So, is everybody ready and excited for Eid? Is everyone pleased with their accomplishments of the past month? May Allah accept our efforts, no matter how much or how little we did, and may He accept our du’aas, ameen. May Allah bless us with life for many more Ramadaans, ameen!
I am sad to see Ramadaan go. I wouldn’t have minded just one more day, to make it a 30 day Ramadaan. I am, in fact, a little displeased that so many ‘ulema have decided that tomorrow is Eid. However, the dices have been tossed, and tomorrow it is. It’s always bittersweet to see this final day end, without taraweeh and instead with intense cleaning for the Eid day to come. This time, for the first time in a long time, we have gifts for one another.
It’s not that we usually can’t afford or don’t think of or don’t believe in exchanging gifts on Eid. It’s just that usually we have no idea what to give each other in our family, so we give each other cash–which is quite a circular gift, when you think about it. This year, there were very definite ideas about what so and so would like, what so and so would want, what so and so has been eyeing all year long. It made it so easy and such a no-brainer to go shopping, that Eid kind of feels like the Eid of my childhood.
The excitement of wrapping up gifts, and knowing how the recipient will be so happy or excited with the gifts makes it just a little bit easier to let go of Ramadhan. It’s one phase of the year flowing effortlessly into another, and the changing of the tides is something I almost welcome. I am, frankly, exhausted (but happily so) from this Ramadhan. The days were long and hot and hectic. InshaAllah, may next year be even better. If I learned anything from this Ramadhan, it’s that I need to rest up before the next one!
The devil is now free, so let’s all be on the lookout for him and his evil whispers. May Allah bless us for the next year with more of the happiness and bounties that we’ve seen this Ramadhan, and may He bless us with the ability to be appropriately thankful to Him for His Endless Mercies, ameen.
So, here we are about to say goodbye to Ramadan. In true Islamic style, the goodbye is not a simple waving off ceremony; it comes with a bit of a treasure hunt. The treasure is the Night of Power (Laylatur Qadar); the hunt is on for which night of the last ten will be that night.
Most of us have been, at some point in our lives, students well accustomed to pulling all-nighters. Some of us are still in that zone. For the students among us, you can take a few minutes out of your exam preparation, paper-writing, and various other academic pursuits that cause you to labor under the moon’s oblivious gaze, to take a deep breath, head for the prayer rug, and make a du’aa or two. You can take out a minute to send salutations to the Prophet صل الله عليه و سلم. And then you can go back to your studying (and Facebooking, Twittering, and Flickring–yes, I know it’s not all studying).
As for those of us who’ve left the all-nighters behind, perhaps it’s time to get reacquainted with the concept, for just a few nights. Here’s a good list of things we can do these last 10 nights (or rather every other night, since Laylatur Qadr is supposed to be on an odd-numbered night).
May Allah grant us the strength to make the effort to find the Night of Power, ameen. This will mean switching off the computer earlier, of course!
Jummah Mubarak, and many apologies for not being able to see to the comments stacked up. I promise I’ll get to them this weekend, inshaAllah.
You know how sometimes we girls just erupt for no good reason? No, no, I’m not talking about our tempers. As good Muslim women, we are pretty even-keeled in that department 
I’m talking about our skin: eat one bite of chocolate more than necessary, and although they tell us that what we eat doesn’t affect acne, that’s not my reality. Or eat French fries for a week, and see what happens! And how about using the wrong soap, that one that your friend, knowing you’ve got a bit of a makeup/skin obsession, swears is the best thing since we discovered that the Earth is round? Oh my God, that is a sure-fire way to turn my face red and fussy.
So, what’s a girl to do? All these experiments with products, and all this happy fatty food I just can’t say no to, means some amount of damage control is in order. Of course, keeping up my water intake usually keeps the zitty monsters at bay…but sometimes, I fill up my bottle, and sip only a little from it by the time the day is gone. Water is a pretty good acne defense…and what about the scars that are left behind from when you’re not so careful? Of course, for those, there are tons of home remedies, ones that many people swear to.
