American Muslima Writer -Daring to Work Towards Jannah: May 2009

10:44 AM

BRING IT ON!

Wrote: American Muslima Writer | Topics: ADD/ADHD/BiPolar, Allah, Anger, Blogger Inspired, Du'a and Thikr, Inner Strength, Islam, Morals, Pillar 1: Testification Shahada, Vision

Have you ever wanted to fight someone so badly. You just felt that you NEEDED to release all your anger onto something right now? Well BRING IT ON!

There is an easy and efficient way to channel your anger and willful spirit in a way that brings you great reward.

I was visiting dearest Habayeb at A Learning Muslimah and read her Post on Ordeals are NECESSARY for the soul. I wanted to add onto her post with my own thoughts.

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We all know the phrase "that which doesn't kill us always makes us stronger" So why when we are tested do we feel so weak and lost? Because we are not seeing our ordeals our trials in the right light. I do this often myself so I'm writing this for myself as much as anyone else.

A trial is like an endurance challenge. Yet more accurately it is a Faith Challenge! Allah throws challenges into our life to test our faith. Like those who build skyscrapers and must build them in a way that if shaken by an earthquake they will not fall. We must build our faith so that when Allah tests us it does not fall.

Many of us are aware of the story of the first Martyr of Islam, a woman, named Sumayya. She was tied up and forced to deny Allah, Muhammad, and Islam. Her son bound to a pole near her was forced to watch her being tormented. She would not compromise her Faith in the face of Death. By uttering her last testification of faith in the face of death she said the ultimate "BRING IT ON!" She literally fought Shaytan and kicked him to the curb. Shaytan wanted her to give in to fear, to helplessness, to give in to disbelief. She did not. By her strength we have a Hero to look up to til the end of time. Those who think women in Islam are weak need only to look to it's first martyr to know the truth.

Everyday we wake up and even when the skies look a perfect blue we will be tested that day. Many of us are strong, stubborn, willful, intelligent, people. When we want to do something we will do it. So we should view each day as a challenge to beat Shaytan and prove our worth to Allah. I myself know that no argument made by man, no whisper of Shaytan, no force 'of nature' Allah may send into my life will convince me Islam is not the Straight Path. I am like Sumayya and know that even in the face of death I will be firmly saying SHAHADA. There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his Messenger.

You wonder how I can be so sure,

what if my child dies? It is by the will of Allah and perhaps it is a Mercy from Him that the child will in the future help me to enter Jannah as all innocents go to Jannah. I will miss my child but their death doesn't mean Allah is cruel and I should forsake Him.

what if my husband beats me everyday? This is the fault of the husband's lack of good faith not the punishment of God. I don't need to loose my faith to leave a man like this, I need only to make my faith stronger and use my resources Allah gives me to leave.

what if I become paralyzed or loose a sense like seeing or hearing? It is just a test to learn how to do things in a new way. To let others gain reward of charity in serving to help me. To benefit in learning the world through the eyes of those who have walked that road before me and do my best in showing that road to others so they too can understand.

what if my plane is crashing and i have to jump into the sea with only a life raft and then wash up on a deserted island? Oh please, nomadic island life BRING IT ON! I'd love that challenge, sure I'd MISS my BELOVED family and friends (ahem and Internet full of bloggers), but I would not forsake Allah because of the "affliction" in fact I would Need to rely on Him and His Mercy even more.

We humans are always in trials and always have problems. No one has a perfect life. Each person is given a set of tasks to overcome to better their souls. Are you going to sit there shrinking from your to-do-list of soul improvement or try to ignore it hoping it will just go away? Or do you flex your strong Will and puff your chest like a man and bellow BRING IT ON!!!

Not every task will be so life altering. Sometimes those of us who are strong in facing these despair situations loose our faith subtly in the everyday drama of trying to keep life rolling smoothly. An example: you have to get to work on time and your kids are dragging you all the way and you show up to work an hour late through no fault of your own and your Boss chews you out, then at lunch break you have to work overtime to make up the time you missed in the morning but you then realize you need 15 minutes to pray Thuhr Prayer, you can't ask your Boss who already thinks your irresponsible so shaytan starts whispering a subtle way to break your faith...."go on and work, you can always make it up later at home right?...after all better late then never?..." so you give in and work really hard all day to SHOW your Boss how wonderful you are. You go pick up your kids but then get so wrapped up in their drama you forget to make up Thuhr and to pray Asr and now it's Maghrib before you realize the sun set and you haven't prayed all day. Your faith feels low and you start feeling anxious and depressed about life....

THIS is where you have failed to make Allah the first priority in your life. This is where you have succumbed to Shaytan and you let him beat you up and take your prized possessions (your faith). You didn't step up and take charge of things where you should have.

