Monthly Archive

If you’re muslim, like to cook and have a blog, sign up!

The Veiled Table is a very informal learning and sharing challenge. A way to test ourselves; try avenues we would normally not even think to attempt; build camaraderie, even open doors for new sisters to come together.

The challenges are open to Muslim women or women married to Muslims (but others will be taken into consideration); for all, novice, intermediate to  practically professional cooks and bakers.

First day of each month will be announced a challenge, a dish for us to decipher and recreate according to our own tastes. Every dish will for sure, be different since not one of us is the same. Mach’Allah we all come from different backgrounds; born into Muslim families or reverts; have different skill levels and talents.

There is no winner or loser, but chance to share/display our ideas, since that is the beauty of Allah’s creations … none of us are alike but we all have one great common thread mach’Allah!

And enchallah way to invite more ladies to our circle of sisters, and mabe just maybe a way for dawah.

If you interested in joining, please read the guidelines, register your e-mail and/or blog …. and let’s get to-a-creating!

Interesting, a collaboration between Madison and WPR:

Inside Islam: Challenging Misconceptions, Illuminating Diversity

When I went to Madison, they were just starting to build up their program re: Islam.   I took an excellent class on Islamic History with Michael Chamberlain, and if I had had more time, I would have taken every class he taught.  Joe Elder also taught courses on the middle east and islam that were well worth the time taking.  Assema Sinha taught a course on South Asia in the International System that greatly helped me understand Afghanistan, Pakistan and India.  I kept a lot of books from those classes, which means they must be awesome if a poor college student passes up the chance to make a few bucks selling them, ha.

Since my time there, I see they’ve been developing their ME program and adding faculty, in particular Asifa Quraishi at the Law School as a specialist in Islamic Law.

Ok, enough musing about my college days, check out the Inside Islam webpage and the WPR programs.  They have a program on Eco-Islam planned for the future that looks exciting.  If there’s a topic you’d like them to discuss, or someone you’d like to hear, they’re open to suggestions.  It would be nice to see more guests who come from outside academia.  Also, no topics on american converts yet.  Maybe I’ll have to suggest something…

My contortionist kitty caught mid groom.  She’ll sit on her behind and contort herself every which way to get clean.  And, if she gets distracted by something, she’ll try to sit up while still on her butt and will fall over   Haven’t caught that on camera yet.

The story that’s been playing here in Minnesota for some months has now made it to the big time – NPR.

Just hours before President Barack Obama took the oath of office, the FBI had word from overseas of a possible terrorist attack. The threat was linked to a Somali hard-line jihadist group called al-Shabab, or The Youth.

The threat came at a time when the FBI was focused on what looked like a massive recruitment effort of young men from Somali communities in the U.S. As many as two dozen of them have disappeared from Minneapolis alone in the past year.

Federal agents are worried these young men are training in Somalia and could end up returning to the U.S. to launch a terrorist attack.

The most recent disappearances happened last November, on Election Day. That’s when 17-year-old Burhan Hassan and six of his friends seemed to vanish. As the rest of the Somali community in the Twin Cities’ Cedar-Riverside neighborhood were watching the election returns, the boys slipped away, boarded a plane and headed to Africa.

It’s surreal to hear places you know well talked about on the national news. The Towers?  Been there.  Minnesota Dawah Institute?  Been there too.

So now this is the question to ask – will these kids keep the fighting in Somalia, or will they bring it back to the US?  The later appears to be the FBI’s fear.

There are other parts of the ummah that need our attention too:

Hundreds of (muslim) refugees abandoned at sea

 Bedraggled, hungry and dazed, the refugees arrived on the shores of Thailand after fleeing one of the most repressive governments in the world — the hard-line military regime in Myanmar, also known as Burma.

But a CNN investigation has uncovered evidence that for hundreds of Rohingya refugees — members of a Muslim minority group — abuse and abandonment at sea were what awaited them in Thailand, at the hands of Thai authorities.

…

The refugee, who identified himself as Iqbal Hussain, told CNN he was on one of six boats in a makeshift refugee fleet that arrived in Thailand in December.

He said all six boats with their refugee cargo were towed back out to sea in January, and five of the six boats sank. His boat made it back to shore, and he hid in the jungle for days until nearby villagers captured him.

In broken English and using sign language and drawings, he described what happened to the other men on the boats:

“All men dead,” he said, putting the number of dead at several hundred.

The Rohingya, a persecuted minority in Myanmar, have been fleeing their country in rickety boats for years, in search of a better life.

