A Muslimah's Musing's

What every convert/revert Muslim want's other Muslim's to know!

2012-06-01T18:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I wanted to write this post for a while and it's only until i found some inspiration that I am doing it now. I am a revert Muslim. I am white British and I decided to change my religion when I was 16. I am a Muslim. Here are some thing's which i'd like born Muslim's and older revert Muslim's to listen to and possible take note, inshallah.
NOTE: Personally I use 'revert' instead of 'convert', the reason being is that we are all born Muslim's, it's just that some of us get a little lost in life but revert back to the straight path. ('convert' would be used if it's something completely new) :)

It's a time in our lives where everything is flipped upside down. A moment where we enter into something completely new. There's a mix of emotion's and personal struggle's. We have decided to leave alot of what we once thought to be true behind. It's an epic moment in any revert's life. This is something a born Muslim will never experience, no matter how much they believe they think they know what it's like. Then on the other hand there are more mature revert's who have been a Muslim for a significant amount of time who may have been swayed by culture or bad habit's and try to influence a new revert.

Once I recited my shahada there was an unimaginable weight lifted from my shoulder's, it's like nothing i had ever experience in my life. A new start. My slate wiped clean, ready to start on a journey I had no sight of ahead. One word which i use to describe that moment is euphoric. You will never get that moment back in your life. Freedom. Nothing's hanging over you. No worries. Bizarre. If I were to die at that point, it'd be a straight path to heaven. The highest peak of iman that i feel i will ever experience, although I am yet to perform Hajj so i'll get back to you on that one!

As an outsider, when you see/hear a person embrace Islam, do you help them? or hinder them?

You maybe blessed to work within a community or at the mosqrue, you may have get together's and have a wide social circle. You meet new revert's, or possibly "nearly" revert's (you know, the regular's at the dawah table who have a million question's but still haven't quite got every piece of the puzzle fixed together). How do you approach them? Do you speak to them? Offer them advice or Islamic information? Ignore them? Invite them to a family dinner? How about after they revert? are you still looking for the precious reward's from Allah whilst helping your new Brother or Sister? Do you ignore their call's now that they have reverted to Islam?

.

Here are a few thing's which i'd like to share (please note that these do not apply to everyone all of the time, it maybe that you do one, but if it sound's familar, have a little think on how to improve):

1. You act like you suddenly know everything and start trying to teach them.

Reality: You probably don’t even know how to pray Janazah, why don’t you just let the scholars educate them? If you do not know an answer - just be honest! Don't talk rubbish and waste both of our times. We know there's alot to learn, so much history, we aren't going to judge you because you can't answer one question. It's best to tell us straight than to mislead somebody, especially knowing that if you share falsities regarding Islam, Allah SWT or our Prophet SAW it is a sin. If you don't know, try sending them in the right direction, to ask an imam, let them borrow a book on whichever subject the question refer's or tell them about the local islamic bookshop.

2. You act all judgemental, like “Oh why do you still have a boyfriend”, “Oh why don’t you wear Hijab”, "Working there is haram bro".

Reality: You do realize that Islam came to Arabia gradually. The entire Quran wasn't revealed in one go. People didn’t suddenly drop alcohol, free all their slaves, and suddenly become The Ten Promised to paradise over night. Let the revert/convert learn Islam at their own pace. Only they know their situation, they may not be able to find another job for example, don't guilt trip them.

To be honest, we are all one way or another learning Islam at our own pace, so chill out. The best thing to do for any struggling Muslim is to make them dua. Insult's, condescending comment's, or just plain ignoring them isn't going to do anything productive, it won't help you or the revert. The other thing to do is advise them if they weren't already aware and then let them decide. You have then said your piece/done your duty, but it is now up to the revert who is more than capable or making that choice.

3. If they don’t follow your cultural habits, they aren’t fully Muslim.

Reality: No they don’t have to kiss your cheek when shaking hands. No they don’t have to eat Biryani with their hands. And no, they don’t have to have Qatayif in Ramadan. It doesn’t make them less of a Muslim. Islam is completely different from your culture from back home, you should probably know that by now. Choose Islam over culture, always. Think about what you say before you go all "Haram Police" on them too!

4. For God’s sake, stop treating them like they are Disabled people.

Reality: Even disabled people don’t want to be given accommodation, they just want to be treated like everyone else. I believe a fully bodied and capable Muslim revert is more than capable of making up their own mind. Unsolicited advice is not needed. They may have a clean slate of a newborn baby, but that doesn't mean they are the same age, you are still talking to an adult.

5. Stop holding their past against them.

Reality: The “are you a virgin?”, “did you get high before?”, “have you ever had a girl/boyfriend?” are completely irrelevant question's to today. They embraced Islam and were reborn again in the eyes of Allah SWT, if He can forgive them why can't you? If they bought up your past, would you be ok with it? or maybe feel embarrased as you will be judged for your's but Allah SWT has actually forgiven them for their's. "...For whosoever seeks out the fault of his Muslim brother, Allaah will seek out his faults. ..."

6. You make them feel like an outsider no matter what.

Reality: I am well aware of the cultural division Muslim's have where it’s “desi” vs “arab” vs “albanian” vs “sunni” vs “shi’a” vs “sufi” and it really is a pointless debate, so the converts/reverts always feel isolated as a result of that. Also we are still seen as "English" or "American" and not Muslim. First and foremost we are Muslim's.

7. You want to immediately hit on them.

Reality: A lot of our brown and tan brothers (arabs and desis) have this weird fetish with European's and how they are “easy” to get with sexually.

First off, you shouldn’t treat any woman that way or think of them as a sexual object.

Secondly, seeing she’s now your sister in Islam, you should probably treat her like your own blood related sister, with Dignity and respect. Never start chatting to her one on one, be a man and approach her male guardian.

This is actually really creepy, just because a woman revert's doesn't mean she will marry any random at the drop of a hat. Plus 'pervy' and 'makes skin crawl' isn't at the top of any woman's list of what she look's for in her future husband.

8. You overwhelm them with too much information.

Reality: Your discussions of Qiyas vs Ijma in Islamic Jurisprudence, it’s varying levels of importance in the four Math’habs, your criticism of the Battle of the Camel, and the certain orders of the Sufis is wayyy over the head of most Muslim's anyway.

So just stop overwhelming revert's, help them build the strongest of foundation's in order to help them build up more islamic knowledge once the basic's are learnt. Please. And don’t tell them “oh this is the only good sect/tariqah/math’hab they should follow.”

If they CHOSE Islam they are more than qualified of choosing their interpretation of it as well. Back off.

9. You want to revert them as fast as you can so you can get the next one in

Reality: Your first meeting with them is overly nice, you couldn't do more for them, but as soon as the shahada is uttered, you desert them. Not only is this disheartening for revert's it is shocking behaviour as a Muslim who is supposedly a good example of a Muslim. Leaving a person hanging once they change their life around just so you can put another mark on the tally chart is infuriating.

Yes, dawah is important, yes every Muslim need's to offer dawah. However this is not the way to go around doing it. Not only do these revert's/convert's who are left behind usually return to haram action's, they now have a tainted vision of Muslim's as a whole. We are not a pawn used for a 'Muslim's' gain's to rack up more reward's/rizaq. If anything, once a person has said their shahadah that is the most important point They are just setting out on a journey, if they don't have the right tool's they are going to run into trouble.

10. You take all credit for their reversion

Reality: You probably just made the biggest mistake. Taking credit for something Allah SWT made happen. Not only that how do you think the revert feels? It's really inconsiderate and you steal their thunder. Don't you think they would want to feel happy, proud of what they have achieved? As not everyone can take that leep in life. You are merely a helping hand in their chapter. They don't owe you anything so stop acting like they are forever in your debt.

Plus if you did have any part in somebody's reversion, shouldn't you keep that quiet, not letting your left hand know what your right hand has done?? Let Allah SWT reward you at the right time, the more you boast the more you decrease that reward. Ask yourself, if you were really guiding this person to Islam for the sake of Allah SWT, should you be yelling it from the rooftop's? It's one thing to enjoy the reversion within the community; a time of takbir's and tear's but other than that, please rethink your intention's.

Islam isn’t something you do on Fridays or on Eid. It’s a lifestyle, it’s a code of conduct, and it’s something we should try to enforce in our lives as much as possible. Even though you were born a Muslim, you still have more to learn, everyone does. Being a born/revert Muslim doesn't make you any better than the other. Remember that Allah SWT only look's at a person's level of piety.

What advice would you share if you could go back in time? Is there something that you want to let them know? Share in the comment's below!

Shopping on a Budget: The Look For Less

2012-05-27T17:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

You know i'm always one for a bargain, well if you didn't - you will by the end of this post!

One thing which annoys me, when i'm out shopping, is insane mark ups. When one high end shop sell's something with a massive price tag just because you have the privelige of buying it from them. Basically if something is worth £2 a company will then sell it for £10, fashion is one of the biggest industries this is done in and we are letting them.
Guaranteed you will find some places hold far higher quality item's which are worth every little penny however alot are just lower in price and have been marked up to keep their business afloat. It's understandable from a business owner's perspective but from a consumer's - not so much.
Sometimes it's ok to pay a little more but what gets me is when you can plainly see an item is exactly the same, (no doubt made in the same factory in China - did anyone see Gok Wan's documentary "Made in China"? Bra's for Victoria's Secret and Asda are made in the same place with fabric, thread, machine work...!) and they have the cheek to charge you double, triple or even more for the same item when you can go else where, buy it, and still have money left over to put in a saving's pot or treat yourself to something extra.

I don't know about you, but i'd rather put any extra money in my pocket rather than Mr Money Baggs'! There's no brand loyalty in my house as it's just not logical considering most companies don't look after their current customer's and give new customer's the best deal's.Also if you are making yourself broke to look rich/designer then you need to act your wage. So the clever thing to do is get the look for less!
There are numerous blog's which have been created and dedicated for this purpose so if you see something you like you could google it and have a browse to see if there is a cheaper (in price not quality) alternative, check out my latest "The WWW" post to see my favourite's!

