hey hijabi!

salaam! this weekend has been busy and stressful and fun all at the same time! we have family visiting and we were housesitting as well so there hasn’t been much time to do anything else. we went to a friend’s brunch today and there was a warm rain for most of the day.

quite strange.

this is the weekend wisdom i have for you:

The Journey

One day you finally knew
what you had to do, and began,
though the voices around you kept shouting
their bad advice–
though the whole house
began to tremble
and you felt the old tug
at your ankles.
“Mend my life!”
each voice cried.
But you didn’t stop.
You knew what you had to do,
though the wind pried
with its stiff fingers
at the very foundations,
though their melancholy
was terrible.
It was already late enough,
and a wild night,
and the road full of fallen
branches and stones.
But little by little,
as you left their voices behind,
the stars began to burn
through the sheets of clouds,
and there was a new voice
which you slowly
recognized as your own,
that kept you company
as you strode deeper and deeper
into the world, determined to do
the only thing you could do–
determined to save
the only life you could save.

~Mary Oliver

salaam! inshAllah you have had a nice weekend. it has been sunny around here which was nice. we went on walks and ate crepes and watched movies! this weekend’s wisdom is a little different but when i saw that our sister from Hijab Style posted it, i wanted to pass it on!

Style Islam is a clothing company out of Germany that started its fame with the t-shirt that said “I Love My Prophet”. after the attacks on the Prophet (saw), the shirt became really popular and they began to make other items. a German news channel interviewed the team (which consists of husband and wife…how cute!) and this was their clip. please try to ignore the Islamophobia, sexism and racism from the German newscaster and enjoy the clip!

salaam everyone! inshAllah you had a great weekend. mine was relaxing but different since habibi was out of town. i just lounged around and watched bad movies (He’s Just Not That Into You haha) and hung out with my family. today i went to a new brunch place with my ladies and had the MOST AMAZING POTATOES EVER!

this weekend’s gem of wisdom is from Nouman Ali Khan. i was listening to this lecture while i made dinner last night and i really enjoyed it.

there are many of us (and please remember, i always check myself first before giving any advice) who feel that we know more than others, are more “modest” or more “religious” than others, and might even feel we are more “Muslim” than others in the Ummah. subhanAllah, this is not an Islamic way to behave. Islam is about letting go of the ego, not building it.

“And do not turn your face away from men with arrogance, nor walk in insolence through the earth. Verily, Allah does not like each arrogant boaster.” -- Quran 31:18

maybe some of us used to do things that weren’t so “Islamic”. many sisters may have dated in the past, or many brothers may have gone out to the clubs with their friends. our young generation of Muslims has certainly had its fair share of haram activity (of course not everyone, this is just a generalization). it may have been something as slight as not wearing as modest of a hijab as you do now. then something happens, Alhamdulillah, and you come back to the deen. you adhere strongly to your religion and change your lifestyle. that is a wonderful thing and we can only pray that Allah (swt) leads us all down a path of righteousness.

HOWEVER

when this happens, there is the temptation to act “holier-than-thou” about everything. from listening to music, to wearing hijab, to wearing abaya, to having opposite-gender friends, there is always something to argue about with those that you feel may not be as “religious” as you. although there are many Muslims who think they are doing something good when giving advice, arguing with someone about their (lack of) understanding of the deen, etc., but it isn’t our place to judge others. only Allah (swt) can judge us and our brothers and sisters. arrogance is an insult to Islam and to Allah (swt) because arrogance implies that we feel we know everything and that our way of doing things is the best way.

when in doubt, check yourself

Asalaamu Alaikum everyone!

This week and weekend were SUPER busy and really stressful. I had a lot of work to do last week and this weekend we went to a educational day school where we talked about revolutionary history and radical politics. It was great but I feel drained and not quite ready to begin the cycle again.

This weekend’s piece of wisdom is from Yasir Qadhi and Yasir Birjas. It wasn’t my favorite lecture (I found it a little dry) but for the other history nerds out there (woot woot!) you will love this lecture. It discusses the importance and influence of Islam on the founding of this country and the ideals of American liberty.

Salaam! InshAllah everyone had a great weekend. I had an amazing and relaxing time staying home until I had to go out today for an anti-war meeting. IT WAS FIVE DEGREES! Can you believe it? I don’t know where you live, but I hope that you don’t have to endure such freezing weather…

This weekend’s piece of wisdom is from Muslim Matters and is about how to perform dawah one person at a time. I enjoyed listening to this lecture and reading the accompanying comments and notes about how to approach others about Islam.

You can read the article and listen to the lecture HERE.

Asalaamu Alaikum everyone! InshAllah you all had a great weekend. This weekend was very busy but wonderful for us. We had an anti-war meeting yesterday that lasted three hours! We also went to a holiday family party at a Latino union and danced with all of the little kids (although I think they were scared of habibi’s beard haha)

Today we went to a baby shower and played with more little ones! I am finally getting ready to relax and watch a movie…if I can stay awake that long.

This weekend’s lecture is from Nouman Ali Khan. He discusses the importance of good companionship and how good friends are so important to one’s character. I love the way he talks about relevant and current topics, especially within the youth community.

You can listen to the lecture HERE.