Showing posts with label Masjid. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Masjid. Show all posts
Today I really am feeling hungry, but I can handle it. I'm keeping my mind off the idea that hunger pain sharks are ripping at my stomach. OK, so it's not that bad. It's just uncomfortable. I believe I am keeping control of my temper. Haven't had an argument with my siblings yet. If they do something to irk my nerve, I just keep it low-key. Doing a great job over here, alhamdulilah! :D

Last night we did attend taraweeh prayer. I wore my blue abaya with a blue hijab and white under cap. My friends were all there. The sheik let his son and brother lead a few of the prayers this time, so we had three different types of recitations last night. Alhamdulilah, it was really nice. There were more men there than usual, but not many more women. That's usually the case at our masjid. My friends were talking of an organized sleep-over at the masjid. The young sisters in one room, and the brothers in another big room. To be quite honest, I don't think I would feel comfortable. For one, if we have to sleep in hijab that is no fun. If we don't, what if someone comes in? Two, I don't like waking up looking at a whole bunch of people who have just woken up. Three, what if someone steps on me while trying to get to the bathroom? No thank you, sleeping over at the masjid seems like a terrible idea. Maybe a huge late night get-together, but not a sleep over.
This morning for suhoor we had cheerios, apple sauce, and water. My Mom wasn't feeling well so we were expecting her to cook. I can cook, but I don't like to cook. Rather not risk burning our suhoor, so we just ate cereal. It was really yummy anyhow. I am still trying to memorize surah al-fajr. Tonight insha allah I will do Qu'ran. I don't know if we will be attending taraweeh at the masjid tonight. We'll see what my Dad says.

I have been thinking about giving charity. On my own. As an individual. What could I give as charity? I don't have much money, but I can knit. So I think I will find an organization to knit preemie baby hats for. That would be such a nice thing to do. I love babies. So insha allah I will try to do my best. What about you? May allah bless and reward us all! -Nisa
This is the fourth day of Ramadan. I missed yesterdays post. You know how Mondays are, hectic. So, on Monday we had Oatmeal mixed with unsweetened apple sauce. It was soooo good, and so filling. It kept me full all through the day. I wasn't even really hungry until 7 PM came around, and the hunger pains started their attack. Alhamdulilah, that was a wholesome suhoor. Then we had Spanish rice and chicken for Iftar. We did not pray taraweeh at the masjid, my brother led it at home instead. Yesterday went by so quickly, I forgot that I was fasting. I practiced the surah Al-fajr yesterday for my daily dose of qu'ran. Beautiful surah with a beautiful meaning.

Today for suhoor we had cereal. I had Apple jacks and a banana. Yummy! I do not know what we will have for iftar tonight. I do think we are going to attend Taraweeh at the masjid tonight, so insha allah we will go. I will probably wear my blue abaya to the prayers if we do go. It is a little heavy, but I can handle it. It's not all that hot today either. It's actually very cool. Allah is ever merciful! I'm going to read surah al-fajr again today, insha allah. I have no idea what I will be buying for my friends for Eid. I will probably go to two festivals to do henna to make money. Then I can buy an Eid outfit, and gifts for my family & friends. May Allah bless and reward us all! - Nisa
This morning for suhoor my family had Oatmeal and peaches. It was delicious! I'm feeling a little hungry now though, but I think it's because we went out to visit Grandparents today and my aunt was cooking. So now I feel a little weak and hungry, but I only have three hours left! We read a few more pages of Surah al-baqarah after Fajr in both English and Arabic. My reading is getting better, alhamdulilah. Little bro still needs some help, but he reads very well.

I think my family is doing an amazing job of keeping good temper. No one seems irritated at all, and I know that I'm doing my best to avoid argument. That's probably one of my worst traits, quick tempered. Last night we attended Taraweeh prayer again at the masjid and we had Iftar there. I ate Moroccan cous cous, fried chicken, russian salad, Spanish rice, spiced chicken, and mixed rice. Oh, and a piece of chocolate frosted cake. When we came home I had some ice cream, a chocolate donut, and some pistachio nuts. Believe it or not, I did NOT eat as much as it seems. It all tasted /really/ good though. I mean, really.