It's so easy to do it yourself too, especially if you're like me and you like trawling through lot's of online stores and fashion sites, you soon spot some little trend's and item's which could help you get a fab outfit which look's alot more than it cost's.

Here are a few example's of what I stumbled across, they may not be everyone's "cup of tea" but this is more to show you that there are option's out there:

Station Necklace in Black Resin

Ebay £1.79

House of Harlow $125 (roughly £80)

House of Harlow via Nordstrom £50 (for the leather not resin)

Of course it's not going to be 14k gold from ebay, but it's still a bargain and nobody should be getting that close to see otherwise!

Blue bodycon cage dress

REISS £179 now on sale for £119E5P £5 The only differences are that the one for £5 doesn't have the black stripe at the bottom but has a fuller back panel. I think I could live with that ;)

Bow diamanté jelly sandals Jelly/rubber sandals are making a come back this year! (Late 80s and 90s kids will remember them well) There's lot's of design's but here is one style which are identical to each other, except for the £12 difference

EBAY £7.95JANE NORMAN £20
Just look at Jane Norman's website, they are like twin's! A perfect example of a cheeky mark-up.
Or how about these:

EBAY (Black or Pink) £10VALENTINO @ Saks Fifth Avenue (Black or Red) - £199.46 (!)Hmm, £200 or £10?...i just can't decide!

Baroque print (aka scarf print) There are so many different styles of this in shop's at the moment, some with leopard print mixed in or clock's and chain's. Topshop and Jane Norman sell dresses with this print in different colour's for double the price, how rude! There are some cheaper option's below.

Ebay - £5 Long sleeve dress top (above) Desire £8 sleeveless dress (similar to above)E5P - £5 Skater Dress
Ebay - £5 Leggings Ebay £6.50 Maxi Dress

5 little tip's to beat the price tag mark-up's!
A useful site to use for comparing is ShopStyle just type what you're looking for into the search box and it will show 100's of option's. You can narrow them down by hitting the option's on the left hand side of the page
Use voucher's, coupon's and shop when there's a sale! There's nothing more annoying than buying something at full price and then the next week it's put on sale! If they can sell it for as little as the sale price, you don't need to be buying item's for full price to cover their mark up.
If you stumble across something online, just drag and drop the image into google images and it searches all images similar to that one, helping you to discover site's and link's to lot's more wonder's of the fashion world. To learn how to do it correctly, clicky on over to my post here
Create an account on Polyvore. You can create different outfit's, find inspiration, and look at new item's that are available, you can also choose between high end and lower priced garment's too! You will usually find that new trend's are all over polyvore too, keeping you in the loop.
last but not least
NEVER impulse buy, alway's browse to find the lowest possible prices! Whether online, in a department store or in shop's like TK MAXX.
For more help and advice for shopping on a budget click on over to a previous post - Improving Spending Habit's

The WWW - Link Love #3

2012-05-20T11:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

What i'm loving this week!

HijabTrendz | Hijab & Body Image an interesting read regarding the modern muslim woman and her dress. "In an ironic twist, Muslim women may now be falling prey to the very same thing they preach against: the media’s objectification of women." Here

Secret's to Successful Living as Learned from Forrest Gump One of my favourite movies, here is a fun article including some memorable quote's to ponder. Here.

Fashion Shoes & Clothes I stumbled across this site "Go Jane" and i only wish i could find one similar in the UK. So for all my American reader's I hope you enjoy this place. They have great price's and some style's can be dubbed "designer inspiried" compared to some high end trend's. So. Many. Shoes. Here

Fashion Bargain's For All If you enjoy getting the latest look for less, make sure to have a browse through (and subscribe!) this handy little blog titled 'The Look 4 Less' (what else?!) and Victoria's fashion and beauty blog VIPXO with great designer inspired ebay post's created by request's from reader's! If you have any request's e.g. 'Kate Spade Tipsy Flat in Pink' (not to be confused with 'tipsy feet' foldable shoes!) you can ask her to work her ebay 'magic' to help find something similar which is very kind...as i'm sure it's very time consuming!

Photo Editing If you are a user of Flickr you may know that the lovely photo editor Picnik has disappeared. Twas a sad day for those of us who do not own Photoshop. So what can we use to edit our photo's now that Picnik is down? Either invest in Photoshop or Elements (which is a cheaper version, both made by Adobe) OR have a browse on the web for an online photo editor that suit's your need's. I've found a few option's Here

Make up Here is a "Master Dupe List" of make up and nail polish including the likes of OPI, MAC, Essie, NARS, Stila, Urban Decay etc etc. After finding out Superdrug now sell Essie nail polish I was having a browse at what hues were available. Then came the colour swatch hunt! I stumbled across this oh so handy list. Can't find something in a particular colour you like? Have a little look and it probably has a dupe! This is how I found Essie Bordeaux :D It's a huge list so hit ctrl+f to find what you're looking for quickly! Here

Namey Thing's I always thought Yara was quite an uncommon name, one reason for my choosing it, however i've come across a few new thing's with the same name as me. It may not be that interesting but i think it's quite fun finding these thing's just because it isn't that common. I obviously knew the Arabic singer Yara but that was about it. I thought i had a good 'un especially with me living in the UK hehe! It just looks like i will have to share ^_^

Stylist Pick Shoe - Yara A simple, wedge, suedette boot. They don't look too bad, if you've seen some other shoes they do you will know that they can be real car crashes! I really don't care if Cheryl Cole promote's them or make's them in her garden shed, I still wouldn't pay their price's for the shoes as I could easily find something similar for cheaper. Perhaps on sale, but never full price.

Zoya Nail Polish - Yara. I love how it glitters but it's just too bad that it look's like a bowl of Molokhia, or at least that's what i think it looks like. Molokhia is actually so so tasty, but i just wouldn't want that colour on my nail's!

MUSIC My favourite thing 'Yara' related is a song by said singer called "Ma Yhemmak / يارا - ما يهمك". It's so good you don't even need to understand it, it's that catchy! It reminds me of great times in Jordan so that's always good too!

Techie Tuesday: How to source an image you love!

2012-05-15T10:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Pinterest, tumblr, weheartit, blogger; we've all come across these site's and the amazing image's that overflow from them. The only problem? You can rarely find a source to that pretty dress or that breathtaking scenery that'd you'd love to visit if you got the chance, only if you knew where it was! Or that inspiring photography or art piece that lingered with you all day because of it's beauty that you'd like to see more of.
I have a solution!

1. Find an image you want to dig up any information you can find about it

A photo I found on tumblr, incorrectly sourced

2. Open Google images tab

Ensure that it is the correct page otherwise this won't work. Right click the link above.

3. Drag and drop the image from one tab to the search box of the 'Google image's' tab that you just opened.

The search box changes to this larger box when it recognises that an image is above it

4. Wait and it will find out where to find the image, what other site's used the image and a selection of similar images, cool huh?!

The result's!

It's quite reliable but generally won't work on image's that have been altered or photoshopped etc. However if you see a random photo and you just have no clue where it's from, you will now be one step closer!

I hope you enjoyed this Techie Tuesday!

Perfecting Dua

2012-05-10T10:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Dua can be beautified and perfected by certain actions:

Source

1. Have Wudu, face Qibla, be neat and clean

2. Raise both hands up to the shoulder with palms open facing up

3. Use words of Allah and Muhammad (SAW)- i.e. Duas found in Quran and Hadith

4. Ask by Asma alHusna- Allah's Beautiful Names

5. Ask Allah by your good deeds

6. Be insistent-repeat (i.e. 3x's)

7. Glorify Allah and recite Durud for the Prophet (SAW) at both the beginning and end

8. Show humility, entreaty, desire and fear while making Dua

9. Repent and try to make amends where one has wronged

10. Confess mistakes, shortcomings, and sins

11. Keep voice between a whisper and speaking aloud

12. Show the need for Allah's help and implore Him for release from weakness, hardship and tribulation.

13. Seize the opportunity of time, situation and circumstance in which prayers are answered. The best times for dua.

14. Avoid rhymed prose to keep concentration

15. Crying when making Dua (only if sincere)

16. The Dua of Dhun-Nun (Yunus) by which he invoked Allah from within the belly of the whale was: Quran 21:87  "LAa ilaha illa Anta, Subhanaka innee kuntu min aDH-DHaalimeen." No Muslim ever makes Dua with it but Allah answers it."

17. End with "Alhamdulillah rabbil alameen"

Shopping on A Budget: Improving Spending Habit's

2012-05-08T10:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Here are some tips for people who are in a tight budget or need to save money or simply want to stop spending money so quickly and on things they don't need.

Separate needs from desires

Many people end up spending more than they can afford, simply because they cannot distinguish between needs and desires. They think that every purchase they make is truly necessary. In order to tell the difference, ask yourself how your life would be without specific purchases. Would it be seriously affected? If the answer is no, then you can definitely do without it.

Make new purchases only when there is a reason

Instead of going shopping the minute you realise that something is wrong with your devices or clothes, get into the habit of making repairs by yourself. Learn to modify your old clothes and try to fix your own devices or ask a friend or neighbour to help you out. Go to the store only when there is no hope to improve the situation by yourself. You can also try to send the things to repair first, ask for sincere opinion from the experts and if it's worth to buy a new one for the price that it requires to be fixed.

Shop at the last minute/Time your shop

Another thing you can do to improve your spending habits and save money, is to learn to shop at the last minute. When you go shopping minutes before the shops close or minutes before you have to go to an important appointment, you won’t have the time to look around and buy unnecessary things. You will be forced to buy only what you really need.

source

My personal tip's:

Shop in your house
Have a sort out going from room to room, you are bound to find hidden treasure's that you can wear or use more often! Whether it's a new dress, or that badminton racket that's only been used once, get it out and put it to use. Be honest, we have all found something which still has the label/price tag on!

