Pink Hijab Day!!

Today is Pink Hijab Day! Well, it was but since the athan for maghrib just went off....anyway, it is Pink Hijab Day. And if you are a man, I am not discriminating against you. It could also be Pink Sock Day, Pink Shirt Day, maybe Pink Hair Day. The point is pink.

Subhanallah, I found out about this recently while reading Islamic Horizons [the matrimonial section is my favorite (seeking religous hyderabadi muslim woman; no scarf ...)] and it was saying how this middle school girl started it because all her friends were wearing pink hijabs on the same day. So today, I went to college wearing....brown!

I am so mad and guilty and angry and upset. I had really been looking forward to wearing a pink costume on october 28, but I forgot!! I forgot, I forgot, I forgot!!

I felt like crying. Like I was betraying the ummah or something. I hope you guys had better luck....groan

Bu the way, just an afterthought, is there luck in Islam? Is it halal to tell a muslim "good luck" Just wondering.

SaLaMz

Al-Maghrib rox!!

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Masha'allah, I am feeling very very excited about this weekend. I am taking an AlMaghrib class about Salah and it is phenomenal (spelling?)!!! Just amazing. You find out why you do what you do in salah, and whether or not the Prophet (S) did it, and which madhab it is in. It is by a wonderful scholar and 3alim, Sheikh Yaser Birjas, and he is really funny. Alhamdulillah, the timings of the seminar help me imagine how it feels to live like a monk, but at least I can honestly say I spent my weekend in the masjid (friday included).

I am very (oh, just soo happy) and I don't know how to thank Allah enough. For those of you who have no idea what I am talking about, AlMaghrib is basically an institute that offers classes about specific topics in Islam and gives you a chance to get a degree in Islamic Studies (which is my dream, btw). It has seminars in the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. I wish it was possible to go to all of them.

I found out that you can't actually say "alhamdulillah" if you sneeze in salah, even though it's thikr. You can't giggle in salah, and if you do, your salah is invalid. Imam Abu Haneefa (I am not hanafi by the way) may Allah be pleased with him actually said that if you laugh or giggle, your salah AND wudu are invalid (oops). You also can't check the time (you know, if taraweeh is getting too long), though alhamdulillah, I have never done this yet. A very interesting fact is that for several years, the adhan in turkey used to be in Turkish, not Arabic!! subhanallah, though of course that is not halal. I can't wait for the end of this week.

God, at this point I can't wait to meet Allah (SWT)!!

Support Niqab, Support Islam

Assalamu alaikum wa ramatu Allahi wa baraktuhu

Every Muslim in the world believes without doubt that the hijab is a fard. We all agree that the niqab is even higher in status. How high-that is where we differ. What never happened bafore was a sheikh claiming that it is not even part of Islam. A Burqa is culture, a Niqab is deen. Someone tell me why this is hard to understand. I wanted to write this a long time ago and this is long due. Why do we have to disagree on everything. Prayer: how to pray? When? Where? Fasting: When? When? (did I mention when?) Even Zakah and Hajj have arguments. It's a good thing the shahadah is still preserved. Wait...Nation of Islam?

I am not saying that there is any religion in the world as united as we are. Christianity broke the record and Judaism, let's not go there. But Islam is supposed to be different. We are the newest and most recent of all. Why can't we set the example? Are we not aware of the ayah:

"And let there arise from you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong"?

I am talking to everyone in this ummah: You don't have to wear the niqab. You don't have to force your female relatives to wear it. But you have to support it. You have to.

I miss you guys!!

Ya Allah, I was checking my e-mail every 5 days in Ramadan and apart from that, I almost forgot my blogging password!! I fasted from food, drink, and media this month. It was the best month ever! i was soo tempted to write about everything but it took all my strength to not waste my time on this shaytan (A.K.A. PC). Taraweeh was just amazing (as usual). Suhoor in the masjid tasted better than any meal I ate, because Allah put barakah in that biryani (Why do indo/paks always put their food?). Most of the time, i was too occupied with laughing from happiness and crying from many many things to be able to describe it. I realized what an important part of my life blogging was.

I lost contact with the world. In this blessed month, I started school. I am in ninth grade but am taking college classes all the time. I am currently trying to start an MSA in the college. If anyone has any experience, help is appreciated! I have no idea why they are asking for my social security number!

I have lots of homework though (putting quran before essays makes you spend your eid in an Algebra book-not a good idea). I am seriously the only person in the world that has to spend eid doing math homework. The essays are okay I guess. Blogging has helped me write better, alhamdulillah.

Anyways, I have a lot to reflect on but no time to do so. I do have one advice though. Ramadan taught me this:

Remember that you will die.....

May Allah bless us with a happy ending to a happy life. Ameen.

organize your sleeping patterns!

Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatu allahi wa barakatuhu

ok, so i didn't write in here for a loooong time. but i sort of have an excuse: RAMADAN!! (and the fact that my grandma just came :)

subhanallah, so many things to do and so little time to do them. that's one of the signs of the day of judgement, i believe, if that hadith is sahih.

subhanallah, there is no baraka in my time. to the extent that i have to stay awake until 12:30 am to blog. find me one 14-year-old in this world that can't find the time to blog!! This also ruins the sleeping pattern i worked so hard to perfect. i decided i will shape my life to be very similiar to the life of the prophet salla allahu alaihi wa sallam (may we see him in our dreams). here what i try to do. wake up an hour or half before fajr to make qiyam ul layl and pray to Allah. I used to really think this impossible, until i did istikharah and started sleeping early. anyway, if you feel exhausted that night, you are not alone. the prophet (S) ordered his companions (RA) to lie down until they gain their strength. then get up again and try. shaitan will be long gone by then.
then when fajr comes, pray it RIGHT AWAY. do not do like me and try to wake up your entire family. by the time the group of sleepy-eyed siblings walk in, there are minutes more to shurooq.

then read quran. your mind is so fresh in the morning, you can finish the quran memorization! This is the best time. then if you really feal exhausted, sleep for two hours but try no more. the prophet used to always sleep for about half-an-hour after Duhr. If you can wait until then, that is the best time. there is hikmah in that, that's the hottest part of day! when you wake up you will have already finished your quran and still feel fresh. remember Allah all through the day of course, and sleep after Isha'. It is narrated in Saheeh al-Bukhari that the prophet used to hate sleeping before Isha' (like late afternoon and maghrib) and hated talking after that.

"Verily in the messenger of Allah you have a good example for him who looks unto Allah and the last Day, and remembers Allah much." Holy Qur'an 33 : 21

I'm back!! Home sweet home!

Assalamu alaikum my beloved siblings

I'm really happy to be home. i discovered one very important thing right now from my sister, Veiled Knight. Exactly 2 minutes ago, she kindly mentioned that we didn't actually go to San Francisco. It turned out we went to Kelseyville (if you never heard of it, nor did i)! But it was nice alhamdulillah. We went tubing, attempted water-skiing (which requires a lot of muscles) and rode a Jet Ski for the first time in my life. I also discovered that Kelseyville does NOT have satellite signals!! Arnold Schwarzenagger (if that's how you spell it) should seriously aim some of the state's funds towards buliding more satellites. lol.

I really wanted to go to Misr (a.k.a. Egypt) this summer but my grandmother is coming instead. Alhamdulillah for everything.

i would love to right-oops, write-more but I haven't prayed Duhr yet. Gotta pray.

salamz
be with god. he's always with you.

San Francisco-here i come!!

Assalamu alaikum my dear brothers and sisters:

I will, insha'allah, be in S.F. for the next week. Might not find internet there (not that S.F. is that old). forgive me if i dont write soon