Monthly Archive

Sh. Faraz Rabbani has started an excellent podcast teaching from Fada’il al’A'mal by Imam Diya’ al-Maqdisi.  I’ve transcribed a most of the first short podcast that was posted on the 20th of April. 

A poster on a board I frequent announced today that she had recently left islam, due in part to the extras that muslims insisted needed to be followed outside the Qur’an.  SubhanAllah, how great is Allah (swt), that I put on my ipod over my lunch break and this very podcast plays?  In it, Sh. Faraz introduces the text and speaks about why we learn the sunnah.  Sh. Faraz speaks as follows:

Verily in the Messenger of Allah, the most beautiful of examples for whoever seeks Allah and the last day and makes much remembrance of Allah (33:21)

So what is our intention in learning the sunnah?  It is what Allah (swt) tells us in this verse “Verily in the Messenger of Allah the most beautiful of examples for whoever seeks Allah and the last day and makes much remembrance of Allah.”  So our goal in learning the prophetic guidance and learning our deen, what is it?  It is to seek Allah (swt), to become people of meaning.  We are seeking Allah.  We are seeking His absolute good pleasure.  We are seeking closeness to Allah (swt) in this life and the next.  We are seeking to be those beloved to Allah, of those who love Him, those who remember Him, those who are granted the contentment and serenity that only comes through being of those who remember Allah and live that remembrance.

Verily it is by the remembrance of Allah that hearts find rest (13:28).

And the way unto the love of Allah (swt) is by love of the Messenger (saws) and through living his radiant example.  Allah’s Messenger (saws) tells us that

 None of you believes until I am more beloved to them than their wealth, and their parents and their children and all people.

And Allah (swt) tells us about our condition of our love for Allah (swt) being true:

Say if you love Allah, then follow me, and Allah will love you (3:31).

This is an address to the Prophet (saws) to tell all humanity, say if you love Allah, if you love God, follow me, follow the messenger, and Allah will love you.

What do we seek in life?  We seek Allah, we seek to be beloved to Allah, to be pleasing to Allah and the way to that, the door to the Divine is the emissary of God, our beloved Messenger (saws). 

And so we should be very clear in our intention in this.  And we’re seeking knowledge that is of benefit, knowledge that we are bringing into our lives and that we strive to live in the most beautiful of ways with the sense of yearning for Allah (swt) and for our standing with our Lord.  So to be people who’s worship is characterized by excellence and beauty and who’s conduct in life is characterized by excellence and beauty, for that is that beautiful example, that excellent example that is the Messenger of Allah (saws).

This rarely lasts more than 2 days in our house.  Also notice the almost clean stove top.  That’s a rarity too.

Omm Ali is one of my favorite Egyptian foods.  I used to fill my suitcases with mixes when I visited and carefully ration them out.  Little did I know that this dish actually isn’t all that hard to make.  Thank you google!

I can’t speak to how authentic this recipe is, since I haven’t been to Egypt in 4 years and my memory of it has been obscured by my own attempts to make it.  However, AbuS has claimed that what I make is better then the stuff we ate next to the Hussein mosque the day we bought our rings.

*1 can of refrigerator crescent rolls (Pillsbury actually makes a general cooking pastry in the rolls section as well that works) or one sheet puff pastry dough.  In my continued quest to cut out processed foods, I’m going to attempt to make my own puff pastry next time around.  That should be fun…not.  Wish me luck.
*1/2 cup chopped walnuts
*1/2 cup chopped pecans
*1 cup raisins – I usually soak these in hot water for a few minutes to plump them up
*1 cup flaked coconut
*1 cup sugar
*4 (or 6) cups 2% milk

1. Roll the crescent roll sheet out onto a pan, and cut into a bunch of little squares. You don’t need to actually separate the squares. Bake for ~12 minutes in a 375 degree oven. Varies depending on the roll brand you use.  Or, if you’re using puff pastry, bake according to direction, until light and flaky.

2. While the rolls are baking, put the milk over a medium-low heat and stir occasionally. When milk gets warm, add sugar and continue to stir

3. When the rolls are done, grease 9×13 pan, and break the sheet into little pieces across the pan. Add nuts, raisins and coconut. Mix.

4. When milk starts to simmer, remove from heat and pour into 9×13 pan. Mix a bit

5. Bake in 375 degree oven 20-30 minutes.

Now, in egypt Omm Ali tends to have a little soupy sauce. To get this, use the 6 cups of milk. Abu Squeakster likes it at a more bread pudding like consistancy. To get this, use 4 cups of milk.

This is a (relatively) healthier version of what is made in egypt. There, they tend to use heavy cream and/or whole-ish milk.   Tasty, but this goes quickly, so you don’t want to get a whole week’s worth of fat in one sitting.

