Assalamu Alaykum,

.forever in flight.

because i'm bored, it's spring, i'm cleaning, and word press rocks.

because its time.

i am giving blogosphere one more shot, before i sign off. forever. maybe.

because the illusion of newness grants me hope.

maybe someday i'll change. for the better.

for now. i move on.

sweep up the old place.

pack up the good stuff.

leave the strands of regrets, sorrow, hollowness behind.

and imagine.

one more time.

with change all good things happen.

...because i'm a restless soul.

and only in movement do i find

pieces of what i'm looking for.

because i yearn for lightness

and flight.

welcome to my new haven:

http://lightnessofbeing.wordpress.com/

posted by Maliha 4/03/2006 10:57:00 AM

. . .

Assalamu Alaykum,

To Wear or Not to Wear...

Dear fashion designers,
(or all those who make decisions on inventory matters in popular department stores (and other stores for the masses),

I am a late twenty something woman, wife, mother, professional contractor, with enough purchasing power but without any real buying options. What does that exactly mean? Let me explain...

It seems to me that somewhere in the upper echelons of the fashion industry, someone decided that to be stylish, a woman has to bare it all. With that decisive decision, the marketing forces converged with designers, celebrities, money brokers, to open the floodgates of really skimpy, tight, and see through clothing. Now, I can understand why these cheap clothes have been created, for the market is undeniably available (and of course demand can always be created by the will of the advertisers, but that is besides the point).

But it is really frustrating for those of us self respecting women, who actually choose to cover our bodies. We have the money (if the ultimate end is profitability), and I am sure it wouldn't kill your profit margins too much to add a couple of inches to your skirts and make some of your shirts long sleeved. Yes, even in the summer, some women still choose to cover their bodies and go for lighter cotton materials that are still long, loose, and adaptable for the heat.

I always wondered why men get the option of having very conservative clothes available no matter what the season is. The fact that tight "muscle" shirts are still made for those who want it, does not detract from the other nice professional and casual wear that actually covers their bodies. But alas, the privilege of covering oneself is only deemed desirable for men; hence giving them the exclusive rights and variety of options for cool, baggy, and wonderfully modest wear.

I have seen really beautiful linen skirts that are short, or at the very longest come down to 3/4 length. Why oh why, can't you make the same one available in full length. You can even make a very small percentage of them that way. It could be 1% for starters. You might be surprised, women may actually flock to buy the longest ones. And if they don't, I promise, there is enough of us around that you really won't take a loss for it. Trust me, just try.

Wouldn't you even consider making professional clothes a little bit more modest? I can almost understand the lack of availability in casual wear, but when I do go buy a professional suit, does it have to come with a 3 inch skirt? And if you take the pains of making a longer skirt, does it have to have a slit that comes up to my mid thigh? I know someone somewhere decided every woman, has to make her body accessible to all men (and not vice versa); but can you at least give me the illusion of choice?

You can of course tell me, to go make myself clothes. Alas, I do lack the patience, creativity and skill to do so. I also come from a culture where everyone had to make their own clothes, because it is more economical. So I like the idea of walking into a store and picking out outfits. It is just one of those things, you understand right?

Do you actually get it? I am waving my money in your face. Please do make long skirts available for us, long sleeved shirts/T shirts, dresses that are both long and long sleeves. Including the variety of loose fitting, opaque materials will not break your bank. please do go to the extra trouble of including modest women in your catalog of outfits you would be really surprised how many women out there are craving real clothes.

Thank you.

Yours sincerely,

Modestly clad -by choice(*gasp*)-woman

posted by Maliha 3/28/2006 10:06:00 AM

. . .

Eid Mubarak...

It's Eid! It's Eid!

Eid Saeed!

I have been jumping up and down and all around...to the sheer amusement of my lil' man...

It's Eid! Its EID!

EID SAEEEDDDD!

He is laughing, a belly full, gurgling laughter, throwing his head back and squealing in delight everytime I do my "special" Eid Song-Dance combo...

ITS EID!

ITS EID!

LETS WAVE ALL AROUND!

EID SAEEDD!

EID MUBARAK!

Enjoy the Sounds!

TAKBEER!

posted by Maliha 1/10/2006 02:58:00 PM

. . .

Assalamu Alaykum,

Adios 2005...

