Monthly Archive

Twin Cities Somalis are moving down to Postville, Iowa, to fill positions at a kosher food plant previously filled by illegal immigrants.

The influx of Somalis has been met with some surprise in a community still bewildered by the Agriprocessors raid, the largest raid of its kind in the United States. Federal agents arrested 389 people, mostly Guatemalans and Mexicans who had established roots and become part of the community.

The new immigrants have “raised some eyebrows, which is pretty normal when you get somebody different in town,” Mayor Robert Penrod said.

“That said, as far as I know, they haven’t caused a whole lot of problems. They’ve been keeping to themselves,” he said.

It’s not the first cultural change in Postville. The slaughterhouse attracted eastern Europeans in the 1990s, including immigrants from Bosnia, Poland and the former U.S.S.R. Hispanics became the majority in the past decade.

The result is a town barely covering two square miles is home to people from 24 nationalities speaking 17 languages.

It’s situations like these that increase my wariness of mass produced meat.   Not only are those who do the slaughtering treated like crap, the animals are often subjected to degrading conditions.  One of the (many) things I’m struck with when I read about the life of our beloved Prophet (saws) is his kind regard for everything, including animals.

The Prophet (saws) said “The merciful are shown mercy by the All-Merciful. Show mercy to those on earth, and He Who is in heaven will show mercy unto you.”

If we do not treat every living thing with the dignity it deserves, be it the cow that will become our hamburger or the human being working to bring that hamburger to our table, how then can we expect Allah (swt) to treat us with dignity?  If every bite you take is tainted with the mistreatment of animals and man, how can we face Allah (swt) on the day of judgment and claim that we showed mercy to those around us, when we ignored their plight?

Heck, this extends to all massed produced food and products.  How are the workers would make our clothes treated?  The migrants who are out in the fields picking our lettuce?  Methinks muslims need to get more involved in the fair trade movement.

My grandfather was born on a farm.  He was raised on a farm.  He spent most of his life on the farm.  Farming wasn’t his first choice of career.  He wanted to be an accountant or a doctor, but he never made it to college.  When farming became his lot in life, he threw all of his blood, sweat and tears into the land.  He built the house and barn at the family farm almost single handedly. 

He survived farm accidents and illnesses too numerous to count.  When he was 9, his appendix burst.  He survived.  After my father was born, he fell down a hay shaft.  He survived.  Still in his body cast, he shuffled down the rows of tobacco, pulling weeds.  He rigged his tractor with hand brakes so he could be out in the field even before his ankles healed.  He had his hips replaced 3 times. 

Despite the numerous hardships he faced as a farmer, he never lost his smile.  My most persistent memory of him is when he was lumbering around the house like cross between Frankenstein and an enormous penguin, a grin plastered on his face.  His gait was stiff due to his 2 artificial hips and ankles that never completely healed, but he refused to let it get him down.  He still milked the dairy cows right up to the moment he sold them in the late 80s.  He continued to drive the tractor, even after it flipped over on him while driving up a hill.  He did repairs around the house, and climbed up ladders to pick apples.

He never slowed down, even after he and my grandma sold the farm and moved to town.  He got right down to business and planted a huge garden in the backyard.  He puttered around the house, but most of the time was devoted to his greatest passion – painting.

At 62, my grandfather taught himself to paint.  My aunt gave him a book on drawing and he thought, hey, I can do that.  He would clip pictures from magazines by the dozens and look through stacks of pictures that my aunt and uncle took on their numerous ’round the world adventures.  When he found a picture that struck his fancy, he would retire to his studio, surrounded by chaos and begin.  He painstakingly copied the picture to the canvas with a pencil, erasing and redrawing more times than I can count.  When he was satisfied, he would dig around in the piles on the floor for the right color of paint and proceed. 

His painting only slowed once – when my grandmother became ill.  He cared for her as her health declined over the years.  He refused to put her in a nursing home.  Whenever she was in the hospital, he would be there, hovering, insisting that they weren’t taking good enough care of her.  When she was confined to bed, he moved his painting supplies to the bed next to her and continued to paint.  My grandmother died 2 years ago, and he cared for her right through the end.

