Stay-At-Home Moms: Ignore All the Noise

By: Umm Khalid (Muslimskeptic.com)

If you are a stay-at-home mom and you are struggling with feelings of worthlessness or insignificance, I completely understand you.

If you feel like you are all alone, stuck at home with the kids, constantly changing diapers; cooking meals which are only half-eaten; always cleaning up messes all over the house; and nursing the baby, you are not alone.

You probably feel like the world is passing you by, while you stay home, barefooted in your pajamas and tending to toddlers, whereas others are out there in “the real world” going to prestigious jobs, earning money and “contributing to society,” and that makes you feel very small.

Swift Entry into Jannah​

Sayyiduna Abu Umaamah (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) said, “The one who recites Aayatul Kursi after every fardh salaah, nothing will prevent him from entering Jannah besides passing away.” (As Sunanul Kubra - Nasai #9848)

The recitation of Aayatul Kursi is extremely easy as it will take perhaps only half a minute and can thus be recited comfortably after every salaah. The benefit of reciting Aayatul Kursi after every salaah is that after passing away, the reciter will be admitted into Jannah extremely swiftly.

The ‘Undo’ Button

Sayyiduna Abu Bakr Siddeeq (radhiyallahu ‘anhu) reports that he heard Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) mention, “There is no slave (of Allah Ta‘ala) who commits any sin (whether major or minor), and thereafter performs wudhu, stands and performs two rakaats of salaah, and then repents to Allah Ta‘ala, except that Allah Ta‘ala will forgive him.” (Sunan Abu Dawood #1521)

In the ‘olden days’, when the typewriter was in vogue, if a person made a typing mistake, there was no way to undo it. Hence, to correct the mistake, the entire document would have to be retyped. Thereafter, correction fluid (Tipp-ex) was invented, making life much easier for typists around the world. Finally, the time came when word processing shifted to computers. Now, it is easier than ever to ‘undo’ a mistake by simply pressing the ‘undo’ button.

Hajj from Home

We all have the burning desire in our hearts to present ourselves at the doorstep of the Ka’bah and fulfill the blessed rites of hajj. Some are fortunate enough to perform hajj once in a lifetime, some twice in a lifetime, and there are the select few who are extremely fortunate as they perform hajj annually.

However, Allah Ta‘ala, in His infinite kindness, has made it such that even those who cannot journey to Makkah Mukarramah to perform hajj are able to acquire the reward of hajj. Furthermore, they can do it from the comfort of their own homes!

Powerful Prescription

Sayyidah Ummu Sulaim (radhiyallahu ‘anha) once came to Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) and requested, “O Rasul of Allah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam)! Teach me some words to recite through which I will make du‘aa to Allah Ta‘ala.” Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) answered, “Recite Subhaanallah ten times, Alhamdulillah ten times and Allahu Akbar ten times. Thereafter, ask your needs of Allah Ta‘ala, for He will say, ‘I have done so! I have done so! (I have fulfilled your needs)’” (Musnad Ahmad #12207)

The prescription given to Sayyidah Ummu Sulaim (radhiyallahu ‘anha) by Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) is one that is both easy to recite and extremely powerful. We all have needs, and every person is totally dependent on Allah Ta‘ala alone for the fulfillment of his needs. Hence, before supplicating to Allah Ta‘ala and presenting our needs to Him, let us strive to recite the zikr prescribed above. It will take only a few moments, but the effect of the du‘aa that is answered will be long lasting.

Islamic Considerations Regarding the Education of Women

Here is a list of problems that come with educating women for the purposes of gender equality and female empowerment/social advancement. (These problems do not arise when the purpose of education is to teach religion or become better mothers.)

Problem 1: It decreases the happiness and life satisfaction of women.

Problem 2: It increases the number of unmarried women because educated women generally prefer to marry even more educated, powerful men. But there is a limited supply of such men. So more women are competing for a smaller pool of men, meaning most of those women will not find a match.

Du‘aa of Seventy Thousand Angels

Often, we have the perception that ‘earning great reward’ from Allah Ta‘ala is something that will require immense effort, energy and action. However, Allah Ta‘ala, out of His infinite mercy, has blessed us with numerous avenues through which we can easily earn immense rewards with a minimum effort. One of these avenues is the sunnah of visiting the sick.

