Forum	Title	Content	Member	Sex	Country	Date/Time
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Love for the Sake of Allah (swt) In this sermon, Sheikh Abdal Hakim discusses the significance of love for our fellow mankind that is purely for the sake of Allah, rather than for any worldly attachment or desire. Edited by UmmSqueakster, 02 March 2010 - 09:28 AM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-03-02 09:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I got an email from them around noon with a link to complete registration and get the link for the actual event. If you need help, email tarek.elmessidi at gmail.com	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-02-25 14:05:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	It's tonight Sh. Hamza, Imam Zaid, Yusuf Islam, Sh. Faraz, Sami Yusuf, Habib Umar, Dalia Mogahed, Sh. Nuh, Sh. Abdullah, Ustadha Zaynab and more, what an awesome group to hear for only $5! Plus, a portion of ticket sales will be donated to hati. I don't know of a more win win win situation available today! Also, non muslims can sign up for FREE! celebratemercy.com/guest. About the program: The webcast will feature many beautiful things: a condensed narration of the Prophet's life, reflections on his character and merciful nature, poetry and songs sung to celebrate him, and much more. We will also have many interactive portions and allow all audience members to vote for the winner of the Expressions of Love contest; three finalists have been chosen and you'll have the chance to help select the winner! Log in at 8:30 est, 7:30 central, to hear nasheed and interact with other viewers before the program.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-02-25 09:41:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Asalamu Alaikum I was wondering about this , have u ever done a webcast like this and how does it work? Im very interested in it but dont understand it comepletely. If u read this and can let me know soon so maybe I will sign up. Thanks Salam Raelynn Aziz wa alaikum assalam, It differs depending on the event. I am guessing that for this one, you log into a secure site, and they will stream a video/audio of the speakers and performers. There are mashaAllah some awesome speakers lined up. i signed up, i think its gonna be interesting wo0t! "see" you then!	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-02-22 17:12:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	The price of the celebrate mercy event has gone down to $5! It's a steal to be able to hear so many awesome speakers and come together with muslims from all over the world to celebrate our Prophet (saws).	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-02-21 08:55:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Post coming soon on the month of Rabi al-Awwal and our beloved Prophet (saws), but until then, check this out:	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-02-15 13:52:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	The Aim, Purpose, and Consequence of Consistent Spiritual Routines- Imam al-Haddad, with Commentary from Faraz Rabbani In the Name of Allah, the Benevolent, the Merciful. May Allah’s blessings and peace be upon His Beloved Messenger, his companions and folk. Imam Abdallah ibn Alawi al-Haddad (Allah have mercy on him) (d.1132 Hijri) said, ‘The aim and spirit of spiritual routines (awrad) is presence with Allah. Aim for it; you will reach it only if you travel the road that leads to it, which is performing the external activities and striving to be present with Allah during them. When you persevere in this you become immersed in the lights of Proximity, and the sciences of gnosis emanate upon you, at which your heart becomes wholly intent on God and presence becomes its nature and well-established quality.’ [The Book of Assistance] Commentary on Imam Haddad’s Saying A wird (plural: awrad) is any regular routine of worship, such as prayer, remembrance (dhikr), supplication (dua), fasting, and so on. One can also consider regular routines of religious study and reading to be a wird. It is sunna to be consistent in one’s works; to take on only as much as one can sustain with excellence, without feeling overwhelmed; to focus not only on actions, but on excellence in one’s actions; and to strive for gradual, meaningful increase that is sustainable. Prophetic Guidance on Consistency and its Consequence The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Take from actions that which you can sustain, for verily Allah doesn’t tire until you tire.” [Bukhari & Muslim, from A'isha (Allah be pleased with her)] This means, as Imam Nawawi explains, that Allah doesn’t tire of rewarding and accepting your works until you tire of performing them; or that it is not Allah who tires (for He is exalted beyond imperfection) but it is you who tires. And our Beloved Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Verily, this