Qur'an Widget

Qur'an Widget

Just in case anyone wants to add an electronic, reciting Qur'an to their dashboard :)

Islam 101: Day 2

Bowling is entertaining. Especially when no one really knows how to bowl. :)

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.

Exert from Fire by Kristin Cashore

My fun book of the moment is "Fire" by Kristin Cashore which is about a woman "monster" who is also a soldier. In this book a monster looks like any other animal but is brightly colored and has the power to enchant and read minds. Women monsters are particularly dangerous because of their beauty. They drive men mad without trying. Fire attempts to make herself more human by wearing over-sized men's clothing and a head scarf to cover her scarlet hair. Here is a quote from Fire that I think illustrates the importance of hijab.

Why did hatred so often make men think of rape? And there was the flaw in her monster power. As often as the power of her beauty made one man easy to control, it made another man uncontrollable and mad.

A monster drew out all that was vile, especially a female monster, because of the desire, the endless perverted channels for the expression of malice. With all the weak men, the sight of her was a drug in their minds. What man could use hate and love well when he was drugged?

Just thought I would share. Its a really good book so far. "Graceling" is also a fun read.

Salaam

Focus

Any suggestions on how to stay focused? I don't mean on my studies in Islam, I mean staying focused in the rest of my life. Particularly at work. I've gotten so wrapped up in religion that I'm starting to make mistakes at work because I'm not thinking clearly. I'm not focused on the task at hand. This is obviously not good. Small mistakes, like forgetting to mail something, happen. But if little mistakes start happening a lot, and they have, its only a matter of time before I make a big mistake. And I can't make a big mistake and keep my job. My head is constantly filled with thinking about what I just read in a book, what I will do at school, or how I feel about this or that. So full, that it often pushes away new thoughts making my memory extra terrible at the moment.

Any advice?

Top 10 Transitional Items: Scarf

Scarves are not just for muslim women ladies. A scarf can be used for a variety of things to make an outfit more modest. Use it to cover a low neckline, drape it as a shawl to cover your shoulders, or wrap it around your neck and let it float. It is the most versatile accessory.

Of course, it can be used for hijab. Here are my favorite tutorials.



Amenkin summer Hijab




Stores:

H&M

Sensational Hijabs and Scarves

Middle Eastern Mall

Things I've Learned Since Studying Islam

I am now calmer than I use to be. I am able to handle stress without flying off the handle or having a panic attack because I know to stop, think, and ask God for help. And that you can’t do much while you are angry at the world. Anger and frustration get you no where fast.

I feel closer to God. I haven’t felt this close to God since I had major surgery as a child. I feel more at peace with my relationship with God. I feel like it is growing and developing. My understanding of God is beginning to finally take shape. I am becoming at peace with my view of how God fits in my life.

I have only been with the women at the school for a short while but I feel like I may have found a group of people to which I can belong. I have never had that before in my entire life. Women and I don’t usually get along.

I love the Qur’an and it has answered so many questions that I could not have answered by anything else. It has also taught me to look again at the beauty of the Gospel.

Islam has allowed me to take another look at Christianity. I am able to see the beauty in Christianity now that I am on the outside. I may not believe Jesus is God, but I can appreciate the Christian religion. I am also more effectively able to appreciate the intricacies of Jewish tradition.

I am more sensitive to other faiths.

I have found a religion that sees Jesus as I see him. A great prophet sent to save humanity from itself by inspiring us with his teachings. He did suffer to save us just not in the way Christianity dictates. I’m not entirely sure about Islam’s view of the crucifixion though.

I have only begun the prayer ritual but so far I have found the seeds of the meditative serenity that I crave.

I love hijab. I feel much more feminine now than I did before. I feel more beautiful, confident, and comfortable in my body. I have learned how important it is to have respect for your self and to not sell yourself to men. Your body is for you, not for everyone else to eye.

I am able to see how important God is to one’s life. More important than a career or love or material things. If you have God, everything else seems less important.

