American Muslima Writer -Daring to Work Towards Jannah

Lazeena at Is there food on my Niqab? posted a cool Islamic Survey and I HAVE to do it too :)

You all are free to copy and paste on your blogs with your own awesome answers.

***
Name: Brandy A. Chase
Age: 24
Location: Al-Ain, U.A.E., Middle East, Earth, Milky Way, Universe, Creation of Allah ... didn't you all used to have fun saying all that as a kid?
Background: American: Scottish and mixed Euro.

Spouse (if so, name and background): Husband, Lebanese
How long have you been married? 6 years
Kids? Daughter 4, Son 1.4
Are you a revert? Yup. AKA Convert for those that aren't familiar with the convert/revert debate. Been Muslim for 7 years now.. wow have I?!?!?! Masha'Allah. Doesn't always feel like that long but on the other hand it feels like FOR EVER........
Have you been to Hajj or Umrah? NO :( Insha'Allah when my kids are teens I'll get the chance as I posted before.

How many masjid have you been to? Masha'Allah Lazeena knew the names of all her Masjids. Sadly I dont. In Tucson, AZ there was only one and by the time i left they hadn't built the second though they were raising funds for it and I gave all I had at that time which was like $7.64 so maybe I bought like four bricks alhamdulliah. Then in Tempe, AZ I went to the beautiful Masjid there. While driving around in Phoenix, AZ I went to two or three other ones. Then of course in Lebanon I've been to let's see..... 10 or 11 different masjids (they are plentiful masha'Allah). Now in UAE of course I've been to the Shiek Zayed one in Abudhabi and The Jumairah one in Dubai and here there and in between I've been to 18 approx. SO TOTAL 34 approx. Masha'Allah.

Have you ever been involved with a masjid? Yes Masha'Allah, in Tucson I regularly attended the girls saturday classes then later when they stoped I used to go and clean the masjid cause I didn't like the way the non-muslim cleaners were doing it, i still can't beleive they hired non-muslims to clean it!!!! Why not employ a muslim couple and give them baraka!!! Then in Tempe I'd help out here and there but they had so many volunteers and I lived far off in Mesa with no car so it was tough to get there as often as others. So far here and in Lebanon I haven't worked witht he masjid but in Lebanon they had classes AT masjids. But I LOVE MASJIDS MASHA'ALLAH.
Who are some of your favorite lectures by? My fellow bloggers! :) ok ok ya'll want name dropping right?!?! Well of course Hamza Yusuf. Shiekh Abdullah (Leb.), my father-in-law is a Shiekh and give us a good lecture now and then, but other than that sorry I don't get to hear many lectures but I really do like them when I do get the chance to hear them.

Who are some of your favorite recitors? *blank look* erm.... as I don't understand the Arabic I just listen to people reciting it in public as in Ramadan,or my Husband or his family. On TV I see them doing recitations and some are very beautiful but I hate those that are SINGING QUR'AN. RECITE people not SING! My mother-in-law has a sweet voice masha'Allah.

Some of your favorite Islamic books? *my own books I'm writing*, Qur'an, Hadith, Fiqh, Intructional, Inspirational, The Idiots Guide to Islam, The Choice by Ahmad Deedat, The Summery by Shiekh Abdullah, and more recently I've been hearing about Muslim authors like myself who have written awesome books yet I personally haven't had the chance to buy and read them. Sister Saffiyah at Shalom 2 Salam has some great short stories and Poems on her blog (love you too!). Many sisters out there have some nice Stories on their blogs too that I haven't had time to read yet though saw they are there.

Decribe your most memorable Eid: It WILL BE IN THE FUTURE when I get to finally attensd my first Eid prayer. I've never in 7 years been able to go to one..... no one will take me. But on the bright side each E'id has been special esp. when you have lots of family to visit. My favorite was this past E'id. It felt special because I go to do so much and visit so many and I'll blog soon about it insha'Allah.

When did you first start fasting? Well I missed my first fasting 2001 as a new muslim because I didn't know about it NO ONE TOLD ME! But when I moved to Tempe/Mesa 2002 I was able to do it and Masha'Allah it was so beautiful. i even stayed at the masjid on and off the last 10 days and learned to memorize my first Surah.
When did you start hijab? I converted at the begining of the school year 2001-2002 of my 12th grade. I wore it the first day of my conversion for about a few weeks until school started then took it off. Then half way through school year in Jan. or Feb. I put it back on. Then later by a year I had to take it off for finding a job (though still wore full length clothes). Once I got the job i put it back on. Didn't take it off since. Alhamdulliah.