religion is ease, and none will make the religion difficult except that it will overwhelm them. So remain steadfastly committed; do your best; and be of glad tidings. And seek assistance in the early mornings; the late afternoons; and something of the depths of the night.” [Bukhari and Nasa'i, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him)] Making the religion difficult is to take on more than one can manage. Remaining steadfastly committed entails seeking knowledge of who to seek Allah Most High, how to act according to the Prophetic example of excellence, and to strive to act accordingly. Doing one’s best is to take on what one can sustain; to keep consistent; and to do the best one is able to manage if one can’t do everything completely. Being of glad tidings entails celebrating the favour of Allah Most High having gifted one with the urge to seek His pleasure; the knowledge of how His pleasure is sought; and for inspiring one to act accordingly. “Say, in the bounty of Allah and His blessings, in that let them rejoice…” [Qur'an, 10.58] The three blessed times that are particularly beneficial for spiritual striving are (1) Fajr time and after sunrise, when there are few distractions (the early mornings); (2) Asr time, or during and after one’s return from work (the late afternoons); and a little of the late night, after having slept (tahajjud time)–the time for true lovers of Allah to stand with their beloved. The Reality of Sincerity, its Manifestation in Consistency, and its Consequence Sincerity is to seek Allah Most High alone in one’s actions. This meaning is manifest in consistently–as it affirms that one acts for the sake of Allah whether one have the inclination to or not; and it manifests the trueness of one’s yearning for Allah. Consistency also strengthens one’s resolve to seek Allah; makes one’s efforts add up; changes the heart, polishes it, and directs it towards Allah. And if one’s seeking becomes consistent, then one will surely find Allah–and attain unto His closeness, love, and presence. Walking to Allah and Allah Rushing to You The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) related that Allah Most High says, “I am as My servant thinks of Me. And I am with them when they remember Me. And, by Allah, Allah rejoices more in the repentance of His servant than when one of you finds their lost property in a vast space. Whoever draws close to Me by a handspan, I draw close to them by an arm’s length; and whoever draws close to Me by an arm’s length, I draw close to them by two arm’s lengths; and whoever directs themselves to Me walking, I direct Myself to them running.” [Muslim, from Abu Hurayra (Allah be pleased with him); Bukhari mentions it with similar wording] This means that anything the one does of the good for the sake of Allah is magnified in its reward and spiritual consequence–and that when one’s directing oneself to Allah becomes consistent and true, then Allah rushes to one by granting His closeness, love, beholding, and concern. [Ayni, Umdat al-Qari Sharh Sahih al-Bukhari, and others] Imam Ahmad relates that the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said that Allah Most High says, “O child of Adam! Stand up for Me, and I will walk towards you. Walk towards Me, and I will rush towards you.” [Ahmad, Musnad, with a rigorously authenticated (sahih) chain of narrators according to Imam Mundhiri, in his Targhib ] May Allah make us of the people of sincerity, consistency, trueness in turning to Allah–and of those whom Allah accepts, turns to, loves, draws close, and grants His spiritual beholding, such that we worship, submit, and live “as though we behold Him,” with every step and breath expended on the footsteps of His Beloved Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him and his folk). And Allah alone gives success. Faraz Rabbani [Quote of Imam Haddad itself from: Ashrafiyya, with thanks.]	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-02-10 14:40:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	One of the best pieces of advice I've ever seen for newbie converts comes from the now defunct iprofess website: The Most Important Advice that We Can Give You The most important advice that we at I Profess.com can give to you, the new Muslim, isn't how to do your hijab, or how to tell others about Islam, or how to find a halal meat market. No, the most important piece of advice that we can offer is, oddly enough, one that many, many new Muslims don't even think about, or don't want to deal with. It is exciting to go out and wear your new identity on your sleeve (or head), and it is exciting to discuss new politics and to tell others why they should become a Muslim. I agree with you, that those things are very exciting. And as a new Muslim, you have an abundance of energy and emotions that you, naturally, want to spend. I'm asking you to slow down for a second and really consider what I