Is That a Bomb in Your Pants or Are You Just Happy To See Me?

Nigerian Bomber, Umar Farouk Abdulmuttalib, AKA "Hot Pants" tried to commit acts of terrorism on December 25, 2009.

I wanted to take this opportunity to say that this sexually frustrated, Islamically adrift, coo-coo young man is not a person would I would feel sorry for, look up to, or be proud of in any matter.

Anyone who puts a bomb in there britches in the name of Islam is truly lost...

... Did he learn nothing from Wiley Coyote?

-Judge Not!

Keepin' My Game Tight: Part I, Faith

This slang phrase has long been popular amongst the gangsters and players. When one "keeps their game tight", they don't have any slip ups; every word and every move must be a calculated one, because any frivolous action or reaction made out of emotions could bring the roof tumbling down on their heads.

This anecdote can be applied to any area of life. This is how I have applied it in mine:

In Faith:

"Say, He is Allah the One; Allah, the Eternal, Absolute; He begetteth not, nor is He begotten; And there is none like unto Him."Surah Al-Iklas (The Purity of Faith), Holy Quran.

With this I remind myself that God is a merciful God, and can forgive just about anything with true repentance. Anything except associating partners with Him. This sin is a grave one and sometimes we commit it in stages. We get so wrapped up in our spouses, children, jobs, hobbies, mortgages, etc. that over time, we have eventually made these things our God. Allowing anyone or anything to completely occupy and determine your every thought and action is a form of worship.

If we define our existence by these things, what would happen to us should they no longer be present in our lives? Houses can be foreclosed, wealth can be lost, people will die. Shall we kill ourselves when these things happen? Shall we bury ourselves in grief layer upon layer until it is like you are dead? Certainly not.

Yes, I must keep my game tight. I mustn't get so wrapped up in my love for my family, that I rest my fate in their hands. I love them for the sake of Allah. If I live by this I can not be broken. I can not be deteriorated. My faith will be strong and unrelenting, God willing.

-Judge Not!

Finding my Purpose

I haven't posted any blogs in the past few days because I've been working on my lastest venture at Suite101. On this "soft news" site, I am a contributing publisher. When I first signed up, I thought- writing web articles and getting paid? Sounds like a great idea! However, I am now learning that, unlike blogging, writing news articles can be a grueling process. Especially when you are lacking a journalism degree.

Okay, this isn't supposed to be sounding all down and out- I do love it! It's just that I haven't been challenged in this way in a long time. In school, sometimes I would run from challenge- take the easy, lazy road. But now I am an adult with responsibilities and I realize that nothing is free in this world. For me, that means that even doing what you love to do can be very hard work, so one just has to learn to love working hard.

Writing for Suite 101 is a giant leap of faith because there is no garauntee that any revenue will be generated. By picking good topics and writing attractive titles, one can increase the likelyhood of web traffic going to their article, hence increasing the likelyhood of being paid by advertisers. So, here I go, once again, refining my purpose in life, paving a new road to travel. May Allah give us all strength in finding our purpose.

-Judge Not!

My Moral Mortality

Death. Dying. Dead. Fatality. Mortality. Grave. Mourning. Moving On.

Okay, I got if of my chest. Whew, That felt pretty good actually. This is a hard subject to talk about, whether it be in a blog, or with friends or even at a place of worship. We all know that death is the inevitable. As a Muslim I understand that "Every soul shall have the taste of death" Holy Quran 3:185. So I sit here in the middle of the night and I contemplate.

Initially, I think about the meaning of death; the moment of death. I ask myself, "How soon will I be forgotten on this Earth? A day? A month? A year? Twenty years? When will I become just a picture from another time buried in someones basement?" I know I am not supposed to be scared of death, but like many others, I struggle with that aspect. I'm just too darn inquisitive! I could keep myself up all night thinking about the Hows, Whys, Whens and Wheres. So instead I just decide to get it all out in these two paragraphs so I can move on to something much more tangible: LIFE.

I think this must be the key. For those of us who believe in an afterlife, we have to constantly consider what we are doing in this life that will affect our fate in the next. Will I be rewarded or punished? However, this is not our only driving force to do good by ourselves, our loved ones, and the society at large. Have you ever asked yourself why all the atheist of the world are not ruthless psycotic serial killers? Well fortunately for the human race, God has hard-wired us to want to do good(whether we accept his favor or not.) There will always be temptation to do bad, but for the overwhelming majority of the human race, WE WANT TO DO GOOD. Have you ever been in a situation when you know you can do something really wrong and get away with it, but you just don't do it? Or if you do act on your michieveous thoughts, you immediately feel a heavy weight of guilt? These are the attributes that makes us human: God's most complex creation.

Where am I going with this? LIVE YOUR LIFE THE BEST YOU CAN RIGHT NOW! Not a person on this earth knows the exact moment when they will breath their last breath, but we all know it's coming . . . sooner for some, later for the rest. We have no choice about of death, but we have the choice to do something good, bad or in between right now. Do something good for a complete sranger, or someone you love dearly. Don't get so overly consumed with the day to day struggles that you are not enjoying your life. Marrige, children, jobs, and worship can become so routine that we are not cherishing those special moments that make life so valuble. Many of life's seasons can be bittersweet: developing an aquired taste is the best advice I can give. Allah knows best!

