The Splendid Sky

Heylo!

2011-06-09T12:46:00.000-07:00

Salaam everyone :)
I know I've not been posting anything here lately. I've kinda been doing that cuz of some strangely unexplainable reasons. My blog is not all that anonymous as I'd intended it to be (blame my daftness). But because I have a strong- and probably unhealthy- relationship with my blog, here I am! :)

So.. Uni is over, final exams over. They went much *much* better than I'd expected. Alhamdulillah X infinity! I really expected- and vaguely even wanted- to fail. Self-fulfilling prophecy failed, thank God! My brother is getting married next week, which makes everyone at home pretty much nerve-wrecked. Inshallah it all goes well. Had a few emotional meltdowns, fell off my stairs, ignored my Persian language lessons, got a fabulous dress for the wedding, burnt my expensive dupatta for the Nikah while ironing it, and broke (into infinitely small pieces) the aqeeq stone thingy with the names of the Ahlulbayt (a.s) set in it- which was to be worn by my bro during the Nikah- which just happened to be passed down the family from five generations! If you think I'm having a bad time, you've not even started to hear it all! Anywho, now is not a time for my negativity.

Will leave for Iran early next month, Inshallah.
It's weird thinking about how I'm going to live there. I don't know how badly I'll miss my family, friends and the city. Mostly family though. I try not thinking about it cuz.. I have a lot to work on anyway at the moment. I've absolutely no idea how the people would be like there. Would the girls in the hostel be mean? Would I get along with them? Would I find someone to hang out and talk with? I hope I get internet connection on my phone soon when I get there. Also, I hope I find some good trench coats and summer tunics while I'm in Tehran :P Seriously though, main problem is the language barrier. I know how difficult it can be to express yourself without having access to a decent vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation.

Today was Laylatul Raghaib- The Night of Hopes. It's comes on the first Thursday of the month of Rajab. There are some *highly* rewarding prayers to be performed today. I had intended to offer them, but then mood swing attacked and i didn't end up offering them. What a great loss. I pity me! Instead i read a poem by Rumi about death and what a dying person's real grief is. It was so amazingly deep and insightful. If I remember the title, I'll post it Inshallah.

I'm off now. Will shortly be closing this blog, (as in discontinue writing here) and starting up a new one. Inshallah :)

Bonne nuit! :)

Ignoring Bahrain- the expensive slumber

2011-05-29T10:12:00.000-07:00

The covert and disguised hypocrisy, cruelty and mind-numbing oppression of the Saudi regime and its KING is open and out in the public. So...why pretend there isn't a problem?? The media doesn't cover Bahrain, nor does the US, who is very vocally "against terrorism". Please watch these videos and try spread awareness about the pressing issue the entire Muslim Ummah is facing.

The Prophet (S) has said- One who wakes up and is not aware of the situation of his Muslim brothers and sisters is NOT a Muslim.

Lets condemn and forbid evil the way it is supposed to be condemned and forbidden.

God's Mysterious Ways.

2011-05-10T13:32:00.001-07:00

Sometimes there's just too much of mystery. Mystery that baffles you and leaves you without any answers.

I believe in Ghaib. But...sometimes i feel i wish i was in on some of it. Especially that which concerns me and the direction of my life.

Its like...till yesterday you thought THAT was what you were supposed to be doing, THAT was where your life was naturally headed, and THAT was what Allah had planned for and allotted for you. Except that those things just suddenly changed course and started going to this unknown, new, and unchartered opposite direction. A direction you have no idea leads where. No clue what is expected of you now. No clue how you're supposed to behave in this new, unfamiliar, uninhabited situation.

It's like you were flying to a known destination, but your flight just lands somewhere else. And now you're in transit. And have no idea when you'll resume, or where you'll be heading off to next, or even if you'll resume at all...

How do you be content with not knowing? How do you calm your perplexities? I know the answer is in tawakkul to Allah SWT. But what if you aren't there yet? What if you know what to do but don't know how to do it? What if you end up failing to recognize your new purpose, your new direction? What if you fail your test? And what if you're on sick leave and don't want to appear for it?

I know. I couldn't get more vague.

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Bin Laden dead long before US raid-- Haha. haha. ha.

2011-05-08T10:57:00.000-07:00

Iran's intelligence minister says the country has reliable information that former head of the al-Qaeda terrorist group Osama bin Laden died of disease some time ago.

“We have accurate information that bin Laden died of illness some time ago,” Heidar Moslehi told reporters on the sidelines of a Cabinet meeting on Sunday.

He questioned Washington's claim that bin Laden was killed by American troops in a hiding compound in Pakistan on May 1.
“If the US military and intelligence apparatus have really arrested or killed bin Laden, why don't they show him (his dead body) why have they thrown his corpse into the sea?” Moslehi asked.

“When we apprehended [former Jundallah ringleader Abdul Malik] Rigi, we showed him and also aired his interview,” ISNA quoted the intelligence chief as saying.

By releasing such false news, he said, the White House seeks to overshadow regional awakening.

Moslehi said US officials resort to such PR campaigns to divert attention from their domestic problems as well as their “fragile” economic situation.

US President Barack Obama claimed that Osama bin Laden was killed by US forces on May 1 in a hiding compound in Pakistan.
A US official later announced that bin Laden's body was abruptly buried at sea, falsely boasting that his hasty burial was in accordance with the Islamic law, requiring burial within 24 hours of death.

However, burial at sea is not an Islamic practice and Islam does not have a timeframe for burial.
(PressTV)

Gee, I wish they would publish the accurate inside info they have on the matter. I know you'd think Hey, Iran's always against USA but then it's not just Iran but practically the whole world speaking the same language hehe!

The daughter of the Prophet of Islam

2011-05-06T11:33:00.000-07:00

The daughter of the Prophet of Islam, Muhammad (peace be upon him and his progeny), was born on 20 Jamadi al-Thani. She was named Fatima, meaning "the weaned one". It is said she was given this name because she was weaned from the fires of hell, and the same would be true of her followers.

Everyone who adopts the title of Shia claims by this title to be a follower of the Ahlul Bayt (peace be upon them), including Fatima (peace be upon her). To be someone's follower requires more than love and more than sharing grief. It requires knowledge of what that person said and did to be followed, and then application of that knowledge to the self. Followers of Fatima must learn whatever is possible about her true character and behaviors and sincerely endeavor to apply them in their own lives. It is a worthy endeavor because the supreme character and infallibility of Fatima makes her an ideal role model.

As I read about the Lady Fatima, one characteristic rings loud and clear above all others; it emanates so strongly from her every act and word that she embodies this trait perfectly as an example for her followers. That defining trait is that she preferred Allah Almighty to the world in every instance. Never once did Fatima do or say anything to prefer this world. She weaned herself from it totally, and this is how she weaned herself from the fires of hell. Her whole life was for the message of Islam, not ever for herself. She rebelled against her personal needs, however simple, for the sake of the principle of Truth, while most people choose the comfort of the self.

Her life was never one of ease. She spent her early years suffering from the blockade of the Muslims that would lead to the death of her mother Khadija and take the last of her wealth. After this, her father's protection through his uncle and wife were gone, and Fatima endured the suffering of her father. While they abused him, she never tried to protect herself from this hardship or became embarrassed about her father; instead, she was his comfort and helper, earning her the epithet she valued most: "the mother of her father".

Throughout her short life, she endured extreme poverty for the sake of Islam. She did not have nice clothes, home furnishings or jewelry. Her garment was worn and patchy. On the day of her wedding, she had a new garment but learned that a lady had no garment to wear and thus could not leave her house, so she gave it away to her. When Imam Ali (peace be upon him) gave her a necklace, after her father saw it she realized that being the daughter of the Prophet (saw) and the connection between him and the pure progeny that came from her, she could not keep it for herself. She gave it to charity immediately. Her home furnishings were simple and few; when the Prophet called upon her and Ali while they rested, their thin bed cover could not reach their feet, and they had nothing else.

When she and her family fasted, they had only bread and water to break their fast – yet when a needy person came to them, they gave away their bread and went hungry for three days. And she labored as hard as the poorest women of the Muslims, grinding grain for her family and for the helpless. Her fingers bled from the grinding, and her neck was permanently marked from a strap for carrying water. Her husband felt for her suffering so much that he encouraged her to ask the Prophet for a helper. But the Prophet knew that Fatima's destiny was that she was weaned from the world, and so he gave her instead the Tasbih that we now recite after our daily prayers.

She was satisfied with this Tasbih over any worldly help or comfort. She took her joy from her praying, and she prayed so much that her feet would swell, but she never asked for herself. Instead, she praised Allah and prayed for the benefit of Islam and the people.

After the Prophet died, she came out of her house and used her deep religious knowledge to remind people of the Truth and urge them to put their allegiance with Imam Ali and to fight for her right to Fadak. She angered not for her husband or her self, and she was not fighting for their personal rights. Rather, she expended herself to her last, because she knew the future of Islam was at stake. By denying her right to the administration of Fadak and her husband's right to the succession of the Prophet, the people were losing Islam, and they were giving away all the Prophet had done for them in favor of the world.

Fatima was called Siddiqah, because she was the most truthful. She always sided with the Truth, preferring it to anything else no matter the cost, as the above examples show. A lesson the believers today should take from her is the uncompromising dedication to the Right Path and purity of intention in all acts – we can make our acts for Allah. She never sinned, and we can learn from her to avoid sin by taking care to know the Islamic Fiqh (jurisprudence) and adhere to it carefully. She lived simply, and we can learn from her to strive for the Hereafter rather than accumulating too many useless things in this world, so that on the Day of Judgment, we won't be questioned about how many outfits were in our closet, how many pieces of jewelry we owned, or how nice a car we had while people who had left rights of our neighbors, family, believers, or brethren in humanity unfulfilled.

Without Fatima, Islam would be lost, and we would be lost. But Islam is not a body that stands alone in itself, preserved. Islam is action and not just thought. Therefore if we wish to love Fatima, grieve for Fatima, be followers of Fatima, and receive the gift of her intercession, we must learn how she lived and what she said as far as we are able, and then change ourselves to be more like Fatima.

Taken from Islamic Insights

The dude died? Really??

2011-05-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer- I couldn't care a tiny rat's ass if Osama Bin Laden was living or dead, hibernating or flying on a gigantic bird. Call it insensitive or un-Muslim like, whatever.

So I don't think Osama Bin Laden is dead. I may be wrong of course, but I can at least tell you what I think and why.

Firstly, the absolute covertness, secrecy and super quickness of the "operation" would definitely arouse suspicions. Lets go step by step, shall we.

1) The Operation-

The operation was conducted by an all-American troop making the evidence seem shaky. Now I don't know about you, but a lot of people (including me) do not have much faith in American military operations around the world. Afghanistan, Iraq and Palestine are not exactly the shining glory of American military operations.

No other nations' authorities or the UN were even informed on the pre- and post- operation detailed evidence. It was only Prez Obama which interacted with the intelligence agency in charge of the coup. America intended to and successfully did keep the affair "to themselves."

2) The Evidence and DNA-

I would like to see some non-manipulated photos, or DNA results which confirm his death. Actually, even if I do end up taking a look at these, I have no reason to believe with conviction that they are genuine and true. I'm sorry America, your political history just doesn't allow me to trust you!

Apparently, Osama's DNA results "confirmed" it was him. But so far, no one knows which samples were used or even what type of genetic tests were conducted. Comparing Osama's DNA to that of his parents or children would produce the second strongest results. Some sources state that Osama's son was also killed in the raid. Now even if his DNA was compared with this son, still it doesn't produce sure fire results since "Osama"'s DNA was collected only *after* his death. Sooo, you cannot use a DNA to tell it's Osama, you need Osama's DNA to tell its Osama!! Because you have no evidence of his "son" really being his son in the first place! This might sound convoluted but it makes sense in my head at least.

3) The quick burial-

Now, this is my favorite part.

Nobody got to take a sniff at Bin Laden's body (not that anybody would want to, but still). "Senior US officials said that his body would be disposed of in accordance with Islamic tradition, which involves ritual washing, shrouding and burial within 24 hours, and burying at sea is permitted in Islam in rare circumstances"- reports the Guardian.

Seriously?? So, THATS why the burial was so swift? Because they wanted to respect Islamic death traditions for a killer and terrorist nobody (including Prez Obama) called Muslim! So, why were Saddam Hussein's two sons preserved for 10 days before letting them out? (Both parties are absolutely loathsome, and I couldn't care less of how they died or were disposed. This is just to point out the stark hypocrisy.)

Now I said I could be wrong with my speculations, but I just don't have faith in Obama and his military operations. He claims he's at war with terrorism, and then in the same breath joins hands with Israel supporting it against Palestine, butchering and unsheltering thousands of innocents!

It had been a long long time since his awe inspiring "Yes We Can" speech crying for "change" materialized. And this, was just the feather he needed in his cap.

:) Thankyou for the free gifts.

2011-05-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

This morning I received a parcel from the Egypt Post :) It contained five underscarves that I won from 2hijab.com. The contest was announced by Sister Rabia from Muslimah Bloggers Directory. It was a little parcel of sunshine! I loveee scarves and underscarves too cuz they come in so handy! The material was very soft and comfy! It was so generous of them to send five my way and even pay for shipping! JazakAllah you guys! :) :)

I never win anything, so you can imagine how excited I was when this arrived. The last thing I won was a knife when I was in 3rd standard when I came in third in a salad dressing competition in school :P
Here is what all I won. Oh, and get this, I could actually CHOOSE which five underscarves I want! How awesome is that! Mashallah, that was just soo kind!

Two of these- one for me and one for my mom.

this and another one of this in brown

and my favorite!

The Al amira style ones are going to come in handy for wearing under my chadors, which I will soon be needing, Inshallah.

Once again, a very big thankyou to Sister Rabia from Muslimah Bloggers Directory and 2hijab :)

JazakAllah!

P.s- I guess I'm gonna stick around here after all :) Old habits die hard. Part of keeping me sane is writing, and thats just what I'm going to do. <3

Bismillah

2011-04-30T00:18:00.000-07:00

Salaam alaikum all :)

This may sound a little surprising, but I'm closing my blog- for now at least. I guess I started blogging so that I get a place to express myself freely, and maybe to tell the world I exist. Another purpose was to document my life. So that people could know who I really am (even though I blog anonymously).

But I just don't know where to take this blog from here. Maybe I don't have much or anything to say. Doesn't mean I'm sad or depressed or anything. Just that some things are better left unsaid, and I fear if I continue writing here, I might not be true to myself. I want to be ME when I write and- right now at least- I can't express ME.

Soooo, I thank and love you all for following my blog and making it so real and lively :) I will continue to read all your blogs Inshallah, as time permits.

This probably isn't goodbye. Just goodbye for now. You have my email address. It's on the sidebar ;)

Hugs,
Khudahafiz.
Wasalaam wa rehmatullah

Revolution- a lovely song

2011-04-18T04:20:00.000-07:00

I really like everything about this song right down to the words and the music.

A really talented upcoming Muslim songwriter, Mashallah. Do visit his website for more amazing songs written for the Alhul Bayt (a.s)

More!

:)
Peace

Award + Tag

2011-04-12T06:40:00.000-07:00

I've been awarded the Inspiration award by the lovely blogger Vanilla Ice cream floats. A big fat Thank you! :D

And, I've been tagged the wonderful blogger Yours Truly. Thanks! :D So here it is- my list of favorites-

1. FOOD-

I've tasted it all, and i will only settle for tasty spicy Indian food. I've a stomach for spice. My all time favorite is and forever will be Mutton Biryani made by my mom! And the Indian junk food is totally awesome.

2. COLOUR-

Green has quite persistently been my favorite. But i like the sea colours too. Just so fresh and lively. Oh, and bright fruity colours too! Yummy! But I also like White and Purple. Why can't I make up my mind.

3. ANIMAL-

Horse! Beautiful. Slender. Faithful. And beautiful.

4. SPORTS-

I watch cricket and play only catch-catch (when absolutely forced.) Thats all for my expertise.

5. DESSERT-

Malpuva. I also like blueberry cheese cake and anything thats yummily chocolate. I think i like something else too but I just can't remember what it is!

6. PAIR OF SHOES-

I would most like to waltz in heels but I couldn't cross a meter without breaking a few ankles (mine and the ones I'd fall on.) 1.5 inch flats are for me.

