FREE SunniPath Online Lectures: Life as a Muslim Student (California)

Quran - Surah Ya-Sin

this is seriously one of the most amazingly beautiful recitations i've heard. mashaAllah. if anyone knows the reciter or where this was taped, i would really really appreciate the info. jazakAllah khair



note: above recitation is only first 12 ayahs (lines) of the surah.

Yusuf Islam Translation

mashaAllah.
f

Quran - Suratul Rahman

my favorite surah, ever. featured reciter: said al-ghamdi (you should remember him from the ramadan dua in my ramadan post a few days ago)

audio only (picture doesnt change)



Translation (Yusuf Islam)

you may see this again soon.
f

Outdated

i checked my bookmarks and realized i have massive links backed up. soooo i'ma be posting articles/videos etc that may be a month or so old, but still worth the watch. holla.
f

Arundhati Roy - Peace & The New Corporate Liberation Theology

not to say that i agree with all Arundhati Roy's views, but it's a powerful speech nonetheless. check it out. she delivered in 2004 in Sydney, Australia, upon accepting the Sydney Peace Prize.

The 2004 Sydney Peace Prize lecture delivered by Arundhati Roy, at the Seymour Theatre Centre, University of Sydney.

highlights:

Today, it is not merely justice itself, but the idea of justice that is under attack. The assault on vulnerable, fragile sections of society is at once so complete, so cruel and so clever - all encompassing and yet specifically targeted, blatantly brutal and yet unbelievably insidious - that its sheer audacity has eroded our definition of justice. It has forced us to lower our sights, and curtail our expectations. Even among the well-intentioned, the expansive, magnificent concept of justice is gradually being substituted with the reduced, far more fragile discourse of 'human rights'.

If you think about it, this is an alarming shift of paradigm. The difference is that notions of equality, of parity have been pried loose and eased out of the equation. It's a process of attrition. Almost unconsciously, we begin to think of justice for the rich and human rights for the poor. Justice for the corporate world, human rights for its victims. Justice for Americans, human rights for Afghans and Iraqis. Justice for the Indian upper castes, human rights for Dalits and Adivasis (if that.) Justice for white Australians, human rights for Aboriginals and immigrants (most times, not even that.)

So, all you young management graduates don't bother with Harvard and Wharton - here's the Lazy Manager's Guide to Corporate Success: First, stock your Board with senior government servants. Next, stock the government with members of your board. Add oil and stir. When no one can tell where the government ends and your company begins, collude with your government to equip and arm a cold-blooded dictator in an oil-rich country. Look away while he kills his own people. Simmer gently. Use the time collect to collect a few billion dollars in government contracts. Then collude with your government once again while it topples the dictator and bombs his subjects, taking to specifically target essential infrastructure, killing a hundred thousand people on the side. Pick up another billion dollars or so worth of contracts to 'reconstruct' the infrastructure. To cover travel and incidentals, sue for reparations for lost profits from the devastated country. Finally, diversify. Buy a TV station, so that next war around you can showcase your hardware and weapons technology masquerading as coverage of the war. And finally finally, institute a Human Rights Prize in your company's name. You could give the first one posthumously to Mother Teresa. She won't be able to turn it down or argue back.

So what does peace mean in this savage, corporatized, militarized world? What does it mean in a world where an entrenched system of appropriation has created a situation in which poor countries which have been plundered by colonizing regimes for centuries are steeped in debt to the very same countries that plundered them, and have to repay that debt at the rate of 382 billion dollars a year? What does peace mean in a world in which the combined wealth of the world's 587 billionaires exceeds the combined gross domestic product of the world's 135 poorest countries? Or when rich countries that pay farm subsidies of a billion dollars a day, try and force poor countries to drop their subsidies? What does peace mean to people in occupied Iraq, Palestine, Kashmir, Tibet and Chechnya? Or to the aboriginal people of Australia? Or the Ogoni of Nigeria? Or the Kurds in Turkey? Or the Dalits and Adivasis of India? What does peace mean to non-muslims in Islamic countries, or to women in Iran, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan? What does it mean to the millions who are being uprooted from their lands by dams and development projects? What does peace mean to the poor who are being actively robbed of their resources and for whom everyday life is a grim battle for water, shelter, survival and, above all, some semblance of dignity? For them, peace is war.

The real tragedy is that most people in the world are trapped between the horror of a putative peace and the terror of war. Those are the two sheer cliffs we're hemmed in by. The question is: How do we climb out of this crevasse?

