Reflections Of A Muslimah

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

I came across this video on this blog and I'm not sure the shock of what I watched has actually settled in yet.

I keep on realising how many blessings Allah azza wa jal has blessed me with. The comfort of my house, the food I eat, the clothes I wear and yet I know I'm not grateful enough.

This video is not for the weak-hearted. It's about a toddler, a baby, who was killed in Gaza. Burned. My Sister is pregnant and about to give birth and I know the feeling of attachment a Woman has with her child. I also know how innocent and adorable little children are... truly a blessing of Allah.



I think only people with cruel soulless hearts can do something like this. Something so inhumane. The Israelis said they did not intentionally target children, but this is a lie. Doctors and other witnesses said Children were deliberately killed and from short-range.

Why so? My Sister and I were discussing it and it all seems so similar to what Pharoah did to the people during his time- the children at that time were killed so that they could not defeat the Pharoah.

We all know generations after generations of Palestinians are involved in defending their Country... could this have been one of their policies?

Wa Allahu Aaalam... :(

I have to give it to the Palestinians for their sabr and tawakkul in Allah. I noticed that whenever they came upon the dead they would say, 'HasbunAllah wa na'mal wakeel' [Allah is sufficient for us and he is the best disposer of our Affairs]. A Muslim is required to call to Allah in times of need and calamity and our first reaction to any calamity is a test from Allah.

At the end, the doctor says, 'Where is Islam? Where are the Muslims?' - and that is something we should all be thinking. Where are we?

May Allah SWT easen our affairs. Ameen.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

I know I haven't blogged for a while. I went through one of my phases where I lost the inclination to write/blog here. But I'm back, I guess. I might just change the layout completely.

There were so many things that I wanted to blog about initially, Muntadar Al-Zaidis shoe-throwing incident, The Mumbai attacks, The War Of Terror and other things.

Is it just me, or our current World situation just keeps on getting worse?

The Gaza attacks were the last straw. It is absolute indiscriminate killing. It's sickening. Open random bombs dropped on civilians. The blockade which resulted in people dying. What is more shocking is the case of our current so-called 'Muslim' leaders today of our nations. They are silent, probably calling for another 'meeting' and doing nothing. Absolutely nothing to help the Muslim Ummah. Weak, pathetic and cowardly. They're happy as long as they don't upset the superpowers of this World: USA & Israel. Sickening, isn't it?

The death toll that I checked last night for Gaza was around 300, and I'm sure it must've increased by today. My heart bleeds for Gaza, for the Palestinians, The Iraqis, The Afghanis, for the Prisoners in Gitmo and Afghanistan and the Somalis. For the Women who are raped, the Children that are killed, the Men who are tortured. For all those who suffer. And yet, all we do is, protest. And protest. And protest. After a while, our voices die down and no action is taken.



The genocide goes on. We need more then to just voice our anger, our thoughts. We need a constant voice, we need action, we need to make sure our voices don't die down again. We need to unite.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

So Obama has won the American elections. I wouldn't exactly be interested in the American Presidency, but who becomes president in the United States indirectly concerns the World, or more specifically Muslim Countries. I wonder what will his foreign policy consist of and/or what are his plans with Iraq and Afghanistan? Secondly, I hope we don't see a War in Pakistan/Iran, inshaAllah.

Speaking to a few American Muslims I know were voting, they said the American Muslim Community although didn't approve of either, were choosing the 'lesser of two evils'. To add to the hype, on his blog, Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki has caused quite the stir by voicing his opinions in three posts on the impermissibility of voting in an American democracy. He makes some very valid points, although I have to do my own research on 'voting from a Shar'i perspective' as there is a difference of opinion involved among the Ulema when it comes to this.

However, what I extremely detested was the slandering of the Imam and his character just because some people did not agree with his views. There is a manner of disagreeing and a manner of respect involved, especially when it comes to dealing with Shyookh. Sadly, this involved Muslims.

I came across this article this morning, which spoke about how a U.S Airstrike in an Afghani village turned a Wedding to a Mass burial ground. Allahu'l musta'an.

