Friday Nasihah

Living The Quran Knowledge Unlimited Al Anam (Cattle) - Chapter 6: Verse 59 "With Him are the keys to what lies beyond the reach of human perception: none knows them but He. He knows all that the land and sea contain; not a leaf falls but He knows it; and neither is there a grain in the earth's deep darkness, nor anything fresh or dry but is recorded in a clear book." It is important to define what we describe in English as lying "beyond the reach of human perception" and the keys to it as being known only to God. This expression is given in the Arabic text in one word, ghayb, which is an essential element of the Islamic concept of faith, existence and life. The term is derived in Arabic from a root which denotes "absence, disappearance, hiding, shielding from people's senses and understanding." To believe in God is to believe in what lies beyond the reach of human perception. It is not possible for human beings to comprehend the nature of God. Similarly, the life to come also lies beyond the reach of human perception. Believing in the angels is also part of believing in the imperceptible, because we only know about angels what God has chosen to tell us. It addition, we have to believe in God's will and its operation. That is also part of ghayb. Not everything unknown to man is ghayb, and not all forces of the universe are unknown. There are certain laws that operate in the universe without fail. God has given man the power to know this much of the laws of the universe and to manipulate these forces in accordance with these laws. He will then be able to accomplish his mission and make use of the potentials of the earth and promote life. This short verse causes our human imagination to come to life trying to explore the horizons of what we know and what lies beyond our knowledge. We try to imagine the limitless nature of God's knowledge as it encompasses the whole universe and goes far beyond what we know of that universe. Our minds may try to discover what has so far been unknown to us in the land or at sea, realizing that everything in them is perfectly known to God. Compiled From: "In The Shade of The Quran" - Sayyid Qutb, Vol. 5, pp. 174-188

Understanding the Prophet's Life Humility Getting close to Allah by voluntary deeds is only done by those people who are completely humble and submissive to Allah. Similarly, having love for the beloved servants of Allah (His Auliya) only comes about through humility and humbleness. Furthermore, some of Allah's beloved servants are the poorest and most humble people of this world. One must love them and be kind to them and accept them as one's brothers. This can only be accomplished by those who are humble and free of arrogant pride. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) stated, "Allah has revealed to me that you must be humble, so that no one boasts over another." [Muslim] Compiled From: "Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi" - Jamaal al-Din M. Zarabozo, pp. 1439-1441

Blindspot! Enlightened Leadership The enlightened Muslim leadership of the early empires enabled the rise of the various golden ages. This vision of leadership, however compromised by the unavoidable human ego, institutional failings, bad luck, and corruption, managed for more than eight centuries to inspire a climate of invention and intellectual ferment that was unique and helped shape a future vision of modern leadership in Europe and other non-Muslim countries. The leadership legacy of Abu Bakr would seem to be in creating a model of humility, compromise, incorruptibility, and a dedication to charity and public welfare. These values provided an enduring ideal of leadership in the Muslim world and beyond, an ideal often contrary to the baser instincts of men. Ali is one of the first Muslim leaders to set down in writing a detailed template for enlightened leadership, elements of which later surfaced in the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphates, in Fatimid and Sunni Egypt, in Seljuk Persia and Anatolia, in the Delhi sultanate and Mughal India, and in the Ottoman Empire. Evidence is included in a lengthy letter on leadership, which Caliph Ali sent to his loyal follower, Maalik al-Ashtar, appointing him as the new Muslim governor of Egypt: ... Remember, Maalik, that amongst your subjects there are two kinds of people: those who have the same religion as you have, they are brothers to you; and those who have religions other than that of yours, they are human beings like you.... Let your mercy and compassion come to their rescue and help in the same way and to the same extent that you expect Allah to show mercy and forgiveness to you.... You must always appreciate and adopt a policy, which is neither too severe nor too lenient; a policy which is based upon equity will be largely appreciated. Remember that the displeasure of common men, the havenots and the depressed persons overbalances the approval of important persons, while the displeasure of a few big people will be excused by the Lord if the general public and masses of your subjects are happy with you.... Remember, Maalik.... The thing which should most gladden the heart of a ruler is the fact that his State is being ruled on the principles of equity and justice and that his subjects love him. And your subjects will only love you when they have no grievances against you. So let them have as many justifiable hopes in you as they can and fulfill as many as you reasonably can. Speak well of those who deserve your praise. Appreciate the good deeds done by them and let these good actions be known publicly. Compiled From: "Lost History" - Michael Hamilton Morgan, pp. 254-257