"We must strive to remember,
what the clouds will never forget"

remembering the tsunami
exploding us
into the shores
of the beginning

a year that passed
all too
soon

senseless suffering

mirrored across
the world
when Katrina
unearthed
America's
poor

paraded for the blind
to see

in between
was more death
at the hands
of man
the cruelest of all

hearts breaking

my baby's first smile

The surge of the most
exquisite love

and knowledge of such
helpless
vulnerability

tasting bravery
and re-learning the word
cancer

my mother's
serenity
as she battled her way
through surgeries
and chemotherapy

un-learning fear

as the earth quaked
and millions more
suffered

my baby learned to
crawl

to say "da da"

and melt my heart
in a million
different
ways

i fell in love
yet again

as bombs shattered more lives

hunger and obesity
fighting for those
left

the american media churning
more irrelevancies

keeping the masses mesmerised

i learned to gaze in wonder

at the
bluest skies

and read eternity
in the most innocent of
eyes

Family trials

against the backdrop of
politics and corruption
more stories unveiled
as evil continues to
stab itself
in the
back

a year of small truths
bubbling
to the smooth surface
of our conscience

a year of little wonders
assuaging
large wounds

little hands
carressing
humanity's cheek

little smiles
exploding
apathetic hearts

a year of little joys
stitched into tapestries
of pain

a year of lost opportunities
that will never
visit again

good byes and sorrows
are buried
with fleeting yesterdays

a new beginning beckons

how can we strive to
re-member

that which will seep sunshine
into this brand
new
day?

posted by Maliha 12/31/2005 01:10:00 PM

. . .

Assalamu Alaykum,

Time

"Time is the twine to tie our lives into parcels of years and months. Or a rubber band stretched to suit our fancy. Time can be the pretty ribbon in a little girl's hair. Or the lines in your face, stealing your youthful color and your hair." He sighed and smiled sadly "but in the end, time is a noose around the neck, strangling it slowly".

-A Fine Balance, by Rohinton Mistry

I don't want to turn this blog into a book review, but when I finally put down this book yesterday I just started crying. It was so depressing! The saddest part about it, was how it is really not a piece of fiction but based on real life. You could taste the bitter reality of the stories he weaves, and till the very end the author relentlessly drives the point home.

There is no happy ending.

Everything we crave for, happiness, luxury, comfort, even love is at best transitory at worst illusive.

The book is based in India in 1975, and I am not sure how to summarize it. A diverse array of characters tailors (who defied their caste system), a woman struggling to define her life and independence, a sheltered boy tasting real life, beggars and their beggar master, the government, caste clashes, corruption, and a depressing dose of stark poverty...the ends to which hunger will drive normal people to do.

I am so depressed by the inanity of my own life, the need to do more and the many excuses I have for not...the illusiveness of that which I yearn for...and the stark superficiality of my very longing.

sigh...

posted by Maliha 12/28/2005 10:23:00 AM

. . .

Assalamu Alaykum,

Reading and Breathing...

Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing- Harper Lee

In the past year, I have had an incredible amount of time to read. Everytime I nurse my baby, I have nothing to do but pick up a good book and cuddle up. It has been awesome Alhamdullillah, especially following the previous year where I was in an intensive Islamic program reading like crazy as well.

A post here made me think about some works that have really impacted me. I thought I would divide them up by subject matter, and start out with Islamic ones that have really changed me in one way or another.

Islamic Books:
Here are some works that have really shaped my understanding of Islam, fanned my yearning to become better in word and deed, gusted my restless soul to embark on an ardous journey...I am still struggling to become.

a) Ethics of Disagreement in Islam: By Sh. Taha Alwani: In an age of internet cut/paste scholars and random "takfir-ing" of each other, this book is a "must read" for every Muslim.

b)Al Tawhid Implication of thought and life: By Ismail Al Faruqi: This is an amazing book that really outlines the Islamic worldview clearly and contrasts it against others like Christianity, Hinduism, Budhism etc. It doesn't stop at theoretical postulations but goes deep into what a practical manifestation of Tawhid means in all aspects of our life.

c) Let us Be Muslims: By Sh. Mawdudi: Short Khutbah/essays by Al Mawdudi, really simple language, easy to understand and goes right to the heart. I like it, because in the introduction it explains that these were originally preached to peasants in Pakistan. The material is highly relevant to us though..

d) Inner Dimensions of Islamic Worship: By AlGhazali: This is one of the first books that made me open my eyes to my "daily" worship routines and extract meaning out of them.