7. OUTFIT-

I absolutely LOVEEE maxi dresses. Graceful, feminine and hijab-friendly. Unfortunately, the city's streets are too dirty for its hems, so I usually settle for pants, tunic/trench coat, scarf. Oh, i love abayas too! So comfy and elegant. Although I never wear black on black.

8. BRAND-

Not a brand person at all. I like fake Burberry though. (It looks original okay!)

9. PERFUME-

I've never purchased a single perfume. I've got them all through gifts only. Hahaha. My favorite is Gucci Rush.

10. ACCESSORY-

Brooches. Cuz my scarf needs them. I have a beautiful collection of them. Will show you all sometime Inshallah. Otherwise, I'm awfully lazy to wear rings and earrings.

11. CITY-

Medinah! Peaceful. Serene. Calming. Divine. Besides, I have a love-hate relationship with my own city- Mumbai.

12. HOBBY-
Making fabric flowers and accessories to accessorize my clothes, writing Children's Islamic short stories (never told ya'll did I?), secretly reading mushy novels (I have read all of Twilight's books. But I will publically deny it!), reading good non-mushy spiritual work, blogging (of course!), learning new languages (French and Persian are my favorites), anddddd shopping! I have a scarf and maxi dress addiction.

Oh, was I supposed to mention just one?!

13. BEAUTY PRODUCT-

Lip balm. Preferably something fruity. And kohl.

14. SNACK-
Aloo Paratha. Yummm... Home made potato chips, Vada Pav, anything with potato in it.

15. HOLIDAY-
Um... Eids I guess, and weekends (cuz those are holidays too.)

16. MOVIE-

Sense and Sensibility, Emma, Pride and Prejudice. Jane Austen fan ;) andd..... the Twilight Saga. Ta ta ta ta ta ta....ta ta ta ta ta ta *Playing Bella's Lullaby in my head.*

17. SONG-
Don't have a favorite there.

18. GUILTY PLEASURE-

Dreaming....

So... I'm supposed to tag others too. Tagged ones get the award AND the list of favorites tag. Don't slack you all and get writing!

WINNERS- (In alphabetical order ;))

A Muslim Wife
Finding Guidance
Humble Muslimah
Me myself and Him
Oasis of truths
Qum Girl
Spill Beans
Steadily Emerging with Grace
Stylish Muslimah
The truth about the Shias
Zahra's Daily

You all really inspire me and are well deserving of the award! I make it sound all grand don't I ;) Part of winning an award. Oh, and yeah, according to the legendary rules of the award, you all are supposed to pass on the award to 10 other people.

(P.s- I still need to pass on two other awards which i received wayyy back. Inshallah will get to it. Soon.)

Myths about the Holy Prophet - Part 2: Marriage to Bibi Aisha

2011-04-11T00:59:00.000-07:00

Check out this very informative post by another blogger.

Myths about the Holy Prophet - Part 2: Marriage to a 6 year old Bibi Aisha...: "Arguably one of the most prominent and favourite allegations that critics like to attack our Holy Prophet with is the claim that he married a 6 year old girl and consummated the marriage when she was 9 years old, whilst he was into his fifties. The girl in question was the daughter of Abu Bakr, Bibi Aisha. Unfortunately, the allegations arise from several Sunni books, including Sahih Bukhari and the standard Muslim response is- so what if she was nine, Bedouin Arab girls living in the desert in those days matured earlier, that child marriage was more acceptable back then, that the Prophets mentioned in the Bible also engaged in marriage with much younger girls.

It is a very defensive response that fails to challenge the myth of her age itself. The truth is that when you study the Sunni books of history and hadith, you find that there is no conclusive or clear proof or evidence that she was 6 or 9 when she got married; on the contrary, a range of possible ages is offered when you actually go beyond the myths, gossip and hearsay and actually examine the history. Here are ten reasons to reject the myth of the marriage to a 6 year old Bibi Aisha..."

Another well researched document on the subject. Go here.

Supporting Anna Hazare

2011-04-08T05:09:00.000-07:00

Right now, Anna Hazare, a 73-year-old Gandhian, sits fasting in the burning sun, and he will stay until death -- unless the government agrees to consider a powerful law that could rid Indian politics of the scourge of corruption.

This “Modern Mahatma” is taking the utmost act of courage and determination to push through a bill that would give an independent body the power to punish corruption -- even in the Prime Minister’s office. Across the country a movement has exploded, driving a media storm of pressure that’s engulfing Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. For the first time in forty three years, we have the chance to change the way politics is done.

Hazare is championing a citizen-developed bill called “Jan” Lokpal that will create an independent body, selected by judges, citizens and constitutional authorities, with enough power to investigate and punish all politicians. No minister or bureaucrat will be able to influence its investigations.

Since 1968, when this bill was first introduced, greedy politicians have thwarted its passing. Now the government is pushing for a watered down Lokpal with no hope of ending fraud, vice and dishonesty -- it gives politicians overriding power to decide who will be investigated, and is a complete sellout.

The Government today (Friday 8th April 2011) reached out to Anna Hazare and decided to set up a joint drafting committee to bring out a strict anti-corruption law.

The committee will have 10 members out of which five will be ministers and the other five will be from the civil society. Hazare will also be one of the members of the proposed committee.

So lets see what happens. His fast entered the fourth day today and his crusade has spread like wildfire across the country.

People from very many villages have come to nearby cities to voice their support for Anna Hazare. The scene yesterday at Azad Maidan in Mumbai and nearby areas was chaotic with huge groups of villagers marching.

The scene seems promising. Inshallah lets hope this brave aged man and his supporters end their fast soon. Inshallah, Ameen.

For now, please sign this bill which is supposed to be directly delivered to the Indian Prime Minister. I don't support Avaaz.org per se (some of their petitions are funny) however in this case it is the only powerful medium of getting the message across.

Please click here to sign the petition to show your stance against corruption!

aghh...weirdness.

2011-04-07T03:09:00.001-07:00

A grown man drives his remote controlled car in the busy underground subway, and yells at me when i accidentally step over it.

I was gonna scream "This is no place to play!" when i realize he's trying to sell it.

Is it just me or is the craziness around here upscaled a bit...

And while i was pweciously writing the above while on the train, i missed my station!! Yea, and got off at the next, so technically i illegally travelled the extra stop. (Like i wanted to! DAH.) (cuz my pass covers only the distance till my destination.) AND i got stopped by a ticket checker at that very station!! UGH. I was honestly going to explain my story to her while hunting for my pass, but she then just...disappeared!

Haha! I must have stashed away some luck somewhere for such situations.

Wasn't cool though. I hate that other fateful station. Had to wait the long queue to buy me a ticket to travel back to my real destination. Cuz i just happen to be a law abiding citizen. Sigh.

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Pfft...seriously people, seriously.

2011-04-03T10:40:00.001-07:00

That dude on your facebook friend list, he’s not your bhai- or brother as you call him. Commenting on his every status, and thereafter engaging in a 50-comment one-on-one personal and “friendly” chat is-- IMMODEST. Besides, he’s married and should know better than chatting up a young single girl while he’s having a lazy day at the office. By that logic, he has a lazy day every day in his office. And why is he on facebook, you ask him. For spreading religious awareness and networking, comes the reply.

Besides, you who complain of not finding the “right guy” as yet, should also know better than adding 50 odd unknown men on your facebook and hee hee haa haa-ing with them. And what else do you know; these people are the “religiously active” people of the community. Oooh.. organizing fancy Islamic seminars and rallies. Followers of the AhlulBayt, with pride you call yourself. Jazzy stuff you guys! Just awwwwsome…

World Cup Champions!!!

2011-04-02T11:34:00.000-07:00

That trophy is ours!!! :D :D :D YAYYY!

Dhoni was AH-MAZING! Best-est captain ever!

We Bleed Blue!

Oh my! I think I'm gonna cry. India won the World Cup 2011!

World Cup 20-20 2007. Will put up the current photo when it reaches the net :D

And... we WON!

2011-03-30T12:15:00.001-07:00

Tiring match, but...World cup finals woohoooo! :-D :-D :-D :-D :-D

Why Hijab

2011-03-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

Alhamdolillah I just got a wonderful insight of why we are to wear hijab, and out of nowhere! I was just reading the small Introduction to the book Lantern of the Path by Imam Ja’far al-Sadiq (a.s); a part of it reads-

“The outer behaviour, courtesies, practices and rituals of Islam are all manifestations of a subtler and finer inner conditioning, and the balanced fusion of the outer and the inner in the journey of this world. If there is an inner attribute there must be a corresponding outer expression, which is a symptom of an inner attribute.”

And this reminded me of hijab and why are we required to wear it. You see, as I understand- for example- If a person feels the attribute of kindness in his heart, he has to manifest it by an expression of it. He might help the poor or needy in some way, donate money in an institute or simply help an unable person cross the road! It would be an irrational and invalid thing if the person simply said that he felt kind but would do nothing to express it; or on the contrary would do unkind acts.

Similarly, if a man or a woman (lets stick to women in this case) feels within herself the attributes of haya, modesty, bashfulness, an instinct of averting her gaze from forbidden things, and a need to cover her body from others out of the sense of rightfulness, then there must be a corresponding expression for these things. It would be illogical again if she said that she feels such things and did nothing about it. Here comes the physical hijab. It is a manifestation and expression of the above and many more attributes in general which apply to both men and women.

The beauty of it, as I understand, is how perfectly and wholly the physical and spiritual aspects of hijab are intertwined together. It is as if one is incomplete and doesn’t make sense without the other. One must check whether the spiritual and social qualities of hijab are found within oneself. Or rather if one feels an inclination towards these; or feels it important to incorporate these attributes within oneself. After introspecting, it is wise to put on the physical hijab because that will be a reminder of the spiritual qualities for which it stands, for without them it would only be reduced to a piece of cloth. If we ever find ourselves lacking or slacking in its spiritual essence, the hijab on our body should fill us with the consciousness of what is required of us.

So, the spiritual will prod the physical and the physical in turn will prod the spiritual. This design therefore leaves no gaps in between for it to collapse. It is “the balanced fusion of the outer and the inner in the journey of this world.” It is a foolproof system and a way of life that is designed by Allah SWT, and He knows best.

Sick!!

2011-03-26T00:20:00.000-07:00

Evangelical preacher Wayne Sapp burnt a copy of the Muslim holy book the Quran on March 20, as controversial pastor Terry Jones looked on in a Florida church, reports the AFP.

Jones drew a storm of controversy last year for his plans to burn copies of the Qur'an on the ninth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks in New York. The Qur'an burning was presented as an event where the Qur'an was put on trial and convicted of crimes.

The Qur'an was soaked in kerosene for an hour before being set alight while onlookers took pictures.

Jones defended his involvement saying he had attempted to "give the Muslim world an opportunity to defend their book" but received no response.

It's obvious that Terry Jones wasn't sitting still all this while after his earlier unsuccessful stunt. He was, after all, successful in instilling these schisms in the minds of others which led to this utterly, utterly despicable and most lowly of acts. Whats funny is that the Qur'an was "put on trial and convicted of crimes." Hmmm.. I can think of a lot of verses of the Bible that could be put on trial, but I don't see any Muslims holding a "Burn the Bible" charade.

Oh, and it's still Muslims who are the fanatic lot instilling fanatical and extremist ideas into young impressionable minds. Interesting.

Cricket World Cup fever!

2011-03-24T11:45:00.000-07:00

India, my beloved, I have never loved you so much before (Ok maybe I have- when you defeated Pakistan in the T-20 World Cup in 2007). Today was an epic day. As i got into a taxi this afternoon to go home, the taxi's radio- like every other taxi's- was set on the live commentary of India-Australia Quarter Finals match.

As I got off and walked home, every shop I passed- big or small- echoed with the live commentary too. As passed a mosque as Asr time, I could hear snippets from the enthusiastic boys and men about the match while they hung around the mosque preparing to pray: "Chauka lagaya!...Kya wicket liya!" in almost childlike tones. India (especially Mumbai) is a DIE HARD cricket follower. As I reached home, I switched on the T.V, set it on mute, ate chips and did my homework silently. About an hour ago, I could hear loud sounds of crackers being burst in an unsynchronized fashion. There were still about 2 overs or 15 minutes to the end of the match, but we Indians are just too anticipatory and impatient to wait for the end to actually confirm who won.

Finally, India won by 5 wickets with some balls to spare. Wooohooooooo!
NEXT, is India v/s Pakistan in the semi-finals! This is going to be Legen- wait for it- dary! :D
(No, I don't watch How I met your Mother. Don't like it. I know the dialog only cuz it's famous and somehow fits the context of my post :/ ) For Indians and Pakistanis (who are major cricket rivals, and sadly otherwise too) this match is going to be even much much bigger than the World Cup finals. Truth.

Whats more awesome is that the World cup Finals will be held in my city! How awesome is that! I hope India gets through! Inshallah :)

Yea, okay I know it's just a game.

For a moment just stop and think- What if You were in their place?

2011-03-23T10:36:00.000-07:00

This is so reminiscent of something in Islamic history....A powerful speech delievered by Fatima, daugther of Bahraini Martyr Abdul Al Rasul Hassan Ali Al Hujairi regarding the martyrdom of her father.

Abdul al Rasul Hassan Ali al Hujairi a Bahraini who was working as a doctor/nurse in Salmaniya hospital was abducted by armed Saudi forces on Saturday to an unknown place. He was severely tortured, then shot dead. After his martyrdom, savage occupiers drove cars over his body. It is also mentioned that he was a reciter of the Holy Qur'an. Thousand of Bahraini people participated in his funeral procession at Cemetery Buri. The pictures of his tortured body are so disturbing, it just shows the brutality of the Saudi regime and all that it stands for.

Bahrain Martyr Abdul Al Rasul Hassan Ali Al Hujairi

Meanwhile, a funeral procession of the first Bahrain woman Martyr Bahiya Al Aradi was held on Tuesday, March 22nd at 3pm from the center of Manama to Cemetery Hoora. Bahrain's main opposition party, Al-Wefaq National Islamic Society, said a the woman had succumbed to gunshot wounds that she had earlier sustained on her neck.

Mourners during Al-Aradi's funeral procession.

Al-Aradi's funeral procession

from

http://babulilmlibrary.com/news/category/bahrain

http://www.abna.ir/data.asp?lang=3&id=232655

Love of Allah

2011-03-17T11:13:00.000-07:00

When love of Allah takes possession of the innermost being of Allah's bondsman, it empties him of every preoccupation except remembrance of Allah. The lover is the most inwardly sincere of all people for Allah. He is the most truthful in his words, the most faithful in his pledge, the most astute in his actions, the purest in remembrance, and the greatest in devoting his self in worship.

The angels compete with each other to converse with him, and boast of having seen him. Through him Allah makes His lands flourish, and by His regard, Allah honours His slaves. Allah gives to people when they ask Him by his right, and removes afflictions from them by His mercy. If people knew how they stand with Allah, they would not try to draw near to Allah save by the dust of his feet.

The Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) said, 'Love of Allah is a fire which does not pass by anything without burning it up; the light of Allah does not come over something without illuminating it. The skies of Allah do not cause a cloud to appear without it covering whatever is beneath it; the wind of Allah does not blow on something without it moving. Allah's water gives life to everything, and from Allah's earth everything grows. Whoever loves Allah is given every possession and authority.'

The Holy Prophet (S) said, 'When Allah loves a slave in my community, He casts love of him into the hearts of His friends, the spirits of the angels and the keepers of His throne, so that they love him.’

That lover truly has an abundance of bliss, and will be able to intercede with Allah on the Day of Resurrection.'

- excerpted from Lantern of the Path by Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a.s)

Don't bother listening.

2011-03-17T02:50:00.001-07:00

This SMS was making the rounds yesterday. Apparently BBC confirmed that it's a hoax. Don't panic. Inshallah this reaches a conclusion soon. Let us do all we can to help this nation, even if it is just praying (which btw, is the strongest weapon against anything.)

The message-
BBC FLASHNEWS:
Japan govt confirms radiation leak at Fukushima nuclear plants. Asian countries should take necessary precautions. If rain comes, remain indoors first 24hrs. Close doors & windows. Swab neck skin with betadine where thyroid area is, radiation hits thyroid first. Take extra precautions. Radiation may hit Philippines starting 4pm today (which was yesterday).

Blogger sisters, this message is for YOU!

