What is the meaning of joy? Does it mean you can eat ice cream all day or fill your shoes with sand from the playground as many times as you like? Or maybe it means to swing till you are truly exhausted? Or does it mean you are gifted with a special talent or an exclusive handmade dress? Baking cookies each Friday? Looking forward to the month of Ramadan? Joy is to be found in the small and oh so... Read more
I had finished praying magrib, and began to unwrap my headscarf. “Sunnah mama?” Maryam asked. That caught me off guard. I had gotten somewhat used to the excuse of being too tired to pray my Sunnah prayers and wasn’t praying them regularly anymore. I’m glad to have someone who calls me out on it. “Yes, mama, of course.” As I bring my hands up for my two rakat of Sunnah prayers, I’m wondering about her motives. Maybe she’s trying to... Read more
You never know when something will strike you differently. I know surah al-Kawthar and recite it fairly often. As a mom with young kids running about I am often forced to resort to very short surahs in my prayers, and it doesn’t get much shorter than this one: 1. Verily, We have granted you (O Muhammad) Al-Kauthar (a river in Paradise) 2. Therefore turn in prayer to your Lord and sacrifice. 3. For he who makes you angry – he will be cut off. I... Read more
Freethinking and Muslim? Really? May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon everyone reading this post no matter your religion, value system or viewpoint. Yesterday I decided, just out of curiosity to do a Google search on ‘Freethinking and Muslim’. I am sad to say that it produced a shameful mix of hate and confusion. Then I decided to modify the search to ‘freethinking Muslim’. Unfortunately the results were not much better. I found a blog that claimed that... Read more
1. Art Time with Yusuf videos are creative and adorable! We especially liked how to make an earth-friendly boat. 2. Six Secrets to Saying No from The Productive Muslim blog. 3. Hesham Al-Awadi’s Women Inspired by the Beloved is a unique series about female companions. Order the audiobook here or search the web to download in mp3 format. It is also available as a CD set from retailers. 4. This poem is a startling reminder not to forget the new... Read more
It’s what defines us… who we are, what we stand for, our past and our future. We hold on to values, culture, language, religion, morals, family, ethics…. we hold on to identity. We all struggle in varying degrees with our sense of identity, some more than others. We strive to keep the norms, hand down the dress, memorize the songs, pass on the recipes, learn the customs but most importantly teach our children their roots and the roots of their... Read more
Not many of us crave change. In fact, many of us will try to avoid it and even resist it. But change is a constant in life. We are born as tiny helpless infants and if Allah (SwT) wills, we grow into active children and youth, then ambitious adults, and finally we grow old and become frail and weak yet again. We change not only physically, but emotionally. Allah (SwT) tells us in the Quran: “And that it is He... Read more
There are so many ways to homeschool, and most homeschoolers will tell you that they don’t question whether or not to homeschool – but rather HOW. I’m not sure exactly what to call what we do, although others have come up with “unschooling”, “learning at home”, “self-directed education” and “child-centered learning,” among others. What we don’t do is have a school at our home. Homeschooling, however referred to, and whatever the methodology, just means that parents are taking on the... Read more
I would never have guessed, Had you asked me before, That sewing would be something I would opt for. I never took a class, Never really liked it, Watched my older sisters suffer, And hate every bit. See, they chose to take classes, In their high school years, And seeing them sew, Was what bred my fears. Oh, the nights they stayed up late, With coffee cup in hand, Fretting over backwards zippers, And stray threads and strands. Oh, the... Read more
We asked some of our writers to share a tip that has helped their children memorize Quran. Here are their answers: M writes, “Inspired by a tip on zenhabits.com, I chose a trigger for our Quran memorization. That is, to make our daily Quran sessions an indispensable part of our day, like brushing teeth and putting on pajamas. After dinner and clearing the table, that’s just what we do, everyday, no excuses. The house is, even if just for a few fleeting minutes, buzzing with Quran.... Read more
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