American Muslima Writer -Daring to Work Towards Jannah

Our souls deep within strive and struggle everyday to search for a way to find that deep inner peace, that oneness with the universe and the Creator of All. Realizing your place in the finite yet absolutely enormous reaches of space. Feeling in your heart and mind the answer to lifelong questions that beseech humanity.


Why are we here? What is our purpose in this life? What happens after we die? How can we achieve inner peace and contentment no matter our lot in life?

Many of us in this world and especially those of us in the blogosphere have searched long and hard for these answers. Yet I feel most of us have forgotten this long struggle for our souls. Upon discovering the beauty and perfection in Islam we immediately adapted our lives to follow the ways of our Blessed Prophet Muhammad Sallahu Alayhi wa Salim. We struggled day and night everyday of our lives to learn the words of the prayers and to push our bodies to accept the fasting we willed upon it for the sake of our Lord. Even in poverty we spent from our means to help others and at times we felt it. That peace. That deep inner peace. We feel Allah, our One, Beloved God, and the feeling brings us that peace until tears flow down our faces in gratitude.

Then the troubles and trials of the world interfere and slowly slowly ever so slowly we start forgetting. Easing farther and farther away from that peace. Frustration, sadness, depression, pain, anger, laziness, and exhaustion overwhelm our minds and hearts and we bob out our prayers more like robots than Muslims. We fast trying to sleep as much possible to make only a few hours of pain until we can stuff our faces with the feasts we prepared. Then comes the night, the Night of Power. Therein we strive to make up that lost ground and return to the fold of peace that enveloped our souls at the beginning of our journey in Islam. Some of us succeed and other spend the night in laughing, gossip, and chatter, or worse.

I KNOW that we are faced with ups and down in our Imans. I do know and accept this, BUT....

Just this week I realized I said Shahada August 5, 2001. It has been almost a decade since I said Shahada. A DECADE!


I find it absolutely unacceptable and pathetic that I am not more proficient in Islam. It is unacceptable and pathetic to me that I have not achieved a constant, or EVEN weekly, inner peace.


My soul craves that peace like no other thing right now.


Had I gone to University to become a Doctor I'd have managed to become a Neurological Surgeon by now. How is it then that I have not managed to learn to read Arabic better or speak it more fluently or memorized more Qur'an? How is it I still Struggle to remember to pray my 5 prayers on time without missing one. How is it I used to manage Sunnah Prayers yet now I don't have time? How is it possible that I am not better in Islam.

Islam is Submission to Peace. By following it (Islam) you find that Inner Peace. So by conclusion I can only surmise I am not following it enough. I am missing out on something essential that is not letting me attain this peace within. Am I doing sins? Probably as we all sin. But am I seeking forgiveness and repentance from these sins? Am I beseeching Allah Subhana wa Ta'ala for his forgiveness and to bring myself closer to Him. Am I dedicating my life to His service and way provided by the teachings of the Peaceful Muhammad Sallalahu Alayhi wa Salim? Am I immersing myself too much in worldly life and not enough in spiritual life? Am I forgetting how short this life is and how soon I will be in my grave wishing I had spent my youth and time in Prayer? I must search more to continue the struggle towards Allah.

Long ago before I was Muslim I used to dabble a bit in Witchcraft with some of my friends.

My family and I moved in with my grandfather and I temporarily got to have the library as my room. There was nothing better than waking to a room stuffed with books everyday. But I had a lot of nightmares and scary feelings always in that room. Sometimes I'd wake up screaming. A few times I'd wake trying to scream but nothing would come out. Those were the worst.

Finally I was moved down the hall to the former office room (which used to belong to my Aunt when she was younger). It felt very peaceful and wonderful. I painted it a beautiful color of blue called Blue Flame with African Jewel Lavender trims. Pure relaxation. But when I'd walk down the long hall towards the green bathroom at the end, I'd have to pass the Library. A sudden dread out of nowhere would fill me and my hair would raise off my skin and I would get so scared and creeped out. If other people were around this wouldn't happen. If someone was sitting in there reading or something I never felt it. Only when it was empty.

Many nights I refused to go to the bathroom so I wouldn't have to pass that room. If the door was closed I didn't feel it, only when it was open and my family had a habit of leaving it open a crack at night.

When I badly had to go I'd creep slowly down the hall and glide along the wall furthest from the door until I could see if it was closed or not. Many nights that inky black crack glared out at me filling me with unknown dread. I do have an active imagination but this was different, I wasn't trying to imagine anything. I was purposely trying to clear my mind to enhance reality but it wouldn't help. There was something evil in that room.

I'd take a few breaths to steel myself then reach my hand closer and closer to the doorknob to pull it shut. Every inch seemed to be wanting me to be sucked back into that land of nightmares. Finally I'd manage to touch the cool knob and firmly shut it. But I could still feel it seething behind the door. I would quickly go to the bathroom then rush back to my peaceful room to sleep.

Eventually my Maternal Grandmother's health was deteriorating and it was decided she would move into my Paternal Grandfather's house with us. They emptied the floor of the Library to prepare for her to move in. I was horrified. I went to my favorite Wiccan (witchcraft) sites and was madly browsing how to rid the room of evil spirits. Finding the perfect solution I rummaged my room for the previous Halloween's 2 black tapered candles as the spell required. I knew they would come in handy when I bought them on a whim.

