Prayers for all the forgotten children in War Zones!

With the build up to guy fawkes it seems as if everyone has loads of fire works to spare well at least in my area as for days every evening there has been constant loud booms and bangs coming from all directions!

Yaqub who is now 4 and a half months old didnt take too kindly to all the banging especially as he has a cold at the moment so each time he managed to dose off he was starteled by a loud boom and would wake up a little scared! He would of course be quickly comforted by either me or his baba with a cuddle and a reassurance that he was not alone and that everything was going to be ok!

It was at this time I suddenly remembered all the millions of children all around the world whose childhood sounds are nothing but booms and bangs but unfortuantely there are many differences here the sounds they hear are not the sounds of loud colourful joyous fireworks rather or guns, bombs, followed by screaming! Another difference is that many of these children cry and weep in fear of these noises only to have nobody come running to comfort and hold them and to wipe their tears away as their parents have been killed or are too weak, or lost to comfort them. These are the forgotten children of the world why? Not because we dont know they are out there but because no one is there to hold them and to tell them its going to be ok, they dont have someone running to them saying 'its ok mama loves you baba loves you' for them its all loud bangs bombs and them smell of blood and death on their door steps.





The very least we can do for these forgotten children is to remember them in our prayers and ask Allah to help them in their time of need! Remember all children are innocent and are victims of the ugly game of adult warfare!

'Oh Allah I beg you to have Mercy upon all the innocent people especially the children of the world Ameen. Do not let fear enter their hearts, do not allow them to cry to empty hollow walls where they get no response or comfort Ameen. Do not allow them to be captives of evil oppressors Ameen. Grant them a childhood of happiness, love, tranquilty Ameen. Grant them a playground safe to play in not one filled with hidden bombs, dead bodies and spilt blood Ameen. Ya Allah grant them comforting arms to hold them Ya Allah grant them loving arms to hold them Ya Allah grant them gentle hands to wipe away their tears Ameen Thuma Ameen'

Al - Jumu'a

You who believe! When you are called to the prayer on the day of Jumu'a, hasten to the rememberance of Allah and abandon trade. That is better for you if you only knew.

Then when the prayer is finished spread through the earth and seek Allah's bounty and remember Allah much so that hopefully you will be successful.

Quran - (62:9-10)

(Translation: Abdalhaqq and Aisha Bewley)

Jummah - Yay!

Jummah has arrived again so firstly Jummah Mubarak to you all! Many of us take Jummah for granted its just another day of the week like Monday, Wednesday, Saturday etc! But this is the wrong way for us to look at it!

Jummah is a day of celebrations its a blessed day for us all and alhamdulillah we are blessed it with it once a week again one of the countless mercies we have from Allah! We need to give Jummah the full credit it deserves! We have so many ahadith about the blessings and virtues of Jummah a couple of which I shall share here insha'Allah!

"Whoever dies on the day of al-Jumuah or on its eve will be protected from the torment of the grave." (Ahmed)

The Prophet (saw) said, "A person who has a bath on Friday, cleanses himself fully, uses oil and perfume; then goes to the mosque early in the afternoon and takes his place quietly without pushing or disturbing people; then he prays (optional prayer as much as he was able to pray); then sits quietly listening to the Khutbah, he will be forgiven his sins between this Jumah and the next Jumah." (Bukhari).

Abu Hurairah (ra) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (saw) said, "On Friday the Angels stand oust the door of the mosque and write down the names of the people in the order in which they enter the mosque for Friday prayer. The first group of people who enter the mosque get the reward equivalent to that of sacrificing a camel, the people who enter the mosque after them get the reward equivalent to that of sacrificing a cow. The people who enter the mosque after them get the reward equivalent to that of sacrificing a ram and the people who follow on likewise get this reward of a Chicken, egg and so on there is a gradation of rewards for the people as they enter. The angels keep writing the names of the people as they enter the mosque until the Imam sits down to give Khutbah. Then the angels collect their registers and sit and listen to the Khutbah." (Bukhari, Muslim).

Many of us dont realise the importance of Jummah and each one come and goes just like that! It is a day of celebration for all of us and we should treat it so!

