Petty Muslims are petty.

I am going to try and make this very quick, because I have work to do.

Right. In case you weren’t aware, the world is seriously messed up. What, with people dying in Syria and Palestine a mess as usual and people starving in Yemen, LIFE ISN’T VERY NICE FOR SOME PEOPLE RIGHT NOW.

So, how do you think the martyr and the prisoner and the almost-dead-guy-in-Africa would feel if we were to tell them ‘’Oh hey, I know life is unbearable and you’re dying and stuff but we really don’t have time for you BECAUSE ANOTHER HIJABI DID SOMETHING SCANDALOUS LOL BRB’’

Yes. It has happened again. Someone did something stupid and stupid people have reacted stupidly and are saying the same stupid things AND GENERALLY BEING VERY STUPID.

Can we get over it please? This and every other unimportant, insignificant piece of ‘news’, because SORRY TO BREAK IT TO YOU, but

a)      It isn’t any of your business

b)     Don’t act like you’re a saint – imagine if your own sins were posted on the Internet and became the main discussion topic on social networks. I’m sure you’d be thrilled – I know I would!

c)      As mentioned above, there are more pressing issues to be getting emotional over. Do you know how nice it is to know that Muslims care more for petty gossip than the state of Al-Aqsa? Mashallah, what a GREAT Ummah we are. The Prophet pbuh would be so proud :’)

Keep it up guys

 

Petty (adjective): Of little importance; trivial; you.

“Whosoever covers (the sins of) a Muslim, Allah covers (his sins) on the Day of Judgment”. – hadith.

The Hijabi Problem

I’ve been asked many times to write something about the hijab on here but the topic is so wide and almost controversial I never really had enough motivation to do it.

Well. I’m going to talk about it today. Mostly because it’s about something that’s kind of annoyed me directly and I feel the need to vent so…here goes.

What do we wear the hijab for? Every girl has her own unique reason but the most common one seems to be ‘for modesty’.

Modesty…what is modesty?

Again, every girl has her own interpretation of what ‘modesty’ is. For me, in terms of hijab, it is to dress appropriately – as in, not to attract any unnecessary attention to my body – and also to behave appropriately. What is appropriate behaviour? Think of it this way: Reflect your actions back to the hijab and the reasons you wear it. If those actions contradict what the hijab is about for you, then it is not appropriate.

For example: this hijabi’s YouTube video about underwear preferences (I don’t want to link it because I mention this only to use as an example, not to single the girl out specifically). Now, I do not fear talk of sex, lingerie etc. I am not against what the girl was talking about. Every girl likes to buy pretty things. Pretty things are pretty. My problem is this…

I don’t see how talking about such things publicly, on the Internet, in front of anyone with access to YouTube fits in with the hijab that you wear on your head. The hijab that exists to represent modesty. What’s the point of covering up the parts of you that will create unnecessary desire, only to talk explicitly about those very things to the whole world? Would you, as a hijabi girl, approach a strange male on the street and discuss such topics with him? I don’t think most of us would – I hope not anyway – so what makes us think that it’s acceptable to do it on the Internet? The hijab is not supposed to be sexy. Keep the sexiness to yourself and those it is acceptable to discuss it with.

Now, I am not in anyway trying to make out like hijabis must behave perfectly all the time. We all, myself included, make mistakes. We all slip up and we all do things we shouldn’t do. I don’t expect us to be any different. Hijab or no hijab, we are still human beings, we still commit sin.

My issue here is when those mistakes, the sins, the slip-ups are done publicly. When they are done on the Internet. Shamelessly.

Why do I care? It’s not my problem, right? Well actually, it kind of is.

I am a hijabi. Before anything else, people see my hijab when they look at me. Whether I like it or not, people will judge me based on my hijab. Now when there are girls who are also hijabis and who behave in ways which contradict what the covering represents, it just makes the hijab lose its meaning. I do not want to be judged based on the silly actions of another hijab-wearing girl. I do not want to be put in that category.

The fact is this: When you put a hijab on, whether you like it or not, you will be expected to behave a certain way. Live with it. You don’t like it, then please don’t hijack the meaning of the hijab and ruin it for everyone else. Like you match different parts of your outfit, match the hijab on your head with your actions.