- My mom swears by aloe vera as a great repairer of all kinds of skin troubles. The one that is fresh from the garden makes my facial skin itch unbearably, although it really does work when I can stand it.
- A friend of mine likes to soak her face with a milk/lemon juice concoction to keep her face acne- and scar-free. Takes way too much time for me, and I easily forget to do it.
- There is also a honey/aspirin mask one could whip up and plaster all over your face regularly to keep the nasties away–again, too much work for me to commit to.
- My sister says to use honey and cinnamon to banish the zit before it can become nasty. Does nothing for me. Nothing.
- My brother used to shove Vitamin E oil at me, and demand that I use it. I saw no difference. However, I tried it again recently, and voila–success. Who knows why it didn’t work a decade ago (or whenever) and does work now? However, the fact that it is working on pitted scars (thank God I don’t have many of those!) leaves me eternally grateful.
- There is this turmeric skin creme that does a pretty amazing job of fading scars quickly and effectively.
- And then there is neem oil, which does a pretty good job of not letting the zits come to the surface. Sometimes, though, it really could work better!
Are there any better solutions to the Attack of the Zit Zombies? What have you tried that worked…or didn’t?
(This was lurking in my brain for a few weeks, and Alisha inspired me to let it all out.)
(I promised a few posts about water, and this is one of them. The point of this series is to make you think about what water means to you, and to motivate you to donate to a worthy watery charity cause, if you possibly can.)
My family has been in South Africa for a very long time, since around the late 1800s on my mother’s side, and the early 1900’s on my father’s side. As such, we’ve experienced a lot of South Africa, since before the inception of apartheid to beyond the end of that tragic legacy. Of course, the most “exciting” (or rather impacting) events for our family took place during apartheid. One of those events revolved around a dam and a waterfall.
Our family owned and lived on property out in the countryside. Of course, when they purchased the land, practically the entire country was all countryside! One piece of property had on it a few dams, some larger than others, and a pretty nice-sized waterfall. My great-grandmother’s property was surrounded by white farmers, either German, Dutch or English in origin. The Germans and the Dutch were particularly…white-oriented…and would do whatever they could to convince her to “sell” her property. The one entity that did not have to “buy” your property was the government. If the South African government came to you and said they want your property for some national purpose (building railroad tracks, train station, highway, park, electric utility), then you signed on the dotted line and handed it over. (Unless you were white, of course, in which case you’d get some amount of payment.)
Being out in the middle of nowhere meant that when electricity and pumped water became widespread human achievements that were supplied by most first-world governments (which South Africa considered itself), the required infrastructure was provided to all citizens. In South Africa, it was different. In the middle of nowhere, the rule of law was government for whites, everyone else for themselves. So, our family had their generators, wired their homes themselves, and drilled water bore holes, and laid down their own water pipes. When the government turned it’s attention to the countryside, my family knew there was no way government-supplied water and electricity would simply and effortlessly be provided to them. What they did not know was the following.
Electricity is powered by water. Everyone knew that. Water, out in the countryside, is a precious commodity. Everyone knew that, too. When the government noticed that our property contained some very nice-sized dams, they decided to set up a local electric utility on this property. So, along they came to my great-grandfather with papers specifying that he is voluntarily handing over a couple of the very large dams and surrounding property to the government “for the national good.” Of course, he did, and the electric plant was set up. Electricity was then piped to every home and shop in the area, 24/7. The only ones to not get the electricity resulting from their own water was our family. Nobody really expected that, although in retrospect it is rather unsurprising. Later, the government decided to build a park around the waterfall on this property. As non-whites, we never set foot on that park, and have no idea if the waterfall is really as glorious as my mother remembers it to have been on hot African summer days.