2011-03-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Salaams sweethearts,

Now, this is important. You know when people post comments on your blog. Who doesn't love comments! Comments, sweet comments <3 Yea, so please can you all not put the Word Verification thingy before people can post comments. You know those Nonsense Syllables which appear in funny shapes, and the commenter has to type them as they are, if they wanna post a comment on your blog. It just totally kills the Joy of Commenting! It's annoying. And it takes time.

Make life easy for your followers and passers-by.

Love,
Splendid :)

(P.s- People who didn't select Word Verification in their settings, you can ignore this post.)

EDIT-
How to-
Although you will figure it out at some point of time, go to SETTINGS > COMMENTS > CLICK 'NO' FOR "ENTER WORD VERIFICATION FOR COMMENTS." Easy Peasy :)

Nervous. Excited. Mostly excited (as of now)

2011-03-14T11:29:00.000-07:00

Alhamdolillah. My visa arrived. I will be leaving for Iran after my final exams. I'm trying to stretch it out a little so I can attend my brother's wedding and then leave for good. So, Inshallah I should be leaving not later than the first week of July.

I wanted to travel alone! Get the whole independent feel crossing boundaries all by myself! But alas, my mom, brother and to-be sis in law are tagging along. Grrr... Okay, fine, can't deny anybody Ziyarat.

Hmmm... I've been jumping all day thinking how my (new) life will be like in Qom. I should love the climate. The (real) winter, spring and summer! All of the seasons! We just get the rains and heat in Mumbai. Alhamdolillah, not complaining though but it's nice to experience the other climates too created by Allah SWT. Did I mention my hawza is just about 15 mins away from the Rawza of Bibi Masoomah-e-Qom? :D

Sooo...yay! Alhamdolillah! I'm happy :) Inshallah hope for the best. May Allah fill this endeavor with khayr and barakat. Ameen.

Pray for me, please!

Those people who just can't stop talking!

2011-03-10T10:00:00.000-08:00

You know those kinds who can and will talk anywhere and everywhere. And you just like... stare at them in wonder? I've met some funny ones like that lately. And- weirdly- mostly in elevators LOL.

# So my class is on the higher floors always and we take the elevator. And we usually have professors in it with us too.
Now, there is something about Indian working women who also primarily do the housework and all. The usual suburban kind are pretty chatty with the others of their kind. So you usually hear what they did today. How their lil one was unwell, how they had to wake up real early and wash their hair, what vegetables they're gonna buy for tonight, etc etc. All in the elevator!
Once me and my friend got in, and two women (who were professors btw) were having such a conversation. I find it funny, ofcourse. But i keep it to myself. My friend finds it funny too and gives me one of her knowing looks. I burst out laughing. The women are interrupted and look at me feeling aghast.
:S
Awkward.

# Yesterday, its just me and this other student. She rushes into the elevator wearing jeans and a t-shirt, ferociously waving her hanky at her face and starts speaking in a flurry, "Pankha chalu karo baba, pankha!!" (Put on the fan!) and complains about the hot weather. She looks at me and says, "Tum log kaise pehente ho yeh burkha vurkha! Baba, garmi nahi hoti kya?!" (How do you'll wear this burkha, don't you feel hot!) more to herself than to me.

So... not only did she call my trench coat, jeans and Burberry scarf a burkha but she's also filling me with a vague sense of amusement. I don't bother to correct her. She seems more intent towards speaking than listening. I reply, nonetheless, saying how the body adjusts to the heat with the type of clothing you are usually accustomed to wearing, and so the weather doesn't seem so extreme to me as it does to her. She looks at me uncomprehendingly and blank and says after a second, "Mere jaise log toh nahi pehen sakte, baba!" (People like me can never wear it! )
And....out she goes.
She wasn't offensive, just amusing. Plus her Mumbai Hindi accent, top notch! ;)

# I'm in the train, going home. This woman comes sits besides me- again complaining of the heat apparently. She asks me where the train is for, and where I'm getting off. (Uhh...whats it to you, strange lady?) She sees me reading my college text book and asks me what I'm reading, where do I study and what I study. I give her brief and succinct answers. when I say I'm studying Psychology, she says, "Ooh Psychology!! What a co-incidence, I'm also totally psychic since morning." No, she means to say she is totally "psycho" from morning. I infer that because she's already told me how she's a teacher somewhere and has missed many trains since morning and is apparently very late. Both words wrong in any case. And then she says, "De taali!" (Give me five!) Uhh... No lady i won't give you five because you think there's a connection with me studying Psychology and you acting psychic/psycho since morning. Plus, I just don't touch strangers. I sadly surrender and give her five anyway feeling extremely lame about it. She engages me further in conversation (or rather one way talk) about her life's mundane idiosyncrasies.
Thankfully, my station arrives and i rush to the door.

Phew, honestly, these kinds are downright scary!!

So many passions...

2011-03-03T09:36:00.001-08:00

There have been so many interests in my life, maybe from an early age but they picked up in intensity as i grew older, and turned into passions.
At school it was skating and basketball, but that faded away. Now they are more connected to the mind, alhamdolillah.
I've noticed that when exams near and i need to do a lot of bookish studies, i feel very detached from everything academic, and my creative side kicks in with full force. Last year as i was a month away from boards and graduating, i felt like dropping it all and diving into fashion as a career. Fashion is such a mind thing by the way. Thank God i didn't act upon it! I'd be kicking myself rite now for not graduating!

Right now- even though i do have a considerable liking for Psychology- i feel naturally more inclined towards learning Persian, and going back to my French studies. I feel like i have a greater passion towards these two than the former. Also, i really feel like taking piano lessons. (Whether thats allowed in Islam is another thing. Although i have a fair idea that music which is not for entertainment gathering i.e- Ghina is permissible, according to Ayt. Khamenei and Ayt. Sistani too i think)
Anyway, it's weird. I'm also inordinately inclined towards anything Iranian LOL may it be Iranian people or Iranian artifacts. (sorry for the broad classification, LOL)
Yesterday, I went to this really nerdy exhibition of photography of a South Western Iranian district called Chogha Zanbil. LOL it was really cool with all the Iranian people there explaining to us each photo and about the district hehe. No, it's actually cool. Its supposed to be like an entire city inside a mountain and was discovered by the Greeks in a certain B.C. Tee hee.

So... I just feel like doing a lot lately, besides my college studies. It's more than just that. I *really* feel like a huge magnetic pull towards these things. I don't know whats it about.

And wait, theres writing! i loveeee writing. its been my all time alternate career option. i don't know how good i am at it but i sure like it a lot, and having a blog explains that. Then there's English Literature! I own each and every piece of work written by William Shakespeare. and i love jane austen and the other classical writers. they're awesome. And then the dream to start my own hijab business. hmmm.... Oh, and yea, of course, how could i forget. Islam has been the most stable passion from a few years now. And Inshallah i hope that always continues to be. Perhaps thats why i'm not concerned very much about the direction my career-ey life would take by abandoning my studies here and going off to study Islam. Of all the things that come to pass, Inshallah i want this to stay. Ameen!

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An epiphany

2011-03-03T07:14:00.000-08:00

P.s- I tell all of this to myself first and then share it with anybody who's reading.

Today i just realized that all of us (me in particular) want a lot from Allah SWT. We have loads of expectations, wishes and desires for this life and the next. We know we just *need* certain things in this life that we cannot do without. And we will not, by any means, settle for anything less than Jannah, all our siins exempt (cuz not a soul could ever bear their punishments), a smooth Barzakh. Further, We also want to be amongt the Foremost on the Day of Judgement and wish to attain a station near to the most Righteous people of all times. We would also not mind milky honey rivers, beautiful gardens and pure serenity.

But the problem is....we aren't ready to DO anything to achieve all or any of that! We just kid ourselves that one fine day when we perform Hajj, or have a child, all of our sins will magically be forgiven and then hopefully we'll be better Muslims and in a better position to avoid sins. Some even *strongly* believe that they will only recite the kalimah of shahadah on their death beds and whooosh! all their sins and misdeeds will disappear and they will sweetly enter paradise and live happily ever after.

There's something majorly wrong with this thinking. Because nothing of it will happen. When you *let* yourself transgress, you are giving Shaitan an increasing space in your heart and mind. The more space he usurps, the harder it is for us to get him out of there, and the more difficult it is to mend ourselves and come back to Allah SWT.
Possible Solution- When we realize that we're hitting downwards with our faith, just shout "STOP!" and take control of yourself. You are your owner, and you will not let Shaitan rule over you any longer. You will kick this unwelcome thing out of yourself right now! It will take some effort, but it's like ripping off a band-aid. Just do it! And gain the ownership of your heart back to yourself, for it belong solely to Allah SWT.

(I know i sound preachy. But i'm old now, remember?)

I personally want soooo much from Allah SWT, but I'm not reciprocating even the tiniest bit of what I'm asking for.
We all (me first) need to get our act together, and wake up. Fast. Or it will be too late. And then all we will have left will be unending regret...

Uneasy and uncomfortable

2011-02-23T09:05:00.001-08:00

Right now, at this moment, I am a day and two hours away from turning *gulps* twenty-two. (Spelling it out didn't help.) I have never- until now- felt so uneasy and nauseous about birthdays. I was fine with turning 20, although that meant venturing into the 20's of my life. I was also pleasantly happy- excited even- about turning 21. But 22?? Seriously, I don't find anything cool associated with 22. It's just unexpectedly bringing on this sort of... empty feeling. I have no intention of "celebrating" it and i just hope the day passes away soon.

It's weird cuz I've never felt this way about ageing. When my friends (who are my age) sulked every year after 18 about being one year older I just laughed at their stupidity. But now it's me! How did I even get to 22 anyway? I'm in denial. And shock. LOL according to the Islamic calender I turned 22 wayyy back in Rajab, but that doesn't count cuz I don't follow the Lunar calender for birthdays. It makes you older soon LOL. That, and I was way too happy that day cuz I was in Makkah right in front of the Kaaba on my Lunar birthday! :D <3 Alhamdolillah.

But deep down I know I believe that you are "as old as you feel" and i honestly don't feel 22. I feel 20 at the most! And I hardly even look 19 that way (I just need to go to bed early to do away with the dark circles. Agghh). So logically I shouldn't be worried about anything. So why do I feel so restless? I need yoga lessons to calm me down.

I just feel alone. I have fewer friends than I once had. I've noticed that after my whole "religious awakening" thing me and a lot of my friends have drifted apart. Not on purpose, but we just started to have a lot less in common and hence at some point I felt a zero identification with them and found no reason to still keep in touch beyond exchanging pleasantries.

Yea. I know. I sound pathetic.

Looks

2011-02-19T12:26:00.001-08:00

Salaams beautiful people!

I have a question for you. How important do you think are looks in a marriage? How does it impact one's married life?

We know that the Prophet (S) tells us to look for virtue and piety as the first when looking, but then-if I remember correctly- the second quality he mentioned was good or pleasant looks. So thats gotta count for something right...

Honesty is a virtue, ladies!

Surnames

2011-02-01T12:08:00.001-08:00

It's tough growing up with an annoying and embarrassing surname! I'm one of those poor kids who by no control or will of their own was given a long and sort of funny last name just cuz it's been in the family for ages.
While I was a kid, I always got teased and laughed at cuz of it. People would get much more creative with it and then it just stuck with you! People then start addressing you with THEIR modification of YOUR name, and if you protested then you were just a "spoil sport."

I have gone to weird lengths to drop my last name out of things and tried hard to NOT have it known or seen by new people. I said that I was too cool to have a surname. But alas, in vain.

Today at farsi class our teacher decided to have us learn to write our name and surname, and she so graciously went up to each person's desk with her register and pronounced loudly all our names and SURNAMES in a farsified way. Until she comes to my desk and has trouble pronouncing my surname! Before she pronounced it, I stopped her short and told her my Middle Name and pointed to my written surname and said, "not this." I tried to replace my middle name with my surname but then she goes like "oh so its not -SURNAME-???"

She tells me to tell her correctly because my certificate (which I will be taking to Iran) will bear that name. I defeatedly told her to keep "that" as it was. THEN, she pronounces my surname loudlyyy as she writes it, THREE TIMES!

Why don't you just kill me.

Note to future parents-
If you have weird, funny, untoward or inappropriate surnames, please change them! Choose a cute lil surname, and go with it! Your child shouldn't bear the brunt of that annoying family name all his/her life for no fault of his own. It causes severe psychological trauma and emotional scarring.

Ok, not really, but still!
Sometimes I wonder whats the need to have a surname anyway.
Hmmm...

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Didn't know Bone China was actually made up of bone! O_O

2011-01-29T10:24:00.001-08:00

So today dad was out crockery shopping and he phoned me.
DAD- Splendid, are you allowed to use bone chinaware?
ME- Dah, yea whats wrong with bone china. I just think it's too expensive though.
DAD- No, but is it ALLLOWED? Is it made of "bone"?
Now I'm amused at my dad's naivety and tell him,
ME- lol yeaaa silly, it's just called "bone" china. Its not actually made of real bone!! Hee hee hee.
(you know how guinea pigs are not actually pigs, and root beer not actually beer and pigtails are not "pig"tails but ponytails...same thing!)
DAD- Oh, ok.
Hangs up.

My laptop is right there so I see what bone china is made of anyway. To my horror and huge surprise, BONE CHINA IS ACTUALLY MADE OF BONE!! Like, Animal. Bone. Ash. O_O

What sick masochistic person would wanna use BONES for their cups and saucers!
Apparently, many!
I call my dad immediately telling him I looked up the net and its actually made of bone. He tells me yea, the seller already told him that :P and I tell him not to buy it cuz its just gross.

Phew, did you know it was actually made of real bone?? Please say no!

So, ok, is it halal to use bone chinaware??
Any fatwa from a marja on the issue? To my dismay sistani.org Q&A link thing isn't working from quite sometime :(

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Religion in the classroom

2011-01-28T04:27:00.000-08:00

Discussions on various religions and religious practices used to take place in my college and now are going to start taking place soon in my new university too. These discussions always made me queasy and made me want to disappear cuz they invariably had Islam and "Muslim practices" as one of their prime concerns. It has been uncomfortable for me because i was the only hijabi and therefore "visible Muslim" in college, and still am in my new uni. So, whenever any controversial topic is being discussed somehow everybody's focus turns on me, as though I'm *supposed* to say something. And all that pressure doesn't always make me say the most intelligent things. that further increases my predicament cuz i feel like I've "failed" my religion. In college i remember we used to have a class as big as 100+ students and it was so disappointing that my fellow Muslim sisters (and brothers, if there were any) would turn up against me when i spoke about WHY a certain controversial law existed in Islam. I still remember my Muslim friend who was sitting right besides me spoke loudly when she said, "No, I don't agree with Splendid. I think the law is unjust and unfair..." Wow! thanks for the support girl!

Anyway, my current dilemma concerns a documentary which is supposed to be screened for our Research Methodology class called Father, Son and the Holy War. Teehee, now you know what it's about. Our prof described the documentary as showing how Religion and Politics can combine to form a big something and contribute to the Psychology of Violence. the documentary focuses on the infamous Hindu-Muslim riots in India over the Babri Masjid demolition. It has two parts; i saw the first and was pretty worked up. It asked certain "maulanas" about the status of women in Islam, and the dude said something like, In Islam a woman is considered delicate and should be in purdah (behind the curtain, literally) and her role is just till managing her house, taking care of her husband and children.
If i got 10 rupees for everytime i heard some maulana say that to the media....
I was obviously very agitated cuz i haven't reached that stage where i hear some closed minded maulanas say something and analyse it objectively.

Then, the documentary shows a Muslim woman who had been "divorced" by her husband by the verbal talaq said thrice, without any paper work. She said that she went to three different kazis and they all gave her different opinions. Then she apparently did some self study of the Qur'an and ahadith on this matter and realized how unfair Islamic law was regarding women in this matter (and i guess other matters too). SubhanAllah, i can only guess what book of ahadith she must have referred to to come to this conclusion. SubhanAllah, i only know such a thing would not have happened with a shi'a woman. But i definitely do blame her for being so shallow in her "research". She further said that when she compared Islamic law and the Indian legislative laws, she found that the latter did not discriminate between men and women and thus she decided to join some lawyers association blah blah blah....

