Taking a Stand

Assalamualaikum sisters,
May Allah reward you for making an effort to help your Muslim sisters.
I've just encountered your blog and have been liking it since then!!:)
I think it is time for me to seek help and maybe get a different perspective on the issues that I face in life.
I live in a non muslim majority country. I see so many people around me who proud of being a freethinker, atheist etc..
I really wanna help them to understand Islam but the problem is, I don't have the confidence to speak up in the lecture..I would just sit and listen to the lecture and even if a person misquote the qur'an or say bad stuff on Islam, I just sat there quitely, although I know that what they are saying is wrong!
and everytime it happens, I can't stop but to blame myself and hating myself for being such a coward..:(
My situation is I'm guessing not as complex as others but somehow I find myself crying and feeling angry with myself. It doesn't happen all the time but whenever I've done such a mistake, I kept blaming myself over it!I know that a Muslim should accept that everything comes from Allah but I just can't help it!
It's so frustrating because I'm an introvert person and I prefer to be an observer and a listener..it's just in my nature..
Is it wrong for me to be like this? Am I sinning for not defending the religion.? but I'm just an average Muslim girl, I dont have that much knowledge of Islam and I get nervous speaking in front of a crowd..
but I know that something's not right here..
so please, help me!!
love,
muslima

Dearest Muslima,
wa'alaykum as salam wa rahmatullah wa barkatoo! :D

Awww, sister, I know what you’re talking about. If you’re like me, you’re actually a very shy person who hates confrontations. It can be hard speaking up. I love how you said though in the end “But I know that something’s not right here”…

Let’s work with that, okay. Let’s think about it this way….

How would you feel if you were standing in a corner of a room, hidden from view, and you overheard two teens talking about you? Going on and on about you- all of it just hateful lies… Just when you decide enough is enough, one of your good friend walks in. You’ve known her forever and you two have been through it all together. You’ve also helped her a lot. You think to yourself that here’s someone who will straighten everything out when you notice that she just walks right out of there without saying a word.

Who would you most be hurt by?

You see, the truth is that while Allah subhanoo Wa’ Tala is beyond compare, He did make it very clear that we have to speak up when someone says something concerning Him that is wrong.

On the authority of Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with him), who said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said:

Let not any one of you belittle himself. They said: O Messenger of Allah, how can any one of us belittle himself? He said: He finds a matter concerning Allah about which he should say something, and he does not say [it], so Allah (mighty and sublime be He) says to him on the Day of Resurrection: What prevented you from saying something about such-and-such and such-and-such? He say: [It was] out of fear of people. Then He says: Rather it is I whom you should more properly fear.

It was related by Ibn Majah with a sound chain of authorities.

So the next time you hear someone saying hateful things about Allah/ Islam/ religion, I want you to stop a second and remind yourself: Allah sees me right now. And eventually, I’m going to stand in front of Him, alone, and He’s going to ask me about this. He’s going to ask me about what I did, what I said, and what I didn’t do, or didn’t say.

The reality is that Allah chose for you to be right there at that moment for a reason. It wasn’t just coincidence that you happened to be there.

It could be a test of your imaan, to see whether or not you truly care about what He thinks.

Or it could be because it’s a dawah opportunity.

Let’s admit it. It’s a little awkward to just suddenly say “Hi, I’m Muslim. Want to know more about Islam?” But if you happen to be there and someone has decided to start talking about religion/ Allah/ this is the perfect opportunity for you to do the best job out there-

And who is better in speech than one who invites to Allah and does righteousness and says, "Indeed, I am of the Muslims." (33) And not equal are the good deed and the bad. Repel [evil] by that [deed] which is better; and thereupon the one whom between you and him is enmity [will become] as though he was a devoted friend. (34) (Surat Fussailet)

All you have to do is to say, ““Excuse me, I believe that this was taken out of context.”…or…"You know, while the media likes to spin around the idea that blah blah blah, the reality is really different. If you don’t mind, I’d like to quote what the Qur’an really says.”

And you know what? Take out a translation of the Quran (with certain verses already highlighted/bookmarked) and really show it to them. Hold it up. (Always keep a small one in your bag :P)

Most people who are respectful will either: respectfully disagree, apologize, or maybe even start a real discussion with you.

That’s all it takes. No matter how small/ tiny you feel, you can make a difference. You really can! Always remember, you’re ‘the expert’ here. You’re the one who knows what Islam really says. (If they bring up an issue that you’re not to certain about, tell them, “I need to look more into that, but I hope to get back to you on that...)

