British Blogger, Desi Dreamer, Mad Muslimah
// February 15th, 2007 // 10 Comments » // Blog
OhmyGod.OhmyGod.OhmyGod.OhmyGod.OhmyGod…
OH.
MY.
GOD.
Ummah Films is coming to London!
*releases teeny-bopper scream*
Ahem.
I mean, its rather spiffy news, wouldn't you say, what-what?
I'm pretty sure Baba will be going to the main campus based at South Ken (i'm elsewhere in London), but inshā’Allāh, i will try to be there.
I can't wait!
// February 14th, 2007 // 5 Comments » // Blog
This is the third entry i'm posting in a 24 hour period, which is likely to be a new record on this blog. The first was a bit of fun, the second was referring to someone else's opinions, so doesn't really count, but this is the one i've been wanting to write all day; so pay attention, please!
As i said a few days ago, i've never been much one for history. It always seemed a bit too dry, and the bloody bits were too horrific to contemplate for very long. However, now that i am older, and the world seems to keep making the same mistakes, again and again, i feel the need to look back in time, in order to discover the lessons that are being so easily forgotten, by so many. In addition, the introduction of various well-produced factual TV programmes has made it a lot easier to receive, as our US cousins say, a '101′ in World History; although i'm sure i'll need to keep an open mind with regards to their honesty. History is written by the victors, after all.
I caught one such programme last night. It was about the first World War, which i know embarrassingly little about. Now there must be dozens of similar documentaries on this topic, churned out over the years, but this one came with an exquisite twist: (more…)
// February 13th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
In this month's videocast, Shaykh Hamza Yusuf critiques recent books by Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris that seem to unfairly compare the best of science with the worst of religion (coincidently, the “don't dis the animals” analogy pops up again!). The video is in mp4 format.
Other Zaytuna pod & video casts can be found here.
// February 13th, 2007 // 6 Comments » // Blog
Tihs is jsut a tset of a tehroy taht has been dinog the ruodns on the e-mial. It syas taht the oedrr of ltetres wtiihn a wrod deos not mtetar as lnog as the fsrit and lsat lteters of the wrod are in the crorcet palce. I'm srue you hvae all cmoe arcsos this e-mial at smoe pinot. It's qitue facsnitanig waht the hmaun mnid is cpaalbe of. Sblhunlaaah! Taht lsat wrod mhgit olny be lleibge to the Mlisum/ Aarb rardees…
The fnuny tinhg is taht i'm uualsly afuwl at slvonig aangarms, but i'm ok wtih tihs!
I wndoer wehhetr it is the smae for all laaggnues?
I tlel you waht tohguh; it's a begugr to witre out!
// February 12th, 2007 // Enter your password to view comments. // Blog
// February 12th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
I found the talk i mentioned in the last entry. It is a Mecca One interview with Sheikhs Zaid Shakir & Hamza Yusuf, from the Zaytuna Institute. The talk was not actually about Music in Islam. The title of the file is: “The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him): Mercy To Humanity”, if you wish to download it and listen for yourself; it's very good, māshā’Allāh.
Towards the end of the interview, they were discussing the Burdah poem, and they strayed onto the topic of music, and its influence on humans. Omair (the interviewer), Hamza & Zaid had a very funny conversation, which i have transcribed for your reading pleasure…
(more…)
// February 11th, 2007 // 8 Comments » // Blog
A while ago, i listened to an interesting discussion about Music in Islam. I'm afraid i don't have my full podcast listings with me right now, so i can't remember the exact details of the broadcast; i'll fill in this gap later.
I do remember that one of the speakers was Sheikh Hamza Yusuf.
He mentioned how when most people listen to the lyrics of love songs, they usually interpret it as a reference to romance, or even lust. However, for a spiritually-inclined person, these same lyrics could easily describe the complete, all-encompassing love that a believer has for the Creator. [I am aware that i am sounding a little 'Sufi' here, but i don't see why they should get the dibs on all things spiritual!]
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// February 10th, 2007 // Enter your password to view comments. // Blog
// February 10th, 2007 // 7 Comments » // Blog
“If you are a man and you see a woman in a headscarf, it doesn't mean that she rejects sex. It means she rejects sex with you.”
// February 9th, 2007 // No Comments » // Blog
I am now in danger of revealing my inner geek; the little street cred i have (hah!) will be mowed down in an instant by this revelation… but it's time you all knew the truth.
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! Announcement !
