Jealousy

what surahs help you feel better when you're feeling down and how can i fix my feelings of jealousy, what does the Quran say about jealousy?

Salamu alaykum,
I apologize for responding so late. These past few days have been hectic and I have a test tomorrow as a matter of fact, but I’m taking a break right now (a.k.a. I hardly studied and decided it’s time for a tumblr break lol). I also don’t like to respond to these type of questions right away unless I know I can respond well because they have to do with Islam and the last thing I would want is to respond with a wrong answer, so inshAllah I don’t misguide anyone with my response. This is a really good question and inshAllah the response is beneficial to other people as well as myself.
The sourah that always makes me feel better when I’m down is surah adh Dhuha (The Morning Light.) I can’t even stress that enough. When I was going through a really tough time months ago, I was really drawn to this sourah. The verses just spoke to me subhanAllah. Later I found out that when one is overcome by anxiety and distress then they should recite Surah adh Dhuha. This surah was revealed to the Prophet Muhammad pbuh when he was going through a tough time and stopped receiving revelations from Allah swt. The people at the time made fun of him and told him that his Lord had forsaken him. He pbuh was feeling really down and felt like Allah was angry with him so Allah swt revealed this surah letting him know that He was pleased with him and that he would be rewarded for his hardships. 
The Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said something really profound that I think will help you fix your feelings of jealousy: he pbuh said: “When you see a person who has been given more than you in money and beauty, look to those, who have been given less.” Reported by Muslim, Hadeeth.
There will always be people who have more than you and those that have less than you. If you look at those that have less than you, that will help you to be more grateful for what Allah swt has blessed you with. 
Jealousy is completely normal, and even the Prophet pbuh’s wives experienced it. Although it’s normal to feel jealous sometimes, it’s important to try to control it and not let it turn into envy. If you see that someone else has something you want and you wish it for yourself that is called ghibtah, which is positive envy.  If you wish that that thing was taken away from them and given to you instead, that is destructive jealousy, which you want to avoid at all costs. There’s a hadith that states: ”None of you will truly believe until you love for your brother what you love for yourself”. (Al-Bukhari)
So having destructive feelings of jealousy towards another does not fall under the category of loving for your brother what you love for yourself.
This hadith explains when one should be jealous of another:
“No one should be jealous of anything except two people – a man whom Allah has blessed with knowledge and he teaches it; and a man who has money and he spends it in the sake of Allah.” (Bukhari)
Again, jealousy and envy are natural human emotions, but just because they’re natural does not mean we shouldn’t try our best to control ourselves except in the cases explained in the hadith. 
The Prophet Muhammad pbuh warned against jealousy and envy  and the evil feelings it creates between brothers and sisters in Islam. Hasad (jealousy and envy) is a disease of the heart and makes your heart impure, which is very dangerous for your imaan (faith.) 
The Prophet pbuh said: “Beware of jealousy, for verily it destroys good deeds the way fire destroys wood.” [Abu Dawood]
These are some verses in the Quran that  relate to jealousy: Allah says: “Allah favored some of you over others with wealth and properties… Do they deny the favors of Allah?” [Soorah an-Nahl [16: 71] “Do they envy men for what Allah has given them of His Bounty?” [Soorah an-Nisa 4: 54] “It is We Who portion out between them their livelihood in this world, and We raised some of them above others in ranks, so that some may employ others in their work. But the mercy of your Lord is better.” 43:32 “And wish not for the things in which Allâh has made some of you to excel others.” 4:32
To help yourself fix the feelings of jealousy first of all like I mentioned earlier, look at those that have less than you in the hopes of feeling grateful for all the blessings Allah has given you.
Second, make duaa to Allah swt to help rid you of this problem. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to say in his du’aa’, “Wa’hdi qalbi wa’slul sakheemata sadri (guide my heart and remove ill will from my breast).” The phrase “guide my heart” means to the straight path, and “remove ill will from my breast” means take away all insincerity and hatred. 
Third, Read the Quran and look deeply into the meanings of the verses. Learn the meanings and work on applying them to your life. Especially Surat al-Falaq (The Daybreak.) “Say: “I seek refuge with (Allâh) the Lord of the daybreak”…”And from the evil of the envier when he envies.” (1-5)
Fourth, having negative envious feelings to someone destroys good deeds so while your working on fixing your problem, work on increasing your good deeds to cancel out the bad ones inshAllah. 
Fifth, count your own blessings not theirs. Keep yourself busy and whenever jealous thoughts cross your mind, seek refuge in Allah from the accursed shaytan. 
Jazak’Allah kheir for this question. It really helped me to reflect on myself and my own problems. I’d also like to mention that I have very little knowledge if any at all when it comes to answering questions about Islam. A lot of this is just my opinion, so please refer to a local imam or skeikh if you have more detailed questions regarding rulings. I hope this helped and I didn’t confuse you. 