have to say, without thinking, "Oh yeah, I know all this, I've heard it before." I titled this essay "The Most Important Advice that We Can Give You," because if I had put the subject in the title, I doubt that many of you would even be reading this. It is a subject that some new Muslims deem "boring," "unnecessary," or even think "I have lots of time to do learn this." If I was in the same room with you, I'd close the door, and make you sit in front of me. I need your undivided attention for this. The most important thing for you to learn, as a new Muslim, is not how to wear hijab, and not how to speak Arabic, and not where to buy halal meats. It isn't to learn how to tell others about Islam, or to change your name to an Arabic name, or to get married. No. The most important piece of advice that we at I Profess.com, and I personally, can impart to you is that you learn how to do your required, or fardh, prescribed prayers, or salat (Salat-ul-Fardh). It is the first thing that you should learn, and the thing you should be most eager to accomplish as a Muslim. Is it really that important?? In a word, yes. I did not understand the importance of making salat, or prescribed prayers, when I first became a Muslim. I dragged my feet when it came to learning the movements, the words, and other matters of prayer, and I still have not accomplished a comprehensive knowledge of the various aspects of salat. All the knowledge of hijabs and of da'wa and of Arabic will not save you on the Last Day, when it is asked of you, "How often did you pray?" Living and coming from a culture that emphasizes "squeezing it all in," "all work and no play," and which commends people who arrange for "quality time" with their families, it is important for us to realize that Salat-ul-Fardh is not only the time when we give Allah His "props," it is also a break for us from the craziness of our daily lives. It's five or ten minutes here and there, when we slow down, when we have only one obligation, when we have a little peace, and yet, we are accomplishing something far more important than brokering business deals or landing a big account. If you think that you are "too busy" to make five prayers a day (and three of them are done at home), look at the example of Muhammad (peace be upon him). This man was an advisor, a husband, a father, a statesman, a military leader, AND a prophet, and yet, not only did he have the time to make his Salat-ul-Fardh, he had the time to do EXTRA prayers, Salat-ul-Sunnah, AND to spend at least 1/3 of the night engaged in prayer It continues at the link. Also, I know I promised a few people I'd send them prayer cards, and procrastinator that I am, haven't gotten around to it yet. If you'd like a set, please email me (E, I do have yours all set to go). ummsqueakster at gmail dot com Gah, procrastination. This month has sucked. I suck. I apologize Edited by UmmSqueakster, 27 January 2010 - 03:24 PM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-27 15:21:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Something to download and keep in your purse The Greatest Name of Allah Also, I've been trying to read a few pages from the commentary of the Ali Unal translation of the Qur'an before bed and I really must saw mashaAllah it's awesome While the commentator does rely on classic tafsir, he goes deeper into the meanings of the verses in a way I haven't seen before. It's worth reading just for the commentary. I have it in soft cover, but I may have to get it in hard cover, as it's a really hefty tome and it's a bit hard to prop up well in the soft cover version.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-25 10:54:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	First and foremost, the emergency haiti fundraiser put on by assorted muslim groups this weekend raised $105,000 in 2 hours. Imam Zaid has challenged the north american muslim community to raise $1,000,000 for Haiti relief. You can donate with Islamic Relief. I'm so happy that we have people like this in our community Second, fresh Squeaky lol: Who remember Allah while standing or sitting or lying on their sides and give thought to the creation of the heavens and the earth, saying, “Our Lord, You did not create this aimlessly; exalted are You; then protect us from the punishment of the Fire. 3:191 Squeaky is quite indifferent to her internet fame. I tell her that I’m putting yet another picture up for hundreds of people to admire, and she just gives me this look like, silly human, why aren’t you lavishing attention on me? In a moment, my fat and fuzzy feline love, in a moment. But in all seriousness, when one looks at the ingenious designs all around us, including that of the humble domestic short hair known around the world as the Squeakster, how can you not help but remember your Lord, who created all of this with perfection and who gifted each creature with a sense of purpose? SubhanAllah wa Alhamdulilah wa Allahu Akbar!	