For those who are materially well-off, but morally uncomfortable, the first question you must ask yourself is do you really want to climb out of it? How far are you prepared to go? Has the crevasse become too comfortable?

Salah al-Tasbih

first intro'ed to this salah (prayer) while in albany during ramadan. though i always intent to perform it throughout the year, i generally try to perform it at least once during ramadan. takes a looong time, but it's an amazing feeling, subhanAllah.

It is recorded in Sunan Abi Dawud and other books of hadith that Rasulullah (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam once said to his uncle Hadrat `Abbas (r.a.) : O Abbas!O my uncle! Shall I not give you a gift? Shall I not show you something by means of which Allah Ta`ala will forgive your sins, the first and the last of them, the past and recent, the unintentional and the intentional, the small and huge, the secret and open?

Rasulullah (sallallahu `alayhi wasallam) then taught him the Salah al-Tasbih. Furthermore he advised him that it be offered daily, if possible. If not then every Friday or once a month or once a year or at least once in one's life time.

How To Perform Salah al-Tasbih (same as above link, but reposted for our slower readers ;) )

one should realize, however, that there is some controversy around the prayer.
f

Ramadan Mubarak/Ramadan Kareem/Happy Ramadan!! (2006)

audio, videos, articles, oh my!

another ramadan, another year passes by. doesnt seem that long ago that i was making (or failing to make) all my eid mubarak phone calls, catching up with old friends and affirming to myself that i would keep all my post-ramadan goals.

verily, i suck.

but that's what i love about ramadan: a chance to start fresh.

so let me start. if i've ever wronged you in any way, made you feel angry, annoyed, frustrated, hurt etc etc, please please please forgive me. i can almost guarantee that it wasnt my intention at all. i know it seems trite and overdone, but i can't emphasize how much i need forgiveness from you all. please comb your hearts and memories for times in which i may have hurt you and please please please forgive me. inshaAllah i'll do the same for all of you. if possible, please keep me in your duas, especially during this month.

throughout the month, i'll try to post beneficial tidbits about ramadan... but no guarantees.

first off, a brief intro to ramadan, by none other than Stephen Colbert, a la The Daily Show.



second, a ramadan song, by mike chen (still waiting for this to be a quotable, chen!)

Auto response from Farah: send me good ramadan-y songs please. thanks all. laters/salaams
f
Chen: *ahem*
Chen: oh ramadan oh ramadan
Chen: how ramadanish are you
Chen: with your days of rama
Chen: and your nights dan
Chen: oh ramadan
Chen: oh ramadan
Chen: something something la oh ramadan

third, an amazing ramadan dua by sheikh saad al-ghamdi, with translation ( the [--]'s represent a point where the translator was unsure of the translation)

A bunch of audio lectures [warning: i havent listened to any of these yet, aside from the zaid shakir one]:

• Ramadan Preparation with Imam Zaid Shakir -- this is the only one i've listened to, but imam zaid give numerous practical things we can do reap the benefits of ramadan in the midst of our busy lives, as well as the virtues of fasting and ramadan.

• Virtues of Ramadan with Shaykh Salek bin Siddina, Part 1 and Part 2

• 5 Things To Do To Taste The Sweetness of Ramadhan with Imam Suhaib Webb

finally, an awesome article on the meaning of ramadan, from http://themodernreligion.com/.

highlights:

"Yes, Ramadan is the most important month of the year. It is the month that the believers await with eagerness. At the beginning of Rajab --- two full months before Ramadan --- the Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, used to supplicate thus: "O Allah! Bless us during Rajab and Sha’ban, and let us reach Ramadan (in good health)."

Anyone who fasts during this month with purity of belief and with expectation of a good reward (from his Creator), will have his previous sins forgiven," said Prophet Muhammad, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam. "Anyone who stands in prayers during its nights with purity of belief and expectation of a reward, will have his previous sins forgiven." As other ahadith tell us, the rewards for good deeds are multiplied manifold during Ramadan.

And of the three persons that Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam cursed, one is the unfortunate Muslim who finds Ramadan in good health but does not use the opportunity to seek Allah’s mercy.