If you do happen to be talking to someone particularly nasty, at least you would know that you stood up for what you believe. At least you can go home without feeling 'guilty' or 'blaming yourself".

In fact, I just read this fantastic quote the other day:

“I think the reward for conformity is that everyone likes you except yourself.”
— Rita Mae Brown

And the truth is that even the nastiest person might be affected years later by that one word you said. Remember, Omar (Radi Allah anahoo) ended up going from wanting to kill the Prophet (literally) to being the second Caliphate.

So no matter what..It's a win- win situation :) You go home, happy with yourself, and you also plant a seed which might just grow <3

And you know what else helps? Remember that what you’re doing is following in the footsteps of the Prophets. Prophet Mohammed (sallah Allah alayhee wa salaam) had to stand up to an entire nation. All of the prophets had to stand up and to call their people to the true worship to God.

I know what you’re thinking. But, but, “I’m not a prophet”.

You don’t have to be to a prophet to defend Islam. You don’t have to be a scholar. You just have to care.


Let’s look at the Quran.

In surat Yaseen, we see that Allah Subhanoo Wa’ Tala sent three Prophets to one village. Three! But that village kept refusing to admit the truth. And so, despite the fact that 3 prophets had already been sent, one individual decided to also stand up to the truth and carry that message to his people. He felt the importance of the message of Islam and he wanted everyone to know the truth…

A man came from the other side of the village to show his support to the message. Allah says, “Then there came running, from the farthest part of the City, a man, saying, ‘O my people! Obey the apostles. Obey those who ask no reward of you (for themselves), and who have themselves received Guidance’.” (36:20,21).

This man wasn’t a prophet. Just a simple person, just like you and me.…He was just one man but he earned his place in the Quran. He earned the right to be known forever…because he took that stand.

And besides that man, I’m sure you know the stories of the Sahaba, including Bilal (Radi Allah anahoo) who went through so much. Alhamdulilla, we don’t have to go through such trials, but if we want to join these people in jannah, we also need to take a stand.

The thing that you have to remember is that Shaytaan wants you scared. He wants you to convince yourself that it’s okay if you don’t speak up, that but you know what it? What if no one spoke up? What if no one ever decided to take a stand?

I know you said that as a Muslim you should accept that everything happens for a reason, but while that is true, we still have our part to do. Allah actually promises in the Quran not to change the condition of a people until they change themselves….

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves. (13:11)

And the Quran also teaches us that one person can be equal to an entire nation….

Indeed, Abraham was (equal to) a nation, obedient to Allah, of pure faith and was not among the idolaters, (120) (Surat Al Nahl)

Just imagine…What kind of a reward you would get, if you were that person…that person who stood up and defended Allah and His chosen religion :) You just have no idea how Allah will reward you for speaking up the truth at that moment.

So, sister, smile and stand up. Speak up, even if your voice trembles. You can make things easier for yourself though by bringing a friend with you (if you have to attend the lecture) and reading more about these issues :D The more knowledgeable you are, the more confident you’ll sound and easier it will be.) I promise.

And remember… You have Allah on your side.

And strive for Allah with the striving due to Him. He has chosen you and has not placed upon you in the religion any difficulty. [It is] the religion of your father, Abraham. Allah named you "Muslims" before [in former scriptures] and in this [revelation] that the Messenger may be a witness over you and you may be witnesses over the people. So establish prayer and give zakah and hold fast to Allah. He is your protector; and excellent is the protector, and excellent is the helper. (78)(Surat Al Hajj)

P.S.

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the Prophet's Marriage to Aisha

In the last post, we explained that the Prophet’s marriages to all of his wives were all decided upon and decreed by Allah who in His Infinite Wisdom chose these ladies to be the Mothers of the Believers (Radiya Allah Anhum).

That said, many people have questions regarding one particular marriage of the Prophet- his marriage with Aisha. So how do we address this?

To start off, we have to remind people that whenever we look at a different culture or a different time period, we need to remove our own social prejudices. It’s not something easy to do, but it needs to be done. As Sheik Hamza Yusuf said, we need to try our best not to superimpose our own traditions and what’s acceptable in our cultures onto other cultures.

