Just Ask A Muslim

Two years ago today my youngest blessed our home. Everyday I thank God for this beautiful gift that he has honored our family to care for. I truly believe that every single person in this world should celebrate his/her birthday. I don't believe in huge and extravagant birthdays, but I do believe in the people closest to you being a part of this special time of the year. Why is a birthday so important? A birthday is important because without the realization that one is getting older, a person takes aging for granted. We forget to thank God for each and every year we are given to live in this short life. It is also a simple way to show someone that they are appreciated. A lot of Muslims don't celebrate birthdays. I do. The reason a lot of Muslims do not celebrate is because of Arabic terminology for this day. They call it "eid milaad" - meaning birth holiday (or something to that effect). We, as Muslims only have two holidays...but the thing is...a birthday

Al Jazeera English - Middle East - US family seeks Israeli damages

If you don't have time to read the whole article, just watch the youtube video under "Mercy" and the paragraphs below... *** The Tawba of Abu Nuwas Published on January 13, 2010 — 12 Comments 3 people like this post. Unlike By Jinan Bastaki The Salah Series: Part I Part II Abu Nuwas was a person who loved to drink and say obscene things, such that he would even make up verses of poetry and sing about inappropriate things. However, he underwent a change and repented to God. People were surprised—Abu Nuwas, who was a known drunkard? Abu Nuwas the lewd man? In a sense, it was almost as though they believed Allah would not forgive him and that Allah would not have mercy on him. So he wrote verses of poetry, and they found these verses under the bed that he died upon. The lines in the poem said: O my Lord, if the greatness of my sins increase, then I know that Your forgiveness is greater If only the righteous called on You, then who would the crimin

By Jinan Bastaki The Salah Series: Part I In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate All praise and thanks be to God, and may peace and blessings be upon the most noble of Prophets and Messengers. A while ago, a show aired in Arabic called ”كيف تتلذذ بالصلاة؟” which means “How can you taste the sweetness of prayer?” by a young Kuwaiti da’iya named Mishary Al-Kharaz. For many of us, our khushoo’ in our prayer fluctuates. What is khushoo’? It is a state of mind that contains serenity, tranquility, dignity and humility during prayer, which springs from one’s heart standing in front of Allah in humility and submission. Sometimes in prayer we have so much devotion and can feel every word; yet at other times it’s all about the ritual movements and nothing more. Insha’Allah (God willing), I will try to summarize the main points of this show every week. The Story of the Ansari and the Muhajir In the sunan of Abu Dawud, it is narrated with a hasan (go

Al Jazeera English - Middle East - Clashes break out in East Jerusalem

Taking Off the Hijab This Article is from Suhaibwebb.com Taking Off the Hijab Shazia Ahmad | March 11, 2010 4:15 am Question: I understand that hijab is required, and I’ve been wearing it for some time now but I feel like putting it on might have been a mistake. I don’t feel like it’s made me become a better Muslim, and I feel almost like I’m deceiving people because they look at me as an example even though I’m still struggling with a lot of things. Also, if I take it off, is it really something Allah will punish me for? It seems like such a petty thing. Isn’t the most important thing having a clean heart? Answer: Assalaamu `alaykum dear questioner, Thank you for asking this question which opens up a number of important issues, and for entrusting us enough to share with us some of what you’re struggling with. I ask Allah ( subhanahu wa ta`ala – exalted is He) that He makes the words that I write beneficial to you and others who are reading, and that He leads y

Bismillah by Sr. Jannah Courtesy of Jannah.org Sr. Aminah Assilmi died today in a sudden car accident. Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji`un. She was 65 and had been ill a few years ago but had been doing much better recently. She died instantly I read. SubhanAllah, indeed it is true we do not know when or how any of us will be called back Home. I heard the news this evening and my mind immediately flashed back to all my memories of her. I was a teenager in a MYNA camp when I first heard her speak. She walked up mature and elegant, wearing a long skirt outfit and fully wrapped Hijab. A convert to Islam she always told us funny anecdotes and stories about being Muslim. She would then pause while we laughed and go on to give us the teaching point. When I was in MSA we invited her a few times to the Northeast to speak. Usually the topic was something like ‘Behind the Veil’ or ‘Myths of Women in Islam’. She always spoke well and was very equal to answering any obnoxious questions or

A close family friend sadly passed away today. Dr. Abdallah Askar was a psychiatrist that dedicated his life to better the community. He loved Islam and this is obvious in the beautiful family that survive him (hopefully to be reunited in Janaat Al-Firdous, ameen). May Allah (SWT) grant his family patience in these very hard times, ameen. Also to be sadly noted, our dear respected sister, Aminah Assilimi passed away in a car accident today. Ina lillahi wa inna ilayhi raji3oon (To God we belong and to Him we shall return). She was always an inspiration to me growing up. This is from the Makkah blog on Wordpress - the link can be found above. Famous Muslim Speaker and Da’ee, Aminah Assilmi, Dies in Car Accident Sr. Aminah Assilmi, the world famous Islamic speaker, day’ee and president of the International Union of Muslim Women was killed in a car accident yesterday night. She will, Insha Allah, be buried in Knoxville tomorrow March 6, 2010. Funeral arrangements are being ma