Allah

Allah

Thursday, March 25, 2010

Remedies from the Holy Quran

http://www.scribd.com/doc/17621/Remedies-From-the-Holy-QurAn


I'm not sure who put this together, but it is a wonderful compilation of remedies from the Holy Quran masha'Allah.

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Trusting God

As a new muslim, there are many things that I used to do, that I now know I shouldn't under Islam, and vice versa. As someone who has a non-Muslim past, it can be difficult to understand the reasoning behind the teachings of Islam. I understand it is supposed to to be part of my Deen that I do not question Allah, but sometimes there are things that are difficult for me to understand why I am supposed to be doing something; therefore it is difficult for me to change my ways. However, alhamdililah, Allah has generally delivered me some sort of answer. In my non-Muslim days Jinn bothered me to no end. I did not know what they were at the time, but my mother and I are both bothered by them. When I first became a Muslim, I started praying, and the amount of Jinn activity I was seeing/feeling actually increased. I was told this is because Jinn like to hear the Quran and prayers. However I did not want to be alone with them because I was scared. Even though I recited Quran and made duah for them to go away; I still did not want to be alone. I couldn't quite wrap my head around the fact that God would protect me from them, and if anything wanted to hurt me it was only because God deemed it possible When I moved to Alexandria, I was very worried about being alone, and since I didn't know anyone in the area, I could not call anyone to keep me company. I had to face the Jinn alone. My roomate Miri told me one time that I was NOT alone, and that God was always with me; always had been, and always will be. It took that statement for me to realize that God had been with me at all those other times, and that I was safe. I have never had them bother me since, and I have not ever felt alone. I know Allah is with me.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Green Living

"When the earth is shaken with a (violent) shaking,
And the earth reveals what burdens her,
And man says: What has befallen her?
On that day she shall tell her story...." (Qur'an 99:1-4)


As an effort to be a responsible and ethical muslimah, I am going to make a commitment to living my life in a more sustainable way. By not wasting my blessings and to desire less I am trying to develop my deen. I am a strong advocate of thrift stores/consignment shops. I believe in donating to them as well as shopping in them. Recycling/reusing/reducing is the best way for us to not be in this mentality of over-comsumption. America is very famous for their wasteful ways and greed and ability to consume. I do not want to contribute to that mentality nor practice. I will start a compost pile (even though I live in an apartment), grow some of my own food, and shop local products as much as possible insha'Allah. I will also try to purchase more sustainable, organic, environmentally friendly products. My mother has been able to purchase very cute outfits for me from the thrift store; she is a very good hijab finder masha'Allah. I have also furnished my apartment with second hand merchandise and have paid a grand total of $500. I have also discovered that it is my right as a renter in Alexandria, VA to have access to recycling containers. I am going to contact my apartment building about that because I have not been able to locate it. There are many benefits to going green. In a way, when we contribute to sustainable/halal/organic businesses we are allowing the Muslim community to flourish. We should not contribute to non-ethical business. We should channel our power into good business with ethical business practices and halal products.


For now here are some links that I found to help me out.


Composting For Apartments

10 Easy Ways to Go Green

Thrify Fun

Islam and the Environment

Islam and Responsibility to Environment

Friday, March 12, 2010

Bank of America

I absolutely hate writing bad reviews. However I have been treated with absolute disrespect by Bank of America, and I really believe they are the most un-Islamic institution I have ever dealt with in my ENTIRE life. If you are Muslim and you are able to; PLEASE move your money elsewhere. They have forclosed on peoples houses that they do NOT have a mortgage on, treated people with absolute disrespect, refused to do their jobs, and have taken money from numerous people. PLEASE PLEASE so support to your fellow Muslims that have suffered and PULL your money OUT of Bank of America. They will not be able to stand without our support. They need to change their business practices. Someone is getting extremely weathly on other peoples expense. We need to stop it. Thanks
Katie

Monday, March 8, 2010

Exploring Alexandria: Part Two

My day started early because my computer was not working (plug?). I set out to the used book store to see if I could get cash or an exchange because I was bored out of my mind with no t.v or computer, (I'm writing this on my apartments public comp). So I set off to the Used Book store that seemed the most interesting. On their webpage it has their cat listed as manager, so I figured they would be pretty fun people. The store I checked out is called Already Used Used Books. It is in Alexandria and more information can be found on their webpage. I was delighted to find their space crammed with books, all looking in great condition, and a non weird smelling store (that is a first for used book stores!). While the owner looked through my books to see if she could arrange anything, I was attacked by their cat. And when I say attacked, I am exagerrated to make this funnier. I was scratched by their cat. They were so embarrassed and said that she never did this but she was 15 years old and that they were so sorry. Their apology was genuine and sincere. I really appreciated the way they acted and they even gave me a discount to boot. I scored 4 barely used books for $7 and some change.I also received over $20 in store credit for my trade in books. I recommend this place despite my injuries because for a book lover like me, I can score cheap books as well as get rid of my old ones. They have a huge selection and are very friendly people. Unlike a lot of used bookstores I have been to, they realize what books are desired and only stock them accordingly. I am under the impression you can also order books new/used through them. Thanks for reading everyone, Salaam wa alaikum!