So insha allah we will probably attend taraweeh prayer again. My Dad is making chicken enchiladas tonight for iftar. I truly do love Ramadan. May allah bless and reward us all - Nisa
If you attend taraweeh after Isha at the masjid on iftar nights, you want something nice, but not too formal to wear. I usually wear a nice skirt or slacks with a long, long blouse. The outfit I created below is a beautiful green, perfect for summer and beginning of fall wear. Please sisters, do not forget to bring socks with you to the masjid. Your feet must be covered so that you can make prayer.
Summer Grass Green
I am so in love with that brooch and hijab! I am still trying to find the perfect green hijab because it goes really nice with the color of my skin. The only green hijab I have is a really dark green, but it's way too thick. I like hijabs that are thin, and easy to wrap. Oh, from the conference that we went to so that we could give out speech I bought two hijabs. One is a pale pink, and the other is a hot pink and black color. Both were really cheap, and they're really nice! In fact, I'm wearing the hot pink & black one to iftar at the masjid tonight insha allah. :) May allah bless and reward us all! -Nisa
Alhamdulilah, Ramadan is finally here! Last night I attended Taraweeh prayer at the masjid last night. It was really nice, but my feet started hurting half way through the prayer. Insha allah tonight we will attend it again, and we will have Iftar at the masjid. This morning for suhoor my family had pancakes, eggs, milk, and fruit. Yummy! It was a filling breakfast, and I'm not really hungry. After Fajr we sat down and read surah al-fatihah, and a few lines of surah al-baqarah.

It's not really hot outside today. I was a bit nervous about it being hot and fasting. I fast on Monday and Thursdays, so I should be used to it. Alhamdulilah, the weather is really nice today. Insha allah ladies I will try to blog everyday of Ramadan so that I can keep you updated. I seriously can't believe Ramadan came around so quickly this year! May all of you have a blessed Ramadan! - Nisa
Tomorrow is the big day of our (my friends and I) big speech at a bigger masjid. I believe I told you ladies before that we will not be going to the really big masjid where we were supposed to go, but a doctor will be speaking so the people who asked us to speak switched it to a masjid smaller than the original, but bigger than ours. Alhamdulilah, we will have the honor of speaking either way. We will be speaking about the Wives of the Prophet instead of hijab. Everyone else speaking at the conference will be lecturing on Ramadan. Insha allah, I really hope everything goes well. I'm nervous, but super excited. We also have to cook something to bring, and we have no idea what to cook! Oh nooooo! Insha allah, I will probably wear my blue abaya to the conference because blue looks really nice on me. :D I love blue and pink clothing!

Have any of you begun preparing for Ramadan in any sort of way? The most that my family has been doing is preparing breakfast/dinner menu's for the four weeks of Ramadan, switching around schedules, deciding what to do for Eid gifts, and fasting on Mondays and Thursdays. We will probably be going to Iftar nights on Saturdays and Sundays at our local masjid. Everyone will have to cook something and bring it. Or, we can send something to the masjid for those that will be there. Either way, I'll be spending time with my friends and family during the holiest time of the year! Alhamdulilah! My family and I will also take turns reading the Qu'ran in the morning while we are cooking breakfast so that insha allah we will finish the entire Qu'ran before Eid day. I am knitting a scarf as a gift to give to someone, and I have plenty of other things on my list that I need to start knitting! I also need to find an Eid outfit, and I have no idea what it will be. So, how does your family prepare for Ramadan? Insha allah I will try to blog everyday of Ramadan, because I love documenting these things. It will be something to go back and read during next years Ramadan. Let the count down to Ramadan begin, I am fully prepared to bring myself closer to Allah, to finish the Qu'ran, and to spend time with family and friends! May Allah bless and reward us all! ~Nisa
I'm sorry sisters about the lack of posts, I've been busy this week! On Saturday my family went to our Muslim family friends house. It was really fun, but we didn't get back until a little late. Then Sunday was family, but we didn't go but I still didn't have access to a computer. It has gotten a little hotter here now, but I can't complain because alhamdulilah; I've had a cool, breezy summer so far! It's just a bit humid now, and always thundering. I like thunder anyway. Insha allah I will have another All Natural Hijabi post for you all tomorrow. May Allah bless and reward us all! ~Nisa
Juma Mubarak everyone! I know the times around the world are different, so you may or may not have already attended Juma. You also may just be getting ready for Juma, or you are already there. Regardless the time, Juma mubarak! It is my favorite time of the week, I mean sincerely! I don't go for Juma (my Dad does), but I feel the excitement of it! I have done a set that I think would be nice to wear after the lecture at the masjid (orange is a bit too bright). I love how orange and black mix together. I don't limit colors like that to pagan holidays like Haloween. They are just COLORS.
Popping with Oranges

