Salaah as a Beginner

I was meaning to write about this for quite a while, but kept putting it off. Now I thought I’d tackle it this cold, rainy weekend on one of those “off weeks” in the month that women are given! Insha’Allah, I hope that my sharing may be of any help to new Muslims who have just made their Shahada and need to learn the routine of Salaah. In the beginning it can be quite overwhelming with all the Arabic to learn – not to mention the order of postures! That is why it is often advised that reverts learn Salaah before anything else, so that they can begin with little difficulty as soon as they have made the Shahada.

When I reverted in late February, I had only practised Salaah for one week beforehand – and I had happened to have my hayd in that week, too, so didn’t get much in! However, before I knew about the ruling with regards to not making Salaah in this time, I practised by praying Isha for a few consecutive nights. The first time I prayed (having done wudhu from instructions copied down onto paper), I felt so awkward, yet it also felt so right…

I wrote in my journal that first night (15 Feb):

“…my heart has been drawn to Islam and I can’t really help it… oh, God, save me from hell!!! I am terrified of the idea so much, and it makes me feel so miserable.

Yet despite this, I still feel impelled to explore Islam. What ON EARTH IS GOING ON WITH ME???

I actually prayed Isha tonight! The full Muslim Arabic 4 rakahs! On time, with the ritual washing (wudu) beforehand, having swept my floor and put on another black dress and scarf…

Praying the Muslim way tonight, I felt awkward and it felt strange. But oh, how WONDERFUL I felt as well! The most profound feeling of humility and utter littleness before God, one with the earth, head to ground… Oh, it was BEAUTIFUL! I wept afterwards. How could I go to hell for loving God this way?”

A week later, alhamdulillah, I was Muslim, and now it had to be done properly. I had LOTS to learn! The first thing I had done in the week before, was get the instructions for salaah off the Internet. These I copied down on paper in transliterated “English” Arabic, using capital letters large enough to see from a little distance. Then I stuck these sheets of paper to my cupboard door, next to my place of prayer. For a week, I concentrated on learning the Fatihah, as this was used the most, as well as the short praises used in ruku and sudjood (bowing and prostrating). The first thing I memorised were these. On my first visit to the masjid (which I had written an earlier post on), I had to pray with sheets of paper on the floor next to me. By this time I knew the Fatihah well enough to not look at the paper, as well as the two short praises and the salaams. But I didn’t yet know the Tashahhud, Durood (Salawat) or any other Suras.

A week later, I managed to learn my first sura apart from the Fatihah – Sura Ikhlaas ( no. 112). This is a lovely Sura to learn first, as it also affirms the new Faith that Allah is One with no Partner, that He begets not, nor is begotten, and that nothing can be compared to Him. I found it comforting and strengthening to recite when I had a challenging moment with non-Muslims (Sura Kaafiroon is another good one for these times).

Something else to learn, was the niyyahs (intentions) to be said before each salaah (and wudhu amongst other things). With the five fardh (obligatory) salaahs and the sunnah and Witr ones,  that meant that I had to learn 14 differently worded niyyahs! At first I learnt them in English, and when I managed that as well as grasping more Arabic, I tackled the niyyahs in Arabic.

Surprisingly it is not as hard as it looks. Each niyyah has parts, and some of these are repeated in each of the 14 niyyahs. So I broke each one up, and discovered that only part (the middle) of each niyyah was different. Once I could remember the repeated parts at the beginning and end, all I had to do was remember about three or so Arabic words which were unique to each. And, alhamdulillah, I know all 14 now. J

When I began lessons in madrassah, my mualimah reassured me that as a new Muslim learning salaah, I need not worry too much about getting details correct right away. However, it was still overwhelming, especially when I prayed with others who went too fast for me, and got muddled! One week shorly after I reverted, I felt depressed as I had to learn so much that I got overwhelmed with it all. I wondered if I would ever get used to it! It was truly a humbling experience to begin from the bottom on level with little children… Fellow brand-new reverts: know that these feelings do pass soon!

After about three weeks to a month, things started to get more easy. I could remove some of the papers on my cupboard, and as I learned a second short Sura and the Tashahhud and Durood, I could pray anywhere without papers, using what I learned. The new challenge at this time was to learn the finer details of sunnah practices in Salaah, for example, raising the hands when saying “Allahu Akbar” and “Sami Allahu liman hamidah…” By this time I had read about Salaah from three or four different books, which sometimes gave different – and rather confusing – instructions!

I realised that it was often due to the different schools of thought (madh’habs) in Islam. In my area, the Shafi’is prevailed, so I chose this school, but there were also Hanafis as well. After I became aware of the slight differences, I stuck to learning only the Shafi’i way, and I found after research that I liked this school of thought as well. I began to also learn Arabic. Now, after more than three months of practice, Salaah is more easier than before. It becomes second-nature after a while as one goes deeper into it. Of course, I still have a good way to go; I am still learning more Suras pasted up on my cupboard as well as the Qunoot (said by Shafi’i’s in Fajr and Hanafis in Witr). And of course…beginning to learn to recite the Qur’an. I am SO looking forward to this as it will open up so much power to the soul!