Soaked Cakes

For some reason lately I've been thinking of soaked cakes. Not the naughty ones but the halal ones. I made a rose syrup one once using a rose 'pan'. I found some on the web and thought to share them. Do you ever make soaked cakes? Which one have you made and which ones would you recommend?

Candy cane cake.

Lemon yogurt cake soaked in Lemon Mint Syrup.

Halal Trini Black Cake (this one is called halal because it doesn't contain any alcohol unlike the traditional version which has tons. )

There's no more proper link for the rose cake so here is the full recipe. Would make a lovely eid cake.


Rose Scented Pound Cake


For the Cake:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup unsalted butter -- (2 sticks) at room
temperature
2 cups sugar
3 eggs -- at room temperature
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons rose water

For the Grapefruit-Rose Syrup:
1/4 cup freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon rose water

For the Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1/4 cup grapefruit juice
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon rosewater

For the Cake:
1. Preheat oven to 325� F. Grease and flour a 2 - 2 � quart Bundt pan.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, sift together the flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until it is fluffy and light in colour. Add sugar, 1 cup at a time and cream together thoroughly.
4. Add the eggs, one at a time to the butter/sugar mixture and incorporate thoroughly.
5. Pour the buttermilk into a liquid measuring cup and add the lemon juice and the rosewater. Stir to combine.
6. Add half of the dry flour mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and mix gently to combine. Then repeat by incorporating half the buttermilk mixture into the batter. Repeat until both the dry mixture and buttermilk mixture have been completely combined into the batter.
7. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan and bake for 50-60 minutes. Insert a toothpick or a wooden skewer into the center of the cake and if it emerges perfectly clean, the cake is done. While the cake bakes, make the grapefruit-rose syrup.
8. Remove the cake from the oven and set aside on a rack to cool for 5 minutes. Poke between 50-100 holes into the cake with a wooden skewer while it is still warm in the pan and pour the grapefruit-rose syrup into the holes to fill and moisten the cake. Let stand for 1 hour before removing the cake from the pan.
9. To unmold, carefully loosen the edges of the cake from the pan and gently turn over with your hand supporting the cake as it glides out of the pan. Let it rest upright on a wire rack with a foil-lined cookie sheet underneath to catch any of the drippings from the syrup/glaze. (OR cover the cooling rack with waxed paper so that the cake doesn't stick to the cooling rack. then transfer the cake and wax paper to the serving platter and trim the wax paper so you can't see it)
10. Make the glaze and brush it into the crevices of the cake (if you are using a Rose Bundt pan) or simply pour it over the top edges of a standard Bundt cake. Let the glaze harden and then cover the cake until ready to serve.

For the Grapefruit-Rose Syrup:
1. In a small saucepan, combine the grapefruit juice, sugar and rosewater and heat to dissolve the sugar. Do not bring to a boil. Pour into cake (see above).

For the Glaze:
1. Sift confectioner's sugar into a medium-sized bowl (to ensure no lumps) and then whisk in grapefruit juice, lemon juice and rosewater and mix thoroughly to form a glaze. Brush or pour over cake (see above).