What about the assumptions people make about us? Trust me, I know better than most people what that is like. Just today, a guy in my year at school after knowing about my music preferences said that he was surprised that I ‘listened to music by bands like that’ (it was The Black Keys in case anyone’s interested).

And just yesterday, another guy in one of my classes made a ridiculous comment about me and my personal life – an assumption he’d made based solely on the way I dressed and how I present myself. It was annoying to listen to, but because of the sexual nature of the comment, I couldn’t do much about it without making myself look bad and contradicting what I wear the hijab for. It’s irritating, it does suck, but you get over it. Move on. Don’t contradict the Creator to please His creation.

Another problem I have is with girls who wear the ‘hijab’ – the head covering – then wear whatever else they want from the neck-down.

For example, girls who wear leggings with a hijab. Um. No. last time I checked, leggings were tight and showed off the exact shape of your legs, behind, whatever. That isn’t hijab. Sorry, but it really really isn’t.

I guess the same can be applied to skinny jeans, skin-tight tops etc but I get the feeling that a hundred skinny-jean-loving girls will virtually slaughter me if I dare criticise them but whatever…if you’re old enough to wear the hijab then you’re old enough to understand that some clothes just aren’t hijab-appropriate. But each to their own, I GUESS.

Anyway. I am not trying to attack anyone directly here. I just don’t think such behaviour/appearance, especially if displayed publicly is fair on the rest of us. I don’t like that for a lot of girls these days, hijab is a fashion statement or something cultural to them. It is religious, always has been and always will be, so…yeah, if girls wouldn’t mind recognising that, I would appreciate it greatly.

And for now…that is all.

Please do comment but don’t be rude. Salam.

 

Why is asking why haram?

A lot of Muslims seem to have this thing going on where you aren’t allowed to question anything. ‘Why does Islam say…’ or ‘Why is it haram to…’ and you get the classic ‘Because Allah said so’. And fair enough, Allah did say so and we have to do what He says. But does that mean we still can’t question and understand? There’s always a reason behind everything and most of the time, this goes for God’s commands as well. He is the All Knowing and Wise, so why are we so afraid to learn about His wisdom?

For example. Try Google searching why eating pork is haram. A lot of the links that come up are for forums where someone’s asked the same question and members of that forum can answer. And I was reading these answers and a great deal of them said something like this: ‘I’m not sure why it’s haram but I know it says it in The Quran so you don’t really need to know the exact reason’.

Okay…this is my problem with answers like the above. The other week, a non-Muslim acquaintance of mine asked the same question. At the time, I didn’t know an exact reason; just that it said so in the Quran [http://quran.com/2/173, http://quran.com/5/3]. Now for someone of faith, that might be enough. But for someone who isn’t Muslim, or for someone who is Muslim but still would like to understand exactly what they’re following and why, you can’t just give an answer like that. Seriously. If there’s a possible explanation, find out, ASK, and understand it.

And guess what? Turns out that there is a reason for why pork is forbidden in Islam. And it’s more than ‘pigs are dirty creatures’.

When animals are slaughtered in the Islamic way, it involves a ‘deep incision that cuts the front of the throat, the carotid artery, wind pipe and jugular veins but leaves the spinal cord intact’ (thank you, Wikipedia). This drains the animal of blood – “Forbidden to you is the dead, and blood…” [http://quran.com/5/3]. Now apparently, this method isn’t even possible with swine – most of the blood remains in its body. Its anatomy doesn’t allow us to slaughter it in a halal way, even if we tried.

Furthermore, swine excrete only 2% of urea from their bodies, the rest remains in their tissues and blood – harmful to whoever is going to consume that meat.

Pork also has low nutritional value and lots of saturated fat which mess up your arteries and lead to hypertension! Yummy.

And what about alcohol? What’s wrong with alcohol? Drinking is fun, it relaxes you, lets you have a good timeee

Yes, and alcohol is also a poison. It can damage your brain, liver, pancreas, stomach, small intestine and central nervous system and it messes with your metabolism and immune system.