Today I was speaking to my husband and we decided a few things we will insha'Allah try to do every week on Jummah to make it special from all the other days! We want Yaqub to grow up insha'Allah knowing how important and special this day is as for him insha'Allah a he will one day be going to pray his Jummah Salat in the masjid so its important for him to know from now that it really is a special day, a day of celebration and treats! Here is our plan of action if any one has any suggestions please feel free to leave comments and share with me and everyone else! The day shall really start on Thursday evening where the house shall be cleaned nicely ready for Friday morning where I shall burn some lovely bukhur to start this blessed day! Every Jummah me, my husband and Yaqub shall make a special effort to dress up, not like in wedding outfits or anything lol just to really make an effort to be clean, neat and tidy wearing something that is not just every day like scruffy jeans or a tracky but something a little smarter! Each Friday for dinner we shall have some type of roast maybe chicken or lamb with all the trimmings, roast potatoes, gravy, vegies etc and something really scrummy for desert too mmmmm! Also Jummah shall also be referred to as Jummah of course we shall teach Yaqub the days of the week and insha'Allah he will know that Friday is Jummah but we shall try to call it Jummah this again differenciates it from the other days of the week!

The idea is to try and create a buzz of excitment on Jummah insha'Allah!

We should also read as much Salawat on our beloved Prophet Muhammad (saw) each Jummah too! This of course we should do anyways but make an extra special effort on Jummah insha'Allah!

Check out Yaqubs smart outfit he wore for this weeks Jummah! May Allah always instill the love of this blessed day in his and all of our hearts ameen!

Being Closed Minded Is Like A Foreign Language!

Being closed minded is like a foreign language... hmmm what a strange phrase yet it is very true and let me explain how!

On Tuesday I was taking Yaqub to the baby clinic and when I came outside my house my neighbours elderly aunty was standing there with our neighbours 1 year old son! Our neighbours are from Mauritious and I know that their aunty only speaks creo or so I thought! Each time I have seen her I have only ever said Salam as I thought there was no other way to talk to her! So on Tuesday I was leaving to go to the clinic when I stopped to go and see the neighbours son Jamal! I was bending down talking to him when the aunty started talking to me and of course I did not understand what she was saying as it was a foreign language and so although I could hear her I could not understand her! Then after she had finished and I was about to walk away I realised I had caught the last 2 words and then realised hang on a minute I understood that and then realised she was speaking Urdu not creo!!! I had thought she only spoke creo so had mentally told myself that I could not understand what she was saying where as in actual fact she was speaking Urdu which I do understand!

Now you may wonder how this relates to be closed minded! Well its very simple! When we are closed minded we can not allow ourselves to see the views of others even though in actual facts we may understand and agree with their views and ideas but we do not allow ourselves to do so! By being closed minded we have convinced ourselves that I can not understand any other way just like one might believe they can not understand someone speaking a foreign language!!!

This idea can be linked to Islam! It is so so so sad to see 1 Islam, 1 Quran, 1 Sunnah Billions of Muslims and so many divisions!!! Islam is so complete that it has room for all subhana'Allah! And if only we all stopped (by we I mean all the groups within Islam) and listened to each other we may find that we are not so different after all we are one brotherhood one sisterhood One Ummah!

The same can be linked to Islam, Judaism and Christianity... if we only stopped being so closed minded and opened up to each other we would see the similarities we have and we could work on that and go forward!

I am currently reading The Road To Makkah by Muhammad Asad and he begins by telling a friend of his that perhaps one of the reasons why the West has so much against Islam is the fact that it shares so many morals with it! A very intesresting point... I remember a very good friend of mine who is a convert/revert to Islam saying that her father had said to her.... 'I agree with the morals and teachings of Islam but when you put the name Islam on it I dont want to know'! Why are we so afraid to open our minds and see what is around us!

So the lesson to be learnt here is to open up our minds ask Allah to always guide us and look for the truth where ever it may be! Dont be closed minded and see everything around you as a foreign language!

Famine Vs Dieting!!!

Hmmm an interesting title! It occured to me yesterday how strange this concept is! In some parts of the world we have humans who are paying hundereds of £ or $ some times even thousands to lose weight be it by eating less, buying low fat recipie books, joining the gym, getting a personal trainer and even having surgery to remove unwanted fat from their bodies! On the other hand we have humans across the world who are dying of hunger and thirst who when they eat a few mouthfulls wonder if those are the last mouthfulls that shall ever enter their mouths and bodies as they know not where their next meal (if you can call it that) will come from or if it will come at all! And then when food or water is found they eat and drink not knowing where it has been if it is clean and if eating it will do them more harm than good!