Thai admits Rohingya set adrift

The naval officer, who declined to be identified, told Al Jazeera: “We have to take the engines off the boats or they will come back.

“The wind will carry them to India or somewhere.”

This isn’t even delving into the abuses muslims and non muslims face at the hands of muslim governors.  The world is a scary scary place.

This isn’t to say that we ignore what is obviously near and dear to the hearts of muslims everywhere.  It would just be nice to see us working for the betterment of all mankind, and not just a few million here and there.

On a lighter note, here’s what I’d buy if I had unlimited resources.  I may have already done this once, but I needed to distract myself from all the nastiness permeating the blogosphere and the serious nature of my last few posts.

For the husband:

For my kitchen:

For the house/apartment:

For me:

And for my Squeaky:

…don’t tie your religious identity to your husband.  We often marry soon after converting, or convert after marrying a muslim man, but even if we delay marriage for a few years, we may not have fully developed our religious identity yet.

Don’t put your hope in a man, or in any human being.  Put your faith in Allah (swt).  If you rely completely on Him, it won’t matter if a mere mortal fails you. 

Ibn Abbas (ra) narrated that:

I was (once) behind the Messenger of Allah (saws) when he said to me, “Boy, I teach you (a few) words: Remember Allah, and He will protect you. Remember Allah (observing His commands and avoiding His prohibitions), and you will find Him close to you. When you have to ask for something, ask of Allah. When you seek help, seek Allah’s help. Believe firmly that if all the creation desires to benefit you in anything, they can never benefit you, but that which Allah has decreed for you. If they all unite to harm you, they will not be able to harm you in anything, but that which Allah has decreed for you.” (At-Tirmidhi)

So check yourself.  If your husband doesn’t live up to the standard set by our beloved Prophet (saws), will you run screaming from the deen?  If your whole world comes crashing down around you, will you maintain your faith?  If everything you have today is gone tomorrow, will you still rely on your Lord?

Don’t do anything to please a man.  Don’t put on hijab for him.  Don’t pray for him.  Don’t learn Arabic for him.  If you do anything, do it for Allah (swt).  A man may leave, but Allah (swt) won’t.

Develop your deen on your own terms.  Sure, if your husband is knowledgeable, ask for some guidance.  But don’t take your religion blindly from him.  Seek out a wide variety of scholars and opinions.  Find the a few that you can learn from, even if your man isn’t there anymore. 

Everything you do, check your intentions.  If you’re not doing it for Allah (swt), stop and rectify yourself.  Because a husband may not be forever, but Allah (swt) is.

On the authority of Abu Harayrah (ra), who said that the Prophet (saws) said: Allah the Almighty said:

I am as My servant thinks I am.  I am with him when he makes mention of Me.  If he makes mention of Me to himself, I make mention of him to Myself; and if he makes mention of Me in an assembly, I make mention of him in an assembly better than it.  And if he draws near to Me an arm’s length, I draw near to him a fathom’s length.  And if he comes to Me walking, I go to him at speed. (Bukhari, Muslim, Tirhmidhi, Ibn-Majah, Imam Nawawi’s 40 hadith qudsi) 

Run to Allah (swt) dear sisters.  Run!

…hijab.

I don’t write about hijab very often.  Look, I don’t even have a hijab category.  But 2 posts recently in the blogosphere have gotten me thinking.   The first is by Organica, On Taking off the Hijab, and the second is a post on a private blog where a sister has taken off her hijab after a divorce.

First and foremost, I believe hijab is fard.  It’s required.  Wearing it is submission to Allah (swt).

But I also think that it’s overemphasized.  When newbies convert, it’s often the first thing people tell them to do, even before offering to teach them how to pray.  A person’s piety is tied into how they dress, even if it isn’t a good indicator of their inner state with Allah (swt).   I also think we talk about hijab too much, which is why I don’t post much on the subject aside from fluff.

So what can you say to someone who takes off their scarf?  Nothing?  Offer your support unconditionally?  Offer your support, but with reservation?   Tell them that they’re wrong, but in a nice way?  Condemn them?

Now switch taking off hijab with something else that’s fard.  Salat.  Fasting.  Abstaining from pork or alcohol.  Not backbiting.

I doubt we’d offer positive support to someone who announces they’re not going to pray anymore.  Or who decides that they’re going to have ham sandwiches for lunch.  So why should one offer complete unconditional support without telling that person that taking the hijab off is wrong?  Sure, they know it’s wrong, but are we doing right by not saying anything?

The Qur’an tells us over and over again to enjoin what is right.  If we see a wrong and we say nothing, are we acting according to the will of Allah (swt)?