You Don't Have to Agree With Her, but You Should Respect Her

Yesterday I was working at the register at my job when this girl came up to buy something. She was in short shorts and a crop top so her stomach was showing. I noticed right away but didn’t think much of it. No one was staring at her or anything. She started to cover up her stomach with her sweater. I thought she was doing it because she was embarrassed that she was half naked when everyone else was fully dressed, but no, she didn’t want her stomach to rub up against the counter because she’d get “stomach cancer” as she put it. I went on with my transaction and told her to have a good day. 
Moments later, a woman comes in wearing the niqaab with her husband and beautiful children. It was so cute. She was shopping, and he was playing with the kids. I must have been the only one who found them “cute” because the entire store was staring at them. Not only staring, but making comments as well as they laughed to themselves. I helped her check out at the register and asked her where she was from. She’s from Saudi Arabia and here studying English with her husband. There is nothing oppressed about this woman. She was so kind and you could tell she was happy. She purchased a regular top for God’s sake that any ordinary woman whether she covers or not would wear. She has a life outside of the niqaab. She has a life at home with her family and friends where she’s not covered. She chooses to cover herself to protect herself from unworthy eyes that don’t deserve to see her beauty. She covers for Allah, not for society. Even if you don’t agree with it, respect her enough to no talk about her when she walks into a store or laugh to yourself because you think she looks crazy or something.
After she left I asked my co-worker if she saw her and what she thought of her. She told me she was honestly scared of her and that she thinks she needs to not wear it here, but only back in her country. I can understand that some people have never seen a woman in niqaab in their life, but there are plenty of things that people who have immigrated from other countries have never seen. I remember the first time I saw people making out at the mall when I was young and first came to America. I was taken back thinking why in the world would people be doing this in public, even my mother thought that same thing, but we didn’t laugh at them and talk badly about them. This is the way they are and it’s not for us to try to change them or restrict them. America is the land of the free right? Then people should be allowed to do as they please as long as it does not harm other people. 
I just didn’t find it fair that a girl could come in half naked and not be looked down upon and a woman fully covered could be feared and talked about badly. It’s just not right. 

IBN AL-QAYYIM: SIT FOR A SHORT WHILE BEFORE YOU SLEEP AND DO THIS …

Ibn al-Qayyim said, ‘Avoid those things that necessitate the punishment of the grave.


And from the most beneficial of them is that when a man wants to sleep, he sits for an hour, for the Sake of Allaah, calling himself to account over the things that he has lost and gained during that day of his. Then, between him and his Lord, he renews his sincere repentance over those things that he lost, and sleeps on that repentance, firmly resolving not to return to the sin when he wakes up–and he does this every night.
So if he dies on that night of his, he would have died upon repentance and if he wakes up, he will wake up going towards action, pleased with the postponement of his appointed time so that he can turn to his Lord and set right what he missed out on.
And there is nothing more beneficial for the servant than this sleep, especially when he follows that [i.e., his resolve to renew his repentance] up with the remembrance of Allaah, performing those sunnahs which have been reported from the Prophet of Allaah when going to bed, [doing so] until sleep overtakes him.
So whoever Allaah wishes good for, He will grant him the success to do that. And there is neither movement, nor power except through Allaah.”
Ar-Rooh, p. 79.
Source: Gifts of Knowledge

If it were your last day on Earth, what would you do?

If it was the last day on Earth for all of humanity, I would remain calm first of all because I know the world would be in chaos. I would ask everyone I know for forgiveness because I wouldn’t want to leave this world having hurt anyone, I would make sure my mother and father are content with me, I would make my last prayers as sincere as possible, pay off all of my college debts, forgive anyone who ever hurt me, repeat la ilaha ila Allah throughout the day because the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said “Whoever breathes his last with the words: La ilaha illallah, enters Paradise.”


Man kana akhir kalamihi La ilaha illallah dakhala al-janna

Tips for a New Muslim Revert

As-salamu Alaikum sister, as new revert I was wondering if you could help me out with some of things. 1) It’s summer, how should I keep cool while still wearing hijab? What about going to pools/beaches? 2) What tips do you have for remembering how to conduct salah correctly and knowing the prayers by heart? 3) What are the most important things for me to know about going to Mosque? Thank you!


Wa alaykum al salam Sister :)
First off, congratulations on your reversion to Islam and May Allah make everything easier for you. Of course I don’t mind answering your questions, if you have anymore I’d be happy to try to help. 
1) When I first started wearing the hijab, I was scared to death of the summer time because I thought it would be incredibly hot and I’d die of the heat (i was a dramatic one lol), but it really isn’t bad at all. You quickly get used to it. I have a modest fashion blog called Her Name is Modesty, there are plenty of modest summer outfit ideas there. During the summer time, women who wear the hijab usually stick with maxi dresses and skirts. You can also wear pants and not be hot. If I were wearing pants, I would just pair it with a tank top and cardigan. There are also options with the hijab. You don’t need to wear a thick scarf, go for a light breezy preferably cotton scarf to keep cool. There are also different styles you can wear your hijab to keep cool, don’t wrap it too tight around your face, that could also make you really hot.  
If you want to go to the pool or beach, there’s a lovely option called the burqini lol see here. It’s really not that attractive, but if you’re desperate to get in the water, go for it. Otherwise, I usually just wear regular clothes and get in the water at maybe knee level. You can always go to an all girls pool. It’s a sacrifice you have to make for Allah, of course you can go swimming, but if it’s too difficult and there’s no way to dress comfortably and go swimming maybe you can let it go until you find a better option?
2) When remembering how to conduct the salah correctly, the best tip I have is practice. Try to practice a few times before you actually pray. Take a look at this, it shows you how to pray and what to say. If you mess up, it’s okay. Allah is the Most Forgiving, you’ll figure it out eventually. Also when memorizing the prayers, practice over and over again. Write it out in English transliteration if it helps you. Find a Muslim who can help you with knowing the prayers by heart. It really helps if you have someone there to listen to you recite the prayers and correct you when you make a mistake. 
3) The most important things to know about going to the mosque:
- Dress modestly even if you don’t wear the hijab everyday, wear it to the mosque. If you didn’t know already, the hijab consists of you covering everything but the face and hands. 
- You should be clean. Make wudu (ablution) and make sure your clothes are also clean. Watch this video if you want to learn how to make proper wudu and learn what to say before and afterwards. 
- Before entering the mosque, remove your shoes (it’ll be pretty obvious to know where to place your shoes, it’s usually at the front near the door)
- The prayer area in the mosque is divided between the men and women, so you should go to the women’s section. If you don’t know where it is, just ask, I’m sure someone will be happy to help you.
-Finally, enter the mosque with your right foot. There is a duaa for entering and exiting the mosque if you want to learn it (don’t stress yourself out if you don’t memorize it)
I hope this was helpful and I didn’t provide you with any wrong information (May Allah forgive me if I did). Have a wonderful day wa salamu alaykum wa rahmutullahi wa barakatu :)

30 Days Muslims and America

Inside Islam: What a Billion Muslims Really Think

Very well made informational video

Is the Halal Way of Slaughtering Animals Cruel?