The day he went into the hospital in June, he was out in his garden digging bean poles.  He finished, called the ambulance since he couldn’t drive anymore, and waited out from for them to come.  When my father rushed to the hospital, one of the first things Grandpa told him was that he needed to go out and finish planting the beans. 

He had prostate cancer.  There were complications.  Despite that, he wanted to go home.  He wanted to be out of bed, out of the hospital, and back to his home, where he could putter around, doctor his wounds with vaseline, tend his garden and paint.  Ever few days, he’d struggle out of bed, start packing his stuff and announce he was leaving.

He never came home.  When it became clear that he would need to spend quite a long time in a nursing home to recover, he decided to give up.  If he couldn’t be independent, life wasn’t worth living.  It’s the only time I’ve known him to give up.

When we were cleaning out his house this week, we moved all his paintings to the basement, where he had hung his favorites on the wall.  We stopped counting at 300.  Two of them now hang on my wall.

At the funeral mass, the first reading was from the Ecclesiastes 3 

 1 There is a time for everything,  and a season for every activity under heaven:  2 a time to be born and a time to die, a time to plant and a time to uproot,  3 a time to kill and a time to heal,  a time to tear down and a time to build,  4 a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance,  5 a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,  a time to embrace and a time to refrain,  6 a time to search and a time to give up,  a time to keep and a time to throw away,  7 a time to tear and a time to mend,   a time to be silent and a time to speak,  8 a time to love and a time to hate,  a time for war and a time for peace.  9 What does the worker gain from his toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on men.

 As I read this passage, I was struck.  What is this but qadr?  Allah (swt) has ordained a time for everything.  There is a time for life, and a time for death.  Alhamdulilah, He ordained 84 years for my grandfather.  He could have taken him when his appendix burst when he was 9, and then I wouldn’t be here.  He could have taken him when he fell down a hay shaft, and my father would never have known his father.  Alhamdulilah, we had 84 years with my grandfather.

Of course, knowing something is qadr Allah and finding peace with that knowledge are two different things… 

My sister is a little behind in all the election goings on, having been on a round the world adventure from December until May.  I’ve filled her in on what she’s missed, including a lot of venting about the whole Obama muslim smear fiasco.  She recently forwarded me this joke: 

A Jew, a Christian and Barack Obama are in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Barack Obama says, “This joke isn’t going to work because there’s no Muslim in this boat.”

I’ll admit, it did bring a smile to my face, although it isn’t as good as my favorite Bush joke:

One night, a Delta twin-engine puddle jumper was flying somewhere above New Jersey.

There were four people on board: the pilot, George W. Bush, the Dalai Lama, and a school boy.

Suddenly, the engine bursts into flames and the passenger cabin began to fill with smoke. The cockpit door opened, and the pilot burst into the compartment. “Gentlemen,” he began, “I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we’re about to crash in New Jersey. The good news is that there are three parachutes, and I have one of them!” With that, the pilot threw open the door and jumped from the plane.

George W. Bush rose and said, “I’m the president and the world needs me.  And apart from that, I am the most intelligent President in the history of the country and I have a responsibility to my people not to die”. So he takes a parachute and jumps.

The Dalai Lama and the school boy looked at one another. Finally, the Dalai Lama spoke. “My son,” he said, “I have lived a satisfying life and have known the bliss of True Enlightenment. You have your life ahead of you; you take a parachute, and I will go down with the plane.”

The school boy smiled slowly and said, “Hey, don’t worry.  The most intelligent president in history just jumped out wearing my backpack.”

If I have one problem with my splashgear suit (which I love dearly), it is that chlorine is a bit hard on it.  Of course, I’m ultimately to blame, since I left it sitting wet in a bag for days after swimming once, which caused the chlorine to eat away at the right arm.  But, other than that, it’s been absolutely fabulous.

Now I can rejoice!  The next generation of splashgear suits are out, and the fabric this time around is advertised as chlorine resistant. 

Please note that Splashgear is in the process of switching from nylon/spandex to the chlorine-resistant polyester knit fabric for all of its stretch products. The Island shirt is the first product in our line to be made using the chlorine-resistant fabric. The Resort shirt, swim cap, and swim hood are still currently being made using the nylon/spandex fabric and will switch over in the near future. Thank you for your patience and understanding during this transition.