You failed that test. And small test like that build up on each other until failing after failing your faith is so weakened. Going back to the skyscraper metaphor. If debris in a tornado continue to tear away at the structure of your building, your building won't survive the next hurricane/earthquake. Instead, when the debris hits (those small tests), you gotta quickly rebuild and make things sturdy again. Repentance for failing even the small tests should come quickly. Even if you let them pile up for a long time now and your building is pretty darn weak you can still take a deep breath and start now to rebuild. Perhaps your neighbor will see you rebuilding and will give you a helping hand.

The first step is yours though. You need to realize you have to step up and face the Challenge of Defending your Faith from those who try to take it from you.

You gotta put on your game face and just say Bring it ON! Bring it ALL ON! You will not take me out. And mean it.

May Allah make it easy for you all to do so. Make du'a for each other and when you see your fellow human or animal or even plant being kicked to the curb in any situation Bring it ON yourself to lend a hand. Thus when you are down someone may offer that hand to you.

intelligent thoughts (9)

11:38 PM

Seeing Scarlet in Al-Ain?

Wrote: American Muslima Writer | Topics: Al-Ain, Death, Family, Friends, Kids, ME, Sick

I missed my friend who also homeschools her two boys. I know she's been busy but she SAID she'd call me and tell me when the soccer game was getting together so I could check it out if my daughter wanted to join. Still no call....

Until this evening when i was winding down for a nap with my kids. I really couldn't BELIEVE her excuse for not calling! I mean I beleived that it happend to her but I couldn't beleive it's rampent here suddenly. I'm talking about the fact that both her kids have come down with SCARLET FEVER. Beyond shocked I was. Worse yet she had never even heard of the disease having origionally come from England (where I'm guessing it's not so prevelent?) The only way she knows what it is is from Al-Ain English Speaking School posting a note that an epidemic of Scarlet Fever was going around. Her neighbor's kids go to schools and her homeschooled kids play with them thus getting it. I can't say it enough, I'm still SHOCKED. After I hung up I mesasged the news to my husband and to my other friend here who has a young daughter. Then i went online to google it. I came up with these sources about it...

apprently it's just really annoying for a week and a half but if there are complications it can turn almost sometimes deadly (Rheumatic fever) a week or two after the disease runs it course. SubhanAllah.

Here are some links for those curious about it.

"What causes scarlet fever?
Scarlet fever is due to a throat infection caused by a bacterium (germ) called streptococcus. There are various strains (types) of streptococcus. They cause various infections, and one strain causes scarlet fever." -Patient UK

"It is characterized by:
-Sore throat
-Fever
-Bright red tongue with a "strawberry" appearance
-Characteristic rash, which: is fine, red, and rough-textured; it blanches upon pressure
appears 12–48 hours after the fever generally starts on the chest, armpits, and behind the ears
is worse in the skin folds

-Pastia lines (where the rash runs together in the arm pits and groins) appear and persist after the rash is gone may spread to cover the uvula.
-The rash begins to fade three to four days after onset and desquamation (peeling) begins. "This phase begins with flakes peeling from the face. Peeling from the palms and around the fingers occurs about a week later."[2] Peeling also occurs in axilla, groin, and tips of the fingers and toes.[3] " -http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scarlet_fever

"Preventing Scarlet Fever
The bacterial infection that causes scarlet fever is contagious. A child who has scarlet fever can spread the bacteria to others through nasal and throat fluids by sneezing and coughing. If a child has a skin infection caused by strep bacteria, like impetigo, it can be passed through contact with the skin.
In everyday life, there is no perfect way to avoid the infections that cause scarlet fever. When a child is sick at home, it's always safest to keep that child's drinking glasses and eating utensils separate from those of other family members, and to wash these items thoroughly in hot soapy water. Wash your own hands frequently as you care for a child with a strep infection.
Treating Scarlet Fever
If your child has a rash and the doctor suspects scarlet fever, he or she will usually take a throat culture (a painless swab of throat secretions) to see if the bacteria grow in the laboratory. Once a strep infection is confirmed, the doctor will likely prescribe an antibiotic for your child to be taken for about 10 days.
Caring for a Child With Scarlet Fever
A child with severe strep throat may find that eating is painful, so providing soft foods or a liquid diet may be necessary. Include soothing teas and warm nutritious soups, or cool soft drinks, milkshakes, and ice cream. Make sure that the child drinks plenty of fluids.
Use a cool-mist humidifier to add moisture to the air, since this will help soothe the sore throat. A moist warm towel may help to soothe swollen glands around your child's neck.
If the rash itches, make sure that your child's fingernails are trimmed short so skin isn't damaged through scratching.
When to Call the Doctor
Call the doctor whenever your child suddenly develops a rash, especially if it is accompanied by a fever, sore throat, or swollen glands. This is especially important if your child has any of the symptoms of strep throat, or if someone in your family or in your child's school has recently had a strep infection." -KidsHealth.org