I don't know, now that I look at the colors they don't look so bright. Plus, it's only a small amount of orange. What do you ladies think? May Allah bless and reward us all! -Nisa
I love babies so much, I can describe them in one word. Adorable. Well, if someone asked me to describe babies in one word, I would. However, there's so many more words that I can describe them as. Adorable, fluffy, sweet, cuddly, cute, beautiful, a blessing, and all that mushy jazz. :) My teacher from my masjid just had a baby, and I had watched her baby grow while she was pregnant. It was so weird seeing her baby out of her stomach for the first time. The baby is beautiful (the picture to the left is not her)! I was amazed when I touched one of her perfect little toes. Masha Allah! I love babies so much!
At our masjid, there is a large community of small kids. On Family day events it gets kind of hard to control them all, but my friends & I do a pretty good job of keeping them in check. We play games, talk to them, and cuddle them (even though they aren't our children so we can't keep them! Lol). I cannot wait to get married, finish my schooling, and have myself a baby. Although, I am a little afraid of them growing up. Because when they are 18 you can't cuddle them like that anymore. Then what with all of the terror birth stories, I get really nervous. Other than my little fears, babies are such a reward. Ladies, if you have babies you should be sooo thankful! I am so jealous when I hear that someone is having a baby, but I am also excited for them too. Alhamdulilah.

All I can do for now is play those virtual "baby" games, and play with my baby doll. Lol. Insha allah one of these days I will be blessed with a little one myself. :) May Allah bless and guide us all! -Nisa
This coming week at my masjid we are having Girls Youth Gathering. People from other masjids are coming to our masjid, and we have to speak on the topic of the Wives of the Prophet (saw). Last month we put the names of the Wives in to a hat, and picked. I had to write an essay on Zainab bint Jahsh (R.A). I finished writing it last week. I really loved writing about her, she had such a beautiful story! If you ever get the chance, please read up on her. So yeah, I finished my essay and I am to read it on Sunday. I am the MC again (well, I was elected to be a permanent MC for our monthly girls youth gathering). I still have to write up a introduction, and the "quiz" for the end of the conference on the Prophets Wives.

We will have prizes for those that get answers right. Two gift certificates for free henna that costs $8.00's and under (from my bestie and I), hand made hijab pins, and my friends will probably think of some more ideas. That's all going to be in order, but that isn't the problem. The problem is that I'm being forced to learn an ayah (or a few verses) from surah An-Nisa because it has something about Hijab in it. It's really nerve wreaking! Plus, I need lots of practice before reciting in front of people, and lets face it; my voice isn't all that pretty to listen to. Make dua for me, please!

Insha allah, I hope this conference goes well. We are supposed to have a bake sale on that day too, and we are going to be raising money for our masjid again. I think my Mom is making mini cheese cakes and lemon pound cake. My bestie and I will be selling henna art again. I love doing henna art, it's so much fun to watch people smile at what they think is so beautiful on their hands. It makes me really happy inside. Alhamdulilah.

I don't know what I'm wearing this time. My bestie and other friends had planned to dress in green & white together. I don't have anything green and white. So I'll probably wear a black dress, and add color to it. I haven't decided, but whatever I decide I hope it'll be okay. On Saturday we have last minute rehearsal, and we have to organize everything for Sunday.

Oh, and remember the speech on hijab my friends and I did? Well, we are invited to TWO masjids because the people liked it so much! Both are really big masjids! However, at one masjid we might do our other speech on Adaab, because we are getting tired of doing the hijab one over and over again. Insha allah, we'll see! May Allah bless and guide us all! ~Nisa
*Bismillah* (astagfirallah! I've been forgetting to add Bismilallah!)
I was tagged by sister Nailz for an "honest scrap", thank you my dear sister! :) I love doing tags, they are so much fun!
To do the Honest Scrap tag... Here's the deal. Tell your readers 10 things about you that they may or may not know, but are true. Tag ten people with the award, and be sure to let them know they've been tagged (a quick comment on their blog will do). Don't forget to link back to the blogger who tagged you.

