Reflections

Perhaps you spent your qiyaam last night with a heavy heart and tears in your eyes. Perhaps your worries were weighing you down, leaving you unable to feel peace and tranquility. Perhaps you felt that your sorrows were greater than those of anyone else in the masjid.

 

Tonight, take a look around at the people standing next to you in salah. The bubbly teenager, the smiling aunty, the cheerful mother, the solemn grandmother... perhaps that teenager is being bullied and fighting... against depression; perhaps that aunty is battling cancer or still feels hopelessly lost in a country that she will never be able to call home; perhaps that mother is a single mom, struggling with her own unfulfilled emotional and physical needs in addition to raising her children on her own; perhaps that grandmother has lost yet another loved one to death, and awaits her own with a sense of inevitability.

When we stand shoulder-to-shoulder and foot-to-foot in the masjid, it's not just about fulfilling a sunnah or engaging in a time-honoured ritual of stomp-on-each-other's-toes - it's about recognizing that we are all, each and every one of us, standing before Allah as His slaves, equallly helpless, equally begging His Mercy and His Forgiveness and the ease that only He can provide.
 

We all recite "Iyyaaka na'budu wa iyyaaka nasta'een" - You alone do we worship, and You alone do we turn to for help - because it's not just one or two or three of us who are dealing with difficulties in life, but *all* of us. He knows us better than we know ourselves, and He gave us this beautiful verse to remind us of that fact.

 

Yet we also need to remember that we are not defined by our struggles, our tests, our challenges, our sorrows, our heartbreaks. They are merely a part of our lives, not the complete sum of them - what we *are* defined by are our actions, our faith, and how we choose to face these tests in our lives.

RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) reminded us, "Whomsoever abstains from asking others, Allah will make him contented, and whoever tries to make himself self-sufficient, Allah will make him self-sufficient. And whoever remains patient, Allah will make him patient. Nobody can be given a blessing better and greater than patience.” (Bukhari)

 

Courtesy: Salafi Feminist

Womentrepreneur: The Longest Arm

Womentrepreneur: The Longest Arm

 

All over the world, women engage in handicrafts, an activity that preserves aspects of different cultures and heritages as well as being a source of income in a global economy where women often suffer the brunt of poverty. Some women enjoy great success and move on to build companies based both within and outside of their homes –earning themselves the title of “womentrepreneurs.”

Umm al-Mu’mineen Zaynab bint Jahsh (radhiAllahu ‘anha) was one such woman: she was known to be skilled with her hands, and ran a successful home-based business making and selling crafts.

Zaynab is most well-known due to the story surrounding her marriage to RasulAllah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) after her divorce from his freed-slave and adopted son, Zaid ibn Harith.

She used to spend a great deal of time with her home-based business, and it is said that she was extremely skilled in both tanning skins and piercing pearls for jewelry and other adornments. She then donated the proceeds of her work to those in need, making her beloved amongst the poor.

One day, RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam) went to his wives and said:

“The fastest of you to follow me [after death] will be the one who has the longer arms.” (Sahih Muslim)

A’ishah bint Abi Bakr (radhiAllahu ‘anha) described how, eager to know which of them it would be, all the wives of RasulAllah (sallAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) measured each others' arms against a wall, and Zaynab was disappointed - she was more petite in comparison to the other wives, and so her arms were the shortest.

Yet after the death of RasulAllah (sallAllahu 'alayhi wa sallam), the true meaning of his prophecy became clear: it was Zaynab bint Jahsh who indeed had 'the longest arm' - and it was she who passed away in the year 20 AH.

There are many Muslim women who love doing arts and crafts, but are made to feel guilty that they're "wasting their time" or that “it’s just a hobby.” The truth is, just doing what you enjoy doing can be a wonderful way of gaining ajr (reward) and, in fact, turning it into a source of sadaqah jaariyah (continuous charity).

RasulAllah (sallAllahu‘alayhi wa sallam) said, "The most beloved action to Allah is the most continuous, even if little." (Muslim)

Entrepreneurship can most certainly be a method of making, selling, and giving in charity regularly, thereby earning us the love of Allah through something that we love doing as well.

In addition, some studies have found that engaging in creative activity contributes to higher levels of happiness

– which, for Muslims, can feed into a positive cycle of sharing that joy with others in the form of a smile, closer emotional bonds with our loved ones, and higher levels of Emaan and Taqwah… all of which are ways of increasing in reward and growing closer to Al-Musawwir, the Shaper of all creation.

Islamic history is also a testament to the power of the arts; pottery, metal-work, clothing, and many other such artifacts remain symbols of Islam’s influence and reach throughout the world. Undoubtedly, Muslim women were of those who fashioned such items and left behind an incredible legacy for us to witness and remember.

Muslim women today are just as creative and hardworking as the women of yesteryear, and entrepreneurship remains an option for them to not only engage the senses and contribute to a tradition of Islamic craftsmanship, but to follow in the footsteps of Umm al-Mu’mineen Zaynab bint Jahsh (radhiAllahu ‘anha).