They believe in God and the Last Day, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong, and vie with one another in doing good works:  and these are among the righteous (3:114)

…And that there might grow out of you a community who invite unto all that is good, and enjoin the doing of what is right and forbid the doing of what is wrong: and it is they, they who shall attain to a happy state (3:104)

Now see, here’s why I don’t write on hijab often.  I have nothing profound to say, no great insights to offer, no conclusions reached.  This is just something that has been playing in the back of my head, and I felt I needed to write something to get it out.  I haven’t commented on the sister’s blog, because I don’t comment often, and I’m loathe to seem like one of those people for whom hijab is the be all and end all of islam.

…funny, no mention of his religion.

On the 36th anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion, a man smashed his SUV into the entrance of the Planned Parenthood office in St. Paul this morning.

…

Several employees were in the building at the time, said Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Kathi Di Nicola. She said the SUV hit the front door of the clinic two or three times, damaging the clinic’s front door and surrounding stonework.

When Di Nicola arrived at the clinic, she said the man had gotten out of the SUV and was pacing around it, holding a crucifix and chanting. “He was agitated and he was saying, ’shut down this Auschwitz,’ ” she said.

Hmm, carrying a crucifix…I bet he was one of dem dang muzzie terrorists!

From Umar Lee:

Quote from Umar Lee:

Romantically, the fairy tale “fluffy” version of love that is the norm today was also strange to the Sahabah and in the history of Islam, outside of Rumi (who many if not most consider to be a deviant) there is very little in terms of a history of romance being glorified by learned religious men.

Ibn Taymiyyah on the concept of “love”. From Majmoo’ al-Fataawa (10/129):

Love is a psychological sickness, and if it grows strong it affects the body, and becomes a physical sickness, either as diseases of the brain, which are said to be diseases caused by waswaas, or diseases of the body such as weakness, emaciation and so on.

Alhamdulilah ibn Taymiyyah isn’t the be all and end all of islam.

I may have mentioned once or twice (or a billion times) that my husband is a fan of ibn Hazm.  He often laments that most of ibn Hazm’s works aren’t translated into english and plans to one day undertake a translation project of his legal rulings.

One of the works that is in english is Ṭawq al-Ḥamāmah, The Ring of the Dove.  It’s an entire book devoted to the topic of love, from one of the scholars modern salafis admire.

Of the Nature of Love

Of Love–may God exalt you! -the first part is jesting, and the last part is right earnestness. So majestic are its divers aspects, they are too subtle to be described; their reality can only be apprehended by personal experience. Love is neither disapproved by Religion, nor prohibited by the Law; for every heart is in God’s hands.

Many rightly guided caliphs and orthodox imams have been lovers. Of those who have lived in our beloved Andalusia I may mention `Abd al-Rahman Ibn Mu’awiya, the lover of Da`ja; al-Hakam Ibn Hisham; `Abd al-Rahman Ibn al-Hakam, whose passion for Tarub the mother of his son `Abd Allah is more famous among men than the very sun itself; Muhammad Ibn `Abd al-Rahman, well-known admirer of Ghizlan who bore him ‘Uthman, al-Qasim and al-Mutarrif; and Al-Hakam al-Mustansir, adorer of Subh mother of Hisham al-Mu’aiyad Billah, who refused to interest himself in any other child but hers.
Such instances are extremely numerous; and but for the rightful claims of our rulers upon the respect of all Moslems, so that we ought to recount concerning them only such stories as illustrate martial resolution and the propagation of the faith-and their amours were after all conducted in the privacy of their palaces and in the bosom of their families, so that it would not be at all seemly to report on them-but for this I would certainly have introduced not a few anecdotes illustrating their part in the love-business. As for their men of State and pillars of Empire, their tender romances are indeed innumerable; the most recent instance being the affair we were witnessing only yesterday between al-Muzaffar `Abd al-Malik Ibn Abi ‘Amir and Wahid the cheese monger’s daughter, a grand passion which so transported that great nobleman that he actually married the girl; she was subsequently ` inherited’ by the-grand–vizier `Abd Allah Ibn Maslama after the fall of the `Amirids; and when `Abd Allah in his turn was put to death, she became the consort of a Berber chieftain. I was told of a similar instance too by Abu ‘l-`Aish Ibn Maimun al-Qurashi al-Husaini: Nizar Ibn Ma` add, ruler of Egypt, would not look upon his son Mansur Ibn Nizar his successor on the throne, the one who claimed to be a god-for quite a time after he was born, so as to spare the feelings of a certain ’slave-girl with whom he was deeply in love; yet he had no other male issue but this child to inherit his kingdom and keep his memory green.

