salaam alaikum everyone.

Just one saying for you people at this moment in time:

Illegitimi non carborundum

Latin for: DON'T LET THE BASTARDS BRING YOU DOWN.

....

I want to live,
I want to give
I've been a miner
for a heart of gold.
It's these expressions
I never give
That keep me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.
Keeps me searching
for a heart of gold
And I'm getting old.

salaam alaikum

i think the library concept is one of the niftiest inventions ever. who's with me y'all?

Noor

Salaam Alaikum my dear friends...

Some thoughts:
When does closing your ears become a deficit?
When does closing your eyes become a deficit?
How open should our hearts remain to our loved ones when one has embraced their own way of life?
How do you love someone that doesn't understand your own meaning of love.....
Subhan'Allah

These are the trials and tribulations that we are grateful for. To be physically and mentally able to complete the processes of emotion, reflection, and reasoning......To transition from one state to another...and still remain in rememberance of Allah.

Our hearts are beautiful!
This video made me cry.




Here's a random analogy for you guys:

Practicing Islam/Dhikr/Worshipping Allah to me is like taking an anticoagulant to prevent blood in the body from clotting and causing further complications (such as stroke, etc..).

When you take the blood pressure from this person, you may find that it is within normal ranges...But your assessment is not implicating that this person does not longer need the medication.

It simply indicates that the risk for blood clotting may be under control...which means the medication is effective...Subhan'Allah!

Shaytaan can mask your weaknesses so well that once you realize what was causing your pain, it can be too late....It is up to us to self-medicate.

Shaytaan has the power to control our moods, our thoughts, our desires....To make us think that we no longer need any discipline or knowledge......

To isolate us as a feeding frenzy to our negative thoughts...and To help us make reasonable excuses for our sins. It is no joking matter.


May Allah SWT increase our awareness that we are his creation and our sole purpose in this dunya is to worship Allah SWT, And protect us from the accursed Shaytaan.
Ameeen.


cm


---

Allah is the Greatest

Signs suprise you as a 10 second sound bite in a movie..like an amazing gift of something greater than just awareness.

Bismillah

"Beware of jealousy, for verily it destroys good deeds the way fire destroys wood." [Abu Dawood]

Just because I like this song playing on my Blog

Wow....

Salaam Alaikum everyone,

This message is pure and holds true to the principles of Islam. I took it off of Wikipedia while researching Zuhd (acetiscisim).. Masha'Allah


The prophet Muhammad SAW is quoted to have said, "What have I to do with worldly things? My connection with the world is like that of a traveler resting for a while underneath the shade of a tree and then moving on."


Everyone, I was reminded today...that the life of this world is a transient shade. And I feel the need to pass this sweet reminder on to everyone I can. Alhamdullilah that Allah SWT gives us time to learn these pearls of wisdom, and pass them on through implementing them in our lives. Subhan'Allah!


I love you All for the sake of Allah SWT.


cm.

My dear dear sisters....

I wish my dear sisters safe travel and please remember that my heart is with you sisters, in all your trials and tribulations...my dua'a is around you..
May we be in the gardens of Jannah together one sweet day insha'Allah.

CM

You guys...

AsSalaamu Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa barakatuh

Decision Must Be Instant...Commitment Must Be Total.
-blazeman

http://www.waronals.com/index.php
I love it.

PEACE

Salaam Alaikum

"No fatigue, illness, anxiety, sorrow, harm or sadness afflicts any Muslim, even to the extent of a thorn pricking him, without Allah wiping out his sins by it." - Muhammad Salallahu Alayhi wa Salaam

Do not give up.
Hold fast to your faith as a Muslim and you will succeed insha'Allah

Hello

AsSalaamu Alaikum
Eid Mubarak everyone..
I pray that all the muslims remain steadfast in the principles we have tried our best to establish during this holy month of Ramadan. Self-control, Compassion, and acts of devotion to a faith based on peace and submission to God. Ameen.

I'm learning...ALHAMDULLILAH

AsSalaamu Alaikum

I was in a rut for a while...guess what brought me up?

