Something to read

Assalamalikum.. well Ive only read the first bit but i have a few books from her and i like them masha'allah... lemme know what you think. Fi amenallah

Thoughts on a few 'anti-female' hadiths.

By Ruqaiyyah Waris Maqsood.

In this article I wish to put forward a few thoughts concerning some of the more well-known hadiths that are thought by some to show anti-female bias. Once the background to them is known, it can easily be seen that there is no anti-female feeling in them whatsoever. In fact, the Prophet (pbuh) was a great champion of women, and had many staunch female friends and supporters.

1. It is better for women to pray at home.

It was the normal practice of the female Companions to pray in the mosque, with no sutrah (ie. barrier) dividing them from their men. They prayed behind them, but with no dividing walls or curtains - which one could argue might have invalidated their congregational prayer by separating them from the leader and the congregation. Yet nowadays, in some places we find devout Muslim men depriving women of their rightful place in the mosque by quoting the hadith that it is better for women to pray at home. It does not say this in the Qur'an - so where did this originate?

In fact, it came from an occasion when an elderly and arthritic Muslim lady - Umm Humayd - expressed her regret to the Prophet (pbuh) that although she longed to pray behind him in the mosque, as so many others did, it was impossible for her to be there. The Prophet (pbuh) assured her she need not be concerned about this, it was better for her to pray in her own home (Abu Dawud 570). Many male Muslims have misguidedly used this hadith to try to prevent their women from going to mosques, and have turned them into 'male clubs' where any women who do go feel obtrusive, shy and 'pushy'.

Yet it is obvious from many, many other hadiths that it was the normal practice in Madinah for them to go. For example, Caliph Umar's grandson tried to prevent his wife, but was over-ruled by his father since the Prophet (pbuh) had encouraged them saying: 'Do not prevent the handmaids of Allah from attending the mosque.' Muslim 888, Abu Dawud 568.

2. More women than men in Hell?

After the Farewell Pilgrimage at the Eid prayer the Prophet (pbuh) used his humour to charm his female companions into donating more for charity than they might have intended. Abdullah b. Abbas, who was there as a child, recorded that after he had offered up the prayer and delivered his khutbah the Prophet (pbuh) waved at the people to make them sit down, came down from the pulpit and walked towards the women who were sitting in rows behind the men, leaning on Bilal's arm, while Bilal held out his cloak for them to throw in their gifts of charity. This was not the required zakat-ul-Fitr (contributions made by every Muslim who can afford it so that the poor can be given money in advance in order to be able to pay for their feast obligations) but extra personal gifts according to their own choice. One woman might donate a ring off her finger, and others would see and do the same.

He urged the women to be generous with their gifts, for when he had glimpsed into the flames of Hell, he had noted the vast majority of people being tormented there were women. The women were outraged, and one of them instantly stood up and demanded to know why that was so. 'Because,' he replied, 'you women grumble so much, and show ingratitude to your husbands! Even if the poor fellows spent all their lives doing good things for you, you have only to be upset at the least thing and you will say, 'I have never received any good from you!' At that the women began vigorously to pull off their rings and ear-rings, and throw them into Bilal's cloak. (Bukhari 1.28, Abu Dawud 439 etc).

Jabir b. Abdullah's version recorded that he recited to them the verse: 'O Prophet! When believing women come to you to take the oath of loyalty to you . . . (to the end of the verse)' (60.12) and then asked the women if they were fulfilling their covenant? None except one woman said, 'Yes.' 'Then give in charity,' the Prophet (pbuh) declared. 'Keep on giving alms, ladies, let my father and mother sacrifice their lives for you,' Bilal urged them. So the ladies pulled off their fatkhs (large rings, which were popular in pre-Islamic times) and other kinds of jewellery and put them in Bilal's garment. (Bukhari 2.95).

I feel strongly that this example shows us the Prophet's (pbuh) down-to-earth humour, and not a terrible indictment upon the fate of female believers!
(For fuller information, please refer to my article on 'More Women than Men in Hell').

3. Women lack common-sense, therefore there evidence is only worth half that of a man.

After the 'more women in Hell' hadith, some versions go on to add that the prophet (pbuh) commented: 'I have seen none lacking in common sense and failing in religion but (at the same time) robbing the wisdom of the wise, besides you.' Upon this a woman remarked: 'What is wrong with our common sense and with religion?' He observed: 'Your lack of common sense (in) that the evidence of two women is equal to that of one man; that is the proof of your lack of common sense. And you spend some nights (and days) in which you do not offer prayer and in the month of Ramadan (during the menstrual days) you do not observe fast; that is your failing in religion.' (Muslim 31. This hadith was also narrated on the authority of Abu Tahir with this chain of transmitters. See also Muslim 448).

Would the Prophet seriously teach something not in keeping with the teaching of the Qur'an? It is perfectly possible that this, and the previous wry comment of the Prophet, were examples of his humour? It is vital that it should be made very clear that women not offering prayer during their menses or fasting on those days in the month of Ramadan is NOT a failing in their religion at all - it was a concession allowed by Allah in His revelation. As regarded the fasts, women were simply required to make up the missed days at some other time before the coming of the next Ramadan month. Their period of uncleanness and discomfort during menstruation coming under the category of illness.

'Therefore, anyone of you who witnesses that month should fast therein, and whoever is ill or upon a journey shall fast a similar number of days later on. Allah intends your well-being and does not want to put you to hardship. He wants you to complete the prescribed period so that you should glorify His Greatness and render thanks to Him for giving you guidance.' 2:185:

Imam Malik, who did not regard travelling as being a good enough reason, accepted menstruation as valid reason. 'No one who, by the Book of Allah, has to fast may break his fast except for a reason - illness or menstruation. He must not travel and break his fast." Malik said, "This is the best that I have heard about the matter." Al-Muwatta 18:40.

Fiqh as-Sunnah 1.71a (in the Alim Encyclopedia CD) gives us: If women fast (while menstruating during Ramadan), those days will be considered null and avoid. They will still have to make those days of fasting up later on. Mu'adhah said: 'I asked Aishah: Why must we make up the fasts missed due to our menstruation, but not the prayers (missed through menstruation)?' She said, 'That was what the Messenger of Allah told us to do. We were ordered to make up the fasts, and we were ordered not to make up the prayers.'