On a side note, I was sick and tired of seeing people donate their status to the American elections on facebook. People that weren't Americans or even living in America. Why don't we get so hyped about other Countries' elections? Hmmph.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

This has been all over the news. It is so sad and pathetic at the same time and highly angering. Why do they think they can attack and kill and raid any Country they want? Why are we not doing more then protesting this?

And like always, the victims are innocent civilians, including Women and Children.

You can read more about it here:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7698820.stm

Here are a few pictures from Yahoo:

An image grab taken from official Syrian television showing victims of what the Syrian media reported was a US attack on a building in the village of Al-Sukkiraya, near the Syria-Iraq border. Iraq has said the deadly raid was targeting an area used by insurgents plotting attacks on its soil, as Damascus protested about what it branded a cold-blooded war crime by US forces.

(AFP)

Syrian villagers mourn for the victims during a mass funeral in the village of Sukaria, in the Bou Kamal area near the Iraqi border October 27, 2008. A deadly raid on the Syrian side of Iraq's border, blamed by Syria on the United States, targeted an area used by insurgents for attacks on Iraq, Iraqi government spokesman Ali al-Dabbagh said on Monday.

REUTERS/Khaled al-Hariri (SYRIA)

A Syrian man mourns near the body of a relative who died a day before when U.S. military helicopters launched an attack on Syrian territory, before a funeral procession in the Sukkariyeh Farm near the town of Abu Kamal in an area of farms and brick factories about five miles (eight kilometers) inside the Syrian border, on Monday, Oct. 27, 2008. Blood stained the dusty earth Monday as anguished villagers on the outskirts of farming town near Iraq buried loved ones they say were killed by an American helicopter raid inside Syria.

(AP Photo/Hussein Malla)

Syrians carry coffins of their realtives who were killed yesterday in a US military raid on the village of Sukkiraya, on the Syria-Iraq border. The United States mounted a rare cross-border raid into Syria to kill the head of a smuggling network feeding arms and foreign fighters to Iraq, a US official said Monday, signaling a more aggressive approach to insurgent sanctuaries.

(AFP/Ramzi Haidar)

A Syrian man sits next to blood staining the floor in the village of Sukkiraya, on the Syria-Iraq border, the scene of what the Syrian media reported as a deadly US military strike. US forces in Iraq staged a "successful" raid into Syria against foreign fighters, an American official said Monday, as a furious Damascus accused Washington of "terrorist aggression.

"(AFP/Ramzi Haidar)

In an image made from APTN Television an amateur video shows a pointing to a covered body in Syria after a raid Sunday Oct. 26, 2008, in Sukkariyeh, Syria.

Syrian protesters gather at Youssef al-Azmi square during a demonstration against the U.S. raid on a village near the Syrian-Iraqi border last Monday, in Damascus, Syria, Thursday Oct. 30, 2008. Hundreds of Syrian riot police ringed the shuttered and closed U.S. Embassy in Damascus on Thursday, as tens of thousands of Syrians converged on a central square for a government-orchestrated protest to denounce a deadly U.S. raid near the Iraqi border.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

We feel anger when the Kuffar abuse our Brothers' and Sisters'. And there are numerous cases of this happening all around the World, however it is extremely disheartening when our own so-called 'Muslims' happen to do the same.

Pictures were released from the outside of jails of Morroco, where Wives, Sisters, Aunts were protesting against the abuse of the prisoners who were their Brothers, Husbands, Fathers. The story is that these prisoners were imprisoned for being practicing Muslims, which translates into being 'Extremist' for those who hate Islam.






SubhanAllah. These Men do not fear Allah.

Allah subanna wa ta'ala says in the Qurán:

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

When I read about this, I cried and anger burned inside my heart. Subhan'Allah, this is what they do to our Brothers' and Sisters'. He is one among many who suffer through this and are still suffering even now. When will the Muslim Ummah wake up? May Allah subhanna wa ta'alas curse be upon those who torture and abuse innocent people. Ameen ya rabb. Insha'Allah, not a day will go by where they will not suffer for their wrong doings, in this World and the hereafter.