Okay, here it goes...

1. I am a knitter and crocheter. My last blog was a blog about my hobby on knitting and crocheting. I won't say the name of it because the website isn't working. Shame on me, shame on me. I had a knitting magazine and everything. I guess after awhile I sort of became a bit more interested in other things such as keeping up with my Masjids community, going out with my Muslim friends more often, and just being really active. I'm more interested in reading blogs about other Muslims like me, about Hijab fashion, and visiting another turn in my life. Insha allah I will go back into knitting. I was hoping to try it today because I want to knit/crochet some things for my friends for Eid. In that picture to the right is a pair of slippers I made for myself.

2. I love cleaning. There is nothing better to me than cleaning up and making everything look sparkly clean. I can't sleep in a messy room. If one thing is out of place, I have to turn back on the light, and put it neatly in it's place. I think this really annoys my sister, but I can't help it. I feel so uncomfortable in my own bedroom. I'm really trying to stop this. Like, even if the top of my laundry bin is off, I have to put it back on. No, there is nothing mentally wrong with me...I just think I need to feel comfortable.

3. I love to drink hot tea, my Dad loves to drink tea, my family loves to drink tea. I was brought up with "tea time" as a family thing, and as a rare treat. I guess this stemmed for my love of tea. Even in the summer, I will relish a cup of steamy tea. I hope that before the summer ends I will have a tea party with my friends. At least before school begins again. Insha allah.

4. I am a full course honor student. I have honor roll classes in Math (I do intermediate college math), college level Language Arts (been in honor roll since I was 10 and my reading level was 11th grade), honors in Science, honors in Social studies, and honors in creative writing. I work pretty hard to keep my grades up, and I think it's because I really want to please my parents. Besides having a strong belief in my religion, making my prayers sincerely, being obedient, keeping my chores in order, the last thing I want to do is keep my grades up.

5. I love to read. I will read any book, any place, at almost any time. When I was younger, I used to read books all the time. I didn't even stop to go to the bath room if I had to. I would read until I were finished. I finally got rid of that seemingly bad habit. It's just the feeling of connecting with the characters, and visiting different places in my imagination. The most frequent books I read now are the Qu'ran and Hadith (I need the knowledge so that if someone is accusing me of doing something "wrong", I can let em know how it is. Hehe.). I do still read a book once in a blue, but like knitting, I've curved that hobby down a bit.

6. I am really close to my Dad. I know that if I'm in trouble with Mom (I'm close with her too, but a bit closer to my Dad), he'll make me feel better. He always does. He can tell the funniest jokes, and now that I'm a lot older...he acts more of my age. People always tell me how funny my Dad is and how lucky I am. Yeah, I know I am. :) I love you Dad.

7. I try almost everything I can to keep acne, oily skin, and extreme dryness at bay. It's not a self-esteem issue, I just love for my skin to feel really nice. If I feel that my skin is too oily, too dry, or really dirty I feel pretty out of place. My love for healthy skin is shown in my All Natural Hijabi sections of this blog. It just shows another part of my personality. It also stems from my loving to feel "girly". Lol.

8. I am extremely sensitive like my Mother. The smallest things may hurt my feelings, and it's not something I'm proud of. It's actually really embarrassing. I can easily cry if something if I feel like I am being disliked. I try to make sure that people don't see me cry, so I know that they don't know they have hurt my feelings. Usually people can tell when I've been crying, or when I am about to cry. That's the worse thing about it. When I heard about the crisis in Gaza, I cried my eyes out. Thinking about all of those babies dying...oh it was horrible. If I read a sad book, I cry and everyone looks at me like I'm crazy. If I watch a sad movie, tears trickle down my cheeks.

9. An ironic contrast to being a cry baby, I say things most people wouldn't say. For example, friend 1 thinks friend 2 is hanging out with friend 3 alone too much, is being bossed around by friend 3, and is ditching us. All friends after the number 3 agree with her. I am the only one who says to friend 2 to either bring friend 3 with her, or to not be friends with us at all cause you can't be two faced. Shocked faces, shocked faces. Now, I'm not a totally blurt mouth. I am "reserved" as my Mother likes to call it. Before I say things, I usually have to think awhile. So I don't just "blurt" things out. I just say things before they hurt another person in a different way. I also have a temper, and I won't hesitate to tell someone about themselves if they make me angry. Subhanallah. I am trying to hard to control my temper.