4. The witness of a woman is only worth half that of a man.

It has been suggested that the Prophet (pbuh) regarded women as inferior to men for two reasons - the inheritance laws in which a daughter received half the share of a son; and the fact that two female witnesses were regarded as the equal of one male witness.

In fact, the Qur'an actually taught that the witness of a woman was just as valid as that of a man, and made no distinction regarding the sex of a witness in every single reference except one - the concession of granting two female witnesses in legal cases where women had little knowledge or
expertise. The intention of this concession was to prevent women being tricked or cheated by unscrupulous men who could take advantage of their inexperience in business matters.

'O believers! When you deal with each other in lending for a fixed period of time, put it in writing. Let a scribe write everything down with justice between the parties. The scribe, who has been given the gift of literacy by Allah, should not refuse to write; he is under obligation to write. Let the debtor dictate, fearing the Almighty, his Lord, and not diminishing anything from the settlement. If the borrower is mentally unsound or weak or is unable to dictate himself, let the guardian of his interests dictate for him with justice. Let two witnesses from among you bear witness to all such documents, if two men cannot be found, then one man and two women of your
choice should bear witness, so that if one of the women forgets anything the other may remind her. Witnesses must not refuse (to bear witness) when they are called upon to do so.' (2.282).

In every other kind of case, there was no reason why the witness of a woman should not be just as reliable as evidence as that of a man, and no distinction of either sex was made or necessary. For example: 'Those who accuse a chaste woman of fornication and do not produce four witnesses to support their allegation, shall be flogged with eighty lashes and their testimony shall not be accepted ever after, for they are the ones who are wicked transgressors.' (24.4). The text implies any four witnesses, who could be of either sex.

In societies where it is insisted that the witnesses should all be male, this is really a cultural gloss on the rule, since any text in the Arabic masculine plural grammatically includes both men and women, unless specifically stated otherwise. Assumptions that women's evidence would be unreliable because of the inferiority of women in intellectual capacity, memory, or character stem from a patriarchal perspective in a male-dominated community which tried to limit the appearance of their women in public. The Qur'an does not bear this attitude and established the equality of men and women before Allah. The restrictions against public appearance are a
nonsense in this century, when the medical evidence of the rape could be presented by a woman doctor to a female litigator in front of a female jurist! It is certainly a travesty of justice to deny a victim of rape the right to testify to this violent attack merely because she is a woman.

5. A daughter only inherits half the amount of a son

As regarded the inheritance laws, the granting of a larger share to male inheritors was nothing to do with female inferiority but assumed a society in which Muslim women were entitled to keep whatever money and property they owned and not be obliged to use it for the benefit of their men or families, whereas a Muslim man had the obligation to support any dependent womenfolk
and other relatives from his own income. The spirit of the law was therefore not intended to deprive a woman heiress, but to provide adequately for female dependents by enabling male heirs to cope with the expense of all the responsibilities they would take on when a senior man passed away.(4.11 etc).

6. Bad luck always comes to those ruled by women.

Sometimes the supposed anti-female hadith seems completely untrue. One such hadith was the one that no nation that allowed itself to be ruled by a woman would prosper. This may have been an example of one of the Prophet's (pbuh) wry comments, but the hadith itself is suspect. It was quoted for the first time some 150 years after the Prophet's death, with the claim that it was
recorded by Abu Bakra just before the Battle of Siffin, that battle itself being some thirty years after the Prophet's (pbuh) death. The reason was that the troops opposing Caliph Ali were being led by a woman, in fact the lady was none other than the Prophet's (pbuh) beloved wife Aishah!

The hadith seems in direct opposition to the words of the Qur'an to the ruling Queen of Sheba in the time of the Prophet Sulayman (Solomon), who ruled over the most wealthy and well-known people in the history of Arabia. She was asked to accept Islam, but not to give up her rule (Surah 27:23-44). As for the presence in battle of Aishah, Ali was reported to have said afterwards: 'If a woman could have been khalif, Aishah would have been khalif.' (From 'Identification of the men' by Ibn Abdu's Sham, quoted by Aisha Bewley in 'Islam, the Empoering of Women,' Ta-Ha, 1999, p.30).

Indeed, some feel that Abu Bakra's testimony should be held in doubt anyway, since he had previously been flogged for a fraudulent statement, and the shari'ah ruling was that after such an offence the person's word should never again be upheld as reliable in a court of law. However, Abu Bakra was a noble Companion who had related several hadiths. His 'offence' concerned the case of Mughirah b. Shu'ba, a man known for his weakness for women, who would marry women and divorce them after a short while to make room for more beautiful faces. In this way, he was said to have married no less than 80 wives, taking steps to ensure that his wives were never more than four at a time, the limit prescribed by the shari'ah.

In those days at Basra, there was a beautiful woman named Umm Jamil. She belonged to the same tribe as that of Mughirah. Her husband had died and she became notorious for loose morals. Mughirah was attracted by her and she visited him often. Some Muslims in Basra became critical of the conduct of Mughirah. Abu Bakra's house across the street faced the house of Mughirah. One day there was a strong wind, and the windows of the houses of both Abu Bakra and Mughirah were blown open. Abu Bakra saw that Mughirah was locked in an uncompromising position with a woman he assumed to be Umm Jamil. Abu Bakra had some friends with him, and they also saw Mughirah with the woman.

So Abu Bakra wrote to Caliph Umar accusing Mughirah of adultery. The report was endorsed by four witnesses who had seen Mughirah with her. Umar took prompt action. He sacked Abu Bakra from his office as Governor of Basra and appointed Abu Musa. Mughirah was summoned to Madinah to face trial. Abu Bakra and the other witnesses who had made the complaint were also summoned to Madinah.

At the trial, Mughirah pleaded not guilty. His defence was that the witnesses had been mistaken - the woman in question was his wife and not Umm Jamil. With great indignation he averred that Abu Bakra and the men with him had no right to interfere in his privacy. Abu Bakra on the other hand maintained that the woman was indeed Umm Jamil, and the three other witnesses corroborated his statement. But the fourth witness, Ziyad, stated that he had seen the event, but he had not seen the face of the woman and could not be sure who she was. When the other witnesses were cross examined, it was found that there were some weak points in their evidence too. On being asked whether the woman had her back or her face toward them, they it was her back, and tried to make out that even from her back she could be identified as Umm Jamil.