Dilawar, our brother, was a young 22 year old Afghan taxi driver and farmer, living a normal life, trying to make ends meet when he was detained by the occupiers, American forces.

They tortured him so much, with no mercy, that he ultimately died. He had been hit so many time that his leg tissues were falling apart.

The brutality at Bagram peaked in December 2002 , when U.S. soldiers beat two Afghan detainees, Habibullah and Dilawar, to death as they hung by their wrists.

Dilawar died on Dec. 10 , seven days after Habibullah died. He'd been hit in his leg so many times that the tissue was "falling apart" and had "basically been pulpified," said then-Lt. Col. Elizabeth Rouse , the Air Force medical examiner who performed the autopsy on him.

Had Dilawar lived, Rouse said in sworn testimony, "I believe the injury to the legs are so extensive that it would have required amputation."

Mr. Dilawar asked for a drink of water, and one of the two interrogators, Specialist Joshua R. Claus, 21, picked up a large plastic bottle. But first he punched a hole in the bottom, the interpreter said, so as the prisoner fumbled weakly with the cap, the water poured out over his orange prison scrubs. The soldier then grabbed the bottle back and began squirting the water forcefully into Mr. Dilawar's face.

"Come on, drink!" the interpreter said Specialist Claus had shouted, as the prisoner gagged on the spray. "Drink!"

At the interrogators' behest, a guard tried to force the young man to his knees. But his legs, which had been pummeled by guards for several days, could no longer bend. An interrogator told Mr. Dilawar that he could see a doctor after they finished with him. When he was finally sent back to his cell, though, the guards were instructed only to chain the prisoner back to the ceiling.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,



Yep, you guessed it, another lecture out by my favourite Imam, Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki.

May Allah subhanna wa ta'ala give him ajar for speaking the haq and grant him Jannat Al-Firdaws. Ameen.

The Kuffar thought that my imprisoning him they would make him quiet, but Allah azza wa kal is the best of planners and he is sufficient for us. The Imam speaks out as strongly as ever. He has also graduated from the University of Jail, just like Yusuf alayhisalam did.

He speaks the truth in times where we have people who compromise their deen for the dunya including so-called Ulema who fear the Kuffar rulers more than they fear Allah azza wa jal.

The Messenger of Allah, Muhammad, sallalahu alayhi wasallam, the most beloved person to walk on this Earth, is to whom we owe our complete loyalty too.

It is part of our Emaan to love him more than our ownselves, our wealth, our lives and our children and family.

A famous phrase of the Sahaba radi allahu anhum would be, 'May my Father and Mother be sacrificed for you, Ya Rasullallah'. And they went against their Brothers, Fathers and Mothers for the sake of Allah and his Messenger.

It is our duty to defend the honour of the beloved Muhammad As-Salatu was salamu ‘alayk, and the deen that belongs to Allah subhanna wa ta'ala. Especially these days, where they mock the Messenger and use the book of Allah as 'target' practice, wal-`iyadhubillah.

But are we really defending the Prophet Muhammad sallalahu alayhi wasallam? And what are the rulings concerned those who defame, mock and insult our beloved Messenger continuously?

Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki talks about this and gives us the example of the Sahaba radi allahu anhum, and the rulings concerning those who would mock and insult the Prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,


There was a recent article in New York Times in a 'series of articles examining the lives of youth across the Muslim world at a time of religious revival' called 'Love on Girls' Side of the Saudi Divide'.

The article gives an inside into the lives of Saudi Women and girls, their way of life, the gender segregation, the face-veil and the hopes and dreams of these girls.

Here is an excerpt:

The separation between the sexes in Saudi Arabia is so extreme that it is difficult to overstate. Saudi women may not drive, and they must wear black abayas and head coverings in public at all times. They are spirited around the city in cars with tinted windows, attend girls-only schools and university departments, and eat in special “family” sections of cafes and restaurants, which are carefully partitioned from the sections used by single male diners.

Special women-only gyms, women-only boutiques and travel agencies, even a women-only shopping mall, have been established in Riyadh in recent years to serve women who did not previously have access to such places unless they were chaperoned by a male relative.