Of the saints and learned doctors of the faith who lived in past ages and times long ago, some there are whose love lyrics are sufficient testimony to their passion, so that they require no further notice. It will be enough to mention only one name: ‘Ubaid Allah Ibn `Abd Allah’ Ibn ‘Utba Ibn Masud was famous for his tender verses, and he, as we remember, was one of the celebrated Seven Jurists of Medina. As for Ibn `Abbas, a single sentence once uttered by him amply dispenses with any need for further quotation; he pronounced the weighty judgment, ” This man was slain by love: there is therefore no case for blood wit or retaliation.”

Concerning the nature of Love men have held various and divergent opinions, which they have debated at great length. For my part I consider Love as a conjunction between scattered parts of souls that have become divided in this physical universe, a union effected within the substance of their original sublime element. I do not share the view advanced by Muhammad Ibn Dawud-God have mercy on his soul! -who followed certain philosophers in declaring that spirits are segmented spheres; rather do I suppose an affinity of their vital forces in the supernal world, which is their everlasting home, and a close approximation in the manner of their constitution. We know the secret of commingling and separation in created things to be simply a process of union and disassociation; every form always cries out for its corresponding form; like is ever at rest with like. Congeneity has a perceptible effect and a visible influence; repulsion of opposites, accord between similar, attractions of like for like these are facts taking place all round us. How much more then should the same factors operate within the soul, whose world is pure and etherial, whose substance is volatile and perfectly poised, whose constituent principle is so disposed as to be intensely sensitive to harmony, inclination, yearning, aversion, passionate desire and antipathy. All this is common knowledge it is immediately observable in the moods which successively control every man, and to which we all accommodate ourselves successfully. Allah Himself says, “It is He that created you of one soul, and fashioned thereof its spouse, that he might find repose in her” (Koran VII I8g). Be it noted that the reason God assigns for man’s reposing in woman is that she was made out of him.

If the cause of Love were physical beauty, the consequence would be that no body defective in any shape or form would attract admiration; yet we know of many a man actually preferring the inferior article, though well aware that another is superior, and quite unable to turn his heart away from it. Again, if Love were due to a harmony of characters, no man would love a person who was not of like purpose and in concord with him. We therefore conclude that Love is something within the soul itself.

Sometimes, it is true, Love comes as a result of a definite cause outside the soul, but then it passes away when the cause itself disappears: one who is fond of you because of a certain circumstance will turn his back on you when that motive no longer exists. I have made this point in the verses, which follow. 

My love for thee shall aye endure
As now, most perfect and most pure;
It brooks no increase, no decline,
Since it’s complete, and wholly thine.

I cannot any cause discover,
Except my will, to be thy lover,
And boldly challenge any man
To name another, if he can.

For sure, when any thing we see
Of its own self sole cause to be,
That being, being of that thing,
Lives ever undiminishing

But when we find its origin
Is other than the thing it’s in,
Our losing that which made it be
Annihilates it instantly.

While I’m not an adherent to ibn Hazm’s legal methodology, I do appreciate the non fiqh books that I have access to – The Ring of the Dove and his work on other religions.  Good reads, if you have the time.

…were terrified.

A Palestinian boy carries a cat inside his house in Jabalya in the northern Gaza Strip January 14, 2009. U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon renews in Egypt call for ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, whose aircraft kept up pounding of tunnels used by group to smuggle arms into Gaza Strip.

REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (GAZA)

rollin in the nip

Thoughts later.  inshaAllah the Obama administration’s policies towards muslims will extend beyond a few words in his inaugural address:

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

…

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

…while working overtime on Sunday, I was listening to the inaugural concert on NPR.  Now, aside from the increadibly bugie act of being a dedicated NPR fan and supporter, I further exposed myself as a RIM when I squeed as Bono listed Palestine as one of the countries yearning for freedom.

Also, when Bruce Springsteen and Pete Seeger sang “This Land is Your Land,” I sang along.  Then I tried to call my sister, who was at the concert, just so I could feel like I was there.

However, I’m conflicted.  I’m a Hamza Yusuf Fan girl and an obvious RIM, but I attend a ghetto masjid.  Contradictions…make…head…explode…

Umar Lee blogs about “RIMS” undermining Islam in the west and their “chief,” Sheikh Hamza.

Indigo Jo responds.

