I heard once from a Sheikh I respect very much say "Being inlove without telling a soul and going to grave with this secret..... you're like a shaheed" Now, before you run away with this, I'm going to verify the source on this.....if its from a Hadith.......this should u give some relieve. This should tell u its Hijad of the soul. U can't act on your emotions b'coz you know u can't for the sake of Allah and by doing so, Allah (SWA) will reward u for it!!! It makes sense right?

Khayr, I would advice that you review ur intentions behind this topic. I'm not sure if you were sincere about it, b'coz it seems as if you're mocking the sisters....especially Opi. Btw, Allah (SWT) and the Prophet (SAW) validated and liberated women since the beginning of time...and knowing this I'm content ...soI think its rediculous to wait around and get it from SOL brothers, though I still have hope!! Besides, every sex has the potential to possess good character. And what better way to study and emulate the life of the Prophet (SAW) in the way he interacted and treated the women in his life. I think by doing so, it would solve much of the gender issues we seem to be suffering as a community. W/salaam.

Ina Lilahi Wa'in Ilahi rajicuun. My condolences to your family. May Allah grant her paradise, amin.

:eek: Now, I am officially wiping my hands clean of this thread because I have made my point Wise choice!!! I don't think you deserve hate pm's and some1 like garab tuujiye should be exposed. She didn't asked to be pm'ed, did she? So why should it be kept private? I also think she deserves an apology and respect from some folks here. I notice that specific nomads shine unnecessary light on Opinionated when they become frustrated or unable to express their views or simply just can't handle her 2 cents. Grow up guys. We're all adults here, no 2 individuals think alike. :rolleyes: You don't like what she has to say, then either challenge it or move on. No need to get personal.

How can I increase my love for the Prophet-may Allah bless him and give him peace? ************************************************* Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful and Compassionate. May His abundant blessing and most perfect of peace be on His Beloved Prophet, the best of creation, and his family, companions and followers. Being realized in the love of the Prophet – may Allah bless him and give him peace - is a great station that every Muslim should aspire to. You can increase your love by doing the following: First: You should be steadfast in doing what he ordered and refraining from what he forbade. If you do not obey him, you can not dream of increasing your love for him - may Allah bless him and give peace. Second: You should carefully observe his sunnahs (states) in acts of worship such as prayer and fasting, as well as his way of performing everyday activities such as dressing, eating, sleeping and dealing with people. Third: You should constantly recite the blessings and prayer upon him – may Allah bless him and give him peace – while making earnest and sincere Du‘a to Allah to deepen your love for him-may Allah bless him and give him peace- and ask Him to let you see the Prophet- may Allah bless him and give him peace- in your sleep. It is also recommended to read a book on the meanings, the forms, the benefits as well as the rewards of saying the blessings and prayer upon the Prophet – may Allah bless him and give peace. For example: “Addurr il-Mndood fi s-Salati ‘ala Sahib il-Maqam il-Mahmood,” by Imam Ibn Hajar al-Haytami. Fourth: you should read the books which illustrate his physical description, character traits and spiritual states. Examples of such books are: 1- “Ash-Shama‘il al-Muhammadiyah” (The Mohammedan goodly traits) by Imam at-Tirmithi, 2- “Ash-Shifa of Qadi ‘Iyad” (m. This book has been translated into English by Aisha Bewley). 3- “Al-Qasida il-Hamziyyah” (The Hamza rhyming poem) by Imam al-Busayri, and the commentary on it by Imam ibn Hajar al-Haytami. 4- “Mohammad Rasool ul-laah” by the Hadith scholar, sheikh Abdullah Siraj id-Deen. These are just examples of the great number of books on the Prophet – may Allah bless him and give him peace. Some calculated these books to reach 30 thousands. Fifth: You should read and listen to the recitation of the Prophetic eulogies (m. poems praising the Prophet) composed by his lovers – may Allah bless him and give peace. Among the best of these numerous poems which increase one’s longing for the Prophet- may Allah bless him and give him peace- is the “Burda” by Imam al-Busayri. It is also recommended to read a commentary on the “Burda” like that of the scholar Ibraheem al-Bajoori. Sixth: You should visit him – may Allah bless him and give him peace-in his mosque. For visiting his grave has a tremendous impact on deepening one’s love and attachment to him – may Allah bless him and give him peace. Only he who is deprived of the good would deny this. Seventh: You should sit with the lovers of the Prophet- may Allah bless him and give peace- in sessions in which the predominant subject is the Prophetic noble characters, his good qualities, and the stories of his lovers - may Allah bless him and give peace. This will increase the longing and please the heart. - Amjad Rasheed (Translated by Abu Muhammad Rahil) Shaykh Amjad Rasheed is a Jordanian Shafi`i faqih and PhD in Islamic Law. He has studied under top scholars in Jordan, Syria, and Tarim, and obtained ijazas from his teachers. He is a student of Shaykh Nuh Keller, and is currently teaching the Shariah sciences, including high-level texts in fiqh and usul, at the Faculty of Shariah in Tarim (Hardamawt, Yemen) under the guidance of his teacher the noble faqih and mufti Shaykh Muhammad al-Khatib.