What's your usual outift like when you go out? Usually wide pants and long sleeved shirt, or if a skirt then black bloomers and long dark socks under the skirt jsut in case I fall-- under a black abaya with annoying velco closure on the shoulder and snaps in three places along the front and the middle one is broken and has been replaced by a hijab pin and the bottom one is always popping open and I'm always closing it, and a hijab. Either square and triangled or long wide rectangle.

What do you like about blogging? EVERYTHING! The conceptulizing of posts, the writing, the comments ....erm where has my comment rate gone? I must not be doing good enough posts lately or advertising so well.....lol.... the exchanging of views with fellow sisters (and brothers), the finding of info about the Ummah, making friends all over the beautiful world.

Hijab: I was sooo excited. I was gonna be Muslim and I was gonna wear it on my head to show I'm muslim and everyone was gonna SEE it and know that I've chosen Islam. Masha'Allah. Sometimes we forget that excitement in the Middle East because people don't really stare at us to make us remeber why we wear it. We just toss it on and go.

Abayah: I too was relieved! It was sooo much easier to work with when you wanted to go places and be fully covered. Yet the trouble I had with it was trying to wear full clothes under it that cover your body just as if you aren't wearing the abaya for the parts that show when you move (the ankles, the wrists, the body in case it falls open). I call it a Muslim coat. It's like one more layer over your "normal" clothes.

Niqab: I loved the Niqab! It was so wonderful being unseen. I love the look I love the feel I love the texture I love everything except eating in it lol.

How do you pin your hijab? *with pins* hehehehe. ok ok seriously now... the triangle I put TWO pins under the chin (cause they are easy to pop) then one about three inches under that about neck level and the final one at chest level. I'm very carefully to fold the material in as I pin it leaving lots of material IN the pin so taht when it stretches there wont be any gaps in the pin and between pins. It's harder to do but then you're properly covered without worrying all day. The rectangle I put an under scarf over the hair and a full amirah hijab if it's see through material and then leaving about shoulder length on one side start the wrap around once then twice and pin straight pins on the temples usually two each side through ALL LAYERS. Although i do love the look of a fancy flower pin at the temple too. I use lots of pins to make sure that baby sticks. i hate re-doing it every few minutes.
Highlight the countries you know Muslims from*add any countries you don't see on the list*: Antarctica (who knows Muslims from there!? Masha'Allah!), Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Brazil, Cambodia, Canada, Chechnya, China, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Ethiopia, Fiji, Germany, Greece, India, Indonesia, Iran, Ireland, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Latvia, Lithoania, Malaysia, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Philippines, Qatar, Russia, Scotland, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Spain, Sweden, Syria, Taiwan, Trinidad, Tobago, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States of America, Yemen, Yugoslavia,
What was on the last prayer mat you made salah on? It's green with yellow and white sections and black of course. it has a large masjid I think in India (no not the taj mahal) on it and it's sooo beautiful and it's the mat I first got when I converted for free by a generous brother masha'Allah.

What's your ideal iftar? Dates, and water, followed by Turkish soup, a few fried cheese rolls on the side, hommos without olive oil, chicken breast on yellow rice with raisins and roasted nuts, with laban mixed with cucumbers and mint on the side, to drink mango or strawberry juice or Vimto (berry juice), then after dinner light mint tea and deserts like baklawa, rice pudding, brownie cakes...erm anything with sugar..... Ya'll did say IDEAL not actual.

What type of adhaan really gets to you? The kind where you can hear one after another starting and they each have distintly different voices and one is so perfect to your ear that you seek it in the middle of the many, And you follow saying after it, and they all end one after another. Masha'Allah.

What's something that annoys you at Jummah: People arriving late. People shoudl strive to reach the Masjid Before the second athan. If they only know the reward of being the first to arrive!

What was the last surah you read? (not recited in salah): in Arabic Ikhlas with my daughter, but in English I read Surah 27: Al Naml (the ants) ayah 44: She[Bilqis, queen of Sheba] was asked to enter the lofty Palace: but when she saw it, she thought it was a lake of water, and she (tucked up her skirts), uncovering her legs. He said: "This is but a palace paved smooth with slabs of glass." She said: "O my Lord! I have indeed wronged my soul: I do (now) submit (in Islam), with Solomon, to the Lord of the Worlds."
Do you dry yourself after wudu? Though it's disliked yeah I do, When I'm out at the mall or soemthing I dry everything so I can get dressed again without wet feet and face etc. At home I just dry arms if I'm wearing long sleeves and always my face because I wear glasses and it bothers me to pray with water drops on my glasses.

Do you brush your teeth for fajr salah? Funny question lol. I'll be honest most the time i dont' brush before praying but I do rince my mouth plenty with water while I Wudu so it's not sticky and yucky, course i do bruish before I sleep.... if I do notice something strong then I'll brush.
Whats the last Islamic thing you've been involved with? :'-( Waaahhhh nothing! I feel so pathetic! *weep* Just trying to daily get by with my duties. But I guess long term I'm working towards publishing Islamic Books and raise good Muslim family.

