Pesach and Remembrance of ALLAH

Currently, Jews all over the world are celebrating Pesach (Passover), the holiday that commemorates ALLAH leading Bani Israil out of slavery in Egypt and away from the evil Pharaoh. My mother is Jewish, as is one of my best friends, and for a time before converting to Islam I studied Orthodox Judaism in depth, so I have been thinking a lot about the story of Pesach lately. Subhanallah, the Qur'an has several narratives about Prophet Musa (as) and Bani Israil, and their story is truly amazing. Bani Israil were forced into slavery by the Egyptians and suffered a "tremendous trial", according to the Qur'an. But of course, ALLAH had a Perfect Plan for them; He sent them Prophet Musa (as) to lead them during their battle for freedom, and He provided for them when they made it out of Egypt and settled in Palestine (and ALLAH is the Best of Providers!) Subhanallah, everything in the story of Musa (as) is truly a miracle. Musa (as) himself was born into a slave family and was threatened (as were all boy babies of Bani Israil) to be killed by Pharaoh, yet ALLAH saved him and had him taken into the house of Pharaoh (and Alhamdulillah, despite Musa (as) being raised by Pharaoh's people, ALLAH reunited Musa (as) with his mother (may ALLAH be pleased with her) as his caretaker). Musa (as) accidentally killed an Egyptian in an attempt to protect a slave, but ALLAH forgave him and protected him from being caught by Egyptian forces. When it came time to escape Egypt, ALLAH opened up the sea for Bani Israil to cross through, restoring it just in time to destroy Pharaoh's army that was chasing after them. Finally, after wandering in the desert and a lot of disobedient, ungrateful behavior by some members of Bani Israil, ALLAH still revealed the Taurat as a guide for Bani Israil until the Injeel (Gospel) and finally the Qur'an were revealed.

I was watching the opening song from "The Prince of Egypt" on Youtube called "Deliver Us". It is sung by the Hebrew slaves as they are toiling away, and they are crying out to ALLAH to save them. I actually started crying as I was listening, because I imagined the pain that Bani Israil must have felt while they were enslaved. I also cried even more remembering that ALLAH did indeed deliver them out of slavery and grant them guidance through the Taurat. I couldn't help but say "Subhanallah" while listening, and I thanked ALLAH for freeing Bani Israil from slavery, sending Musa (as) and Harun (as) as Prophets, and for sending the Taurat as a precursor to the Qur'an so pre-Qur'an generations could have Divine Guidance.

The song clip does show images of Prophet Musa (as) as a baby, as well as images of Prophet Harun (as), Musa (as)'s sister, and Musa (as)'s mother, so avert your eyes if you choose to listen to the song (since Muslims should not be looking at images of Prophets).

ALLAH's Great Love

Today was a rough day. I've been feeling very insecure lately and feel like no matter what I do it is never good enough, especially when it comes to practicing Islam. I've also been quite lonely, even though I'm surrounded by people. I am in great need of feeling and being reminded of ALLAH's Greatness and Love He has towards His creation. I found this brief article, and Subhanallah it made me feel much better, and reminded me of how much ALLAH loves us, even if we don't realize it. ALLAHu Akbar; truly, ALLAH is the Greatest.


"Actions to increase Allah's love to us

* When we pray the five obligatory prayers.
*When we pray the voluntary prayers, God's love to us increases.
*Every time we increase our voluntary (Sunnah) prayers, God will strengthen our faith and bless us with piety.

Examples of Allah's love to us

*Allah (SWT) created Adam with His own hands and granted him and his wife Paradise, and the Angels therein to look after them. This is how much He loves us.

*Allah loves us so much, that when we perform a good deed, He multiplies it by 10 for our account! And when we do one bad deed it will only be recorded as one bad deed!

*Allah has 99 names. Three names are of punishment and anger. Some of them are of Allah's Power and Might. The rest of His names are of His Mercy and Forgiveness! Doesn't this show that He makes it so easy for us to love Him and seek His Mercy? Yes! Since He is the Most Merciful The Most Kind!

*Obay Ibn Ka'b was a Jew and later converted to Islam. The Clear-Evidence chapter (Al-Bayena), had been revealed to Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), and Allah (SWT) had told him to recite it to Obay Ibn Ka'b. Before the Prophet Muhammad began to recite it, Obay started to cry. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) asked Obay why he was crying; he hadn't even started reciting the chapter to him yet. Obay was overwhelmed and asked him "Allah (SWT) said my name, and told you to say the chapter to me?" The Prophet (PBUH) said, 'yes!' Obay started to cry again and said, "Allah (SWT) said my name? He (SWT) mentioned me, myself, me in person, He mentioned me to you? Allah mentioned my name?!" How overwhelmed, loved and special Obay must have felt, to be personally called out by Allah (SWT).

*As soon as people remember Allah (SWT) and talk of Him, Allah sends the Angels to surround us. This is how much He loves us, for we are in the company of the Angels!

