:: Muslim in Seoul, Korea ::

:: The Power of Women ::

:: Don't insist on English! ::

And among His Signs is the creation of the heavens and the earth, and the difference of your languages and colours. Verily, in that are indeed signs for men of sound knowledge.

( سورة الروم , Ar-Room, Chapter #30, Verse #22)

Tafsir:

That is, "Although your vocal chords are similar, and there is no difference in the structure of the mouth, the tongue and the brains, yet people speak different languages in different regions of the world. Even in the regions where the same language is spoken different dialects are spoken from city to city and from town to town. Moreover, the accent and pronunciation and the style of speech of every person is different from the other. 

Similarly, although the semen and the formula of your physical structure is the same, yet your colors are so different that, nations apart, even the color of the two sons of the same parents is not exactly the same. 

In this verse, attention has been drawn only to two aspects, but if one looks around one will notice an unite variety everywhere in the world. One will find countless differences in the species of man, animal, plants and other things in spite of the basic uniformity in their different members; so much so that no member of the species is exactly identical with the other. Even the two leaves of a tree are not exactly alike. 

This shows that the world is not a factory in which automatic machines might be working and turning out things in mass production bearing the stamp of their own separate species. But in this factory there is a Master-Artist at work, Who gives individual attention to everything and produces it on a new design with new embellishments and proportions and qualities, and everything thus produced is unique in its own way. His inventive genius is turning out a new model of everything every moment, and His creative power abhors repeating the same design the second time. 

Anyone who sees this wonderful phenomenon with open eyes, can never be involved in the foolish misconception that the Maker of the universe has gone to sleep after having made it go. This is, on the contrary, a clear proof of the fact that He is ever engaged in His creative activity, and is giving individual attention to each and everything in His creation.  

Taken from: Sayyid Abul Ala Maududi - Tafhim al-Qur'an - The Meaning of the Qur'an

p/s: even babies have their own language! Watch it here

:: NETUREI KARTA ::

Assalam Alaikum,

I was browsing one of the sisters' blog and I saw this website. It's basically informing the public about the 'hijack' of Judaism by the zionists and the basic belief of the Judaism faith and how they are against the zionists from occupying the Palestine state... 

Kind of interesting to know! =) Enjoy!

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

What is Neturei Karta?

The name was given to a group of Orthodox Jews in Jerusalem who refused (and still refuse) to recognize the existence or authority of the so-called "State of Israel" and made (and still make) a point of publicly demonstrating their position, the position of the Torah and authentic unadulterated Judaism.

• Neturei Karta oppose the so-called "State of Israel" not because it operates secularly, but because the entire concept of a sovereign Jewish state is contrary to Jewish Law.
• Jews are not allowed to dominate, kill, harm or demean another people and are not allowed to have anything to do with the Zionist enterprise, their political meddling and their wars.
• The true Jews remain faithful to Jewish belief and are not contaminated with Zionism.
• The true Jews are against dispossessing the Arabs of their land and homes. According to the Torah, the land should be returned to them.
• The world must know that the Zionists have illegitimately seized the name Israel and have no right to speak in the name of the Jewish people!

:: 3 knots by Shaytan ::

Abu Huraira transmitted it from the Apostle of Allah (may peace be upon him): When any one of you goes to sleep, the devil ties three knots at the back of his neck, sealing every knot with:" You have a long night, so sleep." So if one awakes and mentions Allah, a knot will be loosened; if he performs ablution two knots are loosened; and if he prays (all) knots will be loosened, and in the morning he will be active and in good spirits; otherwise we will be in bad spirits and sluggish in the morning. (Sahih Muslim Book #004, Hadith #1702)

Narrated 'Abdullah : A person was mentioned before the Prophet (p.b.u.h) and he was told that he had kept on sleeping till morning and had not got up for the prayer. The Prophet said, "Satan urinated in his ears." (Sahih Bukhari Book #21, Hadith #245, Shahih Muslim Book#004, Hadith #1700)

:: 数百意大利美女听其讲解伊斯兰教 ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Colonel Gaddafi, the once leader of Libya, had a 'party' for Italian ladies while he was there attending an international conference.  As shown in the video, hundreds of ladies were queuing to meet him. 

Dress code: No short skirt, no revealing tops but heels are allowed~ 

Well, just instead of having a fun time partying, this group of ladies were given dawah by Gaddafi, telling them about the rights of women in Islam~ And as a present, each of the ladies was given a Quran!

What should I say... Simply amazing! 

