Through unconfirmed sources, it has come to our notice that the owner of this blog is missing (or perhaps, pretending to be missing). It is rumoured that certain individuals tried to drive her crazy and she's recovering from that.
Rest assured, we are working on finding her!
I'm always touched by the little (and big) things that strangers do for me because of their own kindness.
Like the girl in Kensington market from whom I'd buy my fruits and vegetables.
And the colleague who lent me his book.
And the lady who drove 15 minutes to show us where the horseriding ranch was when we were lost (and she drove off without giving me a chance to say thank you).
And the man who offered to get me a gallon of gas when I noticed my empty tank after the meeting (today).
And the driver of the water truck who stopped and got under my car in the desert heat to use his jack and other tools to get it off the stone (which someone put there to mark there underground tandoor!).
And the people whom I stop and ask for directions and they help me.
And the gentlemen who make way for me in hallways or public transport, and help me with my luggage at airports.
And the ladies who share their experiences with me because they want me to watch out for myselves...
There are so many of them! Most whose paths may never cross mine again.
Thank You. You're amazing!
Al-FYA is a Sri Lankan based organisation doing some amazing work. Mashallah, I'm extremely impressed by their spirit and motivation. Do visit their website. [The website has a lot of pop-ups, so click with care :) ]
They seem to be on the scene for the smallest to the largest and most daunting causes- raising funds for circumcision, widows, orphans, building homes, providing money to new Muslims, relief work, seminars for students and children, iftar programs, free Islamic book campaigns...
I have many pictures from them, if you're interested, drop me a note. It's quite nice to learn about the work that's being done on the other side of the globe, and to see it in pictures is even nicer- it creates a personal connection.
May Allah (swt) bless their efforts. I love my Sri Lankan brothers and sisters!
My brother drove me to Dubai yesterday to meet Aaida. As we crossed the first interchange into the city, I noticed the banner on it:
Several weeks ago, my best friend wrote this for me:
I've never posted a "Be Right Back" message on this blog, but this time I need to, because if I don't, I'll probably end up posting and that won't be good for the next while (7 days to be exact) as I'm busy with:
Oh... and for those who are going to miss, the Henna Nite's menu (this doesn't include what mummy's going to be making):
Everyone's been asking me about Little Red Riding Hood. It started with Shariq, a student in the Arabic course I TAed on sunnipath, asking me if I knew that my name means The Little Red one. That reminded me of Little Red Riding Hood. And then today on our way to Jabel Hafeet, Jeewan told me to look up this video:
My name means redness, or the little red one.
I can be an Arabic verb
or the Little Red Riding Hood in Hoodwinked.
My name was Aisha (ra)'s nickname given to her by the Prophet (pbuh).
And I wish I was the Little Red Riding Hood struggling for my brothers and sisters.
Imam Zaid Shakir's event on SunniPath less than 12 hours ago, was one of the best lectures I've heard by him. Inshallah the recording will be posted, and I'll link to that when it's up. I recommend anyone who is even slightly interested in global world changes listen to it.
Here's a bit of summary from my notes:
Environmental Degredation
Corruption has appeared in the land and the sea because of what the hands of humans have brought about [Qur'an].Deforestation reasons
[And this is the part I love]
Trees, birds, beasts, flowers: all beautify the world we live in, they are all our friends. We all worship together.
Alhamdulillah. After so many months of study, brainstorming and planning, here's the UAE chapter of the Council for the Advancement of Muslim Professionals- CAMP UAE.
The website will be setup later this week inshallah.
If you're in Al Ain, or you can travel to Al Ain, come join us for our first event on October 19.
Today
I wish..
I could be with you
You little child with needles and cables
to hold your tiny hands in mine
I wish..
I could be with you
You little orphan with so many others
to share my parents with
I wish..
I could be with you
You elderly abandoned by your destiny
to share my home with
I wish..
I could be with you
You the one who cannot walk
to share my support with
I wish..
I could be with you
You the one who cannot talk
to share my words with
I wish..
I could be with you
You innocent prisoner
to share my faith with
I wish..
I could be with you
You soul lying in the dark
to share my blankets with
I wish..