If I had to share my personal opinions, I would pass on to any brand-new revert the following tips, which were also given to me:

1. Do not despair when the learning gets overwhelming; soon Allah SWT will make it easier for you.
2. Find some brothers or sisters – and a good teacher! – for support or for asking questions when things get tough. Isolation can also be overwhelming!
3. As my teacher also told me – don’t be hard on yourself when you make mistakes. Take it one step at a time. Learn to crawl before you can walk, and walk before you can run.
4. Write the Arabic on paper and place it nearby where you can see it when making Salaah. Then you don’t have to worry about holding the papers. This will help you to learn the hand movements in Salaah properly. Just one word of advice: make sure that when you turn to look at it, your chest remains facing the Qiblah otherwise the salaah becomes invalid.
5. Begin by learning the Fatihah and shorter parts more frequently used in Salaah, as well as the posture sequence, then learn two more short Sura’s. After this comes easier, you could read some short Du’a’s after Salaah. In time, this repeated reading of the Du’a’s will cause you to know them by heart, too.
6. Start learning basic Arabic whilst getting acquainted with Salaah, so you can take less time to begin reciting the Qur’an in its original Arabic.
7. And also important: stick to one Madh’hab (School of Thought)! If you don’t know much about them, you can research, but it will probably be best to stick to the one which is the most prevalent in your area. None are better than the others; they are all genuine and valid paths to follow the Sunnah. But chopping and changing between one school and another can create MUCH unnecessary confusion for new Muslims, and it is advised by the Ulama (Religious scholars) to stick to one, as they say that constantly changing between one and another shows a desire to follow one’s own whims. Also, if you commit to one, your imaan is strengthened and you gain more understanding of Islam. Things will be less confusing and you would know who to ask when seeking knowledge and advice from the Ulama.

Salaam

Saadiqah

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Islam - and Ditching Bad Habits!

One of the most wonderful things I have discovered on becoming a Muslim and beginning a new life, is the need to learn good habits in order to practise Islam. Allah Ta’ala does not intend for Islam to be a burden on us; a  very well known little du’a is: “May Allah make it easy for you.” Throughout each book on Islam which I read, I come across something like: “Islam is a simple and easy way of life…” or “when two alternative ways present themselves and they are both lawful, take the easiest path.” It is a religion of moderation, not dualistic and calling for extreme austerities. It is based on balance and reason, the Deen-ul-Fitrah (Natural Religion of Man). Why, then, is it so difficult when adjusting to this Way of Life?

It is a well-known saying that “old habits die hard”,  and old ways of thinking and beliefs take a while to completely fall away. It is like a rebirth, complete with growing pains. Each revert becomes a child again as they find themselves starting over from scratch (even born Muslims attest to the fact that they never stop learning more about Islam). What also makes it difficult is when one’s heart desires to please Allah Ta’ala and do the right thing, but one has not yet enough knowledge to apply to the situation, eg. the laws of purity or various situations encountered in salaah not yet learned. Then, overwhelmed with confusion about what to do, one hunts to find answers. On top of that, one has to explain to non-Muslim loved ones why one does these things in the first place! It goes on, and on… And when one tends to scrupulosity like I do, it can sometimes be really difficult to not be hard on oneself. It is so extremely crucial to have a teacher guiding one at this time, so one doesn’t get into extremes. Knowledge is indeed power – and it is so comforting!

As one progresses on this path, experience also increases one’s imaan (faith). In my life, the more I learned about Islam and its benefits to us, the more I became stronger in conviction of its truth. And, indeed, I have been so amazed at how it has started to turn me around, that I cannot help but share about it so as to praise our wonderful Creator and Guide to the Path of Rectitude! …

I noticed that in order to implement Islam in my life,  I would have to get rid of my bad habits if it was to be an easy and simple way of life! This was because any bad habits I had made it difficult to practise Islam.

The first bad habit that had to go, concerned my eating habits. Before my reversion, I had a unbalanced diet heavily consisting of carbohydrates in the form of (mostly white) bread and pasta. I hardly ever made myself rice or other forms of staple foods, nor did I consistently eat much vegetables except when my mom made them for supper. I ate a lot of cheese and dairy, despite its tendency to make my sinuses and ears thick and congested. I didn’t care much about how bloated (or even constipated) I felt sometimes when eating too much white pasta and bread, nor how much palpitations and energy spikes and crashes I had from too much starch or sugar.

But soon after reversion, I quickly learned that this diet caused a great inconvenience to me. Why? Because it caused too much wind which broke my wudhu! I realised I must either struggle to keep wudhu – or change my diet! So I started reading up about the diet and eating habits of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) and began to eat more rice instead of pasta, which caused me less digestive problems. I also ate more vegetables and began to use soya milk which made me feel wonderful.  When I had less problems, I found Islam a joy to practise, and my desire to eat better increased, alhamdulillah! The hardest eating habit to kick, though, was eating less in meals and not eating so much heavy snacks outside of meals. This is an ongoing process, which I hope will benefit me for the rest of my life.  

On a light note a little off the topic, it has been quite amusing to learn to eat with my right hand! As a Muslim, it is sunnah (the better practice) to eat with the right hand, as the left is used for cleaning oneself (istinja). So here I am, a left-handed person. Istinja came natural, but eating… quite an adjustment! Try holding a spoon or fork with the opposite hand to your usual handedness! (I suppose it works either way – right-handed reverts may have had the challenge with learning istinja!)

Other good habits I began to aqcuire included washing my own dishes (this was out of necessity due to the necessity of purity). I also became more aware of the amount of water I used, because of the frequent ablutions, so I began to care about saving water and respecting it. Then I began to be more careful to groom myself and keep myself and my surroundings clean, which helped me to respect myself and others more. I have never been so conscious of my body and surroundings before! I became more grateful for everyday blessings like clean – and hot! – running water, sanitation and hygiene, health, food, clothes, shelter, transport to class, etc. I also began to think before I acted, due to learning about the Islamic sunnah practices of using left and right hands for various tasks. Apart from cleaning oneself with the left hand and eating with the right, I also learned the habit of removing my clothes or shoes beginning with the left arm/leg/foot and putting them on with the right side first. This is an adjustment, and one may think it is of trivial importance, but it truly helps one to remember that clothing and shoes are blessings from Allah (SWT) – that is why the right side is used first in putting them on.