The documentary doesn't just focus on "Muslim practices" but also on Hindu ones. It starts off with the practice of Sati (when a Hindu woman is burnt alive along with her husband's funeral pyre. It's banned in India though.) You can say its a gender analysis. But what bugs me is that there was this attempt to gather all the religions and call them all bad! As though all of them are unjust against women. And the way they tried to show that was -yea, Hindu practices are unjust towards women, but so are Islamic practices! If we are bad, so are you. If we're going down, we're taking you along with us, and we are still the lesser of the two evils!" It even hinted at Christianity (said how it was unjust to label Mary as a Virgin!?)

Worst of all it only spread stereotypes, the old and oft- repeated stereotypes about Islam in particular. What killed it was the bad bad bad religious research. It said somewhere how Islam and Judaism abolished their traditional and age-old Goddess worshiping. (!?) Helloooo, Islam and Judaism never had goddess worshiping in the first place. Both, especially Islam do not have any sort of male or female god worshiping! Whats wrong with you!! Should you be even entitled to make a documentary!!

So, it's gonna be screened this Thursday and i am planning to skip it. simply can't sit through it. and i've only seen the first part as yet. don't even wanna go to the second!
Part of me wants to be there so that if there are any questions raised in class, i can answer them or discuss something. But I'm sure there won't be any regarding Islam; which is worse cuz everybody will go home thinking how Islam doesn't let women "wear what they want" and how unfair. the other part of me says that i won't be able to say anything without relating an Islamic law to a Hindu law (which is sort of the context) and by doing so i do not want to hurt Hindu feelings (which is the majority of the class). At the same time God forbid a Shia-Sunni debate ensues in class, since I will be outrightly saying that the triple talaq is outside the folds of Islam since the Shi'a believe that such a thing isn't mentioned in the Qur'an and the authentic ahadith of the Prophet (S) and his family (as) states otherwise. A few schools of the Ahle Sunnah too do not accept the triple talaq practice and do rightly hold it that even women can get a divorce without hassle.

What to do? Should I go, or just chuck it? Thing is, i can't just sit tight when stuff like that is unleashed. I'm guessing flinging a book or a chair at the screen while watching it would be considered rude behavior.

20th Safar- Arbaeen (40th day of Martyrdom)

2011-01-25T10:23:00.000-08:00

Excerpt from the book "Then I was Guided" by Al- Tijani Al-Samawi, a Muslim brother from Ahle sunnah inspired by the Wahabbi ideology.

"My friend came, then we traveled to Karbala, and there I lived the tragedy of our master

al-Husayn in the same way his followers, and only then did I know that he had not died an ordinary death. People tend to crowd around his grave like butterflies and cry with such sorrow and grief that I have never seen before, as if al-Husayn had just been martyred. I heard speakers who aroused the feelings of people when describing the incident at Karbala, accompanied by crying and wailing, and soon the listener loses control of himself and collapses. I cried and cried and let myself go as if crushed, and felt a relief that I had never experienced before that day; I felt that I had been in the ranks of al- Husayn's enemies and had suddenly changed sides to be one of his followers who sacrificed themselves for his sake. The speaker was reciting the story of al-Hurr, who was one of the commanders in charge of fighting al-Husayn, who stood in the middle of the battlefield shaking like a leaf, and when one of his friends asked him, "Are you afraid of death?" He answered, "No, by Allah, but I am choosing between heaven and hell." Then he kicked his horse and went towards al-Husayn and asked, "Is there a repentance, O son of the Messenger of Allah?" When I heard that, I could not control myself and fell on the floor crying and felt as if I was in the position of al-Hurr, asking al-Husayn, "Is there a repentance, O son of the Messenger of Allah?
Forgive me O son of the Messenger of Allah. The voice of the speaker was so moving that people started crying and wailing, and when my friend heard my cries, he embraced me, like a mother embracing her child, and started crying and calling, "O Husayn...O Husayn..." These were moments, during which I learnt that meaning of real crying and felt that my tears washed my heart and body from the inside, and then I understood the meaning of the Messenger's saying: If you knew what I know, you would have laughed little and cried more. I was depressed throughout the day, although my friend tried to re-assure me and cheer me up by offering me some refreshments, but I had lost my appetite completely. I asked him to repeat the story of the martyrdom of al-Husayn, for I did not know much about it except the fact that our religious leaders told us that the enemies of Islam killed our masters Umar, Uthman and Ali, and that the same enemies killed our master al-Husayn; and that is all we knew. In fact we used to celebrate Ashura, as one of the festival days of Islam; ..."

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Attacks on Shiite pilgrims continue

2011-01-25T03:49:00.000-08:00

More than 100 people lost their lives and scores more were wounded last week in a spate of attacks targeting Iraqi security forces and pilgrims.

At least 18 more people have been killed and more than 34 others injured in two bomb explosions that ripped through a neighborhood in Iraq's holy city of Karbala.

The car bombs went off at a parking lot, destroying several nearby vehicles and buildings in the al-Ibrahimiyah area in eastern Karbala, some 110 km southwest of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, police said on Monday.

The latest attack came as part of a series of bomb attacks as tens of thousands of Shia pilgrims are converging from outside Iraq and from different Iraqi provinces to the holy shrine of the third Shia Imam, Imam Hussein (PBUH), in Karbala.

Violence and sporadic high-profile bomb attacks continue in Iraqi cities.

Shia pilgrims have flocked by the thousand to Iraq's cities of Karbala, Najaf and Baghdad to commemorate the Arba'een mourning ceremonies.

Arba'een marks 40th day to pass following the anniversary of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein (PBUH).

A number of people have recently been killed or wounded ahead of the major Shia event.

Monday's bomb explosions follow a wave of violence across war-wrecked Iraq in recent days.

More than 100 people lost their lives and scores more were wounded last week in a spate of attacks targeting Iraqi security forces and pilgrims.

news and other stuff

2011-01-21T03:40:00.001-08:00

Salaaaam! Whoa, I didn't realize I was away from blogger so long!
Anywho, this is my first of the many more posts from my phone :D cuz I hardly get to go to my laptop anymore, and when I do I spend ridiculous amounts of time on the net doing nothing.
Soooo... I'm gonna just say it like that- I am Inshallah going to Iran to study theology :-) I might not sound very excited here cuz its been long since I decided and the news has sunk in pretty well for me to be jumping off the roof.
I actually got accepted at Al Mustafa Internationaal University :-o Some surprise there. So I am just awaiting my visa now. It can come in ANYTIME, and I don't mean soon lol cuz both the indian and iranian governments and foreign ministries are wayy slow lol. But inshallah I plan to complete the current year of my masters degree here before I leave. So, if my planning ever materializes, it'll be atleast 4 months till I leave.

I will continue my blog inshallah from there sharing my weird adventures if anyone'd be still interested.

So, I've joint farsi classes cuz the syllabus is going to be in farsi ofcourse. Its actually pretty easy! Its just been about 5 classes till now and I can already read and write! :-D and I have wayy too many stories about farsi class!! Lol very interesting ones (atleast to me) but thats for later. I have a hugeee heap of assigments to complete and reports to write. Yuck. Suddenly the idea of abandoning studies here and fleeing to iran doesn't sound so bad ;-)

Khudahafiz! :-D

(keeping my fingers crossed to see if this actually gets published.)

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Oh Medinah...

2010-12-29T09:53:00.000-08:00

It’s been so many months that I visited Masjidun Nabawi, but I miss it so much! It’s just such a beautiful place. I miss the Roza, the Ziyarat. It’s such a delight to think of those beautiful moments that I spent in Medinah. I wish I had savoured and valued that precious time more. I wish I had understood the magnanimous significance of being there in the first place! I wish I had cried more and I wish I had prayed more while I was at one of the most beautiful places of this Earth. I wish that Inshallah Allah lets me go there again in my lifetime.

Undoubtedly, one thing that the visit evokes in us is a desire and a want to know more about RasulAllah, His life, the way he lived it, and his beautiful personality. If there was one subject that I would want to immerse myself in Islam, it would be inshallah, the Life of RasulAllah and everything about him. Mashallah just being there makes you reverberate with his magnificence! You wonder how and what made him the Best and most Perfect being on Earth. How he was aware of his lofty and unparalleled station with Allah and yet was sooo humble and unassuming about it!

Two traditions about RasulAllah (S) make me adore him sooo much! For me, these two traditions (that I’ve heard of yet) are the way I draw a picture of RasulAllah in my mind, are the way I personally recognise him.

The first- (I’m sure you’ve heard of this)

He (S) was in Mekkah, facing a really hard time with the people because it was that period where they harassed his blessed being so much because of his Message of One God. As he walked the streets, people hurled at him anything they would find L rocks, pebbles, dirt.
There was this one old woman who from the window of her house used to throw stones (i think) at him and hurl him with abuses everyday. RasulAllah ofcourse kept silent and endured those hardships. One day he did not see that old woman at her window throwing stones at him. He went and inquired about the woman and on learning that she was sick, went to visit her (!) inspite of her being so cruel and mean to him. He offered the sick woman his kind words when she only gave him rude words and hardship. It was then that the woman knew it in the heart that this person was no ordinary one and accepted Islam. SubhanAllah.

The second (my favorite)-

Once RasulAllah was passing by and saw a little boy crying. RasulAllah sat besides him and asked him what had happened. He said that his pet bird had died and so he was very sad about it. RasulAllah, gentle and kind as he was, sat with him and consoled him. He said something like… “Everything that lives has to eventually die.” in his loving voice. After that the boy felt better. When the boy grew up he narrated this incident to people and said that thereafter whenever RasulAllah saw him, he shot him a knowing smile, which (only to the two of them) meant the bird that he had when he was a little boy.

SubhanAllah, isn’t that just so wonderful! RasulAllah touched so many lives in so many ways! But this is how I think of RasulAllah; warm, gentle, full of love and affection, kind to the core, kind even when his kindness was returned with wrath and COMPLETELY humble! Mashallah, if only I had a tiny bit of his humbleness.

And finally, a nasheed which transports me to Medinah everytime I listen to it <3

not so much the video, just the audio.

Uhh..i don't know..am i paranoid?

2010-12-27T10:42:00.000-08:00

My internet wasn't working since the last three days. So i happened to tell the internet payment collector guy that. He said he'd send someone to fix it. I hate that! I hate it when they have to *send* someone over my place to fix a problem. Mostly cuz it *isn't* a problem with the hardware. And they always send these desperate cheapo type guys who are barely adults (!) (It works that way here with small internet companies.) So a new yucky and annoying looking Muslim dude comes in today. (note- I do not judge ppl by their looks, but he just *felt* yucky. You know the kind who'd probably stare at women on the street and pass inappropriate remarks.) I know right away he doesn't know a thing about fixing my internet problem. Whats more uncomfortable is that i don't like or want that kind of a guy to be in the bedroom working my computer! Today i made him sit in the kitchen and gave him my laptop. After 10 minutes of doing nothing he needs the router and thus the computer. I unwillingly usher him in. Good thing my mom and grandmom were there to hang around.

So here's the thing. While i was waiting for the bedroom pc to start, and he was in the kitchen with my laptop, i saw him taking out a chit from his pocket and writing something on it looking at my laptop. I brushed it away then, but after a moment when i went to my laptop i realized my msn icon was pinned on the toolbar with my email address on it, and the cursor was pointed to that. I realized he must have noted down my email address.

Now this cheap type Muslim guy probably thought, OOhh I'm Muslim and she's Muslim! Awwriteee!
Arrghh. Sicko!! !#@$#%#$#@
So i thought, I'm gonna confront him with it! Smack it in his face. I won't be the passive poor girl who gets emailed or IMed by a despo. I was 85% sure it was my email address he noted from my laptop. What else could it be? So i had a mean look on my face and and asked him while my mom was around in Urdu, "Did you write something from my laptop?" I studied his face carefully. He hesitated- something i had expected- he fumbled on his words and replied, "Uhhh... no... nothing." I asked him again, "You wrote something on a paper while you were sitting there." He again hesitated and said, "Nothing...nothing." I'm kind of an expert in body language. (Psycho major ;) ) and i was 90% sure he was lying and guilty. My mom shot me a curious look and i told her, "I saw him writing something from my laptop." He replied, "Woh...complain likh raha tha." - He was writing the complain.

I wasn't ready to let it go yet. I asked him to show me what he wrote. He looked stunned and i enjoyed it. He handed me some chits from his his back pocket. I saw them all quickly. None of them had my email address on it, but none of it was freshly written either. I think he'd hidden the one in his front pocket, and showed me ones in his back pocket. I had lost. I wanted to catch him red handed and make my mom shout at him and maybe even call his mom! What i should have asked him was to show me the paper on which he wrote the "complain"!

Sickkkk guyyy aggghhh... Do you think I'm being paranoid about this?

A Day to Remember

2010-12-17T11:46:00.000-08:00

Today was the 10th of Muharram, the day of Ashura, where Imam Husain (a.s) met with his martyrdom, along with his family and companions. This day holds significance for the entire Ummah for it was because of this great sacrifice that Islam was safeguarded from the tyrannical and sinful hands of Yazid, the khalifa of the time, who wanted Imam Husain (a.s) to pledge allegiance to him. He harassed the Imam continually, but the Imam (a.s) would rather die, lose all his family members and companions to thirst and arrows and have his women folk held as captives than ever leave Islam in the hands of such a disgraceful and sinful person like Yazid. And thats exactly what he did. The tragedies which befell him and his family (including his 6 month old infant) are hard to explain. Only Imam Mahdi (a.s) would be able to describe their tragedies accurately and I am certain, each person with a receptive heart will be overwhelmed by grief and gratitude at the same time. Inshallah ameen.

To commemorate this day, I went to the imambargah nearby. Mashallah it's big and a lot of women had turned up. We first prayed the special four rakat salaat for this day. Imam Husain (a.s) strove and sacrificed himself to save the salaat that we pray today, which is very literally apparent because he lost about half of his army to the arrows while they were offering salaat! Then we recited Ziyarat Ashura in unison, Mashallah it was so beautiful, followed by reciting salaams and la'nah 100 times each. This was followed by Ziyarat al Qamah. We were then reminded by the Zakirah (lady speaker) that it was then awwal waqt for zuhr prayers. We prayed and then recited Ziyarat Waritha and recited salaams on all the Prophets (a.s) of Islam starting from Adam (a.s) to Mohammad (S) and then his Holy Household and the ones martyred in Karbala. Then a few women recited nauhas in urdu remembering the calamities that befell the Prophet (S)'s family in Karbala. Mashallah their slow and sad voices managed to make everyone in the imambargah cry ;(

The above nauha was one of the nauhas which was recited. It's just sooooo touching. Inshallah i'll try to translate it in English. This was followed by the Masaheb (narration of the martyrdom of the Prophet (S) 's grandson, family and companions (a.s) ) The Masaheb is a very important part of the majlis without which no majlis (of Muharram) is complete. After this, matam (light chest tapping) ensued as a way to mourn the martyrs (a.s).

At late afternoon at about 3.30 we had khichda aka haleem, a mostly Indian dish made of grains with dry tandoori rotis (a dish especially prepared for the day of Ashura). We had stayed away from food and drink till then as a sign of revering the Imam (a.s)'s and his family's hunger and thirst. This is not a fast, as the day of Ashura is not meant for fasting.

SubhanAllah, I did not know that i would cry the amount that i did. I'm kind of a hardie. But what the nauha above says right in the beginning, "Whoever narrates the story of Karbala, the eyes of those who have a heart, will definitely sprout a river..." was certainly true.

Allahuma l'an qatalatal Husain, wa auladal Husain wa ashabal Husain.

As salaamal Al-Husain, wa Ali ibn Al Husain wa ashabal Husain.

Lady Zainab (salaamAllah alaiha)

2010-12-15T08:16:00.000-08:00

The khutbah of lady Zainab (s.a), the beloved granddaughter of RasulAllah (S), is a crucial one in Islamic history. It portrays how Islam has emphasized the participation of women in religio-political state affairs. The way she stood up against the injustice and spoke against the khalifah of the time, Yazid (l.a), with such grace and honour Mashallah, is magnificient! Following is her sermon; Inshallah i will try my best to memorize it, because the words of Aale Muhammad (S) must be memorized.
===========

"Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the worlds and blessings on my grandfather, the Chief of divine prophets."

"O Yazid, Allah says, and his word is true, that: 'Then evil was the end of those who did evil because they rejected the communications of Allah and used to mock them' [30:10]."