I could be with you
You wounded struggler
to share my jihad with
I wish..
I could be with you
You families in one tent
To share my food with
I wish..
I could be with you
My innocent deflowered sisters
To share my protector with
I wish..
I could be with you.
Amer sent me an sms last week saying that the Arabic newspapers have printed that Eid will be on Saturday according to the astronomical observations. Plus, Toronto is all geared up to celebrate Eid on Saturday as well.
I was certain Eid would be on Saturday. So I fell behind in my Qur'an reading. I ended up sleeping too much in the last 2 days, it's just been quite exhausting between home and the masjid.
At 7pm, I'm reading the Qur'an, almost falling asleep, and wondering if I should skip Taraweeh..
At 7:30pm, my mother calls and wishes me Eid Mubarak. I call up Amer and scold him for giving me wrong information. He's in Dubai anyways shopping for Eid.
My sister's getting calls too. Every family has their moon-sighter who calls them to tell them when Eid is. For one of my sister's friends, Aqsa, it's her uncle in Sharjah. For another, it's an aunt in Saudi.
I go downstairs, my parents are furiously switching channels to find out. Mummy says the Geo TV, a Pakistani channel is displaying their breaking news as "Moon Sighted in Saudi Arabia, Eid on Friday- Arab TV", but the Arab TV channels are displaying that the moon sighting committee is still in the meeting.
Ha! I knew it. Trust a Pakistani channel? No way.. I'd rather go pray taraweeh and finish my Qur'an.
I call up the Imam's wife, and she says, "I don't know. They're saying they wont find out until after the isha prayers". I tell her that GeoTV has already announced it, but the Arab channels haven't.
I'm still sort of in denial.
I don't want to spend the night putting mehndi on my sister and mom when I still have my Qur'an to finish.
We debate going to the masjid. We end up going. After isha, there's a hush. What's going to happen? Is there an announcement? The projector wasn't turned on, so we couldn't see the men.
The imam begins taraweeh. Yay!
We pray two, and then another two.
The imam starts talking. But the women are trying to hush each other up and no one can hear anything.
It's Eid tomorrow.
We hug the people we know. We pray witr, and then leave the masjid.
I still find it funny, that all the Pakistani and Indian people found out about Eid earlier than the Arabs!
It's the end of the month. We have prayed, we have enjoyed, we have struggled and we have been patient. We've done a bit of everything. Verily, your Lord knows that you do stand [in prayer at night] a little less than two-thirds of the night, or one-half of it, or a third of it, and also a party of those with you. And Allah measures the night and the day. He knows that you are unable to pray the whole night so He has turned to you in mercy. So recite you of the Qur’an as much as is easy for you. He knows that there will be some among you sick, other's travelling through the land, seeking of Allah's bounty, yet others fighting in Allah's cause. So recite as much of the Qur’an as may be easy for you, and perform Salah, and give Zakah, and lend to Allah a goodly loan. And whatever good deed you may offer up in your own behalf, you shall truly find it with Allah-better and richer in reward.
What now? Know that Allah has witnessed everything you did, and He, subhana wa ta'ala, tells us in the Qur'an what to continue doing, in Surah Muzammil:
And [always] seek forgiveness of Allah.
Verily, Allah is much-forgiving, Most Merciful!
How do you know, if you are on the path of struggle? How do you know that you are "passing" the trials and tribulations of this dunya? Or, how do you make sure that your actions will definitely lead to success and the attainment of Paradise? The answer is in Surah Balad.
And what could make thee conceive what it is, that steep uphill road? - The Path of struggle [90:12]
- [It is] the freeing of one's neck [from the burden of sin] /slave[90:13]
- or the feeding, upon a day of [one's own] hunger, [90:14]
- of an orphan near of kin, [90:15]
- or of a needy [stranger] lying in the dust – [90:16]
- and being, withal, of those who have attained to faith, and who
enjoin upon one another patience in adversity, and enjoin upon one another compassion. [90:17]Such are they that have attained to righteousness;
whereas those who are bent on denying the truth of Our messages – they are such as have lost themselves in evil, [with] fire closing in upon them. [90:18-20]
May Allah (swt) forgive us, and accept from us, and make us witness another Ramadan.