Under the Qur'anic law, in order to press the charge of adultery convincing evidence was necessary from four witnesses and as in this case the fourth witness was not sure of the identification of the woman, Mughirah was given the benefit of doubt and acquitted. Abu Bakra and his companions who had levelled the charge were punished with lashes for making a charge which could not be established. Such was the care that was taken with evidence for adultery in those days! However, one feels that Abu Bakra did not deserve his flogging. Nevertheless, this decision and flogging made Abu Bakra ineligible for being regarded as a reliable transmitter of hadiths in the future.

Conclusion

I hope I have given some things to ponder, as regards the verses so frequently put forward to suggest that women are inferior to men in Islam. May Allah bless us all, Amin.

Describe......

... me & ur relationship with me in 4 words... I just wanna know how everyone sees me, and their relationship with me (if you have one with me that is) If u post, insha'allah Ill do the same for you

This is an old 360 blog too... but seeing as I obviously I have new readers that I didnt have over on 360 Id like to see what you all say :D
here are some of the quotes from the last blog

Aalya "Friend, creative-thinker, always there (when you need her) :)"
Somayya "Friend, sister, like-minded, supportive. How's that???"
Anisah "salam sis :) ok here goes..... sister, curious, generous, friend"

Feet and salah (esp in Jummah)

Assalamalikum girls, so I was going through old 360 blogs and came across this.. I know Ive read opinions on Chasing Jannah and Beautiful muslimah, but I thought I would post this again to see everyones opinion. So heres the old blog
"Im not gonna get all preachy dont worry. I went for Taraweeh last night alhamdulillah, and this subject was addressed (not in talking, I mean in me) I personally cover my feet during salah, either with socks or my prayer dress, and I try to at the majority of the times except during summer when its sometimes just too uncomfortable for socks & shoes (I cant wear shoes without socks!) So anyways.... when in ruku I look at the space where my head will go in prostration but sometimes I catch the woman infront of me. And I have to admit, I hate feet... they make me feel sick, especially dry cracked heels and funny toes, alhamdulillah we have them but i feel uncomfortable around uncovered ones. So when I was just looking around I noticed the number of women in bare feet and how nasty their feet were, it was just soo distracting that I came to the conclusion that I would never like someone to feel as uncomfortable as I did then while I am praying in the masjid, so I will always cover my feet insha'allah. I just wanted to tell you all to look after your feet and be aware of others around you."

Today

Assalamalikum,
well after such a good evening, obviously it had to come crashing down!!
Yesterday I spoke to my mum.. shes having some probs at the moment. My stepdad isnt working and shes worrying about their finances which she should have to, hes old enough!! And hes never not worked for this long, he wont even sign on. But then hes going, so you want me in a rubbish job which I will hate, and doesnt understand that its only short term.. insha'allah he will realise and sort it out. When I spoke to her yesterday she was upstairs in my bedroom and wouldnt talk to him, I just phoned her now and asked where he is, out she said.. out where? dunno she replied I just want to slap him to wake him up sometimes.
Anyways I was feeling bad after speaking to her but I managed to get to the masjid, I prayed my 2 rakahs and sat aound waiting for the prayer... It was only 2 rakahs into that I realised I had missed isha, so after the 8th rakah (when theres a gap) I prayed isha.. but then there wasnt as big a gap as usual So I ended up missing 2 rakahs (which I made up on my own later alhamdulillah) After we prayed witr, and they do it different saying the duaa before ruku and I totally lost myself there and couldnt remember the duaa. We all sat around after, I was really surprised at the small number of people praying last night, almost hurt me but I started to read my quran... then a girl came to me and asked when the masjid was closing.. I had assumed it stayed open all night, but then i realised that not all of the masjids did the sleeping during the last 10days.. alhamdulilah she found out it was open all night and said she wanted to stay later. So we chatted for a bit, she took my number and email.. she has started coming to friday prayer so insha'allah we will get together when im back from UK She left earlier than I had expected her to, but it was all good... in the end I finished reading the quran and learnt 3 lines of surah al-kafiroun alhamdulillah.. so just 3 more to do alhamdulilah, then I drove home.. got home around 115am then chatted with a work friend online for a little bit.. but the more I sat the more tired I became so I went to bed.
This morning: totally missed suhur and fajr woke up around 845am and prayed fajr then.. insha'allah I will be forgiven. I started to get ready for my day, had a hospital appointment for my hand at 11am and wanted to go to the bank to draw out some money to transfer over to my bank in UK. By the time I got of the motorway I thought I would be late... but when I was at the traffic lights at the bank, I realised I could have made it but decided to do it after the appointment. So I had my appointment (i was really early ) Dr says hes pleased with my hand and that I will wear my glove for another 2 months, then thats it... no more appointments and no more glove, he said if im still unsure about not wearing it then he can put me in touch with someone who does scar covering makeup... he must think Im soo vain But alhamdulillah.
Then I was driving back got about 5 mins down the road and a copper stopped all the traffic to pull me over... said i was doing 86 in a 50 zone Im sure it isnt 50... Im going to try and check that out today. He was such a nasty copper.. whacked me with a $271 fine There goes my savings for the month I was so annoyed, Im sure it isnt a 50 zone and he hid his car in the trees and had the camera facing up a hill so he caught me going down the hill basically. I dunno what to do, anyone in Canada got any suggestions? Anyone know about how speeding fines and points work?? This is my 2nd this year.. got done coming back from Anisahs too.. although not for this amount. Insha'allah I can sort something out, such a waste of time, money and effort. Allahu alim
Anyways... thats the down fall of my day... Whens Eid? Looks like its going to be another lonely day in my life.. I cant believe how depressed Ive been through this month this year, Allahu alim.. Eid Mubarak to you all if I miss you. Fi amenallah

The few days just gone

Assalamalikum girls, so its been awhile since I posted a blog in here... my time on 360 seems to be dwindling yet I still manage to do all the other worthless bits of things that I do oh well.. i do still read all your blogs daily and keep up with those close to my heart outside of 360 (you know who you are, masha'allah)