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-18 09:53:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I think you can chose the colors you want for all the different styles, although I'm partial to purples I always say that in winter, everyone's a hijabi. At least it's the one time of year I actually blend in on the street rather than stick out like a sore thumb, lol.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-14 09:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I'm hopeless when it comes to the pile-50-scarves-on-your-head-and-make-flowers-look. But, now it looks like there is hope for me! Ready made spiffy hijab. I probably wouldn't wear any of this day to day, but it would be very spiffy for Eid. http://www.wegdan.com	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-14 08:49:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Heh, I couldn't figure out the correct gender-ization of presidente. Languages is not my strong suit. I'll go back and change it AbuS was watching an egyptian news program talking about the incompitance of the egyptian government. He got so frustrated that he just threw up his hands and said that Squeaky would make a better president than Mubarak. She was thus dubbed El Presidente (by me, who couldn't remember what the president was in arabic, and thought el presidente sounded cool).	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-12 10:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I have a few books from some of the authors he sites, and most of those people don't require one become a muslim to be a sufi. Having only read the people he draws from and not the actual book, I guess I can't say. Does the book say one has to be a muslim in order to be a sufi? Does it emphasis practices like salat? The only worry I have with books that don't stress actually practicing islam for new converts is that they won't see the importance of things like salat, or reading the Qur'an, or doing any number of things that in general are considered required practices for muslims. While having the spiritual side of the religion is important so that it does not become all rules and regulations, we have to be careful that we don't lose the rules and regulations in our search for spirituality. I always like to remind myself that Rumi (ra) was a hanafi faqhi, Rabia al Adawiyya (ra) performed thousands of nafl salat a day, Hasan al Barsi (ra) was a teacher of jurisprudence, and Imam al Ghazali (ra) was a shafi'i faqhi. They found the balance between the spiritual and the jurisprudence. Junayd (ra) is reported to have said: "Whoever does not memorize the Qur'an and write hadith is not fit to be followed in this matter. For our science is controlled by the Book and the Sunna." One of the flaws I see in a lot of modern sufism is that they take the poetry and esotericism and leave behind the islam. Why quote Rumi on loving Allah (swt), but not on the importance of maintaining the salat?	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-12 09:42:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I think there are three ways people approach Sufism. One is that it’s a universalistic mystical experience that transcends islam, where islam is merely an incidental, and one does not need to be muslim to practice it. Another is to view it as a sect of islam, where they’re a sufi, more so than any other affiliation, be it madhab, aqeedah or whatever. In this, there is varying degrees of actually adhering to sharia. The third is to view Sufism as tazkiyah and ihsan, as a science of the religion of islam. Just as one would learn tajweed with a teacher to recite the quran, or the basics of fiqh in order to the learn the halal and haram of the outward state, they would also seek out a teacher to teach them the prophetic practice of purification of the inward state, ie tasawwuf. In this view, one’s model that they strive to emulate and who’s state they want to achieve is that of the Prophet Muhammad (saws), so that everything he did, from the way he dressed, to how he ate, to how he worshipped, to what he avoided (ie everything in the Qur’an and sunnah) is of the utmost importance to learn and to follow, and that that is the best way to reach Allah (swt). After browsing the books website, I think it falls more into the first definition of Sufism. If this is how one wants to view Sufism, then they’re more than welcome to it. But for me, I’m definitely in the third camp. I have a few books from universalist Sufis, and take the good from them and leave what contradicts islam. I have a lot of texts from the third groups as well. But, as I’ve struggled to delve into them and grasp what they’re saying, I’ve come to realize that learning Sufism this way is an abogration. Imam al Ghazali (ra) was an increadiby intelligent, learned man, a teacher who had books galore. But when he wanted to learn tasawwuf, he left his job, his