I've gotten a few Islamic related questions on my tumblr page lately that I thought I would share with you all. I'm clearly not a scholar so I pray to Allah to forgive me if I misguide anyone with my response. I did a bit of research to answer this person's question and here's what I came up with. 
I have a question for you: how do you not feel bad eating halal meat? The western way of doing it is that the animal dies instantly, whereas with halal because they cut the 3 main arteries, the animal suffers and bleeds before it dies. Nobody deserves that kind of treatment! It's evil to make an animal suffer if it doesn't need to.

I don’t feel bad eating halal meat because I know that the animal was slaughtered in a manner where the animal experienced the least amount of pain possible and also in the name of God. 
My understanding of the Western way of killing animals before slaughtering them is to stun them, electrocute them, shoot them, wring their necks in the case of chickens, etc. all which cause severe pain to the animal. 
The halal way of slaughtering animals is very humane and scientifically good and not cruel like some people might believe.
For an animal to be killed in a halal manner the animal needs to be slaughtered with a sharp knife taken across the neck very quickly to minimize the pain. The wind pipe, the throat, and the vessels of the neck are cut. Cutting all of this allows all the blood to be drained from the animal’s body. If the blood isn’t completely drained, as it isn’t in the Western way, germs, bacteria, and toxins are left in the animal and consumed by humans, which obviously isn’t healthy for humans. That makes the halal way of slaughtering scientifically more healthy for humans, and morally, halal slaughtering is better for the animal even though it might not appear like that visually. 
Despite the way it appears, the Islamic halal way of slaughtering animals is actually designed to make sure that the animals go through the least amount of pain possible. When the knife is used to quickly cut the vessels of the animal, the flow of blood to the nerve in the brain responsible for pain is disconnected therefore there is no pain. Even though it looks like the animal is suffering and struggling, it’s not, it’s the normal process the animal goes through when contracting and relaxing it’s muscles due to the blood loss. 
Islam doesn’t permit humans to harm each other or animals. Both the Quran and hadith (sayings of the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him) emphasize that animals should be treated as humanely as possible. 
Slaughtering animals through the halal way is not intended to be cruel and it is not believed to be cruel. If you believe that electrocuting or stunning an animal before slaughtering it is better then that’s your opinion. I personally believe that the halal way is morally better for both the animal and the human who is going to eat it. 
There is no non-violent or pleasant way for animals to be slaughtered, so I think in the end it’s up to you and what you believe is morally correct. 

Why Islam?

One of my followers on my personal tumblr page who is considering reverting from Christianity to Islam asked me this question: If someone were considering reverting to Islam, what would you say that Islam offers that makes it unique? What would you tell him/her about Islam to help him/her make a final decision on whether or not it was for him/her? How would you address some of the common misconceptions or concerns about Islam in getting people to understand the true message of the religion?

There is no God but Allah, Muhammad is the Prophet of Allah

    I believe what makes Islam unique is its foundation. The word Islam itself is rooted from “salam” which means peace. Islam means submission to the one true God (Allah) and one who submits to the will of Allah is a Muslim.  When you look at other religions like Christianity, Judaism, Buddhism, Hinduism, or Confucianism they are all essentially named after people or a place in the case of Judaism. Christianity is named after Jesus Christ, Buddhism after Gotama Buddha, Confucianism after Confucious, Hinduism after the Hindus, and Judaism after the land of Judea. Islam is unique because its name does not refer to any human being, not even to the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. It is pure in that sense and clarifies that all praise, worship, and submission should be to God alone and not to any human being. 
For people that follow the faiths of Christianity or Judaism, I would tell them to look into the belief that Islam is the completion of the three Abrahamic faiths. Muslims believe this based on this Quranic verse: “Today I completed your religion and completed My favor on you and chosen for you Islam as your religion” (5:3) Christianity, Judaism, and Islam have the same foundation, that there is only one God. Islam believes in Jesus, Mary, Moses, and all the prophets that exist in the Torah and the Bible. Islam shares so much in common with them. The main major difference is that Islam does not believe that Jesus is the son of God or God in any shape or form. That’s another thing that makes Islam unique. Islam has stayed true to the original message of the Abrahamic faiths and to the origin of Islam which I mentioned is submission to one God. 
    I would tell him/her to first of all put aside all the fears they have about their family, about society, about this life and to look at Islam purely. While Islam focuses on the role of the ummah (the Muslim community) in the life of a Muslim, Islam is really just a religion or a form of communication between you and God. There is no priest or any barrier between you and God. Five times a day, you get to meet with Allah and ask him for what you want, thank him, and ask for his forgiveness. I would tell them that Islam says that Allah is the most merciful. Islam really is the religion of forgiveness, tolerance, and equality.  People usually have a misconception about Islam. They think that Muslims are very strict because they pray 5 times a day or because the women cover or simply because they try to follow the Quran the best way that they can. Islam is not a religion for the perfect, Islam is for the broken. Islam is there to guide and heal people, to provide them with guidelines on how to live their lives in the best way that God envisioned it to be. I would tell someone who was considering becoming a Muslim to not fear the things that God prescribed Muslims to do like praying, fasting, not drinking alcohol, etc. Allah judges based on intentions and He knows what’s in everyone’s heart, so if someone’s intent is to worship God alone then I would say just say your testimony of faith (shahada) la ilaha ila Allah Muhammad rasul Allah (There is no God but God, Muhammad is his last and final messenger) and take it from there one step at a time. Islam really is for everyone. Like I said, Islam advocates tolerance. There are over 1.6 billion Muslims around the world from all ethnicities, backgrounds, etc. The Prophet Muhammad Peace Be Upon Him said, The Prophet Muhammad said, “No babe is born but upon Fitra (as a Muslim). It is his parents who make him a Jew or a Christian or a Polytheist.” (Sahih Muslim, Book 033, Number 6426) Muslims believe that everyone is born a Muslim, that’s why people who become Muslim are usually called reverts rather than converts. 
    When addressing the common misconceptions or concerns about Islam, first I feel like one must realize that Islam has nothing to hide. Islam advises people to ask questions and learn, rather than blindly believe. When looking for the answers to misconceptions, one has to look at the right sources and ask the right people and not look around on just any internet site because especially today people are really ignorant about Islam and attack it without knowing anything about it. I think the best way to get people to see the beauty of Islam is to live it in your life. People believe what they see with their own eyes, so when people see a Muslim living their life in a good way, the misconceptions they have about Islam will gradually disappear. Also educating people by clarifying the misconceptions and concerns helps because people won’t learn unless their told. 