Now, let’s try to look at the Prophet’s marriage to Aisha. First of all, we know this happened a long time ago, right? Hmmm...let's go back to around 300 years ago, or even less than that...In 1770, that was around 250 years ago, the father of Chemistry, Antoine Lavoisier married his 13 year old bride, Marie Anne Paulze. In 1876, the then 49 year old British artist named George Frederic Watts married 16 year old Ellen Terry....These examples were just a few centuries ago. Now, let's go back to more than 1,400 years ago!  Did you know that before the Prophet proposed to Aisha, she had already had another suitor and had been previously engaged? Clearly, then, she was considered old enough to get married. This is hardly surprising especially considering the fact the life span of people was much shorter than today- probably around 60 years if not much less (when you consider all of the wars and such). Childhood just did not last that long. Early on, children were given serious responsibilities. (This still happens today in pre-industrial societies). Thus, whereas, today, a nine year old girl would be considered a child, one thousand and four hundred years ago, she would not have been considered a child, especially if she had had her first menstrual cycle. She would have been considered a woman.

But you don’t have to take my word for it. Let’s look at how people 1,400 years ago viewed the union between Prophet Mohammed and Aisha. Nobody said anything about it. That in, itself, is very significant. The people of Mecca tried their best to smear the reputation of the Prophet, calling him a “liar”, accusing him of being possessed, and never letting an opportunity escape when they could ridicule him. Yet, not a single Arab ever said anything about the Prophet’s marriage to Aisha. No one felt that it was unordinary or strange. This doesn’t mean that there weren’t some sexual taboos- there were. A person wasn’t supposed to marry his adopted son’s ex-wife, for example. Clearly, then, if they thought his behavior was immoral, they would have spoken up. But they didn’t think there was anything unusual about it.

Maybe you don’t care about what Aisha’s society thought…or that she had been previously engaged. Maybe you think she was still forced into it and had no say…How about we look at Aisha, herself, more closely. Surely if she had felt physically exploited, there would have been something that indicated her anger/ fear/ repulsion…the reality, however, is that all she displayed was love. Even years later, after the Prophet died, she never said anything at all that indicated she felt she was a victim. On the contrary, she was very jealous of the other wives of the Prophet- does that seem like the attitude of a victim? Moreover, she used to ask the Prophet for reassurance about his love. See, the Prophet once described his love to her as a knot- meaning something that could never be broken. Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) would ask him “how is the knot?, essentially wanting reassurance the bond between was as strong as ever.

Maybe you think “Okay, she loved him, but she didn’t know any better…maybe she loved the idea of being a Prophet’s wife or she couldn’t even recognize she was being abused.” Let me make it clear that all of the wives of the Prophet lived very simply. Though the Prophet was the Head of State, they would go many days without food and when they had food, it was the most basic essentials. Thus, there was nothing glamorous about their lives. It was full of hard work and toil. Secondly, Aisha (May Allah be pleased with her) was a very intelligent woman, strongly opinionated and capable of thinking for herself. This is very clear in the way she expressed herself. For example, when the Ifk incident happened (when she was accused of having committed adultery), Aisha stood up to her parents and said:

“By Allah, I know that you heard this story (i.e. of Ifk) so much so that it has been planted in your minds and you have believed it. So now, if I tell you that I am innocent, and Allah knows that I am innocent, you will not believe me; and if I confess something, and Allah knows that I am innocent of it, you will believe me…”

This is very articulate and shows a mature mind. The fact that she had very strong opinions is also evident when she stood up against Ali (May Allah be Pleased with both of them). She realized that he was correct, though, and changed her mind afterwards. Still, this proves that she was a strong woman.

Not only that, but it is a well known fact that the Companions used to look up to her and seek her advice and ask her questions on fiqh. Perhaps this was one of the reasons Allah chose her to marry the Prophet - because we needed someone who would live after the Prophet for many years and continue to spread the teachings of Islam.

Whatever the reason was, it should be obvious, then, that the Prophet’s marriage to Aisha was one based on love and mutual respect and that there wasn’t anything strange about her age. If the age difference seems odd, this is because we are taking our own conceptions of what is a normal age difference- this differs from society to society. And from person to person…the Prophet was able to meet the needs and desires of both a woman older than him (Khadijah, his first wife, was 15 years older than him and had already been married 2 times before him) and a woman younger than him (he would race with Aisha and joke with her). Again, we can’t judge a marriage 1,400 years ago with our own modern cultural ideas. Just look at Lady’s Mary’s marriage in the Bible.