1. I spent time in the Masjid.
2. My body mind and soul was fed with the warmth and purity of Allah's (SWT) house.
3. I recollected my knowledge, picked up the pieces of my iman and planted new seeds of knowledge/reaffirmed old ones.....
4. By spending time with good companions.

Simile: Iman is like a roller coaster...and that is true...but do you know what keeps us on the tracks?

ASHADU AN LA ILAHA IL ALLAH WA ASHADU ANNA MUHAMMADUN RASOOL ALLAH.

Jazak Allah Khair for reading.
All praises are due to ALLAH (SWT) and any mistakes are mine.

cm

Masha'ALLAH!

Can't breathe?

AaSalaamu Alaikum everyone,

Shaytaan's fingers squeeze our necks so slowly that we don't notice until we feel your face burning and oxygen levels depleting...


Please, for the sake of Allah(SWT) as advice to myself first--


Guard your salat with voluntary and sunnah prayers. Pray nighttime (tahajjud) prayers..Fill your head with knowledge that forces you to be responsible and not ignorant of your obligations as a Muslim insha'Allah..And last but not least,
purify your intention in action, speech, and thought.

Enough mothering...I will write more soon insha'Allah..
I love you all for the sake of Allah (SWT).

Asia!!!

AsSalaamu Aleikum bloggy readers!
As you can see I am certainly in a more energetic mood today.
I am in Asia to visit family and already I've been subjected to many things that challenge my religious values. In the bigger picture, there are many smaller pictures. The chinese family unit cannot function efficiently if it is not held together by pride and respect. Family pride is fed by respect and submission from the younger individuals. By obeying and pleasing older family members, we respect them but we also feed their pride. Of course the intention is the most important issue here, but the lines are indeed hard to draw when your intention is to do something to please Allah (SWT) and the outcome will be quite muddled.
My dua'a these days has become one that asks for more strength and knowledge to walk the straight path and forgiveness for ignorant things I have done intentionally.
I will update again tomorrow insha'Allah!!!!
Hope you are well,
cm

Interesting conversations

AsSalaamu Aleikum my dear friends,



An interesting conversation I had with a friend the other day led me to say something most people would consider to be quite morbid. I said: "I find solace in my own death". I think it's beautiful though.

Take away everything in your life...What is definite?

People, advice for the day:


Face yourself.


Thanks,
cm

Masha'Allah

AsSalaamu Aleikum.

Inna lillahi wa inna ilayhi rajiun for all of those who have passed this week.

Your life's span is but one day, as if you were born in it and will die at the end of it.

Organize the hours of this day, so that you make years out of minutes and months out of seconds.

You must engrave onto your heart one phrase: Today is my only day.

Taken from: Don't Be Sad - By Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni (A Few Excerpts from the Book about Happiness)

January 29th, 2010

This is something I wrote earlier this year.
The last thing I wanted at the time was to be judged by anyone on any "Side of the argument"....So it patiently waited in my Inbox...until now..At the time I was worried it wasn't complete. It wasn't perfect...It wasn't written to the best of my ability. But as I was clearing my inbox from all unneccessary garbage, I came upon it again...and I realized the message is in the medium in this case. So hopefully it benefits someone out there in the webbernets.
Here ya go. completely unedited. me.

Salaam Aleikum wa rahmatullahi barakatu
contemplation
youth
Joy
Happiness
Freedom
Beauty
values
success
Love
Selflessness
Sadness
Loneliness
Submission....
anger......
I like to think that to define ourselves, we should first define our own concept of words...(of course, it goes without saying that you should already know the proper definition.)

What dreams and realities do we consider when we start to build our "selves" ?
My personal journey to define the word faith started before I was even aware of it.
I know that I long for peace...in times of happiness and hardship. In Life and Death.
Awareness and acceptance that you can't understand something bigger than yourself is Faith. It's submission to Allah (God)...the definition of a muslim.
Islam encompasses my definition of faith in itself.
So far, I've come to understand that Faith does not enjoin itself entirely with reason
or emotion..Faith is a human factor that is obvious when observing the
miracle of any simple thing in this dunya (physical world) that any reflective person can question. But that's another blog entry I suppose..
Despite the fact that I have already decided to define my faith, I am not ashamed to allow my curiosity grow to supplement my definition. What I have just written is still raw in my mind. Impurities in my writing progression have not been scraped off the surface..but I hope with an open mind you can at least understand my humble, humble message.
I'm always learning...and not perfect.
All praises are due to Allah and any mistakes are mine.
cm

Intention....