Arranged [Friendship Has No Religion]

    I've been meaning to watch the film Arranged for a while but I never got around to it until tonight. I heard so many wonderful things about it and loved watching every minute of it. This movie is beautiful and carries the theme: "Friendship has no religion." Arranged is a film about a growing friendship between an Orthodox Jewish woman and a Muslim woman who meet during their first year teaching at a public school in Brooklyn, New York. They find that they have so much in common and learn that they are both undergoing the process of an arranged marriage.

Before watching this movie, I honestly did not realize how much Orthodox Jews and Muslims had in common. There were very few differences between the two women and I really liked that the film showed that. Most films focus that center on the Islam depict Islam in a negative light, but not this film. It showed the truth. It showed that Muslim women, as well as Orthodox Jewish women can follow their faiths while also being strong and make their own choices.

Watch and enjoy this film and please let me know what you think about it

Don't Stereotype Me--UMW 2012 Campaign

In March my university, the university of Mary Washington's Islamic Student Association was inspired to launch a campaign against stereotyping and judging. We had witnessed the atrocities of the Trayvon Martin case and thought why not combat stereotyping on campus. Trayvon Martin, and later Shaima Alawadi both were victims of stereotyping essentially and we thought to ourselves: how crazy is it that something as simple as a stereotype could eventually lead to someone being killed? Everyday we stereotype each other and juge each other without really knowing anything about those that we make preconceived notions about. This campaign was a huge success both at my university and online. I posted this on my tumblr page and alhamdulilah it got as of today 6,651 likes and reblogs which is awesome. Although this is late, here is a collection of some of the photos.

I'm Muslim but I Love All Religions 

I Am a Muslim. A Female. And a Feminist

I'm Burmese-Chinese & I'm a Muslimah

We're Both Blonde and White, but We Were Born Muslim!

I'm a Muslim but I'm Not Arab

I'm A Convert and I Freely Converted to Islam on 9/23/11

I'm Muslim and It Takes Me Forever to Grow My Beard

Just because I Wear Hijab Doesn't Mean I'm Perfect

I'm a Hijabi and I love Sports 

I hope you guys enjoyed these photos and reading these stereotypes. Let me know what you think and what have you been stereotyped as before?

Islam Through Photography

Salamualaykum Beautiful People!

Every time I make a post on this blog I always feel like it's been a while. This is my millionth attempt at being consistent with my posts on here so inshAllah this time I'll actually keep my word and post more. Over the past couple months, I've really grown in my interest in photography. I take lots and lots of pictures to the point that my computer is now full and I need to get an exterior hard drive.  Photography is a reflection of my life and how I perceive the world, so a lot of the times my favorite things to capture are subjects that remind me of Allah and Islam. I love capturing people worshiping Allah or simply capturing Allah's beautiful creations. It is so easy to find Allah in everything I see subhanAllah. If you would like to see more of my other pictures, please refer to my Flickr. 

Pray

“Successful indeed are the believers:

those who offer their prayers with all solemnity and full submissiveness,

and who turn away from all that is frivolous,

and those who pay the zakat.”

—Sourat al Mu’minun (The Believers) Verses 1-4

Mother & Son

“And we have enjoined on man doing of good to his parents; with trouble did his mother bear him and with trouble did she bring him forth; and the bearing of him and the weaning of him was thirty months; until when he attains his maturity and reaches forty years, he says: my lord! grant me that i may give thanks for thy favor which thou hast bestowed on me and on my parents, and that i may do good which pleases thee and do good to me in respect of my offspring; surely i turn to thee, and surely i am of those who submit” —-The Noble Qur’an 46:15

Reliance Like Birds

Umar (radi Allahu anhu) said: "I heard the Messenger of Allah (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) say, 'If you were to rely upon Allah with the reliance He is due, you would be given provision like the birds: They go out hungry in the morning and come back with full bellies in the evening.'" [Ibn Majah - graded hasan, Tirmidhi]

Vanessa: A Latina Muslimah

Seeing Muslim reverts always reminds me to be grateful for being born a Muslim and to constantly work at increasing my faith. Whenever I see people that weren't born Muslims practicing Islam better than the majority of born Muslims it always reinforces the fact that guidance is something precious and that being a Muslim doesn't only mean saying La Ilaha Ila Allah, but actually practicing it everyday. 