e) Remembrance of Death and the afterlife: By Al Ghazali: This is a subject that most of us try not to think about. It is a really scary book at times. The journey after death is frightening for most Muslims, since we really don't know where we are going to end up. To simply proclaim you are Muslim is no guarantee for Heaven...scary but good stuff.

f) Usul ul Fiqh: By sh. Taha Alwani: I don't think I would have really "gotten" this book without the aid of some classes I had taken. He is a brilliant scholar, nuff said.

f) Crisis of the Muslim Mind: By AbdulHamid A. AbuSulayman: This book is one of those depressing looks at the current conditions of Muslim, where we came from, a historical journey of our decline and some suggestions (from an academic view point) on what we need to do for our rise.

g) The Four Imams: Abu Zahra: This book is really thick, but a surprisingly easy read. It traces the journey of the four Imams (Abu Hanifa, Malik, Shafi, and Hanbali), their lives, works, influences etc. It is relevant when exploring the issue of Madhahib, taqleed, etc.

h) Purification of the Soul: Alghazali and others: This is the "Tazkiya" manual per se (at least my introduction to the topic). I love it. You must read it, nuff said :)

i)Invocation of God: by Ibnul Qayyim: This book was a little dense (I had to read some parts twice to get it):but definitely worth the effort. He has a way (reminiscent of Al Ghazali) that speaks to the soul and awaken your yearning to be closer to Allah.

j) Western Muslims and the future of Islam: By Tariq Ramadhan: I think Tariq Ramadhan is brilliant, relevant and writes for people who actually live in this time/space/age. It is very rare to come across scholars that are not stuck in the past (or not of the past). I like this book more than To be a European Muslim, because it has more practical parts rather than just theory.

l) Muhammadan Revelation: (Can't remember the author): another awesome comparative religion type book, that contrasts the Quran against the Bible, Torah, etc. It also contrasts the definitions of Prophets, Revelation, etc. I really enjoyed it, very scholarly work.

m)Javid Nama: Iqbal: This is a long poem, kind of a soul's journey through time and space, really deep and I am not sure I even got it all.

n) Companions of the Prophet (SAW) 1 and 2: This is a light read, very anecdotal, I enjoyed it because of that. It is nice to catch a glimpse of the companion's lives and serves as an inspiration too.

Okay this is it for now ladies and gentlemen...more to come Inshaallah:) Happy Reading:)

posted by Maliha 12/22/2005 09:28:00 AM

. . .

Assalamu Alaykum,

The Profundity of our heedlessness:

"What is stupor or unconsiousness in this probationary life will be the opening of the eyes to the spiritual world: for death is the Gateway between the two. Once through the Gateway, man will realise how the things which he neglected or looked upon as remote are the intimate Realities, and the things which seemed to loom large in the eyes of this world were shadows that have fled. The things we wanted to avoid are the things that have really come to pass. Both Good and Evil will realise the Truth now in its intensity."

-notes on Surah Qaf, verse 19. by Abdullah Yusuf Ali.

posted by Maliha 12/22/2005 09:04:00 AM

. . .

Assalamu Alaykum,

Book Review: Meeting the Challenges of Parenting in the West
by: Dr. Ekram Beshir and Mohammed Rida Beshir

It was a really breezy read Mashaallah. I enjoyed the authors' (husband and wife team effort) style: its light, anecdotal and the chapters flow pretty seamlessly. There were a couple of pointers that made me stop and actually reflect upon them. I like the way they stressed on Mercy and Love as the overriding principle in raising children anywhere.

There were Seven chapters and I will give a quick synopsis of each:

First the word of the day is:

Tarbiyya: Teaching the art of dealing properly with human nature at various levels and situation, thus ensuring a person's balanced upbringing that fulfills the prupose of her/her creation as stipulated by Allah. (Nurturing balanced individuals?)

a) Objectives of Tarbiyya: The first chapter provides a theoretical orientation from the Quran and Sunnah on what our responsibilities are. The end result the authors argue is to bring up both a righteous *and* happy individual.

b) Basic principles for Tarbiyya: Here some child psychology theories are introduced as well as training methods such as Mercy, no favoritism, brevity in preaching, encouragement, step by step according to level, communication/listening techniques, anger management, cooperation, consistency, etc.

c) Environment: Peer pressure, society and support mechanisms.

d) Ways and means of Tarbiyya: Leadership, admonition, punishment, storytelling, habituation, energy utilization, and events.