To you, this might be a story about apartheid. To us, they were realities far bigger than the nebulous, faraway concept of apartheid; these were very real stories simply about water. Because, when you have to fend for yourself, as most people who live in the countryside do, everything is about water. Those dams that you could never access again meant less water in times of drought—less water to feed your farm animals; less water to clean your clothes; less water for your crops; less water available for Friday ablutions; less water for the simple pleasure of merely admiring water falling off a cliff. Less water means you have to build expensive reservoirs to catch and save rainwater, reservoirs which will later crack and need repair. Less water means you will have to dig expensive bore holes, and you’ll never know if you’re digging in the wrong place until you come up dry and have paid for the privilege. Less water sounds like such a simple thing to live with. But having less of it makes life immeasurably less pleasant.
Earlier in the year, I wrote about the UN Water Conference, and the ridiculous question they were addressing, “Is water a human right, or merely a basic human need?” Again, that might seem like a question of simple politics. But it is so much more than political maneuvering to the people who would weep buckets for clean water. Imagine those who don’t have water at all? What do they go through? How do they live?
(Cookie Monster is attempting to raise $2000 here and here for charitywater, so if you want to pitch in a few dineros and have no idea where to begin, that would be a good place to start.)
The wonderfully creative and colorful blogger Nadia, of The Purple Journal, has seen fit to award our blog with the Freaking Fabulous Award! Ahhh, it’s been so long since I’ve been tagged with an award, that blogging suddenly feels all shiny and new again for me! Thank you, dear sis 
The Jewel will come in with her five obsessions later, inshaAllah.
Rules of the Award:
- List five current obsessions.
- Pass the award on to five more fabulous blogs.
- On your post of receiving this award, make sure you include the person that gave you the award and link it back to them.
- When you post your five winners, make sure you link them as well.
- Don’t forget to let your winners know they won an award from you by leaving a comment on their blog.
All right, so here goes with my obsessions. They’re not that exciting, but I spent days thinking about this; I swear, I am so completely out of touch with myself. Also, I’ve happened to have given up a few obsessions lately, so I had to dig deep to find myself!
1. I am obsessed with water. I have four water bottles (there used to be five), and I never ever go anywhere without one. My mom, anytime we’re going somewhere, will usually ask, “Did you take your water?” Or when we get out of the car, she’ll hand me my water bottle, saying, “Don’t forget this! It’s still cold!” I realized one day when I was passing by a mirror in South Coast Plaza’s Saks Fifth Avenue (haha I don’t shop there, I go there in relation to my fifth obsession), how absolutely dorky I look with a water bottle in my hands–and I didn’t care! When it’s Ramadan, it’s really difficult to leave my water bottle behind when I head outside. And speaking of water, I am going to be posting a lot about it in the coming days, inshaAllah.
2. I obsess over keeping our computers clean. The firewall is a must; I run my anti-virus once a week and I sometimes run Spybot and LavaSoft AdAdaware two or three times a week. Not only that, but I used to be so paranoid about keeping our computer clean that even if someone wanted to install a font file, I’d give them the third-degree to see if they really need it, where it came from, and by the time I was done with them, they’d just quit and say they don’t want it anymore. One day, I decided I was being way too paranoid and draconian, so I let my siblings install this really cool screensaver, of fireworks going off (it was in honor of the 4th of July)–no third-degree questioning involved. As soon as the screensaver was installed, it crashed my computer the first time it ran. I went back to grilling them like they were informants on a drug lord.
3. I love makeup, and I love simple, natural method of face care. These are competing obsessions, because makeup is anything but simple or natural. I can’t go to sleep without washing my face with a really inexpensive olive oil soap made in Syria, and if I use anything else, my face complains. Rue the day they stop making that soap. And I just counted the number of foundations I have, and it’s no less than 5, and I really truly have no idea how this happened. I think I will not be buying another foundation product for the rest of my life.
4. I love digital photography. Sometimes, I get so obsessed with taking pictures of food, that my dad goes, “Are we ever going to get to eat this?! Or will it be stale by the time you’re done clicking?” The fascination began when I was an undergrad and had to do a web project for class. While everyone else used pictures taken from the web, my dad’s friend had just bought a digital camera (1 megapixel, back in the day!) and let us be the first to use it. So, my mom spent the day cooking (it was a food-based web site), and I spent the afternoon snapping. Some of the pictures came out so good according to some school administrator (it was really all the camera’s doing), that she complained to my professor that a student was, and I quote, “using school resources to run a business.” haha that amused me, and started a love affair that I just can’t turn my back on.