One who does not fast is obviously in this category, but so also is the person who fasts and prays but makes no effort to stay away from sins or attain purity of the heart through the numerous opportunities offered by Ramadan. The Prophet, Sall-Allahu alayhi wa sallam, warned us: "There are those who get nothing from their fast but hunger and thirst. There are those who get nothing from their nightly prayers but loss of sleep."

f

re: Papal Parlance

being such an esteemed religious leader, i expected more than these covert quotations insinuating the evil and violent nature of islam and muslims. i've read the speech in its entirety and couldn't even fathom a reason to keep the quotation. in no way was the speech about islam, about muslims or about the Prophet (saw). the only reason i could even think of talking about islam would to show the superiority of one religion over another. fine. understandable -- if the pope didnt believe catholicism to be superior to islam, he wouldn't be catholic. however, if one is going to denounce our religion, please do so on a philosophical, idealogical, scientific, etc, level. no reason to resort to such shallow propaganda.

however, being such esteemed religious leaders, i expected far more from our imams than these incendiary speeches calling for hatred and violence, threatening the vatican, killing innocents, or condoning attacks on churches. our Prophet (saw) was slandered (astagfirullah). it's not the first time it's been done, nor will it be the last. the first muslims endured infinitely worse conditions. they were slandered, beaten, outcast and hated. rocks were thrown at them, their families abandoned them and they went from being some of the most respected members of society to being spit upon in the streets. and no one endured more gruesome punish than our Rasool (saw). yet the only time there was a call for violence was after they were prevented from practicing their religion. even then, the rules for war were and are numerous, being sure to protect the innocent, making sure the *defense* was stopped when antagonism ended and more.

because of this, his character and his devotion to his religion, even the *enemies* of the Prophet (saw) respected him. when asked to comment on his character, they could say nothing but praise. and this is the man whose example we are commanded to follow.

let them talk, slander, call muslims obscene names, torture us and hate us. let them do what they will, do their worst because regardless, we'll constantly correct their misconceptions, prove them wrong with our own actions, and stand for justice and truth REGARDLESS of the perpetrators of atrocities. nothing they say can lessen the love for Allah (swt) and His messenger (saw) in my heart and nothing they say can force me to react in such a way that compromises my deen. inshaAllah.

far more eloquent and knowledgeable than myself, zaid shakir recently gave a speech on the topic which i hope we all can benefit from. no, the entire speech isnt in arabic -- only the first two mins or so, since he opens with a dua (supplication).

salaam.
f

Repetitive Repentance

Repetitive Repentance?

Answered by Shaykh Gibril Haddad

Q. There are a couple of major sins which I can't stop doing. I repent.. and then I end up doing it again. Again I build up the will power to stop... but again I end up committing the sins. I can't seem to stop and I've got to the stage where I'm finding it harder to repent, incase I end up doing it again. Plus I'm lacking the will power. What should I do?


A.

Wa `alaykum as-Salam:

Allah Most High promised high levels to the repentant and He mentioned that the Throne-bearing angels make repentance for them also. And the Prophet, upon him peace, gave us glad tidings with regards to the believer's sins precisely because they lead to repentance. Therefore continue to repent.

Finding it harder to repent is because you still trust in yourself and find it humiliating. This is what the ego hates and it is a good sign for redoubling repentance. A broken heart is better than a pleased one.

Sin or no sin we despair in ourselves: "The whole matter consists in seeing yourself as a disobedient servant without a single good deed" (Shaykh Ibrahim al-Dusuqi). Our hope is all taken up in Allah: {Say: O my servants who have transgressed against their souls. Despair not of the Mercy of Allah: for Allah forgives all sins: He is Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful} (39:53).

We should not divinize our sins. They have no power over us and millions of them can be erased in one instant of sincerity accepted by Allah. We should look for that instant. Where else than in repentance? It is our stairwell, if the angels were to envy us it would be for that.

Will power is built up by habit over time. Change your routine for a few weeks. Do something new and leave something out. One of the Shaykhs said, if it is too hard to clear the garbage, build a bridge over it and move on. This is good advice.

Similarly, Salat over time bears the fruit described in the blessed verse: {Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds} (29:45). In time, we should not get stuck forever at the station of weakness.

Invoke blessings on the Prophet together with saying Astaghfirullah x100 daily. Make it incumbent upon yourself to do "something special" for Allah Most High.

The Prophet, upon him peace, promised special help for the repentant sinners and so we should take him to witness and use his means just as we consult one for help over problems, or more. The key in this is to invoke much blessings on him at all times.