Everything in Islam has a logical reason or purpose. If it does not, then it may not truly be a part of the religion. A religion that functions on logic amazes me and makes sense to me.

Hadiths are frustrating but they cannot be ignored. You do not need to believe in every hadith in existence to be a muslim.

I am excited about possibly being a part of an organized religion. This has never happened. It is not a chore, it is an adventure.

Being a muslim is more than following a bunch of rules, reading Arabic, and wearing hijab. Its about finding a connection with God and finding the best way to serve him. I think this is ultimately true for all three religions. However, because there are different types of people in this world, one religion may not work for all. Perhaps there are three to choose from because one religion would not work perfectly for everyone. Different people need different things. It is up to you to figure out what you need to best serve God. Its only a theory.

You must choose religion. Until you choose your religion, you cannot serve God and know God to the best of your ability.

I have more respect and see more value in my parents than I did before. Partly, because I have been faced with the possibility of loosing them. It’s also because of all the focus put on parents in Islam. It is also because even when I presented them with a concept they did not like, they still agreed to not disown me.

I feel I can do a lot of good as a muslim.

I clearly see the issues with Western society and the things that should not be acceptable. I no longer find skimpy clothing, using sex or flirting to get what you want, drinking etc to be acceptable behavior.

So what I need to figure out is this: What makes a religion right for someone? Is it how much you agree with the book, the rules, and the practices. Or is it how the religion brings you closer to God, allows you to serve God. Yes you need to believe in the core aspects (Ex: Muhammad is a prophet) but can you disagree with portions of a religion and still have it be the one for you?

I’m not sure. But I move toward the later.

Review: When Bad Things Happen To Good People

Title: When Bad Things Happen To Good People *****

Author: Harold Kushner

Genre: Non-Fiction, Theology

Audience: Those interested in Theology. Not really recommended for someone who has just gone through a tragedy. Maybe later on, after they have had time to heal.

Content:

"When Bad Things Happen To Good People" discusses the journey of a rabbi named Harold Kushner as he struggles with trying to help people through tragedy and ultimately faces the great loss of his young son. Kushner bravely discusses the concepts of why bad things must happen in this world, what we must do with them, and God's role in it all.

Opinion:

This book should be read by everyone at least once in their life. "Bad Things" discusses an uncommon viewpoint: that there is randomness in the universe and God does not cause everything to happen for a specific reason. God does not inflict pain so you may learn something or to punish you; pain is a product of nature and free will. What God does do, is help those who choose to learn from their pain.

This book is the best example of how I feel the world works and God's place in our lives. I cannot do the book justice so I will let it speak for itself:

"The dictate of practical wisdom for people in our situation might be to remain mindful of the possibility that our lives continue in some form after death, perhaps in a form our earthly imaginations cannot conceive of. But at the same time, since we cannot know for sure, we would be well advised to take this world as seriously as we can, in case it turns out to be the only one we will ever have , and to look for meaning and justice here" - pg 29.

" Suppose that Creation, the process of replacing chaos with order, were still going on. What would that mean?" - pg 52

"I do not know why one person gets sick and another does not, but I can only assume that some natural laws which we don't understand are at work. I cannot believe that God "sends" illness to a specific person for a specific reason. I don't believe in a God who has a weekly quota of malignant tumors to distribute, and consults His computer to find out who deserves one more or who could handle it best. "what did I do to deserve this?" is an understandable outcry from a sick and suffering person, but it is really the wrong question. Being sick or being healthy is not a matter of what God decided that we deserve. The better question is" If this has happened to me, what do I do now, and who is there to help me do it." - pg 60.

"The candles in the churches are out

The stars have gone out in the sky.

Blow on the coal of the heart

And we'll see by and by..." - JB by Archibald MacLeish on pg 145 (also an amazing work)

Check it out or Buy it: BUY IT. You will most likely read this again or reference it. I read it the first time almost 7 years ago and I still reference this book.

If you like this you may like: Anger - Thich Naht Hanh, Blankets -Craig Thompson, Living Buddha, Living Christ - Thich Naht Hanh, No God But God - Reza Aslan