I just wanted to tell you all whats been going on lately, I had a few girls over to mine this weekend. There was supposed to be 3, then it became 2 then 1.. Allahu alim, the 1 girl I went to pick up from mississauga which is 1hrs drive away because otherwise she woudnt get to mine (with girl2) until around 1130 so I picked her up and we got back to mine for about 9 loaded with dvds I made us some spaghetti bolognaise yummy.. and she really enjoyed it, even though it was veggie mince. We started watching Kill bill which was on tv then girl 2 showed up with lots of chocolates.. so we made our selves comfy and watched happy feet (heehee, loved it) catch & release (dont bother if you havent seen it!) then we started to watch the Queen girl 2 got bored and we decided to watch Bride & prejudice instead (bollywood sort of) We stayed up until 6am.. girl 2 drove home (crazy woman!!) and we slept until 1230 we chatted a little got ourselves ready and girl 3 showed up for the day... and to my shock she wasnt wearing her hijab But what can you say? we talked a little about it, then i went off to get sorted and she told girl 1.. I dont think she hid her feelings very well cause girl 3 was quite upset.. We drove over to the veggie restaurant (Zen gardens) and girl 1 pulled her to the side and talked about it.. they seemed ok after that.. So we ate with another friend and her son and chilled and chatted and had some laughs... then I took them on a little tour of Cambridge... we tried to get into a church to look at the stained glass windows... but the doors were locked. Then they came back to mine and we went all grown up and serious.. talking about life, my future marriage insha'allah and all bits, they left at around 730pm. I miss them loads, especially girl 3, shes been my life line practically since i moved out on my own, shes going travelling for awhile frm sunday so shes coming over to stay at mine tonight and leave tomorrow. Which im soo excited about... we prob wont be up until the wee hours but we will be doing some serious chatting and pondering.

Well, I suppose I should probably go back to work No rest for the wicked heehee... keep in touch girls. Fi amenallah

Bamboo

Salam girls, so the pic is purely for one muslimah... i had to chop it down when i left my old apartment cause with being in the basement it didnt really see the light so was all yellow and stuff... however, I still think its bigger now than when i first got it and Im pleased with it.. I wonder if I can chop off a bit to make another main piece, although it wont be as thick as the other pieces.

So on another note, I finished the work in my bedroom last nite, alhamdulillah... then i sent pictures of my place and my hand to all my peeps in UK and some here too.. now i have to choose my next room to finish, and im thinking its either the bathroom or the kitchen. Decisions decisions.

Ive decided not to go to the xmas dinner, i know i would feel too uncomfortable there with the drinking and dancing (please, no lectures girls.. Im NOT going) and the fact that i would turn up late and leave early to remove myself from as much of this, although i know how i deal with pressure (lets just say not very well) so thats all over now. The guy at work, Dawoud, he told me he can ask his wife to help me with my arabic of a weekend insha'allah so im looking forward to starting that insha'allah. He told me they would take me on a little tour of their area (Brantford) show me his masjid (which is full to the brim of women masha'allah and the committee is mainly women) and to the local shops and stuff... so insha'allah once i have my flat sorted i can look into this. Also he told me that the masjid i started going to, the big one attached to the school, has classes and stuff.. so insha'allah one day i will see this starting. I was also introduced to another brother at work Aiyub, who lives in my city (dont worry girls, hes old too) and he told me a few places for halal shops. U see, it isnt the meat that i want cause im veggie... its just the atmosphere if u catch my drift. I dont think i wrote it here... but the masjid i got kicked out of the other week... well i found out that one of the guys at my work, he is the president

Anyways, id best get dressed for work... bought some new saftey shoes yesterday (free from work) from marks work warehouse... they are brown and are shoes, my other safety shoes are dr marten boots and are killing my legs (esp jammy knee) cause they are soo heavy and im wearing them for 9 hours a day. roll on proper shifts of 8hrs a day insha'allah soon.

We;;, Fi amenallah... comment all u like girls, u know i love to hear from u.

It started out bad...

... Assalamalikum girlies, so today i woke up dead on 8am then spent the next 30 seconds trying to figure out what day it was.. in the end I went to my computer to figure it out. When I realised it was tuesday i shot around my room getting ready and freaking out, im supposed to be in work for 8 and it takes about 50 mins to get there.

So I eventually got there, just before 9am alhamdulillah, settled myself and made my way to the training room i was in today, which was the warping room. Subhanallah i had such a good day. The machines are soo loud in there so we usually wear earpieces but because i was training i got to wear some walkie talkie headphones with the woman who was training me, Ann. Masha'allah she was really nice, she asked me lots of questions about Islam and is the first person who asked me 'so is your whole family muslim or just you' if you read my UK diary you would know i love it when ppl dont assume you have to be born into the religion. She asked if i was married, all about my family, xmas celebrations and she knew quite abit too, she asked if i was allowed to go to the mosque to pray. I mentioned it was a common understanding that women couldnt go, that they had to stay at home, to which she told me, oh i know.. just i wondered cause u were single if u were allowed to go. So that was a new opinion i havent heard before, I even told her about my episode at the mosque on Friday. She mentioned the other guys who were muslim at work, told me she didnt really believe in God didnt know if it was a phase and that she was brought up RC. I mentioned that ppl dont realise the similarities between Judaism, Christianity & Islam most of the time, and told her that all 3 have the law of not eating pork and the head covering, which she said she didnt know. Alhamdulillah i was able to teach her something, she also told me she understood that what was portrayed wasnt the religion and that it was a religion of peace, masha'allah. I told her alot of ppl just didnt want to ask questions, or were worried about offending ppl to which she told me she would ask questions and i told her i would answer if i could so i didnt mind.

I told my boss what id been doing today and that i had really enjoyed myself, his answer?? I can tell... u have a different air about u.... i hope he doesnt think ive been bored up to now, well i have a little, but the 2 areas ive enjoyed the most have been when ppl allow me to do things for myself alhamdulillah.

When I had a bit of time between things i went upstairs to customer services to say hi and i mentioned to them about me being late... you know what one said?? one good thing was that i didnt have to do my hair because noone would know.. subhanallah... i couldnt believe she said it, not in a bad way, but i would never have been so blatent. Masha'allah, i like that they feel comfortable enough about me to say that, insha'allah this will lead to more.. Allahu alim.

So after work, I went for a medical for work, the dr was a london woman who has been here for 42 years.. she nearly mistook my accent for a brummie accent, can u believe it!!!?? Then I went to the shops to buy a chair & ottaman (pouffe) thats on sale for my new place... heehee, Ill have a chair but everyone else will be on the floor. Then I got home, at around 745pm and now im here.. its 850pm, I should be making something to eat but i really cant be bothered, and i want to sleep but i have to do washing.