K

Sunday, March 7, 2010

Adventures in Alexandria

Yesterday I took the liberty of exploring Alexandria. I found some truly wonderful things so I decided to share them with you.

Whole Foods- Had never been into a Whole Foods before (I know I'm so behind on the times). It was AMAZING! I had their breakfast bar (not bad at $6.99 a pound). I had the french toast, chicken sausage, and fried plantains. YUM!!!!!! While exploring I smelled a delightful coffee smell wafting from the grinder. I commented on this to the lady grinding the coffee, and she started raving about how great it was. It turned out to be a local roaster and she directed me about 5 blocks east. So my adventure started......

I set off walking towards the coffee shop, the sun was shining and I was very happy to be outside. I was wearing my matching hot pink hijab/sneakers so I was in a great mood! (bright colors make me so happy).

Eventually I wondered far enough to find Misha's......I tried a small coffee, and was instantly in love. I bought a half a pound of their Route 66 blend, and 1/2 a pound of their Yemen blend. I am actually drinking the coffee as I write this, I brewed it myself. The staff was extremely friendly and I really enjoyed chatting with them. Their beans are extremely aromatic, and slightly oily, which leads to GREAT flavor. You can get them ground if you want, although I suggest grinding them yourself if you can to retain the flavor longer. You can get directions and check out their shop at Misha's.

After purchasing my coffee I set out in the direction of King Street towards downtown. I came across more lovely shops, but the ones that stood out were Ten Thousand Villages. It is a fair trade shop that is a great store for making a difference. By shopping and buying their wonderfully unique hand crafted items, one is making a difference in someone's life. For more info TenThousandVillages.

I bought treats for my cat from this delightful pet bakery/shop...owner is extremly helpful and nice along with the staff.....Chateau Animaux.
Located at

101 South Saint Asaph StreetAlexandria, VA 22314-3123 (703) 518-5188

My next stop of the day was my favorite which ended in me ordering furniture for my apartment. I had visited countless furniture stores during the day and all were overpriced or ugly. I finally walked into a store in which every piece is like a work of art. Although his pieces aren't cheap, they are not overpriced, and beautifully handcrafted original furniture. It is located at Javawood
5601 General Washington Drive
Alexandria, VA 22312-2403

The owner is a very friendly man who loves to sell to people who love the furniture. He will also engage you in conversation. His name is Nico, and I will be buying plenty more furniture from him in the future insha'Allah.

I will be exploring more in the future so more to come insha'Allah. Thanks everyone for reading...Salaam wa alaikum...

Monday, March 1, 2010

Virginia and My Conversion

Well I have realized that as a Muslim I have given a lot up for God's sake.
Recently I have been contemplating the fact of how many LESS friends I have since becoming a Muslim. Of course one would say that I actually have more friends now because the friends I have are real now, which of course is true in a way. But only people who have altered their lives drastically, and experienced the people lost in the process, can understand what I am feeling right now. Basically, I am spending more time alone now, than I ever have in my entire life. This is because I have simultaneously lost friends due to my conversion, weeded out some innappropriate ones, or just lost anything in common with the others. I am not unhappy with my decision in any way...I just wish that I wasn't having to deal with moving to a new state, and a new job, with less friends! I mean I am trying to get to know people here. People at my job are very nice...but none of them are Muslims. And I run into people every day that are curious about the ways of Islam, and how I became a Muslim and all of that. But I still have yet to figure out how to make friends. And I also wish that I had friends that understood the convert part of me, the American part, the part that had to give up things from her "previous" life. I feel that is a necessary bonding experience. Not to say that I could not be friends with a person who was born Muslim. I just feel, that because I have experience the "other" side of things, I have things in my heart that a person who has never been there, would never understand. I still struggle with certain things, and I am not even close to being the Muslimah I would like to be. I just wish I knew I wasn't alone, I wasn't the only new Muslimah, staring at her empty apartmnet walls, wondering what it would have been like to live a blind life, ignorant of the truth around her.