Modeling After the Greatest Role Model

September 8, 2009 By Marwa Aly

I recently came across the story of one of the companions of Rasul (s.a.w.), Hudhayfah ibn al-Yaman. He was of Makkan origin, but grew up in Madinah. Upon Rasul (s.a.w.)’s arrival to Madinah after the Hijrah (migration), Hudhayfah became closely attached to the Prophet. He participated in numerous battles with the Muslims. In the Battle of Uhud, during the confusion and disorder that ensued, Hudhayfah’s father was confused as an enemy and accidently killed by the Muslims. Hudhayfah did something... Read more

Date Baskets

September 7, 2009 By Mahaez

This project started out with us planning to give Ramadan Introduction gift baskets to our neighbors. But it became a double-project, the Ramadan Intro gift baskets as well as Ramadan Date gift baskets for both sets of grandparents alhamdulillah. What better gift to give in Ramadan than dates, in hopes of earning the reward promised by our Prophet Muhammad (pbuh): “He who gives food for a fasting person to break his fast, he will receive the same reward as him. And... Read more

Back to School: ‘I Entrust You to God’

September 4, 2009 By Yaman Kahf

A Father’s Perspective This morning I handed a piece of my soul over to my sworn enemy. It was indescribably painful, but I actually ripped it out myself and as if possessed, I stood at the gates and handed it over with a smile. I was left with a tortured, torn soul –confused and overwhelmed. How could I do such a thing? I should know better. How could this be right? Is it right? Is it wrong? A hug, a... Read more

Fanoose Ramadan (Ramadan Lanterns)

September 2, 2009 By Marwa Aly

Hawwa and her girls, Mariam and Reem love doing arts and crafts.Making Ramadan lanterns is their way of welcoming Ramadan and feeling a sense of belonging. The inspiration for these lanterns comes from this website. ——————————————————————————– Hawwa Hamza is living with her husband and 3 girls in United Arab Emirates. She is a member of an Islamic book club in Sharjah and is currently reading on tafseer al quran. Her mission is to do her jihad by raising and educating her... Read more

A Daughter’s Essay

August 31, 2009 By Mahaez

More than ten years ago, when my daughter was fifteen, she entered a writing contest. This is an excerpt from her entry: What Ramadan Means to Me The abandoned soccer field is silent and empty except for a small crowd of children scrutinizing the horizon. A few eager men and women stand a small distance away clutching binoculars in their gloved hands. A joyful shout arises suddenly from the shivering crowd of children. “I found it! I found it!” exclaims... Read more

Helping Others

August 27, 2009 By Marwa Aly

Life is such a blessing and I want to live mine in such a way that I am always cognizant of how truly blessed I am. For me, that means making sure that helping others is a habitual aspect of my life. As a stay at home mom of two kids under age four, it’s easy to get caught up in the idea that I can’t do much in terms of helping others because I have to take care of... Read more

Making Ramadan Special: Jessi’s House

August 26, 2009 By Marwa Aly

Jessi Frenzel and her kids like to make the house special during Ramadan by decorating it inside and out. Enjoy and have a blessed Ramadan! GrowMama’s Ramadan Spirit Contest is open to all submissions. Email your photos, essays, recipes and more to growmama@gmail.com. Jessi Frenzel is a natural birth consultant. You can find out more at her website: www.knowbirth.com. Read more

The Spiritual Experience of Cooking

August 24, 2009 By Marwa Aly

I strongly dislike cooking. I hate being in my usually grimy kitchen, having to watch the stovetop, getting my hands dirty, the kids tearing down the walls in the background, and then having to clean up late at night. All that effort and usually the results are less than perfect. I often cook a large amount and then we eat leftovers for one or two days, so that I can have a kitchen-free day in between. This Ramadan though, I... Read more

Welcome Ramadan!

August 22, 2009 By Marwa Aly

GrowMamaGrow would like to wish all its readers a blessed Ramadan. May it be full of good deeds, inspiration and change for the entire community. May our children, along with us, taste its sweetness. Happy Ramadan! Here are a couple of ideas to help your children get a good taste of Ramadan and to help create lasting memories… Ramadan Calendar for Kids Last year I found a calendar idea in a craft book, tweaked it a bit and came up with... Read more

Setting SMART Goals for Ramadan

August 20, 2009 By Marwa Aly

Click here for your goal-setting Ramadan Quran Bookmark. Nothing beats sitting down and writing out your goals in hopes of achieving them. In our preparation for this blessed month, let’s take out 15 minutes today for ourselves, in the quiet of our rooms, to think about what we want to accomplish during this Holy Month and what we want to carry over for the rest of the year. Let’s get introspective, let’s do some soul searching, let’s identify our faults,... Read more