I’ll just comment a little further on one point:

7 – Using English Instead of Arabic

The Sunnah becomes the Prophetic Tradition. Shariah become Sacred Law, Allah becomes God, etc. RIM converts usually keep their non-Muslim names (especially if they are white). The more Western and white Islam can be made by RIMS the better (although this is a futile effort).

There is no need to take an Arabic name, or indeed any new name unless one’s existing name is offensive to Islam, for example, the name of an idol or an anti-Islamic Arabic Christian name like Abdul-Maseeh. Most of the Sahaba did not take new names, and non-Arabic names are common in parts of the world where Arabic is not spoken; Arabic naming customs are rare outside the Arabic-speaking world, in fact, other than among converts and “salafis” in the West. The rest of what he refers to here is not unlawful or offensive, particularly when explaining Islam to non-Muslims, and those scholars who use these terms in writing (e.g. Shaikh Nuh Keller in the Reliance of the Traveller) use the Arabic words otherwise.

I kept my name when I converted for many reasons.  First, my parents gave me my name and I did not want to dishonor them by changing it.  Second, as Indigo Jo writes, it wasn’t necessary for the sahaba to change their names, so why should I?

But perhaps most importantly now, I kept my name because I don’t need to be an arab to be a muslim.  I’m not attempting to make Islam more western and white.  I’m showing that Islam is for euro-americans, just as it is for black americans, egyptians, pakistanis, nigerians,  indonesians, heck, every person on this planet.  I don’t need to give up my cultural identity when I embrace Islam.  It become part of my muslim identity.

I didn’t need to take a “muslim” (read arabic) name when I converted.  When I became muslim, Jennifer became a muslim name.

Tangent – I wonder if UL has a beef with the scholars of the subcontinent who refer to islamic terms in urdu, ie namaz for salat.  Are they part of the vast RIM conspiracy too?

-20F/-40F windchill.

Brr.

that is all

I’m currently using Frontier Co-op’s alcohol free vanilla flavoring for my baking.  It’s quite tasty and I have no complaints.  But, it never hurts to have a back up plan.  I found another alcohol free vanilla flavoring on the web this morning, from Cooks.  I haven’t seen it in stores, but it’s on my to try list.

Other alcohol free ingredients from cooks:

• Almond Powder 
• Vanilla Powder

You don’t know what the big deal is?

Oh, please, he is just another president, only this time we get one that is a first term Senator/Community Organizer that is half black, half white. Whooppee It is not that big of a deal and I know that if McCain would have been elected he would never have wasted all that money on all the hoop-la.

45 years ago, we had this:

And this:

Today we have this:

And you don’t see what the big deal is?

…an epic story of cold weather, near crushing defeat and then finally triumph?  No?  Oh, too bad, you’re going to hear it anyways.

I live in an apartment. Occasionally, they’ll let us know that they’re going to plow the parking lot and our cars have to be out at 8 am. No big deal, I’ll just take the car to work instead of the bus. 6 am, and the car…won’t…start.  Not ever rev rev rev, no go.  Like seriously short “eh eh eh,” no catch at all.  And, no one around to be me a jump.

6:30 am, no one around to give me a jump, etc etc etc.

Did I mention that with the wind, it’s -35 or 40?

So I stayed home from work to plead my case with the landlady. They have the choice of a $50 fine or towing. Please just give me the fine, I begged, I’ll take my shovel and shovel around and under my car, so you can’t tell the difference. Nope, we’re going to tow. Nope, we’re going to tow. Nope, we’re going to tow. She was seriously heartless. She’s like, I have a car too, and I got it moved. Well, excuuuuuuuse me for not being able to afford a new car. I’ve already had to put $1000 worth of repairs into it last year, and I have some more work that needs to be done. arguh!

At this point, I’m a blubbering mess.  The Squeakster attempts to calm me by jumping on my lap and butting my hand to snuggle with her.  Ah well, better go watch my car get towed.  Outside.  In the artic breeze.

I called up my husband at work (who doesn’t know how to drive and doesn’t know anything about cars) and called my landlady every name in the book in between sobs.  I’m trying not to swear, the husband doesn’t like when I swear, but I was so shaken up, he didn’t even point out the string of filth I was uttering.  That helped relieve my stress a bit, but my car was still stuck. So I call my dad up at work. He suggested I try to jump it, since it was too slow to catch apparently. Now it was 8:30 and there was no one around to give me a jump.

The temperature may have crept up to -32 by now.

Ah, but there is the little corner grocery store that I’ve been avoiding since I was nearly assaulted a few months ago. The owners are muslim and like me well enough. Maybe they’ll give me a jump.