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: American converts ::

:: How to defend our Prophets as a muslim ::

Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance.

( سورة النحل , An-Nahl, Chapter #16, Verse #125)

If unable to do so... then wish them peace and avoid getting into the dispute with the ignornant and saying things which are untrue... As stated...

And when they hear vain talk, they turn away therefrom and say: "To us our deeds, and to you yours; peace be to you: we seek not the ignorant."

( سورة القصص , Al-Qasas, Chapter #28, Verse #55)

"After the migration to Habash when the news about the Holy Prophet's advent and message spread in that land, a deputation of about twenty Christians came to Makkah to find out the truth, and they met the Holy Prophet in the Masjid-al-Haram A crowd of the Quraish also gathered around them to watch what happened.

The members of the deputation asked the Holy Prophet some questions, which he answered. Then he invited them to accept Islam and recited some verses of the Qur'an before them. When they heard the Qur'an, tears came down from their eyes and they confirmed its being Allah's Word and believed in the Holy Prophet.

When the meeting was over and the people left, Abu Jahl and some of his men overtook them on the way, and rebuked them severely, saying, "Never has a more stupid company come here before: O foolish men you were sent here by your people with a view to inquiring about this man. but no sooner did you meet him than you gave up your own faith!"

Those gentle people answered, "Peace be to you! We have no wish to enter all argument with you: you are responsible for your faith and we are for ours: we cannot afford to deprive ourselves knowingly of goodness."

(Ibn Hisham, Vol. II, p. 32; Al-Bidayah wan Nihayah, Vol. III, p. 82. For further details, see E.N. 123 of Ash-Shu`araa).

:: How to treat reverts ::

Assalam Alaikum,

I love this question! And the answer given by Dr. Zakir Naik! Yay! =)

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Dajjal - The false Messiah ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Ever wonder why...

• there are so much anger in the ummah?
• the existence of paper money system?
• where is dajjal?
• dajjal has only 'one eye'? What does it mean?
• and more...

Very interesting series of videos which will wake you up from the 'reality' of life by Sheikh Imran Hosein~ =)

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: O Mankind! ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Ustaz Hussein Yee reminds us Muslim that we need to know the message of Allah(SWT) so that we can make those who are not yet a Muslim (May Allah(SWT) guides them... Ameen~) understand Islam better~ Resulting in the enhancement of relationship between human beings~

The reminder:

O mankind! We have created you from a male and a female, and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another. Verily, the most honourable of you with Allah is that (believer) who has At-Taqwa [i.e. he is one of the Muttaqun (the pious. See V.2:2)]. Verily, Allah is All-Knowing, All-Aware.
( سورة الحجرات , Al-Hujraat, Chapter #49, Verse #13)

This ayat remind us MANKIND... Not only Muslim, but EVERY human being, who comes from one same set of parent, Adam and Eve~ We are all one big family~

If everyone knows this...

As someone who was unguided to being guided, I would know how a non-muslim feel towards a muslim and vice versa~ Till date of what I've seen, both side has their points of views and each has their own rights to their views~

Alhamdulillah, I'm just one of the fortunate ones to be guided to be a Muslim... But following it, comes a huge responsibility because with all the unfairness and discrimination in the society, it would not be easy to convince everyone that we are a whole mankind...

I can understand why those not been guided is distinguishing people according to nations and tribes and resulting in racism and discrimination... But those whom we call ourselves Muslim... Why are we following them, distinguishing ourselves so clearly that there's Muslim and Non-Muslim?

hmMmmm... We might do it unintentionally, but it's something we need to be careful of~

I always think that every human being that I meet, is a test from Allah(SWT)... Whenever I see people engaging in activities which are not favored upon (based on our Deen), do I started commenting and criticizing how bad they are... Or do I make a duaa for them to be guided one day~

I preferred the latter...

Because I know... And I am sure, Allah(SWT) listens to my duaa~ He has the power over all things~

May Allah(SWT) gives us the ability to show how lovely the deen is to those who are yet to be guided~ Ameen~

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Islam in Hong Kong ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Another interesting video on muslim in Hong Kong! 
The Pearl Report

W'salam,
Khadijah C.

:: Towards Solving the Marriage Dilemma ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Sh. Alaa Elsayed is funny! hahaha~ He has a lot of expressions to go with his speech! =D

Marriage sounds so complicated in our society... Why can't we do it like during Prophet's time?