AsSalaamu Aleikum all,

I just thought this might be beneficial Insha'Allah....
It is not written by me nor do I claim it in any way..Just want to share something that made me think...which is rare these days... hahaha just kidding!


Praise be to Allaah.

Intention (niyyah) is an important matter, as it is the spirit of deeds through which deeds become valid, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Actions are but by intentions and each person will have but that which he intended.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (1) and Muslim (1907).

The intention turns permissible deeds into acts or worship, hence we should pay attention to it and make it for the sake of Allaah, free from any element of showing off.

It should be noted that intentions are of two types:

1 – Obligatory intention, without which an act of worship is not valid, such as the intention in doing wudoo’, praying, paying zakaah, fasting and doing Hajj. This intention is something that no one can do without. If a person does wudoo’ to pray, touch the Mus-haf or in order to be pure (taahir), he has formed the intention. Intending to pray or intending to remove impurity is forming the intention when doing wudoo’.

When a man stands to pray, knowing that this is Zuhr prayer, for example, and he intends to offer the prayer and gets up to do it it, then he has formed the intention. It is not essential – and in fact it is not prescribed – to say out loud, “I intend to pray Zuhr prayer” etc, as some people do. This was not narrated from the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), and the place for the intention is in the heart.

Similarly, if a person decides at night that he will fast on the following day, then he has formed the intention of fasting. In fact, his eating sahoor shows that he is intending to fast.

It is difficult for a person to forget to form the intention in such cases.

2 – The second type of intention is that which is mustahabb in order to attain reward. This is what some people forget, which is to keep the intention in mind when doing permissible things, so that they will be acts of worship, such as eating, drinking and sleeping with the intention of strengthening oneself to do acts of worship, as the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “You will never spend anything that you spend for the sake of Allaah, but you will be rewarded for it, even the morsel of food that you put in your wife’s mouth.” Narrated by al-Bukhaari (56).

Mu’aadh (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: I sleep and I get up (to pray at night), and I seek reward for my sleep as I seek reward for my getting up. Narrated by al-Bukhaari (4088).

He (may Allaah be pleased with him) sought reward for his sleep just as he sought reward for his getting up to pray at night, because he intended by sleeping to gain strength to do acts of worship.

Al-Haafiz Ibn Hajar said in al-Fath: What this means is that he sought reward by resting just as he sought reward by striving, because if the intention in resting is to enable one to do acts of worship, one attains reward. End quote.

What helps to keep this intention in mind is deliberating, thinking and not being hasty. So you should think about what you are intending to do, take stock of yourself before acting, think about whether it is halaal or haraam, then look at your intention: what do you want from this? Every time you take stock of yourself and think before acting, this will remind you about forming the intention, until it becomes second nature and a habit that you adopt, so that you will not enter or exit, eat or drink, give or withhold, without having an intention in doing so, thus most of your time will become times of worship.

We ask Allaah to help us and you to do that.

And Allaah knows best.


Islam Q&A

Link for my Sisters

AsSalaamu Aleikum
Insha'Allah this link is beneficial to my sisters.

http://operationbeautiful.com/release-form/20-ways-to-love-your-body/

Another old poem

Seemingly
We have planted seeds
As your steady hand packs
My wavering one slips
And spills the seeds
Handfuls of seeds
That would have bloomed colorfully
But it appears
The seeds have been devoured
By the tiny black insects that crawl the earth
Foolishly I spilled the seeds
And fed these pests to their indulgence
Fed them until they tauntingly died
with the seeds still in their bodies.

Here's something I was and am still Proud of..