Shop Around
Never buy the first thing you see, unless it is an absolute steal! Especially if you are looking to purchase a larger item, shop around the high street, check online and don't forget site's such as ebay, gumtree or craigslist (that one is for my American reader's ;)) as there are some great bargain's to be had, it's shocking what some people throw out.

Occupy yourself
Chores, exercise, hobbies, meeting with friend's or family. Do something for the soul. This way you will feel more content and have less time wasting your money on random good's to satisfy the materialistic hole that we all have.

Limit yourself from watching YouTube Haul's
They are alot of people's favourite type of video on youtube. However there's enjoying them and then watching them to buy everything the other person has. Try to limit them down so you watch them when you want to buy a particular product to learn about quality and the YouTuber's review.

Ritual Buy's
This can be the regular coffee from costa in the morning, or the magazine you always buy to read on the commute, all these sort's of purchase's make a huge dent to your bank balance over time. Reduce buying them everyday or simply switch to an alternative e.g. buy a travel mug and make your coffee at home, and if you like a good read of recent event's, check it on your smartphone!
Only spend your own moneyDecline and cancel any store or credit card's. Don't be fooled into them, although fun at first - the interest on them is eye watering! Debt is not a happy place to be in. Not to mention that ~~jewsury~~ usury (riba) is haram. Remove overdraft limit's from your bank account too because those come with usage fee's and interest. Plus if you find yourself in an overdraft - it's incredibly hard to get back out of it! Prevention is better than cure ;)
Islamic bankingApply for or switch over to an islamic bank account via HSBC or Lloyds TSB if an "official" islamic bank isn't available.

The above tip's which have been tried and tested will help you improve your spending habit's, save money and learn to manage your finances better, inshaAllah.

Procrastination: How To Defeat It

2012-05-06T11:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

This post comes to you thanks to a phone call from a friend of mine the other day. How we can all fall trap to the 'P' word.
Let's face it, we've all feel victim to that black hole at one time or another, so I decided to share my thought's. It can be fun for a short while doing those thing's that you don't normally get to do and relaxing for longer than usual, but you can have too much of a good thing! Once it turn's ugly it's hard to turn back. I hope you enjoy this post, help is on it's way! This also gives me an excuse to dig out some note's I made on a webinar by Zohra Sawari not too long ago; "Time Management for Muslim's" (21/01/2012 23:00 GMT).

I've found that human's are naturally lazy being's or if not lazy, obtain lazy habit's, especially in this modern day when technology generally does all the work for us; washing machines, dish washer's, all the way down to an electric whisk! We want thing's done in the easiest and most quickest way possible. Remember when we had dial-up internet and how long an internet page used to take to load? Now, if a web page takes a few second's more than normal to load we get frustrated and over click the mouse to an inch of it's life! Technology has wonderful uses but if we aren't careful we will all be turning into the lazy lump's that you see on Wall-E (it's a great movie if you haven't seen it FYI). Not being able to move, stuck in a chair with a screen in front of our face. If that's too close for comfort you may want to read the rest of this blog post ; )
Your attitude is everything! e.g. two people apply for the same job and they both have the same qualification's. One is a little defeated because of being knocked back by other recruiter's and uninterested in the business, the other is smiling, enthusiastic and asking question's about the business. Who do you think get's the job? The latter of course! We cannot control the situation but what we can control is our ATTITUDE.
A Muslim who is profitable is one whose today is better than his yesterday.It's never too late to change and self improve.
Higher iman = improved attitudeRemember that everything good and bad comes from Allah (SWT). We have all been hurt in the past but it should make you better not bitter. When you expect the best but prepare for the worst it build's your stamina because if something does go wrong then you are prepared, have a plan and can push back just as strong as it was quick to hit you. As Muslim's we should always say "Alhamdulilah!" no matter the situation as it could always be worse, that is the beauty of Islam. Follower's of the Sunnah should always view the cup as half full! Take a look at people who have less than you, who have had much harder struggle's to deal with because when it's time to complain, you should have nothing to complain about.
A big killer of a great positive attitude is negativity.Negativity breed's negativity, to better your self and soul, let go of friend's and sister's who may drag you down. Whether it's: gossiping, back biting, or just plain old moaning. I know we all let a little moan out sometimes (due to habit!) but if it's a constant drain, reduce time with that sister, or just 'hide' those whiny unnecessary facebook update's! If it is a close friend who can be a bit of a "Debbie downer" or "negative Nelly", give dawah. Let them know that back biting isn't acceptable. Tell them it's not right to talk about someone when they are not in the conversation with you to defend themselves. It maybe that they don't know so you could be doing good in two fold.

Reason's for Procrastination:

When we don't understand the difference between urgent and important - misunderstanding priorities
When we are overwhelmed by the task (or having too many at once) so we put it off
No interest or have a dislike of the task
Fear of failure
Bad organisation skill's and lack of planning
Perfectionist's, if you feel only an 'A+' is accepted or if you feel the need to excel at everything
Personal problem's or being pre-occupied with emotional trouble's, (Grief, Boredom, Stress, Tiredness, Guilt, Anger, Frustration, Lack of Concentration)
Laziness
Low self esteem
No clear, set goal's

“Do the thing and you will have the power.”
― Ralph Waldo Emerson

Imam Al Ghazali (May Allah have mercy on him) wrote this in his book: 'The Beginning of Guidance'

"You should not neglect your time or use it haphazardly; on the contrary you should bring yourself to account, structure your litanies and other practices during each day and night, and assign to each period a fixed and specific function. This is how to bring out the spiritual blessing (barakah) in each period.

But if you leave yourself adrift, aimlessly wandering as cattle do, not knowing how to occupy yourself at every moment, your time will be lost. It is nothing other than your life, and your life is the capital that you make use of to reach perpetual felicity in the proximity of God the Exalted.

Each of your breaths is a priceless jewel, since each of them is irreplaceable and, once gone, can never be retrieved. Do not be like that deceived fools who are joyous because each day their wealth increases while their life shortens.

What good is an increase in wealth when life grows ever shorter? Therefore be joyous only for an increase in knowledge or in good works, for they are your two companions who will accompany you in your grave when your family, wealth, children and friends stay behind."

How to get over procrastinating:

Acceptance! Accept that you are procrastinating, because as soon as you spot it, you can do something about it!
Know that you need to get it done; PRIORITISE. Otherwise there will be consequences that you could have avoided
Learn to delegate task's if you feel overwhelmed (get the children involved!), and plan out what you want to achieve in that day/week/month/year
Reward yourself after completing a task
Remember to do it for the sake of Allah (SWT) and don't forget to make Dua for help!
Have the vision and then work out how you will complete the task in hand
Have patience, don't over do it. Little by little is better than nothing at all e.g. learning Arabic. The brain can only take in so much in a certain amount of time. Work smarter - not harder
Give yourself a time frame or realistic deadline to get a task done; create a schedule! You'd be surprised at what you can do in 24 hour's!
Be aware of time stealer's and idle activities e.g. too much time on the internet
Remember that you will be asked how you spent your time in this world, how do you want to answer that question?? Narrated Abdullah Bin Mas`ud Allah's Messenger said, “ A man shall be asked concerning four things on the day of resurrection: concerning his life, how he spent it; concerning his youth, how he grew old; concerning his wealth, whence he acquired it, and in what way he spent it; and what was it that he did with the knowledge that he had.” (Tirmidhî 5197)

"Do you know what really makes you tired? The things you don’t do, not the things you do!
Procrastination–worrying about the things you need to get done, putting them off because you dread them or because you would rather be doing something else–makes you tired, not work.”

From Get More Done in Less Time by Donna Otto.

Of course scrubbing the floor, cleaning the bathroom and making dinner will make you tired but that's a physically, well earned, hard working type of exhaustion not mental fatigue. Plus once you have all those chore's done, it's easier to let go and relax as you can see the result's of a hard days work infront of you. Time to chill on the sofa with a good book and a twinning's tea! Whereas if you leave all the thing's on your to-do list unchecked then there's a big fat cloud of procrastination hanging over you, and that is not budging until you do something about it.

Don’t do what you want to do. Do what you will want to have done i.e. complete all the thing's you dislike or dread first to get them over with so you can enjoy the rest of your day!

Blog's to help you get moving:Productive MuslimThe Nest Effect Fly LadyOrganized Home

REMEMBER: There's no greater satisfaction than looking at your to-do list with everything crossed off!
“ Prepare for your hereafter needs as though you will die tomorrow and prepare for your worldly needs as though you will live forever.”

I will leave you with my favourite hadith. It has such meaning, taking us through different stages of our life. Imam Suhaib Webb explain's it in a such a great way: "This hadith summarises the phases which we may go through throughout life, youth, parenthood, middle age, old age. If we sit back and think, throughout these phases, we gain and lose. This hadith advises us, to take advantage of what is of it's highest during these phases, all aimed at; the worship of Allah SWT. "
The Prophet (saw) advised to: “Take benefit of five before five: Your youth before your old age, your health before your sickness, your wealth before your poverty, your free time before you are preoccupied, and your life before your death”(Narrated by Ibn Abbas and reported by Al Hakim)

The WWW - Link Love #2

2012-05-04T12:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

An Intimate Conversation With Suhaib Webb

An Intimate Conversation With Suhaib Webb from Mustafa Davis on Vimeo.

This one is for all those who force their personal islamic opinion's on other's, just because they do everyone has to do it too. Or those people who are fatwa fiend's. This talk and Q&A session is very interesting. I'd recommend it to all Muslim's searching to better themselves (which should be all of us!). After watching it, it was just one of those thing's where I wanted to share it with everyone! Subhanallah. I hope you enjoy the enlightenment, intelligence and modern approach of Imam Subhaib Webb.