Because of the dog in the house, I have felt a great need to help keep my room clean, and so I had to give up this bad habit I had of walking on socks. I dislike wearing shoes at home, so in winter I walked in socks at home. This caused them to wear thin and get holes, but worst of all they got dog hairs all over them which I tracked into my room! Because of this, I bought a pair of simple washable house slippers and wear them instead. Problem solved!

I also have been more a “night-owl” type of person who struggled to wake up early in the morning, which I yearned to do, as I love the silence and freshness of the dawn. With needing to rise and pray fajr, I solved this problem, and despite feeling a little sleepy, it has become my favourite salaah of the day, after which I love to read the Qur’an (or its English translation!). Salaah has taught me self-discipline and patience as well. Then with the importance placed on respect and love for one’s parents, especially one’s mother, I have begun to take more care to be a good daughter to my parents. This also helped to make it easy for them, because I wanted to help them adjust to my being Muslim and console them if they still felt sad that I left their religion. I began to want to be more responsible in my life, so that I could be a good ambassador for Islam in my family, setting a background for da’wah work.

There may be more habits that I am not yet aware of, and I wait to discover more of what this beautiful Deen has to offer me. All praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds! He has indeed given us an easy Way of Life to follow – easy on one condition… are we prepared to give up our bad habits?

Salaam

Saadiqah

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Cleanliness is Next to Godliness

Recently I have begun going to revert classes given by our maulana at the masjid. Alhamdulillah, it is so interesting to learn more there, along with my growing number of books, about our beautiful Deen! One of the first things any beginner learns about Islam, besides how to perform Salaah, is the laws of purity and cleanliness – how to perform istinja, wudhu and ghusl, the different types of water, those things that are impure (najaasah), and how to remove them. To a revert, it can be quite bewildering at first, because when I was Christian I never noticed these things! (I mean, why would one need such detailed directions to go to the loo?? And everybody knows how to shower, surely?... J) To top it all, it is even more challenging when there is a close proximity to those things termed impure – pork in the fridge and the pan, wine in the cupboard, and a dog in the house!

What to do? Apart from aiming to move out one day (insha’Allah) into a Muslim-friendly home, I have to just make do and fit myself into the household for the time being – and on the other hand make a special effort to be good to my parents who are puzzled at the demands of Islam. In a way, this challenge to integrate myself in this household; to strike a balance between separation from impurities on one hand, with a togetherness with my loved ones on the other, is an opportunity to grow strong in understanding my Deen. I am thrown into this situation where I must learn the why’s of cleanliness, in order to cope with the bewilderment (and sometimes even criticism) of loved ones, and the questions asked me as to why the dog is so unclean, why I wash already-washed dishes before I use them – and what that bottle in the bathroom is for!  How could I explain myself and defend Islam’s views which are seen by some loved ones as a life of “bondage”?

This is what I have learned so far about cleanliness – and, far from being bondage, it is liberating – that is, if one knows the spiritual significance…

With every outer practice of Islam there is an inner spiritual message behind it, which together form an integral whole. Dualism is foreign to our Deen. Each law, no matter how small, has been given to us, so we are constantly reminded of Allah (SWT) and who we are in relation to Him.

Physically, cleanliness reminds us that Almighty Allah is 100% Pure, and to clean ourselves is to physically honour His Purity. To come into His presence, we clean to prepare ourselves to meet Him, and at the same time, we also benefit our health. This is because the laws of Islam with regards to daily living have been scientifically proven to be the best way for us. To follow Islam is to live in optimum health. There is not much need to go into detail about the benefits of keeping physically clean, as it is a natural, innate desire in each of us to want to be clean, and we all know how harmful germs borne by filth are to us. We are not pigs who like wallowing in dirt, but Allah Ta’ala’s highest creation endowed with the blessings of reason and intelligence. These gifts He gave us to worship Him with, and to use them is to find happiness in life.

Spiritually, the laws of cleanliness give us a lot of food for thought. I discovered that to perform ablution reminds us of our inner need for constant repentance, and not only that, but it reminds us how Allah (SWT) is so pure compared to us with our weaknesses and sins. 

More significantly, I realised that to keep clean inside and out, is a constant jihad; an ongoing struggle. As I sweep my bedroom floor, (which, despite the dog being banned, still gets dog hairs coming in!) it is an act of striving towards cleanliness. As I wash my clothes, it is a reminder, that once again I need to make clean that which has been sullied. As I clean my body yet again, I remember that I must examine my soul again, too. An important thing to remember here, is that our bodies are not something to be ashamed of; if we need to remove waste from it when going to the loo, this is not a reason to get disgusted at our bodies, but to be grateful that we are able to rid ourselves of impurities. Perhaps I can even venture to say that it is a physical act corresponding to the spiritual act of repentance (taubah); to rid oneself of the waste of sin and restore purity of heart.

Allah Ta’ala created us, and all creation – even haraam animals such as dogs and pigs. Yet the things in life, pure and impure, are given to us as signs to remind us of greater spiritual truths. If our bodies remained pure all the time, we would forget how we are in need of inner purity. The reality of sin coexists with the reality of dirt to remind us that both need to be removed from us. It is only in Paradise that no wudhu or istinja or ghusl is needed, because there is no sin and evil there, either.

Cleanliness is next to Godliness, and to keep ourselves clean is like symbolically going up a mountain to meet Him. It teaches us perseverance; to constantly fight against dirt and sin shows that we desire to be near Allah (SWT). And with the high standard of cleanliness in Islam, it is a reminder that Allah deserves our best efforts and that any sin, no matter how small, is to be removed.