"O Yazid, do you believe that you have succeeded in closing the sky and the earth for us and that we have become your captives just because we have been brought before you in a row and that you have secured control over us? Do you believe that we have been afflicted with insult and dishonour by Allah and that you have been given honour and respect by Him? You have become boastful of this apparent victory that you have secured and you have started feeling jubilant and proud over this prestige and honour. You think that you have achieved worldly good, that your affairs have become stabilised and our rule has fallen into your hands. Wait for a while. Do not be so joyful. Have you forgotten Allah's saying: 'The unbelievers should not carry the impression that the time allowed to them by us is good for them. Surely we give them time so that they may increase their evil deeds, and eventually they will be given insulting chastisement' [3:178]."

"O son of freed slaves, is this your justice that you keep your own daughters and slave maids veiled while the daughters of the Prophet of Allah are being paraded from place to place exposed."

"You have dishonoured us by unveiling our faces. Your men take us from town to town where all sorts of people, whether they be residents of the hills or of riversides have been looking at us."

"The near as well as the remote ones, the poor as well as the rich, the low as well as the high - all casting their glances at us while our position is such that there is no male relative of ours to render us help or support."

"O Yazid, whatever you have done proves your revolt against Allah and your denial of His Prophet (s) and of the Book and Sunnah that the Holy Prophet (s) brought from Allah. Your deeds should not cause amazement because one whose ancestors chewed the livers of the martyrs, whose flesh grew up on virtuous people, who fought against the Chief of divine prophets, who mobilised parties for fighting against him and drew swords against him, should conspicuously excel all Arabs in unbelief, sinfulness, excesses, and enmity against Allah and His Prophet (s)."

"Remember that the evil deeds and sinful actions that you have committed are the result of unbelief and old rancour you bear because of your ancestors who were killed in Badr."

"One who cast his glance of enmity, malice and rancour upon us does not lag behind in practising enmity against us. He proves his unbelief, declares it with his tongue and jubilantly proclaims: 'I have killed the sons of the Prophet (s) of Allah and made his progeny captive,' and wishes that his ancestors had lived to see his achievement and to have exclaimed, 'O Yazid, may your hands not lose their strength, you have wreaked good vengeance on our behalf.'"

"O Yazid, you are striking the lips of Imam Husayn with your stick in front of this crowd while these very lips used to be kissed by the Prophet (s) of Allah, and yet your face reflects pleasure and happiness."

"By my life, by killing the chief of youths of Paradise, the son of the chief of Arabs (Ali (a)) and the shining sun of the progeny of Abd ul-Muttalib, you have deepened our wound and uprooted us completely."

"By killing Husayn ibn Ali (a) you have gained nearness to the state of your unbelieving ancestors. You proclaim your deed with pride and if they were to see you they would approve of your action and pray that Allah may not paralyse your arms."

"O Yazid! If you had heart enough to take account of your nefarious deeds, you yourself would surely wish your arms to be paralysed and severed from your elbow and you would wish that your parents had not given birth to you because you would know that Allah has become displeased with you. Allah, Grant us our rights. Avenge those who have oppressed us."

"O Yazid! you did what you wished, but remember that you have cut your own skin and your own flesh to pieces. Soon you will be brought before the Holy Prophet. You will be overburdened with the weight of your sins committed by shedding the blood of his progeny and by dishonouring his family. The place to which you will be taken will be before all the members of his family. The oppressed will be avenged and the enemies will be punished."

"O Yazid ! It is not seeming for you to swell with joy after slaying the Prophet's progeny. 'Reckon not those who are killed in Allah's way as dead; nay, they are alive and are provided sustenance from their Lord; rejoicing in what Allah has given them out of His grace' [3:169-170]."

"Allah is sufficient to deal with you. The Messenger of Allah is your antagonist and Hadrat Jibra'il is our support and help against you."

"Those who have made you the head of state and burdened the Muslims with your leadership will soon find out what awaits them. The end of all tyrants is agony."

"O Yazid. I speak not to you thus to warn you of the severe chastisement in store for you so that you should be regretful for you are one of those whose hearts are hardened, souls are rebellious and whose bodies are busy in Allah's disobedience while they are under the curse of the Prophet of Allah. You are from among those in whose heart Shaytan has made his abode and has been breeding young ones."

"How amazing it is that the virtuous people, sons of the divine prophets and vicegerents are killed at the hands of liberated slaves, evil-doers and sinners. Our blood is shed by their hands and our flesh serves as food for them. We feel grieved for those whose bodies are lying unshrouded and unburied in the battlefield, wounded with arrows."

"O Yazid, if you consider our defeat as your achievement then you will have to pay its price."

"Allah commits not injustice to His servants. Our reliance is on Allah. He alone is our Relief and place of Protection, and in Him alone do we repose our hope."

"You may contrive and try however much you can. By Him who honoured us with revelation, the Book and Prophethood, you cannot achieve our status, nor reach our position, nor can you effect our mention, nor remove from yourself that shame and dishonour that is now your lot because of perpetrating excess and oppression on us. Your word now is weak and your days are counted. Beware of the day when the announcer would announce the curse of Allah on the oppressors and the unjust."

"Praise be to Allah who gave good end to His friends and granted them success in their aims, and thereafter called them back to His Mercy, Pleasure and Bliss, while you hurled yourself into evil and mischief by committing injustice against them. We pray to Allah to favour us with full recompense through them and grant us the good of Khilafat and Imamat. Surely Allah is Kind and the Most Merciful over His creatures."
============
After this, Imam Zainul Abidin (a.s)'s momentous speech follows. Alhamdolillah i am so lucky and proud that Allah SWT has blessed me with their acquaintance. Allah be praised.

The video clip is taken from the movie The Caravan of Pride, based on the aftermath of the tragedy of Karbala.

Urdu nauha

2010-12-15T02:26:00.000-08:00

This is so touching :(

Lectures dripping with Awwwesomeness!

2010-12-14T09:18:00.000-08:00

get over the title and get on to these super lectures!

Hassanain Rajabali Muharram 2010, 1432

lecture 01- Achieving Happiness
lecture 02- Standing Firm in Islam

for more lectures visit www.awaitedone.org for now only two on youtube.

Wow i must be really obsessed with him! O_O i should make a separate "tag" category for him.

khudahafiz!

Love marriages and Lust marriages

2010-12-11T10:38:00.000-08:00

Salaam
I just had a fleeting thought and my laptop was nearby.

So in India and many other Muslim countries, Arranged marriages are pretty common and much the norm. Arranged marriage is where two people who have not known each other before, come to meet each other through some intermediary, talk and decide whether they think they can marry or not. In some cases, the two know each other but are not "lovers" prior to their marriage. Anywho. So i was thinking why love marriages are so stigmatized in Muslim countries and also mostly traditional non-Muslim countries like mine (India). People generally look down upon two ppl choosing each other on their own. And when a marriage is announced and people know that it's a love marriage, their expressions change and they go like, "Oooh", making a saddish face.

I think i know what the problem is. It's the definition of a "love marriage" which is at fault! What lovers usually do is engage in non-halal relationships, engage in PDA's, roam about the town hand in hand, act frivolous, post their merry pictures on facebook to tell the world how awesomely they're living their life, and then get married! Then, all of that, the pre-marital mingling gets translated into LOVE! And voila they have a marriage! So that makes it a LOVE MARRIAGE!!
Do you find something weird with this? I'll tell you whats weird with this. Now if two people who like each other, exchange their thoughts about life and religion, and find themselves compatible Islamically and otherwise and wish to marry each other minus all the pre-marriage yayness, that too gets translated as a Love Marriage, accompanied by the sad Ooohhing faces. I tell you its not really their fault. "Love Marriages" have more than 50% divorce rates, which leads these people to think its bound to doom. What the problem is that Love Marriages are not differentiated from Lust Marriages. Lust Marriage is the former and Love Marriage, the latter. For that matter, there should be a sharp distinction of love from lust, which is hard cuz then according to my definition, about 70% of marriages are because of lust and more than 50% of "love" is actually lust! (Statistics source- Moi!) Now, that be offensive to people right.

I know i sound harshly judgmental and categorical here, but i can't help it. There should be enough room and respect (and a separate category) for two people who choose each other and cherish an Islamic relationship prior to marriage. You just can't group something impermissible and something permissible in one bracket and call it by one name! We must call a lust marriage a lust marriage! I know it's impractical but this is so not cool! Two people can still like/love each other and respect each other without any post-teenage hormonal activities accompanying their conversations. Why can't people have a concept of the *possibility* of an innocent and sweet Islamic relationship between two people prior to marriage!? Its existence shouldn't automatically activate their Love marriage, potentially unsuccessful button! And hell need not necessarily freeze over.

Urgent request

2010-12-07T23:53:00.000-08:00

A Christian woman i know has been diagnosed with Cancer. (May Allah give her courage and cure. i can't even think what she must be going thru.) I don't know how serious it is but she's in her third stage; two chemos were unsuccessful and she's lost her hair now.
Since my mom knows her better, she talked to her and asked if she'd be interested in reading or learning about Islam and she was open to it. I think that Islam would help her not only in the hereafter but would also comfort her in her life and help her find meaning with this test that has found her. We decided to courier her a few basic books on Islam from a Christian perspective. I really don't know much and have hardly read anything of this sort.

I ask you if you could recommend any good books for a beginner coming from a Christian faith. The first books she reads on Islam should really be good and should strike a chord within her so that she continues reading and learning about it.

Can you suggest some good books for her; perhaps something that has helped you personally come to Islam, or just something you've really liked and which has helped you...

We need to buy and courier the books quick! So i need to decide fast!
Also please remember her in your prayers. She is away from her family and needs all the prayers she can get. May Allah help her through this ordeal and guide her towards Himself. Ameen.

The Caravan of Pride

2010-12-07T01:38:00.000-08:00

I have much to say. But for now, i am Inshallah going to watch this movie. Can't believe i haven't watched it yet. Alhamdolillah just in time for the start of the month of Muharram. I am also just going to start reading this book.

The events and Circumstances surrounding the Martyrdom of Husain ibn Ali

I am also looking for good lectures to listen online all through Muharram and specifically the first ten days. I'm gonna go for Ammar Nakshwani. Any suggestions?
Oooh much to plan!!

Baby names!

2010-12-02T07:29:00.000-08:00

Yup. We've all thought about them sometime or the other. Few years back, i picked my future baby names by how it sounded. Now i want them to be after Personalities i am really inspired with; so that they inshallah follow thier Seerah in their life. These names would mean something. Few years back, i read in a novel Where the Heart Is that a name should be strong so that it will help the person endure life.

Boys-
-Musa (Really inspred by Propet Musa, and the 7th Imam, Imam Musa Al Kadhim. Baby inshallah will be named after both!)

-Hasan (After RasulAllah's first grandchild and the 2nd Imam. Just such a beautiful name and such a beautiful ring to it. Also, I'd really want my son to Inshallah have the qualities of patience and endurance of Imam Hasan (a.s))

-Muhammad (After RasulAllah ofcourse! This is one name i wanna say over and over again.)

-Yusuf (Prophet Yusuf is my newest inspiration and admiration.)

Girls-
-Maryam (This is inshallah a definite one if Allah blesses me with a girl child.)

-Muqaddasah (Means pure and holy)

I've also thought of middle names. For the girls its Zahra (Named after the beloved daughter of RasulAllah (S)) and boys inshallah will have Servant of + Attributes of Allah as their middle name.
Like Musa Abdul-Wadud (Musa, Servant of the Most Loving One)
Hasan Abdul Haqq (Hasan Servant of the Truth)
etc...

Perhaps the girls will also have Servant + Attribute of Allah middle names... Hmm..haven't locked in on those yet.
:D
To baby dreams! Inshallah...
What are yours???

I just fell off my chair!! :S

2010-12-01T10:19:00.000-08:00

So i was writing my very boring exam sitting in the examination hall. The atmosphere was quiet and tensed. Everyone dreaded the paper. We had that kinda chair where the desk (wooden plank) to write on was attached to it on the right.
Like this.

We were about 45 minutes through and even i was pretty into writing my exam. Then this girl who was sitting on my right, her question paper falls off her desk and comes flying on the floor to my right. So i try to be helpful and pick it up for her. I bend down to my right while still sitting on my chair. I can't reach. I bend a lil more. The paper is justt about 1 cm away and i take the last bend... And... I go flying onto the floor! Along with my desk! And papers! Geee.. that wasn't as embarrassing as it was funny. The stony silence in the examination hall was broken by my "AAAAHHHH!! CRAPPP!!!" hehehee yea ppl were laughing and all. But i was laughing along cuz it was just soo funny. Imagine someone just falling off their chair along with their chair in the middle of an exam! hee hee hee...I wasn't hurt or anything tho!

After the exam, my friends sitting across asked me "How the hell did you just fall off!?!"
teehee.
Adios for now. i gotta study for my crappy exam tomorrow! EEww..

such a delightful nasheed!

2010-12-01T10:03:00.001-08:00

This is so beautiful! <3

it is what it is

2010-11-27T09:45:00.000-08:00

Here's the thing. I'm shy. I'm an introvert. Always have been. And i act real weird in the presence of males. Even in my not so religious days, i stayed away from guys and couldn't ever talk to them how my other girlfriends did. So obviously now in my "religiously conscious" days i won't talk to guys. So, i've never really known how to act around men. It just gets really weird when i have to talk to them or be around them. So when my cousin came home today, i just stayed in my room and didn't go and say hi to him until my dad prodded me to go do so. Another reason was that it's just weird to be around him (and my other cousins) in hijab cuz he's not Muslim and i don't think they know me to be wearing hijab at all. So... yea it's just weird. I was awkward and probably made them awkward too, which is bad cuz i'd hate to embarrass someone or make someone uncomfortable in my own house. I don't have great social skills and it takes time for me to get comfy around someone.
I'm like the mad scientist. And i loveee mad scientists :D Ok i think i'll call me The Lonely Writer and Thinker! Voila! Me likey that! Ok i'm not that lonely and all..
Bleh..

I have my much dreaded exams on. They're so dry and crawly. Plus at the back of my head i keep thinking that Inshallah i plan to drop out of this course anyway, and pursue a very different path Inshallah, so why bother... Agghh i hate what i'm studying right now. The syllabus is so dry for a psychology class.

Anywho, Khudahafiz, gotta study.
P.S-!! A very belated Eid ul Adha Mubarak! and a moderately belated Eid ul Ghadeer Mubarak!! :D

Just hibernate...

2010-11-13T10:28:00.000-08:00

I wish there was a “hibernate” mode with life. So that we’d not die, or be consciously living, but just...hibernate. Like when I had this game on my phone called Pet Hamster and I could just put him on hibernate where I didn’t have to feed him from time to time and make him exercise…

Sometime I have these “phases” I don’t know if it’s normal or no (and by normal I just wanna legitimize it) where I just don’t feel like doing anything. Where every possible thing bugs me. Where so many things go wrong. I don’t look good, but more importantly, I don’t feel good. I feel stressed but at the same time I’m so lethargic that I don’t wanna get any work done. I just lay in my bed listening to some shit Arabic song. I don’t feel like praying too. I pray almost being lifeless and totally unenthusiastic. This has been happening to me, I can’t say frequently or often, but every once in a while; and when it happens, its just sad.

It’s been going on from quite a while in a relatively mild way. First, I decided not to start my college projects until late. Then obviously, I am late with 3 submissions. I was supposed to submit them before vacation started, but now I have the backlog and plus couple of more fresh submissions which I haven’t even started with. To make things worse, I have a few friends who are just so freakishly punctual and up to date with their assignments it makes me sick. I’m the brainy one, and I get looked like I’m such a sorry loser. Then I have a really pathetic test and then very soon enough mid terms. I have so much to do but still, today I just ended up watching T.V and making an effort to move around.

And while we’re complaining, I have this physical illness from months! It’s one of those very very irritating ones which gets u so frustrated u just wanna cry. So, I’ve been living with it for months now. Sometimes it’s not as intense but when it gets bad, it really does. Like now, where it hurts to bend, to do sujood, to walk and to move. I’ve been to the doctor once and I’m not going again.