And you don’t even have to be an alcoholic for your body to be harmed by alcohol consumption. Even the NHS agrees with me on that. The NHS also states ‘Alcohol’s hidden harms usually only emerge after a number of years. And by then, serious health problems can have developed. Liver problems, reduced fertility, high blood pressure, increased risk of various cancers and heart attack are some of the numerous harmful effects of regularly drinking….’.

And I haven’t even mentioned the effects of alcohol on society – I think most of us (especially in the West) are quite familiar.

My point is…well, I have several points here.

There’s nothing wrong with looking for a reason behind something. As a Muslim, I believe that God created us. Therefore, He knows us better than we know ourselves and He knows what’s good for us. He wants His creation to be happy and healthy, so what is prohibited is usually done for a reason and for our own good and health.

Also, Islam is, in my opinion, a very scientific religion. Let’s not brush aside the science behind some of the Quran’s verses. Not only is it interesting to learn about, but the next time you’re asked by a non-Muslim to explain why Muslims can’t consume certain things, you’ll actually have an answer for them that they will be convinced by.

So don’t be afraid to ask why something it is the way it is. However, accept that you can’t possibly understand it ALL, but do look into stuff…you just might find what you’re looking for.

NOTE: The last time I said the word ‘haram’ here, the notifications didn’t stop for about 48 hours and I got a headache from some of the comments… so before you comment (please do), make sure you’ve actually read the post. And in case some of you are confused, no, I am not trying to pass off the above as hadith or Quran…it’s an opinion (I am allowed to have one), you don’t have to agree with it, it isn’t set in stone and no, I do not think I’m a scholar. And don’t be rude please. I don’t mind discussion and debate but if you’re rude I will virtually glare at you, so watch yourself. Appreciated.

Special thanks to @YAGawad.

‘Tis the season to be humble… not the Haram Police.

I’m going to get straight to the point.

There seems to be a small (I hope) group of Muslims out there who have gone all anti-Christmas for some reason. ‘Jesus was born in a WARM month so it CAN’T be his birthday, therefore Christmas is irrelevant’. Or ‘By celebrating, you’re agreeing with the belief that Jesus is God’s son so saying Merry Christmas is SHIRK’.

…Erm. What?

How, in any way, is wishing a non-Muslim a happy Christmas the same as committing shirk (associating partners with God), really? And who even said anything about ‘celebrating’? Are you participating in the festival? When a non-Muslim wishes you a happy Eid, are they really trying to let you know that they want to take the shahada and join in? Pray Eid salah with you, maybe slaughter a sheep or two? Yeah…so, no.

As for the date being wrong…so what? They want to celebrate on the 25^th, let them celebrate on the 25^th! Who died and put you in charge though, really? No one is forcing you to agree or making you believe in it.

Then what do you do? ‘Tolerate’ it? No. I hate that word. Tolerance. It’s as if you’re saying ‘Well…I’m not happy about it but…I’ll try to live with it anyway’. Like you’re doing them some kind of favour. Absolutely not. As a Muslim, you should be the first to offer that greeting. You should be the first to smile. You should be the first to wish them a merry Christmas. We go on and on about da’wah and ‘setting a good example’ yet some of us think we’re too good to wish someone a happy festival? Seriously now?

So don’t just tolerate it. Respect it. Observe it. Embrace and try to understand your differences. Some people have this ‘Holier-than-thou’ attitude where they seem to think they’re too good to learn about other people’s beliefs. Not only is it extremely arrogant but it makes you look very foolish too.

So. Send your neighbours a Christmas card. If you can, visit your local church (I did this once on a random Sunday morning and saw my old nursery teacher. Caught up with her and then met some elderly church-goers and had a delightful chat with them. It was more than lovely). Build relationships. If you live in a non-Muslim country, don’t close yourself off. Show them that you are prepared to learn and maybe they’ll want to be taught about Islam in return.

I’m not asking you to decorate a Christmas tree or sing Christmas carols or celebrate in any way but just…humble yourself.

So to EVERYONE celebrating today…a very merry Christmas to you Enjoy it.

Sad people.

I’ve noticed that a lot of people are sad these days. Sadder than usual. Could be the winter, could be the fact I’m off school so I’ve more time to notice it…could be that they’ve always been sad and I’m just becoming less self-centred and realised. I don’t know.