All praise be to Allah, our Creator, Cherisher and Sustainer, for giving us such a pristine Deen. And peace, salutations and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) for demonstrating  this Deen to us!

Salaam

Saadiqah

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A Test- Our Pet Dog

As a Muslim living in a non-Muslim household, it has been quite a challenge to adjust to Islamic life. One of the biggest changes was trying to keep clean with a dog living in the house… I thought I’d write this post, so if any reverts are reading, they can perhaps be helped by anything I wrote.

In a way, I believe that Allah Ta’ala prepared me for my reversion to Islam from an early age. So when I embraced Islam it was natural in a way; just as it is taught that each human being has a natural disposition (fitrah) for Islam ingrained in them from birth. As I grew up, I moved from the Western culture’s values to Islamic values, via devout Christian practice. But it also seems that I had a natural preference for some of what Islam practices and believes. Along with an early love for hijab and natural aversion to alcohol and dating, I also was not majorly fond of dogs.

In the West, we say a person is either a “cat” person or a “dog” person. I was much more the “cat person” and also happen to be a “bird person” too (keeping budgies as pets over the last 13 years or so) – as long as the two don’t mix! I grew up from the age of four with two cats in the house, one which gradually became “my” cat. When I was 22, she died at 18 years of age. I was devastated, and ever since, I wanted to get another cat. Unfortunately it has not been possible yet but, insha’Allah, one day I will. For now, my budgie brings me great joy. J

As for dogs… I never disliked them as such, but it has been a case of “liking” them, not “loving” them. I am not one to want to go over and pet dogs lavishly when I see them (but get a cat around me and it is quite a different story!). Before I go on, let me make it clear here, that if a person is a dog lover it certainly doesn’t disqualify them for reversion to Islam! Dogs are permitted to be kept as guard dogs or to help man in his work. If they are housed outside, it is possible to combine Islamic life with a love for dogs. After all, they are creatures fashioned by our Creator, so as His stewards on earth, we are commanded to look after them well and not hurt them, as with all animals, halaal or not.

Before my reversion, I did not think of dogs as unclean, although I preferred cats because they were cleaner, more sedate and smelt nicer. (Even their toilet habits are clean – digging holes and covering up their waste. I love that they are so dainty in their habits! On the other hand, dogs do not cover up their waste nor are their eating habits as clean as cats.) Nevertheless, over the years I did tolerate our dog/s living in the house. My mom is a dog lover, and she has kept dogs for many years as pets. As seen in the West, they were more pets than anything else, and sometimes treated like children. Hence they were permitted to sit on our furniture and eat from the same plates used by us. Oblivious to the teachings of Islam, I was not upset about it, but had some instinctual aversion to it. Perhaps I can say, I never really noticed it until I became Muslim. Then life changed a lot!

At first, I was not able to understand why dogs were seen in Islam as unclean (najaasah) – especially their saliva. So it was difficult at first, to have to adjust to the new way of doing things. Then my one friend told me it is because they sometimes eat their waste like pigs do. This reminded me of a verse in the Bible in Proverbs, about the dog turning back to its own vomit, and one day, I witnessed our dog doing this with my own eyes, yeeeeUCK!!!  Knowing this, I was now determined to figure out how to adapt my life to fit in the household, and I must say, it is still an ongoing process…

The first thing I did on reversion, was forbid the dog from coming into my room. If I was not able to live in an Islamic-friendly house, I wanted to at least make my room into an “angel-friendly” Muslim house in our non-Muslim house (in one Hadith our Prophet (SAW) says that the angels will not enter a house in which is a dog, or pictures of animals or people). I think our dog realised quite soon that I didn’t want her coming in, and was quite obedient when I shooed her out! Sometimes it is hard, because in winter my room is the only one in our house which gets the sun. (Here in South Africa it is nearing winter now, being May, and my north-facing room is flooded with sun as the days get colder.) In the past our dog used to come and lie in my room when it was sunny; now I have to close the door when it is sunny. And when I go out, I have to remember to close my door, too.

A funny incident happened one day when I was preparing for As’r salaah. I had laid my prayer mat (more accurately described a “prayer towel”!) out and went to the bathroom to make wudhu. When I returned to my room, lo and behold, our dog was sitting on my prayer mat! As a new Muslim, it was quite a shock, and before I did anything else, I raised my voice in surprise and told her to “GET OFF my mat!” Anger quickly turned to amusement, because she had gotten quite a fright at my voice, and left with ears down! J Soon afterwards, I went to stroke her and gently admonish her not to come in my room. It was harder to explain to my mom afterwards why she was not allowed in my room! … After shooing the dog off my mat, I washed it well and hung it out to dry, using another towel temporarily.

Another change in my life, was that I began to sweep my room more regularly, because of the dog hairs which still found a way in. Eventually, I got over my bad habit of walking on socks in the house in winter, because the hairs stuck on the socks and got carried to my room. So I began to wear slippers instead. (I had to become a Muslim before I finally listened to my mom when she said I must put on something on my feet, and that I would make holes in my socks by walking on them! J)

The most challenging aspects were the question of clean clothes and separate dishes. How on earth would I keep my clothes clean for prayer if I sat on the same couch which the dog sat on? Her saliva was on it, after all! To begin with, I removed my dress every time I needed to make salaah, and put on one of my abayas kept for prayer and going out. Then when finished, I would have to change back into my dress.