5. I love to sew, analyze clothing, and admire textile art of all sorts. Even though it’s been a while since I’ve sewn anything, it is one of my enduring loves. I tend to look at what people wear, and try to figure out how it was made, the mechanics of a garment’s construction. I also tend to notice flaws in the way a garment fits, and I think that mass production of clothing is one of the worst things to happen to human beings. It really pains me to see everyone dressed the same in ridiculously uncreative clothing, that, to make matters worse, reveal flaws rather than enhance positive body characteristics. I go to the mall just to look at the clothes, not to buy them…and then I go to the fabric store to look for patterns that are similar to the ones I liked.
And now, I get to pick 5 people to pass this award on to. This is fun, but it’s also a wee bit difficult, for I read so many absolutely fabulous bloggers, mashaAllah. So, I’ll pick the ones from each of the different groups I read, and hope you guys pass it on further to the rest of the wonderful bloggers out there:
1. Realistic Bird of Zee Thoughts; she never fails to inspire me, and has an aura of strength, calm and peace that is unmatched.
2. Ajla of Naturally Dramatic; it is a pleasure reading her confident yet realistic takes on life, and I so enjoy reading of her growth spiritually, philosophically, and professionally.
3. Dot of The Lost Dot; this blogger is never ever boring, and always has posts and pictures that make you smile and think. Her Last Dot message of this week was powerfully simple.
4. Falak of Starry Eyed Book Lovers; she will make you laugh so much, you will cry. And then you’ll name a star after her.
5. Raspberry Scrubs; she is a blogger new to me, discovered via twitter (a semi-obsession 
), and I have to say, I love reading her thoughts on life. And what a cool name is Raspberry Scrubs?
I’ll be obsessively checking your blogs, ladies, for your lists!
Oh my, so where has the week gone? It went in a blaze of heat, and allegedly there is a cool-down coming soon. I’ll believe it when I feel it.
In the meantime, there is so much to be thankful for. This Ramadan began with a re-building of familial bridges, and while bridges take a long time to build, and to build strong, inshaAllah at least the process has begun. Bonds may never be the same again, but if Allah Wills it, it might be better than ever. I didn’t dare hope that our relative would reach out, but on the first night of Ramadan, we got that Ramadan Mubarak call. Seeing that name flash on the caller ID screen made my heart speed up, jump out of my throat, and then jump back into my body, all within a second. And then the voice on the other end was normal as ever, like there really were no hard feelings. Then, today, we called, and there was an aloofness in the voice on the other end, but it’s as Allah Wills. He Knows why it’s two steps forward and then one step back. Perhaps this is the reality that is best for us all. Time will tell. Whatever it is, may Allah be Merciful, as He has already been. May He soften hearts, and open eyes, ours included, ameen.
Then, there was a birthday (DigiJ), and cake, of course. We (the bro and I) decided to make a scramble to the mall to buy her a gift, which is not our usual protocol. The poor kid thought we were just going for some errands, and we had to make up some really mean excuse to keep her behind at home. My mom gave her some kitchen work to do, and the sweet thing must have felt so lonely while we were off galavanting at the mall. Well, we kept the gift really small, simple and useful, something she would have bought herself anyway, so there was no birthday bid’a committed and no candles were harmed in the execution of this birthday.
Next, Dad had a blessed visit from some old friends who are really eager to see him retire happily. It was another moment to reflect on how much people can change, and makes me wonder, are first impressions really lasting impressions? Or is there merit to people who make a bad first impression, see you survive that, and then decide to make a better last impression? Nevertheless, first or last, it really is the good deeds which bring a smile to your face that make life happen.
After that, we saw someone seeing the error of her ways. While I’m happy for her, I’m also grateful that she is nowhere near me. I believe in forgiveness, but I also believe in staying the hell away from foolishness, because I can’t yet tell the difference between repentance and manipulation–too much history there for me to sort through. So, repentance is great, and greater when it’s out of my space.