Perfume dupe smell-a-like List

2012-05-01T10:00:00.000+01:00

Source

FRAGRANTICA is a great site for everything perfume, there's so much info and the reviews are great and even has the option to see smell-a-likes for other perfumes! This feature is a great tool for finding inexpensive alternative's. I know alot of women who enjoy smelling great for their partner but hate spending an extortionate price for a bottle of nice smelling water because there's so many other thing's which their money could go to (same here!). So I decided to collect information from around the web to help!
Just as the title say's the following list will contain perfume dupe's; the high end with cheaper alternative's. Afterall, it smells the same, it's just that designer brand's like to mock the consumer and mark up the product price just because it has their name on, which is quite naughty!!

Before that, I wanted to mentioned that if you prefer to use oil's rather than alcohol based spray's (which is the preferred method in Islam, so no alcohol enter's the body through the skin), here are some alternative's which are also made to smell like the high end brand's . Perfume oils for MEN

Perfume oils for WOMEN

Arabian Collection

If you'd like to see some reviews and recommendation's on the perfume oils by The Perfume Parlour (who trade under Base Notez on ebay), take a look here

I shall be making another post on way's to use perfume which doesn't suit your skin, but you still like the smell of and don't want to throw away! e.g. spraying a cotton wool ball and placing it inside of the vacuum bag/cylinder to make the house smell fresh whilst cleaning.
Stay tuned for that.

Perfume List

Next Just Pink - Ralph Lauren Romance
Next Diamonds - Miss Dior Cherie
Next Define - Giorgio Armani Lei (She)
Next Flowers = Marc Jacobs Daisy
Next Signature = Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
Next Rock Couture = Viktor & Rolf Flowerbomb
Next Gold - Yves Saint Laurent Cinema

River Island Perfect - Gucci Rush

Avon mark Earth = Chanel Cristalle

Lidl's Suddenly Madame Glamour = Channel Coco Mademoiselle (Yes, really! read the review below)

Shoppers turned their noses up at Coco Mademoiselle in favour of Lidl's Suddenly Madame Glamour

CHANEL has lost out in a smell test to a cut-price supermarket scent.
Ninety per cent of women in the test turned their noses up at £61 Coco Mademoiselle in favour of Suddenly Madame Glamour from Lidl at £3.99 for 50ml.
The test was carried out on a panel of 150 women by an independent expert.
John Bailey, founder of the Perfumers Guild, described Suddenly Madame Glamour as having “fresh citrus and floral notes merging to an alluring, exotic Oriental accord”.
He added that it was a “timeless, affordable and classic fragrance”.
The German owners of Lidl, at which sales have rocketed during the economic downturn, are now striving to keep up with demand.
Spokeswoman Georgina Hall said: “We’ve seen huge numbers flocking to stores.
“It shows a perfume doesn’t have to cost a bomb to make you feel instantly glamorous.”

Primark Bella - Marc Jacobs Lola
Primark Love & Kisses - Viktor and Rolf Flower Bomb

Poundland The Story of Rose = Dior Poison
Poundland Stitch No5 - Thierry Mugler Angel

M&S True Red - Hugo Boss Deep Red
M&S Azure Breeze - D&G Light Blue
M&S Isis - L'eau de Issey
M&S Sensuale = Chanel Allure
M&S Butterfly = Marc Jacobs Daisy & Armani Acqua di Gio
M&S Per Una Limited Edition = Chanel Coco Mademoiselle
M&S Inspire = Lacoste Pour Femme
M&S Perfection = Chanel Chance / coco chanel / Estee Lauder Pleasures
M&S Autograph New York = Chanel Allure
M&S Autography Blush = Lacoste Touch Of Of Pink

Jessica Simpson Fancy Love = Burberry Burberry Women
Avril Lavigne Wild Rose - Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy
Paris Hilton Fairy Dust = Juicy Couture Juicy Couture

Cacharel Noa - SJP (Sarah Jessica Parker) Lovely
Milton Lloyd Spirit of Heaven - Thierry Mugler Angel
Milton Lloyd Vogue - Chanel No. 5
Zara Collection Woman - Chanel ChanceZara Black Peony - Viktor & Rolf FlowerbombZara Rose - Dior J'Adore and Narciso Rodriguez For HerZara Silk - Chloe ChloeZara Texture Lilac - Thierry Mugler Angel Zara Woman Chocolate - Trussardi Trussardi Inside

Zara Iris - Paco Rabanne Lady Million

...
...

...and if you want to get Miss Dior Cherie for just £5, check out a little post I made and you may find a little golden nugget of information!

TTFN x

March & April Favourites

2012-04-30T10:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Event: Bird's of A Feather
You may remember it from the 90's or if you have seen old repeat's on Sky you know it's a British (Essex) comedy about two sister's and their neighbour. I went to the theatre with my Mum to see it as a stage show and it was a great night out. We had front row seat's and it was really funny!

Book: The Hunger Games
You need to read it.

Food: ArayesThis is one of my favourite Arabic food's. Here i have served my husband's with a little hummus, pickled pepper's and some sweet chilli sauce. If you've never had them, some people describe them as "arab style calzone's", but ive never had a calzone so I couldn't say if it is or isn't. However they are the most yummiest thing ever! (and i'm not just saying that because i made them hehe). They are thin mince meat patties in pitta bread. Keep your eye's peeled for my personal recipe coming soon! You don't want to miss them!

Vimeo Video: A conversation with Suhaib Webb

An eye-opening, refreshing talk from Imam Suhaib Webb. The Q&A session at the end is great too. A video for all who want to learn and become better Muslim's, focusing on our own deen, mind and soul rather than what everyone else is doing wrong (which is all too common on sites such as facebook, twitter and tumblr!)

A must watch, i regretted having this open in a tab on my browser for day's. PLEASE WATCH!

TV Show: HomelandYes, it's good, but it does have a few bad part's. It's another show which can be added to the "let's play on Ay-Rab & Moslem stereotypes" but we'll throw a "turned American solider" in just for good measure so they don't all hate us! However it is interesting and the story makes you want to know what happen's to keep you watching, so from that angle it make's a good show if the viewer want's to watch next week.IMO the main female role really isn't believable, i think they could have found someone a little better as some scenes which should be eerie and suspenseful are laughable. I don't know if it's because she's typecast in my mind as the girl in "shopgirl" or what. Then we have the stereotype's of Arab men; what? you aren't a terrorist??! oh, so that must mean you are a sex crazed Saudi prince! Which is highly funny with being married to an Arab! They also 'taught' the actor's arabic and Al-Fatiha (the first chapter in The Quran, recitation is required for praying), which should have been improved. Yes slip up on general Arabic lingo but when putting The Quran in a show: do it right, or not at all.In the UK we still have the finale of season 1 to see, and i hope it's good! If you can get over the fact that the main female lead is not as believable as expected and you can laugh off the silly stereotypes, it really is a good watch!

Treat: Head MassagerI cannot stress how good this feel's. You get so many tingles and you are instantly relaxed, it's best to get the other half to do it whilst relaxing on the sofa together. A fab inexpensive pamper session for £1! It's ah-mazing mashallah!

Beauty Product: Soap & Glory Hand FoodMy go-to hand cream, and it's PINK! What's not to love? My full review is here.

Movie: LimitlessI know i know, i've only just got around to watching this. We borrowed a friend's blu-ray dvd. It was actually the first blu-ray disc I had seen, which you might find surprising as my husband and I are movie nut's! Call us crazy but we weren't prepared to renew our DVD collection of around 400-500! Especially now that everything is moving to digital and technology is moving so much faster than before, it's only a matter of time when blu-ray will be out dated. None the less, the quality is outstanding, i'm happy i experienced it by watching a great film too. Great concept, actor's and story. Thumb's up! If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend it.

Thing: Car!
Yay, my first car :D Mashallah!! We got our first car this last month and the freedom has been amazing! Alhamdulilah, after all this time thinking we'd have to sacrifice getting our preferred choice of model we got a fab little brum that we are so happy with alhamdulilah. Feeling very blessed this month. We have been to my step sister's engagement party near Birmingham and I had a day to Rocester with my Mum. I still need to get my license inshallah but i'm one step closer!!

Youtube Videos: NYC vlogs.
Some of my favourite vlogger's went to New York and it got me really excited for my future trip to NYC! Technology today, you can be anywhere in the world whilst still sitting on your sofa!

Source

Snack Food: Chocolate chip brioche, mmmm!I personally just have these as a quick snack as they are easy to grab and are just enough to keep you going until you have lunch. I'm not too sure where they are from but it's possible that it's Tesco's as hubby was the last to do the shopping.

What are you loving this month?

Soap & Glory Hand Food Review

2012-04-27T11:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Hand Food (I love the name!)

After hearing the crazy hype about it, i had to try it. I was running low on my bargain find nivea "age defying" hand cream (which i found on offer in wilko's for around £1.30!) so needed something new.
Hand Food is the first product from Soap & Glory that i have tried and it's a fantastic place to start. It really does smell amazing, if you want to kill two bird's with one stone, use this instead of buying the Miss Dior Cherie perfume, as it smells so similar! It doesn't leave your skin greasy either, which for a cream of this price is very rare!
Hand Food has great quality packaging and does it's job so well. It's the type of cream where you don't have to re-apply 10 times a day. Sometimes I think companies create lotion's and potion's so your skin relies on them or dries your skin out more than before you applied the cream, making you buy more product (Nivea creme in the blue tub, being one of them!) I only need to use a tiny pea sized amount of Hand Food each time too, so i know this will last quite a while!

Money well spent!

Available in Boot's for £5 (125ml), which is more cost effective than the smaller handbag sized one for £2.50 when you only get 50ml (half the price of the bigger one but you don't get half the amount of product, you get less). I don't think the bigger size is that big to put in your handbag either, maybe that's just me. Choosing between the weight of my bag or getting more for my money; the latter always wins!