Eventually, I found a solution – I wore my usual clothes for home wear, under a thin dress sewn from lining material which slips on and off easily. By chance I had bought inexpensive material to sew a dress, and found out only after it was cut that it was meant for linings! It would not be very suitable for hijab as it was so transparent on its own! After time, I found this a very practical over-all dress for home use, and it kept my clothes clean. It was hard sometimes, because I hardly ever wore my usual clothes (skirt and blouse) on their own as I would if living in an Islamic home, but it would do for now… at least, I could relax and not worry all the time if I had dog najaasah on my clothes ! In any case, it solved another problem – our house is built on the top of a hill slope and both doors are visible from the street, so if I went out into the garden, passers by would see me over the low wall. Therefore the over-all dress was like a “house hijab”, too!

As for the dishes – I immediately put a stop to the dog licking off my plates and eased into washing my own utensils immediately after supper, so my mom didn’t need to! (Another good habit gained, alhamdulillah! Mom was always reminding me to wash my things after I ate a snack!) If I knew a plate was contaminated with najaasah – or the dog could have licked it at the last meal – I would wash it myself seven times before the dishes were done or before I used it. and if I did the dishes, I would leave them for last.

I hope anything I said would be of help to those living with the same situation as me. It really does requires creativity to work around these challenges. I must say, Islam is a jolly good way to overcome bad habits! Another subject worth a post of its own in the future sometime, insha’Allah. J

Salaam

Saadiqah

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Insha'Allah

As a new Muslim, I was often amused by the frequent use of the phrase “Insha’Allah” (translated as “God Willing”, or “If God wills”). However, over time I have come to be so blessed by using this in my speech. Over the last few months of using and hearing it, I have learned some valuable lessons and benefits. These are the things it has taught me so far…

To make plans “insha’Allah”, one brings Allah (swt) into one’s daily life; one includes Him in one’s plans and allows Him into one’s consciousness. Perhaps I can say, it is a form of Dhikrullah (remembrance of God), because one gives Him space in one’s life, speech and thoughts. The believer keeps in mind that He is present as they go about their daily life, and that He has the final say over all things which happen.

This leads me to another thing I learnt – to say “insha’Allah” one submits to Allah Ta’ala’s Will for one’s life; it helps one to learn to trust in Him. If something one plans does not go as it was planned, it is clear that Allah did not will it to happen; that He has something better in mind for us. He is Al-Alim, the All-Knowing, and so sees further than us beyond the horizon of the present.

When I began to use the phrase “Insha’Allah” a lot, I began to see these benefits. Apart from giving Allah Ta’ala control over my life – “handing over the reins” so to speak, I felt more relaxed. And although I was disappointed when some things happened against my plans, I saw the benefits in the end, knowing He had something better.

To say “insha’Allah” I give space for my plans to be more flexible. In a way, it helps my self-esteem, because if I had said I was going to do something, period, and it didn’t turn out to be done, I could have easily felt as if I had been unfaithful to my promise, making me feel bad about myself. With regards to others’ promises which go unfulfilled, if they said “insha’Allah”, I found that this was able to cultivate a better sense of understanding – and even forgiveness  for them if I was left in the lurch. Instead, I just understood that Allah had other, even better plans.

A word of caution: one cannot use this phrase as an excuse to be lazy or shirk one’s responsibility, but, coupled with a sense of duty, it will surely give one a realistic view on life. No, our plans won’t always be fulfilled; “life can get in our way” sometimes! But it is all under control of the One Who made us.

Two simple examples from my own experience… One week I was unable to go to the madrassah, and was really disappointed. The next week when I went, I found out that the other teacher was absent, and so my teacher was loaded with two sets of children. She said it was so hectic that she wouldn’t have had time to see me at all.  I didn’t know this, but Allah Ta’ala did! He arranged it so well so both of us would benefit. How did I benefit? Well… I studied by myself, and got more done!

Then one night there was class at the masjid. I went with my one friend as usual, and we prayed maghrib in congregation. By the time class started, I was in doubt whether my wudhu had broken and was also really tired and a little faint, as I was at madrassah that afternoon and went straight to my friend’s house. I had missed my usual tea and hadn’t yet eaten supper. In class I was half-wishing to go before Isha and perform it at home. Then after class, my friend said she would like to go home quite early, as she also didn’t want to stay longer for some reasons. Wow, I thought, Allah (swt) is really amazing! He planned it once again so both of us were happy!

And indeed Allah knows best!

Until next time… insha’Allah J

Saadiqah

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Inspiring Quotes

Lately, I have been reading a lovely book from the small Islamic selection in our local library. (Imagine… this is real visual proof of living in a Protestant suburb of an 80% Christian, 2% Muslim country:  only half a shelf of Islamic literature compared to over 15-20 shelves of Christian literature! Sigh…J) This book is called “The Wisdom of Islam” by Prof. Robert Frager PhD., a revert to Islam who is also a Sufi. There is this wonderful story he relates in the book which I found really inspiring and thought-provoking…

THE MERCHANT AND THE SUFI

A wealthy merchant watched a Sufi praying in the mosque. The merchant was inspired by the devotion of the Sufi, and when the Sufi finished his prayers, the merchant went over and gave him a bag of gold saying, “Please take this money and use it to help others. I am sure that you will do more good with it than I would.”

The Sufi replied, “I am not sure I can take your money. It would not be right to deprive you or your family. Do you have more money at home?”

The merchant proudly claimed, “I have over a thousand gold pieces at home!”

“Do you pray to God for even more gold?”

“Yes, of course. Every day I pray that God might increase my wealth.”

The Sufi handed back the gold to the merchant. “I cannot take your money. A wealthy man cannot take money from a beggar.”

The merchant was shocked. After all, he was clearly the wealthy one and the Sufi was the beggar.

The Sufi explained, “I am wealthy because I am content with whatever God brings me, and you are the beggar because, in spite of all you have, you are constantly begging God for more.”