Tricks up your sleeve
Smiling kings and queens
Never reach my pair
Smirking and silent
The king unsheathes his sword
And gently slides it on my flesh
Thick wet blood
Is borne from my pair
Veins bleed down my face
As I close my eyes and regret
The cards I laid on the table.

hmm

Salaam Aleikum everyone,
I just want readers to know I'm still committed to this blog.
Will write soon.
Hope everyone is happy and safe.
peace,
cm

To my fellow converts Part I:

AsSalaamu Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu.

*Disclaimer* In no way am I an expert on the human condition, nor am I even close to having the knowlege to judge or analyze it. What I am about to write are simply observations relevant to my experiences.*

As converts to Islam (Insha'Allah), there are so many factors to consider while increasing our knowledge of the deen. In my opinion, it is almost impossible to acheive a strong foundation of Islam if a convert does not have a proper support group. This means having muslims around them that fear Allah (SWT). Fearing Allah (SWT) means that their every action, word, and breath is filled with Ihsan, making them the best of examples after our beloved prophet (PBUH).

From An-Nawawi's Forty Hadith:
Hadith 2
On the authority of Omar, who said: "While we were one day sitting with the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah upon him, there appeared before us a man dressed in extremely white clothes and with very black hair. No traces of travel were visible on him, and none of us knew him. He sat down close by the Prophet, peace and blessings upon him, rested his knees against his knees and placed his palms on his thighs, and said, O Muhammad! Inform me about Islam." The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him said, "Islam is that you should testify that there is no deity save Allah and that Muhammad is His Messenger, that you should perform salah (ritual prayer), pay the zakah (alms), fast during Ramadan, and perform Hajj (pilgrimage) to the House (the Ka'bah at Makkah), if you can find a way to it (or find the means for making the journey to it)." Said he (the man), "You have spoken truly." We were astonished at his thus questioning him and telling him that he was right, but he went on to say, "Inform me about Iman (faith)." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, "It is that you believe in Allah and His angels and His Books and His Messengers and in the Last Day, and in fate (qadr), both in its good and in its evil aspects." He said, "You have spoken truly." Then he (the man) said, "Inform me about Ihsan." He (the Messenger of Allah) answered, " It is that you should serve Allah as though you could see Him, for though you cannot see Him yet He sees you." He said, "Inform me about the Hour." He (the Messenger of Allah) said, "About that the one questioned knows no more than the questioner." So he said, "Well, inform me about the signs thereof (i.e. of its coming)." Said he, "They are that the slave-girl will give birth to her mistress, that you will see the barefooted ones, the naked, the destitute, the herdsmen of the sheep (competing with each other) in raising lofty buildings." Thereupon the man went off. I waited a while, and then he (the Messenger of Allah) said, "O 'Omar, do you know who that questioner was?" I replied, "Allah and His Messenger know better." He said, "That was Jibril. He came to teach you your religion." [Muslim]

- - - - - -

Converts to Islam face culture clashes, judgement, fitna, loneliness, bewilderment, etc etc. Although this may seem like a depressing subject, I only wish to address them to benefit our ummah Insha'Allah wa Ta'ala. Our big Muslim family.


Being and becoming a Muslim in the west is a huge responsibility. How does a convert find a balance between their entire life's conditioning and their new muslim life when listening to advice? Indeed, becoming a muslim is easy Alhamdulillah. It's what happens after this new life has begun.

Until Next time,

Peace.
cm

Something Old

White butterflies turn
lavender as they
Pass through its shade where
gently seems to sway
The phantom of my little
daughter's swing.

All colors made me happy: even gray.
My eyes were such that they
took photographs. Whenever I'd permit,
Or, with a silent shiver, order it.

An Update

Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatu (Peace and Blessings be upon you).

I am doing well and Insha'Allah wa Ta'ala will post on some subjects as soon as do some research. Please follow my blog and comment as you see fit. I really do enjoy getting feedback.