In this regard, Rasulullah (sallallahu ‘alaihi wasallam) has mentioned, “There is no person who visits someone who is sick in the evening, except that seventy thousand angels come out with him, making du‘aa for his forgiveness until the morning, and he will receive a garden in Jannah. And there is no person who visits someone who is sick in the morning, except that seventy thousand angels come out with him, making du‘aa for his forgiveness until the evening, and he will receive a garden in Jannah.” (Sunan Abi Dawood #3098)

Kick Feminism to the Curb! Contentment in Marriage and Motherhood

I am happy to be a traditional housewife.

I’m content with being a homemaker, a wife who plays a supporting role to my husband’s lead role. I’m busy enough in my position as a stay-at-home, as a mother homeschooling five children, alhamdulillah, that I do not wish for any further responsibilities to be placed upon my shoulders.

I feel completely fulfilled and at peace within my feminine frame, alhamdulillah. Thus, I have no desire to warp my essence or defy my fitrah (natural innate disposition) by trying to assume a masculine frame; or by competing with my husband; or by becoming independent of him.

Hayaa within the Home

When many of us think back and remember our grandmothers or even great-grandmothers, the picture that comes to mind is of an old woman wearing a shapeless, loose, long, flowing garment that also covered her arms and part of her neck. These standard and generic ‘nanima outfits’ were certainly not stylish, but they definitely represented the treasure which many Muslims of today have lost – hayaa, shame and modesty.

By and large, the old women hailing from that era had not received an advanced education (if any formal education at all), and even their Deeni knowledge was rudimentary due to the scarcity of maktab madrasahs. However, most of them possessed the core values of Islam in their lives, such as generosity, selflessness, humility, and most importantly – hayaa.

Every woman wants to be beautiful, really beautiful.

No amount of makeup or cosmetic procedures will make you as beautiful as haya’ will make you.

Haya’ makes a woman stunningly beautiful.

Haya’, الحياء: that elusive internal and external quality of modesty, humility, bashfulness, shyness. Refraining from indecency and immorality out of an instinctive self-preservation.

Haya’ is for both men and women, but its absence in especially women is jarring and disturbing.

An average-looking woman with haya’ is absolutely beautiful.

A physically pretty woman without haya’ is ugly.

The Arab saying goes,

جمال بلا حياء وردة بلا عطر.

“Beauty without haya’ is a rose without fragrance.”

Porndemic

Every parent wants their child to prosper in life. Accordingly, every parent will try their level best to equip their child with the qualities that will assist him/her to thrive and be successful. The parents will try to feed them healthy foods, and if there is a nutrition deficiency, they will supplement the diet with multivitamins. They will try to give them a good education, and if the child is not scoring the desired marks, they will send them for additional tuition. They will passionately protect them from all dangers and will try to strengthen their bodies so that they will one day be able to defend themselves.

While all these qualities, such as education, health, etc. are undoubtedly important, they are not the main qualities required for the prosperity of the child. Rather, the two main qualities required for the child to prosper in this life and in the afterlife, have been described by Wahb bin Munabbih (rahimahullah). He once said, “When a young child possesses two qualities, there will be hope for him to be rightly-guided (i.e. in this world and the next) – (the two qualities are) hayaa (shame) and fear (of Allah Ta‘ala).” (Hilyatul Awliyaa vol. 3, pg. 181)

The Dire Financial Consequences of Netflix’s Dark Agenda

The Hollywood industry is rife with liberal propaganda aimed specifically at children and teenagers, i.e., the youth. It is undeniable that content from entertainment giants such as Netflix is drenched in woke narratives—they’ve got it all, from pushing feminism; to the LGBT agenda; to several shows even outright praising and idolizing Satan.

Employing this strategy, however, has led to significant financial degradation for Netflix:

Netflix has closed out its worst year in more than a decade, with its stock plunging more than 50 percent and wiping out a staggering $136 billion in market value.

Bollywood’s Persistent Islamophobia Problem

Rana Ayyub, a famed Indian journalist, wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post about Sooryavanshi, a Bollywood flick released at the beginning of November, a box-office success, and how it plays with many “Islamophobic tropes,” such as “love jihad”:

The film stokes the dangerous “love jihad” conspiracy, which paints Muslim men as colluding to seduce or kidnap Hindu women or girls and convert them to Islam. But other Islamophobic tropes are the center of the film, which has as its male lead one of the biggest stars in India, Akshay Kumar — a big fan of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and an actor famous for his jingoistic, hyper-nationalist films.