Umm Adam has a post up with pictures (and video!) of her recent umrah and family vacation to Makkah.

Check out the video of people waiting for fajr prayer.  MashaAllah, can you imagine praying fajr with so many people?

Oh Allah, please allow us to visit your house soon and to follow in the footsteps of Adam, Huwa, Hajar, Ibrahim, Ismael, Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all) and millions of your slaves in hajj and/or umrah!  Ameen.

People from 76 different countries visit this blog in the last month.  Wohhh. 

Assalamu Alaikum wa RahmatuAllahi wa Barakatu to my readers in the US, the UK, Canada, Germany, India, Malaysia, Grenada, Pakistan, Egypt, Australia, the UAE, Morocco, Netherlands, France, Indonesia, Turkey, KSA, South Africa, Belgium, Sweden, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Singapore, Kuwait, Bangladesh, Norway, Switzerland, Russia, Italy, Macedonia, Denmark, Marutius, New Zealand, Thailand, Yemen, Senegal, Serbia, Jordan, Trinidad and Tobago, Lebanon, Qatar, Bahrain, China, Ireland, Poland, Austria, Spain, Japan, Israel, Tunisia, Ghana, Syria, Oman, TAnzania, Mexico, Sri Lanka, Algeria, Philippines, Croatia, Gambia, Maldives, Estonia, Ukraine, (not set – wonder if this is Palestine?), Hungary, Botswana, Romania, Ivory Coast, Kenya, Malawi, Albania, Finland, South Korea, Barbados, Brazil, Slovakia, Cyprus, and Antigua and Barbuda.

So what do all these readers want to see more of?  More Squeaky (ah, come’on, you know you want it)?  More current events?  More cooking?  More muslims in america? 

I am planning on posting excerpts from the lectures I’ve been listening to inshaAllah.

On that random tangent, if you haven’t been listening to Imam Suhaib’s class, you’re seriously missing out.  MashaAllah awesomeness.

“We are not amused”  

The Queen of the Apartment surveys her domain and waits impatiently for love and affection to be showered upon her.

     Yay or nay to civil disobedience?  My inner squishy liberal heart when all pitty pat when I saw this picture yesterday.  However, my sister, who works on capital hill for another equally squishy liberal democrat, was not impressed.

    Congressman Keith Ellison (D-Minnesota-Muslim) was arrested at a protest in front of the Sudanese Embassy yesterday in a calculated act of civil disobedience.

Ellison said he and the other members of Congress who were arrested succeeded in bringing national attention to the Darfur crisis that they wouldn’t have received otherwise. “I could have sent out a press release, but it would be, ‘Yeah, so what?’”

…

“They told us three times to leave, we didn’t leave and they arrested us,” Ellison said nearly four hours later, after he paid a $100 fine and was released.

Secret Service spokesman Darrin Blackford said uniformed officers made eight arrests, including Ellison. “They were charged with crossing a police line, which is a misdemeanor,” he said.

Also arrested were Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Mass.; John Lewis, D-Ga.; Donna Edwards, D-Md.; and Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif.; and three Darfur activist leaders

…

Since 2007, early in his congressional tenure, Ellison has tried to make conditions in Darfur a major legislative priority.

     There is something romantic about civil disobedience for us squishy liberals.  Who wouldn’t want to emulate Gandhi and MLK Jr?  And it did bring the issue to the fore.  But will it actually make a difference?  Alas, my inner cynic is also a pessimist in this case.

     On a related note, it does perk up the inner cynic that a muslim is taking a stand on an issue that is not Palestine related.  While we should continue to work for justice for our brothers and sisters in Palestine, we need to take stock of our ummah’s actions and behaviors elsewhere as well.

In Sahh Bukhari, we find that the beloved Prophet (saws) said:

“Help your brother, whether he is an oppressor or he is oppressed.”  He was then asked:  “It is right to help him if he is oppressed, but how should we help him if he is an oppressor?”  He answered:  “By preventing him from oppressing others.”

     From my own humble observations of the muslim ummah, we’re very good at screaming bloody murder when non muslims oppress muslims.  We’re also very good at looking the other way when muslims oppress others.

    It’s high past time that we got our head out of the sand and took this sunnah to heart.

Allah (swt) truly does not burden His slaves with something more than they can bear, and He is Most Merciful towards them.

That is all.

*wipes tears of laughter from eyes*

Courtesy of a poster on twincities.com:

Arrrgh Matey!

Oh… who is that lawmaker sailing out to the sea?
(Siefert! Squarepants!)

A grandstanding dodger of state issues is he…
(Siefert! Squarepants!)