Time to start saving up for a new suit.

Remember when I wrote I’m afraid of confrontation?  It makes it difficult for me to work up the nerve to present Islam to my family.  I’ve given some of them books, and answered some questions, but I’ve never done any extensive dawah with them.

I didn’t lose anyone close to me until 4 years ago.  Since then, I’ve lost a grandfather and a grandmother, neither of whom I talked about Islam with.  Now my remaining grandfather is dying.  He had a stroke that makes it near impossible for him to swallow.  He doesn’t want to end up a vegetable like my late grandmother (who slowly deteriorated mentally until she was reduced to an infant like state), so he’s refusing a feeding tube.  I’ve never even told him I’m muslim, let alone talked with him about Islam.

I’m normally a pretty emotional person, but this time around, I’m completely gone.  I’m so lost.   He’s not coherent much of the time, and I can guarentee that when he is, all my family will be there, and they’d be pissed off to the nth degree if I say anything, probably to the point where they wouldn’t talk to me anymore.

So I am going to say goodbye, knowing I failed my grandfather.  May Allah (swt) grant him mercy and peace despite my shortcomings.

The picture doesn’t quite capture the shocking neon quality of the green scarf, but trust me, it’s bright.

Since there were no comments *ehem* yaay or ney as to me deviated from the original intent of the blog, I am now going to subject ya’ll to cooking posts.

~*~*~*~ 

This has been the year in which I’ve actually cooked.  Thanks to Madhur Jaffrey, I can do Indian, Mediterranean and African vegetarian cooking.  Thanks to my sister who went to a thai cooking school while on her around the world adventure, I can do thai vegetarian.  Thanks to the International Vegetarian Union, I can find recipes from just about anywhere and make a mean strawberry tabouli and watermelon lemonade, perfect summer recipes for when it’s too hot to turn on the stove.  And, thanks to Ahmed Hamdy Eissa, my egyptian cooking has improved to the point where the husband says we no longer need to eat out at middle eastern restaurants, because I cook better than them.

Last night, I ventured into gulf territory, somewhere I haven’t been before.  Arabic Bites is chock full of new recipes just waiting for me to try.  So, I made Maraq al Dajaj.   I don’t know what possessed me to make this recipe, since I had a whole chicken, and this recipe calls for one that’s cut up.  I’ve never cut up a chicken before, and hopefully will never have to go through that again.  Me with a knife hacking away at a chicken that keeps slipping out of my grip is not a pretty picture.  Next time, I’ll just buy boneless skinless chicken breasts to use. 

We don’t have basmati rice at home, so I just nuked some of the shorter grained rice we had.  Yes, I microwave my rice, which drives my rice loving friends nuts.  But really, if I have to chose between nuked rice and rice that turns out horribly every time I attempt it in the pan, I’ll stick with the microwave, thank you very much.  I suppose I could just get a rice cooker but I have like 2 feet by 1 foot of counter space open, and I need that to prepare food.  Until I get a bigger kitchen, that means no more kitchen gadgets for me (ahh, food processor, I’m waiting for you).

Because I’m always second guessing things, I added too much in the way of spices, so I had to add a cup of water and a little can of tomato sauce in an attempt to de-spicify.  I don’t mind overpowering spiciness, but the husband is definately in the bland camp.  He said it was “really good”, with the caviate that next time, don’t make it so spicey.  That’s a rave review from him, considering that he gave it without me asking.  Normally I have to pester him after a meal to see how he liked it, and whether or not I should add it to my repetouire.  This one definatley goes in the “to make again” pile.

   

Notice the tight angle on the pot and bowl, so you can’t tell how messy my kitchen is.

To cheer myself up, I went online window shopping over lunch.

Style Islam - US website apparently coming soon

 

Since I’m on a roll with the randomness, a few questions for my readers:

*I originally intended this blog to be purely focused on Islam.  However, on occasion I have an urge to blog about cooking or my spice collection (oo, I *heart* my spice collection, it’s a thing of beauty).  Granted, it’s my blog and I can do what I want to, but would it really throw everything off if I talked about other topics on occasion?

*At the top, underneath the title of the blog, there are links to seperate pages.  I recently added one with all my favorite links for converts.  I don’t have everything up yet, but if there are any excellent resources for newbies out there that you don’t see, could you post here and let me know?