So I dash over, frozen to the bone after being in and out of the cold for the better part of 2 hours, and ask for a jump. There’s only one guy in the store and for another moment, I’m almost crying again. But, thank God, but he lets me take his car!

This is the first time I’ve jumped my car by myself, so I hook it up like my friend’s husband did last time – both clamps on the borrowed car, red one on my battery and black one on the chasse. Nothing happened.

Call my dad, crying again. He suggests I put the black one on the battery and listen for their battery to go down. Ah ha, there are sparks, it’s working.

Thank God, it starts while I’m on the phone with my dad. I just completely break down and keep mumbling thank God, thank God, thank God, which freaks my dad out, lol. I’m kind of the religious freak in the family.

Now I have another dilemma. I have 2 running cars, one that I have to return. I can’t turn off my car, otherwise it may not start again. And my purse is up in the apartment. Thankfully the very nice Russian maintenance guy happens to be walking by. I run up and ask him if he can watch my car. He doesn’t understand English very well, and thought I wanted help pushing it. Luckily through gesturing, he understands and I manage to return the car and get my stuff.

Thank God. Now I have to bake cookies for the guy at the store and the maintenance guy. Maybe I’ll make cheese cake…and buy a new battery for my car.

Feeling helpless as you watch the news each day?  Want to give something, but you’re not sure which charities are safe and/or will get the aid in and get things done?

UNRWA – the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Refugees in the Near East – has a special Gaza appeal.

Islamic Relief in conjunction with al Maghrib Institute is hosting an ilminar/fundraise online tonight.  I’ve donated to IRW for years and have never had any trouble.   IRW has people on the ground in Gaza, and is currently providing aid.

Spiffy or too cluttered?  Does the amazon widget look wacky to anyone else?  It doesn’t have the cool ferris wheel of books, just the corner of one book in the corner from the looks of it here.

Via UmmTravis I stumbled upon Compound Cats.  It’s a volunteer organization based in Saudi Arabia (I think) that aims to promote understanding and better treatment of cats in residential compounds.  Having seen how street cats are treated in Cairo first hand and hearing about the kitties in Medina from almiskeenah, a hearty alhamdulilah and many duas for the peeps at Compound Cats for their effort!  I had been thinking about how a TNR program would work in the Middle East, and low and behold, people are already working on it!  Alhamdulilah.

When we adopted the Squeakster, she was already spayed.  If she hadn’t been, I don’t think the husband would have allowed her to be.  The prevailing opinion, it seems, is that spaying/neutering is unislamic.  Compound Cats has put together a good argument as to why neutering in particular should be permissible islamically.  Granted, I’m not sure it will convince my very stubborn husband, but we’ll see.  Their final point is a good one:

People have created a situation for these animals which is no longer natural and neutering is the more compassionate and beneficial way to help the situation.

From what I’ve been told, the saudi government (?) deals with the cat over population population problem by culling (ie killing) cats they scoop off the street.  Wouldn’t it be more humane to snip snip and let the cats live out their natural lives?  Snip snip vs. death…hmm, I wonder…

As a muslim and a cat lover, this site made my day.

I’m cooking my way around the world!  Around Eid al Adha, the husband and I found ourselves in a used bookstore, and Varied Kitchens of India caught my eye.  He bought it for me as part of my eid present (the other part being the Squeakster – best. eid. ever.), and I’ve been cooking from it non stop ever since.  It’s pretty expensive just about everywhere online unfortunately.  It looks to be cheapest at Halalco, at $20.  I ordered from them years ago and they totally screwed up my order, so I haven’t ordered from them since.  Proceed with caution if you chose that route.

After college, my culinary skills were limited to boxed, processed crap.  Look, make some mac n cheese, chop up some hotdogs, nuke some frozen veggies, mix together and wa’la, it’s a meal!  Yeah, and the result 4 years later is high blood pressure and even higher than normal cholesterol.  Last year, I dabbled in vegetarianism.  It didn’t stick, but in the process, I was introduced to international cuisine.  Through Madhur Jaffrey’s World-of-the-East Vegetarian Cooking, I discovered the wonders of the curry, and a million and one things to make with beans.

Since picking up my Varied Kitchens of India book, I’ve decided to cook my way around the world.  Just about everything I’ve made from VKI has been absolutely fabulous.  There are a few things I’m not going to try – brain curry just doesn’t sound all too appetizing to me – but I’m steadily working my way through it.  I’ve made a number of recipes each week, and look forward to several more weeks of delicious indian food.