When real legislation complicates his small mind
(Siefert! Squarepants!)

He pulls out a non-issue, the xenophobic kind!
(Siefert! Squarepants!)

EVERYBODY…

SIEFERT, SQUAREPANTS

SIEFERT, SQUAREPANTS

SIEFERT! SQUAREPANTS!

And from guy behind Kamis Apparel:

Minn. lawmaker: No funds to ‘pirate lovers’

“Taxpayers shouldn’t be supporting those who support and defend people who attack Americans,” Seifert said in a statement with the headline: “Seifert: No taxpayer support for pirate lovers and terrorists.”

…

Seifert said he’s researching how much money has gone to support Jamal’s group over the last few years, and so far, he has found one public safety grant for a few hundred dollars.

The pirate is currently being represented by a PUBLIC defender.  I wonder who pays for a PUBLIC defender?

Lots of stuff to share today: 

I think there is scarcely a muslim community in the US that has not been helped by Imam Siraj at one point or another.  It’s high time we give back.

Via Indigo Jo, an article on the civil war in the right wing islamophobe blogosphere.  I must have a bit of a masochistic side, because I semi-regularly browse several of the blogs mentioned.  This story gave me warm fuzzies.

Faraz Rabbani has been putting out some mashaAllah excellent podcasts.  Two new ones in the last 2 days, one on the significance of wudu, and the other on the goal of seeking sacred knowledge.

 And out of Minnesota, the war on pirates hits close to home.  The director of the Somali Justice Advocacy Center, Omar Jamal, is out in New Yorktrying to get a lawyer for the young pirate.  Back home, (republican) Marty Seifert isn’t too happythat someone is actually, you know, helping the wheels of justice progress.  The right to an attorney?  Pshhh, who needs an attorney?  He wants government funding to the SJAC taken away. 

See, here’s what I don’t get.  We have a system here in the US, a justice system.  You either work within it (legally) or outside of it (illegally).   If someone wants to work within the system, they’re bad and must be punished?  What exactly are we suppose to do with this accused pirate?  Turn him over to a lynch mob? 

Imam Malik (ra) advised Imam Shafi’i (ra) to make his actions like flour and his knowledge salt.  What did he mean?  Bread is made from much flour, to which only a pinch of salt is added.  Such should be the combination of knowledge and action within a scholar.

~Sh. Zulfiqar Ahmad in Letter I of Wisdom for the Seeker.  Sh. Ahmed Arshad also mentions this advice in his lecture on Sincerity in Actions.  Here is a bit of the lecture, at aruond the 8 and a half minute mark:

Someone once asked the shaykh, what is ilm? And he replied that ilm is that information that once it enters your heart, it does not leave without you acting upon it.  That is what ilm is.   So this is the second level of deen that we need to acquire is to start acting on the ilm, become people of action.  It is a major short coming today. 

People like intellectual islam, they like the philosophy behind it, they like to talk about it, like to debate about it, but when you ask them mashaAllah what is the condition of your salat?  A lot of people say they are empty inside.  Why?  Because the information is in their brain, it has not entered their hearts yet, otherwise they would be people of action.

Imam Shafi’i, his teacher told him, my son, make your ilm like salt and make your amal like flour, because when you are making something, you have a lot of flour, and a little pinch of salt in it, meaning the little knowledge that you have, you have to do so much action on it.  It’s exactly the opposite today.

Are you a person of information or of action?  Looking at my large collection of islamic books and comparing it to my paltry offerings of ibadah, it’s not hard to see where I lie, astaghfirallah.

May Allah (swt) make us people who have more flour then salt, ameen.

I’d hate to move my blog again, but the side bar keeps resetting itself and I’m getting tired of putting everything back in place.  Move ya or nay?

I haven’t had ice cream in years, since I was diagnosed with cold induced asthma.  As much as I love love love it, it’s just not worth the hour long coughing fit that ensues after an ice cream cone.

Add to that the fact that many ice creams are heavily processed and chock full of chemicals, and most others contain vanilla, there hasn’t been much out there that’s tempting me to start an asthma attack.

Until now.  I present to you Haagen-Dazs Five, “…[a]ll-natural ice cream crafted with only five ingredients for incredibly pure, balanced flavor… and surprisingly less fat.” 

While not all are alcohol free (the mint and vanilla bean contain extracts, which most likely contain alcohol), you still have ginger, coffee, brown sugar, milk chocolate and the heavenly passion fruit to chose from.

