Introducing Good AfterNoora!

Okay, okay. I have a confession to make. My Sandal has been flip-flopping all over the place. It’s been quiet over here for a reason. Well, two reasons. Firstly, I’m pregnant and tired if you haven’t read my ISRA Retreat posts. Secondly, I’ve kind of been cheating on you. Well, cheating just sounds so dirty and bad. Cheating is dirty and bad!!! So let’s not think of it as cheating…I have another blog I’m working on…in partnership with this one. It’s like a shared marriage arrangement for both of my interests to shine inshAllah. One for travelogue-history stuff, the other for I’m-a-woman-hear-me-roar-and-see-what-I-can-make stuff. Think of them as sisters…a merger of sorts, with two different offices…or vacation homes.

It’s a space I’ve carved out to talk about the things we can do to make sure that our youth are raised from birth to be under the shade of The King on the day when there is no shade but His. It’s a place to talk about those things the majority of women used to do back in the day but no longer do, and revive those good traditions. All in all, it just didn’t feel right talking about all that crafty motherhood business over here–I’m pretty sure I’d lose some of my male readers. So I needed another space to express myself in another creative way. But please note that it’s still very much in development! I really wanted you to see the second home nicely decorated and all, but it might take a while, so hop over and take a look anyway! There’s enough virtual couch space to find something of interest for you to cozy up to right now inshAllah. And it’s okay if you subscribe too…there’s some good stuff in store inshAllah! And I promise to be faithful to both blogs from here on out inshAllah. The good news is if you don’t see me chatting at one, you know I’m at the other…

So please welcome Good AfterNoora to the family!

A page from the Qasida Burda, photo courtesy of Aida El Ayoubi

It’s been a while, I know. There’s just too much to do and plan before baby #2 arrives in my book, so please forgive my absence…and the absence of notes from the Rihla (inshAllah I’ll start back on that someday…). But if I’m honest here, you probably won’t be hearing much from me unless there are major events to report on…that move me…like this epic month when the best of creation (saws) was born.  So I just had to write to you today…I actually wanted to write to you last night, but my lazy nafs won that battle. Actually, I spent last night in the company of a great seerah book that I’ve never finished and plan to finish this month inshAllah. It’s Martin Lings’ Muhammad. Have you read it? I can tell you that it’s life changing…in only what I remember of the 100 pages that I read last year…

And speaking of last year, I was given the advice to read a book of seerah once a year. This year, I was given the advice to read the seerah because they are universal principles. The seerah is to teach us the ihsan, or excellence, of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). And the seerah is not only his story, but our story as well. And I’m passing that same advice to you, dear sibling. So last year, I read Tariq Ramadan’s In the Footsteps of the Prophet, a beautiful book…if you haven’t read it, please read it. It’s an easy read. And this year, I’m cracking open Martin Lings’ book again, with the intention to finish it by reading a manageable 13 pages a day…so far so good (but we are only on the first day of Rabi ul Awwal)…and if you feel that your time is a bit out of your grasp, just pop in an audio cd of the seerah while you drive or do your housework. Our family is listening to Hamza Yusuf’s The Life of The Prophet Muhammad (vols. 1 & 2) on our car rides, and I feel like I can see the story of rasulAllah (saws) right before my eyes. Really, it’s a beautiful cd set which makes you want to continue driving just to hear more…so get it. Even our two and a half year old Noora listens attentively to it…though I wonder if there is any good (little) children’s book or audio set on the seerah out there? If you know of one or some, please leave your recommendations in the comments! As for the Hamza Yusuf audio set, he references and explains things from Martin Lings’ seerah and other seerah collections that are very deep, mashAllah. I think listening to it is actually what prompted me to try to read the actual book again. And if you are of the persuasion that you will fall asleep listening to a lecture or reading a book, then listen to the story of the Prophet (saws) as sung by many a singer and poet by way of the Qasida Burda. There are so many versions out, with and without the daff, danceable and not–you will not fall asleep. Just remember that by reading, listening, or reciting his (saws) story, you are also learning your story. There is a little bit of you to be found in that ancient yet contemporary tale of ihsan…All in all, there is no excuse! If you haven’t made it a practice to read and remember the seerah once a year, start this month and this year–there’s no time like the present–this beautiful month when the best of creation (saws) was born!