Ok, now im gonna go and do some stuff... insha'allah ill write soon. Fi amenallah

Go girls!!!

Insha'allah something comes about from this

My life

Assalamalikum girls...

so the muslim guy, Dawood has been really nice when i see him and the other day he asked if I was going to some curling event work has organised this weekend. I told him I couldnt for reasons of college and the fact that Im not yet living in Cambridge, he was fine with that and told me he has told all his family about me and they wanted to meet me, masha'allah.

There has been a guy at work installing some new equipment and hes from Wales originally so was nice to hear a good accent and to speak without being asked to repeat myself a few times. It was funny we were just chatting about home, he asked if i was over here on my own then just said, so youre muslim then, I was like yeh! What else could i say, thinking back i should have said something like.. oh what gives it away cause it was pretty silent for a bit after that, but then we picked up the pace again

I went to the hospital yesterday for a checkup, the deep burn on the top isnt getting better he said, so i have to start covering it with polysporin and covering the burn. He put some on yesterday and when i took it off in the evening to make wudu subhanallah i couldnt believe it, the burn area had rapidly reduced from like 7 hours ago. I can feel it getting tighter now, so gonna have to really start the exercises. He also told me i couldnt wear this pressure glove until the area had completely covered over but the way that its healing i think that should be soon insha'allah. It was soo painful to get the glove on yesterday for sizing because the wound was still open and the glove is so tight. I have to wear it gradually at first and work up to 23 hours a day, she told me each glove last for about 3 months and they gave me 2 for alternation. But if it reduces and flattens any scarring im there, loading with duaa too obviously

Last bit of news, I was accepted for the apartment. I phoned her yesterday to see if she had heard anything so she casually said, oh u were approved. I was like, and u were going to tell me.... when??? But oh well, I have it and thats the important thing. Now i just have to start getting my stuff ready, got some boxes yesterday and started packing up my islamic books to store at a friends until after the move. Have to phone around a few places today to get my address then change a few things, car insurance, doctors appointment, blah blah. But its slowly moving alhamdulillah.... and tomorrow Im going for a little meal with some sisters and a video after insha'allah. So looks like its gonna be a busy weekend, I cant wait to move over there then i can have a relaxing weekend cause i havent had one of those in awhile.

Ok, now time for fajr and for getting ready for another work day, alhamdulillah. Take care girls, and keep in touch. Fi amenallah

Hand update

Assalamalikum girls... ok, so i said i would keep you up to date.. if anyone saw my msn name today i had a hosptial appointment to decide whether i needed a skin graft or not. Well apparently the doctors had already decided, they just wanted me to realise that i needed, which i still dont. Anyways, insha'allah im going in on Friday morning for the op, will be out by mid afternoon insha'allah with a cast on my hand to stop me doing anything (Care of my doctor who knows me oh too well) then the following thursday im going to get the cast cut off and checked, they will see whether it still needs to be bandaged up or left open.. then he said promising i dont do anything with it, i can start work on the monday (nov 20th) so im happy that i have a date, and that i have 2 wks off.

Oh on another note.. my friend took me to hospital and brought me home, when we were about 4mins from mine we were changing lanes and some loser was changin into the same lane, so my friend swerved to avoid him..... that was it, she lost control of the car... we went over all 4 lanes backwards & forewards in circles and everything eventually stopping off the highway in a little ditch. Alhamdulillah, alhamdulillah... we couldnt believe it, no other car had hit us, her car was fine and most importantly we were fine, subhanallah.. he really was watching us alhamdulillah. Thats my news for today... im going to go relax now

My weekend finally

Assalamalikum girlies.. so I just woke up after a 'little nap' I was sooo tired this afternoon, I went to bed at 1730 to have an hours sleep.. didnt actually start tryin to get to sleep till 1820, this is how tired I was.. i didnt hear the adhan for maghrib missed the end of my fast (insha'allah this doesnt make it invalid) or my alarm and woke up at 1950

Fajr Ok, so heres how it went.... Saturday morning, I wake up at 5 for fajr at Istiqamah masjid in Mississauga for the start of my mosque trek. I sit at my computer for a bit after arranged with my friend down the road to meet her in front of her house at 0530 (i was working for a few hours so I had to be able to leave on my own) I wasnt really expecting anyone else to be coming for fajr so this for me was the start of my islamic day. So im sat down chatting to a few friends and eating a little, then I realise I should probably start getting ready otherwise I would be late. According to the website fajr was 0615 and we wanted to get there a little early to get together outside and get sorted inside. So i make a cup of mint tea to take with me, as Im sorting out my bag I pick up my phone to put away and realise I have a text message from the friend I was supposed to be meeting. Sayin she just got to bed at 0200 so wouldnt be coming for fajr, I was annoyed and thought about not going but decided I had the intention of doing this so I should go, I mean... only Allah (swt) knows who would be there so I still went. I got there after about 10mins drive which I was impressed with, getting to the masjid it was the usual masjid u find in the middle of an industrial estate.. just a building, nothing fancy.. but alhamdulillah, so its dark and the sign says brothers & sisters use the back entrance. So I drive around to the back to find no other cars there and a sign saying sisters entrance, I pick up my tea and make my way in the rain over to the door... guess what! Its locked! So I knock a few times... looking back I should have knocked on the door next to the sisters entrance.. but the fact that there were no cars was just weird.. it was in the middle of no really housing, would the wives be dropping the guys off, to drive home, then to drive back to pick them up?? I cant really see that happening somehow. Allahu alim.. so I drive home, and pray fajr in the comfort of my own home.. then I sleep for an hour before getting up for the airport.