For those of us who may not be so creatively inclined, we should consider it of equal importance to support those Muslim women who do expend precious time and resources in these painstaking and beautiful efforts. Heroism doesn’t necessarily have to be a dramatic act on a grand scale; sometimes, the greatest of heroes can be found amongst those who stretch their arms out in small but regular acts of charity.

 

 

http://thesalafifeminist.blogspot.ca/2015/06/womentrepreneur-longest-arm.html

Benefits of keeping Roza

What to expect during the month of fasting - benefits of keeping Roza

 

Detoxification Stage 1 (Day 1 To Day 2)

On the first day of fasting, the blood sugar level drops. The heart slows and blood pressure is reduced. Glycogen is pulled from the muscle causing some weakness. The first wave of cleansing is usually the worst. Headaches, dizziness, nausea, bad breath, and a heavily coated tongue are signs of the first stage of cleansing. Hunger can be the most intense in this period.

Detoxification Stage 2 (Day 3 To Day 7)

Fats, composed of transformed fatty acids, are broken down to release glycerol from the gliceride molecules and are converted to glucose. The skin may become oily as rancid oils are purged from the body. People with problem-free skin may have a few days of pimples or even a boil. The body embraces the fast and the digestive system is able to take a much-needed rest, focusing all of its energies on cleansing and healing. White blood cell and immune system activity increases. You may feel pain in your lungs. The cleansing organs and the lungs are in the process of being repaired. The breath is still foul and the tongue coated. Within the intestine, the colon is being repaired and impacted feces on the intestinal wall start to loosen.

Detoxification Stage 3 (Day 8 to Day 15)

You will experience enhanced energy, clear-mindedness and feel better. On the downside, old injuries may become irritated and painful. This is a result of the body's increased ability to heal during fasting. If you had broken your arm 10 years before, there is scar tissue around the break. At the time of the break, the body's ability to heal was directly related to lifestyle. If you lived on a junk-food diet, the body's natural healing ability was compromised. During fasting, the body's healing process is at optimum efficiency. As the body scours for dead or damaged tissue, the lymphocytes enter the older, damaged tissue secreting substances to dissolve the damaged cells. These substances irritate the nerves in the surrounding region and cause a re occurrence of aches from previously injured areas that may have disappeared years earlier. The pain is good as the body is completing the healing process. The muscles may become tight and sore due to toxin irritation. The legs can be the worst affected, as toxins accumulate in the legs. Cankers are common in this stage due to the excessive bacteria in the mouth. Daily gargling with salt and water will prevent or heal cankers.

Detoxification Stage 4 (Day 16 to Day 30)

The body is completely adapted to the fasting process. There is more energy and clarity of mind. Cleansing periods can be short with many days of feeling good in between. There are days when the tongue is pink and the breath is fresh. The healing work of the organs is being completed. After the detoxification mechanisms have removed the causative agent or render it harmless, the body works at maximum capacity in tissue proliferation to replace damaged tissue. After day 20, the mind is affected. Heightened clarity and emotional balance are felt at this time. Memory and concentration improve.

 

Subhaan Allah what great health benefits but think of the rewards that will really matter and given by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in this life and the hereafter Insha'Allah. Aameen

When making Dua'a & what to ask for

As Salaamu Alaikum Dear Reader,

 With the imminent approach of Ramadaan let us be mindful of what we make Dua'a for. One never knows when the Angels will say Aameen to you Dua'a.

Apart from asking for the usual things we often ask for at any given time, here are a few important things to include in your Dua'as:

-☆For death with imaan

-☆For good neighbours in your qabr

-☆For Allah to make questioning in the qabr easy for you

-☆For salvation from the azaab (punishment) of the qabr

-☆To be resurrected with imaan

-☆For Allah to grant you ease on the day of Qiyaamah

-☆For Allah to grant you shade under His Arsh (throne) on that day so that you do not drown in your own sweat and blood

-☆For Allah to make it such that your good deeds far outweigh your bad deeds and that no one may lay claim to your good deeds nor may they give you their bad deeds

-☆For ease when crossing the siraats (bridge that is thinner then a strand of hair and sharper then a knife)

-☆For Allah to grant you entry into Jannah and save you from the punishment of Jahannum

-☆For Allah to forgive your sins and help you to stay away from them

-☆For Allah to save you from all types of harm and from the harms of insects, animals, man, jinn, shaitaan and dajjal

-☆Don't forget to pray for our brothers and sisters in war torn countries. Pray for Allah to strengthen them in imaan and ease their sufferings.

-☆Pray for Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam), the Sahabi, the Tabi'een, the tabi-tabi'een and all of the Prophets

-☆For ease for the deceased and for forgiveness for their sins

Remember to also start / end your Dua'as by praising Allah (reciting the 99 names of Allah) and reciting Durood upon Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).

Please aslo remember the Ummah of Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) as well as my family and I in your Dua'as, I'm always in need of it.

May this Ramadaan be all the you hoped for and more, Aameen