LOL MMA. I sort of think the sentence was too harsh. Even rapists don't serve that long. Poor Martha.

Thnkz for the positive info Ameenah. It made me

I thought this article was worth reading and distributing. In light of the recent movie, "The Passion", the Muslim voice should be heard. Wouldn't it be an excellent article to send to non-muslim friends? I know we've had many discussions at work about this movie. I was wondering if any1 seen it yet?************************************************* Muslim Passion for Christ By Ibrahim N. Abusharif (contact info below) Like everyone else, I was warned about the blood and violence, and braced for it. But the bit about the English subscripts must have slipped my mind. One unexpected thing I got out of watching "The Passion of the Christ" is its affirmation that Jesus never uttered the word "God." Instead, he called upon the Creator using a name that is very close to what I and other Muslims often evoke, namely, the word "Allah." (The Aramaic word for God is transliterated as "alaha.") In a broad sense, "The Passion," as well as the controversy that stalks it, is an extension of the very long struggle for narrative control over the life and mission of Jesus. We, the American public, are given the impression that the discussion about the movie and its main character is a discourse between folks on both sides of a curious hyphen in the Judeo-Christian ambit, with Rabbis and Jewish intelligentsia expressing their fears that the movie will inspire anti-Semitism and with Christians denying that. The irony here is that Muslims are perfectly poised to offer a view that no one seems to be talking about. What "The Passion" depicted in chilling imagery is but one narrative among several about Christ. In fact, Gibson portrayed one "canonized" narrative of Christ (only 12 hours of it) that received approval some centuries after the Messiah had lived and one that does not enjoy consensus even in Christian quarters and scholarship. When asked, a Muslim will tell you that Christ was not sent to die, but, like the prophets before him and Prophet Muhammad after him, he was sent to live and teach. In short, a Muslim would say there is no Christ killer and, therefore, no need to associate anyone with that indictment and no need to cause anyone to fear it. What happened to Jesus at the end of his life was not about violence, but about honor in the face of vehement rejection. God raised His prophet to Himself, thus sparing Jesus of the execution Gibson so graphically detailed and imprinted in the public mind through the very powerful medium of art and culture. This is a view that was also shared among some early Christian sects, like the Basilideans, who believed that Christ himself was never crucified. To vilify Jesus and deny that he is one of God's prophets and messengers is a cardinal sin in Islam, enough to disqualify one from the faith. To deify Jesus, however, is considered an affront to the primordial foundation of the religion project: the oneness of God and His sole divinity. The Muslim "middle" view here is not a self-conscious act of officiating a religious debate between Jews and Christians. Our understanding and beliefs regarding Christ are essentially identical to the beliefs we have about Noah, Abraham, Moses, and Muhammad: all prophets, all humans, sent by God to teach humanity certain things that should keep us guided and clear in our very brief lives. If we are ever to be confused about something, let it not be about God and His divinity, and humankind and our humanity, especially as it pertains to our salvation quest. In Islamic theology, the human being is born pure, brought into this world in a state of grace. The concept of Original Sin is essentially homeless in our tradition. We inherit eye color and receding hairlines from our parents, not their wrongdoing. Forgiveness, pardoning, and mercy are of God's essence, and He generously bestows them for the cool price of belief and sincerity. In an important way, "The Passion" is an accidental expose about the religious sensitivities of our times, about a wounded spirituality that seems to require sensationalism to keep the faithful going. This is a point that men and women of religion may all agree upon and observe in their respective flocks. Mel Gibson unwittingly may have done a service in raising issues indigenous to the human spirit that the postmodern world seems to shun, issues about God, prophets, salvation, mercy, and hope. It's a vital conversation with divides and alliances, passions and perils, but a conversation that nonetheless can stand to hear the "middle" view that Islam naturally offers. Something of this view, in unavoidably brief fashion, now follows: Muslims love and revere Jesus, and believe in him as a Prophet and Messenger of God, a great teacher and guide for people. But Muslims do not believe that Jesus was God or the Son of God. Nor do Muslims believe that he was slain on the cross, as some early sects of Christians had once believed. Jesus was sent to the Children of Israel to revive faith and a spiritual connection with God. All the miracles that Jesus performed were indeed true: raising the dead, healing the blind and the leper, and more. These miracles, however, occurred through the auspices of God's power and will, as it was with the splitting of the sea for Moses, Solomon understanding the utterances of animals, and many other suspensions of the natural order. God is the Creator, and when He determines something, He but says to it "Be" and it is! (as the Quran states). Muslims venerate Mary, the mother of Jesus. She indeed gave birth to Jesus though she was a virgin. She was a spiritual woman who was chosen among her people to the office of special contemplation and prayer. But Muslims do not hold her to be the "mother of God" and similar attributes. She too was fully human and was a beloved and important person in a remarkable series of miracles in a special time in human history. Every biology and miracle, the explainable and the inexplicable, whether it is the creation of Adam from clay or the conception of any given child of two parents, goes back to God. It is all the same to Him. All of it easy. All of it His. In Islamic parlance, Jesus (peace be upon him) is known by the venerable titles of "Word" and "Spirit," since the Quran tells us that God cast the "word" or "spirit" upon Mary, the Mother of Jesus. "Indeed, the angels said: 'O Mary! God gives you glad tidings of a word from Him, whose name is the Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, illustrious in this world and the Hereafter, and he shall be among those brought near [to God]. He will speak to humankind in the cradle and in manhood, and he is of the righteous" (Quran, 3:45). Also, the Quran states: "The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was but a Messenger of God, and His word which He conveyed to Mary, and a spirit proceeding from Him" (Quran, 4:171). "And indeed God gave Moses the Book [Torah], and after him We sent Messengers in succession. We gave Jesus son of Mary clear proofs and strengthened him with the Holy Spirit [Angel Gabriel]" (Quran, 2:87). The thought life of a Muslim with regard to all the prophets is best summed by the following verse of the Quran "Say [O believers]: "We believe in God and [the Book] sent down to us, and what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes; and what was given to Moses and Jesus and what was given to [all] the Prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him do we surrender ourselves" (Quran 2:136). ************************************************* Ibrahim N. Abusharif is a Chicago-area writer and editor of Starlatch Press. He can be contacted via e-mail at starlatch@hotmail.com