Playful as they are, girls like Ms. Othman and her friends are well aware of the limits that their conservative society places on their behavior. And, for the most part, they say that they do not seriously question those limits.

Most of the girls say their faith, in the strict interpretation of Islam espoused by the Wahhabi religious establishment here, runs very deep. They argue a bit among themselves about the details — whether it is acceptable to have men on your Facebook friend list, or whether a male first cousin should ever be able to see you without your face covered — and they peppered this reporter with questions about what the young Saudi men she had met were thinking about and talking about.

But they seem to regard the idea of having a conversation with a man before their showfas and subsequent engagements with very real horror. When they do talk about girls who chat with men online or who somehow find their own fiancés, these stories have something of the quality of urban legends about them: fuzzy in their particulars, told about friends of friends, or “someone in my sister’s class.”

Sad how backwards and sad the society is over there

— David g, Houston

It's humanizing and relieving to understand that, despite the severity of their oppression, these women still have joy and desires. But I guess in the NY Times, like in Saudi Arabia, boys stories come first.

— EKO, DC I have a dream that someday we will have a Christian church built in Mecca, Saudi Arabia, where men AND women are sitting side by side as equals and no one is wearing a veil of oppression.

— chris, new york

With restrictive lives like this, where nothing is left to individual initiative, it is no surprise that Saudis, and Arab Moslems in general, have contributed so little to the intellectual accomplishments of the world.

— Jim S., Cleveland

These young women are such perfect examples of the Stockholm Syndrome--the captives identifying with the captors. This is one of the saddest articles I have read in a while.

— brendan, nyc

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

In this sensational new lecture, Imam Anwar Al-Awlaki talks about how the Kuffar plan against the Muslims, their hidden agenda and the battle for the Hearts and Minds in Muslim Lands.

May Allah subhanna wa ta'ala protect the Imam and reward him for speaking the truth.

May Allah subhanna wa ta'ala give victory to the Mujahideen.

Ameen.

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

Farhia Yahya

Assalāmu ‘alaykum wa rahmatullāhi Wabarakath,

In the recent years we've seen more and more of our Brothers and Sisters imprisoned and put in Jail. Majority of them were innocent and those who were accused - were accused wrongly.

What is sad is - among these People, even our Scholars and People of knowledge are imprisoned and the World stays silent, including the Muslim World. The reason this is disastarous especially for the Muslim Ummah because knowledge of the deen is of extreme importance. It is incumbent upon Muslims to seek ilm. If the spreading of ilm stops and decreases, ignorance will be widespread.

The disappearance of Islamic knowledge is considered one of the signs of the coming of day of judgment. Although there is still knowledge present now alhamdulilah, it is decreasing among the people.

"Allah will not retract this knowledge by a withdrawal, [suddenly] withdrawing it from people's hearts, but He will retract knowledge by retracting the scholars, until, when He has left no scholar, people will take ignorant leaders, who will be asked, and will pronounce verdicts without knowledge, thus going astray and leading others astray." [Bukhari, Muslim]

Alot of our Ummah is suffering, in place like Afghanistan, Iraq, Palestine, Chechyna, Bosnia and in other parts of the World. Especially in prisons like Guantanamo - famous for it's horrendous and inhumane activities.

A lot of our Brothers and Sisters in the West who dare to speak out against the Kuffar are targetted and sadly enough, even in 'Muslim Countries' the governments who've bowed down and been pressurised by the West go ahead and imprison their own People for speaking out.

I was very depressed when i'd heard that Brother Ali Al-Timimi had been unjustly sentenced to life in prison. Althought i'd never been physically present in any of his conferences or lectures, i would listen to them online.

Here is his last speech before leaving for prison:



May Allah subhanna wa ta'ala free him from the prisons of the oppressors. Ameen.
May Allah subhanna wa ta'ala give him the highest level in Paradise. Ameen.

Shaykh Ali Al timimi is/was not the only one put in prison. Imam Anwar Al Awlaki and others too were put under prison. And we've all heard of the Seventeen innocent men convicted for 'alleged' terrorist plots.