Wow… how free this Sufi was! I was pondering over what the merchant thought – that the Sufi was the beggar. Yet the Sufi never once asked for the money; he was rich enough in contentment.

This story makes me think of my own life sometimes… I think most of us (if not all of us!) have a weak spot in some area of material goods; there is some area in our lives which we struggle to resist the desire to get more; buy more; make more… If you put me in a bookshop or take me to a shop with beautiful scarves/abayas/fabric… oh, how hard it is to go out without buying something!! Then when I have sewed a robe or bought a scarf, or read a book… I want another, and another, and another – or I start planning my next sewing project in my head, or wonder what I would write or read next…  I think: “Oh, the freedom of simplicity!” But then, being ever the planner and list-maker, I start thinking: “Now, how would I live a simple life? What would I keep, and what would I throw out or give away?”

Distractions, distractions! The worst is when they come in salaah… But it is really such a normal part of the greater jihad within all of us. A sheikh once told me that trials come not to discourage us, but to elevate us. The more we turn back to Allah Ta’ala each time we are distracted, the less distractions will bother us. And Allah is Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

Also worth sharing is this lovely little poem by Rumi, quoted from the same book…

The breeze at dawn has secrets to tell you

Don’t go back to sleep

You must ask for what you really want

Don’t go back to sleep

People are going back and forth across the doorsill

Where the two worlds touch

The door is round and open

Don’t go back to sleep

It reminded me of this wonderful thing I learnt about Salaah – that when we go into sudjood we have our head at the Feet of Alla Ta’ala; that we are transported to Jannah… awesome!!! Allah is calling us each new day; we must heed the call of prayer, as others have, and enter the doorway to Jannah where He waits for us, longing to answer our prayers.

Salaam

Saadiqah

(*

East and West: The Need for Knowledge and Understanding

Last Monday, I watched an interesting film on TV called American East. Simultaneously, the world was abuzz with the news of Osama Bin Laden’s alleged death at the hands of American soldiers. Now… I do not have a head for politics at all, and don’t usually follow political news, but this concerned more than just politics! It concerned a Muslim brother who either went off the Straight Path and became a terrorist who behaved Unislamically in many ways – or a majorly misunderstood jihad fighter. Personally I have not taken any side; I leave Bin Laden in the Hands of Allah (swt), as He alone can judge his thoughts and heart. When I heard he had been killed I was neither glad nor sad. But I was certainly curious to find out more and so I followed the news and radio discussions.

Both the film American East, and the death of Bin Laden, remind me of the widespread association in the West, of Islam with terrorists. It reminds me how Islam is still so misunderstood by the West. As a revert it can be really daunting to hear your new Faith being (falsely) associated with terrorism! And yet, I am also filled with hope that Islam will finally be understood by those curious to know the truth. When 9/11 happened, Muslims in the US were persecuted – yet there were also more reversions to Islam. Why? The seekers found out the Truth; those complacent in ignorance were stirred up to pursue knowledge.

Back then, I was in senior High school far from the action, being here in SA. Too immersed in my own life and my art, which was my reason for living back then, as well as entering a depression when the emptiness of my own existence came to surface, I did not take much notice of the acts of terrorism, but, nevertheless, it did shock me. I do remember that I never believed Islam was to blame. I refused to believe that Muslims were all terrorists, and got distressed when it was suggested. I don’t ever remember being an “Islamophobe” or anti-Muslim at all. Islam was something fascinating, yet still distant in my mind…

Over the years when I saw yet another suicide bombing in Baghdad or London or wherever, I was sad. I wished that people could just come to live in peace. I felt that they were giving a bad name to Islam, to those ignorant of it, and as my love for the Middle East grew, I felt sad that this beautiful part of the world was constantly being torn to pieces. As I came to be more religious, my interest in Islam grew, despite all the bad things happening in the Middle East, and I grew in sympathy with its suffering people. I believed that the Middle East had something to contribute to the world, and I loved their culture, as I still do.

In the film American East, the main theme concerns the relationships between people from different cultures, especially the West with the Arabs, and Arabs with Jews. The main character is Mustafar, a devout Egyptian Muslim who is mistaken for a terrorist when he shouts out “Muhammad!” looking for his son in the airport. He is arrested and the FBI interrogate him.  Among the other characters who all struggle with different issues around the theme of misunderstanding and being misunderstood, there is Omar, a young Egyptian man who aspires to be an actor, but only gets the role of a terrorist in films, to his frustration. Also featured are Sam, a Jew who partners with Mustafar to open up a restaurant, and Mustafar’s eldest daughter, a nurse, whom he betrothes to his Egyptian cousin Sabir. She expresses her opposition to get married to this man she doesn’t know, and gets involved with an American doctor. Then there is Muhammad, Mustafar’s young son who struggles with his Muslim faith. Another character, a young man dressed as a rapper, reveals his deep anger over those who persecute and misunderstand the Arabs, and then there is an Iraqi Christian man, who is an example of peace. These two are quite a contrast to each other! I also loved the “Da’wah” scene with Mustafar’s youngest daughter Layla and her friend sitting together, talking about Islam.

