Ashura Story...searching for time to read what I've found

A salaamu aleikum,

For those who responded to my last post, either by sms or email, I'd like to let you know that I've got quite a bit to read now.

I have collected the following texts so far:

The History of the Karbala by Abu Ammar

The Tragedy of Karbala by Dr. Musharraf Hussain Al-Azhari

Defence Against Disaster by Qadi Abu Bakir (translated by Aisha Bewley)

The plan: read them all then summarise them into one shorter story. I will have to then grade the language so that I can present it to the kids.

At first it seemed important to present it to them by Ashura but now I feel otherwise. I'd rather place importance on the story of prophet Musa's ('Alaihis-Salaam) victory over Firaun because this was the original reason why we were instructed by our prophet (Sallallahu ‘alayhi wa Sallam) to fast on the day of Ashura.

Reading one account of the death of Hussain (Radiyallahu 'anh) while riding the LRT to work, really grabbed my heart. I could understand why some Muslims see Muharram and especially Ashura as a time to feel a deep sense of mourning. However, there are those that go beyond this, heightening the rememberance of this tragedy to the point of violence against themselves. This is doesn't seem appropriate in light of the fact that Husain himself, (Radiyallahu 'anh) advised his beloved sister Zainab, not to mourn over his death in this manner. Shortly before he was killed, he said, "My dear sister! I swear upon you that in case I die you shall not tear your clothes, nor scratch your face, nor curse anyone for me or pray for your death" (Al-Kamil, ibn Kathir, Vol 4, pg 2)

So I will delay my Karbala tragedy story without regret. Inshallah I will be able to present it to them in a way that inspires them!

wa salaamu aleikum

Read More......

Ashura Story...searching to find the one

A salaamu aleikum,

For the past month I have been wanting to tell the story of Ashura in my Sunday school class. Unfortunately I have not been able to find one that is based on the teachings of Sunni scholars and historians. By the time you read this, Ashura will probably have come and gone, too late to tell the kids the story in a timely manner. However, I'd still appreciate any references you can send.

Meanwhile, Beirut based company has produced a 3-D animated film that tells the story of the life and tragic death of our prophet's grandson Hussein. I found out about the film at the Al Jazeera site. Their article very briefly summarises the ashura story but I'm really eager to find an in depth account so please let me know if you've got something!

wa salaamu aleikum :-)

p.s. For those going the sunnah route (i.e. fasting 2 or 3 day combos within 9-11 Muharram), may Allah accept your fast and erase your sins.

Read More......

To Shake or Not to Shake ...

I stopped shaking altogether about five years ago.
For the most part, I believe the nodding of my head and smiling has not been taken as offensive. Some men (muslim and non-muslim) have taken a while to pull their hands back, time standing still while they come to the realisation that I don't wish to make that kind of contact. Perhaps some have walked away thinking me to be an extremist, but I truly doubt it. In fact, I received a compliment from an orthodox jewish manager of the company I used to work for. He said that his son had often reminded him that he should not shake the hands of women and that he respected my position.

Some say that it "comes with the job". They say that shaking hands is necessary when your vocation requires "good public relations". It is somehow an integral part of your work. If you don't shake, you offend. When in Rome...

Well, it's a matter of principles for me. There are some things I don't wish to compromise. I think I see my life (my spiritual path) as one that will cause me to accumulate more and more "things I don't wish to compromise". I feel that this is part of my increasing iman.

Just as there is no compulsion in Islam, I don't feel that anyone should stop shaking hands with members of the opposite sex unless they truly feel that it is wrong. So, I won't preach about it. I won't quote any qur'anic ayat or hadith. I will simply invite comments and hope that in the course of dialogue each will come closer to Allah's will.


p.s. The photographs I've chosen should not be taken to imply my approval of or disdain for Ahmadinejad or Rice. LOL, just happened to come across and like these particular photos. Besides, any talk about these two figures would need to be addressed in another post. Hmmm...

Read More......

Dhul-Hijjah is approaching fast!

What will you do during the first ten days of this special month? We all know that there are many Muslims who will make hajj this year. Perhaps someone we know is on their way now. But, how can we show spiritual solidarity with the pilgrims?

Inshallah I'm going to sit together with my eldest kids and make plans for the ten days ahead.
As I am learning and growing in Islam, I pass on my knowledge to them. (How important it is to educate females!) I must admit that before this year, I was not aware of the virtue of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah. Now that I know, I want my whole family to make a serious effort to maximise this time.

May we fill these days with sacrifice, good deeds and sincere repentance.

Like this ummah, my children are all so different, in terms of their personas, their levels of iman and their expression of love for Allah. Their hearts are in different states yet we always find ourselves agreeing that we truly need Allah. I've got a teenager and two preteens in the house and there are all kinds of crazy things going on lately. I'm thankful for this period of ten days. We can get together and focus on working together to achieve the goals we set for this period. We can come together to concentrate on serving Allah.

With all the devisive behaviour we are seeing from our brothers and sisters worldwide, I pray that during this first third of this month of Dhul-Hijjah we can stand together, not just on Arafat, but in Baghdad, Beirut, Palestine and all the other places where Muslims are killing eachother physically and spiritually. Even in "peaceful" places, Muslims allow themselves to be divided by factors such as "race", culture and nationality. If we could somehow put aside our differences for ten days, what would happen?

Read more about the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah

Read More......

You've read thousands of books of knowledge
But have you ever read your Soul?

You visit temples and mosques abound
But have you ever visited the depths of your Heart?

You go around fighting against Satan
But have you ever tried fighting against your Self?

(these verses are attributed to 17th century Punjabi sufi poet, Bulleh Shah)

Read More......