It wasn't until after the night of the 27th that I realised how absolutely beautiful the local clothing colours of black and white are. All the women wear black, and all the men wear white.
Black tends to be the colour of women's outdoor clothing (abayas and burqas) in all the countries of Middle East and Pakistan. Most other Islamic countries have other uniform colours for wearing outdoors. And Arab men, or the bedouins wear white full-sleeved one piece dresses, as everyone knows.
Non-Arab women also tend to wear the black abayas. I mostly stay away from them, although they are very beautiful. I like the Jordanian abayas better for their style and colour.
I cannot explain how beautiful it was. I wished at that point I had my camera. I wished I could have made a video.
As we walked towards the masjid, excitedly, my father pointed and said, "Humairah, just look at that!" In the gold courtyard of the Masjid, surrounded by open arched hallways,were men, all in white, sitting in tashahhud.
I walked into a congregation of women- all wearing black, standing in neat rows, conversing with Allah (swt) through their breaths.
Black and white, colours of unity. Perhaps, this is what is special about the Arabs. They all look very uniform. How simple are these two colours. Of course, there were the ocassional spots of other colours, but not enough to stand out. I never realised before how profound being the one and same can be.
The white colour overshone everything else. A glowing light not just from the whiteness of the clothes, but also from the faces of the worshippers.
The black on the other hand, was a vast veil, that we all were under, competing with the star-encrusted night sky for it's majesty, and for it's status before Allah (swt).
There was such a powerful sense of unity emanating from the congregations.
How I wished this unity reflected in everything else about us.
The Holy Qur'an has many verses that are repeated a few times, either in the same chapter, or in different chapters.
Then why of the favours of thy Lord will you deny is one such ayah, which Hafsa reflected upon a couple of days ago.
The ayah below is repeated 4 times in Surah Qamar:
[Sahih Muslim, the Book of Wasaya]
Begging Allah (swt) to forgive one's parents is an action anyone can do anytime without any preparation, unlike the other two. So, why delay ensuring you're being rewarded until the Day of Judgement?
Sometime during Ramadan, either in the beginning, middle or end, many get used to saying the phrase, "inshallah, after Ramadan". Basically, people are trying to cut down on extra activities, such as phone calls and emails to focus on their worship.
However, as I've been telling my sister, if it's a task that you can postpone after Ramadan, then perhaps it's a task not worth indulging in. Far too many complain about the lack of time, yet many can't seem to let go of wasteful use of their time. Facebook is one such avenue. Hogging blog stats is another. And yet another is an irresponsible sleeping schedule (that ultimately messes you up and makes you tired towards the end).
One should ask themselves the question, "can I be doing something better with my time at this moment?".
I was talking to someone on the phone last night who complained to me how she felt bad about not being able to do much this Ramadan because of her schoolwork. And just the week before, she was @ a meeting that she could have skipped, or left early. Saving time in Ramadan for worship DOES NOT mean that you give up important tasks such as working, studying, cooking or cleaning, but rather, cutting down on everything that is extra. In fact, you are being rewarded for all the cooking and cleaning you do when it is for the sake of Allah (swt). There really is no room for saying, "I've been busy". It's about maximising the use your free/ and otherwise wasteful time.
In order to help oneself with such a problem, it's very important to quantify the amount of time these avoidable tasks take. I call this the shock treatment, because it would really shock you to know how many precious minutes and half-hours and hours you wasted.
Along these lines, it's also a good time to evaluate your friendships. Are your friends spending their time doing what you do and indulging you in wasting your time, intellect or your life? This is a question that Jeewan raised today in his reflections. We forget that our true brothers/sisters care about us before Allah, about who we are as individuals, our choices and decisions- about what will happen to us when we die.
So while you are examining yourselves, also examine who is the relationships with your brothers and sisters for?
Last night as the Imam recited the following verses from the end of Surah Qaf, he cried a lot and repeated them a few times. This one caught my attention:
His Companion will say: "Our Lord! I did not make him transgress, but he was (himself) far astray."