life, everything, and traveled to the teachers of the science, to sit with them and learn the knowledge that had been passed down from teacher to student, stretching back to the angel Gabriel to the Prophet (saws). Even the great treatise on tasawwuf often weren’t penned by their authors – they were taught verbally to their students, who then transcribed them so they could refer to them later. Taking the teacher out of the equation opens us up to misunderstandings and misinterpretations. I guess what I’m trying to say in all of this is that I think that tasawwuf (as well as everything in islam) is best learned from a teacher, who will refer back to the great masters of the science, and the penultimate sufi, the Prophet Muhammad (saws). It's only when I found a teacher that I could begin to make real progress. But then also, not every teacher is the right one. There are plenty of sufi "shaykhs" out there who aren't worth their turbans. I think Imam Malik (ra) put it all quite succinctly when he said: He who practices tasawwuf without learning Sacred Law corrupts his faith, while he who learns Sacred Law without practicing tasawwuf corrupts himself. Only he who combines the two proves true.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-08 16:21:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I may have mentioned this before, but I'll say it again. If anyone is interested in tasawwuf (aka sufism), Sh. Husain Abdul Sattar's 6 part talk on the Fundamentals of Tasawwuf is excellent. And if you're married to an anti-sufi (cof cof AbuS), he may find these talks convincing, as Sh. Husain (and the Naqshbandi Mujaddidi in general) are very big on tasawwuf as a science of islam bound by the sharia, and not a universalist new age thing.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-06 10:07:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	More I just found out about this spiffy lookin organization in Houston Texas. I think we have peeps from there? Wish we had stuff like this in my neck of the woods. Maybe I'll ad Houston to the list of potential places to move? http://risala.org/ And, I got an ipod touch recently, and have been looking at islam related apps. Anyone have anything they'd like to recommend? Here's what I have and what I think of them thus far: *alQuran - a free Qur?an program with a wide variety of translations and reciters. Only downside (for sunnis at least) is that the reference section is clearly shia is persuasion (subjects include muta, taqiyya, and the immate). But, I?m a big fan, because it has close to a dozen english translations you can download (with a wifi connection), including my recent favorite Ali Unal. *iQuran Pro - had to pay for this one, but it?s worth it. The recitation is synced with the reading. It will scroll down as it?s playing, so if your arabic isn?t up to snuff (ehm, like mine), you can follow the arabic recitation. It also allows you to download (again with a wifi connection) various reciters, including an arabic/english recitation *iPray Pro - another pay app. Pretty format, but I can?t yet figure out how to get the adhan to play at the prayer time if I don?t have push/wifi enabled all the time *iSubha - not that I don?t already have 2 sets of dhikr beads in my purse at all times, now I can record my dhikr on my ipod. Lets you record and track how much you do. *Divine Names - an app that helps you to memorize the 99 names of Allah (swt), set to one of my favorite nasheeds. You can play through the whole 99 names, listening and reading, or set it to go through a specific set, repeating the name 1 or several times. Spiffy spiffy spiffy. *iDua - a mini dua book right on your ipod. Read the dua in english, arabic and transliteration. The downside here is that you have to download each recitation of the dua individually. It would be much better if you could download all the sound files in one fell swoop. Also, AbuS says there were some errors in the arabic. inshaAllah we?ll go through it and send them an email with things that they can fix. *QDu?as - an app to memorize 41 quranic duas. *QWords - a program to memorize 569 quranic words, that make up 80% of the Qur?an. inshaAllah it will help me to move towards my goal of being able to read (and understand) the Qur?an in arabic. Edited by UmmSqueakster, 04 January 2010 - 11:56 AM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2010-01-04 11:54:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims		UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-31 09:37:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Woo, someone else posted I love looking at pictures of Mecca and Medina and dream of the day when I can visit myself. I think the police have been less strict about enforcing the no cameras in the haraam and whatnot, so inshaAllah when I go, I hope I can take a billion and one pictures (especially of all the street kitties ). I started going through some of the Qur'ans I've aquired recently and haven't had a chance to read. I picked up this version from half.com very cheap, and it's really a simple and easy translation for a newbie. It has a nice biography of the Prophet (saws) in the front, a page or 2 in front of each surah with some explanation of it's content and history, and then a clear, simple translation with a few notes to clarify things.