10. I love animals and the natural world. I especially love squirrels, bunnies, and cats. You know, the cute stuff. I have a lot of things with cats on them, and I have a lot of things with bunnies. I haven't found any things that have to do with squirrels, except that I love to take pictures of them. I love going on hiking trips, fishing trips, flower pickings, and just laying outside enjoying the sun (can't stay out too long, I get sun burn...and then immediate skin peeling!).

And that's it! Ten things about me. As for the people I will tag this time;

1. Never Ever
2. Sister Lela
3. Sister Jaz
4. Slave of God
5. Random Hijabi
6. Sister Lisa
7. Ms. Mango (cute name, huh?)
8. Bengali Heart
9. (Sorry sis, I don't know if you do tags or not, but I'm going to include you any way. :)) Canadian Hijabi/Sister Nazia
10. Anyone else I missed! :)
May Allah bless and guide us all! ~ Nisa


How many times have you sat around in the masjid or just at home on the cellphone bored? You start a conversation with your friend, and you talk about what you did over the weekend. The conversation slowly starts to die until your friend says;

"Hey, remember that really tall girl at the masjid?"

There are two types of back biting, the haraam and the halaal. I am going to address the haraam. Many Muslim girls and women do not actually realize they are backbiting until it is pointed out. Talking about how messy your sisters hijab looked, how bad her kids are, or how big that pimple was on sister Fatimah's face was are all forms are haraam backbiting. The excuse that, "No, it's not backbiting...I would say it to her face!" So why didn't you say it to her face when you were talking and laughing with her at the masjid on Sunday? Why wait until Tuesday afternoon to say something about it to someone else? The worst form of backbiting is making fun of someone behind their back to make someone else laugh!
"Jameelah smells like onions cause her Mama cooks Spanish Rice! Hahahaha!"
Do you not know what Allah says of backbiting, gossiping, and slander?

O you who believe! Avoid much suspicion, in deeds some suspicions are sins. And spy not neither backbite one another. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You would hate it (so hate backbiting). And fear God, verily, God is the one who accepts repentance, Most Merciful. (Surah al-Hujurat ayah 12)

Backbiting is like eating the (human!) flesh of your brother or sister who is dead! How disgusting and repulsive is that? If backbiting is so hateful, why did you tell Amina that Sarah's fingers were bony and skinny? Even though sometimes you may not mean to backbite, you do. We all do. No one is perfect, yet we should try our hardest to avoid it. If you are bored, and you have nothing to talk about...you shouldn't invite people over to your house. That's where backbiting and gossiping usually stems from. Boredom. Keep yourself usefully active in the Muslim community, or talk about the future...anything except for someone else when they aren't present to defend themselves. This doesn't exclude non-muslims! Just because someone you are talking about is not Muslim, doesn't give you the right to talk about them!

Prophet Muhammad (saw) said: "Who protects his tongue from unlawful utterances and his private parts from illegal sexual intercourse, I shall guarantee him entrance into Paradise." (Bukhari and Muslim)
This is An-Nisa reminding you just in case you forgot! (Hehe Baba Ali!) May Allah bless and guide us all! ~ Nisa
*Bismillah*
Last Saturday I went to the conference where I was to speak. I went early to help clean up the masjid, and arrange the food. My Mom made baked macaroni and potato salad...and I almost didn't get any! People started arriving while we were cleaning up, setting up food tables..etc. We were a little behind time when the actual conference started. The theme was about Prophet Muhammad's (saw) life and teachings. It was a pretty good conference, and about five Imam's spoke. The sheik of my masjid told my friends and I that next Sunday (this Sunday) we will have a sort of "quiz show" with maybe prizes (!!!). The lectures were mostly stuff that I knew already because I read the hadith a lot.