But. People are sad! I don’t know the reasons for their sadness of course, but I shall assume it is ‘life’. Life is kinda crap you know. You plan and you prepare and you’re patient and then things never turn out like you want them to. Humanity. They ruin everything. Stupid humanity.

And there’s not really much we can do about it. If there’s a solution to the problem, you solve it and things are good. If not…you learn to live with it. Most of the time, you just have to live with it.

 

I don’t really have solutions and I don’t really have advice to give about how to live with the crap and move on and I don’t know you all personally.. but I’ve found that the darkness is sometimes more bearable when there’s a little light thrown in.

What is light? It can be anything. For me, it’s music, it’s my best friend/s, it’s my niece’s brilliantly silly ways, it’s a good toasted mozzarella sandwich, it’s Sheldon from The Big Bang Theory, it’s a smile from a stranger in the park, it’s walking for miles with just a good playlist for company, it’s a compliment I don’t expect, it’s an immature joke shared with my little brother, it’s dancing alone in a dark room, it’s my faith…

Small, simple things. But they make me smile. They make me feel better, even if just for a short while.

 

So when you’re sad, as hard and as hopeless as it is, try not to forget that although the future is uncertain and that it’s probably going to turn out shit, it isn’t ALL there is. There will always be dancing and there will always be music and there will always be good toasted mozzarella sandwiches.

 

And hugs! Even the virtual ones from a stranger.

So…to all the sad humans reading this…here, have a hug from me. Please feel better. And this is probably just the hormones talking, but I love you all. The idea of you anyway.

 

SMILE

 

 

”Verily, after hardship comes ease”

Rant #101 RE: The Muslim girl and relationships.

I want to talk about relationships. More specifically, Muslim teenage girls and how they seem to handle relationships with the opposite sex. It’s something that I’m constantly surrounded with and to be honest, it irritates me how some girls go about the whole thing.

If you want a boyfriend, fine. You chose to do it and I’m not here to lecture you on making that choice. We all get weak and we all make mistakes. Doing the whole boyfriend thing isn’t wise if you come from a religious Muslim background but whatever…it happens and that isn’t the issue I want to address here.

Ok, so you get a Muslim boyfriend.. I’ve seen/heard/know it all. You’re 16, 17, 18, whatever age…it’s unrealistic or unpractical for you to get married so you look to fill that void elsewhere. As a girl, I know most Muslim girls don’t go looking for ‘flings’ – boys are another story – but a lot of Muslim girls are actually looking for a man who will wait for her all those years until he finishes university and gets a job and can then ask her father for her hand in marriage and then she’ll marry the guy she’s always dreamed of and life is pretty sweet after that.

Lol. That’s bullshit

9 times out of 10, these relationships don’t last. 9 times out of 10 the guy is messing you around. And I know when you’re in a relationship like that and people tell you it won’t work out, you won’t listen. ‘We’re different’ or ‘he’s not like that’…but trust me when I say this, you are not different and he almost certainly is like that. Teenage guys (guys in general) will always lie when they want something. There’s a quote that says something like ‘girls can fake orgasms but a guy can fake a whole relationship’…and it’s true. I once knew a girl who stayed with a guy for 5 years. FIVE years. And he turned out to have been cheating and lying and messing around throughout the whole relationship. Five years. That’s most of your teenage years. And the girl wasn’t naive. She was actually very smart and had a good head on her shoulders. She wore the hijab and knew her Islam and ended up doing things that would get her shunned if her family were to ever find out. But even with her background and education and knowledge…the guy was clever and manipulative and she fell for it. It happens to the best of us.

So what is the alternative? An arranged marriage? That’s not for everyone (myself included), so what do you do then?

I don’t have an answer for that, unfortunately. But what I do have are guidelines! (Because I’m an expert, clearly)

1-     Whatever you do, try your best not to fall into haram. Easier said than done but from what I see around me, relationships that have the intention of becoming marriages do not work if the couple participated in acts not acceptable in Islam. Most (all?) men won’t respect a girl who does that kind of thing anyway and so won’t marry her as a result.