May this first day of the First Spring be the beginning of many continuous springs into the seerah for you. Ameen!

inside Masjid Noor-al-Huda, Columbia, SC

I didn’t tell you that yesterday Noora danced in the middle of the dhikr circle. She stomped her feet to the beat of La ilaha il Allah, whirling dervish of nasheeds that she is. Today, the baby who has abducted my body for the past 4 months kicked and flipped for the first time (that I could feel) upon hearing this hadith:

On the authority of Abu Hurairah (ra), the messenger of Allah (saws) said:

“Do not envy one another; do not inflate prices one to another; do not hate one another; do not turn away from one another; and do not undercut one another, but be you, O servants of Allah, brothers. A Muslim is the brother of a Muslim: he neither oppresses him nor does he fail him, he neither lies to him nor does he hold him in contempt. Piety is right here—and he pointed to his breast three times. It is evil enough for a man to hold his brother Muslim in contempt. The whole of a Muslim for another Muslim is inviolable: his blood, his property, and his honor.” (Muslim)

I never paid much attention to this hadith before; my focus was always on the one preceeding it which is my favorite. Well, the new baby made sure that I was paying attention. I must pause to tell you about a book that was suggested to be read…’Ibn Arabi’s Sufis of Andalusia: The Ruh Al-Quds and Al-Durrat Al-Fakhirah in which he writes down the story of anyone and everyone who ever taught him anything, including children and women. Subhanallah, we were taught today to treat everyone like Khidr and every night as laylatul qadr. For not every person is a person…you never know when someone has come into your life just to test you or teach you…just like the story of Khidr and the Prophet Moses (pbuh) and the Angel Jibrail (as) and Muhammad (pbuh) when he taught the companions about iman, islam, and ihsan…

But back to hadith 35, we were told that this hadith is all about brotherhood and it was one of the most important hadiths for our time, as our ummah is in shambles. We were then taught that there are three levels of brotherhood. There is the brotherhood of the Muslim (islam), the brotherhood of the Mu’min (iman), and the brotherhood of the Muhsin (ihsan). The brotherhood of iman is that you love for your brother what you love for yourself (as in hadith 13). The brotherhood of ihsan is that you prefer for your brother what you love for yourself. Our problem is that we manifest these egotistical personalities like selfishness but they aren’t our true selves…they aren’t the souls who said “yes” to Allah when He asked (azza wa jal), “Am I not your Lord?” before we were even born. Not following hadith 35 is what is hurting ourselves and our communities. Not answering the phone when our brothers and sisters call…not thinking of them as ourselves…treating them as we want to be treated. Shaykh Muhammad Mendes offered a solution given by one of his teachers who said to treat plants like animals, animals like humans, people of other faiths like Muslims, and Muslims like yourself. Subhanallah. And then reminded us that lowering our gaze doesn’t just go for the opposite sex; we must also lower our gaze from the faults of our brothers and sisters as well…

But to reach these levels of brotherhood, we need to get rid of some idols of our time. Idols aren’t just made out of wood and stone; they are ideas, emotions and our own caprices. Shaykh Muhammad said that there are always idols that need to be slashed, just like in the time of the prophets (pbut). The two main idols that need to be slashed in our time are materialism (love of the world) and individualism. We aren’t here to buy new things or amass money to get new things. And RasulAllah (saws) wasn’t an individualist. He put everyone before himself. The Muslim feels connected with everything…just like the shaykh who felt like his arm was being amputated because a leaf fell from a tree…

And most profoundly for me today, Shaykh Muhammad said that we shouldn’t look at the seerah as merely a history lesson. The seerah is to teach us ihsan, the excellence of the Prophet Muhammad (saws). And the entire seerah is not only his story, but our story as well. We relive the lives of the predecessors every day and we need to look to who is reflecting these hadiths in our communities. The prophets were more than just people. The sahaba were more than just people. They are universal principles to live by…we need to figure out who is the Umar in our community? the Abu Bakr? the Aisha?