"When Scarlet Fever turns to Rheumatic fever:

it[RF] is common worldwide and responsible for many cases of damaged heart valves. In Western countries, it became fairly rare since the 1960s, probably due to widespread use of antibiotics to treat streptococcus infections. While it is far less common in the United States since the beginning of the 20th century, there have been a few outbreaks since the 1980s. Although the disease seldom occurs, it is serious and has a mortality of 2–5%.[3]
Rheumatic fever primarily affects children between ages 5 and 15 years and occurs approximately 20 days after strep throat or scarlet fever. In up to a third of cases, the underlying strep infection may not have caused any symptoms."

-http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rheumatic_fever

I remember seeing posters in elementry school in the nurses office of a miserable child covered in spots with large words saying "Prevent Scarlet Fever". Never even met someone who had it but subhanAllah now I have, all the way in UAE. So I'm taking my precautions and going to avoid other children for a week or two to be on the safe side, no parks no places where kids cough and sneeze all over everything including the kids play places at the malls. Alhamdulillah they aren't in schools. Just letting everyone in Al-Ain/UAE know to take precautions for their kids.

intelligent thoughts (5)

9:00 PM

T-H-E-O-R-Y

Wrote: American Muslima Writer | Topics: Allah, Creation, Islam, Outer Space, Pillar 1: Testification Shahada, Prophets, Research, Science, Vision

Means someone's thoughts that are not yet FACT.

It is Darwin's theory of Evolution NOT Darwin's FACTS on Evolution. Yet everyone treats it as facts and forces us to learn it in school where Creationism is not allowed.

I spent a number of years as an Atheist studying Darwin's works and held great admiration for what he achieved with his life and was set to stick my Darwin Fish on my car when i first owned one.

There were number of questions though that I never found answers to. Answers that the "Great" Darwin could not answer. Some Questions for the curious like:

Why if we descended from Monkeys/chimps are their STILL monkeys and chimps that have not evolved? Surely they would have long ago changed too. What about all the other animals that have not evolved over the centuries and are still very similar to it's original?

Also the ever present, What was there before the BIG BANG? How did it "randomly" spark? There have been many THEORIES about it but nothing that holds water for long unless, get this, YOU JUST BELIEVE. Yes, you have to BELIEVE in Darwinism to just accept that molecules and atoms randomly sprung together to create this ordered and well maintained universe. It's a leap of Faith in science.

One I no longer share. Alhamdulillah. Don't get me wrong I DO understand that some animals and some things change with time just like a river carving it's way through the Grand Canyon. But I do not believe WE HUMANS started out from monkeys/chimps. The river remains a river, the rock of the canyon remains rock. They each change a little but are THE SAME...It has been clear from my studies on Islam in these matters that Allah created Adam and he was huge compared to us. And in Jannah we will be given back larger bodies. So I do see things from two sides really kinda a blend of Darwin/Creation. I believe Allah created everything with set scientific rules. As things reproduced and changed slowly it is by HIS WILL and PLAN. Take my husband and myself and our children, each child looks exactly like half of each of us. They are the blending of two distinctly different races of HUMAN. They will later reproduce with different features creating completely different people with measurements different from me and my husband. These are known facts. But they will remain shorter or taller examples of HUMANS not anything else.
Now I have seen some deeply inbred people with thick brows and chunky heads that if dressed in a monkey suit could pass for monkey or neanderthal but yet they remain human and if married to someone of lighter browed, higher foreheaded person, would produce different children etc... my point of all this is though we humans do change looks and style depending on location or breeding patterns we still remain human and I truly believe we always HAVE been all the way back to Adam when he was Created by Allah. After all Allah created the other forms so why should Human be any more difficult? We have a different soul perhaps but that is another Post to ponder on. The point is that no one on this earth is the gigantic portions of Adam because of the way we've changed but none of us is any closer to changing into a different species.

So a few years after becoming Muslim I realized I cannot BELIEVE the theory of Darwin and although I totally BELIEVE Allah's Creation, I do see some Middle Ground I think scientist should focus on to improve knowledge instead of fighting all the time.

{By the way I do know all the Darwin sided points about the old "Who created God stuff" after all I used to battle Christians on it long ago so don't bother to fight it out with me ok. I'm just putting out my THEORY of ALL of Creationism and PART of Darwin.}