La Xawla Wa La Quwata Illabilaahi.

Honey, first of all no one can question your need to work. If u have to work then u have no choice. Ask yourself is what am doing prohibited according to Islam? When it comes to restaurants, look at what they serve...do they serve pork/alcohol? If so, to my knowlege its xaraam to work there. Hope that helped.

LST, that's tough! *calls mom for the answer*

Are u tryna creating sol's version of SpikeTV? I feel like I'm in the men's locker room. :rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

Somalien, I'm happy that Nomads from here have inspired you to do the right thing. I pray that Allah makes your transition an easy one. I liked CM comment about the loose fitting clothes. I find it especially hard to find summer clothes which why Fall is my fav. season. Firstly, there's hardly any long shirts I can wear with my pants...so I usually opt for skirts. I wear sandals cuz I love 'em, and I feel that my feet have to breath during summer...don't let me mislead u...look into what different madhabs say about this issue. You shouldn't have a problem with the hijaabs, go to as many stores as u can till u find the styles u like. you'll find light materials u barely feel. Good luck walaal.

Baba Maal from Senegal...isn't he just soothing to the ears? I love his music and other west african music.

Thnk god I wasn't traumatized by the dugsi I attended. By beating the children to get them to memorize is just a cruel system that Somalis created. It goes against the Sunnah walaahi. I hope religion teachers realize that its more important to teach the kids to love the Quran, the Prophet, and the Sunnah than to instill fear when ever they think of Islam. I will never forget the day the kabo macalin beat this little 3 or 4 yr. old for not knowing suras, when infact she only came to visit with her older siblings. Also, muslim parents need to know that the system they grew up in will not work for their kids here. I see somali parents dumping their kids to the local dugsi, hoping that their kids deen is taken care of by another. Dugsi's purpose is to get the kids memorize the Quran, but it will not teach your children the correct Islamic principles & values they need to be a successful muslim. They need to be taught everything, from stories of the prophet to why it's important to pray. Parents sometimes neglect their duties when it comes to this area. Just my 2 cents.

Absolutely nothing, me don't like my State!

Hi everyone, Well.....I'm more interested in picking up ideas for my "ME TIME". Most times, besides reading books, writing on my journal, or watching TV., I ran out of ideas to amuse myself at home. I was thinking of trying Yoga...has anyone tried it b4? *BrB*

Jazakullah. My day didn't start out so well for me......but Alxamdulilah I'm instantly feeling alot better after reading your inspiring words Rememberance of Allah swt is not only confined to the 5 daily prayers but rather keeping Allah in your mind 24/7. Dhikr will you get you closer to Allah. One tip, when you're doing a mindless rountine ie. walking to your car, class, or doing the dishes, take advantage of the opportunity to praise Him and ask for repentance. Wa Salaam.