20 Years

Alhumdullilah, its been 20 yrs today that I embraced Islam. How did I feel on that day? Nothing really. I guess because in my heart I had always been a Muslim but just didn't know what to call it. I always believed in the oneness of God and never thought that Jesus was God or the son of God. I never knew that Muslims believed in God so never thought to become one. I thought Muslims worshiped statues just like Hindus. In these 20 yrs I have changed so much and the world has changed so much as well. Back in '91 the talk of the town was Not Without My Daughter and The Satanic Verses and yes I read both. The Gulf war was happening. Since then there's been so many events including the Oklahoma bombing which Muslims were wrongfully blamed for. Then Sept 11th happened and I thought well this time they won't blame us again, not like last time. They will wait until they have collected all the facts. But they did it again before the morning had even left us, a typical knee-jerk response. Then came the backlash and then the attacks on foreign soil of those who played no part in that day. When I think of becoming Muslim it kind of divides up into before and after Sept 11th. Life was better before but that day changed it for every Muslim even the ones up here in the massah's house. Now we have upheaval in the middle east and its high time that the Arabs, Muslim or not, stood up to their evil dictators. What will happen in the next 20 yrs? Allahu alim but most would say they put their money down on the mahdi coming back. Seems like its just around the corner. To all you new Muslims, hang on because its going to be a bumpy ride. We can't just say we believe and not expect to be tested. After all life is a prison for the believers.

Our Family Cookbook

Have you checked out my other blog; Our Family Cookbook? Please do and please try some of the recipes and let me know what you think. And follow me too! Its getting colder out there, you might want to try the casserole or the meat loaf. See you over there!

Win a Muslim Wall Sticker - 3 days left

So I accidentally found this contest to win a free Muslim wall sticker. Pick the one you like on their facebook page (you have to pay shipping though) and you could be the winner. Check it our here.

Moozlum Movie Night

Amazingly my library has the Moozlum movie and I borrowed it and we had a great family movie night watching it.  We really enjoyed it especially ds2 (15) and myself. I was hoping  Walmart or any store would carry it but they didn't seem to, so finding it at the library was a great surprise. Can you  find many islamic books and movies at your library?

Friday Nasihah - Women' s Status

Living The Quran Women's Status Al Ahzab (The Confederates) - Chapter 33: Verse 35 "For Muslim men and women, for believing men and women, for devout men and women, for true men and women, for men and women who are patient and constant, for men and women who humble themselves, for men and women who give in charity, for men and women who fast, for men and women who guard their chastity, and for men and women who engage much in Allah's praise, for them has Allah prepared forgiveness and great reward." Initially, Quranic verses used only the masculine plural form to refer to the women and men in the new faith community. For years, "believers" (al-muminun), and "the truthful" (as-sadiqun), either referred specifically to men or to the men and women who constituted the Prophet's first Companions. Once, a woman (or several, according to the different traditions) asked the Prophet why women were not explicitly mentioned in the revealed message. The Book - which, while revealing a universal message, also included responses to the questions asked by the Men around the Prophet - was later to mention women and men distinctively, as in the above verse. This evolution of the message is part of divine teaching in the process of revelation carried out over twenty-three years: the faithful are thus led to evolve in their understanding of things and critically reconsider some of their cultural or social practices. The status of women, who were sometimes killed at birth because of the shame they might bring, was to be reformed in stages, as verses were revealed. It thus appeared more and more clearly that the Quran's message and the Prophet's attitude were apt to free women from the cultural shackles of Arab tribes and clans and from the practices of the time. The Creator addresses women as being on an equal footing with men, their status as beings and believers is the same as men's, and the requirements of worship are absolutely identical. The Medina period helped sort out the religious principles from Meccan Arab customs and bring about changes in women's status: the reform movement was thus started and accompanied by the Revelations, by social experiments, and, of course, by the Prophet's attitude as the example the Companions were to follow. The different verses were therefore to be read and interpreted in the light of that movement, and early readings and interpretations of revealed texts were to be viewed in the ideal mirror of the Prophet's behaviour. The inner reform movement was perceived, understood, and commented on from the first centuries, during which the text sciences was established, but it remains true that early readers were mainly men who read the Revelation through the double prism of their gender and of the culture in which they necessarily lived. The Companions and early ulama could not but read the text in the light of their own situation, viewpoint, and context. While the Book spoke about women, their being and their heart, fuqaha set out to determine duties and their rights according to the various functions society imparted them. Women were therefore "daughters," "sisters," "wives," or "mothers"; the legal and religious discourse about women was built on those categories. It is indeed difficult for a man, and what is more a jurist, to approach the issue of women primarily as beings in their integrity and autonomy: whatever the internal process initiated by the different revelations or historical experiences, such an approach inevitably orients and restricts the reading and interpretation of texts. Their concern was to impart a function to women, to draw up a list of rights and duties. A closer reading of the texts, however, shows that the purpose of the inner evolution just mentioned, revisiting women's status step by step, is in fact to bring the believing conscience to perceive women through their being, beyond their different social functions. This inductive movement toward the primacy of being naturally involves an effect on the issue of social status; this, however, implies allowing full scope to the interpretation process and accepting all its consequences. Compiled From: "Radical Reform: Islamic Ethics and Liberation" - Tariq Ramadan, pp. 209-211

