The big day/Ramadan preperations

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

July Sisters Youth Conference

On Sunday my best friends, sister, and I had a conference. Before we began the conference, my friends & I helped set up the tables, podium, did henna (I did my Mom, myself, another girl, and Sis double you), and food. Then we talked, and had a little bit of then. When the people finally arrived, we talked about the Wives of the Prophet (saw), as I told you all before. It was great! All of my friends did their essays nicely, even my friend who doesn't speak English very well. She did amazing! This time we stood in the Musallah and spoke to the audience over speaker. Some people took pictures, and some took video recordings, alhamdulilah. Wipe the horrified look of your faces, there were no men. :P Not one, except for some sisters Husband and my friends brother. They stood outside for three hours waiting for us to finish when they didn't have to, subhanallah.

Afterwards we had a bake sale and henna art. My Mom made coconut pound cake and Patti Labelles carrot cake (I do NOT like carrot cake at all, but this cake was delicious! You NEED to try this cake! We didn't add raisins though.) My friend # 1 made home-made brownies and strawberry cake. Friends 2 & 3 made these Moroccan cookies that are made with honey, and strawberry cupcakes (she made 54!). Friend #4's mother burnt whatever she made. Friend #3 and I also did Henna Art. I had brought my portfolio, but she didn't bring hers...so she used one of my patterns. I did one little girl, and she did the little girls sister. When the conference was finished we made Asr, split up the remaining cakes among each working family, and went home. I was so tired! We were going to go to a soccer field to play soccer afterwards, but everyone was too tired, and it was too late!

As for my Henna, insha allah I will be having a Henna Art business because my customers that I do randomly really like my work. Insha allah I may also be doing Henna art for a bride at my masjid! I can't wait!! Next month we will be going to a big masjid that is a bit far away to do another conference on hijab. We are really excited about that too. We were supposed to be doing a speech on hijab at another masjid that is closer, but the sister wants us to do it in front of MEN and women. We were like, no way! So insha allah we we will see. May Allah bless and guide us all! ~Nisa

An-Nisa; oh no!

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

All was well...

*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