Making it through the rain

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

There is something to be said when storms come into our lives. Allah puts them there for a reason, a reason sometimes we will never understand or know.

Last week, I made it through a week flooding that hit the state of Georgia, mashallah. The above picture shows the Chattahoochee River flooding near the Fulton/Cobb county line. This photo was taken near the natural forest site, a popular destination for fisherman. As of this posting, the park is still closed due to sustained flood damage.

I saw on the news stations how people were crying over the loss of their homes and their belongings. It is a sad thing, yes; however these people who survived the floods should be grateful that Allah (swt) gave them the gift of life .and that Allah will continue to provide for them. For it is said:

"O you who believe! Remember Allah's favor to you, how a people formed to design to stretch out their hands against you but He withheld their hands from you; and keep your duty to Allah. In Allah let believers put their trust."

(Quran Surah Al-Maida 5:11)

Material possessions are just that- materialistic; they can be replaced. Life is for the here and now so enjoy it!

May peace and blessings be upon you, Muslimah

The Last days of Ramadan

Happy Ramadan to you and yours. Ramadan ends this Sunday and I'm sad to see it go. I learned a lot from my first Ramadan and to be honest, I have a lot of work to do. I had to pull out of Ramadan because I got severely sick. I wanted so badly to participate, to continue on, but my husband saw it and he said not to participate this year. Then he got sick and the masjid told him not to participate either. Insha'Allah, we'll get better at fasting. So in lieu of fasting, we made financial contributions so the masjid can continue with the nightly dinners they give during Ramadan.

Eight Years Later…

In the name of Allah, Most

Today is a hard day for me, as it is with all Americans. It is the eight year anniversary of the attacks that happened on September 11, 2001. The irony of this day is that when 18 extremists attacked the World Trade Center, The Pentagon, and crashed a plane in Pennsylvania it changed Muslim lives too. It put us in a position where we had to defend our faith and explain what true jihad (holy war) really is. With this being said, it's time that the truth really is told about Islam and terrorism.

• Islam never has supported terrorism. In Islam, it is haram (forbidden) to kill innocent people, specifically women and children. The Prophet Muhammad (May peace and blessings be upon him) forbid it. Allah has never supported the senseless killing of people for his cause and it will not be rewarded in Paradise.
  
• Muslims can and will change the image of Islam. We have the power to disprove the extremists. How? By doing something as simple as saying hello and introducing yourself to your neighbors. When people ask a question about our religion, we willingly answer. And if we don't have the answer, we direct them to a place where they can find the answers, whether it is going to the nearest masjid, the public library, or going online. Insha'Allah (if Allah wills), I will post up links soon to websites on Islam.
  
• Read up on the good things Muslims are doing. There are excellent books out there about Islam, what it is really all about. One of the books I'm reading right now is What's Right with Islam by Fiesal Rauf.
  

May Allah bring you peace and blessings, Muslimah