Dhuhr I leave at about 1215 to get to the next masjid, I didnt know how to get there.. never been before so wanted to get there on time, plus after posting my intentions at toronto muslims website I had a few emails from sisters and was meeting one of them at this masjid. So I was a little nervous too, she was older than me.. she told me double my age so i was thinking around 50.. so was worried that it wouldnt be what she was expecting but alhamdulillah we had a great time. In the end there was only me & her for the 3 day time prayers, I was upset.. cause I wanted to share this experience with more people, but alhamdulillah this way I was able to concentrate more on the reading side of the day and less on idle chatter alhamdulillah. I got off the highway and started towards the masjid, thats when I worried I wouldnt be able to find the place... and if you know me, I get sooo nervous and get really stressed driving in areas I dont know. I shouldnt have worried.. subhanallah, 2 sets of lights or so later I saw the minaret from the lights before... subhanallah this place was massive & amazing. I took pics of my travels, so insha'allah once I have them developed Ill post them (my battery died on the last masjid I visited) I stood around for ages, worried because there was a funeral taking place and there were sooo many people, I was thinking, man!! I dont even have her number, or know what she looks like.. alhamdulillah at 1300 a couple walked up to me, she stood infront of me kind of not sayin anything, then she was like... Ammena??? alhamdulillah, so we hugged and salamed. Then we finally made our way in, after more hugging and putting her home made cake in my car (which was yummy) So we prayed the 2 rakahs for entering the masjid and sat down to read.. I started some sewing, only to realise I had taken the scissors off the shelve but not put them in my bag. I was reading my quran and I bought my stories of the prophets book too. Then the prayer was getting closer and the room was filling up lots, with a few women crying for the deceased (who we later found out was an imam) we prayed more sunnah and eventually fard. Then took part in the jennaz which Ive never been to, it was strange and I would like to learn more about it.. it was alot of takbir, and duaa but was nice to be apart of. We decided to stay awhile after to let the crowds move before leaving and when we came out i took a few pics of the masjid.

Asr We made our way to Taric masjid which I have seen many times from the highway and always wanted to go to, eventually I managed to get there, I remember seeing last Ramadan some ppl going into the masjid for iftar and I was soo amazed. The place is amazing, so big.. so we walk in, the first thing I notice the women & men prayer space is in the basement, you see its tall as well as square footage, I guess I assumed that the women would be on the top floor with the men underneath. So for them both to be on the same floor, I was like.. oh ok then. So we find our the gym and library is on the top floor, the gym is used for everything really.. lectures, iftars, sports, weddings... pretty cool. We walk down and take off our shoes.. I notice that the place isnt that big which surprises me, then I cant see where we are supposed to pray.. we ask a guy who tells us in there ie the same place as the guys... yup u guessed it.. no barrier, not even a curtain.. subhanallah.. yes I know there shouldnt be, but when you get soo used to being shoved in another room or begin a screen you just assume.. subhanallah apart from praying behind my other half.. this was one of the most unforgettable prayer experiences in my life, and I will never forget that insha'allah. Subhanallah!!!

Ok, so its getting late... and im tired, still so insha'allah Ill continue tomorrow. Can u wait?? tough you have to heehee. Fi amenallah girls

My tea last night

who says I dont eat properly??? hmm?? potatoes, lots of veggies (i didnt think it would be so much) cauliflower, broccoli & carrots, and sole fried in a little lemon juice and flour. It was sooo nice, and now I remember why I like making big things like that.. cause I feel so much better after. The past 3 evenings Ive been really bad with my food, I would get hungry around 6ish so would make a little snack, which would end up makin me not really hungry until it was bedtime so I wouldnt eat any more. Allahu alim... insha'allah it wont happen often.. Ive run out of crackers, and thats what Ive been eating, cheese & tomato on crackers. heehee.

Laser hair removal

just wondered what everyone thought about this subject?? Im thinking of doing it when I get abit of money aside insha'allah. Some places look ok for prices and I know I should go with a respectable company, how do I find that though? When I dont know anyone that has had it done... hmm.. Im thinking underarm and lower legs... thats what I usually get waxed and on a whole wont it be cheaper in the long run?? Theres a place in Toronto that do underarms for $149 ok.. so i would like to wax my underarms once a month.. at least, it doesnt grow that fast and lets face it, who do I have to look good for so it costs $15 each time I think it is... so at once a month it would take me 10 months for it to pay for itself.. and well I dont have to think about it for the rest of my life... hmmm.. it seems to sound better. I wish I could get my bikini line done, but Allahu alim.. with my legs I usually have them done once every 3-4 months.. cause they hardly grow, those who know me will vouch for this insha'allah... Ive waxed since i was a teenage alhamdulillah and only have hair on the front of my legs. Lemme know your opinions insha'allah.

Its too early

Assalamalikum everyone,

well... its 8am.. for those of you who know my work, I was working for the airport last night testing the fuel. Well it failed, I phoned them up and they told me there was nothing they could do until the morning so I could go home. So I started going home at about 11pm and got stuck in a traffic jam, then my phone rings and its one of the guys tellin me hes goin to pick up another sample for me to test and he would prob be at the lab in 40 mins... *yawn* so i head back... catch up on some reading and my salah alhamdulillah.. he gets to the lab about 1230, nearly 1.5hrs later... and eventually leaves about 115am... so i get home just after 130am and im sooo knackered!! (tired) and all i wanna do is curl up in a little ball and sleep. Insha'allah ill sleep a little at dinner and tonight between prayers... sorry dee.. my health & sanity is more important so insha'allah ill work on more stitchings after im sorted.

Well.. suppose i should go... but i dont wanna!!! Fi amenallah

Next bit

Assalamalikum everyone,

insha'allah this blog finds you all in the best of health and iman.. well as you can tell from the previous post, I finished the stitching I mentioned wahey!! So insha'allah ill get that sent off the sister sometime soon. Insha'allah she will like it.