Ibn `Umar relates: I was sitting with the Prophet, Allah's blessings upon him, when Harmala ibn Zayd al-Ansari of the Banu Haritha tribe came to him. He sat in front of the Messenger of Allah, Peace be upon him, and said: "Messenger of Allah, belief is here" - and he pointed to his tongue - "and hypocrisy is here" - and he pointed to his heart - "and I don't make dhikr of Allah except little." The Prophet remained silent. Harmala repeated his words, whereupon the Prophet seized Harmala's tongue by its extremity and said: "O Allah, give him a truthful tongue and a thankful heart, and grant him to love me and to love those who love me, and turn his affairs towards good." Harmala said: "Messenger of Allah, I have two brothers who are hypocrites; I was with them just now. Shall I not point them out to you [so you will pray for them]?" The Prophet said: "Whoever comes to us in the way you have come, we shall ask forgiveness for them as we asked forgiveness for you; and whoever keeps to this path, Allah becomes his protector."

Abu Nu`aym narrated it in Hilyat al-Awliya. Ibn Hajar said in al-Isaba (2:2 #1659): "Its chain of transmission is acceptable and Ibn Mandah also narrated it. We have narrated the same through Abu al-Darda' in the Fawa'id of Hisham ibn `Ammar."

May Allah grant us the same four attributes he granted to that fortunate sinner and extend to us His protection against what we hate and fear.

Hajj Gibril

Source: Sunnipath.com Questions and Answers

Pink

sunrise, ish.

9/11 on 9/16

i can make excuses for posting this late, but i have none that are worthy. i remember seeing this live and having to hold back tears. totally brings back memories and emotions that i thought i had completely suppressed.


the only issue i had was the one part where he discusses how 'they hate us for our freedom'... the only time i've ever heard him use such rhetoric without mocking it. but in all honesty, it's the way we all felt at the time.





in contrast, jon's commentary and address to president's september 11th speech is amazing. insightful and hilarious, jon at his best. http://youtube.com/watch?v=7FZEnptl8_U

f

UPDATE: Colbert Wins Hungarian Bridge Naming Competition (Video)

not unexpected and oh so amusing.



though the chuck norris bridge would've been awesome. ah well. build another bridge, hungary!
f

ISNA '06

the intro:

as promised, my extremely lengthy isna review...

for those unaware, i recently attended the 43rd Annual ISNA Islamic Convention in chicago during labor day weekend. i went last year and hated it. alhumdulillah, this year was quite a different experience.

if you've read my numerous ISNA-related blurbs on islamica, some of this might sound familiar. but i added and formatted a quite bit so this is more of an extensive review. this is probably more for my benefit than yours; the closest i'll get to typing up my non-existant notes.

the peoples:

last year was the year i saw everyone from albuquerque; this year, i ran into half of albany, it seems. alhumdulillah, it's always a pleasure to meet up with people you havent seen or talked to in years(and yes, even some childhood friends from the troy days). one of the best things about ISNA is that feeling of Ummah [community], of sisterhood/brotherhood from the fellow practicing muslims around the US and canadia. this year was also the year i got to meet numerous islamicans (of www.islamicaweb.com fame). verily, i heart these people. who would've thought an online community would inspire and help increase my iman so much? alhumdulillah. though because of the increased socialization from last year, it's only natural that i have to write about...

lobby scene:

this was the first year i really had an opinion on the issue. last year, i'd fly by the lobby and never really stopped long enough to get a negative vibe. but this year, even though the majority of my time spent there was waiting in line for coffee or waiting for some friends to show up, some of the things i'd heard/seen absolutely disgusted me to the core. though there were plenty of people down there who were "just talking"; tons of clusters of only-guys and only-girls, the "religious" people as well as the "shady" ones and i'm sure, inshaAllah, mixed groups who kept their conversations completely halal. but this is what got to me, more and more as the convention drew on: yea, i spent some time down there. no, i wasnt hitting on anyone or being hit on. no, i dont feel as though i was doing anything wrong (except, perhaps, one time where i should've done something better). but honestly, why subject yourself to such an environment? we know we have weaknesses; why would we test them?

thinking back to some of the things i'd seen and heard, i literally feel nauseous. may Allah swt forgive me for my mistakes (the ones i make knowingly and unknowingly). may He prevent anyone from using my mistakes as an example of how a muslim should and is allowed to act. may He make my path to jannah easy for me and allow me to entrance. may He forgive me, may He forgive me, may He forgive me. ya Allah, please grant this for me and for all people. ameen.