*A Muslim brother asked "if Allah loves us, why is there so many problems everywhere?" Some people go through bad phases in life because Allah (SWT) wants them to turn to Him, so that He may answer their prayers and show them His Mercy. It is a test so that the human can say to Allah (SWT) 'I need you Allah, please help me.'

* How do you know Allah loves you?
If you become religious. If you didn't pray before and you have started praying, that means Allah loves you. If you weren't wearing the veil, and you just started to wear it, Allah loves you. If you had bad friends, and you left them, and now you have good friends, then Allah loves you. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said that Allah gives the religion to those He loves.

*Allah makes obedience to Him easy for you. You will be invited to Islamic lectures, and you'll go. You will be given a leaflet to pilgrimage (Hajj or Umrah) and you will go. You will turn on the TV and find an Islamic program, so you will learn more about Islam.

*Allah will make it very difficult for you to commit sins. If you find something bad on TV, you will immediately change the channel. If you hear bad language, you will turn and walk away. If a friend invites you to do something bad, you will find it too difficult to go for your love to Allah (SWT).

*He will bless you with religious friends, and you will find yourself moving away from your bad friends until they no longer influence you to do bad things again. You will find that all your friends are pious Muslims.

Ramadan Nights: How Can Allah Love Us?

Amr Khaled

Translated by www.daralislaamlive.com"

FYI for all hijabis/modest dressers...

...Target has some awesome clothes for summer that can easily fit into a hijabi/modest dresser's wardrobe. They've got TONS of dresses, both maxi (floor length) and knee length (great for layering over pants or skirts), as well as loose trousers and jeans. Check it out, a lot of the designs are really funky. And best of all, everything is CHEAP! (I found a maxi dress there for $22!)

Subhanallah!

Alhamdulillah, the USA finally has healthcare reforms. Ya ALLAH, thank You for letting this legislation pass and letting the American people get better healthcare. Truly, You are the Best of Providers. Please bless President Obama and the people that helped get this bill passed, and please guide us all to the Straight Path to You. Ameen!

Survey! From Maddie/White Anglo Saxon Muslim

Name: Anne

Age: 20

Location: Boston, MA

Background: Half Italian, quarter Irish, quarter German

Spouse (if so, name and background): N/A

How long have you been married?: N/A

Kids? Someday, Insha'Allah. I have the names picked out already. :)

Are you a revert? Yes ma'am!

Have you been to Hajj or Umrah? Someday Insha'Allah.

How many masaajid have you been to? I think seven? But my favorite masjid is the ISBCC in Boston; Masha'Allah it's amazing.

Have you ever been involved with a masjid? I signed up to do a bunch of stuff but they haven't gotten back to me yet.

Who are some of your favorite lectures by? Ingrid Mattson is awesome, and I also really like Ustadh Khalil Abu Asmaa.

Who are some of your favorite recitors? Mishary/Rashid is beautiful. One of the alumnae from my school is beautiful, Masha'Allah.

Some of your favorite Islamic books? Islam: Religion of Life by Abdul Wadud Shalabi. I've started a lot, but haven't finished any.

Describe your most memorable Eid: I haven't had many Eids, but I really liked last Eid al-Fitr; I went to Eid salah and then went out to brunch with my friends.

When did you first start fasting? Ramadan 2008.

When did you start hijab? January 2009 part-time, September 2009 full-time.

What's your usual outift like when you go out? Long sweater and long skirt, or a jilbab, with a hijab. Sometimes I wear baggy pants, but I don't own many pairs.

What do you like about blogging? I like sharing my thoughts with others, and getting to "know" other people.

Describe your first feelings wearing hijab
I was a bit nervous, but I was so excited that I was finally wearing one.

How do you pin your hijab? I almost always wear long al-Amira khimars, so no pinning for me. :)

What was on the last prayer mat you made salah on? My little prayer rug.


What's your ideal iftar? Anything with a ton of meat.

What type of adhaan really gets to you? Yusuf Islam's adhan.

What's something that annoys you at Jummah: Folks that won't stop talking, and crying children.

What was the last surah you read? (not recited in salah) I think Surah al-Ankabut.

Do you dry yourself after wudu? No, mostly because I'm too lazy.

Do you brush your teeth for fajr salah? Not generally, unless I'm fasting.

Whats the last Islamic thing you've been involved with? Vague much? :) I went to an Ingrid Mattson lecture a few days ago, and I LOVE HER.

What was the last convention you went to? None, unfortunately.

Have you ever been part of an Islamic matrimonial site? Yes, but I wasn't seriously looking. I took my profile down because I didn't intend to get married, and I didn't want to mislead people that inquired about me.

What color is the rug in the masjid you usually attend? red and gold

Is the masjid you usually attend separated? Men and women pray in the same room, men in front of women. I like it this way best.

Have you ever stood in a minbar? No.

Have you ever washed a dead body before? No.

What's the last thing you ate in the masjid? A chicken panini.

Where's the strangest place you've seen a Muslim working? I can't think of anything.