When things get back, they really do…

Add to that my HUGE decision making time. I need to decide in just a few days whether I wanna leave the country for 3 years; which means, leaving my masters course mid-way, abandoning my plans to start my own hijab business (if Allah wills), preparing myself to learn a foreign language and study something which apparently I don’t know what I’m going to “achieve” by studying. I feel I must go but I’m also scared. Scared of living alone in an unknown country whose language I don’t speak. And I must decide in a very short period of time, cuz If I don’t they’d cancel my admission. When things don’t go well at home (like now) I feel like leaving everything here and just GO! But I wanna go for the right reasons. With my whole heart. But I don’t know where my whole heart is. How am I supposed to make such a big decision or even think rationally when I’m hurting physically and emotionally. I know istekhara is probably the answer but I need to be in a proper state of mind and spiritual mode to do istekhara. I don’t wanna be a selfish jerk whose just asking God for guidance when I need it.

So that is why I wish life had a hibernate mode. Where I’d just…hibernate… and when I un-hibernate, everythings good. But, my friend, alas, life does not let us hibernate.

Hezbollah

2010-11-13T03:32:00.000-08:00

Hezbollah first emerged in 1982 as a militia in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, set on resisting the Israeli occupation of Lebanon during the Lebanese civil war. Its leaders were inspired by Ayatollah Khomeini, and its forces were trained and organized by a contingent of Iranian Revolutionary Guards. Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto listed its four main goals as "Israel's final departure from Lebanon as a prelude to its final obliteration," ending "any imperialist power in Lebanon," submission of the Phalangists to "just rule" and bringing them to trial for their crimes, and giving the people the chance to choose "with full freedom the system of government they want," while we not hide our commitment to the rule of Islam." Hezbollah leaders have also made numerous statements calling for the destruction of Israel, which they refer to as a "Zionist entity... built on lands wrested from their owners."

Needed: Hijab nasheeds

2010-11-10T07:57:00.000-08:00

Salaam Alaykum! Anybody know any good nasheeds on hijab. Preferably without music but soft background music will do. Pleeeeese! :)
Peace!

Bubble top and the "butterfly" hijab

2010-11-05T00:01:00.000-07:00

IMAGE NOT AVAILABLE

This is my latest buy. What i like about the bubble top is that it is not body hugging AT ALL. So flowy, loose and yet so cute! A very modest hijab option. Although you would need to pair it with a full sleeved tee. (TIP: If the climate where you live is hottish, try chopping the length of the tee shirt so that it reaches just above the stomach. That way, you won't be too hot wearing a tee inside). I paired this vibrant polka dot top with a black tee, and black pants. Safe. A dark green scarf was my safest option too. Although light blue also would have been okay. Or not. I don't know.

The scarf style used here is what i call the "butterfly style" (cuz its shaped like a butterfly right). Its so simple! You don't even need any pins to put it together! You might need an underscarf tho.

Step1- Adjust the scarf over your head so that one side is longer than the other.

Step 2- Take the longer side around your neck and bring it in the front so that you now have two even length ends of the scarf on the front.

Step 3- Take the two inner ends of the scarf and tie it in a knot in the middle so that u get a butterfly or a bow shape that resembles the picture.

Step 4- You can add some bling on the knot. I hung some silly earrings on the knot (which i later chucked).

So YAY! Try it! And temme if it worked ;)

I'm too lazy to make an actual tutorial with pics.

P.s- I'm not sure if my top is actually called a bubble top.. but the top portion (which u can't see) sure looks like one! :D

Not my day!

2010-11-04T02:36:00.000-07:00

Last night we found an injured pigeon outside our door. It couldn't fly so we guessed he'd hurt his foot. We took him in, fed him water and grains and put him in a holed box for the night. I looked up the net to see if i could find anything useful for the pigeon's care and healing and found a few good pointers.
Since it was late then, we decided to leave things as they were till morning. Early next morning, after fajr i kept peering into the box to see if he was moving or making any sound so that i knew he was alive. He didn't make any sound or movement. But just a while later i could hear his pigeon noise and i was sooo overjoyed to know he's alive!

Then i pestered my dad to inspect his body properly to check for visible wounds. He found wounds on his foot. Probably made by kite thread. I hate ppl who fly kites as a passtime! Its sick! And its hurt my pigeon's legs! :/ Humans can be so oblivious of the danger animals face just so that they can gain pleasure in stupid no-gooder things like flying kites!!
Dad cleaned the wounds and tried to feed him the pigeon rehydrating solution but he won't take in any. The procedure took quite some time. The pigeon was such a cute creature mashallah! Just as dad placed him back into his cusioned boz, he closed his eyes :'( He was no more.

This was tough cuz once before in the past we'd took in an old and sick pigeon and he didn't make it either :(
I keep wondering if we had tended to him sooner at night itself, perhaps he could have made it :( But it also seemed sick along with being injured.

He was Allah's beautiful, precious and innocent creature!
I'm so annoyed and agitated at ppl flying kites in the sky! Allah put some sense in them!

I've also been really sick all day. High fever and cold. Just took a dose of medicines. Inshallah i'll feel better tomorrow.

while i was browsing the net for info on pigeon care, i found this wonderful forum of pigeon lovers! they discuss all sorts of problems and illness of pigeons and answer ppls' questions quickly!
One person there was saying how he'd rescued a pigeon and cared for it even though others thought it was "just a pigeon." To which another replied, "And ofcourse, there is no such thing as "just a pigeon""
:)

What i wore to a wedding

2010-11-01T05:50:00.000-07:00

Going to a wedding can be harrowing cuz you're expected to dress a certain way, which could compromise on your individual style. My friend got married recently and this is what i wore. I didn't wanna look OTT and still wanted to be ME.

Voila!

A jewel embroidered jacket

Headband and former pearl necklace!

(sorry for the desperate scribbling. It was the only way i knew)

QUICK TIPS-

If you're one who doesn't like getting over-dressed for a wedding, try these-

You can keep your main outfit casual but let one piece of clothing be a lil dressy (In my case, my embroidered jacket).
There are ways to jazz a simple outfit. Accessorize!
You can add a sequined headband to your scarf. It'll give you a glamorous look You could also make your own pretty headband with a string of pearls or a pearl necklace. This will give you a chic and classy look.
A jeweled brooch is another perfect option.
Add just the right amount of bling. A big ring on one hand and a jewel bracelet on the other would suffice.
And always, ALWAYS keep your make-up to a minimum. Women usually go wrong with their make-up and go aboard.
Finally, a classy or moderately blingy clutch bag puts the whole outfit together :)

Inshallah these should help you look simple yet chic.

And remember, keep it modest ;)

What do you think?

Tony Blair's sis in law converts to Islam!

2010-10-25T10:36:00.000-07:00

Lauren Booth revealed over the weekend that she has converted to Islam. Booth, who is half-sister to Cherie Blair and a Catholic by birth, switched faith after a recent visit to Iran. A human rights campaigner and journalist, she works for Press TV, Iran's 24-hour English language international news channel.

She said to have a beautiful spiritual surge while she was at the Shrine of Lady Masooma (sister of Imam Musa Al Kadhim, the seventh Imam (a.s)) which probably led her to an awakening and accepting Islam :)

Of course The Telegraph (UK) isn't too happy about it (or even accepting and respectful!) The Telegraph quotes that she politically is "incredibly naïve, or willfully ignorant of reality."

“Now I don’t eat pork and I read the Koran every day. I’m on page 60. I also haven’t had a drink in 45 days, the longest period in 25 years,”

"Here in Iran they feel proud to suffer in order to express solidarity with the people of Palestine. It’s kind of like the way you express solidarity with America only without illegal chemical weapons and a million civilian deaths," she said.

French hypocrisy and an attack on women

2010-10-24T07:43:00.000-07:00

Mashallah i found this really nice post on popmuslim.com LOL cute name for a webbie right!? So I'm posting it here. Also isn't this sis so pretty!!

Jeanne Ruby, a 63 year old French woman, recently decided to take the law into her own hands and forcibly remove the face-veil of Mrs al-Suwaidi, an Emirati woman, in a Paris store, because the veil is, as she puts it, “offensive”, “an act of agression” and she felt “attacked as a woman”.

When al-Suwaidi refused to take it off, because heaven forbid a woman actively choose to cover her face, Ruby proceeded to scratch her, slap her, bite her and tore off her veil.

What amazes me most about this case (which is currently before the French courts) isn’t the violence and hatred displayed by Ruby, althought that’s horrific enough. It is the blind hyprocrisy under which she is operating. That she can openly state that she finds the niqab offensive, an act of agression and an attack on women and then respond to it with an agressive, violent attack on another woman without seeing the contradiction is astounding.

And in that sense, I find the event to be quite symbolic of the French governmental approach to the niqab ban. Much of the ban is premised on the idea that women are being forced into covering by the men in their lives and need to be liberated from that force, with an opposing, equally blunt, force. And so any man found to be forcing his wife (or sister or daughter) to cover her face will be fined 3000 Euros and face jail time (any woman found covering her face will be fined 150 Euros). This difference is very significant, as it gets to the root of the French governement’s approach to Muslim women covering their face: we believe the instances of men forcing women to cover to be significant enough for us to legislate against it, and to legislate strongly. We are sending a message to anyone who thinks they can tell women they have to cover.

This is why I see the case of Ruby and al-Suwaidi as so illustrative. It is like a microcosm of the French government’s hypocritical approach to the whole debate: We will force you to uncover, even if you don’t want to. We believe it is so wrong for a man to make a woman dress in a certain way and against her wishes that we will legislate against it and even threaten jail time.

Unless, of course, it’s us as the government doing it. That’s different.

And in this sense, the case of Ruby and al-Suwaidi is so perfectly French.

from http://popmuslim.com/?p=457

In my heart -- Poem

2010-10-20T13:42:00.000-07:00

I miss RasulAllah
in my life.
I miss him dominating my mind
I miss his love in my heart
Its devoid of it now, filled with trash;
I miss RasulAllah
in my heart;
I miss RasulAllah's shining face
reflecting its Noor upon me;
I miss not being able to admire his beauty,
desire his thoughts, his kindness.
I miss RasulAllah
in my heart.

Be my flame once again,
or maybe for the first time...

When i don't know what i feel, and want to know what i do, i write poetry. So, this is how i feel now.
Dedicated to You, one i want to love.

Girls of Riyadh (Banat al Riyadh)

2010-10-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

I ordered Girls of Riyadh from my favorite Indian online bookstore flipkart.com on an enthusiastic afternoon. I love their discounts, free shipping and Cash on Delivery! I had heard about the book before, but after reading Bitten by an Arab Bug's posts on the book, i immediately ordered it! :D
Now let me tell you that you shouldn't be too excited about the book. It's not really all that scandal exposing and shockingly revealing reality types that it claims to be. Atleast not for Muslims who are aware of very conservative and repressive Islamic countries i.e- Saudi Arabia... And no, i won't call it a KINGdom. But it probably would be for the Western people who aren't aware of how Saudi generally works. Now i'm not at all putting down the book cuz i did find a few Whoa!s there.. I like the idea that she pasted a few hadith of the Prophet SAWW in the beginning of a few chapters to make a distinction between what Islam really is, and what happens in a muslim society.

I guess i can connect with the things talked about in the book coming from the Indian society where we share a few commonalities when it comes to societal standards and men! The first common thing between the Indian and Saudi society is the MARRIAGE CELEBRATIONS! Altho India is the lesser of the two evils when it comes to marriage celebrations, we have like a week long wedding wherein each day holds a crazy function of its own complete with unbearably heavily embroidered clothes, live music, dancing, noise, humongous amounts of food, relatives you swore you've never seen in your life, decoration, etc etc. It's basically gatheing a huggeeeee pile of money and setting it on fire just for fun! But besides that, its the crazy expectation that a bride is supposed to walk a fixed way, look a fixed way, move her eyes a fixed way and breathe a fixed way, that is so similar to saudi standards.

My friend got married a year ago and the way she made her entry into the wedding ground, it took her 25 mintutes to walk a stretch of 10 metres!

The other thing is the coveted male-female meetings. In India, (but only in the rural towns and not the cities) having a girlfriend or boyfriend and going out with them is is generally looked down upon. Moreso for the females than the males. So its not all that shocking to me to know that youngsters in Saudi engage in covert dating. Only difference is that there is no *legal* punishment or law against dating and going out here. And ofcourse, we wear what we want. But in India we wear modest clothes adhering to unwritten codes of conduct and in saudi because of written ones. Both places, we fear society more than Allah SWT.

I kinda also realized why Saudi women are so quick to chuck their hijab once out of the country. All the forcing and the if u dont wear hijab I'll beat you mentality would piss anyone off and want to rebel. I'm so not a fan of forcing someone to wear hijab. I believe it comes from within, and it is only then when you truly value wearing it. The conservative law of Saudi, in an attempt to abide by "strict Islamic laws", doesn't then even provide a platform for a healthy communication and a healthy relationship between men and women. In effect, the opposite sex can be thought of only as a potential marriage partner and nothing else! How then can there develop respect for the opposite sex when all you're thinking is, ooohh is she good enough for me to marry?! And the other alternative is ofcourse to ride in your cars and eve tease..doesn't matter even if it only outside Masjidun Nabawi! (first hand experience...)

Anywho... I realize i didn't end up speaking a lot about the book LOL. I'm just done reading 3/4th of it. So far, its been interesting. I like the plot. I'm like, Ooohh whats gonna happen next! :D

It's also kinda nice that the author chose to briefly write about the Shias in Saudi Arabia and how they're treated as "Rejectors" and thats ofcourse a mild word to use, if you know what i mean... okay you don't know what i mean... Anywho being Shia, I'll tell you how heart-breaking and sickening to the core it is to see fellow shias being bombed upon and killed for carrying out a procession. Even if it is only for the rights of the people of Palestine on Al Quds day! I'm glad to know the author doesn't hold the typical misconceptions and outright hatred for Shias.

But i like the book MAINLY due to the fact that the author, dear dear Raja AlSanea, wears hijab even when now in Chicago <3

Howdy!

2010-10-16T07:41:00.000-07:00

I miss you blog! I promise i will not ignore you anymore...
I've kinda been busy. In the next ten days, i have to submit a literature review project, study two crappy chapters for a super important test and write four very lengthy reports on four very mad experiments. Ummm..yea and ofcourse i haven't started on any of it as yet...ehh I'm so bored to do any of it. so instead I'm reading this awesome novel Girls of Riyadh! It's exciting and much more fun than working on projects and studying!

I'm gonna go now try doing something constructive...

Of death and dying

2010-10-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

I am terrified of old age. As i look at my grandfather who is 88 years old and the way he lives his life, it terrifies me. I feel scared to live his life. A lil jerk in the cab can set him house ridden for months until he can walk a few steps again on his own.

People always wish for a nice long life so they can earn a good deal of thawaab and have their sins forgiven. But living life as an old person itself is a cause for concern. I wish to die quickly. To fulfil my purpose and leave. To die a remarkable death. One full of purpose, meaning and example. I always dream of a victorious death. A sublime one. Martyrdom. I do not wish to wither away little by little until completely withered. I do not wish to live my life without a reason or purpose. Until i know what my purpose is and until my aim of living is to fulfil that purpose, i will not die, by the Will of Allah. My death will then only mark the completion and fulfillment of that purpose. But when i stop living my dream and start to wander aimlessly, i can expect death just about anytime, in just about any manner.

I remember once when i was talking to an atheist relative of mine. She was referring to the futility of life and afterlife, when she said, "One day i could just go down the road, get hit by a truck and die! Thats the end of it all!" And i don't know from where the words came out of me when i replied, "A meaningless life will lead to a meaningless death."
And she actually didn't say anything after that!

What I'm trying to say is that i believe people die when-

A. If they have fulfilled thier purpose of birth.
OR
B. If they are not able to find that purpose in life and get so lost trying to find a substitute for it by turning to all things ranging from bad to superfluous.

Now there could very well be C's D's E's....just that I've been able to think of A and B.

My purpose of living is serving Allah and His cause. To actively await the Mahdi (a.s) who will restore justice and equality on Earth just as it is filled with Injustice and Oppression. And Isa (a.s) who will aid him in his Mission. More practically, it is to do GOOD. Good is so good. I love good. I want to dedicate my life doing good and dying doing good.
Inshallah...

Is this awesome or what!

2010-09-12T03:11:00.000-07:00

I love the look but i couldn't ever pull it off. Love her pants! and footwear! and over coat! Ok i love everything!!