Subxanallah...that was just beautiful girl. I felt that. Thnks. Hope to hear more from ya.

^^^ Caveman, I did reply the 1st time my dear...visit the website, I believe its in the process of releasing audio/video. Plss brothers& sisters, invest in them I assure you, you won't regret. My reaction: I was astonished by the quality of the presentations. Every one who attended was looking for answers as to why we are stuck as muslims here in the West. I left that convention challenged to make a commitment to myself to serve my Master, and I can only do it by walking the walk and stop paying lip service to Islam. Sh.Abdullah Adhami: I listened attentively to his session on gender and experience. His point was that self empowerement is self-propelled. Don't look to society or your spouse/mother/father for that push, they will only limit you. A person will be treated in society according to the status they percieve you to be. A person's reality is what gifts Allah endowed and what he held from them. Realize your potential, no matter your gender, and rise to the occasion. I'm only sad I missed this years Deen Intensive Program. Tareq Suwaidan: Loved his style of presentation...cute sense of humour. He talked about the definition of success and personal change. The balanced achievement in 4 areas of life are from : 1) Within 2) Withothers 3) Within life 4)With Allah (SWT) (not the least ofcourse). Now you achieve one of them...you're partially successful. You need to conquer all 4 areas. Reminds me of the book "7 highly habits of effective people". These are basic universal principles. Sh. AbdulHakim Quick: We were honored to have him this year, his new book is available now "40 Hadiths on Revival". Get it!! Muslims in the West tend to resort(especially after 9/11) to either total isolation or assimilation. We need not isolation, assimilation, or desperate confrontation, but revival and dawah. Best dawah is SILENCE DAWAH. Leave dawah to those who have the time. Your job is to be a muslim by building your character and not hiding from this society. We are not going anywhere guys. Get involved in politics, economics, PTA's, community gatherings. Greatest weapon is Towbah (repentence), then self analysis and reconstruction. "Why can't we gather the best of different muslim organizations ( salafis, sufis, akhwaanul muslimiin) and use it to strengthen our community here?". Dr. Munir Kassim: 1) Be Canadian/American/British 2) Stop being spiritually arrogant (ehem SOL Islam section ) 3) Open mosques, centers, institution to both muslims and non-muslims. We got nothing to hide do we? 4) Put our differences aside. 5)Stop thinking that muslims hardships began after 9/11. Now if you look back in US history, the jews and the catholics went through HELL to keep their faith while pursuing their ambitions. 40 yrs later, 1st catholic was elected as the president. Who knows, we might have a muslim supreme judge one day. Imam Mokhtar: I don't about anyone else but he brought me to tears. He's just a beautiful being. His message was: A qalb(heart) attached to the Rasuul(SAW)is freer than a qalb attached to dunya. Attachements= materials or people. By attachements, the qalb is veiled or jailed. You'll just have to get the tape.. I can speak forever about what I've extracted from this gathering, but I'll spare your eyes and encourage you to get your copy. However, they've reminded us that numbers don't really matter........b'coz there are 10 folds of muslims out there who couldn't care less. Let's stop alienating our brothers and sisters and find a way to relate to them the Sunnah of the Rasuul by striving to embody the Islamic principles & values. Don't be judgemental. There will always be differences among us, however we need to put things into perspective to work for the greater cause for the sake of our children. Dr. Munir " Don't hold back your children, rather vacinate them with ISLAM and let them GO!"

Malaika, thanks for not inviting family to the party! Nevertheless.....HAPPY B-DAY....pls use that ID of yours responsibly. Love ya cuz.

10,000 muslims :eek: I've very exhausted to write anything now...going on my 3rd day...so far, excellent topics were heard by dynamic speakers..and MashaAllah I've never seen such a HUGE turn out in Ontario.

LOL@ X_quizite. Wishful thinking on his part.. :eek: Opinionated: waa ka yaabay, why did he assumed you'd be coming??!!! :confused: NEways, Enjoy your break folks....can't wait to run into some of u nomads there. Wa salaam.

Thnkz for the info Khayr. I have couple of pple in mind There's no excuse pple. Btw, Sorry to burst ur bubbles...opinionated won't be coming.

There are different types of models...I'm wondering whether they want to be high profile models.....or a commercial model? Now if the answer is high profile model....then in today's industry they're looking for a particular look.....height, weight, facial features (I watched a bit of the reality show produced by Tyra Banks past summer) Do I care whether there are Somali models popping up everywhere? NO. I believe Imaan paved the way for the rest of them......aint no one stopping 'em now. It's not a new phenomenon...come on. I just don't agree the personal attacking the girls....by mention of name...and critiquing their bodies on SOL. It's not appropriate ....especially on SOL. Finit.