On the fourth day, Praise Allah!, the elliptical machine company’s technician finally came out to see what was wrong with the console of this new machine, which was simply displaying zeros. Turns out, when we assembled the machine, I didn’t clip one wire in all the way. So, I was very happy to not have to take apart the machine ourselves–the dude did in 15 minutes what it would have taken us an hour to do. And it was all on the company. Ahhh, bliss.
Some days, I can’t have more than a vitamin supplement for suhoor, because I am so nauseous at 4:30 am. On those days, I actually feel less hungry during the fast. I guess this is my body’s way of telling me I ate enough the night before. I mean, how much food does a body really need?
I’ve fallen way behind on my Qur’an translations. I hope to start catching up with it tomorrow, inshaAllah.
Last year, Ramadan felt a little less…Ramadany…to me; I remember being completely out of sorts. To be honest, I was more focused on the presidential elections than anything else. This year, I could hardly care less about the news at all. People tell me this happened, or that happened, and I’m like, “Oh, really?” This zen zone of newslessness won’t last long, I know…but I’m enjoying it while it lasts. So, what have you all been up to? Is Ramadan very Ramadany? Or not? Tell me, amuse me, enlighten me, interest me. I’m looking forward to hearing about it!
I didn’t get to read Qur’an on the first day of Ramadaan, so today is catch up day, and then inshaAllah, I’ll stay on track.
As I was reading Surah Baqarah, this passage with the supplications of Ibrahim and Isma’il alayhis salaam begged me to stop and reach for the translation.
And (remember) when the Lord of Ibrâhim (Abraham) [i.e., Allâh] tried him with (certain) Commands, which he fulfilled. He (Allâh) said (to him), “Verily, I am going to make you Imam (a leader) for mankind (to follow you).” [Ibrâhim (Abraham)] said, “And of my offspring (to make leaders).” (Allâh) said, “My Covenant (Prophethood) includes not Zâlimûn (polytheists and wrong-doers).” (124) And (remember) when We made the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah) a place of resort for mankind and a place of safety. And take you (people) the Maqâm (place) of Ibrâhim (Abraham) [or the stone on which Ibrâhim (Abraham) A.S. stood while he was building the Ka'bah] as a place of prayer (for some of your prayers, e.g. two Rak’at after the Tawâf of the Ka’bah at Makkah), and We commanded Ibrâhim (Abraham) and Ismâ’il (Ishmael) that they should purify My House (the Ka’bah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I’tikâf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer). (125) And (remember) when Ibrâhim (Abraham) said, “My Lord, make this city (Makkah) a place of security and provide its people with fruits, such of them as believe in Allâh and the Last Day.” He (Allâh) answered: “As for him who disbelieves, I shall leave him in contentment for a while, then I shall compel him to the torment of the Fire, and worst indeed is that destination!” (126) And (remember) when Ibrâhim (Abraham) and (his son) Ismâ’il (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka’bah at Makkah), (saying), “Our Lord! Accept (this service) from us. Verily! You are the All-Hearer, the All-Knower.” [] (127) “Our Lord! And make us submissive unto You and of our offspring a nation submissive unto You, and show us our Manâsik [] (all the ceremonies of pilgrimage – Hajj and ‘Umrah), and accept our repentance. Truly, You are the One Who accepts repentance, the Most Merciful. (128)
This day is going really slowly. Fasting during summer is so different from fasting when the days are shorter. It reminds me of when I was a kid, which was the last time I fasted such long days during Ramadan. [Oh, the other thing that reminded of fasting in childhood was this awesome post by Nadia of The Purple Journal. Definitely worth a read.] When we were kids, my brother and I used to insist on fasting with the “big people,” and by five in the afternoon, with three more hours to go, we’d be listless and aching with hunger. We’d smell all the food my mom was cooking, and she’d tell us to set the table. So, we’d set the table, and as my mom would be done with the samoosas, and bread rolls, and pies, and what-not, we’d start piling our plates. My dad would bring out the fruit platter, and put an orange or banana or apple onto our plates. Sometimes there would piles of strawberries staring at us, and big juicy nectarines. Our plates would get so full that my mom decided to pull out these mini serving trays and make us use those for ourselves instead of the dinner plates. And you know, although we could never finish what we piled onto our trays, we’d repeat the same thing the next day. It helped those three final hours before iftar somehow go easier.