Anyway, he gave suggestions at the end of his speech [31:53] on the procedure of getting someone for marriage~ Good for those who are looking! hee~ =)

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Being in good health ::

Assalam Alaikum,

To see Sh. Ibrahim Dremali giving little lecture in his state of health makes me ponder seriously about what I have now... Good Health~

What have we done today with our good health? hmMmmm...

W'salam,
Khadijah C.

:: It's A'shura ::

Assalam Alaikum,

It's gotta be 10th of Muharram, 'Ashura, tomorrow! Another opportunity to collect good points and hopefully sins of the preceding year will be atoned~

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: The Prophet came to Medina and saw the Jews fasting on the day of ashura. He asked them about that. They replied, "This is a good day, the day on which Allah rescued Bani Israel from their enemy. So, Moses fasted this day." The Prophet said, "We have more claim over Moses than you." So, the Prophet fasted on that day and ordered (the Muslims) to fast (on that day). (Sahih Bukhari Book #31, Hadith #222)

Narrated 'Aisha: The people used to fast on 'ashura (the tenth day of the month of Muharram) before the fasting of Ramadan was made obligatory. And on that day the Ka'ba used to be covered with a cover. When Allah made the fasting of the month of Ramadan compulsory, Allah's Apostle said, "Whoever wishes to fast (on the day of 'ashura') may do so; and whoever wishes to leave it can do so." (Sahih Bukhari Book #26, Hadith #662)

...he (the Messenger of Allah) said: The observance of three days' fast every Month and that of Ramadan every year is a perpetual fasting. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of 'Arafa may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming years. and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of ashura may atone for the sins of the preceding year. (Sahih Muslim Book #006, Hadith #2602)

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Reading the red flag Pt 2 ::

Red Flag 5 : Lack of consistency

The adage “actions speak louder than words” cannot be truer than when observing the behavior of a potential spouse. Lack of consistency between what a person says and does is a red flag that the individual cannot be trusted and/or that there are major character flaws. In addition, if your potential spouse says and does things that do not reflect your own values, this is a wake up call that you may not be compatible. Any pattern of dishonesty, rationalizing questionable behavior, or twisting words to his or her benefit is a red flag that the individual has difficulty with personal responsibility and needs time and support to mature emotionally.

Red Flag 6 : Overly dependent on family

Many times, problems in marriages arise because of in-laws and couples do not pay attention to the early predictors of these issues. A potential spouse that is overly dependent on parents for finances, decision-making and/or emotional security is someone who may not be ready to get married. A potential spouse who is in an overly dependent family relationship will have difficulty moving into an interdependent relationship with a spouse. While it is of course natural that both families remain connected to the new couple, the shift to emotional independence from the family is a growth process that is necessary so that the new couple can begin creating their own life together.

Red Flag 7 : Getting married out of fear

Trusting your intuition and addressing uneasy feelings that arise during the process of getting to know someone is important. Intuition is your compass and is alerting you that something may be wrong in the relationship with your potential spouse. One must find the courage to follow this intuition. To continue getting to know someone or proceed toward marriage with these uncertainties can be disastrous. 

Many choose to ignore the red flags out of a fear of hurting a persons feelings or what the family and community may say. Getting married out of a fear of letting others down or because of pressure from others are signs that the relationship is unstable and that is not a foundation for a healthy marriage. 

In order to be in a healthy marriage, individuals need to grow up and grow emotionally before they can be in a relationship with another individual. No one is perfect, but each individual has a responsibility to work on his or her own personal issues and flaws. As ibn Arabi says, “He who knows himself knows his Lord.” Self reflection is vital to help you understand yourself, your relationship with others, and ultimately help bring you closer to Allah subhanahu wa ta`ala (exalted is He).

:: Start now for our children ::

Assalam Alaikum,

Syed Ammar Nakshawani talks about how we should bring up our children, starting with having the niyah even before the mother is pregnant with a child~ And how a child learns, even when he/she is in the womb~ 

Further on, he said that when mothers recite Surah Yusuf, the baby will come out looking like Yusuf! So I assume that if the baby is a girl, then gotta recite Surah Maryam...

Wow! This is new! hee~ =D

So, I shall be a bit 'kiasu' (Typical Singaporean!) and start having the niyah now! hee~

W'salam,
Khadijah C.

:: Muslim marriage: a portrait ::

From Times Online
August 24, 2009

A true Muslim marriage is about husband and wife helping each other attain paradise says Na'ima B. Robert

Bismillah

My husband is ill. He lies in bed, in the dark. I try to keep the children quiet. I try to keep them from disturbing him. I try to get them to sleep without too much fuss.