Taken from The Sartorialist

O_O

2010-09-11T08:34:00.000-07:00

I just saw a policeman beat down a guy! O_O The guy looked like a slum dweller cum drug addict type.
It was a long chase which ended right below my building! From what I could hear peering down from my window at the angry crowd, the guy stabbed someone with a knife. Man, he got some really heavy blows from the policeman!

But you know what I've always found...The policemen don't really beat up people for the sake of Justice and Truth but for them its more of a venting therapy where you get to blow off your frustration by beating someone. A lot of personal motives. You can just see it on their faces. And I'm talking not just about my own country but the the whole world in general...

Ya Allah, when will all this mischief end!

Eid Mubarak!!! :D

2010-09-10T07:56:00.000-07:00

Wish you all a blessed and happy Eid. Ramadan passed away too quickly! Only regret is that I didn't put in the kind and amount of ibadah I'd hoped to. May Allah grace us with the beautiful month of Ramadan again next year. Inshallah, Ameen!

Till then, EID MUBARAK! :D

On the day of Eid-ul-Fitr, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) delivered the following sermon-

"O people! Verily this day of yours is the day when the righteous are awarded and the wretched are losers. It is a day which is similar to the one on which you shall be standing (before your Lord). Therefore, when you come out of your homes to go to places of your prayer, remind yourselves about the day when you (your souls) shall come out of your bodies to go to your Lord. When you stand on places of your prayer, remind yourselves of your standing in presence of your Lord (on the day of Judgement). And when you return to your homes (after prayer), remind yourselves about your returning to your homes in Paradise. O Servants of Allah! Verily the minimum reward for those men and women who fasted (during Ramadan), is an Angel, who calls out to them on the last day of the month of Ramadan (saying): O SERVANTS OF ALLAH! REJOICE THE GLAD TIDING THAT ALL YOUR PREVIOUS SINS HAVE BEEN FORGIVEN. Therefore, watch out in those things which serve as the re-creation of your sins (on this day and days to follow.)"

- Nahjul Balaagha

Pfft!

2010-09-06T13:13:00.000-07:00

I don't know why i suddenly remembered a few conversations just now while i was trying to figure out what to wear tomorrow. (I'm having a major clothes crisis by the way)

About two years ago, when i'd just starting wearing hijab, my friends were sometimes cool and sometimes just weird! Like once when i was wearing a peach lacey headscarf, (it was a lil transperant cuz it was made of lace) my muslim friend (who does not wear hijab) commented,

"Oh all your hair can be seen from behind..it's no use wearing a scarf!"

That was out of nowhere and it caught me by surprise. Well, ALL my hair could not be seen cuz it was tied up in a bun and the lacey scarf was wrapped around twice, so all you could see was something black beneath my scarf which could have easily been my black underscarf instead of my hair.

I just replied, "No..it's very much of use..."

Few months later, i was out having lunch with another muslim friend (who also doesn't wear hijab.) While showing me her new footwear, she noticed that i was wearing socks beneath my footwear, and exclaimed,

"Oh my!! So now you also wear socks!!"

I was like, "Yea.."

She replied, "Oh then you must also wear gloves!!!" sounding very serious.

I said, "No. You do not need to cover your hands. It's not part of the hijab." She insistently went on saying, "No, but if you're *properly* wearing hijab then you must also wear gloves!"

Now for quite some time she went on telling me how i *should* wear gloves too. And she wasn't kidding or anything.

I finally ended it saying, "No. I won't be able to eat properly if i wear gloves..."
I know, lame, but i had to make her stop!!

Dang, really women, if you're feeling bad about not wearing hijab yourself, just start wearing it okay.. stop picking on others' "imperfect" hijab!!

and also please get a life...

21st Ramadan- Martyrdom of Ali ibn Abi Talib (a.s) & one of the nights of Qadr

2010-09-01T10:07:00.000-07:00

On the 19^th of Ramadan month (Mah-e-Ramazan) of the year 40 A.H, Imam Ali (a.s) came to the mosque in Kufa for his morning prayers. Imam Ali (a.s) gave the call for prayer (Azaan) and became engaged in leading the congregation. Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam pretending to pray, stood just behind Imam Ali (a.s), and when Imam Ali (a.s) was in a state of prostration, Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam dealt a heavy stroke with his sword, inflicting a deep wound on Imam Ali's (a.s) head.

The Holy Prophet (pbuh) had prophesied the assassination of Imam Ali (pbuh) and his issues. Regarding Imam Ali, he had said, "O Ali! I see before my eyes thy beard dyed with the blood of thy forehead."
They assassinated Imam Ali at his finest time - the hour of standing before Allah, the Exalted, during a prayer of submission, in the best of days, while fasting during the month of Ramadan (Mah-e-Ramazan); during the most glorious Islamic duties, while preparing to wage jihad, and in the highest and most pure divine places, the Mosque of Kufa.
May joy be to Amir al-Muminin Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s) and a blessed afterlife!

The crime of assassinating Imam Ali remains one of the most cruel, brutal and hideous, because it was not committed against one man, but against the whole rational Islamic leadership. By assassinating Imam Ali, they actually aimed at assassinating the message, the history, the culture and the nation of Muslims embodied in the person of Imam Ali bin Abi Talib (a.s) In doing so, the Islamic nation lost its guide of progress, and at the most wondrous opportunity in its life after the Holy Prophet (pbuh).

Imam Ali suffered from his wound for three days, and he passed away on 21^st of the month of Ramadan (Mah-e-Ramazan) at an age of 63 years.
During these three days, he entrusted his son, Imam Hasan (a.s) with the Imamate of guiding the nation ideologically and socially. During those three days, as during all his life, he never ceased remembering Allah, praising Him, and accepting Him and His ordinance.

Likewise, he continued giving pieces of advice and directions leading to good, pointing to the right, defining the way to guidance, explaining the course for deliverance, calling for the observance of Allah's ordinances, and warning against following one's ill desires and set-backs from not carrying out the divine message.

The following is one piece of advice offered to his sons, Imam Hasan (pbuh) and Imam Hussain (pbuh), as well as to his people, the nation and coming generations:

"I advise you to fear Allah, and not to run after (the pleasure of) the world, even if it may run after you. Do not be sorry for anything from it which you have been denied. Say the truth and act for (Allah's) reward. Be an enemy of the oppressor, and be a helper of the oppressed."
"I advise you, my children, my household and all those who may receive my message, to fear Allah, to arrange your affairs well, to maintain good relations among yourselves, for I have heard your grandfather (pbuh) saying: 'Good relations are better than prayer and fasting in general.'"
"(Fear) Allah when handling matters of orphans. Do not let them starve, nor allow them to be lost as long as you are there."
"(Fear) Allah in respect to your neighbors, for they were the trust of your Prophet (pbuh). He went on asking us to take care of them, so much that we thought he would make them heirs (of our heritage)."
"(Fear) Allah in respect to the Holy Quran, (take care that) no one may excel you in following its tenets."
"(Fear) Allah in respect to prayer, as it is the pillar of your religion."
"(Fear) Allah in respect to your Lord's House (Kaaba), do not forsake it so long as you live, because if you do you will not be looked upon with respect."

"(Fear) Allah in respect to Jihad, fight with your wealth, your lives and your tongues, in the way of Allah."
"Have mutual liaison and give-and-take. Beware of turning your faces from, and of renouncing, one another. Do not abandon bidding good and forbidding evil, lest vicious people may overrule you, and then in such a case, your invocations will not be responded to (by Allah)."
Then he said: "O, Banu Abdul Muttalib, certainly I do not want you to wade through the blood of the Muslims, crying: Amir al-Muminin was murdered. You certainly kill for me no one but my killer."
"Wait till I die by this stroke of him (Abd-al-Rahman ibn Muljam), then strike a single stroke against him, and do not disfigure his body, for I had heard the Holy Prophet (pbuh) saying: 'Avoid mutilation of the body even with a rabid dog.'"

May Allah bless Ali and his pious family.

Khaled is WEIRD! Outlandish way better!

2010-08-29T04:06:00.000-07:00

Aicha... Used to be my favorite song! Also cuz i was, at the time, bitten by the French bug, so when the singer sang, "Aicha..Aicha..ecoutez moi.." my heart skipped a beat! :D

I came across this video today after what seems like years!!

Ps- In french, "ch" is pronounced as "sh" which accounts for the weird spelling of the name Ayesha...

Whoaaaahh! I just watched the French video of this song performed by Khaled.

And it is weirddddd!! :O

I had listened to the french song many a times, but hadn't seen the video and might i say it was CONFUSING! I mean SERIOUSLY?!?!

The lyrics of the song do not go with the scenes in it. At all. Why do we have a scarcely clothed ballet dancer to represent Aicha, a Muslim woman (who probably wears hijab) ??!!

French Lyrics--"She passed by me as though I didn't exist...without a glance, Queen of Sheeba"

(Yea, Aicha is Muslim and therefore lowered her gaze and did not look at the guy she passed...)

Corresponding video- Semi clothed woman dancing shooting sexy glances.

French lyrics-- "Guy: You can have whatever you want. Pearls, jewels, gold, the ripest fruits that taste like honey...all if you love me. Aicha: You can keep your treasures with you. I want the same rights as you and respect for every day. Love is all i want."

(Yup, a Muslim woman chooses love respect and equality over worldly treasures.)

Corresponding video- SEMI CLOTHED WOMAN DANCING SHOOTING SEXY GLANCES!!!!

Do you notice something odd??

Yup, i definitely don't like Khaled.

The long gold earing, big gold finger rings and eccentric dancing style definitely doesn't work for me.

Altho i like his Arabic in the end... but then i like everything Arabic...

English version by Outlandish or French performed by Khaled??

Definitely english by Outlandish!

This one really sets you thinking...

2010-08-27T11:46:00.000-07:00

We can have our yummy iftaars, but lets not forget the poor. I tell this to myself first.
Inshallah this year i will bring out Zakaat and Khums from my personal savings. I've not done it before, but Inshallah will make a start this year.

Late night rant!

2010-08-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

This is my third entry of the day. LOL I'm on a roll! Yay! I thought i'd update you all. I'll make points :D

Remember i'd mentioned that job interview call that i'd received and the guy on the phone seemed too excited to hire me?! Until that is, he sees a photo of me wearing hijab! Yup, its been more than a week and he hasn't called back. And I'm almost completely certain it's because of his bias and prejudice for hijab. Cuz how is it that someone goes from being sooo ready to hire me--then learning of my hijab-- and then NO response at all :/
Whatever. I wasn't *that* upset about it tho cuz i didn't really feel like working in the first place. It would be too much pressure which i can't take and i need to give all my attention to my Masters degree for now. I will have to work on my internship next year anyway. But you know, what if i really *needed* the job! What if i was a single mother who had a family to take care of and raise! I'd be in a really difficult position then. This makes me feel a lil uncomfortable. I hate discrimination and uncalled for judgement just cuz i choose to wear something over my head! Yea, I'd totally take these ppl down! And I'm not one who sits quiet in the face of injustice!
On a lighter note, i went on a mini-shopping spree today. I say "mini" cuz my shopping destination was like 7 minutes away from home and the whole thing lasted for like 30 minutes. I bought 2 trench coats. I just loveeee trench coats! They're awesome hijab clothing! Pair them up with trousers, and you have a more formal look. Pair them up with a pair of denims and you have a more casual cool look! One is light brown and the other black. Both about knee length. they cost me Rs. 900 each which is roughly 18 USD each. Yea, pretty awesomely priced! Everything in India is reasonably priced and I'm too used to it. Thats why i find shopping from online hijab stores such a spill. Its three times more priced than what i get here. LOL seriously!
I realize i still haven't done the Part 2 of my Journey to the Kaaba. (My Umrah trip taken 2 months ago) ehh..my bad :/ Inshallah I'll give me two days to get it up. Inshallah! :)
I'm off fasting now. Will eat breakfast and lunch tomorrow after about 16 days! :O Woohoo!
My mini vacation from uni is officially long over. I have to hit the class tomorrow, owing to which, i shall end this boring but satisfying rant.

Goodnight you all! :) Keep fasting. Keep praying. Keep the Ramadan spirit alive. I'll just eat till then ;D

Interesting Ramadan lectures

2010-08-25T11:53:00.000-07:00

Salaam alaikum :D

Mashallah I just finished watching Hasanain Rajabali's Ramadan series of lectures of 2009. Our local Islamic channel was airing it. He did 15 lectures; from the first night to the fifteenth. I'm a lil sad they're over :( but Inshallah I'll find something to keep me going for the rest of the month!

His Ramadan lectures were amazing! You guys should watch it! Each and every one it was so thought provoking and brimming, Mashallah!

1 Infinite Mercy of Allah [swt]

2 Concept of Good in Islam

3 Our Destiny is in our hands

4 Is the choice ours to make?

5 Guidance of Allah SWT

6 Was Prophet Adam Infallible? 1/2

7 Was Prophet Adam Infallible? 2/2

8 Infallibility of Prophets and Imams

9 Lady Khadija (s.a) Servant of Islam

10 Goal of Life

11 Modesty of Men and Women

12 Our vision for tomorrow

13 Sincerely, Who am I?

14 People of the Cave

15 Imamate in Islam- The birth of Imam Hasan (a.s)

Here's the first night's lecture and you can take it from there inshallah. I love the fact that he deals with each concept so *rationally and logically* Mashallah! Few of them deal with Shi'a beliefs which are pretty misunderstood in the Muslim world (like Infallibility, Imamate) So if you want the REAL shi'a perspective on it, here's probably where you can get it, if interested.

P.s- God! i don't know why this whole thing is underlined!?? I tried so much to un-underline it, but it just stays underlined!! Agghhh...!! This is frustrating and the reason why i HATE computers and and all things technical! I mean, how hard is it! I press Underline, it should underline. I press underline again and it should un-underline. BUT IT DOESN'T!!! >:(

P.P.S- Did i mention i really reallllyy like Hasanain Rajabali?!

15th Ramadan- Birth of first Grandson of the Prophet

2010-08-25T03:11:00.000-07:00

On the fifteenth of the holy month of Ramadhan, in the third year after Hijrah, the Prophetic house announced the birth of the first grandson of the Prophet [s]. This good news was given to the Chosen Prophet [s]. A look of joy covered his noble face and happiness flooded his heart. He hastened to the house of his daughter, the chaste Zahra, to communicate his congratulations and show his delight.

The blessed newborn baby was taken to him, in the arms of Um-Salamah, or in another version, Asma', daughter of Umays. The Prophet [s] received him with the whole of his pure existence. He carried him in his arms. He kissed him and pressed him to his chest. Then he said the call to prayer (adhan) in his right ear and recited the call to begin the prayer (iqamah) in his left ear. The first voice that embraced the newborn's hearing and entity was, thus, the voice of right.

The Holy Prophet [s] turned to Imam Ali [a] and asked him:

"What name did you give my son?"

"I wouldn't precede you in doing it," Imam Ali [a] replied.

"Nor would I precede my Lord," averred the Prophet [s].[3]

No sooner did this short dialogue take place between the Messenger [s] and his trustee, about the name of the new baby, than the Divine, Holy revelation came to the Messenger of Allah [s] telling him that Allah, the Glorified, had named the baby, Hasan. [4]

That was the first phase of the Islamic rituals in honouring Imam Hasan [a], the noble baby.

Ahadeeth concerning Imam Hasan (a.s)

Al-Bukhari and Muslim report on the authority of al Bara', that be said: "I saw the Messenger of Allah [s] carrying Hasan bin Ali [a] on his shoulder. He was saying: 'O Lord! I love him, so love him.'"

Anas bin Malik said: "The Messenger of Allah [s] was asked: 'Who is most loved by you from among your family?' 'Hasan and Husayn', he answered."

A'ishah reports that "the Prophet would pick up Hasan and embrace him and say: 'O Lord! This is my son, and I love him. Love him, and love who loves him.'"

Jabir bin Abdullah says: "The Messenger of Allah [s] said: 'He who pleases to look at the Master of the Youths of Paradise, let him look at Hasan bin Ali.'"

Ya'la bin Murrah says: "We went with the Prophet [s] to a feast, to which we were invited. We ran into Hasan [a] who was playing near the road. The Holy Prophet [s] went ahead of the people hurriedly, and put out his hand to the boy. Then he pretended to pass by Hasan one time on his right hand, and another time on his left hand, to make the boy laugh. Then he approached him. He put one hand on his neck and the other on his head. Presently he embraced and kissed him. Then he said: 'Hasan is from me and I am from him. Allah loves whoever loves him.'"