It's fast becoming my favourite hand cream.

Life List

2012-04-25T15:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Life list, bucket list: call it what you will, we should all have them.
Life goal's on the thing's we value most. Thing's we'd like to do, see, and experience. Some small and mundane to some or huge beyond belief but they all speak volume's to the list owner. Why i say we should all have them is because it's nice to dream, believe and achieve those thing's which make us happy. I guess it's just good old soul food.

Here is my list:

~~Marry the man of my dreams~~
~~Become a child care practitioner~~
~~Find the meaning to life~~
Have children
Memorise more chapter's of The Quran (preferably all of them inshallah)
Learn to drive

Perform and complete one of the five pillar's of Islam; Hajj
(Pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia)

Travel to Italy

Become a Midwife
Sky dive for charity

Own a macaw
Learn Italian
Visit the orphanages in Jordan and Palestine and do as much work physically possible for them

Write 1,00 things which i'm thankful for and turn it into canvas art

Ride in a helicopter

Go strawberry picking
Live abroad for at least a year
Learn fluent Arabic
Visit every country i've never been to

Explore a butterfly garden

Go to the big apple: New York City
Swim with dolphin's

Learn to knit
Go skiing in Switzerland
Create scrapbooks of photos, menus, tickets, tags...

Own my own chickens

Learn to ride a horse
Hold a leopard cub
See Coldplay perform LIVE

Read more than 12 novels in a year
Learn to cook more Arabic dessert's

Write my reversion story for my children to read

...

...

The Joys of Being A Cat Owner

2012-04-21T11:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

"GOOD MORNING!" This is the first thing i see when i open my eyes :)

Free wake up calls! Say goodbye to annoying alarm's, and say hello to being squished from paw kneading and nudged with a wet nose!

Mini Primark haul, it's surprising what you can find in there!

Kitty loves shopping too!

No, you cannot wash this right now!

Daily housework will be determined by the cat...

So this is what's in here!

...but he will try to help where possible!

I don't care if he was here first, terrirtory schmerritory!

You may have to be cat fight ringmaster, especially moving into the new neighbourhood!

If you're on your feet, you will lose your seat!

Tasbeeh kitty will join in with daily activities, including dhikr and...

I don't think this is a valid excuse to miss salah, do you?? ; )

...prayer!

What's your's is ours, what is kitty's, is kitty's!

Bath times are joyous occasion's...NOT.

Trying to make peace with catnip biscuit's. "Friends??" ...Nope!

What do you mean you (shreik!) don't (shreik!) like (shreik!) it?!

Spontaneous gift giving! Iventory: 1 Pigeon(!), 7 mice

...not forgetting the extensive floor cleaning!

Doesn't everyone sleep like this?!.......Thinking kitty is thinking.

What remote?! .................................King of the castle!

Having fun in the cat tree....................then time for bed Zzzzz!

You've got to love him!

(Cat) Food for thought:

Islam teaches Muslim's that, in relation to a cat:

the cat should not be sold for money or other traded goods
cats saliva is harmless unless the cat has "visible impurities" in the mouth
that Muslim's are free to live with cats but they must treat cats well, providing the cat with enough water and food and giving "roaming time" (a degree of freedom of movement)

Islam teaches Muslims to treat cats well and that the cat is a creature to be cherished and loved. Mistreating a cat is regarded as a severe sin in Islam and can lead to punishment as the story of the women who mistreated a cat and she went to hell for punishment.

Subhanallah cat's are amazing creature's that we are sometimes too quick to look over. You may have heard about how cat can improve your mood with their purring, click here to see how cat's can improve recovery of an injured person and much more. Allah akbar (God is great).

Hyacinth

2012-04-20T09:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
For a few year's the book 'The Hunger Games' has been sitting on my 'to-read' list. Along with another 200+ book's. When news was released that The Hunger Games was due to be made into a film, i made a point of trying to read it before i saw anything of the film, even the trailer. I found THG triology in The Work's for £7.99. Brilliant deal, because it would have cost more for used book's on Amazon! Although a few day's later, I saw them for £4.99 from The Book People (they still have that offer for anyone interested!), but oh well what's was done.
A few thing's about my Hunger Games experience
When i got the books home i opened the trilogy, and as you do with new book's: checked out the cover's, felt paper quality, and beamed with excitement as I was eager to finally read them!
But then, BIG mistake.

I turned over the second book of the series, read a few quotes' from other successful authors and then read something which pretty much gave away the main story of THG. After kicking myself a few times i desperately tried to forget what i read, failing miserably.
Not letting that get me down I read it. Within a day. It was so so so good! You will never truely know until you read it. Don't worry, this is a spoiler free zone! I hate when people spoil a good book/TV show/Movie for me so I wouldn't do that to you. I'm a huge believer that you should never judge a book by it's movie and I hate not reading the book before I see a movie. I'm also one of those people who find's it a little annoying when people completely disregard the book's and fan the films. They maybe great movies but that's generally because of the storyline and that it was a fantastically written book. When i bought THG books a man behind me said to his Mother "You know that movie that's coming out, it's a book too" ...as if to say now the movie is out they made a book for it, lol!

What's all this got to do with Hyacinth?? Well, my way of reading is skimming, i know other people read word for word, but i'm quite a fast reader. That doesn't mean i miss words/half the story out it just mean's my brain take's the sentence's in quicker. I remember my English teacher talking about this and asking why the class didn't read like that (like her) so it must just happen when you got older or generally read alot more. I should tell you that there is a character in the book's called Haymitch, so when this character first come into the story my brain, for some odd reason, registered it as Hyacinth. No matter how many times i went over and repeated 'Haymitch' my brain was pretty adamant with holding it's own, so for the majority of the story he was Hyacinth. Which is kind of funny if you know what type of character he is, lol! I guess it's a pretty similar word H then Y and ending in TH. ^_^
After all of that I still enjoyed it. Once I finished the book I rang my husband and I spoke about it for so long. Bless him, he listened and was happy that I was happy and enjoyed it. You know you're reading a great book when you have your own movie going on in your head. Delight, heartache, suspense are what great stories are made of, and this didn't fail!

I love the new hype and attraction toward's archery now, because the main female character is a dab hand with a bow and arrow! I love archery and have done it since i was young so I found that pretty cool :D
I'm currently in the middle of the second book of the trilogy "Catching Fire" and recommend them to ALL. Honestly, please do not be put off by the fact that THG is categorised under "young adult". A book is a book at the end of the day. You will be missing out on so many great book's if you only read what other's choose/decide what's best for you and your age group.
Have you read The Hunger Games? Share your thought's but please do not leave spoiler's(!)
"May the odds be ever in your favour!" - or as the Muslim's would say "Inshallah khair" : )
Peace.

DIY Lush Oatifix Natural Face Mask

2012-04-18T08:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I was recently browsing LUSH's website when I came across their face mask's. I generally stick to their more fun product's (bath ballistic's, massage bar's and bubble bar's) as i rarely have problematic skin to justify spending money on one of their face mask's.

I come across a highly rated face mask called Oatifix.
As I was checking the ingredient's (a habit of mine after creating the halal beauty product list) I thought to myself "I could make that!".
Oat's, banana's and almond's are the main ingredient's. I mentally scanned my cupboard's and realised that I normally have all those in, so i'm sure alot of you do too!

Here's what you will need:

A handful of oat's
1 fresh banana (mashed)
A few almond's
1 tbsp Honey
1 tbsp Olive/Coconut Oil (add an extra 1 if you have dry skin)

1. Quickly blitz the oat's and almond's so they are much finer. If you prefer your Faux-tifix more coarse then leave the the oat's be, but you will need to smash the almond's up quite a bit! If you don't have a food processor then you can use a sandwich bag and bash them with a rolling pin or whatever is at hand! :D

2. Mix all ingredients together. FUN!

3. Place in the fridge for 30 minute's. BOOO! Use this time to pamper another part of your body and cleanse your face in preparation to get the full benefit's of your natural face mask!

4. Remove from fridge and gently massage the face mask into your face (where else?!). Don't forget to include your lip's!

5. Rinse with warm water after 15 minute's (as much as you will be tempted, don't lick it off!). As you rinse you can rub the mask off in circular motion's and the oat's and almond's will work as an exfoliator too!

6. Towel dry (pat, never rub!)

7. Admire your lovely pampered skin!

If you prefer the real deal

I'm not sure how much this would cost you (mere pence maybe), but i don't think it would be anywhere near the price of £5.75/75g from LUSH!

33 Dawah Idea's For Women

2012-04-17T12:00:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Women play a major role in the construction and reformation of society. InshAllah, sister's in Islam can take some idea's from these tip's.

Start islamic classes or book club's in the home; spreading the teaching's of Islam to neighbour's and friend's

Offer tasty meal's to neighbour's (or family, if you are a revert) with a card mentioning hadith, ayah's of The Quran or an inspirational quote from a trusted scholar

Start a blog or website and post islamic information and reminder's

Supporting, helping and encouraging your husband to continue dawah work

Create a support group for revert sister's in the mosque or islamic centre

Start an SMS/Email/Facebook network to share useful reminder's

When out in public, act as a Muslim should. Don't tell them you're a Muslim, show them. You may want to research characteristic's and manner's of a Muslimah or read The Ideal Muslimah first.

Have patience and listen. Especially if you are a revert yourself you know how long your personal journey took so take it easy on other's inshAllah.

Hand out dawah leaflet's and booklet's via iERA, One Reason Dawah gift box, IPCI or The Dawah Package at the women's gym, to parent's on the school playground...or even leave a few on the bus/train for people to stumble upon

Continue dawah if you are blessed to witness a person revert. Reverting is not the end of the road for them, it is actually a crucial part, the beginning of a new chapter in their life so do not leave them hanging thinking they can teach themselves now. They are not just a number, fear Allah SWT and keep in contact with them.