Understanding the Prophet's Life Learning and Teaching It is narrated by Abu Musa that the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "The example of guidance and knowledge with which Allah has sent me is like abundant rain falling on the earth, some of which was fertile soil that absorbed rain-water and brought forth vegetation and grass in abundance. (And) another portion of it was hard and held the rain- water and Allah benefited the people with it and they utilized it for drinking, (making their animals drink from it) and to irrigate the land for cultivation. (And) a portion of it was barren which could neither hold the water nor bring forth vegetation (then the land was of no benefit). The first is the example of the person who comprehends Allah's Religion and gets benefit from the knowledge which Allah has revealed through me and learns and then teaches it to others. The (last example is that of a) person who does not care for it and does not take Allah's Guidance revealed through me (He is like the barren land.)" [Bukhari]

Blindspot! Cowardice Vs. Courage Whenever the Quran encourages Jihad and expresses approval of it, while rebuking those who flinch from it and shirk it, cowardice is always the culprit. For the well-being of mankind, be it religious or worldly, cannot be complete without courage and generosity. The All-Glorious has explained that when someone turns his back on Jihad, God puts another in his place to perform it (Quran 9: 38-39, 47:38). In courage and generosity for God's sake the greater merit belongs to those who take the lead (Quran 57:10). Courage does not reside in physical strength. A man may be physically strong yet faint at heart. Real courage is stoutness of heart and constancy. For fighting requires a body strong and fit for the task, but also a heart that is stout and skilful in battle. The commendable way to fight is with knowledge and understanding, not with the rash impetuosity or one who takes no thought and does not distinguish the laudable from the blameworthy. Therefore, the strong and valiant is he who controls himself when provoked to anger, and so does the right thing, whereas he who is carried away under provocation is neither courageous nor valiant. Compiled From: "Public Duties in Islam" - Ibn Taymiyah, pp. 105-106

The Finalists are In

The StyleIn finalists are in . I see that 2 of the finalists are designs I've chosen. I wonder who will win? Its too bad that a lot of great designs didn't make it. Wish these could be produced in real life.

Muslim White Female

From BBC radio here is an interview of 3 Muslim converts including Tony Blair's sister-in-law. I love this as it captures so many experiences I've been through.

Muslim Homeschooling Book - Etsy

Just found this book on Etsy. Looks interesting. Not too many books like this out there. Check it out here.

Muslim Wall Stickers - Etsy

There are some new wall stickers on Etsy. Cute Arabic alphabets flowers here. 
99 Names of Allah here.  These are both great for kids rooms. This second company has more too like the Bismillah one.

How old is the old woman?

Funny story, the other day during Ramadan we were doing another dawah dinner at the mosque. This time it was to tell non-Muslims about Ramadan. While talking to one Christian woman she said I didn't look a day over 25 which sure made my day. But then things came crashing down recently when my daughter told me that the drug store cashier was asking if I was a senior citizen which for that store means 55 and above. What? My goodness. So I asked her about it and she said she thought since I had so many kids that maybe I was.I told her well my mother is a senior citizen but not me. In fact folks I'm not even a baby boomer! Well the cashier did say I didn't look 55 only that she thought I might be. Guess the stereotype is thriving...lots of kids equals old woman.  So why did I pick this blog name then? Well its because of the second line in the poem: She had so many children she didn't know what to do!