We started off the day by doing both afternoon prayers. Today we had a lot of people who aren't students. It was kind of similar to church on a holiday. A bunch of people who are not use to the masjid being loud, coming in late, and allowing their cell phones to ring. TURN OFF YOUR PHONES. Ugh. The du'a was really pretty though. Br. S said it first in arabic then in English. It was all about there being only one God, no other God and no other object of worship. I filled my heart with a weird warmth that I am not use to. I also love watching the women pray. Its so peaceful. I can't wait to learn, but I have a long way to go.
Our lane for bowling kept malfunctioning so our scores were pretty much void. It was entertaining though to see how many times we would have to roll the ball before our turn ended. It was a really confused lane. It was amusing to watch all these women in hijab, especially some of the older teachers who also wore abaya and tried to bowl. Teehee. The little girls in their tiny scarfs with matching outfits were so cute!
I made a new friend. Sister N. She is my age, newly married and new to the city. She teaches the little kids at the school. We talked about all sorts of things while getting everything set up. She explained how courtship and marriage works...its a lot simpler than I thought. So no more worries about it. We spent the entire day talking. She seems just as excited to have a new friend as I am. She told me all about a group that meets on Fridays which discusses ethics and philosophy behind Islam. I may attend it, although its in an area that is not so good. I wish My Love didn't work late on Fridays so he could come with me. So I will wait and see if I go.
I get a high of wanting to pray a lot and read the Qur'an after I go to the school or the masjid. Not sure what that is yet. Its like I really want to pray, or read Qur'an, or study my Islamic vocabulary words (I'm making flash cards), or read one of my many books. I think some have referred to it as an "Iman high". Dunno what this feeling means but I feel really happy during this period of time. Insha'Allah it starts to last for longer periods.
All in all a good day. We shall see how next week goes. And I need to learn the Islamic word for goodbye lol.
Insha'Allah all will remain well.
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Alhamdulillah, I'm so glad that you're getting so much out of this school. And bowling sounds fun too!
ReplyDeleteI know what you mean with the little girls wearing hijab, it's just so darn cute Masha'Allah! Same goes for little boys wearing kufis or suits and ties. :)
Islamic vocabulary words? Huh? Do you mean the Arabic terms that you are already starting to use? Are they *required* or maybe you just get extra rewards for saying them (like the "pbuh" or "saw" I see sometimes)?
ReplyDeleteYour outing sounds nice. So glad you had a good time and made a new friend. What did she say about the courtship thing?
My Arab Muslim friends say "ma'al salameh" to say goodbye, but not sure if it's the Islamic one. Is there really an Islamic one or are you just kidding? :)
Susanne: The Arabic vocabulary words are required because often there isn't a coresponding word in english. I have A LOT to learn plus the arabic alphabet.
ReplyDeleteCourtship works like supervised dating. Most meet as friends at school or work or through friends.
There is an Islamic term used to say goodbye. I believe it translates to God be With You.
Thanks for the answers. I didn't realize certain words were required. Honestly I like to think God understands me in my own language. I don't think Arabic is the language of heaven as Muslims believe. God speaks to me in English, thankfully. :-)
ReplyDeleteI recently learned the Arabic alphabet and made flashcards to do so. At least you have Muslims in your area who can teach you. I had to learn from a book, but it was realllllllly good and made it easier.
Thanks again for your replies. I often find them so interesting and learn a lot from your blog. :)
Susanne: Care to share what book you had? :) Its not God that requires these words, its more these words help me to understand what people are saying. I think God is fine with whatever language we use.
ReplyDeleteHeart and Soul: Don't stress about it. It will come when you least expect it
ReplyDeleteAh, now I understand. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is the book I used and I liked it a LOT. It tried to share the pronunciation PLUS showed you how to write each letter in an easy-to-understand way. This is what I said about it on my blog back in October. You can buy it on Amazon.com, but I bought mine from Barnes & Noble.
The Arabic Alphabet: How to Read & Write It by Nicholas Awde and Putros Samano -- I have been taking my time reading this book which explains the pronunciation of each letter (as best you can do while writing a pronunciation) and how to write them. I made flashcards for each letter (most have four forms) and have memorized them now! The tough thing is sometimes trying to read the letters in words. Just as we do in our own handwriting, people don't always write their letters in "proper" form so it's harder for me. I will definitely be reviewing many things in this small book. It's packed with good tips and it's stated in easy-to-understand ways.
Actually I was just reading through it again and saw your post. Now I'm off to bed. Good night. :)
I like how Muslims refer to it as an "iman high" while at Christian summer camp (i went every summer 7th grade - college freshmen) they referred to it as a "spiritual high."
ReplyDeleteI would consider them the same thing. It's something I experience either after being in the presence of many other worshipers (actually serious about worshiping) or when I'm in a intense learning mode (like you are now).
I wish I could still study Islam as much as I did this summer, but with school it's kind of gotten pushed aside. (sounds sooo awful to say that!) I love love love experiencing those "highs" though. It's kind of like the world slows down for a bit and it's just you and God. (a bit being from 1 minute to a week, month, year, etc.)
Susanne: Just a clarification, Islam does not say that Arabic is the language of Heaven. There is a hadith that says that the people of Paradise will speak Arabic, but this has been proven to be a fabricated hadith (i.e. Prophet Muhammad, peace be upon him, did not say this). There are some Muslims that believe this (incorrectly), and there are some that even say that the language of Hell is Farsi (also a completely baseless statement). Although the formal Islamic prayers are in Arabic, any other prayers can be said in any language, since GOD knows everything. Heck, if someone wanted to pray in Klingon, they could do that. :)
ReplyDeleteLK: I know in Urdu the phrase for goodbye is "ALLAH Hafiz", literally "May ALLAH protect you". Both words in the phrase are Arabic words. If you're looking for a universal Islamic phrase for goodbye, I think "Assalaamu alaikum" works just fine for both greetings and farewells.
ReplyDeleteSusanne: Thanks, I'll look for it on amazon
ReplyDeleteNikki: Spiritual high and Iman high I would think is the same. ITs so hard to hold on to it, I'm hoping it will get easier.
BananaAnne: I asked My Love. The word they were using was Khuda haafiz (Pronouced hudo hafiz) The two words tend to run together and you get hudafiz.
Sounds like ya'll had a lot of fun! :)
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you found someone to clear up that whole engagement/marriage thing for you and you made another new friend! This school really seems to be working out well for you. :)
On a (mostly) random note, what's the set up at the mosque in re: women's prayer area? Is it a separate building, balcony, room, etc. I'm just curious...the book I've been reading, some of the women make a big deal out of the poor accommodations made for women at their mosques, and it's made me nosey.
Amber:
ReplyDeleteYeah marriage and engagement are A LOT less complicated than I thought.
Its sad but a lot of mosques have really poor accomidations for the women. REALLY poor. The big fancy one a few miles away is super small with no screen and is dark. The one in the school is open and divided by a free standing wall. Both sides can see the speaker, its really nice. The one a few blocks away is super nice. The women's area is large and reminds me of a living room, very cozy. In the front is a huge flat screen TV which shows you the speaker.
All are different, the new ones are a lot nicer for the women.
i think the word you're talking about is khuda hafez, aka God be with you. sounds like halafez to me sometimes when it's blurred together. anyway it's the persian term and some muslims dont seem to like it bc kuda (meaning god) can be pluralized, so it might be better to say allah hafiz. only other word i can think of is ma salaama. hth.
ReplyDeleteIts khuda hafez which seems to come out Hudafiz lol. Didn't know it was Persian. Thanks!
ReplyDelete