And then, right then and there, many things became apparent. I traveled down to Columbia, SC with a sister I met in Ramadan. We hadn’t spent that much time together until now. But I learned more from that sister about how I should be and how I want to be more than anything else. It is my deep belief that she is one of those pillars…one of those universal principles in our world. I always saw her helping, giving, and patient…I never saw a look of disdain, contempt, or anger cross her face no matter what was thrown at her. And I couldn’t say the same about my own face. Subhanallah. Everyone we meet is a teacher. And while it is my sincere hope to be the Zaynab of my community…beautiful, crafty, and giving, I know that I still have a lot to learn…but at least I now know my purpose in being here. Of all the things said today, the thing that sticks out in my mind most is when Shaykh Muhammad said that we must pay zakat on our knowledge. Zakat means growth. We must pay zakat on what we learned to our families and communities, and I pray that is what I have been doing here and will be blessed to continue to do. As we received ijazas in maqra (reciting) and sam’a (listening) to Nawawi’s Arba’een, I felt that I really didn’t deserve it. I couldn’t hear or understand everything being said at times. But as Shaykh Muhammad said, it’s not the paper that matters. It’s what it symbolizes…the chain…and with that, I’m ready to continue the chain link that I started working on. I started tajweed courses this fall that I almost gave up on until now…so even if it takes me years, inshAllah, I’ll complete my chain link and pay zakat on it to you, to Noora, to baby-to-be, to anyone who wants to hear or learn…Thank you teachers…Shaykh Muhammad Mendes, Shaykh Manzar-ul-Islam Azhari, Br. Syed and the ISRA team, Hassan, Noora, baby-to-be inshAllah, Khalida, Muhafiz, Nusaibah, Tazkiyya, Karima, Sr. Khalilah, Sr. Khalida, and all other attendees. I pray the lessons you taught me will stick. Pray for me. I love you.

La ilaha il Allah, my pet peeves aren’t worth talking about. I’m sure I probably annoyed some people too. Actually, I’m 100% sure of it. Just ask my husband. He’ll vouch for my stress level at the time. I probably drove Noora insane, too. But while I can’t tell you much about Columbia, South Carolina (where the retreat was held), I can tell you that the masjid where the retreat was held, Masjid Noor-al-Huda, was very welcoming. Even with the TV movie watching and talking, I saw members of the South Carolina congregation bringing food for us travelers to eat from their homes. I saw them stand back from the lines so that we could eat first. And if anyone was wanting for a smile or a hug, they needn’t look anymore. I don’t even know if the women from South Carolina got to hear much from the retreat–a few of them seemed to always be in the kitchen cooking…mashAllah. The community at Masjid Noor-al-Huda exemplified true Southern hospitality and the usual cliques that are present at masajid seemed to be non-existent. The masjid seemed to be a mix of Desis and African-Americans (almost all of whom were in shalwar kameez–even under some abayas), and I felt welcomed too even in a very shamsi jilbab.

But most of all, I felt a little closer to the ahl (people of) hadith. While reading and reciting Nawawi’s Arba’een, we were in Nawawi’s company…and even more than that, we were in the company of rasulAllah (saws). The light of the hadith shone…what was recited and said were the words of a prophet…the best words to be heard besides the Speech of Creator of Prophets. And we learned these hadiths through the work of a man who didn’t sleep in his bed or get married…who fell asleep at his table every night writing these hadiths down so that we would know them. We, the generation, who came a thousand years later…

Nawawi writes in his introduction a hadith that has been transmitted by many companions in many different versions (Ali, Abu Huraira, Mu’adh ibn Jabal, Ibn Umar, Ibn Abbas, Abu Darda (ra) among them) that the Prophet (saws) said:

“Whosoever memorizes and preserves for my people forty hadith relating to their religion, Allah will resurrect him on the Day of Judgment in the company of jurist and religious scholars.”

It’s agreed to be a weak hadith despite its numerous transmissions. And Nawawi writes that even though scholars are agreed that a weak hadith can be put into practice if virtuous deeds are concerned, he does not rely on this hadith but the following sound hadiths in writing this Arba’een (along with the practice of scholars before him to bring together forty hadith):

“Let him who was a witness among you inform him who was absent.”

and

“May Allah make radiant [the face of] someone who has heard what I have said, has learnt it by heart and has transmitted it as he heard it.”

So in this Arba’een, Nawawi informs us that he is bringing together forty very important hadiths…all of them which have been described by scholars as axes of Islam or a half, a third, etc. of Islam, and deemed to be sahih, the majority of which are in the collections of Bukhari and Muslim…the first hadith said to be 1/3 of our deen by Imam Al Shafi’i (ra):

“Actions are but by intention and every man shall have but that which he intended. Thus he whose migration was for Allah and His Messenger, his migration was for Allah and His Messenger, and he whose migration was to achieve some worldly benefit or to take some woman in marriage, his migration was for that for which he migrated.”