Why Aren’t More Muslims Boycotting Bollywood?

By Mufti Abdullah Moolla (Muslimskeptic.com)

In our fast-paced world of ‘progressiveness’, we see and hear many hurtful things about Islam and Muslims. We will admit that they have nothing to do with Islam. Yet, our minds have been flooded with false news, misinformation, outright lies, and immorality, twisting them to feel enlightened but spiritually deprived.

If we look at the craving for Bollywood and the immense passion with which some Muslims watch it, it’s actually nauseating. All praise is for Allah Ta’ala, He has saved me from Bollywood. I cannot be more grateful for this great bounty.

The Formula for How to Destroy Any Nation According to Salahuddin

 Salahuddin Al-Ayyubi is said to have remarked, “If you want to destroy any nation without war, make nudity or adultery common in the younger generation.”

These exact things are what we’re seeing today, phenomena that wreak havoc on society. Widespread nudity and unregulated casual sex.

Modern secular western society is built around these things, and is rapidly influencing non-western and Muslim societies to be the same:

Smartphone duck-face selfies

Sexy filters

Modern People Desperately Need Islam: The Sad Story of Susan

By: Umm Khalid (Muslimskeptic.com)

Brace yourself. This is one of the most tragic and shocking conversations I have ever had, and I’ve had a lot of bizarre conversations.

Last night I was talking to a Muslim woman I know who just moved out of her place in Boston. Let’s call her Rana. She was living with three non-Muslim roommates: a 30-year-old woman, a 38-year old man, and a 72-year old woman.

Each of the four roommates lived in a room within an old three-story Boston home, with a shared kitchen and bathroom on the second floor.

The 38-year-old man was deeply traumatized from some sort of childhood abuse and was unable to form relationships, and had just been working at Trader Joe’s for the past decade straight.

Drowning - Some causes of our Children loosing their Imaan

Did you know that an adult can drown in just 60 seconds, and a child can drown in just 20 seconds? Did you know that it takes just half a cup of water entering your lungs to cause you to drown? Did you know that in most cases, drownings are silent, without any desperate splashing or shouting for help? Did you know that the majority of drownings occur within 10 meters of safety?

The above statistics probably come as a surprise to most people, but they highlight a crucial point – drowning occurs very quickly, and it is generally due to a brief lapse in the attention of those supervising the children. Thus, experts advise that when children are in water, adults should scan the water every 10 seconds, looking for signs of distress, and should be able to reach a child in trouble within 20 seconds.

The Disgrace of “American Islam” Seen Through the Eyes of a Non-American Muslim

 I was at a park yesterday with a couple friends (other homeschooling moms) and our kids. A fellow Muslim woman passed by where we were sitting and we exchanged salams.

She approached me and asked, “بتحكي عربي؟” (“Do you speak Arabic?”)

“Yes, I’m Egyptian,” I told her in Arabic, shaking her hand and gesturing for her to sit and join us. The rest of the conversation flowed in Arabic, her Jordanian dialect and my Egyptian one. She gave me many important things to think about in this exchange.

She sat down next to me and looked around curiously at the large group of kids playing rowdily around us. “Are these all your children?” she asked.

Wish Well for Your Children!

 16 800 – this is the approximate number of hours that a child will spend in school over the course of twelve years, from grade one to matric.

3000 – this is the approximate number of hours that a child will spend in the maktab madrasah, assuming that the child attends the maktab for six years, five days a week.

Ask almost any practising Muslim adult today as to how he/she learnt to perform wudhu and salaah and recite the Quraan Majeed, or where they learnt the basic Islamic beliefs, masaa-il (rulings) and sunnah du‘aas? The answer will almost certainly be ‘the maktab madrasah’.

Nothing But a Dream

He looked to his right, and as far as his eyes could see, to the end of the horizon, was land belonging to him, covered with his developments, factories and businesses. He looked to his left and saw a vast army of people, all under his employment, dedicated to serving him and seeing to his comfort. He looked in front of him, and saw his estate – his palatial home outfitted with every luxury and amenity imaginable and available in the modern age.

And then “BEEEEP!” – with the rude awakening sounded by his merciless alarm clock, he opened his eyes to the reality that it was all nothing but a dream…