Ok, so where was I??? Oh i was coming back from Bradford and I went to my friends house from school. Yeh, so i decided to go straight there.. it was weird, taking the usual routes that I took on my way home from school and things hadnt changed there either... what is it with little towns?? they never change.. man.. its sooo boring!! I drive up to her house and start getting my clothes out the car.. rummaging around all the other bits I bought over the past few days As im pulling my bag out, a car pulls up next to me and one of the girls steps out.. she hasnt changed, actually i shouldnt say that.. I was soo annoyed at ppl telling me I hadnt changed, what did you expect?? So we chat, the usual how are u? hows the trip been? blah blah blah.. then we get to the front door and ring the bell. I walked in and was disappointed to see my friends boyfriend sat there... 'oh, hes having food with us then going out' she tells me after awhile... just thought that she would have made the effort for it to be only the girls.. u know!? Anyways.. we order chinese.. it was actually yummy.. chinese here just doesnt seem the same as in UK dunno why. Anyways.. we eat, catch up on the soaps... they made me watch eastenders!! & emmerdale farm!! Man.. I was ready for slitting my throat (expression for those who take offense) We were going to get a film... instead they decided they wanted to play video games, there was one that was basically a big knowledge quiz, I did pretty well on this and there was even a section that slowly reveals a picture and you have to buzz what the pic is.. guess what one was.. the blue mosque, masha'allah and it was a really good pic too. So in the end one of my friends wanted a lift to where she was meeting someone, so i offered to give her a lift. I didnt want her walking around on her own (this was about 11pm) and i was the only one who was driving. She got in the car and asked how i was.. i was like.. erm.. fine.. then she was twittering on about something and mentioned she seen one of the lads that we went to school with. Now the only thing i really remember about this guy was that he used to take to his sandwiches at dinner time.. he was a little strange. Anyways, she told me that he was like... what dya mean shes a muslim ; well shes become a muslim ; but why ; so then i realised why she was askin me if i was ok, then she asked me again... I told her fine, that I had done this for me, noone else so it wasnt changing.. Alhamdulillah she was fine with that and said, well at least youve done it for yourself... she was good about it alhamdulillah. Then i let her out and drove back. A while after i got back, some one elses boyfriend turned up and i started to feel really self conscience then.. I never really liked this guy, he isnt good enough for her as far as i see and he kept talking about my cousin.. I dont know if he knows shes my cousin (shes black) and i was really uncomfortable with how he wasnt really acknowledging the fact... its hard to explain really. Eventually they all left at about 230am and i was sooo ready for bed... So i slept till fajr, then went back to sleep and slept til about 9 i think. Got dressed and after saying goodbyes and stuff left for my grandparents.

When i got back to my grandparents there was noone there, so i thought they had just gone out... it was about 10am, you know older ppl.. they wake up really early. The alarms were on, so i knew they werent just somewhere else in the house. Then i walked through the double doors and found a note on the table, my heart dropped.. as i read it, i was told that both my grandparents had been taken into hospital the morning before... I felt soo bad at that point.. I had only gotten my simcard in Bradford so noone had my phone number. Immediately i phoned my auntie and she filled me in on what happened... the main point is, they were both in hospital but alhamdulillah they were ok and in the best possible place for them. Man.. it was a busy week after that. I had to fit all my schedule around visiting them in the hospital and making sure they were ok... alhamdulillah everything worked.

So Saturday afternoon, I drove down to my dads and we went to watch the football match Everton vs Sunderland... it was the day before my dads 50th so sort of doubled it up as a bday present for him. I know he hasnt really been to many games since he left my mum, cause ive never heard him mention anything about it. Ive been going reguarly since i was 16, so i really miss them being over here and i couldnt go home and not see the boys play It was a good afternoon, at first i was pretty nervous, I cant remember the last time that i spent that amount of time time with just the 2 of us... but alhamdulillah it went fine... we had fun, we went to the football shop bought some bits... got food.. yummy chips & curry, it was gorgeous!! The match wasnt too good... we drew 2-2 but the goals we scored we didnt really deserve.. the ball just got lost in a group of guys in front of the goal and it just so happened someone kicked the ball hard and it went in the right direction. And since then.. they seem to have gone downhill.. check out the site if you want, just please dont laugh Everton FC Ok... so then we go back to my dads, and sit around for abit.. then he leaves to go to see my grandparents in hospital.. I had speaken to them, but i had already planned something else.. that makes me sound really bad doesnt it!? My feelings were so much stronger about it at the time.. but thinking about it now Alhamdulillah they are both ok now.. so thats the main thing, and i did see them more.

After my dads, I went for a meal with my auntie and uncle.. I had been to see my auntie on tuesday I just cant remember if i told you that she had arranged to go out for food with me to surprise her husband.. hee hee.. it was fun surprising him and he was totally shocked. Actually he said he looked at me waiting and thought it looked like me, then excused the thought.. hee hee... i was there!! So was a fun night, we ate, talked, then we went back to theirs which is over the road from the restaurant... Went to bed finally about 12am... man.. i was happy to come back to canada to rest!! Alhamdulilah i wasnt affected with jet lag either way.

I woke up around 10ish and got ready... had a quick drink and was on my way back to my grandparents... ok, so this was the day i had been looking forward to (Sunday) My habibi was coming to visit liverpool from london and i couldnt wait. But before then, I told him about my grandparents and he was fine with me being late to get him... I did other things that day im sure of it... lemme think, I left auntie at about 11ish... oh yes i remember... it was my dads bday so i popped into his... he had some food bits on the table and they had done some veggie stuff for me, we talked and stuff then me and my dad went to visit my grand parents in hospital. my nana looked ill.. she was having breathing difficulties, but my grandad was sat next to her, tormenting as usual.. We stayed until about 5ish when waiting time had finished.. listen to this.. visiting hours 3-5 & 7-8 how ridiculous!! Anyways, I got back to my dads, stayed for about 30 mins then left to pick up my hanouni... he had never been to liverpool before so it was new to him. I couldnt wait to take him round and show him my city!! insha'allah he will show me his city in the future.

Anyways, its 6pm now.. i think thats enough for tonight. I think my net is sorted now, so insha'allah ill write some more soon. Fi amenallah

Im back

assalamalikum everyone,

insha'allah this blog finds you all in the best of health and iman... Im back now just to let you know... but it will take me awhile to catch up with everything, so please have patience with me insha'allah.. Im at my mums at the moment, insha'allah in a few hours ill be back at my own place so more on msn and yahoo... insha'allah catch u all at some point. Fi amenallah

Packing

Assalamalikum everyone,

ok..so i just started packing for my trip home on Saturday insha'allah.. and ive near enough finished, who says you need to pack early?? The helpful thing is that I will mostly be staying with family and friends, so i dont need to go over the top with the amount of clothes to take as I can wash them there. So far.... asides from the millions of kids clothes in my case.... I have 3 skirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 3 pairs of normal trousers... hijabs, 1 abaya, underwear obviously, pyjamas, pair of sandals, flip-flops, boots, trainers and Ill wear my tims goin over insha'allah... a few jersey tops.. thats it i think. I bought 2 books today and im half way through another book, so ill put one of the new ones in my suitcase. i need to put my toiletries in there and i think thats it... anyone have any suggestions?? then i just need to sort out my hand luggage.. i will take a backpack and my smaller bag... in my smaller bag i can put my money, passport, tape player (yes dont even comment!!) and little things in that i will use on the plane, so i can just take that out and put the big one over head. In the bigger one i will probably put some toiletries cause its a night flight, my toothbrush, pills, soap, brush, the usual.. mayb some sandwiches and drinks so i dont pay even more out in the airport. Oooh.. just remembered i wanted to take my french books home too, I cant believe i havent picked them up since i finished in december... thats really bad!!! and i was hopin to go back into level 5 now im worried ill just be wasting my money.. insha'allah if its hard then ill just resit it again.. the thing is, I know i can pass the modules, its the fact that i want to pass them knowing and understanding what im actually doing!!