What was the last convention you went to? *blink blink* Last? Never been to one. Though I hear a lot of people go for shoping and meeting potential spouses so I never knew what they were for until I heard critisism online about people going for these things and not the lectures and I was like hmm they have lectures? Never heard of that... might be nice to go to some some day....
Have you ever been part of an Islamic matrimonial site? *blushes* Yes.... but it's not how I met my husband so I deleted them.... they CAN be good if used the right way.

hat color is the carpet in the masjid you usually attend? Light Blueish-grey, pretty.

Is the masjid you usually attend separated? Yes the womens is up top and the mens is ground floor. Though unless there is an elevator this is unfair as women have strollers and if handicapped wheelchairs... there should be a section down stairs if thre is no elevator for poeple in need!!!! one terribly planned masjid in Lebanon had get this, up stairs prayer for men and ground floor for men prayer and wudu, down two floors for women prayer and down three floors for main women prayer and wudu. Yes it's a big masjid BUT SOO ANOYING WHEN PREGNANT AND HOLDING A SMALL KID TO WALK DOWN THREE FLIGHTS OF STAIRS TO MAKE WUDU THEN UP ANOTHER FLIGHT TO PRAY THEN UP TWO FLIGHTS TO GO HOME!!!!!!!!! No fair no fair no fair!

Have you ever stood in a minbar? *grin* Yes, I like to walk around the mens section when there is no one there (in tucson and Tempe) because they have the more beautiful side usually and I climbed up the minbar a few times. jsut to see what it's like.
Have you ever washed a dead body before? Not islamically speaking no but I helped my aunt wipe down my Grandmother and change her clothes when she died.
What's the last thing you ate in the masjid? erm, i don't even remeber it was soo long ago because it's makruh to eat and dirty the masjid but I think another sister at the mall masjid was eating cookies and gave me and my kids some and I carefully had a nibble then had a heartattack trying to keep my kids crumbs off the floor....
Where's the strangest place you've seen a Muslim working? I haven't seen persoanlly but I've heard of sisters working in Haram places like bars. Of course I was working at the Movies and people thought that was strange.

Have you ever posted a flier in the masjid? Yes about the Girl's Meetings

Rate your masjid's bathroom: Clean alhamdulliah. Tucson's used to make me angry though because they'd put the mop and cleaning stuff right next in the wudu area and they use it to clean the bathroom floors, hense why they shouldn't use non-muslim cleaners....
Have you ever used a bidet for istinja?:Yes my aunt-in-law had one in her hosue and I tried it out and it was akward and difficult and I prefer the hand held sprayer.

What's the weirdest thing that happened to you in salah? Having to pray holding a baby (which wasn't the weird part), but poeple praying next to me offering to hold the baby for me while I pray {while they pray- or dont pray} Jummah. I'm like erm no! (holding my baby tighter so they couldn't grab her not talking of course) We all came here to pray so worry about yourself!

Isn't it annoying when the imam tells everyone to shut off their cell phones and someone's phone rings in the middle of salah? Yes it's VERY VERY annoying espcially if it's music ringing and suddenly in the middle of sujuud you get "I wanna F- you Nigg*** and get it on with your girl on the floor...." erm yyyyyeahhhh I bet that Brother got a talking to! Sadly sometimes though I forget before going in to pray to turn it off but alhamdulliah no one has called me.

What's some of the best halal food you've had (from a non Muslim country)? Well Ali Baba restraunt in Tucson has great food and in Tempe the Phoneician Cafe restrauint next to teh masjid is yummy.
What was it like when you found out skittles were haram? *spits out skittle..* Skittles are Haram?!?!?! They sell them here in UAE and UAE has banned candy with haram gelatin in them so i thought they are safe..... but Lazeena's answer has made me question now.... I love gellied candies so i have to be careful..... but perhaps UAE has let them because it has halal gelatin? like a pack of usa marshmellows said fish gelatin on the back....
What's something haram that you think most people don't know? That saying or doing something in the catagory of Blasphemy will take you out of Islam and you have to retake Shahada or die as a non-muslim. It's very serious and VERY unknown. You have to carefully study the catagory of Blasphemy and what things cause it. A sister is making a blog as I speak about this I'll link you when it's up. Insha'Allah. May Allah protect us from loosing Islam.

What's the craziest hijabi fashion you've seen? Well it looks silly but also interesting is wearing hats on top of hijabs. I'm sure we could blog five years about this lol.

What did you like about this survey?? Everything was answerable and I didn't have to write "Not applicable, I'm Muslim." Though perhaps someone will asnwer this survey "Not applicable I'm not-Muslim." lol.

Feel free to do it yourself.