the most depressing thing about ISNA, and i swear, this image will forever be burned into my memory iA, happened late sunday night. i was sitting with some friends in the hall that extends from the elevator to the rooms. it's like 3 am, and we're on the 7th floor by our rooms. we see suhaib webb go up to his room on the 8th floor, slowly walking down the hall, glancing over the edge every so often. he stops for a second and leans over the edge of the railing to look down towards the restaurant/lobby area of the hyatt. following his gaze, i see the crowded lobby filled with various people smoking hookah, playing poker, guys and girls sitting in each others' laps etc etc. and he stands for like 10 mins with this look on his face that i can't even describe; sadness, anger, confusion, helplessness. mind you, this was literally like an hour or so after he finished his speech at the impromptu entertainment session on sunday night. be reminded that, mashaAllah, the man had a qiyam til fajr on saturday night, was up for a 9 am session on sunday morning and was still awake made late on sunday to speak at an enetertainment session for the youth. after all his work, all his speeches, all his time and energy that he's put into helping US try to improve ourselves, that's the site he had to see as he walks back to his bed at the end of isna weekend. may Allah reward him in this life and the next. may He soften our hearts to receive and implement His Message. ameen.

sessions that stood out:

but despite the downside, i still, alhumdulillah, had an amazing time at the convention. i thought the lectures were much better this year than last year (but that's possibly because i just happened to attend bad ones last year). a good mix of spirituality and practicality. i know i went to a session on friday night, but i honestly don't remember much about it. do yourself a favor and remember to surround yourself with people who you know have a good balance between attending lectures and hanging out (read: eating awesome food on devon. mmm food on devon. more about that later). take notes, even if you feel as though they dont make sense -- even a sentence here and there will spark a memory for you and will iA be beneficial.

one amazing features that isna had this year was the availability of audio lectures from the current isna, available for sale about 2 hours after the session ends. i didn't really realize this until sunday so i was unable to check out the prices or which sessions were featured, but if they're only a few bucks, it would definitely be worth it get ahold of the spiritually uplifting and deen intensive sessions.

they had the location for the "after fajr sessions" wrong...for every day. missed the first day, but alhumdulillah was able to attend sunday and monday. simple, general, short and yet uplifting. i couldn't, for the love of me, remember much of what was said, but i know it rarely had to do with the topic listed. i would advocate a more intensive session but, let's face it, it's fajr. it's like 5 am. ain't nobody learning nuffin that early. but alhumdulillah, it's always an amazing feeling to pray fajr in congregation and especially a joy when the congregation is larger than the congregation at your local masjid for jummah, mashaAllah (the few numbers at jummah due to a small muslim population, and not low attendence/deficient iman, alhumdulillah).

i loved the session "our dollars, ourselves: muslims betwee charitableness and consumerism" with sheikh abdullah adhami, dr. ingrid mattson and naeem muhammad. dr mattson brought up some amazing points about the plague of consumerism that seems to be gripping much of the muslim american population (she related a story about a guy who, when asked to characterize muslims, responded with "they all like to drive black BMWs") and reminded us of not only what's important for ourselves, but to remember that we're setting an example in the US of how muslims should be. the most beautiful part of naeem muhammad's speech was when he was talking about a community of muslims who get together at least once a week to deliver food to the homeless. the area is recognized by the homeless and when a local news team interviewed them one friday, asking them why they were congregating around this area, one man replied "the muslims are coming with food." mashaAllah, how amazing would it be to be characterized as such? the best dawah we can give is just to follow the prophetic example. go donate to "islamic relief" (note the link on the right hand side of the screen). great, thanks.

the saturday night ISNA main session was absolutely electrifying. ingrid mattson's standing ovation literally brought tears to my eyes; i can't even imagine how overwhelmed she must have felt. to hear the scholars speak about her with such fondness and reverence was amazing, subhanAllah. may Allah swt reward and preserve them all. i loved robert fisk's speech, but was utterly confused at the audience's clapping. at one point, i swear people clapped at people being bludgeoned to death (astagfirullah). granted, i know they were clapping at the fact that fisk was actually exposing such news stories, but it was odd nonetheless. when the almost the entire audience stood on its feet, clapping, shouting, and whistling in approval at fisk's condemnation of oppressive muslim dictatorships, i was absolutely amazed. i kid you not, i had completely forgotten that muslims who don't allow themselves to fall prey to blind hatred of anything non-muslim (rather than unislamic) existed. suhaib webb, zaid shakir, hamza yusuf, abdallah idris, altaf hussain etc etc were all amazing, eloquent, motivations and unifying as usual, mashaAllah. it was the first time i'd heard suhaib webb speak. mashaAllah, he surpassed the hype.