I picked up a pint of passion fruit from Target (where it was $1 less then the grocery store) for Abu Squeakster, who love love loved it.  I decided to risk an asthma attack for a taste, and O…M…Gosh it was worth it.  Maybe it’s just because I haven’t had ice cream in forever, but I don’t ever remember an ice cream being so creamy and flavorful.  Definitely worth the coughing fit.  I think I’ll sneak another spoonful tonight

I am reminded of a hadith in musnad Ahmed, who narrates that the Prophet (saws) said:

“Whoever leaves something for the sake of Allah, Allah will provide him with a better thing.”

Our friends think we are crazy for avoiding food with vanilla, alcohol-based flavorings, and animal rennet.  Ah, you’re missing so much, it’s too hard…

SubhanAllah, Allah (swt) provides us with something better.  I leave my kraft cheese, and Allah (swt) gives me cabot, sargento and seriously strong cheddar.   I leave my kraft macaroni and cheese, and Allah (swt) gives me Annie’s.   I leave my Babcock Ice Cream (which has gelatinin it *sobs*), and Allah (swt) gives me Haagen Dasz Five.  I’m still waiting for my replacement for diet pepsi, but inshaAllah it will be coming

I dreamt last night that I had another orange kitty named Squishy.  Squishy and Squeaky looked a lot alike, so that the visitor (in my dream) had a hard time telling them apart.  inshaAllah it’s the first type of dream the Prophet (saws) mentioned  

The Prophet (saws) said: “Dreams are of three types: a dream from Allah, a dream which causes distress and which comes from the Shaytaan, and a dream which comes from what a person thinks about when he is awake, and he sees it when he is asleep.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

in which I had waaaay too much fun with picnik

Alhamdulilah.  The Lord truly listens and answers His servant’s prayers.   I asked Allah (swt) to guide me and to show me what I need to do in order to strengthen my deen, and alhamdulilah, it’s right there in front of me.  A sheikh and his knowledgable wife visited the twin cities this weekend and it was exactly what I had been looking for.

I just wish I had remembered to bring a notebook and a working pen.  I had to dig out my little hello kitty notepad and the broken pen from my purse to take attempt to take notes.  The bottom line was that sin weighs us down.  It depresses us and takes the good from us.  We need to be constantly making tawbah, for Allah (swt) is All Forgiving and loves to forgive.  And if we ask for forgiveness, inshaAllah tala, Allah (swt) will give it to us.

The sheikh also related a story from Hasan al Basri (ra)  that I have heard before, but that was just as powerful the second time as the first:

Here is a tale of a child raised by his widowed mother in the time of the great Hasan al-Basri. She was a pious, devout Muslim who would regularly attend Imam Hasan’s Quran dars. She valiantly tried to raise her son on the correct path, but unfortunately when he reached the age of adulthood, he gained control of his inheritance and fell in with the wrong crowd.

With seemingly limitless funds at his disposal, he sinned his youth away.

And all throughout, his mother, a devout servant of Allah (swt), would constantly implore him to return to the right path. But he constantly refused, choosing instead to follow his nafsi whims and desires. Many times she brought him to Hasan al-Basri, who would calmly and politely admonish him, but to no avail. Even the words of the great Imam could not bring about the desired affect.

Years passed and Imam Hasan grew to tire of his wayward shenanigans and resolved that maybe Allah (swt) had simply not written for the boy to be guided. Yet, the mother remained steadfast, as only a mother could, in her wishes to reform her one and only child. Every morning, when he would return from his nights of mischief, she would call on him to make amends with his Creator and return to the path of righteousness.

As he got older and due to the effect of his foolhardy ways, sickness befell him and he became bedridden. Having squandered his wealth, seeing the weakness of his once sturdy body, and with death lingering around the corner, only then did he realize the error of his ways.

His unrelenting mother was by his bed, reminding him that it was never too late to repent. Even though his worldly life was wasted, he still had the chance to salvage his afterlife with sincere atonement, she repeated to him.

Sensing his mortality, his heart finally softened and he responded with a query, “After a life of sin, I don’t know how to repent. Can we go to Imam Hasan?”

Sensing a bit of hope, she excitedly replied, “My dear son, you are too sick to walk and I am too old to carry you, but I will rush and beckon him to come here.”

When she reached him and requested his company with her son, he remembered the countless failed efforts and quickly wrote him off, “My dear sister, I have the Quran lesson for which I must prepare. Over a thousand students will come and I owe it to them to properly present my lesson. Besides, your son has consistently ignored my advise, rejected any efforts to reform and basically rejected the message of Islam so many times that I fear he is beyond assistance.

“Should I not spend my time for those who are coming to seek the knowledge, who have shown a keen interest, who are trying to please their Lord? I’m sorry but at this time, I really cannot make it.”

Dejectedly, she quietly whispered to him, “Then at least when the angel of death visits him, can you come to our home and lead the Janaza prayer over him?”