Watch YouTube Video's to improve your dawah skill's

To read more tip's, make sure to download the free PDF by Umm 'Eesaa here.

Back to basic's ~ Hijab

2012-04-15T11:30:00.000+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

When an action becomes something of the norm, it's always healthy to revise or in some cases; go back to basic's.
You'll find teacher's attending additional training courses, although qualified and sportsmen and women reviewing their latest game.
A great example is when Tiger Wood's changed his swing even after winning the Master's, in search of self improvement, something the Japanese call Kaizen.

So when you think you are doing something great, remember that there's always a chance you could be doing it even better! Revision also help's you to realise unintentional mistake's/habit's that you may have picked up on the way so you can nip them in the bud as soon as possible.

This bring's me to the topic of Hijab. In recent year's it has become more common for women to wear hijab as a fashion statement, which is the wrong intention. Or severe cases where women remove the hijab as an act of feminism. The last is very confusing because if she understood the correct definition of feminism, they would be an advocate of Hijab. Worse still is when people take part's of the Quran out of context in arguement against hijab e.g. "Allah is beautiful and Allah loves beauty" is a line i've heard for women to force themselves to believe that they can remove hijab or beautify themselves with hijab on, going against the command's of Allah SWT. Deep down i'm sure these women know that their arguement is in fact invalid, it's a clear sign of weak iman.

Here are a few thing's to remember:

Intention - before leaving the house alway's ask yourself who you are dressing for. Are you dressing to please your creator, or to please the created? Are you using the clothes Allah SWT blessed you with to worship him correctly?

You may feel great because you are wearing the latest trendy blouse, but if it's see-through, there will be no barakah or reward in it. A fellow Muslimah once said "if you cannot pray in your outfit then you should not be leaving the house in it." which i find so true!

{QURAN 24:31} ~ Tell the believing men to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.). That is purer for them. Verily, Allâh is All-Aware of what they do.

{QURAN 24:31} ~ And tell the believing women to lower their gaze (from looking at forbidden things), and protect their private parts (from illegal sexual acts, etc.) and not to show off their adornment except only that which is apparent (like palms of hands or one eye or both eyes for necessity to see the way, or outer dress like veil, gloves, head-cover, apron, etc.), and to draw their veils all over Juyubihinna (i.e. their bodies, faces, necks and bosoms, etc.) and not to reveal their adornment except to their husbands, their fathers, their husband's fathers, their sons, their husband's sons, their brothers or their brother's sons, or their sister's sons, or their (Muslim) women (i.e. their sisters in Islâm), or the (female) slaves whom their right hands possess, or old male servants who lack vigour, or small children who have no sense of the shame of sex. And let them not stamp their feet so as to reveal what they hide of their adornment. And all of you beg Allâh to forgive you all, O believers, that you may be successful.

Hijab is obligatory for all Muslim's: FACT. Did you notice that Men were told before women? Even though there is more focus on women's hijab than men's hijab these day's.

Interesting, isn't it?

NOTE: the feet are not exempt from this requirement. If you are wearing a shoe where the foot is on show (ballet flats, sandal's etc) remember to wear opaque socks/tights. Ladies, please also remember that that part of your arm from your elbow to your wrist is part of your awrah too, let's keep it covered up! Modesty sleeves are great for Muslim women who wear short sleeves or have wide abaya sleeves, because if we are going to do it, let's do it right inshallah, to gain the most reward's.

Niqab is optional and entirely up to the woman if she chooses to wear it, the above refer's to the part's of the awrah that are obligatory to cover.

We have all seen the Muslimah Fashion Faux Pas of women in hijab out in public wearing the most tightest jeans in the world which leaves very little to the imagination. It isn't pretty, and if the public can guess what dress size you are, it pretty much voids the whole point of hijab.

It also look's desperate, like you are trying too hard to please some random person rather than Allah SWT. It send's mixed signal's to non Muslim's also. Same goes for the chest area, let's keep it loosely covered inshallah.

If you have to wear tight clothes, cover it up with a jilbab/abaya/long coat.

This is pretty straight forward, although there has been a recent surge in sheer fashion. Steer clear of it ladies, as it mean's one of two things: you won't be covered correctly demonstrating a slave to fashion rather than a slave of Allah SWT or you will have that many unnecessary layers on trying to cover up you will be on the verge of over-heating.

Not pretty.

Avoid.Avoid. Avoid.

The only way of using a sheer hijab is if (and it's a big if) you can wrap it enough times for it to become opaque :)

This include's the dreaded camel hump hijab *shudders*.

You have seen it in hadith with a strong warning, so why do you insist on stuffing your hijab with random knick-knack's?? (flower clips on steroid's, shower puff's/ fleur de douche, loofah's...seriously??). The weight really isn't healthy on your hair or scalp. What a (literal) pain in the neck all that extra weight must be.

It was reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “There are two types of the people of Hell that I have not seen yet: men with whips like the tails of cattle, with which they strike the people, and women who are clothed yet naked, walking with an enticing gait, with something on their heads that looks like the humps of camels, leaning to one side. They will never enter Paradise or even smell its fragrance, although its fragrance can be detected from such and such a distance.” (Narrated by Ahmad and by Muslim in al-Saheeh).

This is a saheeh hadith which was narrated by Muslim. More info.

It's really unnecessary, inconvenient (one girl couldn't lie back in the dentist's chair properly and had to remove her flower clip - how cringe worthy is that?) and look's alien and ugly. Who want's to go for the Professor Quirrell (Harry Potter reference) look?? as it looks like there's another head under there(!)

If you know what's good for you: Avoid. Avoid. Avoid.

I wish I could help more Muslimah's understand the last point. It might take a while for some as it's about confidence and knowing your own self but Muslim women need to know that they have something no one else does, and that's Islam. We are working for something far better than any fashion trend of the dunya, something much more worth while!

We have been informed about the best possible way to dress as Muslim women, who are we to say otherwise? The women around the Prophet (peace be upon him) dressed within these guideline's so who are we to say that they are not for us?!

For every Muslimah who takes their step's in wearing hijab correctly, i'm so proud of you! I know it can sometimes be a struggle and take a little time but with the correct sincere intention's you will make it inshallah. If I and million's of other Muslimah's can do it, then i'm sure you can too!

I wanted to leave you with a little letter, from sister to sister.

"Dear Sister. I know it's hard. I know you look at the picture's of the model's and the celebrities and wonder why you can’t go out and look like them. I know it physically hurts to sometimes refrain yourself from plucking those brow's or to put on that hijab and abaya. I know how it feels when your best friends are extremely pretty (Mashallah) in the latest fashion's and you’re standing next to them, feeling like you're missing out. I know how much complement's and attention can light up your face. I know sometimes you have to give up being able to wear a certain thing because it isn’t appropriate. I know it gets hard to walk outside with no make up on, with your natural face, thinking it’s not good enough and all of your flaws are showing. I know.

You know what else I know? I know you’re beautiful, regardless of what you think of yourself. I know that even the slightest inclination of pleasing Allah in yourself increases that beauty ten-fold and I know that when Allah finds you beautiful, it’s all that matters. You’re not doing this for the world, remember? You’re not even doing it for yourself. Allah SWT knows your struggle's and is most kind.

Imagine your beauty on the first day you step into Jannah(!) when your face would be glowing and radiant with noor (light), when you would be more beautiful than the hoor and you would realize that this world (the dunya) really wasn’t worth anything at all!

Keep strong and focused on your goal, nothing worth having ever come for free ; )

Dear sister, I’m proud of you."

The A-Z of Me

2012-03-25T14:19:00.002+01:00

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Source

Care to join me in an 'A-Z of me' tag?
You can join in by replacing my answers with your own on your blog.

Age: 23, where on Earth does the time go? D:

Bed Size: King, with a lovely (almost too good as you don't want to leave) memory foam mattress which is now dubbed 'the cloud'.

Chore you Hate: Ironing! Give me yuck and gunk to clean and it won't phase me, thanks to working with children, but ironing drives me up the wall.

Dogs: German Shepherd. Growing up we had so many different breed's but I always remember Zoe and my mum told me of the time when my parent's brought me home from the hospital and the neighbour's come round to look at the new bundle of joy. Zoe give a little growl as she lay next to my pram as to say, "back off, you hurt her and you'll know about it" they are so protective and loyal but sadly, year's later, she had to be put down as she had a tumour up her nose on her brain, something which i hear is unfortunately common for German Shepherd dog's.

Essential start of your day: Having wudu and praying the morning prayer, Fajr.

Favourite Colour: Purple, or blue, pink...any really i don't have a favourite at the moment

Gold or Silver: Gold

Height: 5"8

Instruments I play: Do the ones you learn in school count? Recorder and flute I knew well and can play all the way down the flute. I had one lesson of violin and played with the string's of a guitar a few times. I don't play anything now.

Job Title: Human's do love a title don't they! I can't put my self under one thing really. First and foremost, in the long run i'm a Muslimah, next i'm qualified as a child care practitioner but at the moment i'm currently a lady of leisure thanks to my amazing husband!

Kids: Inshallah khair

Live: Staffordshire, which is smack bang in the middle of England if you are unsure.

Mum's name: Mum ;D see what i did there??

Nickname: Shelly (from my old christian name Michelle) or just Yara, there are others which my husband calls me but im not going to share those with the world! (such a tease!) ...oh and i know im in trouble if my husband call's me Michelle hehehe! I'm pretty sure it's the equivalent of parent's calling a child by their full names!

Pet Peeve: when people stand way too close to you when you are in a queue, you aren't going to get there any faster Mr! Back off out of my bubble! General lack of hygiene really creeps me out too, especially when you know that person has adequate access to water on tap (quite literally) oh and people who bend the rules of Islam, making the haram halal and vice versa, gahh!

Quote from a movie: There's too many, you all know i'm a movie buff, here are a few:

"I hate the way you talk to me, and the way you cut your hair.