Good Night and Take Care.
until next time,

cm

Barefoot Philosophy

Salaam Aleikum

A minimalist blog link I would like to share with you all.

http://zenhabits.net/2010/03/barefoot-philosophy/

cm

Beautiful Nasheed

AsSalaamu Aleikum

It's night

Salaam Aleikum
On a personal note..
It's night.
and it seems that night time always brings out my contemplative side.
It is during the night that I write in my journal about the experiences I was lucky enough to absorb during the day..and it is during night that I let my mind flip.
Today was another day that I was lucky enough to wake up to.....

Subhan'Allah...I am thankful that I make mistakes, and that I made mistakes, and that I am aware I will still make mistakes...This strengthens my belief that this dunya is the place where I was meant to realize and worship Allah(swt).

[As my consciousness stops at the side of the prairie road...It'll gaze up at the looming clouds and ocean sky, pausing between blowing grass.]

peace peace peace
cm

some nice links

Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi Barakatu
I hope everyone is in the best of eeman.
here are some islamic links I wanted to share insha Alllah

http://www.quranexplorer.com/quran/

www.productivemuslim.com

http://asqfish.wordpress.com/

http://loga-abdullah.blogspot.com

http://www.youtube.com/user/shaykha

http://www.youtube.com/user/DawahFilms

http://www.youtube.com/user/aabphilips

http://www.youtube.com/user/khalifahklothing

http://www.youtube.com/user/LMartella

http://www.youtube.com/user/Muslimah2Muslimah

cm

"And turn to your Lord and surrender yourselves to Him before the punishment overtakes you, for then you will not be helped. And follow the best of what has been sent down from your Lord before the punishment overtakes you suddenly, while you are unaware. Lest any soul should say: 'Sadly, I have neglected my duty to Allah and was of those that mocked.'" (Surah az-Zumar:54-56)

If i let it pour out of me
sifting through it all
would undoubtedly be
a pressing matter...

humm

Salaam Aleikum
Haven't posted in a while..probably because I'm a bit blue..Insha Allah it will pass.
Currently checking out
Chez Larsson's photostream on Flickr
and blogs:
Pioneer Woman
Americanbedu

Hope everyone is well.

cm

Just a few quick inspirational quotes.

Assalam Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi Barakatu

Today is a very sunny day.
I still need a pick me up...

The more heavier the burdens placed on you by Allah become, the more strength He shall give you to carry them.

The Prophet (Salalahu Alayhi wa Salaam) use to supplicate: "O' Allah, make me pleased with your decree, so that I may know that whatever has befallen me was not meant to miss me, and what has passed me by, was not meant to be in my lot."
-Don't be sad

"Great minds talk about ideas, average minds talk about events, and small minds talk about people." Eleanor Roosevelt

"A man with no imaginations has no wings." Muhammad Ali

peace

cm

So I haven't made a nice entry for a while

At the moment I'm doing a bit of reading, volunteering, and working at my part time job.

If anyone's intrested..this is my youtube channel.

http://www.youtube.com/user/chinesemuslimah

PS...this isn't a nice entry. haha

cm

Pain must be the best feeling

Pain must be the best feeling

the best feeling

the best feeling

the best

my compassion wins the gold medal

I love to watch people

of mice and men

and of 2 different people.

I am

Planning to start gardening and SEWING!!! :)

searching for lyrics that describe your soul
innocent sweet treats melting in your palm
burning the worthless cash

Pale Fire-Vladmir Nobokov

Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi barakatu.


I love you when you're standing on the lawn
Peering at something in a tree: "It's gone.
It was so small. It might come back" (all this
Voiced in a whisper softer than a kiss).
I love you when you call me to admire
A jet's pink trail above the sunset fire.
I love you when you're humming as you pack
A suitcase or the farcical car sack
With round-trip zipper And I love you most
When with a pensive nod you greet her ghost
And hold her first toy on your palm, or look
At a postcard from her, found in a book.

sushi

I just had a bunch of starchy sushis and i feel headache, lethargic, heavy, and gross. But my tongue liked the sushi. Ah, the tongue is so impartial to patience.

agheebo

Raw Journey Day 6

Kale Seaweed Salad

Ingredients:
Kale
Seaweed
Almond butter
Sea salt
Honey/any type of sweetener
Sesame Oil
Ginger

Directions:
Soak seaweed in water
chop kale very finely
Juice 2 apples with a chunk of ginger
Put this juice into your blender and mix with Raw almond butter, sea salt/soy sauce, honey, and sesame oil.
Now Liquify!!! Mwahahahahaha!!..ahem. ok
Mix the now softened seaweed and bits of kale in a large bowl
Pour your dressing onto the salad
Allow to tenderize for 20 minutes
Garnish with Sesame Seeds and Enjoy!!