Beauty in Black

The best kind of beauty is modest beauty. I'm always amazed when a Muslim woman can wear a black abaya and still light up a room. It tells me that there is no one definition of beauty. The type of beauty that radiates from Muslim women is truly the beauty of the heart. 

10 Years Later

Muslim woman joins in a moment of silence for the victims of the September 11th, 2001 

terrorist attacks

Brother Nouman Ali Khan

One of my favorite quotes by him:

“Your sins are not greater than Allah’s (swt) mercy.”

—Nouman Ali Khan

Sourat al Kahf

"Whoever recites Surat al-Kahf on Friday, light shall shine forth for him between the two Fridays." [Ibn Hajar, Talkhis al-Habir]

 It is said that it is recommended to recite Sourat al-Kahf  the night before Friday, and it is also recommended to do so Friday, before Maghrib time.

There is No God but God

Driving in Peace

Duaa before driving your car: 

Bismillah, alhamdullillah, subhana-lathiee sakhara lana hatha wamaa kunna lahu muqrineen, wa inna ila Rabbina lamun-qaliboon. alhamdu lillaah, alhamdu lillaah, alhamdu lillaah, Allaahu 'Akbar, Allaahu 'Akbar, Allaahu 'Akbar, subhaanakal-laahumma 'innee dhalamtu nafsee faghfir lee, fa'innahu laa yaghfiruth-thunooba 'illaa 'Anta. 

With the Name of Allah . Praise is to Allah . Glory is to Him Who has provided this for us though we could never have had it by our efforts. Surely, unto our Lord we are returning. Praise is to Allah. Praise is to Allah. Praise is to Allah. Allah is the Most Great. Allah is the Most Great. Allah is the Most Great. Glory is to You. O Allah, I have wronged my own soul. Forgive me, for surely none forgives sins but You

Reference: Abu Dawud 3/34, At-Tirmithi 5/501. See also Al-Albani, Sahih At-Tirmithi3/156.

Please do not use any of my photos without written permission first. Jazakum'Allah Kheirun and Thank You :)

My Thoughts: Islam is faith not culture

    I was just thinking about how ironic it is that I feel more comfortable wearing the hijab and working on increasing my faith in America, than I do in my home country, Sudan. In Sudan, a lot of women wear the head scarf for cultural reasons, not religious so when people see me wearing the hijab strictly for Islamic reasons they kind of crack jokes at me. I remember last summer was the first time I wore the hijab in Sudan and I had more troubles there than I did in America subhanAllah. Whenever my mom’s cousins or other men who weren’t my mahrams would come to our house I’d rush to put on my hijab as soon as I saw them and they’d sort of laugh at me and tell me that I was being over religious and that they were just like a father to me. I feel like people in some Islamic countries sometimes take Islam as though it’s a culture and not a religion. I was surprised that women in Sudan didn’t go to Friday prayer and people again laughed when I asked to go. They told me only old women go to Friday prayer. I went to taraweeh prayers during Ramadan last time I went to Sudan and there weren’t many women there, let alone women my age.
    I feel like Muslims in Muslim countries should be more appreciative of Islam, but I don’t think they really are. Many take hearing the call to prayer 5 times a day for granted and don’t understand how amazing it is to have a mosque on every street corner. We don’t have that in the West. I would love to hear the call to prayer, but right now all I have access to is the athan on my lap top. When I came back to America from Sudan 2 summers ago, I was relieved that I was around my Muslim friends and the Muslim community that understands that Islam is special and that imaan is precious and needs constant care in order for it to grow and not fade.

Middle Eastern Poetry

I'm a huge fan of almost anything that has to do with Middle Eastern culture. I'm especially a big fan of Middle Eastern author Khalil Gibran and Syrian Poet, Nizar Qabbani. I want to share with you a piece by each of them. I'm sure after reading these short pieces, you'll fall in love with their work as well.

"In order to secure their power and to rest at heart’s ease they have armed the Durzi to fight the Arab. Have instigated the Shi’i against the Sunni. Have incited the Kurd to slaughter the Bedouin. Have encouraged the Mohammadan to fight the Christian – how long is a brother to fight his brother on the breast of the mother? How long is a neighbour to threaten his neighbour near the tomb of the beloved? How long are the Cross and the Crescent to remain apart before the eyes of God?" - Khalil Gibran 


Nizar Qabbani----

"In a country where thinkers are assassinated, and writers are considered infidels and books are burnt, in societies that refuse the other, and force silence on mouths and thoughts forbidden, and to question is a sin, I must beg your pardon, would you permit me? Would you permit me to bring up my children as I want, and not to dictate on me your whims and orders? Would you permit me to teach my children that the religion is first to God, and not for religious leaders or scholars or people? Would you permit me to teach my little one that religion is about good manners, good behaviour, good conduct, honesty and truthfulness, before I teach her with which foot to enter the bathroom or with which hand she should eat? Would you permit me not to mention the torture of the grave to my children, who do not know about death yet. Would you permit me to teach my daughter the tenets of the religion and its culture and manners, before I force on her the Hijab (the veil)? Would you permit me to tell my young son that hurting people and degrading them because of their nationality, colour or religion, is considered a big sin by God? Would you permit me to tell my daughter to revising her homework and paying attention to her learning is considered by God as more useful and important than learning by heart Ayahs from the Quran without knowing their meaning? Would you permit me to teach my son that following the footsteps of the Honourable Prophet begins with his honesty, loyalty and truthfulness, before his beard or how short his thobe(long shirt/dress) is? Would you permit me to tell my daughter that her Christian friend is not an infidel, and ask her not to cry fearing her friend will go to Hell? Would you permit me to argue, that God did not authorize anyone on earth after the Prophet to speak in his name nor did he vest any powers in anyone to issue ‘deeds of forgiveness’ to people? Would you permit me to say, that God has forbidden killing the human spirit, and who kills wrongly a human being is as if he killed all human kind, and no Muslim has the right to frighten another Muslim? Would you permit me to teach my children that God is greater, more just, and more merciful than all the (religious) scholars on earth combined? And that his standards are different from the standards of those trading the religion, and that his accountability is kinder and more merciful? … would you permit me?"


