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SimSim’s Wedding Day

// July 15th, 2010 // 3 Comments » // Photos

A selection of photos from the wedding day of my best friend, SimSim.

Love For Other People What You Love For Yourself

// May 17th, 2010 // 1 Comment » // Blog

The following story was published back in March as part of a MuslimMatters post titled “On the Fingers of Abu Hurayrah…..Towards a Noble Life“. Since then, it has come to mind so many times during the course of normal, everyday interactions, I had to track it down, and bookmark it here.

“Love for other people what you love for yourself and you will be a (perfect) Muslim.” – Prophet Muhammed, sallalahu ‘alayhi wa salam

An extraordinary example of putting this teaching into practice is that of some of our righteous predecessors.

Ibrahim al-Nakha’ee (rahimahullah) was a’war al-‘ayn (blind in one eye), and his student Sulayman ibn Mihran suffered from weak eyesight (a’mash al-‘ayn). Ibn al-Jawzi related a story about them in his book Al-Muntathim that they were walking in the streets of Al-Kufah headed to the masjid.

As they were walking, Imam Al-Nakha’ee said, “Sulayman, can you take one road and I take another? For I fear that if we were to pass together by the foolish people, they would say, ‘A’war – one eyed – is leading an a’mash – bleary eyed- (through the road) and they would then have backbitten us and fallen into sins.”

So Sulayman replied, “O Abu ‘Imran! What is wrong then when we are rewarded while they are sinful?”

Ibrahim al-Nakha’ee replied, “SubhanaAllah! Bal naslam wa yaslamun! Rather, that we be safe (from their backbiting) and they be safe (of sin) is better than if we are rewarded and they are sinful!”.

[al-Muntathim fee Tareekh al Muluk wal Umam]

This is a form of altruism that we all desperately need to adopt. There is a lot of bitterness, enmity and ill-will amongst us. We need to improve ourselves and one another with a far more loving attitude. May Allah make it easy for us, ameen.

Eid Cookies

// September 20th, 2009 // 6 Comments » // Photos

In the spirit of my personal motto: the best gifts are edible. ;)

Ingredient for Eid Cookies: Flour, Butter, Sugar, Eggs... and LOVE! :)

Baking Some Lurve: Raw Eid Cookies

The Land of Eid Cookies: And also some fairy cakes.

Ready to Go: Eid Cookies waiting to fulfil their purpose.

On Rivalry

// September 17th, 2009 // 5 Comments » // Blog

“Bear in mind that the present life is just a game, a diversion, an attraction, a cause of boasting among you, of rivalry in wealth and children.” Qur’an 57:20

I don’t think I ever really appreciated the sense of rivalry that Allah mentions in the above verse (and elsewhere in the Qur’an), until very, very recently. I’m talking, the last two months or so. It sort of crept up over me, maybe because nearly every singleton in my life has suddenly gotten married, with other newly weds having babies, that I feel somewhat left behind in the personal life department.

A few years ago, I was on a quest to get married – but it was more like an adventure; one that I shared with friends and cousins. Alhamdulillah, one by one, my travelling companions left for the next stage of their journey, and we waved them off happily, so secure in our knowledge that we, too, would be moving ahead very soon.

Returning to the present, it seems that I am one of the few passengers left behind in the waiting room, wondering why my train is running so late. Shouldn’t it have been here by now? Did I miss it? Maybe I read the timetable wrong?

And worst of all, I’ve become one of them. You know… the ‘older’ unmarried women, that the younger unmarried women use to make themselves feel better: “Oh, at least I’m not as old as so-n-so”. They become so shocked when they hear my marital status combined with my age. That is, until they realize the expression of disapproval at their tactlessness on my face, and try to cover it up with: “Oh, it’ll happen soon, insha’Allah”. Yes, thank you. I feel totally reassured now.

Anyway, believe it or not, I’m not complaining about my fate. And if I did, I wouldn’t be complaining to you. Rather, I wanted to share how one’s perspective on the Qur’an changes with new life experiences. Now I actually feel the sting of rivalry in my heart from time to time. But the verse above reminds me of the bigger picture: it’s only a game, Mehzabeen. So be a good sport, and play it well.