He sharply rebuked her, “Throughout his entire life, I have never seen your son pray a single prayer, fast a single day, attend a single Juma’a. I fear that he has left the ranks of the Muslim and thus, I am sad to say that praying over him would not be permitted.”

With a broken heart, she returned home to inform her dying son of the tragic response by Hasan al-Basri. Upon hearing that even the great Imam Hasan refused to pray the Janaza over him, he burst into tears and made his dying wishes, “Oh my mother, I have lived a life of shameless sin and indulgence. I have wronged everyone that I have known. I have disappointed you and I have disappointed my Lord. So please, when I die please do not bury me in the company of Muslims, for I fear that they will be undeservedly disturbed by my cries of pain and misery.”

And with his weeping mother by his bedside, he continued, “And before you bury me, please take my corpse, tie it to the wild dogs on the street, and let it be dragged through the streets where my final fate in this life will match my eternal fate in the hereafter.”

With that he breathed his last breath.

And at that same moment, a knock came on the door. Startled, the grieving mother got up to answer it and found Hasan al-Basri standing there. He explained, “As I was preparing my lesson, I fell asleep and it was then that I heard a voice say ‘Oh Hasan, what kind of wali are you of Mine, that you have refused to pray the Janaza over another wali of Mine?’”

How amazing is Allah (swt)’s forgiveness, that after a lifetime of complete and total waste, a moment of sincere repentance is enough to become a wali of Allah (swt)?

I really am feeling amazing right now and feel like there is some real direction in my life.  Please make dua for me that this feeling remains and that Allah (swt) continues to guide me.

I’ve officially been a muslim for one quarter of my life now, alhamdulilah.  On this morning, 1/4 of my life ago, I awoke before fajr, earlier then I’d ever arisen as a college student.  I stumbled to the bathroom to attempt ghusl and returned to my dorm room.  I pulled out one of the scarves I had purchased from alhannah, clumsily fashioned it to my head and stood at the foot of a prayer rug I hoped was facing towards Mecca.

I had been exploring Islam for more than a year, and subconciously had considered myself a muslim for months.  Using cards a kindly sister in Texas had sent, I prayed fajr for the first time, and in doing so, submitted myself to Allah (swt) with my whole heart and concious.

Over the years, I have not always been the most attentive slave of the Most Merciful.   Please make dua for me that I will improve as I continue forward on the straight path.

Oh Allah, may your Mercy towards me prevail over Your Wrath!

Oh Allah, allow me to draw nearer towards You walking, so that You may come to me running!

Oh Allah, on this Thursday when the gates of Paradise are open, please forgive me my transgressions and protect me from future ones!

Oh Allah, make me one of your friends.  Help me to draw nearer to you with obligatory acts, and even nearer with superogatory works, so that I may be one of those You love!

Oh Allah, make me one of those You love, so that You are my hearing with which I hear, You are my seeing with which I see, You are my hand with which I strike and You are my foot with which I walk!

Oh Allah, make me one who, when I commit a sin, immediately run to you and beg your forgiveness!

Oh Allah, make me one who stands the last third of the night in prayer!

Oh Allah, let me die with la ilaha il Allah on my tongue and in my heart!

Oh Allah, make me one of the people of paradise!

Ameen.

no, not the department of justice, the Day of Judgment.  I was reminded of this hadith qudsi today while searching for a response to a message board posting.  I have a ton of snippets of quran and ahadith rattling around in my head, but alas, I still must rely on sheikh google to make sure I get the wording right.  Then I think about how the quran and ahadith came to us, from men and women who memorized thousands of ayat and hundreds of thousands of ahadith.  Ya Allah, how amazing!

After reading this hadith, I say alhamdulilah that I am of the ummah of Muhammad (saws).  I also say alhamdulilah that I am so blessed know and believe la ilaha il Allah.  May Allah (swt) grant us the intercession of His beloved Prophet (saws) on that Day and may Allah (swt) shower the beloved Prophet (saws) with more blessings then there are stars in the sky.

On the authority of Anas (ra) from the Prophet (saws), who said:

“The believers will gather together on the Day of Resurrection and will say: ‘Should we not ask [someone] to intercede for us with our Lord?’ So they will come to Adam and will say: ‘You are the Father of mankind; Allah created you with His Hand, He made His angels bow down to you, and He taught you the names of everything, so intercede for us with your Lord so that He may give us relief from this place where we are.’ And he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]’ – and he will mention his wrongdoing and will feel ashamed and will say: ‘Go to Noah, for he is the first messenger that Allah sent to the inhabitants of the earth.’