Source: Middle Eastern Poetry

May Peace Be Upon Us All

I took a photo of this as soon as I saw it because it truly made me smile. 1) Because the translation of the phrase is written in Arabic and 2) It's a beautifully written phrase. While we should wish for peace to prevail on Earth, we should begin by wishing for peace within ourselves and those around us. Nothing feels better then peace of mind and soul. Wherever you may find that peace, hold on to it and use that peace as a way to spread good energy to everyone that you meet. Begin every conversation with the greeting Alsalamu Alaykum [Peace be upon you.] Imagine if we all wished peace on each other...I can't help but think we'd be living in a much more happier world.

Alsalamu Alaykum Wa Rahmuttullahi Wa Barakatu
May the peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you


Best Wishes,
Riham

I Am Woman

I recently came back from the UN Commission on the Status of Women, a conference essentially on feminism and women's issues. Besides attending that conference, I have read a lot about feminism and heard feminist arguments, and I realized that I don't agree with a lot of it. Many feminists will come off as anti-man. They will argue for equality and they will fight for the exact same rights given to man. I personally don't believe that to be women, we need to have the exact same rights as men. The Feminist in me tells me to embrace my inner woman-hood and to demand the God given rights I deserve as a woman. The Feminist in me does not tell me to demand to be like a man, but more like a feminine, beautiful, strong, and intellectual woman. I think as women, we fail to appreciate the beauty of our woman-hood. We don’t appreciate our emotional and sensitive qualities that God placed in us. We don’t appreciate mother-hood, a blessing only women were given. The Prophet pbuh said, “Heaven lies under the feet of the mother.” This is a blessing that wasn’t given to any man and it’s a blessing I believe every woman needs to embrace and appreciate. There is an entire chapter in the Quran titled, An-Nisa (The Women), and there is no chapter titled "The Men."

Just because Allah gave men the responsibility of being the protectors of women, to lead prayers, and many other things, some women like to believe that is not fair. Allah created men and women equally, but He gave us different qualities and responsibilities too. Men have many responsibilities that I don't hear women fighting for. For instance, men are required to give their wives a dowry upon marriage. It's rare that you'll meet a woman who is fighting for her right to give her husband a dowry. Men are also responsible for the feeding and clothing of their wives. Most women won't fight for their right to take care of their husbands in that way. The way I see it, as women many of us are not appreciative. We see what men have and we want it for ourselves while completely neglecting all the blessings Allah gave us that he did not give to men.

I think every woman can have an inner feminist in her, but I do not recognize myself as one. I don’t feel that I need to declare myself a feminist because I am simply in a battle with myself to embrace my inner woman-hood and to me that does not need to be labeled as a public movement.

Revert Story: From Christianity to Islam

This is my friend sister, Morgan Haya's revert story. I’ve known her for about three years now and she took me by surprise by taking her shahada last fall. I’m so grateful that I got a chance to get to know her better and I’m even more grateful that it is Islam that brought us together. For my first post, I really want to share with you her revert story. I'm always inspired by the stories of those that weren't born into Islam. Many of us that are born into this amazing religion take it for granted a lot of the time. For the most part, we didn't have to struggle in the same ways as reverts to practice Islam. If we're born into a Muslim family, we usually don't have to hide in our rooms when we pray or argue with our families over our faith. For lack of better words, we have it easy in comparison to reverts. I hope Morgan's story will inspire you as much it inspired me. If you would like to follow her, her blog is reflexionofhumblemodesty.tumblr.com. She has lots and lots of Islamic posts so I'm sure you will find many interesting posts on her blog. Here is her story:

Bismillah ir-Rahman ir-Rahim: From the moment I was born I was essentially put into a Christian family. Started going to church at a young age with my aunt & sister. My sister and I always went to Sunday school and youth choir. This was what I saw church as for many years. On September 11, 2001, I was in either 5th grade, and that was the 1st time I heard about Islam. Though everyone around me were saying Muslims are terrorists’ they just destroyed the Twin Towesr, etc.  None the less I wanted to learn about this so-called “terrorist” religion, as the media put it. After years of going to church I suddenly stopped going around the time I started going to middle school.
When The Passion of the Christ came out in 2004, it was a big deal in my family, as all Christians. This movie made me furious, like how can Jesus be beaten and crucified and if he was the “Son of God” then I highly doubt he would have suffered the way he did. Something was just not okay with this depiction of Christ in my eyes. Christianity was just lost to me after that. The following year, Kingdom of Heaven (2005) about the crusades in Jerusalem definitely made me want to learn about Islam in depth.  I loved every time they said “Assalamu alaikum”, “Allahu Akbar”, and the Adhan that played faintly in one scene made my heart melt. It was a given that Islam was in my heart after watching this movie.
Learning about Islam on and off throughout high school while going to church events with my mom, aunt and sister. Watching the history channel became an outlet to gain knowledge as well as the web. Sometime of doing sinful things, senior year of high school I went back to church for a month or so to see if Christianity was for me. I felt like a hypocrite going to church after years of not caring. As I was listening to the Pastor speak during this period, my thoughts were everywhere. So, on my own merit I stopped going to church once again for the many questions that I had about “Why Christianity?” As a result I went back to my old habits.
The summer of 2009 I did this Student Transition Program (STP) at the University of Mary Washington where I got the opportunity not only to take a world religion class and meet some Muslims. This thirst of knowledge made me want to know even more about Islam. Since my 1st year I hadn’t set foot into a church but I meet some young adults who wanted to me to study the Bible. I studied with them some here and there but I still didn’t think Christianity was for me.  The summer of 2011, my aunt wanted me to go to her new church so I went. I liked it but didn’t love it. The people there were friendly but still the whole bases of making a prayer to Jesus as if he were God had me at odds.
When my 3rd year at UMW came around, fall of August 2011, I was really thinking about it, so I looked at how to become a Muslim. I found that you had to declare it by saying the shahadah in front of 2 or more people, preferably in a mosque (masjid) or an Islamic event.  So near the end of September, 6 weeks into the semester I told my friend sister, Wiaam, that I wanted to become Muslim after class. That same week she asked me to come to her dorm. Ended up telling my friend sister Riham that I wanted I wanted to revert to Islam, as well.  They asked me my story and I told them, then they asked if I believed in the Trinity. I answered them with no. That same night I learned how to pray (with a cheat sheet), how to make wudu and how to wear the hijab. So that Friday, September 23, 2011, I was super nervous and really excited to take my shahadah. I went over Riham’s, made wudu and headed over to Jummah prayer. Before the khutbah, Brother Sherif said we will do the shahadah…I repeated him saying,”Lā ʾilāha ʾilá l-Lāh, Muḥammad rasūlu l-Lāh | There is no god but God, and Muhammad is the messenger of God.” I was officially a Muslim and was definitely the happiest moment in my life.
 Though I’m struggling with my family about my decision to revert, I’m taking every day one step at a time. May Allah show my family that me becoming a Muslim has changed me for the better, no matter how long it takes them, through my actions, insha’Allah. Ameen.
I’m fortunate to have great friends that I can call my sisters and brothers, who are helping with my struggles and gaining knowledge in this beautiful deen.
Glad Allah Subhanahu wa-ta’ala loved me so much that he guided me to this beautiful deen. I hope Allah Subhanahu wa-ta’ala blesses and preserves me until the end of time. May Allah Subhanahu wa-ta’ala grant me the highest level of Jannah - Jannat al-Fridous. Ameen.
Alhamdulillah for everything, good and bad. Peace & love.

Salam & Hello

This is my first real attempt to really get back into things again. I really love this blog and the community on here. This blog got me through some really important times in my life. I started this blog when I first began to wear the hijab and embarked on my journey towards becoming a better Muslimah. A few months ago I started a Tumblr page that has not benefited me nearly as much as this blog has. I remember a time when I would spend hours researching on Islamic topics and posting them so I could learn from them and so other people could as well inshAllah. I've already expressed how much I missed blogging on here before, but now I intend to take action on that. Also, I decided to change my blog name back to Beauty of Islam, but with a small twist. One Beauty of Islam will now be the name of this blog because there is no other blog with that name and it fits well with my overall message. Although there are many different aspects of Islam that make it beautiful, we all have one thing in common and that is la ilaha illallah muhammad rasool allah. That is the one aspect of Islam that I absolutely love. No matter if you're a Sunni, Shi'a, Sufi, etc, that simple belief unites us all in so many different ways. That phrase is so incredibly powerful and I intend to make that the focal point of my blog. So I'm excited to be back and I can't wait to start posting some interesting and beneficial posts! I want to start on a journey towards revitalizing my faith and inshAllah you can join me on that journey. If you have any topics you would like me to write about please email me at beautyofislam1@yahoo.com. I'll get back to you as soon as I can :).

Best Wishes,

Riham

It's Been Ages

Salamualaykum [Peace and Blessings Upon You All]

It seems like ages since I last posted anything on this blog. Once again I've been caught up with school and also....I have a new blog that has been consuming all of my time lol. As of right now, I still want to keep this blog because it was my first blog and it really kept me focused on Islam. Limiting myself to mainly write about Islam helped me to increase my knowledge alhamdulilah, so slowly I want to get back into it. Also, if you want to get the link to my other blog on Tumblr, please email me at beautyofislam1@yahoo.com or leave your email and I'll send it to you. I blog so much more on there so let me know if you want to keep in touch.

Salams,

Riham :)

True Obedience and Devotion

“After performing Salat Al Maghrib, she put on her make-up, wore her beautiful white dress preparing herself for her wedding party, Then she heard the Adhan of ‘Ishaa and she realized that she broke her Wudu…she told her mother: 

“Mother, I have to go to make wudu and pray ‘Ishaa”

Her mother was shocked: “Are you in ur right frame of mind?!. Guests are waiting for you, to see you! What about your make –up? It will be all washed away by water!!” then she added 

” I am your mother and I order you not to perform salah now! if you make wudu now, I will be angry at you”

Her daughter replied : ”Wallahi I won’t go out from here till I perform my salah! Mother you must know that, ‘There is no obedience to any creature in disobedience to the Creator!’

Her mother said:”What would our guests say about you when you’ll show up in your wedding party without make-up?! You won’t be beautiful in their eyes! and They will make fun of you!”

The daughter asked with a smile: ”Are you worried because I won’t be beautiful in the eyes of created beings? What about my Creator?! I am worried because, if I miss my salah, I won’t be beautiful in His eyes!”

She started to make wudu, and all her make-up was washed away, but she didn’t care…

Then she began her salah and at the moment she bowed down to make sujud, she didn’t realize that it will be her last one! 

Yes! She died while in sujud!"