So tonight, im going out with a few of the girls insha'allah... we are going for a veggie indian buffet down the road.. looking forward to it, a few of the girls i dont really know outside of halaqa so should be nice to know them in a different atmosphere.

Then tomorrow i need to wash some clothes to take with me.. my ever faithful Everton shirt to say the least.... did i tell u we won on saturday, now 9th in the table... insha'allah we will move up before the end of the season, and im going to watch them with my dad april 1st... cant wait!! havent seen the lads in ages!!

Anyways, best sort out what im going to wear tonight... Jane im wearing the scarf u sent me.. so insha'allah ill be able to test it out more, and its going home with me insha'allah!! there isnt a point of takin loads of scarves though cause ive got so many at home.. the bad thing is, I just cant remember what colours so i cant plan that way.. hmm just remembered i got a gorgeous blue georgette hijab with the abaya sent to me from loveunspoken shahada page* masha'allah its really nice.. the abaya is another story, i added on the inches.. not knowing they do too so its pretty big. Insha'allah ill get it taken in or even do it myself at some point insha'allah.

ok, so im off now.. insha'allah catch ya all soon.. sorry ive been so quiet recently.. insha'allah after my hols ill have plenty of moans that im missing UK and tell u all about halaqa and my arabic/french lessons. Fi amenallah

Islamic sayings

Occasion What to say and its meaning When Meeting someone Greet them by saying Salam Alaikum wa Rahmat Allah he wa Barakato hu Peace blessings and mercy of Allah be upon you When greeted reply by saying Wa Alaikum Salam wa Rahmat Allah he wa Barakato hu And upon you too Peace blessings and mercy of Allah When starting to do something say Bism-illah ir Rahman ir Rahim In the name of Allah the beneficent, The merciful When intending to do something in future say Insha-Allah God willing When in pain and distress say Ya-Allah O-Allah When expressing appreciation say Masha-Allah As Allah willed When thanking someone say Jazak-Allah Khayran May Allah recompense you When awakening from sleep say La-ilaha-illallah There is no God except Allah When thanking Allah or When sneezing say Alhamdu-lillah All praise to Allah When someone else sneezes say Yar-Hamuk-Allah May Allah have mercy on you When someone supplicates say Ameen Please Reply When taking oath say Wallah By Allah When repenting of a sin say Astagh-Firullah May Allah forgive When you see another Muslim laughing say Adha kal laa ho sinaka May Allah make you laugh as long as you live When you see something surprising or astonishing say Subhan Allah Glory to Allah When death message or bad news is received say Inna-Lillahi-wa- inna-ilaihi Raji-oun To Allah we belong and to him is our return

assalamalikum sisters,

so a new day over with.. what news do i have today? hmm.. I reckon you are all getting bored of my day accounts, so gonna chill a little after this i think. So when i went to wonderland on saturday towards the end of the evening the topic was brought up about some sikh kids and my friends religion (hindu) she was asked if she could marry a white guy, you know the usual questions. One thing she distisgushed was that she couldnt marry a muslim... Id heard that before so it wasnt anything new there. Then someone else mentioned she though that she was muslim not hindu, then commented that i was... but it was said so quietly i didnt think anyone had heard. So today the hindu girl came up to me.. looking like she wanted to say something, so i asked her if she wanted me she was like.. erm yeh, looked really uncomfortable.. so she goes, you know on saturday when i mentioned that i couldnt marry a muslim, well u didnt take offence did you? I was like.. why woudl i take offence.. I aint asking you to marry me. And she was like well u already knew that didnt u, I agreed cause like i said before, I did... but alhamdulillah someone else knows im muslim in work just wondering if the other couple that was with us know now too... I always feel better when ppl know cause then i feel like i can be my own person.. dya know?!

Well thats about all thats happened in my day, still havent heard from the job yet... dont think anyone has faith in me or anyone else in my house. I heard my mum on the phone last night telling her husband that she didnt think i had gotten it... she was like.. well they told her they would get back to her in the next few wks, which ended on friday just gone.. and its the government for heavens sake... its not like they will never reply and just pretend I dont exist. Insha'allah i get this job... I really really want it, it sounds so perfect for me, and its in the middle of toronto too... close to an islamic bookshop.. and closer to variety.

Anyways, Ive just got home and I have to pray Asr... insha'allah ill chat to you all soon...

Fi amenallah, your sister in Islam forever insha'allah

Assalamalikum sisters,

back again... been busy all weekend. Went to Canadas wonderland on Saturday, didnt get home till 9pm... so tired.. then today Ive been at a CPR course for St. Johns... passed that and got myself a pretty little certificate with it alhamdulillah. So thats good.

Was on my way to the centre this morning and got pulled up for speeding... naughty me, 67km/hr in a 40 zone... hang my head in shame... I prayed that they wouldnt put points on my license, alhamdulillah, thanks to the power of Allah (swt) she took the speed down to 55, no points, and just over $50 fine... I was so thankful for that.. and i made duaa all the way to the centre.

On my way home, I hadnt prayed Dhuhr cause theres nowhere near the centre.. so I went to the big ISNA masjid & school they havent been open lately outside prayer times cause ppl keep stealing the donations. So i got there and it had just opened alhamdulillah. So I prayed my 2 rakaats for thanking Allah (swt) for giving my the time, place and ability to pray there... prayed Dhuhr and got to pray Asr in congregation too alhamdulillah.. there werent as many people there as there usually is but alhamdulillah I got to do it.

Well... I think thats enough for now, just found out my bank at home have cancelled my cards and my bank account cause one letter got returned to sender... subhanallah.. so insha'allah Ill be able to sort that out soon.

Make duaa for me sisters, insha'allah Ill hear back from the job interview at the Centre of Forensic Sciences this week.... jazakallah

Fi amenallah

Keep in touch, luv you all.... your sister in Islam