So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]’ – and he will mention his having requested something of his Lord about which he had no [proper] knowledge (Qur’an 11:45-46), and he will feel ashamed and will say: ‘Go to the Friend of the Merciful (Abraham).’

So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Moses, a servant to whom Allah talked and to whom He gave the Torah.’

So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]’ – and he will mention the taking of a life other than for a life (28:15-16), and he will feel ashamed in the sight of his Lord and will say: ‘Go to Jesus, Allah’s servant and messenger, Allah’s word and spirit.’

So they will come to him and he will say: ‘I am not in a position [to do that]. Go to Muhammad (saws), a servant to whom Allah has forgiven all his wrongdoing, past and future.’

So they will come to me and I shall set forth to ask permission to come to my Lord, and permission will be given, and when I shall see my Lord I shall prostrate myself. He will leave me thus for such time as it pleases Him, and then it will be said [to me]: ‘Raise your head. Ask and it will be granted. Speak and it will be heard. Intercede and your intercession will be accepted.’ So I shall raise my head and praise Him with a form of praise that He will teach me. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people], so I shall admit them into Paradise.

Then I shall return to Him, and when I shall see my Lord [I shall bow down] as before. Then I shall intercede and He will set me a limit [as to the number of people]. So I shall admit them into Paradise.

Then I shall return for a third time, then a fourth, and I shall say: ‘There remains in Hell-fire only those whom the Qur’an has confined and who must be there for eternity.’ There shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: ‘There is no god but Allah’ and who has in his heart goodness weighing a barley-corn; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: ‘There is no god but Allah’ and who has in his heart goodness weighing a grain of wheat; then there shall come out of Hell-fire he who has said: ‘There is no god but Allah’ and who has in his heart goodness weighing an atom.

It was related by al-Bukhari (also by Muslim, at-Tirmidhi, and Ibn Majah).

Juz30

Check out this program, uber spiffiness.  You can set your preferences – repeat each ayah, pause after each ayah, listen to only a portion of an ayah, repeat a certain section of the surah, etc etc etc – then read and recite along with your choice of three qaris.  The default english translation isn’t my favorite, but you can install saheeh international, which I find easier to read and less distracting.

I’ve got it downloaded at home and plan to spend at least 15 minutes with it each day inshaAllah.  It’s embarrassing how little Qur’an I have memorized after being muslim for this long.

Laila upon return to the US:

Eventually, we reached Dulles Airport. I walked confidently to the booth when it was my turn.

What was I going to say? How do I explain this? The man took one look at my expired visa, and my departure stamps.

“How long have you been gone?”

“36 hours” I replied bluntly.

“Yes,I see that. Do you want to explain?”

“Sure. Egypt forbade me from returning to Gaza”.

“I don’t understand- they denied you entry to your own home?”

“I don’t either, and if I did, I wouldn’t be here.”

Somali mortars miss US politician

A US congressman has had a narrow escape on a visit to Mogadishu after Somali insurgents fired mortars towards his plane as it was about to take off.

Airport officials told the BBC one mortar had landed near the airport as Donald Payne’s plane was due to fly and five others after his plane departed.

Mr Payne had just met leaders of Somalia’s government in the capital.

The al-Qaeda-linked Islamist militant group al-Shabaab claimed responsibility for the mortar attack.

“We carried out mortar attacks against the enemy of Allah who arrived to spread democracy in Somalia,” a spokesman for the group named as Sheikh Husein Ali Fidow was quoted as saying by AFP news agency.

“This government is welcoming America, which is our prime enemy and we will never stop attacking them.”

Yes, let’s shoot at one of the few US congressmen who actually care about what’s happening in east africa beyond arrrrrrrrrrrrr pirates.  One of the few who travels around the country meeting and engaging with somali, oromo, ethiopian and other east african-americans.   One who is happy to speak with imams and religious leaders and will seek to understand their perpective.  One of the few who actually knows what the heck is going on over there.

Rep. Payne came to Minnesota last year with Rep. Ellison for a panel discussion on East Africa.  The husband and I were 2 of the very few non east africans present.  (not so) Shockingly, I can’t find anything in english on the event.  He’s the distinguished looking gentleman in pictures #9 and 17, among others, sitting next to Keith Ellison.

This week’s photo comes to you courtesy of the husband, who has gone from completely loathing Squeaky to being totally smitten with her. 

So the husband may go to egypt this summer.  Alhamdulilah for him, as he hasn’t been back since he immigrated to the US more than 3 and a half years ago.  I was debating going for a few weeks.  Not the entire time, but just enough to get some awesome abaya shopping in

Oh, but now crisis…what would I do with Squeaky while I was away?  I’m literally feeling sick to my stomach about leaving my beloved kitty behind.  Would I board her?  I don’t want her to be stuck in a little cage?  Have someone come over to feed her?  But that’s only for 15 minutes a day and she’d be so lonely.  And I don’t have any friends in the area who would take her.