*Not Original Content*

Sunsets & Ice

Salamualaykum! I hope everyone is doing well. I'm just checking in. I started school last week and as usual life is pretty hectic, but alhamdulilah I'm getting into the swing of things. I'm taking a lot of credits this semester, but I feel like I can handle it. i love almost all my classes and find them super interesting so inshAllah I can find the strength to put in the hard work. Any who, last weekend I was walking to go study and I couldn't help but notice how beautiful it was outside. Literally everything, the trees, the leaves, the branches, the flowers, the berries, and anything else in sight was dripping in ice. It snowed a couple days earlier and the snow melted and turned into ice. It simply was gorgeous so I ran and grabbed my camera. I also snapped a couple shots of the most spectacular sunset I've ever seen (i'm not kidding, it was that gorgeous). Now, I'm not much of a photographer, I was just messing around, but I hope you enjoy these photos :). 

Loss

Lately what has been on my mind is the concept of loss. We’ve all experienced that painful feeling where we feel an uncanny emptiness in our heart because someone is no longer a part our life. It’s a terrible feeling, but if we look beyond that sadness we’re experiencing, i’m convinced that we can find beauty. 

I once heard that those people that spend the least amount of time in our lives have the greatest impact. I believe that to be true because I’ve had this happen many times in my life. About two and a half years ago I met a friend that drastically changed my life. MashAllah, not only did she positively impact my life, but she impacted countless other people’s lives around me. SubhanAllah, Allah placed her in my life at a time when I really needed someone and she was there. Allah swt works in beautiful and mysterious ways and by having her there to support and encourage me, my life was changed. Sadly, she was only in my life for a year and now lives thousands of miles away, but alhamdulilah 3la kulu hal.

Allah also blessed me with someone else who I truly grew to love. When I met that person, I didn’t know they would become such an important part of my life, but surprisingly they did. They helped me during some of the toughest and most defining moments of my life. In a way I depended on them…and they too also left my life. While I was sad and still am, I’m learning to look beyond that and to realize that there is a wisdom behind everything that Allah swt does. In a way, I feel as though that persons purpose in my life is now complete and that I need to move on to something else Allah has prepared me for. I don’t know what it is yet, but I know that it will be great God Willing. 

Sometimes the people we want so badly to remain in our lives are not meant to stay for whatever reason. Not because we did something wrong, but because what we think is best for us now sometimes is what corrupts us. So set yourself free and accept what Allah has decreed for you because after all, He does know best. 

Spring Semester Aspirations

[Long Sigh] it is almost time to head back to school. I'll be leaving in the next few hours to face my impending destiny...Alright I'm being dramatic, but I am really really really not looking forward to this semester. As of right now, I'm taking 18 tough credits and it doesn't help that one of my closest friends won't be there to help keep me sane :/. I'll get through it though inshAllah, I know it. I did really well last semester, so I refuse to let myself undue all the hard work i've done in the past. To keep myself on track, I made a list of aspirations I have for myself this semester. 

- Make Fajr Everyday on Time (InshAllah!) 
- Finish Memorizing Up to the Half Way Point of Sourat al Baqara (InshAllah InshAllah InshAllah)
- Gym It Up
- Eat Healthy Food
- Start Couponing to Save Extra Money
- Succeed Academically
- Volunteer/Give to Charity
- Focus on My Personal Growth
- Find a Summer Internship 
- Blog more on Heaven is Where the Heart is-Beauty of Islam :) (blogging keeps me sane)
- Drink More Tea and Less Coffee (i'm an addict I tell ya)

Yaz The Spaz

If you're a hijabi and anything like me, you're probably constantly seeking hijabi inspiration. It's not easy wearing hijab, especially in the West where stores fail to cater to modest dressers. Finding a hijabi to look up to and gain inspiration from is always a treat, so I wanted to share with you a cute mahajabah who's style impressed me. Introducing Yasemin Kanar a half Cuban half turkish girl living in the U.S., otherwise known as Yaz The Spaz.  She is a Hijab, Make-up and Fashion Consultant, and....a professional fondant cake decorator! She can show you dozens of ways to wrap your scarf and also how to dress. These are some of her hijab styles that I loved the most.

Traditional Wrap
Although this is just a traditional wrap, I really love it. It has a very clean finish to it and it's so simple and easy, but very classy at the same time. Whether your just starting to wear the hijab or have been wearing it for years, this is probably the style you'll wear your hijab in the most.

Wedding Hijab Style

This style gets a bit complicated, but i'm sure you can style it to your liking. I love the way she twisted the hijab and wrapped it into a side bun. This is a style I would love to wear at a party. 

Blue Zebra Hijab Style

I really love the coverage this style gives. At times it can be hard to find a style that looks really good and covers well. I wear this hijab style a lot and I really like it. To gain more coverage on your neck use pins to hold it down. That's a mistake I make a lot, but thanks to Yaz's tutorial on this style I learned how to keep my scarf from shifting and exposing my neck. 

Playful Turban Style

This is the turban style hijab you may have seen before. I've seen this style worn by many people, but I never tried it before. I love how she wore it and how she covered her neck and didn't make this hijab style look so dramatic. It's very playful and fun and seems easy to wrap. I actually plan to try this style some time. 

Side Ruffle Hijab Look

This is a style I probably would have never thought about trying but after watching the tutorial I found it easy and really cute. I need to go buy more turtle necks first lol. 

Hijab Twist with Hood Effect

This is probably my favorite hijab style out of all the ones I showed you today. Once again I love the coverage and it helps that its really cute too. It looks confusing but the tutorial really helps. I'm definetly gonna try this style out and I'm so excited cuz it's casual and I can wear it to uni once classes start next week :).