Every weekend, I prepare food for the week.  If I devote 3 or 4 hours on Sunday to cooking, my weekday evenings after work are free for other things (like working my way through Treatise for the Seekers of Guidance, discussing world events with the husband and cuddling with ma kitteh).  Here’s one of the recipes I’ve made recently:

Piaju, Two-Lentil Fritters – this comes from the Jews of Calcutta section of the book, which is the largest.  The author writes in his notes that this isn’t an exclusively jewish food, but that’s where he learned the recipe from.  My notes are in parenthesis.

• 1 cup yellow lentils/chana ka dal
• 1/2 cup red lentils/egyptian
• 1/2 t crushed fresh ginger root (I just used powder)
• 1 small garlic clove, crushed to a paste (out of garlic, so I used garlic powder)
• 1/2 t chopped fresh hot chili ( don’t keep chilis on hand, so I used chili powder)
• 1/2 t ground turmeric
• 1/2 t salt
• 2 medium onions, chopped, 1 cup
• 1 T fresh coriander (didn’t have this, so I threw in some ground coriander seeds. Next time I may use parsley.  I can’t find coriander leaves at the local grocery store)
• 1 c oil for frying (I used probably 1/3 c)

1.   Soak the yellow and red lentils separately in water for 4 hours. Drain. Crush them to a coarse paste in a processor.
2. Mix the lentils and the gingerroot, garlic, chili, turmeric, salt, onions and coriander together (I divided the lentils in half and put half the ingredients in with each half into the food processor)
3. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over moderate heat. Take 1 heaping T of the lentil mixture and shape into a 2 inch fritter about 3/8 inch thick. Continue to shape fritters with the rest of the mixture. Brown them in oil for about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels

Serve warm with lemon wedges (I just squeezed lemon juice into a bowl and dunked at will. Mmm, tasty.)

(When I make these again, I’ll only make up what we’re going to eat just then. They’re not as good reheated.  Also, I may try to bake them – brush a pan with olive oil, put the paddies on the pan and then brush the tops with olive oil.  The doctor told me no more fried foods, and oil is used liberally in this cookbook *sobs*)

More recipes to come inshaAllah.  I’m thinking about trying either Vietnamese or Caribbean cooking next.  Any cookbook recommendations?

You’re more than welcome to pass what I write here along to others.  However, if you copy my work, please credit me.  Link back to the original blog post.  Thank you.

God, give us grace to accept with serenity the things that cannot be changed, courage to change the things that should be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish the one from the other.

attributed to Reinhold Niebuhr

There is horror in the world around us.  Far away, bombs are dropped and innocent people are killed.  In the forgotten parts of Africa, people are massacred without the world watching. 
Closer to home, there is poverty, death and despair, even if it’s not in our faces.

The Prophet (saws) and his companions experienced hardship.  They saw horrors.  What were they do to about it?

“When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved, let him change it with his hand.  If he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue.  And if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the weakest faith.” (from the collection of Imam Nawawi’s 40 hadith)

So what is a person to do when they’ve done this, and still, the horrors persist?  It is hard to have any faith left in this world, in our fellow human beings, when we see the awful things we perpetrate upon one another.

The answer is tawakkul, absolute trust in our Lord.  We can feel sadness, and strive to change the wrongs in the world, but if we do not succeed as much as we had hoped, we need to know that is the will of Allah (swt).  There should be no despair in what Allah (swt) has willed.

Anas ibn Malik (ra) is reported as having said:

“A man once rode into town on a fine she-camel of his, and he said: ‘O Messenger of Allah, shall I just leave her unattended, and put my trust in the Lord [ada'u-ha wa atawakkalu]?’ So the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) told him: ‘Hobble her feet with a rope, and put your trust in the Lord [a'qil-ha wa tawakkal]!’”

Granted, it is very easy to type this, but not so easy to do.  It is a struggle, a test from Allah (swt), to submit to Him and to His will.

New year, so why not revive the sunnah of the week series?  inshaAllah this time I won’t flake out

Sunnah of the Week 09:01

From Al-Adab al-Mufrad al-Bukhari:

‘A’isha (ra) said, “I went to the Prophet (saws), and said, ‘Messenger of Allah, you give your wives kunyas, so give me a kunya.’ He said, ‘Take the kunya of your nephew, ‘Abdullah.’”

I gave myself a kunya today.  I am now UmmSqueakster.  At first, I intended it to be merely a change of pace, as I’ve been rahma online since 2002.  However, upon thinking and doing some digging, I can now say that I do it to impliment a sunnah.  Granted, it’s not conventional, but it isn’t unheard of either.  Using an animal in the kunya is a sunnah of the companions.    Abu Hurairah (ra) translates as “Father of th small cat.”