*cries*

Look at that face.  Who could leave that face alone for 2 weeks?

…Imam Suhaib Webb’s FREE class continues tomorrow. 

So last night I was all motivated and whatnot to start running again.  I have an outfit all put together – lightweight pants with a running skirt that reaches 3/4 of the way to my knees, a lightweight long sleeve running shirt that covers the behind portion, and decent scarf.  Very cute, very sporty, quite modest and just begging to be taken out for a run.

I used to run in the mornings before work, but realized that there weren’t a lot of people out then, so it probably wasn’t safe.  So I had switched to running after work, going out around 6 pm.

Now this:

St. Paul police shot and killed a 34-year-old man who allegedly confronted officers with a gun Monday night. During the confrontation, a police dog was wounded, officials say.

Officers responded to a call at 6:12 p.m. that the man, Robert Jerome Jeske, was drinking and had a handgun in the alley behind the 1500 block of E. Iowa Avenue, east of Lake Phalen, according to St. Paul police spokesman Peter Panos. Callers reported that shots were fired while the officers were on their way to the scene.

Three officers found Jeske in the alley, where he confronted them with the handgun, Panos said. During the exchange, a police dog named Boomer was struck one time, and the officers shot and killed the suspect. Jeske, a St. Paul resident, died at the scene. Police believe he had been visiting acquaintances in the neighborhood.

Ya Rabb, can’t I catch a break?  Do you know how many times I’ve run by that ally?  Sure, there are more people out at 6, but apparently they’re drunk and have guns.

From Rebecca:

Welcome to Muslim Monday

Today’s theme:  Post a picture of one of the 99 Names of Allah subhananu wa ta’ala and explain your choice. After you post on your page, come back here and post a link to your page in the comments section so we call share our contributions.

Next week’s theme (April 14th):  Post a favorite Qur’an recitation.  Try to pick someone less well known so we can introduce one another to reciters we may not be familiar with.

Post your links on Rebecca’s page

by Art Hafez

I can’t remember when I first stumbled upon Art Hafez’ beautiful rendering of the 99 names of Allah (swt), but from the very beginning, this painting has been one of my favorites.  It is of as-Sabur, the Patient One. 

Over and over again, Allah (swt) exhorts us to ask His help with patience.

O ye who believe! Seek help through sabri and salat. Surely Allah is with those who persevere. (2:153)

By Time, All of mankind is in a state of loss; except those who attain correct belief and do righteous deeds and exhort each other in truth and exhort each other in sabur (103)

Oh you who believe!  Endure in sabiruu and constancy, and station guard posts, so that you will be sucessful. (3:200)

And be patient in adversity; for verily, God is with those who are patient in adversity (8:46)

Anas (ra) said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (saws) saying, “Allah, the Glorious and Exalted said: `When I afflict my slave in his two dear things (i.e., his eyes), and he endures patiently, I shall compensate him for them with Jannah.”.
(Al-Bukhari).

How often to I let the world get me down?  How often to I despair?  Rather, I should seek patience in the Most Patient, to endure what lies ahead of me and strive for Paradise inshaAllah.

Alhamdulilah, I dug the ipod out of my book bag and plugged it in to the new computer.  Alas, that means losing everything I’d previously purchased, but at least now I can escape the news.  I still can’t give it up completely, but when a story on the economy comes up, I can fast forward right on through

So on my ipod, I have:

• The Only Word Quran application – mp3s and text files so you can listen to and read from the Qur’an
• Assorted NPR podcasts – religion, wait wait don’t tell me, shuffle, most emailed and foreign dispatches.  Of interest this time around:
  • Michael Pollan on Wait Wait Don’t Tell Me
  • Juan Cole’s book defending Saudi Islam
  • Concern over Proliferation of fatwas in Egypt
•  Sh. Faraz’s podcast – search “seeker’s guidance” in itunes.
• Lectures and khutbahs by Sh. Abdul Hakim Murad

I’m getting depressed listening to the radio on my commute, and will have to set up itunes on the new computer so I can start listening to more deeny things on the bus.  However, I’ve got to figure out how to set up a news feed or alert, so that whenever “somali” and/or “muslim” is mentioned in MPR, I’ll get an alert.

Heard on the radio this morning:

“American” calls for Somali action in extremist recruiting video

But will the video’s message resonate with its intended audience? At least one leading scholar on Somalia thinks the answer is no.