e) Case Studies: Realistic scenarios

f) Synopsis of Case Studies: How to deal with above scenarious

g) Meet our family: Their daughters write about their growing up experiences

Some things I really liked about the book:

• Emphasis on Mercy and love
• Emphasis on Knowing the environment
• Did not assume all children would be homeschooled/Islamic schooled and actually dealt with how to make public school work for your child.
• Provides some tips/pointers that are realistic for new parents to grasp: Such as don't threaten to punish with an unexecutable punishment such as "I will leave you on the highway" etc. ; intentions are not enough seek knowledge/training; don't overprotect etc.
• It is cute how they incorporate their daughters' poetry, anecdotes, and feelings in the book (its truly a family project).

Things that could have been improved:

• I kept thinking I wanted more! At some points especially when dealing with the environment I felt like it was lacking in analysis and depth.
  
• I was surprised they didn't even discuss the schooling options?! Homeschooling vs Islamic/public etc. I would think that is a huge portion of tarbiyya no?
• I am sure the authors daughters and family are amazing: but at some point my cynical side was like it was just too "perfect". May Allah increase them in awesomeness: but at some points i just couldn't relate my imperfect/average family to them.
• The case studies/and analysis don't need whole chapters (perhaps the space could go back to the analysis?)

Overall, it was a good read for starters. There are lots of mainstream parenting books out there that could augment/complement this one.

Happy reading :)

posted by Maliha 12/16/2005 09:09:00 PM

. . .

Assalamu Alaykum,

In the Meantime...

Reading this right after the break of dawn, gave me goosebumps...its truly amazing Mashaallah.

'Adhaan...an amazing phenomenon'

Have a look at a map of the world and you will find Indonesia on the eastern side of the earth. the major cities of Indonesia are: Java, Sumatra, Borneo and Saibil. as soon as dawn breaks on the eastern side of Saibil, at approximately 5:30 am local time, fajar azaan begins.

thousands of muazzins in Indonesia begin reciting the azaan. the process advances towards west Indonesia, one-and-a-half hours after the azaan has been completed in Saibil, it echoes in Jakarta. Sumatra then follows suit and before this auspicious process of calling azaan ends in Indonesia, it has already begun in Malaysia.

Burma is next in line, and within an hour of its beginning in Jakarta, it reaches Dacca, the capital city of Bangladesh. after Bangladesh, it has already prevailed in western India, from Calcutta to Srinagar. It then advances towards Bombay and the entire environment of India resounds with this proclamation. Srinagar and Sialkot (a city in northern Pakistan) have the same timing for azaan.

the time difference between Sialkot, Quetta, and Karachi is forty minutes, and within this time, fajar azaan is heard throughout Pakistan. Before it ends there, it has already begun in Afghanistan and Muscat. the time difference between Muscat and Baghdad is one hour. azaan resounds during this one hour in the environment of Hijaaz-e-Muqaddas (Holy Cities of Makkah and Madinah), Yemen, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq.

the time difference between Baghdad and Alexandria in Egypt is again one hour. azaan continues to resound in Syria, Egypt, Somalia and Sudan during this hour. The time difference between eastern and western Turkey is one-and-a-half hours, and during this time it is echoed with the call to prayer. Alexandria and Tripoli (capital of Libya) are located at one hour's difference.

the process of calling azaan thus continues throughout the whole of Africa. therefore, the proclamation of Tawheed and Risaalat that had begun in Indonesia reaches the shores of the atlantic ocean after nine-and-a-half hours.

prior to the azaan reaching the shores of the atlantic, the process of zohar azaan has already started in east indonesia, and before it reaches Dacca, asar azaan has started. this has hardly reached Jakarta one-and-a-half hours later, the time of maghrib becomes due, and no sooner has magrib time reached Sumatra, the time for calling Ishaa azaan has commenced in Saibil!

when the muazzins of Indonesia are calling out fajar azaan, the African muazzins are calling the azaan for Ishaa.

If we were to ponder over this phenomenon thoughtfully, we would conclude the amazing fact that there is not a single moment when hundreds-of-thousands of muazzins around the world are not reciting the azaan on the surface of this earth. even as you read this material right now, you can be sure there are at least thousands of people who are hearing and reciting the azaan!

(posted on: Al Madinah Discussion Board )

posted by Maliha 12/16/2005 07:37:00 AM

. . .