my copy of the program is messed up so i can't recall the session title, but it was about the crisis..es (?) in lebanon/palestine. 2 for 2 ISNAs, altaf hussain made me cry. he was telling a story about himself and his infant son about to board a train in chicago. the platform was empty, his son was asleep. as the train rushed in, making this huge calamity of noise, his son's eyes shot wide open, his body shook with terror, his hands were clenched and, because there was nothing else to do, his son cried and wailed in fright. altaf hussain said he felt as though he had just witnessed firsthand the type of terror children in lebanon must have been feeling the last few weeks; to be woken from sleep at the sound of bombs dropping, to be utterly lost and confused and scared and not have a clue what was happening, what would happen, whether or not anyone would survive. subhanAllah. he and zaid shakir spoke of activism to condemn all wrongful acts of terrorism -- including and ESPECIALLY those committed by muslims.

just as the image of suhaib webb's disappointment on sunday night will always be burned into my memory, i, inshaAllah, will never forget the charged warmth in the impromptu (?) entertainment session on sunday. i walked in late, but caught the second half of ramadan beat boxing and, alhumdulillah, all of suhaib webb's speech. despite his soft voice, his words were amazingly inspirational, urging us to not only improve ourselves but to spread that inner peace to the environment around us. perhaps it was the informal atmosphere; most of the chairs had been put away so the attendees simply sat on the floor around an open area that served as a stage. everyone was sleepy, relaxed, enjoying the show and spending time with their friends and fellow muslims. it's an amazing feeling to be around other muslims whom you know (or, at least , pray/hope) are striving to improve themselves islamically, to please Allah swt. if you're often surrounded by non-practicing muslims or the ones who seem to only want to go through the motions and do the bare minimum, i think you'd agree that we often forget the other ones are still even there; we begin to feel ridiculous because no one in our everyday lives seems to share our beliefs. it's amazing to know that you have a support system of people who go through the same trials and tribulations and share the same values as yourself.

throughout the weekend, all the scholars seemed to have one constant running theme throughout their MSA/MYNA lectures: "we know it's hard, we know you make mistakes, but despite that, we support you." it was a welcome change from "if you're not practicing, you better turn around and fix yourself before you die and go to hell.... because you will." it was as though they understood the difficulties we go through, felt empathy, prayed for our souls and were willing to do everything in their power to help us on our journey. i felt this was especially true with Altaf Hussain and Suhaib Webb... or maybe it's because they've grown up in the US and i feel as though they can better empathize would our generation and the problems we endure. mashaAllah, may Allah swt reward all the scholars in this life and the next.

big word up to altaf hussain, zaid shakir and suhaib webb -- they all seemed to be doing 84903283 lectures isna weekend. i'm sure there were other people who did the same, but the majority of the sessions i attended featured at least one of these three scholars. i can only imagine how tiring it must be and how much preparation is necessary to give so many talks in a matter of 2.5 days. all for Allah swt, to help us improve our condition inshaAllah. may Allah swt reward them and all the scholars for their work. ameen.

next year, i think i'd like to do a lot more ibadah-oriented things (ie, qiyams) in addition to the lectures. considering i live in the boonies, it's an amazing feeling to pray with so many muslims, knowing that you're all there for one purpose, directing your worship to please Allah swt.

bazaar:

the bazaar sucked, in my opinion. no one was giving good deals/prices and i had yet to receive a reasonable discount by sunday. the hijab selection wasn't that great and the ones that were decent were extremely expensive. they sold out of under-sleeves in normal colors after like the first hour. though i carried a list of books with the online prices, booksellers were still intent to overcharge me, insisting they'd give me an overall discount so it'd even out in the end. the one up-side were the hilarious shirts from islamica, hijabman and maniac muslim. i heart my "fasting but not furious" shirt and am deeply mourning the fact that i didnt get a "your mom... [back] has heaven beneath her feet" shirt :( if anyone's got the hook up, holla.

the food:

i never ate at the convention; heard it was overpriced and not worth it. but i did manage to get some giordano's (twice), italian express, ghareeb nawaz, usmania's, jumbo halal chinese and tahoora. second year in a row that i failed to go to the imfamous sabri nehari. next year, inshaAllah :)

i'll shut up now. :) salaam
f

Sha'ban (con't)

my bad.

i should've mentioned there's some controversy as to whether or not the 15th of Sha'ban is a night in which extra dhikr [remembrance (of Allah)] of Allah SWT should be sought out.

