A note on Women’s Day

Yesterday I received from different people greetings of congratulation because of the international women’s day – I have to confess that I didn’t even know that this day is now.

And our neighbour’s son just came to tell me, that they don’t have school today, because of “women’s day” – it brought a silent smile to my lips. Alhamdulillah.

You know, I am not a feminist at all and I do not see myself as a “fighter for women’s rights”. These things just do not appeal to my point of view and I really see no need to call out a single day per year “women’s day”.

It rather makes me sad to realize that still the world sees the need to do so.

I chose to become a Muslimah, alhamdulillah, because in Islam every day should be a women’s day.
In Islam women are considered as gifts from Allah and are always cherished.
If Islam would be properly lived by a society, all women would get the rights and status they deserve.
The pure teachings of Islam and the example of prophet Mohammed (sas) call to treat women with dignity, honour and fairness, yes even with equality in all spheres of life: in basic humanity; concerning religious obligations, rewards and punishments, ownership and financial transactions, regarding honour and nobility, education and social responsibilities.
And in Islam women are especially given high ranks and the best rights in terms of being a mother.

But unfortunately these aims are rarely reached and in most societies (Muslim and non-Muslim societies as well) the man-made culture, old traditions, also modern permissiveness and personal interests refuse women their natural and God given honour and rights, mashallah.

Instead of party a single day per year I would love to call out to all of us to strive together for a more friendly and respectful world towards everybody.
Not by organising sex-strikes, violent revolutions and the call of hate against men, but by living every day at our best, both sexes following God’s orders, being the most caring and loving towards each other and ourselves.

Hugs and peace and bless you, inchallah!

Remembering this year’s ‘Id

 

We spent ‘Id el adha at grandpa’s home with the whole family, as every year, alhamdulillah: doing the community prayer in the open air, eating traditional porridge, slaughtering the sheep together, enjoying the good food, visiting friends and praising God.

The next day we already left the celebrations and drove away on a little holiday, subhanallah, first towards Marrakech, meeting dear ones, and then up and away to Europe, where we’ve spent the last week.

‘Id moubarak!

happy blessed ‘Id to all the Muslim ummah
and hugs to all our friends and families on this special day! 

(chocolate mud cake with halal marshmallows and sweets, bismillah) 

 

 

Preparing for ‘Id el Adha 2012

Blessed day of Arafa to all Muslims and may Allah accept the hajj of all the pilgrims in Makkah.
Salam aleikoum and peace with the worlds!

 

 

a supplication

God, Master of the heavens, Master of the earth, Master of all things.
You cause the grain and the date stone to sprout. You sent down the Torah, the Gospel, and the Qur’an.
We seek Your protection against the evil of any evildoer who is in Your hand.
You are the First – there is nothing before You.
You are the Last – there is nothing after You.
You are the Manifest – there is nothing above You.
You are the Hidden – there is nothing beside You.
Relieve our debts and free us from our needs.

on Love and Hate

Salam aleikoum world,
may peace be with you!

Islam is peace

- that’s how I understand my religion despite what’s going on in the world these days.

Our dear prophet Mohammed (sas), who came as the last messenger in a long chain of truthful rightly guided men (such as Adam, Moses, Noah, Abraham, Jesus, etc.), who were all sent by God the Almighty, was an honourable man full of mercy, love and respect for all mankind.

Yes, it deeply hurts to hear about the insulting and slandering on his person, peace be on him. Yes, I hate blasphemous acts such as the new American film everybody is talking about now and which obviously seems to show a very bad and false picture of our religion.

But I cannot accept the counter-reactions of hate and violence in retaliation that are now done by some Muslims all over the world – because this is not Islam!

Do you remember the beautiful story about slandering I once quoted here?

I am sure that’s how the prophet (sas) would have reacted today – quiet, wise, with peacefulness and patience.

I am sure he (sas) would have shown as much love and mercy as possible; he (sas) would have maybe even invite his enemies to talk to them in the most beautiful manner.

