book Club Pick 2011

For June we will be reading a book by another Canadian author but this time from Ottawa, insha Allah. I just came across this book so I just had to share it with you as my June book club choice. What do Canadians care about the most after talking about the weather? Hockey of course. Immigrants are obsessed with soccer but Canadians couldn't care less. And we don't call it football either! Neither do we care about cricket or badminton. Hockey is where its at.

Have you read a great muslim book lately? What are you reading right now?

Malaysians Protest in KL against Mubarak Regime

In Kuala Lumpur a protest was held to support Egyptians against the gov't of Hosni Mubarak. Unfortunately the Malaysian gov't took out water cannons to break up the protest. How sad is that???

Daily Duas-what difference do they make?

I have a chart like this but I never use it. My kids have never used it either, we've never bothered to memorize any duas. I have some on my door for entering and leaving, once in a blue moon I will read from them to make dua. People who grew up muslim learned these since they were kids and they roll off their tongues.Other kids are suprised my kids don't know them. I guess I've never really bothered with them because I don't see the point. I mean of coure its to worship Allah but what difference do they really make in your life. Are people using them just out of habit? Do they think they make a difference? Do they feel they are like insurance? Do they do it because everyone else is doing it? I don't know why but I can't get over the idea that these duas are like accessories instead of the main outfit which are fard prayers but I also feel that way about sunnah prayers and dhikr. I think I am like the bedouin and just want to stick to the fard and leave off the rest. Conversion was hard enough with all its changes. I feel adding more even after all these years feels like a burden. So tell me if I'm wrong! What difference does it make???

Al-Maghrib in Malaysia

For all those you have been waiting, the wait is over, Al-Maghrib will be in Malaysia! The first weekend workshop will be A Heart Serene. I'm so happy that our Malaysian brothers and sisters will get to enjoy and benefit from the Islamic knowledge and guidance Al-Maghrib has to offer. Everyone I know who has gone to one of these workshops has been impressed and transformed.

February Book Club Choice - Growing Up X

The book club pick for this month is Growing Up X. February is Black History Month so its the perfect book choice. I still remember waiting for the Malcolm X movie to come to town. It was taking forever so I went to the library and got the book. When the movie finally did come to town a journalist wrote that the black people were happy because they had been waiting for it. Hello what about the muslims? What about other people in general? All books are for all people. We are all human. We all have stories to tell and we all have something to learn from each other. Insha Allah you will pick up this book or her dad's book and join our book club this month. Other great reads if you are interested are Uncle Tom's Cabin and Roots. Tell your kids too.