That is all.  Back I go to muck about in the world of mass tort product litigation.

It’s been a stressful few weeks in my world.  My grandfather went into the hospital a few weeks back with internal bleeding.  He was diagnosed with prostate cancer, and has been on a wild roller coaster of wanting to struggle and just giving up.  Every day, there’s a call that he migh not make it.  I visited him yesterday and he’s a skeleton.   All he ate was half a little dish of ice cream.  *sigh*

My sister was in the hospital recently as well with severe anemia.  The [sarcasm] wonderful [/sarcasm] doctors she had did not communicate with her at all, and faxed her on Friday the test results that showed the possibility of a very serious illness.  Dude, you tell someone something horrible via fax?!?!????  *dur*

And my father just found out he was pre diabetic.  Although he got on a health kick 8 years ago and lost a ton of weight, all those years of crappy eating have still damaged his body.  Again, another wake up call (sign from Allah?) that I need to get serious about getting healthy.  I did not get my usual egg and cheese biscuit from McDonalds this morning.  Instead, I’m eating instant oatmeal filled with sugar.  Ok, it’s not great, but it’s a start.  *blah*

Granted, not everything is horrible.  I met Dara of Modest Clothes on Saturday and helped her vend at a bazaar.  If I ever have a midlife crisis, I think I’m going to quit my job and sell scarves.  While I have no fashion sense for the rest of my outfits, hijab I’m all over. 

I got another kuwaiti wrap scarf, which was a gamble.  I have 2 others that are a tight under my chin and are just uncomfortable.  Alhamdulilah, this one isn’t so bad.  It’s a bit tight, and the wrap bunches a bit under my chin, but not as bad as my others.  Plus, it was bright orange, so I couldn’t resist.  I also got a lime green sqare scarf *weeee*  I’m all about the bright scarves, and I didn’t have a green one yet.  Now, all I need is a late 80s party and I’m all set.

I finally got new long hijab pins as well.  I bought a dozen a few years back, and I’ve either lost or managed to mangle all but like one of them.  I was looking for the long ones with just a few simple beads on the end, but it looks like dangly is the style now.  I broke down and got a few dangly ones that are cute.  They’re excellent quality and I’d definately recommend them to people looking for hijab pins (and bling).

I also got the husband a muslimgear shirt as a present (short sleeved).  However, I do plan on stealing it come jummah and rocking it with a white long sleeved shirt underneath and my new lime green scarf.

So in conclusion, when life sucks, shop.  Ah no wait.  When life sucks, turn to Allah (swt)…and shop.

When I listen to Qur’an after a period of time where I have not, I’m overwhelmed.  My gets this weird full sensation and I’m just swept up in it.  It’s like nothing else I’ve ever felt.

7:26 O CHILDREN of Adam! Indeed, We have bestowed upon you from on high [the knowledge of making] garments to cover your nakedness, and as a thing of beauty: Asad(7,17)   but the garment of God-consciousness (taqwa) is the best of all. Herein lies a message from God, so that man” Asad(7,18) might take it to heart.

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Visual Dhikr highlights some of the artists that will be showing their work at Islam Expo 2008.  Go check it out and visit their websites.

The muslim art I have hanging on my walls is calligraphy, but I can definately see putting something like this up.  It’s a depiction of the haraam, the kaba in the middle, people doing tawaf around it and the outer rings making salat.  So simple, yet I’m deeply intrieged.

 

 Ya Waduud!  Oh Loving One!

The familiar calligraphy lines still draw the eye and lead one to contemplate the Divine.

 

‘The pursuit of knowledge is bitter at first but at the end it is sweeter than honey’

Again, different from what I’m used to, but so captivating.  Seriously, I’m in love.

…now I gotta get married again, just so I can wear one of these.

This is what I got married in

 

But we never had much of a party.  inshaAllah I can get one of these for an anniversary party here or in egypt.

Last year, I wrote about potential plans to create a unified adhan in Cairo.  At present, every little store front masjid blasts their own call to prayer, often distorted by cheap sound systems turned all the way up.  It looks like the plan is still in the works.