I hate the way you drive my car, I hate it when you stare.
I hate your big, dumb combat boots and the way you read my mind.
I hate you so much it makes me sick — It even makes me rhyme.
I hate the way you're always right. I hate it when you lie.
I hate it when you make me laugh — Even worse when you make me cry.
I hate it when you're not around. And the fact that you didn't call.

But mostly I hate the way I don't hate you — Not even close, not even a little bit, not even at all." - 10 Thing's I hate about you

"You know what I’ve noticed? Nobody panics when things go “according to plan.” Even if the plan is horrifying! If, tomorrow, I tell the press that, like, a gang banger will get shot, or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics, because it’s all “part of the plan.” But when I say that one little old mayor will die, well then everyone loses their minds! Introduce a little anarchy. Upset the established order, and everything becomes chaos. I’m an agent of chaos. Oh, and you know the thing about chaos? It’s fair!" - The Dark Knight

"It's not just a bag, it's Prada!" - White Chick's

"supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!!" - Mary Poppin's

And pretty much all the lyric's to "Colours of the wind" - Pocahontus

Right or left handed: Lefty

Siblings: 3 brother's

Time you wake up: Fajr time.

Underwear: What about it?? :p

Vegetables you dislike: I don't think there are any that I dislike..? Maybe radishes, i'm not too fond of those

What makes you run late: AST: Arab standard time(!) It must have rubbed off on me from the husband, as i was always punctual

X-rays you've had done: Only on my teeth and ultrasound's, as they are in the same department afterall

Yummy food you make: Anything and everything, i must be blessed in that area as everyone enjoy's my cooking mashallah ^_^

Zoo animal: Tiger, Rawr! But i generally like all mammal's a zoo has to offer! :)

Today's post was Inspired by Lousie of Sprinkle of Glitter, if you don't follow or subscribe to her go have a wander as she's very funny and seem's like a really lovely person : )

The Hidden Art of Islam

2012-03-19T11:30:00.000Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

With having always been interested in the many expression's of art and a revert to Islam still having the passion to soak up any piece of information i can get about my religion I had to watch "The Hidden Art of Islam". It was shown on BBC4 last Thursday (still available on iplayer if you click the link), presented by Rageh Omaar who you may remember from "The Life Of Muhammad" (SAW) last year. I thought the beginning was a little slow but after about 20 minutes it picked up and overall it was a great show. The only thing which put me off it was the lack of "peace be upon him"'s or "salallahu alayhi wa salam"'s when mentioning our respected Prophet Muhammad SAW. I also noticed him trying to make thing's 'darker' than they need to be. Yes, we do not portray our Prophet's or Allah SWT in caricature's out of utmost respect, there's no need to make a drama over it, but afterall it was aired on the beeb and i guess they can't show anything about Muslim's without adding the depressive propaganda theme to it, it's a good job the true beauty of Islam shone through. :)

I enjoyed learning about modern Islamic art over the older illustration's however i appreciate the history behind them. The show also covered the Hajj exhibition which is open in London at the moment in the British Museum. The exhibition display's an array of artist's using magnetism, stamps, needle work and more. The MICA (modern islamic and contempory art) gallery also had an appearance which is how i found out about our sister Nurjan who work's with swarovski crystal's and other types of media to create such pretty, sparkly, eye-catching pieces mashallah.

It was amazing to learn more about The Quran too, not just the content behind the chapter's but how each word is presented in Arabic calligraphy and that each part is measured mathematically to fit the line neatly and perfectly. Subhanallah, The Quran has endless wonder's, a true sign of our Creator, one God, Allah Subhana wa tala. It also covered the geometry, symmetry (the only section of maths i like!) and arabesque used to create Islamic art masterpieces, old and new alike. If you enter a mosque one of the first thing's you notice would be the art and decor. Go to one of the larger more known mosque's and you could be standing there for a good while whilst it swallow's you up. It is true art, and a real show of talent. I actually use the blue mosaic of the dome of rock mosque as my cover picture for my Facebook! It's just beautiful, and my laptop wallpaper is of the declaration of faith calligraphy that you see on the Saudi Arabian flag with a modern feminine twist with floral/henna type design around it.

This programme just furthered my love of Islamic art even further Alhamdulilah.
If you missed it and have an interest in art or Islam, you won't be let down!

Here are some other great pieces of inspiration under the umbrella of 'islamic art':

Source

Stunning work by Saudi artist Ahmed Mater (featured in 'The Hidden Art of Islam') inspired by pilgrims flocking to Mecca. It’s actually a magnet attracting thousands of iron fillings.

Inspirational Muslim Sportswomen!

2012-03-12T06:10:00.000Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

It's going to be a short one today. Here are my favourite Muslimah's in sport, who are pretty fab mashallah!

Najmeh Abtin {Archery} - She's an Iranian muslimah who is famous for archery and also an olypmian in 2008 Beijing! I quite like archery as i was introduced to it by my Dad when i was about 7 (i think!) and once got a bronze medal for it :) It is also one sport which our Prophet Muhammad encouraged the learning of, making it a Sunnah thing to do.

EDIT: Why didn't anyone tell me about Katniss of "The Hunger Games"? I only had the chance to read the book just yesterday, in less than a day i had read it cover to cover. If you are not familiar Katniss (who is the main female character in the book) is an Archer, not for sport but for survival. It makes me so happy that is has made more people look into and try out the sport *big smile*.But can I just say, I was an archer before it become fashionable ;)

Marjan Kalhor {Skiing} She's also an Iranian muslimah who performed at the winter olympic's 2010 in Vancouver, Canada! I stumbled across her by chance when I was researching ski holiday's and the thing's one would need to buy etc. I like it when thing's like that happen. The beauty of the internet :D

Blog find: Muslim Women in Sport's
An insightful blog which post's about Muslimah's in an array of sport's and the topic's affecting their skill, it's very interesting and quite inspirational. I have been following them for a couple year's but never shared it until now.

What is your favourite sport??

January & February Favourites!

2012-03-01T00:38:00.000Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Lecture
Nouman Ali Khan - "Sin's of the tongue". I enjoy listening to islamic reminder's and his lecture's are always easy on the ear's. This video is a must see for anyone. You'd be surprised at how many thing's we do without even realising it. Sometime's from our own heart's and other are whisper's from you know who, audoobilah. I really believe that if we all improved in this area of communication the place would be alot better to live in. You and I both know that a few word's which come out of a person's mouth can either put you off them forever or make you want to be their BFF!
It's only 15 minute's long so don't forget to hit play and share with your family and friend's afterward's. If you aren't reflecting at the end of it, then you must know something is wrong(!)

TV
Call the Midwife - A BBC period drama set in 1950's east end London. Based on the book of the same name by Jennifer Worth. I enjoyed the whole series. It was in 6 part's and very detailed and I enjoyed the different stories of each family but most of all the practice of the midwives themselves. Comedienne Miranda Hart also had a role in it from part two along with a few other familiar face's. The only problem I had with it was that I found out it was based on a book when i was already sucked into it. I love to read a book before it's turned into something on screen. How i hadnt heard about it before now amazes me also!

Dancing on ice - one of my favourite shows which i always look forward to watching each year. I like how they have changed it around this time. One of the best moment's was when Christina Perri sang "Jar of Heart's" whilst Jane Torvill and Christopher Dean skated. Pure bliss. I had it recorded on sky and repeated it Allah knows how many times! Amazing talent shown by each of them. Intricate skating moves that they make look so incredibly easy, drawing the emotion from the song, it was just spectacular. I kept on watching their skate's through the dry ice and each time i saw it i saw something new. They really are very talented. I loved every part of it even down to the end when Chris smiles at Jane hehe. Why aren't they married?!
I found it on youtube, Enjoy!

The worst moment's so far have been Jennifer kicking herself in the head with the point of her blade - ouch! and Jorgie cut Matt's face right inbetween the eyes with her blade! Ouch! What was surprising is how professional they were after each accident happened, Jennifer completed her skate and Matt lowered Jorgie down like a true gent - i would have dropped her tbh! Phillip Schofield said on This Morning that the surgeon who operated on Matt was the same one who parted some conjoined twin's and he sewed his head up from the inside (however that's done!) subhanallah. So he's been told there won't be a scar..."have you been injured in an accident at work?" ;)

Book
Martina Cole - The Take - After reading other book's of hers i decided to read this one. It's not her latest, it's quite an old book.. It has some dark theme's to it like many others so it's probably not everyone's cup of tea. However I have only read the first few chapter's so can't say much more about it. Only that i need to get back into as it's been sitting there for a couple of week's now!

Food
McVitie's Chocolate Digestives - need i say more? : )

Movie
Harry Potter DH Prt 2 - Yes I finally watched it the other week. Having read all the book's and feeling rather diappointed in the screen play's as they miss so much detail and event's out made me not run to the cinema on it's opening night. I finally got round to watching with my husband, and a good job too! Did you see that snake? D: The film was actually quite good, very exciting and moving in part's. It had the odd lol moment which was good too. However i'm still and alway's will be a book person.

Beauty Product
The Raspberry Kiss Body Scrub by Treacle Moon - I highly recommend it. It works wonder's on my pore's, smells great, and doesn't contain any nasties!

BTW who do you want to win Dancing on Ice if you watch it? I like Chemmy but i think it's going to be out of the usual top 3: Jorgie, Matthew and Chico.

FebPhoto's - So long farewell...

2012-02-29T11:00:00.000Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Here are the last photo's of February. I wasn't able to take a photo everyday because i have had the flu. Inshallah i wish to continue the 365 project to Feb 2013.

Everyone need's a comforter! One of my favourite lush product's, great for a soothing bubble bath!

I used an android app called "Photo Art" to create this effect.

My hot water bottle, a must have item for getting better!

Whilst ill i ate weetabix with honey and sliced banana with warmed milk, it was like childhood in a bowl!