Shaykh Muhammad Mendes informed us that hadiths also have many layers of meanings, and that the companions understood hadiths in different ways. He revealed some layers that I hadn’t even thought about in this hadith. Shaykh Muhammad informed us that we are all muhajirs (emigrants) in some way. We make hijra (emigration) not only physically in earthly movement, but also from the haram (forbidden) to the halal (permissible), from bid’a (blameworthy innovation) to the sunnah (prophetic practice), from the makruh (discouraged) to the manduh (recommended). The migration spoken about in this hadith can be physical or spiritual. And we must all make hijra from toxic environments–the bad influences in our life..the bad company that we sometimes keep. The highest hijra in life is the hijra of ghaflah (heedlessness)–when we move from heedlessness to muraqabah and mushahada (meditation that leads to consciousness and witnessing of nothing but The Creator). Intentions are the ruh (the spirit), but you can’t just have good intentions. You have to have a body for the spirit. You have a place of action. What distinguishes a Muslim who is awakened is that they are consciously, actively living their life…they precede every step that take in life with intention..and make multiple intentions for one action, thus magnifying their reward…

Again, we were told that hadiths are a light by Shaykh Muhammad. He mentioned that some scholars could see spiritual light (nur) coming from people’s mouths as they recited Qur’an…a lesser light for people reciting a hadith qudsi…and an even lesser light for those reciting hadith nabawi (prophetic hadith). But still it’s a light. And while I had high hopes of actually being able to read every hadith in this book, and perhaps memorize one and get some of that light, I guess it is sufficient that we covered the few that we did. Covering a little allows one to go in depth, while covering a lot only allows one to glaze over…and as Shaykh Muhammad Mendes told us in reviewing the first hadith “Actions are by intentions…”, you only get what you intend. Some may spend a day with a shaikh and get more in that little time than those who spend months or years…we must come with our glasses empty, not full of the dirt of this world when learning. In all honesty, I’m still trying to figure out Allah’s purpose for me here. Maybe it is was just to awaken me to take some active steps in preserving forty hadiths so that I can be raised in the ranks of scholars as well. Maybe it was to inform those of you who were absent. Maybe it was to be written among those who pointed you to the good so that your faces could be radiant by learning the hadith and transmitting them to your own families and friends…

This was my second ISRA event. I previously attended one of their Isra and Miraj Conferences some years back, but this was my first retreat. Known for their mawlids and conferences dealing with aspects of rasulAllah’s life (saws) such as the isra and miraj, the Islamic Studies and Research Association aims to develop the ummah dynamically through a focus on iman, islam, and ihsan, unity, and the promotion of tasawwuf.

Meanwhile, here’s some pictures we captured from along the way…a beautifully developed masjid in Raleigh, North Carolina..

Click to view slideshow.

It’s gotten easier–I mean, I don’t need Christmas. But I do not appreciate it when some in our ummah take it upon themselves to preach hate over Christmas at this time of year. Yes, Christmas has been corrupted. It has turned into consumerism and a horrible tradition of people asking things of created beings rather than Allah. But have you ever truly thought of the underlying basis of Christmas? It’s a mawlid. It’s a celebration of the birth of a beautiful example of human being. Yes, for the most part, it’s done completely wrong, but today, I’m going to celebrate Jesus (as), one of the beautiful prophets of God, the best way I know how…because frankly, what other time of the year is there that I think of him more (peace be upon him)? Shoot! When do I even think of the other prophets in such a focused manner? Let alone send salawat on them…So today I am going to celebrate the legacy of one of the most revolutionary prophets…one who has moved the world…one who yes, even Muslims love.

Reading Ibn Kathir's Stories of the Prophets on the prayer rug in my Palestinian thobe

And by celebrate, I do not mean that I have a tree with lights. Nor am I attending a family supper. I do have on a bit of red and green on a background of cream…but that’s because I’m wearing a Palestinian thobe. And I’m wondering if Maryam, the mother of Jesus (pbuh) ever wore one like it. Did she know the art of tatreez and make dhikr while cross-stitching patterns taught to her by her mother, Hannah? She was Palestinian, you know. She lived in Baitul Maqdis. And so I’m looking back at my pictures of Palestine and trying to remember…or reconjure, if you will, the past. I’m even presenting some to you that you’ve never seen (see slideshow below). I’m remembering climbing the Mount of Temptation where Jesus (as) is believed to have meditated frequently and the Church of Nativity where he is believed to have been born. And how directly across from the Church of Nativity is the Mosque of Omar in Bethlehem. I’m carried away to another time and place. And I’m taking you with me. And not because today is Jesus’ birthday. It’s not. It’s a date fixed on an incorrect calendar. I’m thinking of Jesus today because I ought to. Because being Muslim means I love Jesus, too.