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-30 11:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	via al Miskeenah, I've stumbled upon a website of beautiful photos of Mecca and Medina. SubhanAllah, so beautiful	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-29 16:34:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	If I'm the only one who ever posts in this thread, we're going to need to rename it	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-29 09:20:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	A good lecture on Ahul Bayt by Ustad Yahya Rhodes.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-28 09:05:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	There aren't a lot of good islam based podcasts out there, but at least there are a few gems to find. One of those is the seekerguidance podcast. There's currently an excellent series on "Steps on the Path of Love of the Prophet (saws)" by Ustadh Hatim Yousef.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-21 09:56:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	The moon was sighted in north america last night, so happy Hijri new year! Don't forget to fast on the 9th and 10th. Fiqh of Islamic Months: The Month of Muharram	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-18 16:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	The new (hijri) year is almost here, time to party (I know, bida bida bida blah blah blah). It also means that ashura is approaching. For sunnis, it's a remembrance of passover and a recommended day to fast. For shias, it's a remembrance of the martyrdom of Imam Husain (ra). http://qa.sunnipath....=...2445&CATE=6 QUOTE Fast on the days on which the Law encourages you to fast, such as the day of Arafat for those who are not participating n the pilgrimage, the ninth and tenth [‘Ashura] of Muharram, and the six days of Shawwal, starting with the second day of the Feast, for this is the more effective discipline for the soul.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-16 17:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I started a page here but it doesn't have much info yet. I haven't had a chance yet to dig through my piles o links and whatnot to suss out what's still there and what's good. Tasha, would you mind posting your info here, so I could include it?	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-16 16:23:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Angie, I read the Qur'an in english first and foremost, as I'm no where near fluent in arabic. It's something I strive for, but I'm horrid at language, so it's a long slow slog. I own close to 20 different translations, and each has their good points and bad points. When I just want to read, I'll pick one (my current fave is the Bewley translation for ease of reading). If I want to study, I'll take our 3 or 4, plus a few different commentaries. Different translations chose to highlight and translate different aspects of the word, so if you get a couple of different ones in front of you, you get more facets of each word. For example, in surah al falaq, ayah 4 (113:4), the literal translation is something like "from the evil of those who blow knots." If you're not familiar with the idiom "an-naffathat", you'd be like But if you compare it to other translations, you'd see that "blow knots" is also translated as witchcraft, secret arts, or occult endevors. So from reading several translations, you'll know both the literal and the figurative meaning of the verse, thus (hopefully) gaining a deeper understanding. There have been a lot of changes in online quran resources in recent years. I'll update my list and post it on my blog inshaAllah. Edited by UmmSqueakster, 15 December 2009 - 03:06 PM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-15 15:03:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	She still has her loose gut though, but maybe that's just the result of a bad spay. It is increadibly cute, as when she comes running, it swings back and forth. But, totally not health, so we gotta lose it. *digs around in my icanhascheezburger account* Ah, here it is: This was at the beginning of the diet though. Now she just meows incessantly at the top of her lungs and wacks us in the legs when we're sitting.