After so long the sun decided to put his hat on. A lovely blue sky with the odd cloud was much needed after being stuck in the house unable to move for so long. It's amazing how the sun can warm the soul and makes everything better :D

I made this on the "Keep Calm" android app, after experiencing some unwanted attention i thought it would be the simplest of thing's that people need reminding of.

The latest from Cadbury just had to be tried out!

Spotted this on a loaf of bread! I never even thought to check bread before! So does that mean other bread isn't halal? Odd.

This is what happen's when our olive and tomato omelette decide's to be a rebel and not be a circle(!)

A lovely body butter which smells devine! I highly recommend it!

Review coming soon!

This is Coldplay on The Simpson's, i'm so happy they won best group at the Brit's this past week. It means they are the only band to win it 3 times! Well deserved i must say!

Techie Tuesday ~ Islamic App's 4 U

2012-02-28T11:30:00.000Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Technology can be a wonderful thing if we use it for good. So this week's edition focuses on my favourite islamic app's which you too may find useful. All are tried and tested as i've been blessed to have used different mobile phone's either through work or personal use (android, apple, blackberry and window's).
All app's mentioned are free, unless otherwise stated. I rarely pay for app's because there are so many great freebies available! I always recommend searching for new app's as they are a great way to help our daily live's - islam related or not.
ANDROID
iQuran - 3/5 star'sThis is the mini version, if you want the full version (iQuran Pro) you need to pay. This app is the only free app with English translation. If you can read and understand Arabic then 'Quran Android' would be better suited. I like using this app for a quick reference and occasionally when i'm out and about.
Time4Salat 4.5/5 star'sDubbed the 'Muslim's swiss knife', this is one of my favourite android app's. I remember when i first had my HTC Sensation XL I told everyone with an android phone to install it! It has salah times local to your area, qibla direction and adhan. You can change the adhan to other notification sound's which can be useful because you wouldn't want it going off whilst your phone is in your bag in a public bathroom (as it's disrespectful to utter the word of Allah in the bathroom). The only problem that I have found is that is force closes when you don't acknowledge the previous notification, but i can live with that and i'm sure it will be fixed in a new update.

99 Name's of Allah 5/5 star'sAgain, really useful and easy to learn the 99 name's of Allah SWT. You view the arabic, translation and meaning and on top of that you hear the audio for correct pronunciation. The arabic script is clear too, so you can copy each one down on a post-it and stick them around the room for easy memorisation! Subhanallah!
Salaah: The Muslim Prayer 5/5 star'sThe app is great for learning how to pray. It's almost like the A-Z of salah, from intention to wudu, ghusl, when to pray, call to prayer, the breakdown of the prayer, number of fard and sunnah rakat - all with Arabic script, English translation and transliteration, not forgetting the diagram's of stance and position in salah. It's a fab little app for a revert's to learn how to pray correctly or born Muslim's refreshing their deen and revising their prayer inshallah.
Guidance 3/5 star'sThis app is a bit of a mash up of previous app's mentioned however this app has hadith (including Bukhari & Muslim) and a 'library' where you get the "Stories of the Prophet's" book to read on your device. In my area it's a little temperamental but if you install it, it may work better for you. If you prefer to have everything all in one then you may like this better.
Zabihah 3.5/5 star'sIt's a halal restaurant, market and mosque finder app. It uses your phones location to search for local registered halal establishment's and may find a few hidden gem's you didn't know about. This app is available on other phone platform's, so if you aren't an android user have a search for it on your phone.
Tasbeeh 4/5 star'sThere are many apps entitled 'Tasbeeh' on the android market so I have linked to the search page. However after downloading a few I feel that the 'Tasbeeh with actual experience' is my favourite. You can slide the bead down the string of the masbaha by swiping your finger down the screen of the phone. It has a little reminder at the bottom of the screen too. I found some of the others a little restricting to use so I settled with this one. Another reason why I like this way is because you can see the amount of time's you have hit it, which can be really satisfying and just encourage's me further, alhamdulilah.

BLACKBERRY
Salat MK 3/5 star'sThis is only app I found to work correctly on my old blackberry. Includes different notification sound's. It's a pretty basic app but does it's job.
Halal Food Guide 5/5 star'sAn invaluable tool to use whilst out food shopping to check labelled ingredients. It also includes E-number's and highlights each item in a different colour to co-ordinate with the key. Green for halal, purple for dependable and red for haram. I recommend this app alot. I just hope they bring something similar to android soon!

IPHONE
iSalam: Salah Times
iSalam: Qibla compass
I downloaded both of these app's on my husband's phone. He said he hasn't had a problem with them and to be honest they were the only apps that looked legit on the Apple app store. You just have to set them up before you can use them so it picks up your location but it's pretty straight forward.

WINDOWS
Al Qur'an (£0.79) - 5/5 star'sWorth the money, really useful and very easy to use. I used this app on a HTC Trophy.

Do you have any favourite islamic app's?? Please share in the comment's below : )

Modest Fashion Monday ~ Personal Fashion Style

2012-02-27T11:30:00.000Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Source

My personal fashion style:

Feminine

Simplistic

I'm all for simple, clean cut, no faff style's. I can't stand busy or clashing pattern's and OTT garment's or accessory over-load.
Conservative
Comfortable

I feel my best when i'm comfortable, not worrying about if something is uncovered and i can focus on the task at hand or just relax instead of forever adjusting a garment. For example, clutch bag's, what are they all about?? They are just a pain to carry around and personally i don't like not having my hand's free.
Modest
Chic
I never dress in sweat's in public and alway's make an effort as I feel better for it. If you look good, you feel good. Also I feel you should respect other's around you as they are the ones who have to see you. For example, these women who wear short short's with Ugg boot's are offensive to the eye's. Just because you are "proud" of you body doesn't mean you should flaunt it around to put people of their dinner, respect your self and cover it up. The same goes for larger women who still think they can fit into size 6, i beg you, it need's to stop. If you dress for your size and shape (pear, apple, straight, hour-glass..) and you will look a whole lot better.
...ME!
When it comes to 'fashion' identity is one thing which is lost. Some may say the opposite but although people think fashion and dress give you an identity, people following fashion's isn't unique. One thing which I highly consider a fashion 'faux pas' is when women or men will rush out to buy the latest 'in' thing but not even think to check if it suit's them. You all know what I mean, those people who look really proud to be in with the trend's but as hard as they try they just look misplaced and a little desperate. I don't care if it's Ralph Lauren (or any other designer) if it look's like something the cat wouldn't even sleep on!
One thing about me is that I will only wear what I want to wear, not what other's think is cool. If i wear something that is 'in' then that will be pure coincidence. So when I say "i love fashion", it's true but i just dislike how it is taken out of context with this 'sheep' behaviour as everyone start's to look like each other. Just last week there was a quote made by Vivienne Westwood who is responsible for a British fashion institution:
"Everyone looks the same and their clothes have never been so ugly..."
which personally, i believe is down to the disposable fashion culture, largely due to Primark. Investing in higher priced garment's will not only last longer but will stay as key wardrobe pieces for a while as you generally save more as you aren't paying over and over for cheap item's that don't even last two washes. This said, I don't avoid Primark, as you can find some good offer's, but what you have to do is find your own style and pick garment's suited to you.
You can mix high street and high end, it's just about how you feel. I'm one to turn down designer for high street if it looks hideous, why pay for something that you don't like? Just to boast about how much it is? I mean if that is your intention then you fell off the fashion boat a long time ago.
Also I will not be made to feel guilty about continuing to wear something when it is believed to be "out of fashion", as i won't be sucked into consumerism. I paid for it, i like it, it's comfortable and if that's your concern any fashionista know's, all thing's come back into 'fashion' at one time or another anyway, so why waste?
Fashion comes and goes, but style is forever!
What's your Personal Fashion Style?

Want for others what you want for yourself!

2012-02-24T13:00:00.000Z

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

We all know the famous hadith where the Prophet (S.A.W) said “none of you truly believes until he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself”,but do we really understand what this hadith is saying??

This hadith really goes along way in the aspect of how we should view one another as muslims. This hadith is telling us that as muslims it is a part of our faith to want good for our fellow muslims. Today, however, it seems that muslims are not unifying, rather they are finding ways to break apart. The first thing that a muslim can do to break apart from another muslim is to wish evil on him/her. This is a religion of peace and prosperity so there should be no reason why we as muslims should hate one another or wish misfortune upon each other.

When we don’t take the time out to think about our fellow muslims, then the door for arrogance is wide opened. Arrogance is from shaytaan. It is one of his many tools that he uses to make us muslims go astray and arrogance is despised by Allah. Allah does not like the person who is prideful and boastful in a negative way. There is nothing wrong with a person feeling good about themselves, but one should be careful as to not let it become arrogance. Practicing the above mentioned hadith can be a cure for arrogance.

When we make Dua for others we are becomming less self-centered, it shows Allah that we also have in mind the best interest for our muslim brothers and sisters. This is important for our well-being as muslims. When we make dua for our fellow muslims, then the angels make dua for us the same thing we are asking for someone else. For example, if I pray for my friend to be successful in this life and in the hereafter, then the angels will ask Allah to make me successful in this life and the hereafter as well. Subhanallah, this is a mercy from our Lord. Allah did not make us to hate one another and despise one another. Allah tells in the Qur’an in various chapters that the muslims should be nothing but brethren. I know some of you are thinking what if a muslim does me wrong? We should still wish good on that person and even more so ask Allah to forgive that person and guide him/her away from error.

Islam is a beautiful religion, I am asking my fellow muslims to help keep it a beautiful religion by uniting with one another and practicing this hadith. Qala Rasulillahi, “None of you truly believes untill he wishes for his brother what he wishes for himself.

Taken from this blog post, it's a shame that this is the only one as there is some great info and logic here. I was going to include it in 'The WWW' but thought it deserved it's own post.