This verse struck me...... and made me realise how absolutely important it is to watch out for my sisters and brothers, so that I'm not the Companion who will be doomed that day.
And the Trumpet shall be blown: that will be the Day whereof Warning (had been given).
And there will come forth every soul: with each will be an (angel) to drive, and an (angel) to bear witness.
"Thou wast heedless of this; now have We removed thy veil, and sharp is thy sight this Day!"
And his Companion will say: "Here is (his Record) ready with me!"
(The sentence will be:) "Throw, throw into Hell every contumacious Rejecter (of Allah)!- "Who forbade what was good, transgressed all bounds, cast doubts and suspicions;
"Who set up another god beside Allah: Throw him into a severe penalty."
His Companion will say: "Our Lord! I did not make him transgress, but he was (himself) far astray."
He will say: "Dispute not with each other in My Presence: I had already in advance sent you Warning. "The Word changes not before Me, and I do not the least injustice to My Servants."
One Day We will ask Hell, "Art thou filled to the full?" It will say, "Are there any more (to come)?"
A few days into Ramadan I stuck a paper on the fridge to keep track of daily food wastage- leftovers that no one wants to eat, tea that went cold, fruits or veges that went bad lying in the fridge, food that tasted awful because it was prepared in a state of fasting, etc.
I don't think anyone @ home realises the list is up. It's been a great personal exercise. I've been encouraged to eat leftovers all the time, and I personally don't mind it at all.
We seem to have lost all humility when eating food. The Prophet (pbuh) would eat his meals with great humility, almost as if it was a ritual. His intention wasn't enjoyment. Once Umar (ra) found someone eating and buying lots of grapes(?) in the market. Umar asked him, "what's this?" To which the man responded, "my family asked for some..", Umar (ra) said, "Is that everything you desire, you will buy?"
Is that, everything we desire, we will eat and indulge in? How controlled are our eating habits?
We need to think what are we being nourished by- Is it from the remembrance of Allah, or is it from food? Over-eating is another disease of the heart.
Some things have been irritating me a lot. Pakistanis watching Pakistani politics nowadays. Ask them, and they'll tell you exactly what's going on- how it's all wrong. They'll tell you about all the propagandas, and about why a certain politician is stupid, and why the other one is an idiot. Oh, and they're excellent also in immitating and mocking them. How everyone's just after power and they're so dumb that they don't realise people can see through their tactics, so on and so forth.
BUT ask a Pakistani about the hunger problem in Pakistan. Ask them about the flood or earthquake victims. Ask them how many people didn't have food to eat for iftar. Ask them how many people suffer because of the extreme weather in certain places. You can't ask them. They don't know.
I'm upset.
From Time.com:
Breidjing Refugee Camp, Chad: Stirring the Pot
Sudanese refugee D'jimia Souleymane prepares a pot of aiysh, a thick porridge which she and her family eat three times a day.
Breidjing Refugee Camp, Chad: Water Bearers
A woman and child carry drinking and cooking water from a distribution point back to their tent.
Breidjing Refugee Camp, Chad: United Nations Food Distribution Center
A refugee woman sifts through sand in order to pluck out any bits of grain which might have dropped to the ground during the previous day's ration disbursement.
I went for this past Hajj, Alhamdulillah. For many days now, I've been drawing parallels from my experiences at Hajj, and Ramadan. This Ramadan is the first "spiritual" period after my Hajj in December 2006/January 2007.
What stands out the most is, I had (and have) the best company at that time, and now.
I went for Hajj with my father. He looked after me so much, subhanallah. He'd have his arm around me whenever it would get extremely crowd. At one point, in order to make sure I don't get hit when we went for the stoning of the shaitan, he fell backwards on a sheet of stones. It must have hit him like needles, or even worse. But he didn't say a word.
This is just one of the moments with him at Hajj.
I still remember my circumstances around the time when the whole planning for hajj happened. I had wanted to go with my brother Rehan, but it didn't work out. I was so angry and stubborn and upset and then my father did everything he could so that he could arrange for us to go. Subhanallah, he endured so much for me, and to me, it was a very unique experience. I didn't remember much of the care and love my parents had for me because I had been away for so long...