As adults, we kind of appreciate the long days better than the short days. When the days are short, it seems like a mad scramble just to get a minimum amount of food prepared. Now, there is time to spare, and we get our Qur’an quota read without feeling rushed.
But, I’m already hungry. It’s not just because I missed suhoor this morning, it’s because my body automatically wants food at 2:30 pm!
PS: Comments that I don’t understand and that come from left field will not be published. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the time you took to read and comment. I do appreciate it. It’s just that Ramadan is not the time for me to engage in futile discourse. I hope you understand. Know this: I smiled to read you, even though I didn’t exactly get you. May Allah bless you, ameen. And to everyone else, my comment and responding ability will be curtailed for the forseeable future…a whole new project just fell into my lap and might suck up my “extra” time. But I am reading your blogs, and I am enjoying every word you all write.
A lot of times before Ramadaan it seems like Shaytaan is working overtime, and having his little helpers run about on their last minute errands. Those errands end up quite punchy, figuratively speaking but sometimes well literally speaking too. And so Ramadaan at times starts on a off key note, and the mood is dampened. Yet at the same, you pull through, simply because it is Ramadaan and through the pain there is still tranquility. The breeze of wind, the low hum of the huffadh preparing for Taraweeh, the beauty of sunsets, the family getting together for iftar all makes it worth it. Not to forget the ease of praying Taraweeh. Throughout the year there is sometimes that laziness in praying the regular salaah, yet in Ramadaan Taraweeh becomes the joy of the day.
I did not expect much difference this year. With a lot of things happening around me, I was just repeating to myself that I’m glad it’s happening so close to Ramadaan so that I can take advantage of this month and have faith that blessings will descend and that the life of the one I love will not be crushed. It was only an hour after Maghrib when I already could feel the blessings, and truly to Allah I am grateful. There’s nothing like hearing that the one you love and care about is happy and healthy and finally moving about their life the way they were supposed quite a long time ago. Sometimes it takes longer for some than for others, but in the end all that matters is that they are safe. May the mercy of Allah continue to bless my loved ones and may He protect them all from the evil of men and jinn! Ameen!
On another note, I cannot believe the 1st night is already almost over, and that pretty soon, or well after 17 hours my first fast will be over! It scares me how fast time goes…
There are probably a hundred different ways to say it, but what it boils down to is this:
Woohoo! Ramadan is here!
May you make full use of the fact that the devil is in chains and cannot interfere with you! (This conversely means that whatever wrong you do really needs fixing, coz you can’t blame the devil.)
So, here we are, sitting on the edge of Ramadaan. Some years, it barrels in and takes us by surprise, other years, we see it coming from a month away. This year, it seems to be a mixture of both: I’ve been thinking about it for a month (“Oh my Allah, here comes Ramadaan!”) and yet, it’s taking me a bit by surprise too. We always have lots of plans for Ramadaan, right? What to cook, what to wear for Eid, what aspects of our characters and faith we want to improve upon, those are all things that are part of the excitement of Ramadan.
So, what are you planning to work on, in terms of character and faith? Did your goals for last year become habits that remained by your side all through the year, or will you be working on some of those same goals this year? For me, I saw a definite slide backward toward my bad habits, about a few months ago. So this year, I’m going to be reinforcing the need to pray all 5 prayers on time, as soon as the adhan goes off on my computer. I also hope to work on my temper (which really is a terrible thing to behold, when I do get angry), my lack of patience (which is what leads to me getting angry, usually), and my impulsiveness (which is probably directly related to my lack of patience!).
Hopefully, we’ll all feel the blessings of Ramadaan in the next year, when we realize that everything we worked on in this coming month took firm hold. Here’s to hoping for change!