Also, I've edited the previous recipe.
Cut out the jicama if you dont like it. Instead, use grated cucumber, grated carrot, and grated red cabbage as filler for your romaine lettuce wrap. Its delish!

Much Peace and blessings,
cm

Raw Food Journey Day 5

Well today I made a green juice in the morning, made a nice salad for lunch...and for dinner I had bought some jicama (pronounced hee-ka-ma) that I was trying for the first time. Well after some trial and error, I created a wrap was pretty good.

Jicarrvocado Lettuce Wrap

Ingredients:
Grated Jicama
Grated Carrot
Alfalfa Honey
Red Chili Pepper Flakes
Soy Sauce
Sesame Oil
Vinegar
Romaine Lettuce
Avocado
Sesame Seeds

Preparation:
1. Grate the carrot and Jicama
2. Squeeze all of the water out of the Jicama
3. Mix Vinegar, Honey, Soy sauce, Sesame oil and Chili Flakes(as desired) in a bowl.
4. Add the grated carrot and Jicama to the sauce and mix well. Garnish with sesame seeds.
5. Now cut the avocado and put it on a leaf of romaine lettuce along with some of the jicama and carrot mix as "filler"
6. Wrap it up and enjoy your fresh wrap!

NOTE: The smallest and heaviest Jicamas are often the most tender. Because the Jicama is so waxy and rooty, also make sure you have a good peeler and that the tough outer layer does not make its way into your delicious wrap. Jicama is often enjoyed in some Latin American Countries with Lime and Salt. Simple as that!

Happy Raw-Fooding.

cm

Raw Journey

Salaam Aleikum,

With the exception of a few eggs, cheese, and chocolates here and there, I've been eating raw fruits and vegetables for 4 days. So far, I've lost 4 pounds. My intestines feel lighter, and I am satisfied earlier in the course of my meals. So far, eating a Raw food diet has given me more energy and satisfaction. I've only encountered a few problems. At times I've felt tired or nauseous after drinking hot milk tea on an empty stomach..but I've definetly acquired a heightened awareness of my own digestive system. I did buy a juicer, and honestly, I feel fresh juice could be a potential replacement for my tea and coffee in the distant future. Forgive me for my lack of clarity in writing but hopefully with practice I can improve my blog composition (hehe).

For dinner today, I had a romaine lettuce salad with one avocado, sesame seeds, cheese, and a dressing I made in the blender with the following ingredients:
3 dates soaked in water for 20 minutes
olive oil
1 small tomato
1 small clove of garlic
a pinch of chives
peanut butter (crunchy)
lemon juice
sesame oil
It was DELISH!

cm

some thoughts

Salaam Aleikum

I don't know what's going to define and differentiate what I write on this blog or in my journal...Maybe just what I want to share with people..

Today I started reading a book that I bought at the thrift store by Jung Chang called "Wild Swans: Three daughters of China". In the first chapter "Concubine to a Warlord General" Chang tells her grandmother's story of being a concubine from 1909-1933. I was impressed with what Chang immediately offered culturally and historically. While describing the courting process between her grandmother, her great grandfather, and General Xue, Chang writes; "Yang had now given General Xue a chance to appreciate his daughter's beauty and intelligence. The final qualification was artistic talent"(38). This to me is a fine summation of what art is. I wrote this down as soon as I read the passage.

"A person's perfection of their art demonstrates their balance/prescence of beauty and intelligence"

...

I suppose my art would be to create...The point of writing this was just to share some simple thoughts I have in my head that come out...more complicated when written down or spoken.
peace,
cm