Now if anyone ever asks me what my muslim name is, I can say UmmSqueaky.  That should throw them for a loop, ha.

Yes, I’m odd, I already know that, thank you very much.

Via Sufi News and Sufism World Report:

“You’d believe me if I said I was from Minnesota, right?” asks Charlie Sanders, noting his appearance, at the top of his new solo show.  “But if I told you I was raised Muslim. you’d think I was kidding. ”

…
Sanders draws in the audience by recalling, with hilarious acuity, the confusion of his teenage peers in the early ’90s. Spike Lee had just made Malcolm X; when some of the African-Americans at Sanders’s school found out he was Muslim, they accused him of posing, of trying to co-opt something “black.” Then he recited a prayer in perfect Arabic, and they lionized him.

…

The piece teems with misguided characters searching for meaning.  In spite of this – or pehraps because of it – Sanders offers no message.  His disinterest in dogma might mirror a decision to leave behind the religion of his youth (he admits he’s agnostic now).

I’m disapointed by that last bit – would love to see more practicing muslims creating “halal theater.”  The husband is in theater, if only as an accountant for one, lol.  It does mean we get lots of tickets to lots of shows though

Did a little googling, and found that he’s posting as “Bacon Shakin” on an improv board.  It would be interesting to see the show, if only to try to suss out why someone raised in Islam in the same environment I’m in would leave.

Here’s my first crack at muslim lolcats.  They’re nowhere near as hilarious as Mr. Moo’s, but give me some time

FYI, when a person prays alone, they can set an object out in front of them known as a sutra.  Anyone passing in front of the praying person should pass in front of the sutra.

In Imam Nawawi’s collection of 40 ahadith, we find that our beloved Prophet (saws) said:

“When any one of you sees anything that is disapproved, let him change it with his hand.  If he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his tongue.  And if he is not able to do so, then let him change it with his heart, though that is the weakest faith.”

Do you see it?

With your hand, change it.  In a recent SP class, we were talking about figurative and literal meanings.  The Prophet (saws) told his wives that the ones with the longest hands would be the first to join him.  The wives thought he meant literally who had the biggest hands, and measured against each other.  In the end, the first wife to pass on was the one who had given the most in charity.  She had stretched her hand out to give charity, making it the longest.  Use your hands to reach into your bank account and give.  Islamic Relief must have some access, because we received a letter from them yesterday saying they had delivered $130,000 worth of medical supplies within the first 48 hours.  With your hand, change it.

With your tongue, change it.   Write a letter to the editor.  Write your representative and/or senator.  With your tongue, change it.

With your heart, change it.   Make abundant dua.  Turn to Allah (swt) and rely on Him, because He is the one who will change these conditions.  Our Lord! Bestow on us Mercy from Thyself, and dispose of our affair for us in the right way! [18:10].  With your heart, change it.

I knew from the minute I saw you in that tiny cage at the humane society with that little hand written sign saying “I’m a cuddler” that Allah (swt) had meant for us to be together.   Every day has been brighter and happier because of you and I thank Allah (swt) for bringing you into my life.

I love you Squeakster.

From Sunan Abu Dawud, an example of how our mother Aisha (ra) treated cats:

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu’minin:

Dawud ibn Salih ibn Dinar at-Tammar quoted his mother as saying that her mistress sent her with some pudding (harisah) to Aisha who was offering prayer. She made a sign to me to place it down. A cat came and ate some of it, but when Aisha finished her prayer, she ate from the place where the cat had eaten. She stated: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: It is not unclean: it is one of those who go round among you. She added: I saw the Messenger of Allah (saws) performing ablution from the water left over by the cat.

Sorry to go MIA.  I’ll respond to comments soon inshaAllah.

Happy 1430/2009!  As always, I make resolutions, but perhas this year, I can actually keep them?

Dunya:

• Walk every week day during my lunch hour, if even for 15 minutes
• Do ab exercises everyday
• Lift weights 3 times a week
• Only spend $20 on eating out each month
• Learn Caribbean and Vietnamese cooking
• Show Squeaky in the HHP category at a TICA cat show.

Akhira

• Complete the 40 grand and keep on going inshaAllah
• Never leave a salat without doing x amount of dhikr
• Learn a new ayah every week
• Leave ____ sin (sorry, that one’s private)

As always, inshaAllah inshaAllah inshaAllah.