The 1913 edition of the Catholic Encylopedia records that Mary, was between 12-14 years of age, when she married Joseph, who was 90 years old and had 6 children. (If you want to read from the Gospel of James about it, see below):

The Infancy Gospel of James, Chapter 8 verse 2 to Chapter 9 verse 11

“When she [Mary] turned twelve, a group of priests took counsel together, saying, ‘Look, Mary has been in the temple of the Lord twelve years. What should we do about her now, so that she does not defile the sanctuary of the Lord our God?’ And they said to the high priest, ‘You have stood at the altar of the Lord. Go in and pray about her. And if the Lord God reveals anything to you, we will do it.’ And the priest went in taking the vestment with twelve bells into the holy of holies and prayed about her. Suddenly, an angel of the Lord stood before him, saying, ‘Zachariah, Zachariah, depart from here and gather the widowers of the people and let each one carry a staff. And the one whom the Lord God points out with a sign, she will be his wife.’ So the heralds went out to the whole surrounding area of Judea and the trumpet of the Lord rang out and all the men rushed in.

Throwing down his axe, Joseph went out to meet them. And after they had gathered together with their rods, they went to the high priest. After receiving everyone’s rod, the high priest went into the temple and prayed. When he was finished with the prayer, he took the rods and went out and gave them to each man, but there was no sign among them. Finally, Joseph took his rod. Suddenly, a dove came out of the rod and stood on Joseph’s head. And the high priest said, ‘Joseph! Joseph! You have been chosen by lot to take the virgin into your own keeping.’ And Joseph replied, saying, ‘I have sons and am old, while she is young. I will not be ridiculed among the children of Israel.’ And the high priest said, ‘Joseph, fear the Lord your God and remember what God did to Dathan and Abiron and Kore, how the earth split open and swallowed them because of their rebellion. Now fear God, Joseph, so that these things do not happen in your house.’ Fearing God, Joseph took her into his own possession.”

We’re not trying to be critical of this- we’re trying to point out that we can’t judge a society using our own cultural norms especially when Aisha was clearly happy with the Prophet.

Hope this helps you, out sis :)

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Red, White, and Blue...and Muzlim

I think I need some help. This week is Islam Awareness Week at my university and I'm really excited to be able to participate and inshaAllah present the right image of Islam. I believe it is my duty as a Muslim to explain what Islam really is.
Well, I have been preparing some things to say about Islam, but I wanted to ask you about three main things that I have a little bit of difficulty answering and I thought I would ask you. How do you answer people who say that you can't be American and Muslim, and the people who ask why Prophet Mohammed married Aisha and also had so many wives.
I myself, for the first question, usually say that islam is not a nationality or race. It's a religion. But I want some more things to add. What do you think?

Dearest Sister,
Ma'shaAllah, it is so inspiring to see you so concerned with the image of Islam! May Allah reward you for your endeavors, insahAllah :)

AND, you've also asked three great questions. We're going to have to divide this post into 2 or 3 parts, LOL. But inshaAllah we will answer them this week, since Islam Awareness Week is this week =)

So, first thing's first.

Can a person be Muslim and an American?

Definitely! As you said, Islam is a religion and not a race or nationality. To be Muslim is simply to acknowledge that there is One God and that He has rights over you and to strive to live your life in a way that pleases Him. It is to be God conscious in every moment of our lives- with the way we deal with our parents, children, teachers, the poor, etc.

So, the real question is "What does being American entail/ or mean?" Isn't America built on the promise of freedom of religion? Freedom of speech? Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness?

Isn't America all about celebrating our differences?

So how can any 'one' thing make you "American"?

And the real  fact of the matter is that Islam shares many of the same core values as the West. We just maybe sometimes see these values expressed differently.

And that's what I would do. I would start talking about these same values...

For example:

Freedom of Religion

• 'Had thy Lord willed, everyone on earth would have believed. Do you then force people to become believers?’ (10: 99)
“Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error…” (Chapter 2, Ayah 256)

Equality of the Races

* O mankind, verily We have created you from a single (Pair) of a male and a female, and have made you into nations and tribes, that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of God is the most righteous (49:13). 

Prophet Mohammed said, "O people, indeed your Lord is one and your father is one. Behold, there is no superiority for an Arab over a non-Arab, nor for a non-Arab over an Arab, nor for a white person over a black person, nor for a black person over a white person, except through piety." (Musnad Ahmad)

Equality of the Sexes

O Mankind, keep your duty to your Lord who created you from a single soul and from it created its mate (of same kind) and from them twain has spread a multitude of men and women" (Qur'an 4: 1).