2-     Don’t make it public. It’s actually embarrassing when girls talk about their ‘man’ to friends or on social networking sites like Twitter or wherever else. Be very careful who you trust with that information because if your reputation means anything to you, you will not want the details of your affair made public either then or in the future when for some reason, you’re no longer friends with the ‘best friend’ you told and she decides to let your secrets slip. Also, girls are bitches. If I were you, I wouldn’t trust any of them.

3-     Don’t be naïve. Like I mentioned earlier, guys are liars and most unfortunately, you have no way of distinguishing between the honest ones and bastards. So until you can actually make things ‘official’ (i.e telling your parents and setting a date), don’t get too ‘close’ and don’t tell him things that could potentially harm your rep or future and do not get physical. It usually ends badly.

4-     Do not, in any circumstances, give up your life for him. If he didn’t exist, what would you do with your future? University, a degree, have a successful career? Do that. Because if you lose him or he screws you over…what would you have left if you sacrificed all that you wanted for him?
I’ve run out of guidelines but you get my point.
And this is kind of obvious but I’ll say it anyway…I speak generally here. I don’t claim to be a spokesperson for the Muslim female community and I know not everything I’ve said applies to every one of them. I also apologise if I seem to be ‘attacking’ anyone here…it goes without saying that the above is advice to myself before any of you. Although if you do know someone who went against everything I’ve written above and is now in a successful marriage, I would love to hear from you.
Leave comments, tips, criticisms below…you know how it works.

A Poem

Randomly came across this.. My 14 year old sister wrote it for English. I think it’s deep.

__________

If I could place you in a box,
I’d place all the funny memories we shared,
Of the pictures we took,
The barbeque we burnt,
And the sea shells we collected on the sea shore.

If I could place you in a box,
I’d place the incredible times we had when you were here,
The jokes we made,
And smiles and laughter of those days.

If I could place you in a box,
I’d place the love we share,
Bound tight by a ribbon of hope.

If I could place you in a box,
I’d put it all in,
Shut it tight,
And lock it tighter.
All to keep you from slipping away from me.

If I could place you in a box,
I’d place in it all my hopes and dreams,
The ones we shared,
And the ones I shall cherish.

MAN UP.

This post is a rant.

Prepare yourself.

I do not like people who are unnecessarily disrespectful to others. I especially do not like males who are unnecessarily disrespectful to females.

And this goes without saying but I will say it anyway, because the people of the internet tend to overreact sometimes…

The boys I refer to in this post do not represent the entire male population…some guys are lovely and good for them. I’m talking about stupid boys here.

Moving on…

You know what’s really pisses me off? ‘Players’ who attack other girls for doing exactly the same thing they do. It is ironic. Guys who are with a different girl every month go ‘round calling other girls ‘skets’ (a sket, according to Urban Dictionary, is ‘a motha fukin biatch even sluttier than a ho’…Nice -_-)

First of all, show some bloody respect. Would you mind if someone called your sister a ‘sket’? Thought so…

Secondly, quit the innocent act please. You’re a hypocrite. Talk about double standards! A guy can ‘check’ whoever and however many girls he likes but let a girl even talk about doing the same thing and she gets called a ‘slag’? Please.

Now my third point is where it gets more specific…I have a lovely friend, who due to her cultural, educational and social background as well as her appearance, gets all sorts of this kind of abuse from teenage boys. Now this friend of mine is not only a Muslim, but also recently started wearing the hijab (headscarf) and I know for a fact that she does not date or even flirt with boys for God’s sake. If anything, she is very reserved and appropriate around them.

But for some reason I cannot figure out, certain guys seem to think that it’s ok and justified to bitch about her and call her all sorts of names (often to her face). And to make it worse, they are not only known to be ‘players’ themselves, but even boast about their ‘girls’ to their friends, shamelessly.

How dare they? Do these people have no respect at all, if not for the girl, thenfor themselves? I doubt their mothers would be very happy if they heard what kind of abuse they throw at girls around them, a lot of the time uncalled for.

I am aware that there are girls in this world who are indeed ‘skets’…and fine, if you want to create your own little drama with them, do so. But look at yourself before you start and maybe remember that there many other things you could do with your time instead? Oh and…grow up a little as well, maybe?

