Eid 2012

Wow its been so long since I last blogged.Its been a busy time starting with Ramadan, Eid, getting ready to go back to school after having a baby and so much more.Alhamdulillah for everything.

There are so many blessings in my life I don't think I can ever keep count.Alhamduillah.My first ramadan with my 1 year old wasn't all that bad as I had expected.There were many good days when we made it for taraweeh prayers alhamdulillah.And I'm very thankful to the community at Al Minhaal Academy in Plainfield for having a child friendly area and a play gym for toddlers while their moms prayed taraweeh.It is such a blessing.The teachers there worked very hard to keep children entertained in the gym and also in keeping the gym/restrooms clean in addition to serving iftar daily.I wish inshallah more masjids equip themselves with child friendly areas/services so mothers can also attend the prayers and reap rewards inshallah.
I was so worried if I could pray taraweeh in the masjid with my 1 year old running around.And I was a little anxious because I wanted to make the most of this ramadan as I had missed out on fasting the whole of last ramadan.I didn't think I would feel very happy or enjoy praying as much if I had only prayed at home every single day.The spirit of ramadan could be felt at the masjid where everyone gathered for iftar and then for taraweeh prayers where the Imam would lead us into prayers with his beautiful recitation.Alhamdulillah I could experience all that and enjoy my ramadan.

Eid was a very happy occasion with us celebrating eid at Al Minhaal Academy with the community and our friends.The eid prayers started at 8:00 AM followed by a light brunch of waffles,doughnuts and bagels.Again, a very big thank you to the staff there for making all the arrangements and also for handing out toys to children.subhanAllah and mashAllah its amazing how Allah SWT puts barakah where He wishes to.You might think you have a very tight budget to fit everything but alhamdulillah when Allah SWT wills for you to have barakah in that small amount, you can get every single thing done beautifully within the tight budget.

Last night our good friend and neighbour invited us for Eid dinner at her place.Alhamdulillah it was an Egyptian feast of baamiyah/okra, mulooqiyah, roast chicken, hummus, salad,kunafeh, cake,2 kinds of jello and of course sheer khorma.

Alhamdulillah good food, good company, happy ramadan and eid, healthy me and family.What more do we ask for. Alhamdulillah ya rabb.

Dua to make when afflicted with a calamity

‎Umm Salamah narrated that the Messenger of Allaah said,

“If any Muslim who suffers some calamity says what Allaah has commanded him," We belong to Allaah and to Him we shall return; O Allaah, reward me for my affliction and give me something better than it in exchange," Allah will give him something better than it in exchange.’” When Abu Salamah died she said: ‘Which Muslim is better than Abu Salamah whose family was the first to emigrate to the Messenger of Allaah?’ I then said those words, and Allaah gave me the Prophet in exchange.” (Muslim)

Make this supplication your treasure during afflictions, Allaah will provide you with what is better.

Taken from the article "Great Women of Islam" by by Imâm al-Madîna al-Munawarrah 'Abdul Muhsin Ibn Muhammad al-Qâsim on the website www.abdurrahman.org

Tips to have an amazing stress free Ramadan

Its 19th June 2012 and 29th Rajab 1433 on the Islamic calendar.Another day for the Islamic month of shaban to begin and inshallah we'll have exactly one month to Ramadan.
I'm getting in mode for Ramadan and also planning for Ramadan inshallah.

I'll divide my Ramadan preparation list into 2 categories, Meal planning and Spiritual Development.

Meal Planning

1.Try to have a meal plan for iftar/dinner and suhoor for every single day of Ramadan and prepare accordingly.

2.Prepare the grocery list,go shopping now and stock your freezer/pantry so you don't have to waste precious time during Ramadan.

3.Prepare some foods that can be cooked earlier and freeze them such as  minced meat patties,kebabs.