And now, my mother, father and I have been going for the qiyam @ the masjid for a couple of days now. Despite them sleeping after me, they wake up before me, and wake me up to go with them. I pray the tahajjud nawafil by my mother's side in the congregation sometimes, and it's so extremely comforting to have her there.
At suhoor time, I get really annoyed when my mother is worried about everyone else eating and she delays her own suhoor to the end. But try as I do, I can't get her to think of herself first. Her first concern is to make what my brother and sister want to eat.
In fact, I don't seem to focus much on my duas knowing that my mother is making every single dua there is.
All the blankets of the world put together cannot provide the comfort that they do in the coldest of times.
So, how can I not cherish these moments, not knowing if they will return?
I know this is all natural for parents. How can they be parents, if they do not do all this, and more? But how much of it do I really deserve? Not much.
Who are your companions this Ramadan?
It is related that a devout worshipper by the name of Humam came to Imam Ali (May Allah Ennoble his countenance) and asked him to describe the pious people so vividly that he could almost see them.One of the signs [of such a person] is that you observe strength in his religion. His gentleness is accompanied by sobriety. His faith is coupled with certainty. He longs for knowledge. He acts with forbearance. He lives moderately, even when blessed with wealth. He is humble in his worship. He endures poverty with dignified grace.
He patiently endures trying circumstances.
He seeks his sustenance from the lawful. He hastens to right guidance. He is agitated if he perceives greed in himself. He works righteousness all the while trembling, fearing that his deeds won’t be accepted]. His greatest concern is gratitude. He arises in the morn preoccupied with the Remembrance of God. He goes to bed at night overwhelmed, apprehensive. He rises in the morning overjoyed. His apprehension arises from the awareness of his heedlessness. His joy is caused by the bounties and mercy Allah has showered upon him. If his soul presses him with something he despises, he does not concede [to it] and withholds from it what it desires.The comfort of his eye is that which cannot be eradicated [the reward of his righteous deeds]. His abstinence is from temporal things. He mixes clemency with knowledge, and speech with action. He expects death at any moment. His slips are few [because of his cautiousness and deliberateness in speech and actions]. His heart is content. He is easy-going. He is constantly on guard against assaults upon his religion.
His lusts are dead.
It is narrated in a hadith:
"Verily, the slave, as long as he is in Salah, possesses three qualities: Blessings are showered upon his head from the heavens above, the angels sit around him, from his feet to the heavens and a caller says: 'If the slave knew the One Who hears his whispered utterances, he would never leave his Salah."
These are some points from the book Weeping from the Fear of Allah by Shaykh Al Awaaishah
I can recall two places in the Qur'an when the verses were revealed and Rasoolullah (saw) wept. One was when the verses were revealed regarding the captives of Badr in Surah Anfal (It is not fitting for an Apostle that he should have prisoners of war, until he has thoroughly subdued the land. Ye look on the temporal goods of this world, but God looks to the Hereafter, And God is Exalted, Mighty, and Wise.) and the other time, when a sahabi was reciting to him and he read the verse in Surah Nisa (How then if We brought from each people a witness, and We brought you as a witness against these people!).
We should study the verses when Rasoolullah (saw) cried and the history behind them so that we are able to also cry out of the fear of Allah (swt).
How many other verses do you know?
A lot of what we recite in Salah 5 times a day has some interesting history or associated actions with it. For example, everytime we say, "sami Allahu liman hamida", it's the angels that respond, "rabbana lakal hamd". The translations of both being: Verily Allah listens to one who praises Him. Oh our Lord, all praises be to you.
In the second and fourth rakahs (or third in Maghrib), the tashahhud is a recreation of the conversation held between Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessing upon him) during the night of the Heavenly Ascent (Miraj).
I love the ayahs in the Qur'an that relate humans to nature in so many different ways.
Here are a few verses from Surah Ibrahim:
See you not how Allah sets forth a parable? - A goodly word like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed, and its branches (reach) to the heavens,- of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition. It brings forth its fruit at all times, by the leave of its Lord. So Allah sets forth parables for men, in order that they may receive admonition. 