Al-Ghazali in his book, Al-Ihya' (Revival), reports that the Prophet [s] had said to Hasan: "You resemble me in my appearance and disposition."

((To read more on Imam Hasan, the Grandson of the Holy Prophet, go here ))

References-

[3] . Ibid., p.120.

[4] Tawfeeq Abu-Alam, Ahlul Bayt/Imam Hasan, 1st ed., 1970, p.264. Al-Majalis al-Saniyyah (Bright Assemblies), vol.2, Sayyid Muhsin al-Ameen al-Amili, Life of Imam Hasan [a].
Ahadeeth-
Authentic traditions from: Bin al-Sabbagh al-Maliki, Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah (Important Chapters), Tawfeeq Abu-Alam, I'lam al-Wara (Informing humankind), al-Tabarsi, Ahlul Bayt, and Sayy'id Muhsin al-Ameen al-Amili, al-Majalis al-Saniyyah. They were reported in many books other than these.

10th Ramadan- Martyrdom of Khadija )s.a)

2010-08-20T10:15:00.000-07:00

10th Ramadan- Death Anniversary of Ummul Mo'mineen Khadija (s.a)

Khadija tul Kubra, the first wife of Muhammed Mustafa, the Messenger of Allah, (may Allah bless him and his Ahlel-Bayt), and the first Believer, evokes a most extraordinary personality. She played a stellar role in the history of nascent Islam. She was, with Abu Talib, one of the two greatest benefactors of Islam and the Muslims. At a time when Islam was under unremitting predation pressure; and was, for three years, in a state of unrelenting siege, she bailed it out, by her incredible sacrifices. Her constancy, her tenacity, her vision, and her indomitable faith in Allah, and in the mission of Muhammed Mustafa - His Last and the Greatest Messenger – played a vital role in shaping the destiny of Islam.

"... AND THERE ARE SOME WHO ARE, BY GOD'S LEAVE, FOREMOST IN GOOD DEEDS; THAT IS THE HIGHEST GRACE."

(Chapter 35; verse 32)

RasulAllah often spoke of her after her demise. He described her with these words, "She believed in me when all others disbelieved; she held me truthful when others called me a liar; she sheltered me when others abandoned me; she comforted me when others shunned me; and Allah granted me children only through her."

The Prophet suffered great sadness at the death of Khadija (s.a). In the same year, his uncle and defender of Islam Abu Talib (a.s) also passed away. The Prophet (S) called this same year The Great Year of Grief on account of the twin calamities.

May Allah bless Khadija (s.a) and her family and inspire and help us to walk upon her Seerah. Ameen

Observing Modesty - A Men's and Women's Hijab

2010-08-19T10:03:00.000-07:00

Salaam!
First off, let me tell you this brother is my most favoritest speaker in the whole wide world! :D Each of his lectures, no matter on what topic, have been extremely uplifting and inspirational to me.
Here he speaks of Modesty and even tho i haven't completed watching the video, i know i can recommend it ;) Masha Allah he's an awesome brother!

Enjoy!
<3

QURAN- Contemporary Connections

2010-08-18T12:35:00.000-07:00

Salaam.

This is a short documentary on the contemporary connections of the Qur'an. Pretty amazing! Particularly good for non-Muslims who want a concise and good introduction to Islam.

^_^

Don't know what to title this as :P

2010-08-16T09:59:00.000-07:00

Salaam ladies!
Hope Ramadan is sailing smooth and pretty for you all Inshallah.
I currently have a mini Ramadan vacation from uni LOL. No, we do not get holidays for Ramadan. (we have vacations only for Diwali and Christmas) But well coincidently we have a few seminars which we don't need to attend, and a prof is ill and hospitalized. So it's petty relaxed these days and alhamdolillah Ramadan isn't too hectic either.

Today i got a call for a job interview. The workplace is not very far from my place so I'm considering it. It's as an office exec...oooohhh fancy! :D
The owner of the company called me like 3 times. So I'm guessing he's kinda looking forward to hiring me. But waittt....he doesn't know I wear hijab! ee hee haa haa.. He asked me to send me my updated resume along with a photograph. I sent him my photo with hijab ofcourse...and he hasn't called or e-mailed back! :/
Nopes I'm not gonna be pessimistic. I'll wait for a day and then confirm his Ooh hijabi Muslim mental block.
Well on the phone he seemed he was even ready to adjust the work hours to my weird university timings!

So, inshallah hope all goes well!
If this job is good for me, Inshallah I will get it :) I wouldn't really mind the experience in the world of work!

happy fasting lovelies!

A lesson to learn from..

2010-08-12T13:00:00.000-07:00

Salaam!
I guess you all know about the disastrous floods in Pakistan that have left about 1,500 dead.
To Allah we belong and to Him is our return.

So today i was watching BBC and they were doing a usual story on the current crises there. But here's whats interesting. They were doing a story on how the holy month of Ramadan has begun and the flood affected people there, who had lost *everything* were holding fasts!!! SUBHANALLAH! I was sooo inspired! Now note that their current situation is such that they really don't have a roof over their heads, don't know where their next meal is going to come from, are living in a partial deluge of contaminated water, are ill, have lost their dear ones and are totally living in utter ravishes! STILL, they are holding their Ramadan fasts! I don't know what i would have done if i were in their place.

But the best part was when the journalist asked them how and why they were they fasting in such conditions, some of their responses were...

"We're Muslims! We place our faith in Allah and no one else!"

"We must fast... we have to answer God... This is a test from Allah!"

And the likes.. Mashallah and there was this satisfaction and joy upon their faces as they spoke these words! It was so uplifting to see my fellow brothers and sisters having such conviction in times of distress. It was as if the light of belief was shining upon them!

And i thought...these are rural farmers leading the utmost simple and basic life. They probably don't even know how to read and write and might have not read the many books on Islam available to us these days, and had lost everything that they ever had. YET their faith is so strong and conviction and trust in Allah so HUGEE!! SubhanAllah it was somthing!

Definitely, a lesson to learn from!

P.s- Sisters do remember to specially keep in your prayers the dead and the suffering ones in Pakistan, Leh and other parts of the world...
May Allah alleviate their pain and help them recover and keep His light shining bright in their Hearts. Ameen.

We're almost there...

2010-08-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

Salaam!
We start fasting tomorrow Inshallah in India.
May you all have a blessed and fulfilling Ramadan! :) Ameen
And may we be able to extract the maximum benefit of this glorious month!
RAMADAN MUBARAK!! <3

hmmmppp...

2010-08-05T11:42:00.000-07:00

I just received an email from a Mr. "Important Notice" It reads-

You are a certified winner of £1,000,000.00Pounds by the Uk award 2010 fill in below your
name,

address,
sex,
age,
telephone,
occupation.

Gee, thanks Mr. Important Notice. I don't even know how to convert that sum into Indian Rupees to know how much i won! But thanks anyway. Appreciate the gesture.
Wow, so I am like a billionaire now?!?!
Soo... guess i don't need to go to uni anymore! Phew...

Hijab.Swap.No Hijab.Swap.Hijab.Swap.No Hijab.Swap......

2010-08-02T06:40:00.000-07:00

Salaam!

So, today was the first official day at uni.

Now let me tell you that in the Indian subcontinent, and this is true even in

Pakistan

, we have a lotttttt of cultural hijabis. People who wear the hijab because they're from a "hijabi family" i.e- women in their family wear hijab so they too *have to* wear it. Also, these young women from "hijabi families" are almost 90% of times told *nothing* about the importance and philosophy or beauty of Hijab, except that "You have to wear it! You just have to! You just see if you don't!!"

So what results is that the young girl doesn't learn anything about WHY we are to wear it and feels it more like a burden than anything else. A burden they want to take off and throw away as soon as they enter college/ uni.

Also because a lot of Indian Muslims are not into rational Islamic knowledge. All that they are taught about Islam is limited to their Madressa studies which includes, how to pray namaz, reading Qur'an in Arabic and sadly quite a rigid interpretation of the Qur'an and ahadith.

So, the young generation loses interest in Islam altogether and turns to the ways of their teenage friends at school and college, who further encourage them to go towards the more tempting but wrong ways. I don't say they are free of blame. I mean, we have the internet today which even toddlers can work these days. Now instead of sneaking to cyber cafes and chatting with someone whom they think is a charming and handsome guy, they could look out for knowledge on topics of interest in Islam. Theres a host of books, articles, lectures available to choose from. So even if the average Muslim youngster has a dogmatic family background, he/she can still learn and research on their own!...... which is why i am bugged, appalled and distressed at women at my new uni who have the Hijab Swap No Hijab Syndrome!!!

They walk into the college/uni premises wearing an abaya and scarf. Sneak into the Girls common room and flish flash floom off goes the abaya on comes the whatever they were wearing inside!

Now I've come across a host of such women in my life. But this specific one now at my uni is crazyyyy!! At the orientation day she was wearing an abaya. Today, i failed to recognize her! No kidding. Not only was she not wearing hijab, she had like oodles of make up smacked in her face. Only when someone called out her name, did i realize she's the same abaya girl!

I mean seriously!! If you hate it so much, why don't you just have a heart to heart convo with your parents saying it's not what you want. Or or or, you could just NOT wear it at all in uni! Why come one day with it, next day without it!?! Doesn't make sense woman!!

You know this behavior might be okay at a personal level. But when you're wearing hijab, it becomes public!

The onlooker thinks-

Gee..this girl! She looks so pretty without hijab! Poor thing...

Oh poor dearie, Muslim parents are so backward...

Ahh.. Another oppressed Muslim woman who does not want to cover...

Uhhh... I guess the Hijab is just a cultural thing and not a religious one...

And it makes them feel that the Hijab means NOTHING for the woman wearing it. which is WRONG!

Don't you realize you're sending out these wrong messages to people by not even opening your mouth! Just by wearing it one day and being a babe the other!

And seriously, could you please not give those flirty looks and smiles to the Professor dude. I don't think he's interested in your tacky, over the top make-up!

And stop giving your jerky, I'm so cute it's sick attitude to the people around you. You're scaring them!

People are not going to accept you unless you accept yourself first!

Blah blah blah...

2010-08-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

Salaam!

My regular uni starts tomorrow full fledged. As much as i am excited about it, I'm also so lazy! Frankly, the past couple of days I've been doing nothing except living an extra comfortable life which essentially includes, waking up late, asking mommy dearest to make me some breakfast, eat, surf the net, watch T.V, roam around the house, sit on my swing and make weird noises, being on my laptop while i lay cozily on my bed, going to bed late..

It's not very exciting but I like being all lazy and doing what i like. You know live a life without pressure! Not that i waste a lot of time. (Ok I do) But I've also been watching some interesting lectures on the internet and T.V and reading on topics of interest in Islam.

But from tomorrow I need to get back on track. Sleep early, wake up early and shortly prepare to spend most of my waking hours in the uni library.

Ok. i don't have much to say now. Except that i possibly saw the best movie ever! 313. It's about the reappearance of Imam Mahdi. The title 313 is based on the number of helpers The Mahdi will have in his Mission to reform mankind. i.e- 313

It's amazing!

Ok I'm gonna go to bed now. You know that feeling when you know you should get off the comp and do something important but still you don't wanna get off....

I'm feeling that right now!

Goodnight

Shabba Khair (which is goodnight in urdu :P )

Khudahafiz!

P.S- I don't like, appreciate or promote Homer or The Simpsons. I think it's a morally corrupt cartoon, which because it's a cartoon, kids watch it when they should not!
The above picture is for representational purposes only! :)

Happy Friendship Day!

2010-08-01T02:31:00.000-07:00

Salaam!
Yup, it's August first which is Friendship Day (atleast in my country :P) and this is a re-post but very apt for the occasion :)

FRIENDSHIP AND THE HOLY QUR'AN-

Choosing one's friends and trusted ones has become an ever so important issue! We all have experienced that back-stabbing and friends turning foes at some point of time in our lives, or have seen it around. Still, making and becoming friends is inherent in human beings' nature. As Islam is in complete harmony with human beings’ nature, it has dealt with this topic in some detail and elucidates Who is your friend and who Isnt!!

Hazrat Ali (a.s.) observes, ‘He indeed is unfortunate who does not have any friends, but worse is the one who has friends, but loses them.’
(Behaarul Anwaar, vol. 73 p.278)

Islam has recommended ethics and values that a Muslim must observe in friendship, so that he can acquire some benefit out of companionship; a benefit whose effects will be manifested in the world as well as the hereafter.

Imam Ali Reza (a.s.) elucidates, ‘One who takes up a friend to please Allah, has reserved for himself a house in Paradise.’
(Amaalie Tusi vol. 1 p. 82)

And on the flipside,

Hazrat Ali (a.s.) narrates, ‘Any friendship and companionship that is not for Allah’s pleasure, is deviation and to rely on such ties (of friendship) is impossible .’
(Ibid.)

The Holy Quran expounds further, ‘The friends shall on that day (of judgment) be enemies of each other except those who guard against evil.’
(Zukhruf : 67).

WHO SHOULD NOT BE BEFRIENDED
The Holy Quran says,
“The men and women from among the hypocrites are friends of each other, and they invite the people towards sin and transgression, and dissuade them from goodness and virtue. They withhold their wealth from charity, and refrain from spending in the way of Allah. Indeed, they have forgotten Allah and Allah too has forgotten them. Verily these hypocrites are transgressors and immoral.’

Imam Baqir (a.s.) narrates from his father who said,
“O my son don’t befriend five types of people:
(a) Don’t befriend a liar. For a liar is like a mirage. He shows the distant as near and the near as distant. He will always deceive you and trouble you.

(b) Don’t befriend a transgressor. For he will forsake you for a paltry sum and make your sins appear very alluring to you. He will make you a victim of Allah’s chastisement through his petty sins and take you farther away from His obedience and satisfaction. He will make Allah’s worship appear as His disobedience, and His disobedience as His worship. He will drag you along with himself in the fire of hell.

(c) Never befriend a miser. For in your time of need and distress, he will withhold his wealth from you, while he is in a position to assist you. (He values his wealth more than anything else. And to that end he is prepared to forsake even his friends)

(d) Do not befriend a fool. For (in his foolishness) he will harm you while he intends to help you. (That is why it is said, ‘A shrewd enemy is better than a foolish friend’)

(e) Don’t befriend the one who breaks relations (with his relatives). For, such a person has been cursed in the Quran in three places. He is engrossed in his own affairs with scant regard for others. (Friendship with such a person will eventually lead the individual towards sins and disobedience of Allah)”

WHO SHOULD BE BEFRIENDED
”The men and women from among the believers are friends of each other. They call the people towards goodness and piety and abstain from evil and transgression. They uphold the prayer, pay the poor-rate (zakaat) and obey Allah and His Prophet (s.a.w.s.). Indeed, these are the ones for whom Allah shall soon manifest His mercy and grace. Verily Allah is all-powerful, and the most wise.”(Ale Imran : 71)

Imam Ja’far Sadiq (a.s) has said,
‘Friendship entails certain trusts and duties. Then the one who observes these obligations is a true friend and the one who breaches this trust is unworthy of friendship. These obligations are as follows;

1. He should be the same outside as he is inside. In other words, he should not have a dual personality. (In this age however, we often come across people who are exceptionally humble and modest on the outside, with little, if any humility, on the inside)

2. He will consider your virtues as his virtues and your misdeeds as his misdeeds. (In other words your virtues will cheer him and your faults will grieve him. God forbid, he must not feel relieved after observing some vice in you, and take solace from the fact that he himself is above that vice.)

3. If he acquires a position of power and authority, it must not bring about a drastic change in his attitude. In other words, prosperity must not transform the individual adversely.

4. He must give his friendship (with you) priority over all his worldly possessions. In other words in times of adversity, he must be willing to give his all to redeem you.

5. He must never leave you alone in times of misfortune and distress.
(Behaarul Anwaar vol. 74 p.173)

Intra-faith dialogue.

2010-07-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

This one's really one of the best I've come across. Misconceptions about Shi'a Islam- by my fave speaker...Ammar Nakshwani! *claps*

It's a lil lengthy, but watch as much as you can. I promise it’ll be time worth spent J

http://a.blip.tv/scripts/flash/stratos.swf?file=http://blip.tv/rss/flash/1957972%3Frefer

Enjoy!

Khudahafiz