People from the subcontinent cook a lot of daal/lentil curry which can be cooked ahead of time in huge quantities and froze.Also, dishes like dahi bade/dumplings soaked in yogurt can be cooked and frozen earlier.The dahi can be prepared and the bade can be added just before iftar.

4.Try to include a soup and fresh fruit for iftar.Keep iftar light so you can go to taraweeh fully energized after a day of fasting and not in a lethargic state.

5.Plan to have an early dinner i.e. before taraweeh so you can hit the bed straight after taraweeh.

6.Try to include some protein during the suhoor meal as protein provides you energy and keeps you full longer.

Spiritual Development

1.Read up informative material on Ramadan such as the fiqh of Ramadan, conditions when fasting is exempted, conditions which nullify the fast, conditions when missed fasts have to be made up such as for menstruating and post partum women and ways to make up the missed fasts.

2.Make a dua list.Write down all the duas that you'd like to be answered in the long run and also in the short term such as in the next few months.

3.Make goals for Ramadan such as the amount of Quran to recite during Ramadan.
I usually recite a juz or two daily so I can end up reciting the whole Quran once during Ramadan
.
4.Also, try to include an extra nafl ibadah during Ramadan such as giving away one dollar/dinar as sadaqah daily, or calling up on someone who is sick as this is also an act of sadaqah.Or, you could make extra food for iftar and send some to the masjid so you are rewarded for helping a fasting person break his fast.

5.Join an online class or Islamic gatherings/halaqa so you can get more ajr/reward inshallah.

I've recently joined the diploma program at the onlne islamic university and alhamdulillah greatly benefitting from it.The link to the online university is given below.The best part is that you can do the courses at your own pace.There are no set times for the classes.
Also, its all free.There are no charges for enrollment.So now we've no excuses from this one.inshAllah if we spend an hour daily, we can gain so much information
and also hasanat inshallah.
http://islamiconlineuniversity.com/

Lastly, do your eid shopping before Ramadan starts.Planning for eid, shopping for the dresses/materials/accessories can take up  precious time during Ramadan.So get eid shopping done now and out of the way so the precious last 10 nights of Ramadan are spent only on ibadah and in getting your duas answered inshallah.

I sincerely pray and hope we have an amazing Ramadan this year inshallah and may Allah SWT make it better than the previous ones.

Ramadan 2012 is almost here

Its June 05 2012 and Ramadan is about a month away.I was reading about Ramadan and how to be productive during ramadan, tips on eating healthy balanced meals during ramadan, fasting with children and so much more.mashAllah there's an amazing amount of free literature to be read on preparing for ramadan.I never actually prepared for ramadan until the year before last which was 2010.And alhamdulillah I had the most amazing ramadan ever thanks to Sh. Muhammad Al Shareef's The Heart Wheel Journal.

Here's the link to the Heart Wheel Journal videos on youtube

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5F75DEDF82A0A893

Since then, I have decided that preparing yourself mentally and physically for ramadan actually helps you have a blessed ramadan and reap all the benefits of fasting, taraweeh prayers, qiyam ul layl and so much more.You can have time to cook meals for your family, take care of your children, recite the holy Quran, attend taraweeh prayers with the family, attend qiyam ul layl with the family and all of this with a positive spirit and a healthy mind inshallah. Basically, you need to start getting ready now when Ramadan is a month away.Believe me, inshallah you will taste the sweetness of faith like never before and will find yourself on a spiritual high and feel so much at peace with everything around you and within you.

The next couple of posts on my blog will be about preparing for ramadan spiritually, mentally and physically.Additionally, I will blog about better organizational skills and time management skills.

More than anyone else, I need to get everything sorted out before ramadan as this will be my first ramadan with my baby inshallah and I want to make the most of it.Its one month of the year where inshallah we can cleanse ourselves of our sins, get rid of our worries, anxieties and focus only on our spiritual health inshallah.


May Allah SWT allow us all to reap maximum benefits during this ramadan inshallah and may He accept our ibadah.