Just yesterday I was saying to myself I need to gain more self control when it comes to eating yummy scrummy foods and then just like that while I was walking between the door way of my kitchen and passage it hit me Subhana'Allah here I am praying for self control on eating all this food I have available to me and others are praying and begging God for just a few mouthfulls to feed themselves and their dying children!

Let us not forget those who are less fortunate than ourselves those who spend days in constant involuntary fasting, those who are forced to hear their children cry night and day out of hunger and thirst and all the while knowing they can do nothing about it and let us all thank God for everything He has given us for the Mercy He has bestowed upon us and for the favours He continues to shower upon us let us remember Him and praise Him often as He is Most Deserving!

Ramadan Dates!

Ramadan is associated with so many marvelous things the first thing that springs to mind is of course fasting and The Holy Qur'an! It truly is a blessed month with so much to gain from! Its a month of the Quran, fasting, its the month of the individual meaning its a time when we dedicate time and effort working on ourselves on our character trying to better ourselves not just for the month but for good!

The other day my husband told me a really beautiful comment made by one of the brothers he works with! He had written a message to the muslims in their company regarding Ramadan and had said something along the lines of this

'let the other people at work know that your fasting not by the fact that your not eating food but by the good change in your behaviours and the improvments in your characters!

Subhana'Allah what a beautiful phrase and its so true Ramadan is not just about not eating its a month of spirituality and purification!

Another thing that Ramadan is associated with is particular types of food! We all in our homes and families probably have particular dishes which are usually only made in Ramadan or become a daily thing in Ramadan!
One thing I associate with Ramadan are dates! Not just any type of dates but dates stuffed with whipped up double cream and topped with a crunchy almond! So I thought Id share it here incase anyone wishes to try it mmmmm they are so tasty!

Ingredients:
Dates (not the type squished up in a packet)
Thick Double Cream or Whipping Cream
Almonds

Method:
Pour the Cream into a bowl and wisk it up. I recommend an electric wisker or you could be there for long time! Keep wisking until the cream thickens up and is no longer runny! (test it by putting some on a spoon and turning the spoon upside down if the cream does NOT fall off then its ready!)
Slit the along the middle (long ways) and remove the seed. Now with a teaspoon carefully take some cream and holding open the date place the cream in the date!
Put an almond on the top and its finished!

Result:

Yummy dates!

Ill post some photos up soon of what they should look like!

Mouse Trap!

Its always a concern for us all as individuals when something is worrying us as individuals when we ourselves are facing problems etc however how many of us spend the same amount of time worrying about others in the same way trying our best to find a solution... I know myself I am guilty of this and was reminded this just a moment ago when reading an interesting story about a little mouse I received in an email!

Its so easy for us all to look at the problems of others and think...'oh thats a shame but it doesnt affect me so its not that big of a deal'! This really is the wrong way to look at things... as brothers and sisters in humanity we have a duty to look out for one another, for our families, friends, neighbours and all of our fellow human beings!

As Muslims also we should know the importance of caring for one another from the saying of the Prophet (saw):

“The Ummah is like one body; if one part of it hurts, the rest of the body is overcome with pain.”

Let us not all become desensitized to the pains and sufferings of not only our fellow Muslims but also of all our fellow human beings!

Like I mentioned earlier I have a nice story of a little mouse to share with you all!

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain?" The mouse wondered.......he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning :There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!"The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said,"Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it. "The mouse turned to the pig and told him, "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! "The pig sympathized, but said, I am so very sorry, Mr.Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers. "The mouse turned to the cow and said "There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house! "The cow said, "Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose."

So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap alone. That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed tosee what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was avenomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital. After treatmentshe returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farm yard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well and later died. So, many people came for the funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness.
So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember.......when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

REMEMBER.......OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER - EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHERPERSON'S TAPESTRY.

Im Back! Ramadan Kareem!

Salaam and Hello to Everyone!

Wow Ive been away for agesssss but so much has happened since! Firslty a very BIG and Belated RAMADAN KAREEM to everyone!

Ok now since Ive been away lets see what has happened! Well I moved home not just moved but had major DIY to do in the place before we really could put up furniture etc! Alhamdulillah by the Grace and Mercy of Allah we are settled and very happy here in our beautiful new home!
More major and more imprortant than that is the Great News which happened at 1:13pm on Saturday 16th June 2007!
By the Grace and Mercy of Allah the Almighty I gave birth to a beautiful baby boy who we named Yaqub Bilal Alam Masha'Allah! He is very much 100% gorgeous and totally irrestitable masha'Allah! I cant begin to explain what a terrific and moving experience motherhood is! It really is a Mercy that so much love endlessly pours out of you for this child you actually feel your heart flutter when they gaze into your eyes and smile, you can spend endless hours watching them sleep just gazing intently at their small chest moving up and down, waking up over and over and over again at night just to make sure your precious one is ok even though they made no sound of complaint.... Subhana'Allah its amazing and I shall be sharing more of these experiences as time goes on insha'Allah!