The official was cagey at first, refusing to be drawn on whether the plan was going ahead or had been suspended, and refusing to give an ETA for the mythical unified adhan.

But then he relented and said, revealingly: “I’ll tell you something, one day you’ll find us, without media coverage… you’ll find (a unified) ‘Allahu akbar’ from the minarets.”

A year later, I still give this proposal 2 thumbs down.  There are a million things more annoying than the adhan – the pollution, the garbage everywhere, the weddings that go all night, the God awful traffic. 

Seriously, just take away everyone’s sound system and make them do it the old fashion way.   The sound of the human voice calling the faithful to prayer, – natural, unadulterated, not distorted by mikes and steroes – it is a beautiful thing.

The 77 Branches of Faith

by Imam Ashraf Ali al-Tahanawi

The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said “There are over 70 branches of faith. The highest is to bear witness that ‘There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah’ (la ilaha illallahu muhammadur rasulullah). The lowest is the removal of harm from the road. Modesty is also of faith.” We will therefore mention these qualities.   

30 QUALITIES ARE CONNECTED TO THE HEART

1. Belief in Allah

2. To believe that everything other than Allah was non-existent. Thereafter, Allah Most High created these things and subsequently they came into existence.

3. To believe in the existence of angels.

4. To believe that all the heavenly books that were sent to the different prophets are true. However, apart from the Quran, all other books are not valid anymore.

5. To believe that all the prophets are true. However, we are commanded to follow the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) alone.

6. To believe that Allah Most High as knowledge of everything from before-hand and that only that which He sanctions or wishes will occur.

7. To believe that Resurrection will definitely occur.

8. To believe in the existence of Heaven.

9. To believe in the existence of Hell.

10. To have love for Allah Most High.

11. To have love for the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace)

12. To love or hate someone solely because of Allah.

13. To execute all actions with the intention of religion alone.

14. To regret and express remorse when a sin is committed.

15. To fear Allah Most High.

16. To hope for the mercy of Allah Most High.

17. To be modest.

18.To express gratitude over a bounty or favour.

19. To fulfill promises.

20. To exercise patience.

21. To consider yourself lower than others.

22. To have mercy on the creation.

23. To be pleased with whatever you experience from Allah Most High.

24. To place your trust in Allah Most High.

25. Not to boast or brag over any quality that you posses.

26. Not to have malice or hatred towards anybody.

27. Not to be envious of anyone.

28. Not to become angry.

29. Not to wish harm for anyone.

30. Not to have love for the world.

7 QUALITIES ARE CONNECTED TO THE TONGUE

31. To recite the testimony of faith (kalimah) with the tongue.

32. To recite the Quran.

33. To acquire knowledge.

34. To pass on Knowledge.

35. To make dua.

36. To make the zikr of Allah Most High.

37. To abstain from the following: lies, backbiting, vulgar words, cursing, singing that is contrary to the Shariah.

40 QUALITIES ARE CONNECTED TO THE ENTIRE BODY

38. To make wudu, ghusl, and keep one’s clothing clean.

39. To be steadfast in offering salaat.

40. To pay zakaat and sadaqatul fitr.

41. To fast.

42. To perform the Hajj.

43. To make i’tikaaf.

44. To move away or migrate from that place which is harmful for one’s deen.

45. To fulfill the vows that have been made to Allah.

46. To fulfill the oaths that are not sinful.

47. To pay the kaffarah for unfulfilled oaths.

48. To cover those parts of the body that are fard to cover.

49. To perform the ritual slaughter.

50. To enshroud and bury the deceased.

51. To fulfill your debts.

52. To abstain from prohibited things when undertaking monetary transactions.

53. Not to conceal something true which you may have witnessed.

54. To get married when the nafs desires to do so.

55. To fulfill the rights of those who are under you.

56. To provide comfort to one’s parents.

57. To rear children in the proper manner.

58. Not to sever relations with one’s friends and relatives.

59. To obey one’s master.

60. To be just.

61. Not to initiate any way that is contrary to that of the generality of the Muslims.

62. To obey the ruler, provided what he orders is not contrary to the Shariah.

63. To make peace between two warring groups or individuals.

64. To assist in noble tasks.

65. To command the good and prohibit the evil.

66. If it is the government. it should mete out punishments according to the Shariah.

67. To fight the enemies of deen whenever such an occasion presents itself.

68. To fulfill one’s trusts (amana).

69. To give loans to those who are in need .

70. To see to the needs of one’s neighbour.

71. To ensure that one’s income is pure.

72. To spend according to the Shariah.

73. To reply to one who has greeted you.

74. To say Yarhamukallah (Allah have mercy on you) when anyone says Alhamdulillah (All praise is Allah’s) after sneezing.