-Judge Not!

I AM WOMAN

I like to call myself a realistic feminist. First I must give my definition of an unrealistic feminist: A woman who believes that women are equal to men in every way, shape and form and should be treated as such. After giving birth to my daughter, I am left without a doubt that woman and man are NOT created equal: there is no way my husband could have survived childbirth! I mean seriously, our bodies are just built for it- yes even the 1st so-called "pregnant man" (which obviously proves that a woman can call themselves a man, but God can reveal otherwise.)

I think the women's liberation movement was great because the truth is that we live in a misogynist society and sometimes drastic measures have to be taken to acquire civil rights. All I ask, is do not take away my God given right to be a wonderful, powerful, strong, unique WOMAN. It doesn't bother me that my husband has more upper body strength. As I watch the ways in which we interact with our daughter, they are not the same, and I am thankful for that. Women and men have unique qualities to bring to the table- in business, education, marriage, and child-rearing- one not more important than the other. Allah has created us in a dynamic fashion that we may never fully understand, but we can accept. The sooner one accepts and appreciates their attributes , the sooner one will be secure with the mind, body and soul God gave them. THANK GOD FOR WOMAN! . . . AND MAN!

-Judge Not!

The Art of Arguing

True to the name of this blog, I am always digging for knowledge. After all, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) commanded for us to "Seek knowledge from the cradle to the grave." However I have found that it is all to easy to slip into the mode of seeking conflict rather than truly seeking knowledge. Far too many times I will read an enlightening hadith or book written by a renowned scholar, then all of a sudden I think I am qualified enough to teach this precious new information to others. Then when someone disagrees with me, I feel the need to defend my point view to point where I find myself in a debate on a subject that I probably no very little about. Is it pride that drives me to the point of arguing with my fellow Muslims and beloved non-Muslim family and friends? Do I harvest an insatiable hunger to be right all the time? Surely I cannot be that egotistical? Well, I won't be that hard on myself, but I noticed that sometimes I can get so wrapped up in proving a point, that I myself is not willing to accept a different point of view. What happen to agreeing to disagree? I've discovered that when it comes to matters of religion, people are very sensitive because it is hard to admit that we have been serving our Lord incorrectly, whether through dress, prayer, or understanding our holy books. Ego also plays a part- a man doesn't want to be corrected by a woman, or an Arab by an Indonesian, or a parent by a child, or a teacher by a student, or an American convert by an Muslim-born immigrant . . . and the list goes on.

I think we can all learn to teach to and learn from each other with a greater sense of sensitivity and wisdom: maybe we are both right or perhaps we could both be wrong. Whatever the case, always seek refuge with Allah from the whisperings of the shatan before entering a discussion. Ask Allah to purify your intentions so that we are not just intentionally starting an argument for the sake of being right.

Judge Not!

A Family That Prays Together . . . Stays Together

This old Christian saying is all too applicable to the Muslim Ummah. After all, we are a family, and in a family there exists a variety of dynamic personalities. In America, Muslims are literally from opposite ends of the earth, sometimes making it awkward or even controversial to come together.

Ash hadu an la ilaha illalah wa ash hadu ana Muhammadur rasulullah.
There is no G_d but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah.

This statement is our commonplace; it is our best trait; it is what we live by. We must ask Allah to strengthen and optimize our relationships with our Muslim brothers and sisters. I could say this a million times until I’m blue in the face, but it won’t help if I do not take the first step towards changing my ways. It is all too easy at times to choose one’s culture over one’s religion because a large part of who we are stems from our lineage and the environment in which we were raised. But when we are deep in our graves, we will not be asked from what country we hail, but we will be asked who is our G_d and what is our religion. Having pleasure in enjoying one’s culture and people is great and will probably make you a more confident individual. As Muslims we have to know the difference between being comfortable in our own skin and secluding ourselves to the point where we have become prejudice and close minded to other Muslims- our brothers and sisters.

Everyone knows the famous hadith, “Seek knowledge, even if you have to go to China.” Well, I’ve got great news: there is volumes of knowledge right beneath your noses: in the wisdom and good tidings of your fellow Muslims. It is amazing the knowledge we can absorb by listening to a sister that has traveled the world; or a brother who converted to Islam in prison and has a special love for the deen because it literally saved his life; or the Muslim that grew up being “culturally Muslim” overseas but didn’t really start practicing until arriving on American soil. We have so much to offer each other.

The first thing we can do is ask Allah to forgive us for our prejudices and our pride. The second thing we can do is step our game up a notch. By that I mean if you always make salat at the same masjid, go to jummah or a class at another masjid. If you always have the same people over for dinner and talk about the same things, have someone different over. If you feel as though you are not ready to dive in head first into the Muslim melting pot, read biographies/autobiographies about Muslims from different walks of life. I guarantee it will broaden your horizons! We may not agree on which moon sighting to follow to end our fast, or how covered is covered enough for Muslimahs, but we all agree on one thing: Ash hadu an la illaha illalah wa ash hadu anna Muhammadur rasulullah. So we need to remember everything else is water under the bridge. -

Allah knows best!

Judge Not!