I’m talking about Muslim boys mostly here because I interact with them a lot daily and also because I’m sick of their islamically inappropriate behaviour and their complete disregard for the fact that so many of the girls they abuse are both Muslim and hijabi. Do they not realise how much damage they could be causing? Both emotional damage and damage to the girl’s reputation.

Suppose someone believed one of your ridiculously untrue accusations? If you know Muslim communities, you will know that news travels fast…and there are – sadly – many people who love gossip…they feed off the rumours and the drama and wouldn’t think twice before passing on some ‘juicy’ information on so-and-so’s daughter.

And if you know Muslim communities, you would also know that such rumours could affect a girl’s future (how people treat her, marriage prospects etc)…so think twice before opening your stupid mouth. Have a heart.

And let’s say that the accusations ARE true, just leave it! (see previous post: http://errnooo.wordpress.com/2011/08/22/rumours-assumptions-and-nationalism/). Say ‘Allah yihdeeha’ (May God guide her) or offer her some advice (even if she doesn’t take it, at least you tried) or try to remember that human beings are weak and we can all fall victim to the whisperings of the Shaytaan at some point…would you like it if someone was there to bitch about you every time you did? Come on.

As for the girls who are wrongly accused…as her Muslim brother, you should be the first to defend her when no one else is willing to. If your friends are being cruel to her, instead of laughing along, tell them to shut up and have some respect.

I went to an all-girls high school until I was 16 and after moving to a mixed Sixth Form, I was a little more than surprised to discover that boys could be just as bitchy as girls, if not more. Now, ALL I ask (and I really don’t think it’s much…) is for these boys to grow up and start acting like the men they’re supposed to be. You are not a girl. You are not 13 years old anymore. You’re almost adults and soon enough, you’ll become husbands and fathers.

All I am asking for is for these boys to man up.

I am asking for some respect.

That is all.

PS: Man Up: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=man+up

I like Urban Dictionary. For all your non-standard English needs.

(I have so much more to say…but being this popular and busy means I don’t have time to write it all down)

Bad Times in Port Said.

If someone asked me what the worst day of my life was so far, I would say I didn’t have one.
I have a worst week instead.

October, 2009. 15 years old and desperate to get even a glimpse of my homeland. I wanted to go to Gaza more than anything else. It was all I could think of, all I could talk about. I was obsessed (and I still am, clearly)

I remember when the first Viva Palestina aid convoy entered Gaza, I got so mad I cried. I was happy of course – they had ‘broken the siege’ and it was a great day – but I was also furious. Angry. My 15 year old self thought it should have been ME. My own father was with them and it made it even worse. I hadn’t seen Gaza since ’95 (too young to remember anything anyway) and I needed to see it. If you read my first blogpost – http://errnooo.wordpress.com/2011/07/27/being-palestinian/ – you’ll understand that my whole life pretty much revolves around Gaza. I loved it even though I didn’t have a single memory of the place. I knew all the funny stories about my dad’s friends and his brothers and my cousins..but I’d never met them.

Anyway. I wanted to go to Gaza. Very much

Which is why, when my mother informed me that there was a convoy going out that month and she was letting me go with them…well. I was so happy I hugged my brother (I NEVER hug my brother : P). I was so excited and nervous and happy! Finally! I thought, I was going to Gaza. Yay.

So I packed my bags and my brother and I took a plane to Cairo and a car to Port Said where the convoy members were staying in a compound.

They’d already been there for over a month…the Egyptian government weren’t making things easy for them of course. One day they’d tell us the aid had to be sent to Alarish by sea, the next we’d be told it had to be driven there…it was frustrating and really tested my patience. But we were patient. Everyday, we’d say ‘inshallah tomorrow’.

So why did it turn out to be a bad week?

1) I don’t like Egypt when I’m in Egypt. I miss it like crazy when I leave but when I’m there? I live in Manchester. I’m used to Manchester. I like my bed in Manchester and I like my Manchester food and I love my Manchester rain. And the government at the time wasn’t helping. The country was pissing me off and I just wanted to do what I’d come for – go to Gaza.