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-11 13:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	The Squeakster is fat, fuzzy and cuddly as always, thanks for asking She's really enjoying her new cat tree, but not enjoying her diet. I should have AbuS do my portion control, because she's losing more weight than me	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-11 09:18:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Mabrook to John	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-11 09:04:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	This thread needs more cowbell, er nasheed. Several versions of tala badru alayna	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-07 17:24:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	We've got Lentil, Pinto, Jelly, Garbanzo, Chili, Lima and momma Olive. Awww http://felinerescue....a... and Babies	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-04 15:31:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Struggles of Conversion - free online Q&A event with Shaykh Abdullah bin Hamid Ali Saturday 12/5/09 12-1:15 pm EST/9-10:15 am PST (Watch Live!) A live question and answer session that arose out of a set of questions posed to the sheikh by a group of convert sisters. Looks like I'll have to rearrange my weekend shopping plans to be home for this. Our cat rescue is having it's holiday bazaar, but I don't think it starts until noon. So, watch this, then go out and buy kitty related goodies and then onto the MENA grocery store. Awesome weekend including all my favorite things - islam, cats and food And on that MENA cat food related note, a recent batch of kittens in foster care are named after beans and legumes. There's a lentil and a garbanzo, awww. Edited by UmmSqueakster, 04 December 2009 - 01:28 PM.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-12-04 13:26:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I like this: Imam Bayhaqi relates that Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (Allah have mercy upon him) said that someone said, “The description of true servants of Allah is that poverty is their honour; obedience of Allah, their sweetness; love of Allah, their joy; to Allah, their need; piety their provision; with Allah, their dealing; upon Him, their trust; in Him, their intimacy; upon Him, their reliance; hunger, their food; renunciation, their fruit; good character, their dress; cheerful disposition, their jewelry; generosity of spirit, their trade; good relations, their company; knowledge, their leader; patience, their driver; guidance, their ride; the Qur’an, their speech; thankfulness, their adornment; remembrance, their concern; contentment, their rest; sufficiency, their wealth; worship, their earnings; the devil, their enemy; worldliness, their dumps; modesty, their shirt; fear, their habit; the day, their lesson; the night, their reflection; wisdom, their sword; truth, their guard; this life, their journey; death, their destination; the grave, their shelter; Firdous, their residence; beholding the Lord of the Worlds, their longing. These are the elect servants of Allah, of whom Allah Most High has said, “The servants of the All-Merciful are those who tread lightly on earth.”” [Bayhaqi, al-Zuhd al-Kabir, 2.264]	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-30 14:58:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	I think it's incorrect to interpret it that islam sanctions lying. In all but a very few circumstances, it's considered a major sin. One of the things I love about this religion is that it's the middle way. It's neither pacifistic nor militaristic. If I may quasi quote Ecclesiastes - there is a time for war, and a time for peace. Likewise, there is a (very very very limited) time for lying and a (majority of the) time for telling the truth. When scholars make a ruling, they look at all sources of the law - the Qur'an, the sunnah and the opinions and rulings of the scholars who came before them. They would see from the hadith that ya fallaha quoted that yes, it's permissible in limited circumstances. They would further see that there are a bunch of hadith that condemn lying: The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Lying is improper whether in earnest or in jest, even if any one of you promises his child something and does not fulfill his promise." (Al-Adab al-Mufrad and Sunan Abu Dawud). The Messenger of Allah (saws) said, "Whoever cheats is not of us." (Sahih Muslim, Sunan Tirmidhi, Sunan Abi Dawud and others) So that if something is in a very limited situation permissible, that doesn't make it something good to do. Rather, it's more along the lines of something permissible, but disliked.