Based on the fact that there are valid differences of opinion between the scholars, no one should condemn another for enlivening this night or for not doing so. Those who choose to seek the benefit of mid-Sha’baan by enlivening its night and fasting its day are following the opinion of Imam al-Awzaa’i and others. As for those who choose not to do so, they are abiding by the opinion of Imam Malik and others. Hence, there is no blame on choosing to follow either opinion.

read more here

:) lengthy ISNA review coming up, inshaAllah.
f

15th Sha'ban 1427

already in the midst of Sha'ban, the islamic month that comes before Ramadan [the month of fasting]. another year flies by and i seem to barely notice. tonight, inshaAllah [God willing], is the 15th of Shaban. considering i haven't taken full advantage in the blessings of this month, inshaAllah i hope to be able to make up for it a little tonight.

Ummul-Mu'mineen 'Aishah [ the Prophet (saw)'s wife], Radi-Allahu anha [ may Allah be pleased with her], is reported to have said, "Once Prophet Muhammad (saw), performed the Salah [prayer] of the Night (Tahajjud) and made a very long Sajdah [prostration] until I feared that he had passed away. When I saw this, I rose (from my bed) and moved his thumb (to ascertain whether he is alive). The thumb moved, and I returned (to my place). Then I heard him saying in Sajdah [prostration]: 'I seek refuge of Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and I seek refuge of Your pleasure from Your annoyance, and I seek Your refuge from Yourself. I cannot praise You as fully as You deserve. You are exactly as You have defined Yourself.' Thereafter, when he raised his head from Sajdah [prostration] and finished his salah [prayer], he said to me: 'Aishah, did you think that the Prophet has betrayed you?' I said, 'No, O Prophet of Allah, but I was afraid that your soul has been taken away because your Sajdah [prostration] was very long.' He asked me, 'Do you know which night is this?' I said, 'Allah and His Messenger (saw) know best.' He said, 'This is the night of the half of Sha'ban. Allah Almighty looks upon His slaves in this night and forgives those who seek forgiveness and bestows His mercy upon those who pray for mercy but keeps those who have malice (against a Muslim) as they were before, (and does not forgive them unless they relieve themselves from malice).'"

Learn more about Shaban: Shaban: Merits, Do's and Dont's

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

"blog? what blog?"

shut up, i have homework i've been ignoring.

Jhumpa Lahiri won a pulitzer prize for "interpreter of maladies," a collection of short stories generally about how immigrants deal with their conflicting "homeland" traditions and the strikingly different culture in the US. i hated it. while i will admit that it was beautifully written, it seemed that every person who let go of their desi culture left an immoral and unhappy life. on the other hand, their traditional counter parts spent the majority of their time longing for home, wishing they'd never left their homelands. vhatever, dude. i like to think i've been able to maintain my values within the american system and managed to "integrate, yet not dissolve" into the society. this is my home. i belong here. maybe the reason i didnt empathize much with lahiri's characters was because i distinguish my paki values from my islamic ones (and, of course, place greater importance on the latter than the former). cultural values change; religious values do not. imho. :shrug:



so because of my post-'interpreter' dissapointment, i put off reading 'the namesake' for a year or so (and let's face it... i dont read). however, since so many people have raved about the book AND because there's a movie being released based on it (who wants to read the book after there's a movie??), i thought i'd give it a shot.

i. love. this. book.

lahiri's writing style is amazing. and rather than the blatant disconnect that i hated in 'interpreter,' this novel reflects the slow and subtle transition in which people can lose the morals which they once valued. "an intimate family portrait" is how one reviewer described it and it's just that. beginning from when the parents move to the US and give birth to their first son, you see glimpses into the son's life from birth to adulthood. you understand his internal conflict of trying (or not) to understand his parents' culture and religion and allowing himself to flow with american society. beautifully written; i swear sometimes i even forgot i was reading. i think anyone from an immigrant family (hi chen) would love it.

holla.
f