November 30, 2009

My husband and I have been living in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, for more than thirty years, alhamdulillah. We live in Safa District, in the northwest of this huge, sprawling city. We used to go, for both Eids, to the large outdoor prayer area beside the Airplane Roundabout. It was too far to walk, so we always drove. I mean that we rode and my husband drove since women are not allowed to drive here. Now the Airplane Roundabout has been... Read more

November 20, 2009

Dear mothers and sisters, Ramadan was a fleeting visitor that vanished as suddenly as it appeared, leaving us with sweet memories and mountains of reward or regrets. The month left us heart-broken, each for our own reasons. Some of us missed out on the great month, failing to invest in its nights and days. Others savored every moment, growing closer to Allah and increasing their worship. In those few special days, we lived with Allah, the Generous, the Giving; only... Read more

November 15, 2009

Abu Hurayrah narrated that the Prophet (pbuh) said, “The believer is the believer’s mirror, and the believer is the believer’s brother who guards him against loss and protects him when he is absent.”  (Book #41, Hadith #4900 Sunan Abu Dawud) I read this hadith and I wondered why the Prophet (pbuh) used the word mirror. What’s special about it? I reached the conclusion that the mirror has a lot of characteristics that the Prophet wants us to have. Here are... Read more

November 12, 2009

Okay, so I never thought I would ever be writing about Angelina Jolie, but here goes. I found myself in a waiting room last week not really in the mood to read anything serious, so I picked up a “fluff” magazine. The picture of Michelle Obama caught my attention. It turned out that the magazine was running a special feature on the world’s top ten women in commemoration of International Women’s Day. So I read about how the world is... Read more

November 9, 2009

I’m a big fan of thick, hearty, creamy soups.And now that it’s autumn, and butternut squash are in season, I’m once again on a quest to make this soup taste good.Last year I tried it a couple of times, and wasn’t satisfied with the sweetness of the squash or of the apples which many recipes called for.So after a lot of searching around online and in my fridge, I put together this spicy, thick concoction. If you prefer the unadulterated... Read more

November 4, 2009

Umm Al Sa’ad of Alexandria Her students When asked about her students Umm Al-Sa’ad said: “I remember every one of them, there were some who received Ijaaza in one of the recitations, and there were some (and they were very few) who received ijaaza in all ten recitations. They are the ones who received an ijaaza with a special seal that I have that I always keep with me, I never give it to anyone no matter how much I... Read more

November 1, 2009

Umm Al-Sa’ad was born into a poor family in a town called Bandaariya, one of the towns of the larger city Munofiya (north of Cairo). She was afflicted by blindness shortly after her first year and, as was the practice of many in rural areas in dealing with blindness, her family sent her to learn the Quran. She completed her memorization in Alexandria at the age of 15. She then completed the memorization of the ten recitations of the Quran... Read more

October 29, 2009

This is a special three-part series translated from an Arabic article by one of our sisters. Stay tuned and enjoy! Translator’s Note In sha’Allah, this message finds you all in the best state of health and iman. A long time ago, I was told of a great qari’ah, whom even men would travel for miles to hear her recite, learn from her and obtain her ijazah in one of the 10 qira’ahs. It was only mentioned in passing by the... Read more

October 24, 2009

I smile while I watch them playing in the park. Asmaa doing exactly what her older sister does, as if she’s her shadow. Nusayba comes down the slide, and there she is, right behind her. Nusayba runs to the only swing left and before she can even get to it, Asmaa is crying because she wants a swing too. At times it’s cute, like when Asmaa wakes up at 8:30 in the morning and doesn’t find her sister in the... Read more

October 15, 2009

Napoleon supposedly first pronounced those words when he heard his soldiers boasting at night of the legendary acts of courage they hoped to perform in battle. It would remain to be seen, in those early hours of the morning before a battle, whether the courage was truly real or whether it would wither at its bidding. The courage of the early morning is becoming a central theme in my life, and not just because my two-year-old rises at 6:30 a.m.... Read more


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