He (God) it is who did create you from a single soul and therefrom did create his mate, that he might dwell with her (in love)...(Qur'an 7:189)

And their Lord has accepted (their prayers) and answered them (saying): 'Never will I cause to be lost the work of any of you, be he male or female; you are members, one of another... (3:195; cf 9:71;33:35-36;66:19-21

Moreover, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said that men and women are like twins or siblings!

 Justice

• “O you who believe! Stand out firmly for justice, as witnesses to Allah, even if it be against yourselves, your parents, and your relatives, or whether it is against the rich or the poor...” (Quran 4:135)
“Let not the hatred of a people swerve you away from justice. Be just, for this is closest to righteousness…” (Quran 5:8)
• “God commands you to render trusts to whom they are due, and when you judge between people, judge with justice…” (Quran 4:58)

The Sanctity of Life

“We ordained for the children of Israel that if anyone slew a person, unless it be for murder or for spreading mischief in the land, it would be as if he slew the whole of mankind. And if anyone saved a life, it would be as if he saved the life of a whole people.” (al-Ma’ida, 5:32)

“ Nor take life which God has made sacred, except for a just cause" (al-Isra', 17:33)”.

Animal Rights

•       When Prophet Muhammad was asked by his Companions whether kindness to animals would be rewarded in the life Hereafter, he replied, “Yes, there is a meritorious reward for kindness to every living creature” (Al-Bukhari).

•       The Prophet also said, “One who kills even a sparrow or anything smaller, without a justifiable reason, will be answerable to God.” When asked what would be a justifiable reason, the Prophet replied, “To slaughter it for food—not to kill and discard it” (Ahmad).

•       The Prophet is reported to have said, “All creatures are God’s dependents and the most beloved to God, among them, is he who does good to God’s dependents (Kashf al-Khafa’).

The Importance of taking care of the Vulnerable in Society

Have you seen the one who denies the Judgment? (1)That is the one who repulses the orphan,
(2) and urges not the feeding of the poor (3). (Chapter 107)

The Prophet said: “The one who looks after and works for a widow and for a poor person is
like a warrior fighting for Allah’s Cause or like a person who fasts during the day and prays
all the night”. (Volume 008, Book 073, Hadith Number 035).

Prophet Mohammed said, “"Have mercy on those who are on the planet earth and you shall
have the mercy of He who is in heaven."

He also said: “Whoever does not show mercy to the young and honor the elderly is not one of
us.”

In fact, guess what?

We've gone ahead and done it...We've made a presentation for you that you can use/ get some ideas from.(Alright, we didn't actually make it for you, you..we'd made it long ago, but we're putting it up now). Anyone else is also more than welcome to spread this presentation around. It gives many more common values and shared principles between the West and Islam.

And, hey, it's got a catchy intro (if we do say so ourselves, haha):

According to Wikipedia, “As of 15 May 2010, the human population of the world was estimated by the United States Census Bureau to be
                                                 6,821,000,000”.
Of these, more than 1,500,000,000 are Muslims.
 That’s almost 5 TIMES the population of the United States (309,276,458).
That’s a lot of people.
In fact, it means that out of every 5 people, 1 is Muslim. *
Isn’t it time, then, that we start focusing on what we share in common? Isn’t it time to start building bridges?

Building Bridges.pptx

So yeah.....you can definitely be a good American and be a good Muslim. In fact, being a good Muslim should make you a great citizen of any country :)

and Little Auntie

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Dawah Do's

I was checking something out on the Internet and I ended up landing on these “bashing Islam” websites. There’s a lot of ignorance out there. Besides, I’m sure you have heard about the recent Qur’an burning event and the ground zero mosque. It seems like everywhere I look, people are pointing their fingers at Islam. I live in the West and I really want to do some dawah and let people know the true beautiful message of Islam but I don’t know what to do. Help please!
Lovin’ Islam

Dear Lovin’ Islam,
Man, those ‘bashing Islam websites’ can really get you down. I was so sure you were going to say you were all ‘depressed’ and feelin’ bad; I’m so glad instead to see you still motivated and wanting to do something to Islam. Ma’shaAlla!! And you know what? There are actually a lot of simple things you can do.


First of all, be the best you can be…. When people ask you how is it that you’re always happy and smiling, link it back to Islam. When people compliment you on being so thoughtful, link it back to being a Muslim. The better person you are and the more successful, the more people are going to become curious about Islam. (You know, this goes without saying but be sure also to avoid the ‘don’t’s- meaning, don’t use bad words, don’t smoke, don’t backbite, don’t be rude, etc. When people ask you why, let them know it’s because you’re a Muslim).