The FBI interrogate Mustafar, thinking he may be sending money to a terrorist organisation, and when they discover he was sending money to Egypt to reclaim his land, they come to understand him better. (This shows how understanding each other takes away the fear.)  Sam, the Jewish partner sets such a wonderful example, showing how Jews and Arabs can work and live together in peace. His family are first against him working with an Arab, and yet he wins them over. Mustafar’s eldest daughter gets involved with the doctor, before coming to understand why her father betrothed her to his cousin, and she reconciles with him. Muhammad comes to love his Muslim identity, and the angry young man also becomes more understanding in the end. It doesn’t end so well for Omar, yet his character is important, as it reveals how some who are misunderstood can be driven to commit acts of violence and terrorism…

This film teaches us an important lesson: for people to work towards understanding each other in a global culture of fear. And as Bin Laden’s death is further investigated, I take to heart the advice given by a sheikh on a radio program: we as Muslims (and non-Muslims, too) must educate ourselves in what Islam truly teaches, and come to understand the motives and fears of those different from us. With this in mind, I seek to delve into the tangled thickets, trying to discover the minds behind all the mess in the world.

I truly believe that there is hope behind all of these events… hope that in coming to learn more about what Islam is, there will be yet more reversions – and hope that in coming to learn more about other people’s fears, we could work towards living in mutual peace.  It will take courage, but it is only through knowledge and understanding that the Truth will shine out from the debris of error, and peace reign on earth. As Muslims we submit to Allah Who is the True One – Al-Haqq. If we remain on this path of Truth we need not fear of going astray.

To Veil or Not To Veil

I was SO blessed recently when I listened to a wonderful lecture on Channel Islam International (CII) Radio one night. On most weekday nights, I enjoy listening to CII from 9 pm onwards, as there are good lectures on at those times. On this particular night, the 1^st May, I listened to one and was just going to hear what the next one was at 10pm, so I could have an early night  - when to my immense interest and joy, the lecturer introduced the topic: “To Veil or Not To Veil”. Boy, did my ears perk up! I forgot I was tired and turned up the volume. Unfortunately, I did not know what the lecturer’s name was, or even if he was a mufti/sheikh/maulana etc. But he certainly knew what he was talking about! It was so good, I couldn’t not share about it on here; I even wrote down some notes in my journal…

The subject matter of the lecture speaks for itself – it was about hijab and its importance. The lecturer aimed his words at all Muslim sisters, challenging them to think for themselves about wearing hijab and how necessary it is for witnessing as a believer in this world. He related some amazing stories and spoke about the conditions of hijab, of which I would love to share with you what I remembered…

One story went something like this…There was this young Muslim man who studied at a Western university (I don’t know where). He was exceptionally pious, always lowering his gaze when there were young women about, and especially if they did not wear hijab.

One day he had to work on an assignment with a girl, and sat at the same table with her. He constantly lowered his eyes and never looked straight at her in the eye. After a while this young woman became annoyed. She had these common Western ideas in her head about Muslim men – that they treated women as servants. She thought that this young man was lowering his eyes and not looking at her, because he saw her as inferior to him and not worth looking at. One day she snapped and yelled at him, challenging him to look up at her. She said something like the following:

“Why do you never look at me? It’s because you Muslim men don’t think we women are worth it! You oppress your women and hide them with veils! You think we women are your slaves! I cannot work with someone who doesn’t think I am equal to him and doesn’t bother acknowledging me!”

She was not prepared for his response. He looked at her straight in the eye and replied something like as follows:

“What are you talking about? You don’t know anything about us.  We Muslim men will die for our women! To protect her honour from being broken is very important to us, and so she is veiled because she is a precious treasure. You women in the West… you are the ones truly oppressed! Do you know what Western women are like? A drug. A drug which is passed around from one person to another, each taking a little bit for his satisfaction before passing it to the next. Then when it is finished, it is discarded along the wayside and forgotten.”

The girl stormed out, sobbing, and didn’t come back. For a whole week she was absent and the young man (and her other classmates) got worried.

Then one day, a woman came into the lecture room. She was covered from head to toe in hijab. She slipped in quietly and went to sit at the back, unnoticed. It was only afterwards when she went up to the young man. He was amazed to see that it was the same young woman he worked with, but only this time she was in hijab! Then she spoke:

“What you said to me last week shook me down to the very depths of my heart. I stayed away as I needed to think about it very carefully. Now I hav made my decision. I bear witness that there is no god but God and that Muhammad (SAW) is His prophet and messenger.”

AWESOME! She became a Muslim! As I heard this story’s end, I wept with joy as if I was there with them… she had discovered the Truth!

Another story was just as amazing…There were two Muslim girls who were friends; one who wore hijab and one who didn’t. One day they decided to go to the mall together. The non-hijabed friend went to pick the hijabed one up at the mosque where she had attended a class. So she went in and happened to hear some of the final words of the lecture, which went something like this: “Among those who cannot enter Paradise, are women who are clothed, but are naked.”

These words struck her profoundly, and she repented there and then. She was so profoundly sorry for not wearing hijab, that she insisted that her friend go out alone and buy her hijab to put on before they go to the mall. Her friend said that it was only a block or so away; then she could choose any colour scarf she wanted. But she refused and again insisted that her friend get her a hijab before she goes out of the mosque. So her friend goes out and returns with the hijab, which she puts on.

Then they went out together to the mall.

She never made it there – she was hit by a car and went to meet Allah Ta’ala that very day.

Such power in repentance – and she made it just in time! Just imagine if she had delayed that act of taubah… where would she be now if she hadn’t repented?

The conditions of Hijab as mentioned by the lecturer were familiar to me as I had read about it before. But it was nice to be reminded of it, and especially when it was elaborated upon. These following conditions make hijab valid, and if one was not followed, it would not be proper hijab:

1)      It has to be long – it must cover the entire body except the face and hands

2)      It has to be opaque – that is, it must not be transparent and see-through

3)      It has to be loose – it must drape so that no shape of the woman’s body can be seen

4)      It has to be unscented – no perfume worn outside the house.

5)      It has to be simple and plain – that is, it must not be a decoration of itself.