I mean, can you imagine being a part of that family? A part of the house of Imran? MashAllah…so many great prophets and people came from that line of people…from the progeny of Prophet David. They have among their ranks Zakariya and Yahya (John the Baptist). And two people who were never touched by Satan*, and consecrated for the service of The One since being in the womb: both Mary (ra) and Jesus (as). And what other prophet can you think of wherein you know so much about his mother? Wherein his mother’s name is mentioned right along with his own? Isa ibn Maryam..Jesus son of Mary. His mother’s name is blessed in being an entire chapter of the Qu’ran. Their family name and  the events surrounding “The Last Supper” hold the titles to two other chapters of the Qur’an (see surahs Maryam (19), Ali Imran (3), and Al Maidah (5). They were both so unique…Jesus (peace be upon him) was the first of three babies who spoke and Mary (ra) was one of the best of women, the first woman named in the hadith of the four women who attained perfection in this dunya. These are our role models–a man, and his mother…a single, unmarried woman who both achieved perfection in worship.

And as I read the biography of this man who people love so much that they began to worship him, I’m trying to imagine myself as a single mother giving birth to him in the desert. Can you imagine? In the company of angels? With dates provided specifically from Allah to relieve you of your pains? There’s no epidural in the world like that…And you baby’s first words being:

[...] “I am indeed a servant of Allah. He hath given me revelation and made me a prophet; And He hath made me blessed wheresoever I be, and hath enjoined on me Prayer and Charity as long as I live; (He) hath made me kind to my mother, and not overbearing or miserable; “So peace is on me the day I was born, the day that I die, and the day that I shall be raised up to life (again)”!” (Surah Maryam 19: 30-33)

Subhanallah. Jesus (pbuh) was a sign of the Power of Allah. He creates what He wants without cause or effect. He created Adam without father or mother, and Eve out a of man without father or mother, and He created Jesus out of a woman without a father. He just says to a matter “Be” and it is. Just like that. And then he bestows these gifts…these blessings that we can never count…these talents and skills…and some are blessed with abilities like no human eye has ever seen. Like the miracles of Jesus (pbuh). Allah says in the Qur’an that He will say on the day when He gathers the prophets together:

[...]“O Jesus the son of Mary! Recount My favour to thee and to thy mother. Behold! I strengthened thee with the Holy Spirit, so that thou didst speak to the people in childhood and in maturity. Behold! I taught thee the Book and Wisdom, the Law and the Gospel and behold! thou makest out of clay, as it were, the figure of a bird, by My leave, and thou breathest into it and it becometh a bird by My leave, and thou healest those born blind, and the lepers, by My leave. And behold! thou bringest forth the dead by My leave. And behold! I did restrain the Children of Israel from (violence to) thee when thou didst show them the clear Signs, and the unbelievers among them said: ‘This is nothing but evident magic.’ (Al Maidah 5:110)

The will of Allah is not magic. His power is not magic. Why do we accept and believe in so many unique things and not accept that it stems from The Unique? I learned so many things today in reading the chapter on Jesus (as) in Ibn Kathir’s Stories of the Prophets (pbut)…especially in thinking of Ramadan as the month of revelation. Did you know that all the books that we believe in..the Torah (of Moses), the Zabur (Psalms of David), Gospel (of Jesus), and Qur’an (of Muhammad), peace be upon them all, were revealed in Ramadan? The Gospel was revealed on the 18th of Ramadan, when Jesus (pbuh) was 30 years old. It makes you wonder…are we really getting the most out of Ramadan?

Click to view slideshow.

Which brings me to a time back in the day when I was a librarian and Muslim (though an incognito one), and an evangelical woman came up to me and said, “are you saved?” I gave the woman a discerning look–I knew her type already from sixteen years of being a Christian. I asked her what she meant…she tried to explain. I asked her, “Are you saved?” She said, “Yes” without pause. I said, “Are you sure?” She began to think…she changed her strategy. “Don’t you love Jesus?”
“Oh, yes, ma’am! I love Jesus so much!”
“Do you know that Jesus loves you?”
“Yes I do, and I love him, too. But do you know who I love more? And who he loves more?…The One who Created him.”

The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said:

“Whoever witnesses that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah alone and He has no partner, and that Muhammad is Allah’s slave and His Messenger, and that Jesus is Allah’s slave and His Messenger, and His Word which He breathed into Mary, and a spirit created by Him, and that Paradise is true and Hell is true, Allah will admit him into Paradise regardless of what he has done.” (Bukhari and Muslim)

And I have the feeling that if Christians and Muslims both started acting a little bit more like Jesus (peace be upon him), we would hardly be able to tell one from the other.