Not only that, but be approachable! Especially if you wear hijab. We all get those ‘where do you come from looks’- crack a joke, welcome questions, predict what they’re thinking and just start the convo. For example, “Yeah, so let me guess. You’re wondering why I wear this thing on my head, right…” or…”So am I like the first Muslim woman you meet?”


It’s also important that you be prepared. Any day can turn out to be your dawah day. You’re not going to be told in advance when you’re going to find someone interested/ready to ask….so be ready. Have clear answers prepared in your mind to explain what Islam is at any opportunity. I mean, I don’t know about you, but how many of us have ruined/botched up an excellent dawah opportunity because we didn’t think about how to explain to others why we ‘don’t eat pork’ and how to turn that simple question into ‘what Islam means…”

Now, you might be thinking, “Yeah, yeah, I know all this, but what about concrete ‘things I can actually do’?

Well! You can…

Pass out little booklets or leaflets on the bus. If you want to write your own, I would recommend keeping them short, simple and attractive. You can for example title one leaflet the “ABC’s of Islam” and just mention what the word Islam comes from, what Allah means, how we believe in all the prophets, etc. In fact, you can try leaving interesting Islamic pamphlets or even translations of the Qur’an anywhere! Like at hospital waiting rooms- at the coiffeur- airport- and any other place you can think up of.


You should also check out your public library and see if it has a section or any books available on Islam. If it doesn’t, get the community to organize a fundraiser and get some books for it (or even ask everyone to buy a good! book and donate it to the library). You can also, hehe, leave some Islamic bookmarks inside any random books in the library (but don’t overdo it- like 3 or 4 book marks). One thing that may also work is to go to a mall and randomly survey people’s knowledge of Islam.


You could actually write up a survey and explain how you and your community are trying to combat the “Islamophobia” going on and would the person mind answering a few questions… Ask basic things like “What does Allah mean? What do Muslims think of Jesus? What do Muslims think of the Torah? How many times do Muslims pray in one day”? You can end the survey with a question like “In Islam, there’s a saying that paradise is at the feet of someone. Do you know who that person is?” Chances are if the person doesn’t know much about Islam, they are going to guess Prophet Mohammed….just imagine how interested they will be when they find out that it’s ‘mothers’!

Another thing you can do is have your community set up an Open Day at the mosque where Non Muslims are invited. Besides having a small lecture on the similarities and differences between Islam and other faiths, you can have a small competition with prizes to get people interested.


In your school or university you can…. -

- Think about starting a club-
- Take the initiative any time an ‘Islamic occasion is coming up, and ask your school/campus (whatever) to allow you to give a little lecture about it/seminar and explain all about it, like the Hajj. If you’re too shy to give a lecture, you can always pass out little ‘candies’ ‘treats’ wrapped up with nice paper and with a nice hadith written on it.

A few last ideas….

- Download the Qur’an on your ipod (if you have one). Your friends are bound to ask you what you’re listening to. Let them listen to it, first- and then, you can tell them something like “I’m listening to “God’s words”. Be sure to translate for them whatever they listened to. (I would suggest surat al ikhlas, al ma’un, etc.)

- Try to put up something Islamic in your facebook status every once in a while. For example, you can put up a favorite verse from the Qur’an/hadith/etc. It would be really great if you do that during a day like “World Equality Day” or something like that- put up a Qur’an verse that reflects the value being celebrated that day.

- Put up an Islamic bumper sticker on your car. -Whether you’re a student/ you work, mention when it’s time to pray so you can add a few tidbits about prayer and Islam.

- Start your own Islamic blog or join a Muslim forum (one that’s gender segregated, of course!). OH and if you’re already a member of a forum, but not an Islamic one, like a scrapbooking forum, graphic designs one, ‘mommy forum’, etc., put something up about Islam in your signature/avatar. Have a link to a good ‘dawah’ website such as www.islamreligion.com

- Donate to dawah websites and initiatives! (Donate to Islamic relief agencies as well.)

These are just a few ideas to get you started. I can’t wait to see what you come up with or the other readers suggest! One thing I do want to stress though is to keep making dua and remember that sometimes, it takes years to happen..

All you have to do is plant a seed!

I mean, remember what the Companions used to say about Umar radiya Allah Anhoo before he converted? They used to say that it was more likely for his donkey to convert than for him to turn to Islam….SubhanAllah! You just never know!


Lovin’ Islam, too,

The Little Aunties

P.S. if anyone creates/designs a leaflet or something, we’d love to see what you come up with and we’ll definitely put it up here for others to pass around.

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