75. Not to cause harm to anyone unjustly.

76. To abstain from games and amusements contrary to the Shariah.

77. To remove pebbles, stones, thorns, sticks, and the like from the road.

I find them adorable.  Once they grow up, not so much, but when they’re a rolly-polly little ball of fluff, absolutely adorable.    Also, Ihasahotdog - beyond hilarious (not as good as Icanhascheezburger, but then I’m a cat person through and through).

Puppy Ad No Offense: Scottish Muslims

 

Don’t you just want to pick him up and cuddle him?  (and then go make ghusl and wash your clothes, lol).

…which means that it’s just 2 months to Ramadan!  *breaks out the Ramadan happy dance*

However, I shouldn’t get ahead of myself.  These next two months of Rajab and Shaban are special in their own right, and we shouldn’t forget the blessings that come from them.  Rajab is the month of Allah (swt), so don’t forget to turn to Him with increasing frequency.

Fasting During Rajab by Imam Zaid

Historically, one of the virtuous religious practices of Muslims is voluntary fasting during the month of Rajab. Unfortunately, there are a growing number of Muslims that consider this practice a blameworthy innovation. The following discussion, taken from Lata’if al Ma’rif fi ma li Mawasim al-‘Amm min al-Wadha’if (The Subtleties of Knowledge Concerning the Religious Duties Associated with Each Month of the Year), by Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali, helps to shed light on this increasingly contentious issue.

Farewell to Rajab by Imam Zaid

The month of Rajab is the key to the months of goodness and blessings that follow it. Abu Bakr b. al-Warraq al-Balkhi said: “Rajab is the month to sow the seeds; Sha’ban is the month to irrigate the crop; and Ramadan is the month to reap the harvest.” It has similarly been related from him: “Rajab is like the wind; Sha’ban is like the water-laden clouds; and Ramadan is like the rain.” Someone else mentioned: “The year in its entirety is like a tree: during Rajab its buds sprout; during Sha’ban it sends forth its branches; during Ramadan its fruit ripens; and the believers are the farmhands who harvest that fruit.”

On the Month of Rajab by Shaykh Ilyas Patel

It has bee mentioned by Abu’l Fath ibn Abi l-Fawaris in his Amali (dictations and transmissions) and Allama Suyuti has also mentioned in his Jami Saghir from Hasan Basri that the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) said,

Rajab is the month of Allah. Shaban is my month. Ramadhan is the month of my ummah (followers).

From the above hadith, it shows that it is preferable to make dua, to remain in the coming and following months, in order to perform good actions in them, because a true believer increases in his age with goodness. The best of people is the one who lives long and performs good actions.

Summary of Religious Duties during the Month of Rajab summarized from Imam Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali

Salatul Raghaib

…work is killing me.  I’m drowning in new complaints.  *glub glub glub* …

…I got a new phone.  It’s pink and shiney and girly.  I accessorized it with a pink hello kitty charm my sister brought me from Japan.  And I wore my hot pink sparkly sequin shayla (ok, it only has like 10 sequins on it, all tastfully embroidered around) and light pink skirt for it’s debut yesterday.  My girliness has increased in the last 6 years.  When I met the husband, I wasn’t quite a tomboy, but I definately wasn’t a girly girl.  I didn’t ask for expensive rings or jewlery or or shiney, pretty things,  or lots of clothes.   I think I’ve passed into girly girl territory now.   He wants the old me back, lol….

 …finally, I am a child of the 90s.  I was so sheltered in the 80 and early 90s that when everyone was into New Kids on the Block, my favorite singer was still Rafi.  As such, I can’t really consider myself a child of the 80s, cuz I only learned of it later from the I love the 80s tv show.  The 90s are a different story:

yeah, that’s me