*”No baby is born except that it is touched by Satan at the time of its birth, and it comes out screaming from the touch of Satan, except Mary and her son Jesus.” (hadith found in Ahmad 2:275)

And now a little something in return…a little Eid gift to you my dear readers…know that those Rihla notes will be up inshAllah this week–double the prize since I missed October’s posting and yesterday’s…

Sometimes I’d like to be able to go to a spiritual doctor and get a diagnosis. You know, like a super shaykh! Like RasulAllah (saws)…(sighs), but all I get if I talk about this at the regular doctor is an offering of a pill for depression. And I reply, “No!”, I don’t need a pill…I need a cleansing of this dirty, dirty world that’s been all wrapped up inside me!

Sometimes I just want a straight-forward diagnosis on my own condition so I can know how well I’m doing in this kiln of a world.

Which brings me to an ayah we discussed at the SeekersCircle, one of the verses in the Qur’an where Satan says why he won’t bow down to Adam (pbuh):

[Allah] said: “What prevented thee from bowing down when I commanded thee?” He said: “I am better than he: Thou didst create me from fire, and him from clay.” (Al A’raf 7:12)

Imam Afroz Ali took this ayah to talk about some of the diseases of the heart…we usually understand this ayah in terms of arrogance, but it is also the stem of racism, pride, hate. Just like when someone says, “I won’t respect him. I’m white; he’s black.” Or the other way around…It’s conceit…it’s self-esteem…it’s thinking of ourselves as better than others for some gift that Allah has given us. What’s wrong with being white? What’s wrong with being black? What’s wrong with being clay? What’s wrong with being fire? If Allah created you that way, be happy. Rejoice in it. And then strive to be better. Be the best kind of clay you can be. Don’t settle on earthenware, go porcelain.

I am of clay, and I used to be covered in clay everyday. It was my job to do so. And it was my favorite thing to do. I’d work with water to mold the clay. I’d work with air to dry that clay. And then I’d get right in there with the kiln and fire that clay. Make it stronger. Make it durable. Make it usable and almost shatter-proof. But you got to get those air bubbles out. You’ve got to get those diseases of the heart out to be shatter-proof, and then you can rejoice in the tests…the fire that’s thrown your way. Now I’m not saying I know how to get all those air bubbles out–I’ve got quite a few myself. But the Qur’an and the Sunnah is a good start…we’ve actually already been given the medicine. The Masterful Creator has given guidance to mankind. We just need to figure out how to apply it appropriately…and when we’ve got that down, we can refine ourselves into a beautifully glazed work of art for all to behold.

We created man from sounding clay, from mud moulded into shape (Al Hijr 15:26)

Du’a (May 2007), A 15" x 7" pedestal piece, this ceramic sculpture deals with supplication and more specifically, hands—a recurring motif in some of my work. The hands are life-size, modeled after my own hands, and take the form of a lotus flower...which you know grows beautifully in the mud.

  He created man from sounding clay like unto pottery, And He created Jinns from fire free of smoke: Then which of the favours of your Lord will ye deny? (Ar-Rahman 55:14-16)

Hajj mabroor Hassan! Hajj maqbool! Hajj mubarak to all of our spiritual brothers and sisters who will be orbiting the first house of the universe with you!

The beautiful Brass Crescent Award...aaaaah...

My, oh my, I got some very good news today–surprising news in fact! Some of you have really been busy out there because I didn’t nominate myself…but I’m listed as one of five you can vote for in the Best Writer category for the Brass Crescent Awards! You’ve got me up there with some of the big “guns” in the blogosphere, for lack of a better word…I can hardly believe it…mashAllah…ALHAMDULILLAH! What an honor!!!! I can’t believe you like the ramblings of my mind so much…but since you do, voting is open until November 7th.

But don’t delay! Who says you’ve got tomorrow to vote for me? Do what you have to do today and help me bling up this site! You know that “trophy” would look good on the sidebar. Just look at how well it matches as the featured image of this post! Now go on ahead and vote, you’re making me blush!

And yes, I did take a screen shot of this very momentous time in history…in my writing career…:D

Brass Crescent Awards Nomination Screen Shot

Jazakum Allahu khair for all of you who nominated me and voted for me in this very humbling category. My speech is not the best of speech, but it makes me feel good that you think of it enough to call me “the best writer”..and I’ll use a really small b for that.