That’s how we should react now: strong and wise and patient – to show Islam in the most beautiful light, to make dawah in the most beautiful ways, to trust in God’s destiny and to rely on His justice.

Who else would be able to better this world and to spread the Islamic message of love and peace if not we as Muslims, each one of us, by following our dear prophet’s (sas) example by showing how generous and tolerant he (sas) truly was?

I do not want to give in. I do not want to let the devil take on the power now, audhu billahi. I believe in the good. I believe in the power we all have by making dua’ and acting in kindness.

I pray for this.

Bless you! Incha’allah.

All together

The togetherness of Muslims during ‘Id is much similar to the togetherness every Friday during prayer and eating couscous as a family.  

What are the memories of the past weeks? What did I learn from Ramadan?
Which of those blessings am I able to carry on with me into my daily life?
Can I manage to take at least parts of this increased worship into my everydays?

Are we able, all together, to lighten the world with the peaceful, silent, deep insights we hopefully had during the past blessed month?

Are we able to make this world a better place, all together, every one of us in our own surroundings, just by being the best Muslims we ever were?

Ya Rabb, help us to keep the high level of spirituality far beyond Ramadan.
Help us staying steadfast in your worship,
and help us living in real kindness and love with our brothers and sisters in faith and humanity.
All together. For a peaceful world.

Blessed Friday and blessed month of Shawwal!

‘Id el Fitr 2012

 
 

.bliss. alhamdulillah.

‘Id moubarak!

we are still fasting today… as usual, Morocco celebrates the ‘Id one day after the rest of the world, mashaallah.
but anyway, our thoughts are with the Ummah (Muslim nation), today and tomorrow, and we wish you all a blessed feast day!

Salam aleikoum!

 

 

The blessed Nights

We’ve just entered the last ten days of Ramadan – those days which are known to be the most blessed days of the entire year.

It’s the time when the night gets more important than the day, and when worship, prayer and repentance become more intense then ever.

It is the time when most Muslims feel a bit dizzy, tired and fuzzy during day but much more energized and motivated by night. It is now that we feel the deepest need and wish to observe voluntary night-prayers, to do extra-worship, to recite and read the Qur’an, to humiliate ourselves, to ask for forgiveness, guidance and His mercy.
These nights are the time when the gates of the heavens are opened, when the angels come down, and when Allah is more willing than ever to listen and to respond to His servant’s invocations, inchaallah.

In these ten days there is one night, the night of decree and power, Al-Qadr’, the most blessed night, which is better than a thousand months, the night when archangel Gabriel came to prophet Mohammed (sas) with God’s first revelation of the Qur’an, the night when God, Allah, decrees every matter of ordainments for the coming year and wherein is peace and blessing until dawn.

Many Muslims now take vacation and spend the whole ten days in the mosque, in submission, remembrance and prayer. It is comparable to the kind of retreat some Christians take when they go visiting a monastery to gain personal insight, to take time for meditation, to experience silence and a deep connection to their creator.
Those who are not able to spend the whole time in mosque (like me), we spend our nights at home in devotion and prayer, reading Qur’an, pondering and reflecting upon its meanings and trying to put worship over everything else.

I ask Allah to give us sincerity, strength and energy to make the most out of these coming nights. I ask Allah to accept all our worship, to accept all our good intentions, all our repentance and to forgive us all our sins. I ask Him for guidance, for His mercy, for protection from our own ego, from shaytan (Satan) and every evil, and I ask Him for rescue from the torment of hellfire.

I pray that we Muslims might be able to carry the piety, the peace and beauty of these precious nights into our everyday-life long after Ramadan is gone. I hope that we might be able to live and to spread around us the message of love and peace that Islam is. And I hope that the entire humanity will be able to experience the beauty and blessing of the glorious night of Al-Qadr, inchallah.

Allahumma taqqabbil minni oua minkoum. Ameen. Salamou aleikoum and may peace be with the worlds!

Xxx

By the way: Nora wrote about some great advice for Non-Muslims visiting or dealing with Muslims during Ramadan-time.