“The hip-hop dimension was almost a parody,” said Ken Menkhaus, a professor at Davidson College in North Carolina. “I can imagine a lot of people watching it and giggling, but I can’t imagine it would succeed in recruiting anyone to that cause.”

Menkaus doubts the video will succeed in recruiting new fighters because the timing of its release seems to miss the mark. Al-Shabaab had popular support among Somalis when it was fighting against the Ethiopian invasion. But now that the Ethiopian forces have left Somalia, Al-Shabaab has lost its main rallying point.

Menkhaus also doubts the claims made by Abu Mansoor, the American.

“He came across boasting that he was training or leading attacks on the Ethiopians,” Menkaus said. “Anyone who knows anything about Somalia knew that was a fraud. The Somalis are experts at ambushes in their own country. The last thing they need is some American telling them what to do, in English, so it would have to be translated. I mean, what kind of ambush leader is that?”

Menkhaus says Abu Mansoor was a bit of an urban legend — an American who for some time was rumored to be fighting against the Ethiopians. But the decision for Abu Mansoor to reveal his face on this video was a big mistake, Menkhaus said, “because the myth was a lot larger than the guy.”

While taking my noon walk through the skyways, I happened upon an odd site.  A man had set up shop outside one of the myriad of Caribou Coffee shops that populate the area.  He was dressed in a suit, and was typing away on his lap top while sipping from a steaming cup.  Usual enough sight, eh?  Well, this man had a giant poster board leaning against the table that said “I need a job.”  His resumes were available to take from a pouch below the sign.

I almost started crying right there in the midst of the lunch crowd.

I’m coming undone with all the bad economic news surrounding me.  663,000 jobs lost in March.  The husband’s was one of them.  There goes all the plan I had been making.  Home prices dropped 20% in January alone here in the Twin Cities.  If we had both kept our jobs, we could have bought a house by year’s end.  We could be making hajj this year.  We could start to have kids.  Could have, would have, should have….nada.

Allah (swt) is the best of planners (3:54), so whatever the plan is, it is for the best inshaAllah.  Just sometimes it’s hard to see what is best when everything is is going downhill.

*mope*

Via sabiwabi, I found a message from Imam Siraj Wahhaj on a return to wholeness.  First and foremost, his cancer is under control, alhamdulilah!  And second, it appears that his illness has caused him to reflect on the same subject I have been pondering, eating whole.

I want to share something with you that has been constantly on my mind. Allah mentions in His Qur’an: “laa taqtuluu anfusakum”, i.e., “do not kill yourselves” (4:29). My advice to the Muslim Ummah, (as well as to others), is “Let us stop killing ourselves”. The most surprising thing to me when I first visited Mecca in 1978, was to see how many Muslims smoked cigarettes. According to the World Health Organization, if the nations of the world do nothing, as many as one billion people will die as a result of smoking cigarettes in the 21st century. That is an obscene number of preventable deaths! Without a doubt, cigarette smoking is HARAM and is absolutely prohibited in Al Islam! (See Fatawa Islamiyah)

…

But, while cigarette smoking, alcohol and drugs are more obvious vices, there are other subtle ways in which we are killing ourselves. One way is by what we eat, and therefore, it is imperative that we become more conscious of our eating habits. It is no accident that the first sin of our father, Adam (pbuh), is something that he ATE! We are literally eating ourselves to death. Diabetes, hypertension and many other diseases are the result of our diets. Insha’Allah MANA, as well as other organizations, will advance initiatives that promote healthy eating and healthy living. How do we prepare our foods? How much do we eat? What do we eat? These are all questions that we have to answer. I now feel compelled to help in any way that I can to bring experts to help inform us of what is best for us. Insha’Allah, more to come about that in the future. A word of caution: many people will be upset to learn the truth about the poor quality of foods we’ve been eating for so many years. Most of which, nutritionally speaking, does not qualify to be called “food”.

MashaAllah, it’s like he’s reading my mind!  I’ve done a ton of damage to myself from my years of unhealthy eating.  I’m on medication for my high blood pressure.  Can you imagine, dangerously high blood pressure at the age of 27?  Since I’ve started to cut out processed foods, it’s been inching down alhamdulilah, although there’s still quite a ways to go before it hits “normal.” 

I wonder if he’s picked up In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan?  If I had unlimited resources, I’d buy this book in bulk and pass it out to everyone I meet.

bwahaha it’s all cat, all the time.

Oh, and don’t forget to sign up for this free class Imam Suhaib is teaching on Message for the Seekers of Guidance.  I have Imam Zaid’s translation, and mashaAllah, the book is awesome.  Take Imam Zaid’s commentary, add Imam Suhaib’s, and it promises to be one very intense and deep class.