Have you ever posted a flier in the masjid? No.

Rate your masjid's bathroom: Meh, they could be cleaner.

Have you ever used a bidet for istinja?: No, our masjid isn't that fancy. :)

What's the weirdest thing that happened to you in salah? My mom walked in on me. Thankfully I had time to rip my hijab off before she suspected anything.

Isn't it annoying when the imam tells everyone to shut off their cell phones and someone's phone rings in the middle of salah? Um, yes.

What's some of the best halal food you've had (from a non Muslim country)? Fried chicken and onion rings from Royal Fried Chicken. :)

What was it like when you found out skittles were haram? I never really ate Skittles that much, but I was definitely happy when they became vegetarian.

What's something haram that you think most people don't know? Like Maddie said, talking when the khutbah is being given.

What's the craziest hijabi fashion you've seen? miniskirt and leggings...um, no?

What did you like about this survey?? I love surveys.

Our own personal jihads

Salaam alaikum,

This post was inspired by LK from "Ink Blots Blue Abayas", who always has such insightful things to say. :)

This past week has been a rough one for me mentally. I have diagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD)--it's a psychological disorder in which a person has obsessive, overpowering thoughts and a strong desire, even need, to perform certain ritualistic behaviors in order to alleviate these thoughts. For example, a person may have an obsessive fear of germs, so in order to avoid being "contaminated" they will wash their hands constantly, several times an hour to make sure they are "clean". Others may have obsessive fears regarding people. For instance, a person might be afraid of a loved one dying, so if they perform a certain ritual (e.g. tapping their feet a certain number of times, saying a word or a prayer a certain way, etc.) then the person won't die. If the ritual isn't done exactly right, they will have to do it over again, or else they fear that something terrible will happen if they don't do it. It's an extremely difficult disease to live with because it is so overpowering; it literally invades all aspects of one's life. To make matters worse, the sufferer almost always realizes that their thoughts are totally irrational, but they can't stop themselves.

Alhamdulillah, my OCD symptoms are relatively under control. I used to have it really bad, to the point where I could barely even leave the house because I was too embarrassed to do my rituals in public, to the point where I washed my hands so often that they became raw and bled, to the point where I would spend hours and hours each day just doing rituals and redoing them to make sure they were "perfect". Now, thanks to therapy and medication, almost all my symptoms are gone. However, OCD is a lifelong condition, so I am still prone to flare ups, especially if I don't take my medicine.

Last week, I had a bad flare up. Every OCD sufferer has different symptoms; mine makes me very prone to waswasa, or whisperings from Shaytan. I get overpowering doubts about everything in Islam, even doubts about the existance of ALLAH, Astaghfirullah. No matter how much I convince myself that I do, in fact, believe in ALLAH and Islam, and that these are merely waswasa, I can't be convinced. I seriously could not stop having these blasphemous thoughts. Needless to say, they were deeply disturbing and distressing, arguably the worst feeling in the world. Alhamdulillah, within the past couple days I have gotten much better, and the waswasa have become less and less frequent.

I feel that these waswasa are my personal jihad. Everyone's personal jihads are different; for some people it may be hijab, for others it may be praying on time, for others it may be avoiding gossip or being rude to people. I think that they are a test from ALLAH to see how strong and steadfast I am in my faith; as difficult and convincing as these waswasa are, I try my hardest not to give in to them. If I had one wish, it would be that these waswasa would never happen again, and that I could remain strong in taqwa and iman forever. However, Insha'Allah, I will get more reward for having strong doubts yet remaining steadfast in Islam nevertheless.

Do you have a "personal jihad" that you struggle with? If you feel comfortable sharing, please feel free to. Insha'Allah it may give others encouragement and the strength to overcome them, and to realize that they are tests from ALLAH.

Favorite hijab style

Salaam alaikum!

It seems that there's been a lot of posts recently about hijab, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon with one myself. The question is simple: What's your favorite hijab type or style? Are you a shayla girl? Or more of a pashmina woman? Or perhaps a lover of al-Amiras? Do you like lots of embroidery or decoration, or do you prefer solid colors? Do you like bright colors, earth colors, pastels, or plain old black and white? Do you prefer satin, cotton, silk, georgette, polyester? I want to know it all! Anyone can answer this question, whether they're a hijabi or not.

My personal favorite style is the long al-Amira khimar (stomach length) in solid colors. They are so darn easy to put on, and you don't ever have to screw around with pins or worry about it slipping off. It also covers the chest well, which is very important to me. When I'm feeling a bit more adventurous, I will wear square or triangular cotton hijabs with either floral or geometric patterns. As much as I think shaylas and pashminas are gorgeous, they just are too annoying to work with and keep looking nice throughout the day. I don't even wear silk scarves because they slip right off my very straight, very smooth hair (I would definitely have to wear an underscarf).

This is what I wear on a daily basis, usually in cream or white.
http://www.alhannah.com/images/products/hi/111/detail.jpg