After the lectures we finally got to eat. I was starving because I didn't eat lunch before I left home. As we were getting our food, I looked for the food my Mom made. It was almost all gone! Luckily, my friend A saved me some potato salad. ;D I took some BBQ chicken (best BBQ chicken I have had so far!), Moroccan Couscous (that my friends Mom made...yummy! It's in the picture...I'm serious...it looks exactly like that!) , fried fish, corn muffins, Bread pudding, and some other chicken. There was a lot of chicken. Lol. Then after we ate, we did our hijab lecture! The Sisters really liked it! They liked it so much, that we are invited to speak again at a bigger masjid. :D I did henna on three guests at our masjid. So I made $15.00. My friend M did henna on one person. So together we made $20.00. I forgot to say we went up on our prices because people say my designs are pretty extravagant, and everyone wanted to give me a beat down for accidentally charging $5.00 a hand. Hehe. :P Ooops.

Sister1: (staring at my hand) "OOOH!! Who's doing the henna?"

Me: "Well, my friend and I."

Sister 2: "Really?! Mom, Mom...please?!"

Mother of two sisters (thinking):"Hmm...how much?"

Me (spur of moment thoughtbyaccident):" "$5.00 a hand."

Sister1: "Pleeaaase?!"

Mother of two sisters: "Okay, go get the money out of the car..."

Sister2 (runs off): "Kay!"

Sister 1 and Mother start ruffling through my designs I lay out. Both pick the same flower-vine hand design.

Sister 1: "I want it on both hands."

Mother: "Then I'd have to pay $20.00."

Sister1: "Yeah, I know."

Mother: "One hand is enough."

Sister2 comes back with money and needs change...goes off to find maintainer of masjid, Sis double you. Sister2 picks a design of swirls that goes all over the hand.

Sis Double You comes in to see the designs being taken place. She says to the two Sisters and mother;

"That's a $10.00 design you are getting."


I went home at about 9:30 PM. I had been there since 10:00 AM. Up at 8:00 because I had to help cook, and get dressed. There wasn't really a lot of people that I had expected, but there was ENOUGH people. People that I have never seen before in our community. Alhamdulilah, it was a really fun day. Insha allah, this summer for me this year will be really busy, and it will mostly evolve around my masjid...alhamdulilah! Oh, and everyone liked my dress! :) I also have more followers to my blog...Asalaam wa alaykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh everyone!! May Allah bless and guide us all! ~Nisa
*Bismiallah*
When you enter a seemingly innocent looking masjid, you suddenly see huddled in seperate groups; Eygptians with the Eygyptians, Morrocans with the Morrocans, African Americans with the African Americans, and Caucasians with the Caucasians. What the heck is wrong with this picture?

In Islam there is supposed to be no such thing as "race". We're all brothers and sisters no matter what color/culture...right? Sadly, this isn't reality, and this isn't the case at my masjid. I go to my masjid every week for my Qu'ran/Arabic classes. I also go to the many events they have, including the Family Day event. When my family first went to the Family Day gathering, it was so cliquish that me, my mom, and sister were literally sitting in a corner by ourselves. Untill I saw a group of four teenaged girls sitting across the room and I went to go talk to them, we were basically not warmly welcomed. It took all my courage because I am very shy to go over and talk to them. Alhamdulilah they were around my age and welcomed me. This was about three or four months ago, and one of those girls is my best friend...and so is her biological sister! The other two girls took a little longer to get used to us because they are so shy. We got to really know them when they went over my best friends house to eat dinner. Pretty cool huh?

At my masjid, newcomers in the Sisters rooms are generally ignored unless they jump up to introduce themselves. Cliches are also formed, but they aren't that bad. Muslims should be open to everyone. This isn't a Highschool, it's a Masjid! We don't group ourselves! We should welcome everyone no matter what their cultures/skin color may be. No matter what language they may speak! Seriously, how do you learn about other people if you stay in your own little bubble? Islam is supposed to destroy classification. We can't classify ourselves, we are all HUMAN. Didn't the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) say in his last sermon that no black is better than a white, and no white is better than a black? Islam doesn't tolerate groupies, let alone racism! We are brother and sisters, not aliens. We can identify to something a non-muslim can't. 

Besides not having cliches, we are supposed to greet those we know, and those we don't know. It's the Sunnah. Now when I go to my masjid and I see people sitting all alone while watching my friends and I laugh like a couple of lunatics, I get up and invite them over. Not only that, but I have encouraged my friends and younger sister to do this. Alhamdulilah. May Allah bless & guide us all. ~ Nisa