Yaqub is now 3 months old masha'Allah I shall post 2 pictures up one of him when he was first born literally when he maybe 10 mins old (see pic above)and the other from just a few days ago! (see bellow)Please keep us in your prayers!

The story of 2 pots!

An elderly Chinese woman had two large pots, each hung on the ends of a pole which she carried across her neck.

One of the pots had a crack in it while the other pot was perfect and always delivered a full portion of water. At the end of the long walks from the stream to the house, the cracked pot arrived only half full. For a full two years this went on daily, with the woman bringing home only one and a half pots of water Of course, the perfect pot was proud of its accomplishments. But the poor cracked pot was ashamed of its own imperfection, and miserable that it could only do half of what it had been made to do. After two years of what it perceived to be bitter failure, it spoke to the woman one day by the stream.

"I am ashamed of myself, because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house."

The old woman smiled,

"Did you notice that there are flowers on your side of the path, but not on the other pot's side?" "That's because I have always known about your flaw, so I planted flower seeds on your side of the path, and every day while we walk back, you water them." "For two years I have been able to pick these beautiful flowers to decorate the table. Without you being just the way you are, there would not be this beauty to grace the house."

Each of us has our own unique flaw. But it's the cracks and flaws we each have that make our lives together so very interesting and rewarding. You've just got to take each person for what they are and look for the good in them.

This too my dear will pass away!

I had a very hectic day today
Seems nothing I did went my way.
I fretted and stewed and worried,
Rushed here and there, always hurried.

Then I recalled what my granny would say,
"This too, my dear, will pass away."
Finally evening came and I was alone
With a little time to call my own.

I breathed a sigh into the air,
For now it seemed I hadn't a care.
But in my memory, I heard granny say,
"This too, my dear, will pass away."

So, I snuggled in for a good nights rest
Vowing tomorrow just to do my best
For when troubles come they never stay
And good times seem to hurry away.
Granny was right when she would say,
"This too, my dear, will pass away."

Enjoy the good times while they're here
And face the bad times without fear
For nothing on earth lasts forever
Each moment of life we must savor.
Live life and love while you may,
For this too, my dear, will pass away.

Dr Juma

Anyone looking for a new Dr Surgey should most deff check this Dr Juma out he seems qualified in all fields and by the look of his surgery he seems to be going for the homeopathic natural treatments!!!! The list of treatments he has advertised are as follows as... Ill type some of them up as I dont think the picture is big enough for you all to read them...

- Bewitched Pple
- Swollen Body
- Insanity
- Madness
- Women with pregnancy problems
- Demand Debts
- Misunderstandings with people
- Court Cases
- Casino Specialist
- Bad Luck
- Customer Attraction
- ETC (thats his comment not mine)

Seems like he is a Dr, Lawyer, Social Advisor, psychic all in one wow!

A Butterfly's Lesson

One day, a small opening appeared on a cocoon; a man sat and watched for the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through that little hole.
Then, it seems to stop making any progress.
It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could not go any further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly: he took a pair of scissors and opened the cocoon.
The butterfly then emerged easily.
But it had a withered body, it was tiny and shrivelled wings.
The man continued to watch because he expected that, at any moment, the wings would open, enlarge and expand, to be able to support the butterfly’s body, and become firm.
Neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a withered body and shrivelled wings. It never was able to fly.
What the man, in his kindness and his goodwill did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for the butterfly to get through the tiny opening, were God’s way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings, so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes, struggles are exactly what we need in our life.
If God allowed us to go through our life without any obstacles, it would cripple us. We would not be as strong as we could have been. Never been able to fly.
I asked for Strength...
And God gave me difficulties to make me strong.
Iasked for Wisdom...
And God gave me Problems to solve.
I asked for prosperity...
And God gave me a Brain and Brawn to work.
I asked for Courage…..
And God gave me obstacles to overcome.
I asked for Love...
And God gave me Troubled people to help.
I asked for Favors...
And God gave me Opportunities.
“I received nothing I wanted...
But I received everything I needed."