What I found very interesting, was when the lecturer said that “there is  no such thing as fashionable hijab” and that “if it wraps on the body it is not hijab” I found this a little confusing, as many hijab styles are wrapped – like the rectangular scarves. But I think he meant the dress, not necessarily the scarf only; that it was not supposed to be clingy. He said hijab should be of few colours, and not gaudy; that the West criticises black hijab, but forget that they themselves love black, for example the “little black number”. Yet, it doesn’t mean that we Muslimahs have to wear black hijab of course, unless we want to! (Personally I love wearing black, but often mix it with one or two other colours when wanting a more casual look.) I was also interested to learn about the issue of perfume – that this should be reserved for husband and home, just as make-up and being unveiled is. He said that it is a characteristic of an adulteress to go out of the house with strong perfume on. Of course, this doesn’t mean we have to discard our underarm deoderant! It just means that we should not deliberately wear strong scent to get men’s attention. In some sense, it means we must be modest in smell.

This lesson reminded me that hijab is not only a modesty of dress in the visual sense (plain and covering all of the body), but also in the olfactory sense (no perfume). Then there is also the auditory sense of hijab (to have a soft-spoken voice and gait in the company of men) and the tactile sense (no contact between those of the opposite sex who are not related – mahrams).

Wow, that we women are so special and valuable that we must keep hidden our treasure… Awesome! What a gift hijab is; a cause for us Muslims to rejoice and proclaim the greatness of God!

Allahu Akbar!

P.S. If any of my readers know what lecture I am talking about and have also listened to it somewhere, then let me know! I will be very glad if I could download the text of it.

My "Allah's Names" Wall Hanging Project

Salaam Aleikum! Thought I’d share today about a personal project I did last month for my room…  This was to make a wall hanging with some Beautiful Names of Allah (SWT) on it. As a new Muslim, it has been quite an adjustment to adapt to the new way of life – one aspect being that pictures of animate creatures (people or animals) on display in one’s house is haraam. Before I reverted, apart from the pictures of Jesus and his mother, the Virgin Mary (peace be upon them) and St. Therese which were from my Catholic days, I also had pictures of cats and birds up on my wall, as I love these beautiful creatures!

I was very surprised to learn that our Prophet Muhammad (SAW) was very averse to pictures of animate creatures. As I researched more about Islam, one day I came across a well-known hadith in which he says: "The angels do not enter a house in which there is a dog or pictures." And, since I had pictures in my room AND a dog living in our family home, I knew I had to improve this situation! I had already made it very clear that the dog is banned from my room; now I had to take the final step and remove my pictures of cats and birds off the walls. If I didn’t live in a Muslim household, at least I could live in a Muslim room; my “house” within our house, and make my room angel-friendly! J

But what to do? I didn’t want blank walls staring back at me! I needed to replace the cats and birds with something. So I got a watercolour painting my mother did of a landscape – a house in the far distance, trees, a meadow…that would work – and would express a connection to my family in some way, as my mom painted it. Then with three other empty walls, I made a string of beads as a kind of hanging for the one wall, and put a red Eastern-style candle holder up on the main wall above my bed (this you can see in my profile photo behind me along with my project). Later, after I finished this project I will speak about, I got a picture printed out of the Haram in Mecca, showing the Ka’bah, and wrote out a lovely Hadith speaking of Allah Ta’ala’s love, to put on the other wall.

As I live in an area on the opposite side of the city to the Islamic shops and didn’t know when I would ever get around to visiting them, I thought that if I wanted a calligraphic hanging, I’d better try making my own (like I did with much of my Islamic clothing – a topic for another time!).  So I found some satiny green material and cut a piece which would fit behind a glass frame. Then I bought a gold pen with which to write the calligraphy on the green material, and framed it with gold gift ribbon.

Inspired by the calligraphic decorations I saw online and in books, I came up with an idea. Previously I had a small photo frame up, in which I wrote out Allah Ta’ala’s Name with a simple border, but wanted to expand on it. I read through His 99 Beautiful Names and although each of them were wonderful, some of them specially resonated with me, particularly Al-Haqq (The Truth). This was a value especially dear to my heart, which is why I chose the name Saadiqah on reversion; I wanted to remind myself to always speak the Truth. There were other Names I also loved dearly, so I had this idea to choose a selection of them and write them out. These Names would need to have a special significance in my life. I thought as there were 99, I would choose 9 to write out around the central Name of Allah on my material.

The 9 Names I chose were the following :

Al-Haqq (The Truth)  

An-Nur (The Light)  

Ar-Rashid (Guide to the Path of Rectitude/Lover of Virtue)  

(Second from top right, third from top right, and bottom middle)

- These express the three values dearest to my own life – Truth, Understanding and Purity

Al-Khaliq (The Creator)

Al-Quddus (Most Sacred/Free From All Blemishes)

Al-Azeem (The Magnificent/Grand One) 

(Top, middle and bottom right)

- These express what awes me most about Allah – His Creativity, Holiness and Grandeur

Al-Alim (The All-Knowing)

Ash-Shakur (The Grateful/All-Acknowledging One)

Al-Mumin (The Infuser of Faith)

(Top, middle and bottom left)

- These express what qualities of Allah I need to remember most in my life; antidotes to my weak areas of criticism, depression and lack of faith.

As the saying goes: Each picture tells a story… It sure did make a difference in decorating my room! Insha’Allah, maybe it could become a talking point one day with my family and be a tool for Da’wah…

I hope it has been inspiring to you, my brothers and sisters in Islam. Maybe you would like to do the same, and choose some Names of Allah (SWT) which are especially dear to you, to remind yourself of Him? It’s a fun project to do in your spare time or on a rainy day, and each time you look at it, you remember our wonderful Creator!