2) The BOREDOM. I was the only girl on the convoy (apart from two girls who I only saw once..they eventually had to go home). The others were all middle aged Arab men. Not really the type who would want to chill with a 15 year old. And Port Said is DEAD in October. There was literally nothing to do. Which left me with…Arab TV. And I really don’t like Arab TV. There’s only so much AlJazeera a girl can take you know. In the end, I had no choice but to watch mbc. Which finished me. Mbc is just…tragic

3) The waiting and the impatience. It was only a week for me but it felt like months. Imagine having to stay in an apartment in some compound in the middle of Port Said with nothing to do except watch repeats of Oprah on mbc. Even the internet was pathetic so I had to make do with my BlackBerry for entertainment…not much. And the government man! I made so much duaa on Mubarak that week. The idiots just would not give us a straight answer. I wanted to march over to Sharm el Sheikh or wherever the bastard was and strangle him with my headscarf and poke his eyes with my hijab pins. It was frustrating.

And now..for the main reason: See, if I’d actually ended up in Gaza after all of that waiting, I wouldn’t have minded. It would have been worth it. But I didn’t. I had my studies and my mother waiting for me at home and the situation looked hopeless. So I prayed 2 rak’as and just left it to God. Whatever happened, happened.

In the end, I went home. And 2 weeks later, the convoy entered Gaza and I watched it live on AlJazeera. Heartbreaking.

Fast forward to July 2010: it was a Friday and for the first time in 15 years, I saw Gaza

And now, the point I’m trying to get at:

The experience taught me a lot. I learnt to always put my trust and faith in God…He has a plan for everyone and what may seem like the worst day/week could turn out to be the best lesson of your life.
And it was.
It taught me to be more patient (I think anyone who’s had to deal with the former(?) Egyptian government feels the same way). It taught me to look at the bigger picture: instead of getting angry when things don’t go your way, keep trying. And as cheesy as it sounds, never give up
And: Oprah is a really shit show. Actually terrible.

In the end, I went to Gaza. And it was with my family; more relaxed, the wait was a lot shorter and I spent a whole month, not just 2 days. So it all worked out for the best

God is Great. He really is.

Rumours, Assumptions and Nationalism

Salamu alaykum. Peace be upon you.

First of all: everything I have written in this article came from what I have learnt, know and understand. If you think there are any inaccuracies, feel free to leave a comment below and I will try my best to address them.

I am only human and I am trying

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I have been lucky enough to have someone teach me the tafsir (interpretation) of Surat al-Hujarat (49 – http://quran.com/49 ) this Ramadan. A lot of the time, I feel many people – including native Arabic speakers – read the Holy Quraan but don’t understand the meaning or context of the verses.

I believe that this surah in particular contains many valuable lessons and rules that, if we learnt from and obeyed, would make us not only happier people, but could also improve our relationships with friends, family, society and inshallah God and His Prophet (peace be upon him).

I will not go through the whole surah (I’d be here all week if I tried!) but I wish to highlight a few verses I feel I can relate to and understand quite well.

Let us begin with ayah 6:

[O you who have believed, if there comes to you a disobedient one with information, investigate, lest you harm a people out of ignorance and become, over what you have done, regretful.] 6:49

RUMOURS

The word ‘disobedient’ in this ayah was translated from the Arabic word ‘faasiq’. The tafsir of ‘faasiq’ is: a faajir who lies carelessly. A faajir is someone who sins publicly and shamelessly.

So the ayah warns that we should not believe everything such people (the faasiqs) tell us. When we receive news from people like that we should ‘investigate, lest (we) harm a people out of ignorance…(and regret it)’.

We live in a time where, thanks to Twitter, Facebook and BBM, information can circulate very easily and very quickly. This has proved to be useful but also quite dangerous as well. Whether it’s by sending out false rumours (think the UK riots) or by people pretending to be someone they’re not (think Gay Girl in Damascus and Liliane Khalil), people can say pretty much anything they want on the Internet and if they’re convincing enough, a lot of the time (unfortunately), people will believe it.

In both of the cases I mentioned above, it did not end well. People believed the lies and trouble was caused as a result. Individuals were hurt and people felt cheated and humiliated.

