what are YOUR goals now? tell me yours and i'll tell you mine ;-)

The Day of `Arafaah has come and gone. Alhamdulillah we were given the chance to live to see another `Eid come and go. The question is -- what are you gonna do about it?

Will you try to start waking up for Fajr? Will you remember to treat others with kindness and mercy? Will you cut your limit of consumption of an alcoholic drink come Friday or Saturday night?? What about those friends of yours who always wanna party or get high when Mom and Dad aren't around??? (I am talking to you, JJ...)

Do you want to know what my goal is for the next year, inshaa'Allah? This is so embarrassing -- and I ask anyone who is reading this to ask Allah ta`ala for my success -- but it's to memorize Al-Quran Al-Kareem. The reason I feel stupid for saying this out loud is because how long have I been a Muslim and I only put to memory a few surahs here and there?! OMG... Mashaa'Allah I know one Sister - and you know her too - she has been a Muslim for a shorter time than I have and she has committed some very important chapters to memory. May Allah ta`ala reward her immensely for her achievements and I hope her intention to do so is also taken into account. She is truly an inspiration to me and also a reminder that procrastination is an evil & vile thing. Damn you, procrastination -- damn you!!

Meanwhile, it appears that our Lord has blessed me with another little surprise (tabarak-Allah) and so now I have no excuse to go outside and have fun everyday when I should be at home studying or memorizing the many aspects of our religion. And what I mean by that is that this dreaded condition known as morning sickness keeps me within a few meters of my own private bathroom where no one can hear me saying "Oh Gawwwwd..." while vomiting my guts out. It usually disappears by the mid-afternoon so while I am waiting to throw up I can listen to some lectures and read beneficial books.

(OMG that sounds really bad but I assure you my intention in these typed-out words is not to offend any part of our religion but just to tell it like it is.)

So while my other little monkey is running around amusing himself, why not spend the time hearing recitations of the Holy Quran and hopefully memorizing it piece by piece? Inshaa'Allah I can accomplish this and pick up where I left off with my studying -- before life became hectic and I was constantly looking for a way out. But that's another topic for another day. For now, my eye contacts are dry and Child #1 needs a diaper change.

Don`t Forget Youm Al-`Arafaah!!

Sisters & Brothers, don`t forgot to fast and make du`a on the blessed day of `Arafaah -- which is tomorrow for us M.E.`ers and maybe for you Westerners too? The `Eid is on Friday inshaaAllah and its a pretty big occasion for Muslims everywhere!! Also, if you fast then two years of sins will be erased, inshaaAllah. INSHAA ALLAH!! Who doesn`t want their bad deeds forgotten... A short compilation of Ahadith taken from IslamQA:

It was reported from Abu Qutaadah (may Allaah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) was asked about fasting on the Day of ‘Arafaah. He said, “It expiates for the sins of the previous year and of the coming year.” Narrated by Muslim. In Saheeh Muslim it was narrated from ‘Aa’ishah (may Allaah be pleased with her) that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There is no day on which Allaah frees more people from the Fire than the Day of ‘Arafaah. He comes close and expresses His pride to the angels, saying, ‘What do these people want?’” It was reported from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Allaah expresses His pride to His angels at the time of ‘Ishaa’ on the Day of ‘Arafaah, about the people of ‘Arafaah. He says, ‘Look at My slaves who have come unkempt and dusty.’” Narrated by Ahmad and classed as saheeh by al-Albaani. -- To read more, click here.

So, from my family to yours, wishing you a blessed & peaceful beginning and may Allah ta`ala accept our fasts and erase our sins. Ameen!!

uffff...

all I wanted to find today was a bag of tortilla nacho chips to go with my cheddar cheese -- i went to Carrefour, then came home to be sick in the bathroom and sent L. to both Emirates General AND Abu Dhabi Co-Op.

no one sells them!!

so I may have to make another trip just to Spinney`s to get both tortilla bread (something no one is selling) and tortilla chips. to anyone living in UAE or the Gulf, don`t you hate it when you can`t find something??? OH and Caesar salad dressing is something I cannot seem to find either!!!! gaaaaaaaah!!!!!!!!!!

okay mini-rant over ;-)

Ayah of the Day

11. And among mankind is he who worships Allah as it were, upon the very edge (i.e. in doubt); if good befalls him, he is content therewith; but if a trial befalls him, he turns back on his face (i.e. reverts back to disbelief after embracing Islam). He loses both this world and the Hereafter. That is the evident loss.

Surah Al-Hajj

okay.. who cares..

No doubt the BlogWorld's/YouTube's Muslims and non-Muslim community are talking about who left Islam and what-not for the last couple of days.

Can we get over it now?

We have more important things to focus on -- like people who claim to believe in Allah ta`ala yet are against His Shari`a. (Post coming up on that as soon, inshaa'Allah). Or how about the fact that Israel announced it's hidden-publicly-yet-known-quietly intention to make Jerusalem it's capital, whilst kicking any Arab (Christian or Muslim) out. Or, that the Egyptians and Algerians are acting like a bunch of retards over a stupid soccer game?!

Those are topics to be written about -- not how someone rejected Islam and is getting props from the haters & Islamophobes.

Please.

That was sooo 2 days ago ;-)