A Sad Realization

// July 13th, 2009 // 8 Comments » // Blog

A few moments ago, I posted the following status message:

Mehzabeen wonders why the Star Trek Voyager crew (or even DS9 – though I’m not really a fan of that spin-off) never got their own ‘motion picture’?

I am not sure why I posted it, because, truly, I don’t expect anyone on my FB or Twitter, or even my Googable blog, to answer it… unless they want to point out how much of a geek I am for thinking about such things, which is so freakin’ cliché, that I’d be forced to throw a virtual chappal at them for not having the imagination to come up with something wittier. I mean, c’mon!

Anyway, it got me thinking about the last time I actually had a friend whom I could share this gloriously abnormal side of me with, as there is no-one in my life right now. For some reason, girls generally aren’t into SciFi, never mind Muslim girls.

To be honest, I think the last time was in secondary school; not even undergrad. Sure, I hung around with student folk who had similar interests, but I wouldn’t class them as “friends”. Just people in my extended social circle. (No, I wasn’t part of the university SciFi soc).

I don’t even have hope for a future husband-type to have a similarly nerdy streak in him; people are just so BLAH. Or, if they’re not boring, they’re already married – most likely to women who don’t appreciate that quirky side. Gah!

Honestly, am I just a one-off here?

Is there anybody else out there?

Hello -oh -oh -oh…? [echo dissipates into the darkness]

Sigh.

Definition of Friendship

// June 28th, 2009 // 2 Comments » // Blog

I just wrote a mini-paper on the meaning of friendship, in response to a contact’s status message on Facebook. It kinda sucks to take over someone’s profile like that, so I am transferring the rant from there, to here, and replacing it with a much shorter URL. :)

Plus, I want a longer term record of what I said, because it’s the kind of advice that will bite me in the bee-hind one day, if I ever forget it – this post will hopefully serve like a post-it note, for when I will inevitably need the same ‘talking to’.

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Happy Valentine Palestine

// February 14th, 2009 // 9 Comments » // Blog

Let’s forget the halality or haramity of Valentines Day for a moment. Today, true love was in the air at Hyde Park.

That was the departure point for the Viva Palestina convoy, who are now all on their way to Ramsgate, from where they will begin their long journey to Gaza.

I didn’t expect it, but I was quite overcome by emotion at times: both with joy, as well as a happy kind of sadness. My heart was genuinely moved by the people around me. We should all thank Allah for allowing us to witness such devotion and selflessness. Alhamdulillah. In fact, such were my feelings, that I was sufficiently motivated to come down to the Apple Store, just so I could blog about it!

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An Evening in East London

// December 21st, 2008 // 9 Comments » // Photos

SimSim and I went on a little ‘adventure’ last night in our efforts to find an ice rink in East London.

First, we went on the bus towards Stratford – the future home of the 2012 Olympics, insha’Allah. On the way, we got stuck in traffic on Green Street, one of the main districts for S.E. Asian shopping in London. However, it is also the home of West Ham United football ground; so Saturday nights tend to bring out the footie fans.

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Female, Muslim & Single? Look Away Now!

// October 13th, 2008 // 2 Comments » // Blog

Because another wonderful, Muslim male has been snapped up, off the market – Alhamdulillah! More specifically, my fellow Ijtema editor, and dearest bro in Islam, Faraz bhai.

Let us join together in offering our sincerest congratulations and prayers to the new, and insha’Allah, happily-ever-after, couple!

Not here, silly… on his blog. {grins}

I’m Bursting With Luuuurve

// June 13th, 2008 // 16 Comments » // Blog

Happiness by Hawaiian Sea

Could it be because I had a caramel frappé latté from Café Nero?
Perhaps – coffee always puts me in a loved up mood. Seriously, it’s like my own halal version of ecstasy. New personal motto: DON’T DO DRUGS – do caffeine instead. ;)

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