You Should Celebrate Holloween If...

1. You are a Pagan
2. You want to honor Samhain, the Celtic "lord of death"
3.You are interested in entertaining evil spirits who demand a feast and sweets
4. You are certain that if you don't entertain these spirits, they will reak havoc on you for a year to come
5. October 31st is your New Years Eve.
6. You need to thank the sun god for providing a good harvest
7. Sacrificing animals if fun
8. You would like to dress your child up as an animal because you know human spirits live in animals
9. You want to bob for apples to see into the future
10. You just can't stand the fact that ole' drunken Jack will lose his way to a final resting place if you don't carve a scary face in a pumpkin and put a candle in it!

Most people don't believe in any of this nonsense, yet they still celebrate. Why? Because it's fun? Because you don't want your kids to be left out? Educate your family on the real meaning of Holloween and perhaps it won't appear so appealing. Sometimes we choose ignorance over knowledge because we think it is easier, but is it? Perhaps it will be easy to free our minds by corrcting our actions. Say no to Halloween and other ridiculous holidays.

Guidance From the Quran

"When it is said unto them, 'Come to what Allah has revealed, come to the Messenger,' they say, 'Enough for us are the ways we found our fathers following.' What! Even though their fathers were void of knowledge and guidance?" (Qur'an 5:104)

"Has not the time arrived for the believers, that their hearts in all humility should engage in the remembrance of Allah and of the Truth which has been revealed to them? That they should not become like those to whom was given the Book aforetime, but long ages passed over them and their hearts grew hard? For many among them are rebellious transgressors." (Qur'an 57:16)

Puberty on facebook.com

 Yes, I have a facebook profile. I have a love/hate relationship with facebook.com. I love being able to stay in touch with family and friends who I would have otherwise lost contact because they are not in my immediate circle. I also find it cool to be able to connect with people I have never met who share similar interest. We can join forums, share knowledge or even support revolutions!

However, there are many very troubling aspects of facebook. To keep this post short, I will focus on just one: teens and preteens growing up IN FRONT OF THE WORLD. Teens, perhaps more-so than adults, happen to be very trustworthy of social networking sites. I suppose that is because of two elements:

1. They grew up in this digital world, and so facebook to them would be what my diary and photo album was to me as a teenager.

 2. Teens are naïve due to an immature brain (literally) and lack of experience in life.

I am constantly in awe at the gull teens have when posting on their statuses their personal business, photos and grotesque language. I’m the first to admit I was NO ANGEL as a teen. But only a handful of friends were a witness to my behavior. All of the incidents were isolated by time and the number of people who knew. The only way my parents or any gown up could find out about my mischief, was if someone told on me, and then it would still be their word against mine. But with facebook, the information is out there, and is owned by facebook.com. Any status update can be used against you, whether it’s now of in the future.

Facebook has revolutionized growing up. Many times I have checked my homepage and seen grotesque language and pictures posted by youth who are either my family or acquaintances. Other times, the postings are not grotesque, but they are deeply personal. They say things that I know the young person would not want thousands of people to know. But the truth is, unless you only have a friend list only of people you talk to on an everyday basis, you should not post these type of things because facebook’s privacy is very NOT private. Ever Google your name and see your profile pic? Even with the security settings, we must be more aware.

And it’s not just teens. I was just thinking how I’ve been “friending” a lot of Muslim Sisters – at least they say they’re Muslim sister hmm? - on my page. I do not personally know most of these sisters, yet they can view pictures of my baby shower and 2010 vacation. Would I show a stranger my hardcopy photo album? No, I would not. But I figure since I’m covered up, it okay. But, is it okay? Or is it just the norm that we’ve gotten used to in this digital age where private is now public and public is worldwide?

Food for thought.

Spiritual Growth

Have you been reciting the same four surahs of the Quran or Biblical passages for the past ten years? Have you been using the same hadith to defend a certain thing you do/ do not do since you started practicing Islam? Are you a Christian that has never been to a different church and never met new people who may worship the Lord differently than you? Well, I think it is time for some spiritual growth.

Typical scenario: woman is searching for the meaning of life > she does much research looking into different religions > she finds Islam and is intrigued and enlightened > she takes classes, studying the deen day and night and is inspired > woman embraces Islam as her religion > woman finds a masjid, makes friends, marries, and Whamo! Contentment creeps in. She still loves the deen, but the vigor she once had to better herself and learn more about her religion has subsided.

We can find a million and one excuses to not learn more and then as the years go by, slowly but surely our contentment turns into stubbornness and arrogance. And this goes for converts and well as those born into the religion. A sister who was born into a Muslim family once told me, “When you are raised in a Muslim household, it is important that you rediscover the religion as an adult.” The sister warned, for those who do not continue to learn into adulthood, their Islam can be a confusion of culture, ritual and heresy.

It is important that we in the human race grow and develop. Stagnation of the mind and the spirit can be a very dangerous thing. This is how racism and prejudice become imbedded into a culture; when people don’t educate themselves, they will adhere to the ways of old, without any real reasoning or contemplation on their part.

Idleness is the enemy. Every second that goes by should be devoted to something constructive. Whether it is taking on a new language, painting, feeding the homeless or just good old fashioned reading, we much keep our minds active. If we train our minds to seek knowledge constantly in the secular world, we will automatically yearn to seek knowledge and understanding in the spiritual world. We will ask questions and we will enjoy looking for the answers.

And Surah Luqman makes it clear:

31:6      But there are, among men, those who purchase idle tales, without knowledge (or meaning), to mislead (men) from the Path of Allah and throw ridicule (on the Path): for such there will be a Humiliating Penalty.

31:7      When Our Signs are rehearsed to such a one, he turns away in arrogance, as if he heard them not, as if there were deafness in both his ears: announce to him a grievous Penalty.