When all is peace, I tiptoe into the room. I feel his forehead for signs of a fever. I ask him if he needs anything. He needs to drink fluids, Vitamin C. I know this. And I also know that he won't ask.

So I go to the kitchen, put the kettle on. I mix him a drink - lemon to fight the cold germs, honey to soothe his sore throat, fresh mint leaves to lift the taste a little. I say 'Bismillah' before I pour the hot water, make a little prayer for his well being, before taking it to him. He smiles through his discomfort. I have brought him ease.

But I wave away his thanks. It is nothing.

I am his wife. That's what I'm here to do.

Some may sneer at these small acts of kindness. Some may shake their heads pityingly at this description of servitude. But they don't understand my life or my motivations. They do not know, do not understand that I married my husband for the sake of Allah.

Our goal, from the outset of a marriage arranged by mutual friends, was to help each other to attain Paradise. Nothing more, nothing less.

We went about our marriage the traditional Islamic way. We didn't date, we didn't cohabit, we didn't spend any time alone. We met a few times, in the company of my guardian, asked each other innumerable questions, discussed every issue that was important to us. My husband flew halfway across the world to obtain my parents' consent and we were married, with a marriage contract and a mahr (dowry paid to the bride) but no pomp or ceremony, in a room in Baker Street.

To be sure, an Islamic marriage is quite different from that of other faiths or of no faith at all. There are roles and responsibilities to be taken care of, rules and guidelines to be followed. These rules are in place to promote a smoother partnership and a union that is pleasing to God. Many of these rules and guidelines may seem old-fashioned, restrictive even, particularly in an age of ever-evolving morals and mores. But as guidelines set down for us in the Qur'an, the Book of Allah, we trust in their wisdom and we live by their strictures.

These teachings help us set our priorities straight. They help us to tame our ego. They show us to how to give selflessly, expecting our reward from God alone. They teach us to be patient and gentle with each other. They teach us how to be loyal and faithful in word, thought and deed. They teach us to be grateful for the small mercies, for the little kindnesses, for the barely noticeable gestures that embroider our lives together. These are lessons we are learning every day. I know that one day, maybe tomorrow, maybe fifty years from now, I will return to my Lord and then, only my good deeds will count for anything. Only my selfless deeds, performed for the sake of God, will accompany me.

Of course, some may say that I am painting an overly rosy picture. They will quote stories they've heard, articles they have read, prejudices they have formed. All these could be true. Or they could not be. I can only speak my truth. I can only tell my story.

My husband's fever has broken. I smile and praise Allah.

It is nothing. That is what we are here to do.

Na'ima B. Robert is author of From my Sisters' Lips , a look at the lives of Muslim women. She is founder and editor of SISTERS , the magazine for fabulous Muslim women. Her latest children's book,Ramadan Moon, is published by Frances Lincoln

:: The Cracked Pot ::

Assalam Alaikum,

It's a sweet story, reminding us that each of us are like the 'cracked pot'... We have our own unique flaw, but it is the cracks that we have which make our lives together so much interesting and rewarding. 

We just gotta take each person, as a unique creation, for what they are and search for the postive in them~ =)

W'salam,

Khadijah C.

:: Knowing oneself, knowing Marriage ::

Assalam Alaikum,

One of the greatest mercy which Allah(SWT) show us is to give us acquaintances who make us think and ponder about our direction~

I want to share what a reader of mine wrote to me...

1.“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.”

2.““The minute I heard my first love story I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don't finally meet somewhere. They're in each other all along.”

3.“That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all your life, but in a new way.”

Inspiring sentences...

Many of us want to get married but do we really know who we are, what we are? What are the gifts that Allah(SWT) has given us in this duniya that can complement with the future spouse? What are the limitations which we have that we need someone to come into our life to make our lives complete?

hmMmmm... Maybe that explains why our future spouse is called "Our other half" or "Half our deen"... So, when we know ourselves well, we are ready for a love story... Our first and last love story... 

And when that person comes along, we would know he/she has been part of our lives because we are so familiar with what that person has, yet we are unable to achieve ourselves... 

That's when the learning starts... To learn about our other half, to learn about that which are lacking in us~ In the process, we will grow together and, InsyahAllah, be completed as a whole~

I guess that's what marriage is about... To find someone to complement us so that we grow from the trials in life... 

But before that, do we know ourselves well, in order to identify our other half? hmMmmm... Something to think about over the weekend~ 

Happy weekend! =)


W'salam,
Khadijah C.