Ayah 6 is basically trying to say: don’t believe everything you hear, especially if it comes from an unreliable source.

Think of it this way:

The distance between the truth and a lie is the distance between your eyes and ears; what you saw and what you heard.

If you didn’t witness the event and don’t have access to a reliable source who did, keep your mouth shut and your typing fingers still.

Ayah 12:

[O you who have believed, avoid much [negative] assumption. Indeed, some assumption is sin. And do not spy or backbite each other. Would one of you like to eat the flesh of his brother when dead? You would detest it. And fear Allah ; indeed, Allah is Accepting of repentance and Merciful.]

Humans like to assume. It’s natural. You see something, you immediately try to think of an explanation: why did it happen? What did so-and-so mean when they said that? What were they doing in that place? And so on.

Btw this ayah fits in quite well with ayah 6. Assuming out loud quickly turns into gossiping and rumour-spreading (that does make sense), so we must try to stay away from it.

How many times have you assumed someone meant one thing and it turned out they meant something completely different?

How many times have you looked at a situation from a distance and thought of your own explanation as to why it was happening, only to look closer and see that you were far from right?

How many times have you misunderstood/misheard/misinterpreted something only to realise you’d made a huge mistake?

Like I said, we are all human and we sometimes assume certain things without even thinking. But we need to be cautious. ‘Some assumption is sin’. If you’re just guessing at what people did/meant and in the process, hurting their reputation and speaking ill of them, you are SINNING.

So try not to do it

Backbiting: this is simple. Don’t do it. It’s not easy,I know…this whole post is a reminder to myself before you But look at what Allah compares it to: eating the flesh of your dead brother/sister. Kind of speaks for itself…

If people are backbiting around you, either tell them to shut up or (if you don’t have the courage/confidence/it’s not possible), then walk away from it. And if you still can’t do that, then at least condemn it with your heart. Remember the hadith:

“Whoever amongst you sees anything evil let him change it with his hand, if he is not able, then with his tongue, and if he is not even able to do so, then with his heart, and the latter is the weakest form of faith.”

And ‘fear Allah’. Remember that what goes around comes around. Whether in this life or the next, you will be held accountable for what you have done.

Humiliate and you will be humiliated. So judge yourself and cure your own ills before judging and trying to cure others.

Ayah 13:

[O mankind, indeed We have created you from male and female and made you peoples and tribes that you may know one another. Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you. Indeed, Allah is Knowing and Acquainted.]

NATIONALISM. My favourite topic.

‘We have created you from male and female’

Ok, unless you’re Adam, Eve or Jesus (you’re probably not), you WERE created from a male and a female. A man and a woman. A sperm and an egg. This has been scientifically proven so you cannot disagree.

So you’re nothing special. You didn’t come into this world better or superior to anyone else. You are a human being.

The ONLY thing that should make a difference is your character. Are you a more decent person than me? Do you have stronger faith than me? Are you closer to Allah than me?

Nationality has nothing to do with your status. Unfortunately, so many people forget this. And it’s such an important issue that it was mentioned in the Prophet (pbuh)’s last sermon:

‘All mankind is from Adam and Eve, an Arab has no superiority over a non-Arab nor a non-Arab has any superiority over an Arab; also a white has no superiority over black nor a black has any superiority over white except by piety and good action.’

Different nations and tribes and cultures do exist – it says so in the ayah. But Allah created us this way so we can KNOW one another. So we can learn from each other and appreciate the differences. Not to divide us and cause hate and racism.

The colour of your skin or the words written on your passport or the tribe you belong to will mean NOTHING on the Day of Resurrection. Will being Iraqi or Pakistani or Chinese or British mean anything when you’re standing in front of your Lord waiting for His judgement? I didn’t think so.

What WILL matter are your deeds and actions and your faith. So concentrate on them instead of thinking about your Arab-only mosques and the husband you’ll only marry if he’s Arab and the cause you’ll support only because you happen to be from that country…and so on.

Nationalism has no place in Islam. Racism has no place in Islam. It is a jaahil (ignorant) practice. We are all one. God and His Prophet say so.

That is all.