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-24 10:43:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	QUOTE (Ahmed N Tina @ Nov 24 2009, 08:40 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'm curious. My husband insists that he will NOT celebrate Thanksgiving cause it's not in the Quran and insists that it is a Christian holiday therefore not to be shared, etc. I'm so darn frustrated cause I see it as a day of being with family and I don't want to miss it, but he's being quite poopy about us not going. He's actually trying to wipe out any Christian holiday/celebration in our home that I see as National and not religious. Is he right? or is he just being ultra strict and unnecessary? Would he be willing to go the day after thanksgiving? While there are some christian origins to the holiday, I don't think of it as a christian holiday. It was merely that the people to whom we trace back the tradition happened to be increadibly religious people, so that every celebration they did had religious underpinnings. It would kind of be like considering October 6th in Egypt to be a muslim holiday. Sure, the people who took part in it were originally muslim, and it's celebrated by muslims now, but it's a national holiday and in no way a religious festival.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-24 09:50:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	QUOTE (ya falaha! @ Nov 23 2009, 05:37 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not sure how accurate this Hadith is but I have heard of it before and looked it up to make sure. I'm not an expert on Islam in any way, shape or form but I've heard and read some things along my way. From what I know yes and no, lying is permitted to a certain extent and for "good" reasons. It's basic common sense if you think about it. Don't many of us lie to keep the peace or prevent ourselves from hurting someone? If someone looks awful, are we going to come out and say it if they ask? Not really. We'll tell a little white lie to get around it. Islam doesn't permit lying for malicious reasons. That's not to say that some Muslims don't use this Hadith to their advantage or take it the wrong way. Sahih MuslimBook 032, Number 6303: Humaid b. 'Abd al-Rahman b. 'Auf reported that his mother Umm Kulthum daughter of 'Uqba b. Abu Mu'ait, and she was one amongst the first emigrants who pledged allegiance to Allah's Apostle (may peace be upon him), as saying that she heard Allah's Messenger (may peace be upon him) as saying: A liar is not one who tries to bring reconciliation amongst people and speaks good (in order to avert dispute), or he conveys good. Ibn Shihab said he did not hear that exemption was granted in anything what the people speak as lie but in three cases: in battle, for bringing reconciliation amongst persons and the narration of the words of the husband to his wife, and the narration of the words of a wife to her husband (in a twisted form in order to bring reconciliation between them). The hadith is found in the collection of Sahih Muslim, which is generally considered to contain sound and accurate narrations from the Prophet (saws). And you're right about the reasons for lying. I don't know if it would go so far as to cover adultry, since a lie in that would also cause harm to the wife, if the husband gets STDs and passes them on to her, among a myriad of other reasons. That would probably be an individual scholar's ijtihad, reasoning, and not something based specifically on the Qur'an and Sunnah (to the best of my knowledge). Lying to save your life Lying to cover up cheating in an exam Is it permissible to lie to conceal one's good works?	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-24 09:45:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Thanksgiving and the Day of Arafat are Thursday. If possible, delay your thanksgiving feast until dinner time, because fasting on that day is huuuuge: It was reported from Abu Qutadah (ra) that the Messenger of Allaah (saws) was asked about fasting on the Day of Arafah. He said, 'It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.' (Muslim)	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-23 16:36:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	It's hajj season, which means the hajjis are pouring into the City of Light, Medina al-Munawwarah. Al-Miskeenah lives there and takes pictures year round, but those during hajj season are always my favorite. There's such a diversity of people all coming together for one purpose and it's just awesome. Also, she'll occasionally take pictures of Medinan kitties for me Here's the most recent sweet feline: And for your listening enjoyment, Imam Zaid talks about the virtures of the first 10 days of Dhull Hijja that we're in right now -	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-20 09:48:00
Middle East and North Africa	Muslims	Oh believe me, I've tried just about everything in the way of a makeshift sports hijab. I've (attempted) to create a turtleneck sports shirt by sewing part of a buff to the neck, then when I remembered that I suck at sewing, I settled for just pinning it to the neck and then to the visor buff just slipped on my head. Alas, not very practical or throw on and go ready. The fabric was fabulous, so if we could just get some sports hijabs made out of that fabric, I'd be in heaven.	UmmSqueakster	Female	Egypt	2009-11-18 17:16:00