My family had gone out shopping to get her furniture then to pick her up. I entered the Library filled with sunlight but still felt the gloom of evil hanging around. I did not want that thing to effect my grandmother's health and give her nightmares too. I placed the two candles on both sides of the room and then lit them. I recited the opening spell and began to speak directly to the unwanted spirit.

I informed it as the spell required that it was no longer allowed to live here and had permission to leave and was banned from returning. (The spell said it more eloquently but I've forgotten the words now --alhamdulillah--). Then i finished the incantations and brought the lit candles together in the center of the room and on the last word of the spell blew them out together. I used my Gift for Feeling to test the room. It had gone. The spell had said either the spirit would leave the house through the walls out into the world to find another home or it would have been sucked into the candles and would remain therein until they were lit again. I felt the far wall and didn't feel anything odd. I picked up the candles and they seemed heavier than before. I felt a shudder holding them. I threw them on a shelf out of sight.

But it had seemed to work, the room felt happy and clear again. When my family returned and set up the room for my grandmother I was satisfied her health would not be effected by the room ever again.

The next day I took the candles to school in my backpack and showed them to my friends and explained SHORTLY what I had done. Jen (over at A Day in the Life of a Struggling Artist) said she'd take them. I warned her though never to lite them. Years later she said she did so I don't know what happened with that. Perhaps she can finish the tale for us here in comments...

Now I'm Muslim it's hard to know what to think about that. Was it a bad Jinn? Had it really left through the magic I had used? We Muslims do believe Magic exists but we are forbidden from using it and dealing with those who do as All Power comes from Allah. Many times after this I tried at night to go past the library and use my Gift of Feeling to test it but nothing ever felt bad again. I even tried imagining it but it didn't work.

Later when I met my Muslim Roommate and we were about to move into a new apartment she said she had learned we read certain ayahs from the Qur'an to protect the home from Jinn. We had her ex-husband come over and read the proper verses since we both weren't well versed in Qur'an. Also when I Feel something odd I always recite Qur'an now. If I wake from a bad dream I do the same. Oddly enough sometimes in my dreams I'm battling evil forces by loudly reciting qur'an and they are always shrinking back from the power of it and I wake feeling invigorated.

*UPDATE* -Jen finished the story of the Black Candles in the comments so check it out!!!

Have you ever experienced something like this? Let us know either through comments or link me on your blog.

The Qur'an
The miracle, the Quran
So brothers and sisters, to increase your iman

Read the miracle, read the Quran
Here's a fact for the ones who are keener
92 surahs revealed in Mecca,
22 in Medinah
Read it every day and to read it be proud
The word Quran means to read it aloud

Read the book from the Lord of the worlds
Over 6,000 verses and 77,000 words
Read with respect, no disturbance, no laughters
from Al Fatiha to An Naas, all 114 chapters

And in it 14 times you need to prostrate
And say Allah ho Akbar, meaning Allah is great
In this book, 25 prophets are mentioned by name
Who came at different times but their message was the same

This miracle was revealed over a 23 year span
Sent from Allah (swt), to an angel and then to a man
That man was Muhammed (saws), the best of creation
And we are proud to be part of his nation
He gave us a message and that was Islam
So read this miracle, read the Quran

~Albint_Almuslima

(thanks "Lisa")

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

Here are some great links of crafts you can make for your family (even if you dont have kids) for Ramadan! I'm planning out a full crafting schedule because my daughter understands more about it this year since she'll be 4 soon. And my son will have his first memorable experience as he was too young to remember last years Ramadan.

http://www.knowledgehound.com/topics/ramadan.htm has a lot of links within of good sites.
http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/coloringnewyear/a/blramadandeco.htm easy
http://www.theholidayspot.com/ramadan/crafts.htm cool

Sadly the only other links i found lead back to these three. But use your imagination and then blog about it!!! Hehehee. Like I will make Ramadan paper chains in sparly colors for the kids to relize 30 days of ramadan and i'll make the masjid one and also we can make paper lanterns.
Also on shiny wrapping paper i made a ramadan banner and I get the christmas ribbon and tie lots of swirly ribbons all over the ceilings. I have a decor box Kabba that will be the centerpiece. I'm thinking to get lights this year so at night they can still feel the effects and have fun. I will try to post pictures and projects we make as we do them inshallah.
On LBC Lebanese Broadcast Company in ramadan they have cute songs i will try to see if youtube has them bcause they are great for kids.

Nearly everyday the power would go out for increments.
Something like this schedule:
AM: 12 to 6 Power ON
6-12 Power OFF
PM: 12-2 Power ON
2-6 Power OFF
6-9 Power ON
9-12 Power OFF
______________
SO you just have to regulate your schedule (and whats left in the fridge) to coordinate with the power so you can get laundry done and such. If you could afford a generator hook up that was a life saver but we couldn't. Many a evening we spent having a "romantic" candle lit dinner. By necessity. Sometimes though at night I loved it and it made me feel more like how the Companions must have felt. We'd have time to write a little bit or read Qur'an by candlelight then pray early and go to bed early and sometimes just sit and chat in the dark. Sometimes when the electricity would come on unexpectedly my husband would break the spell by rushing gleefully to turn on the TV and news. I wanted to reprimand him for being so unromantic. But he lived like this for years during the war, so a chance for electricity was something good, and not having it made him feel backwards and poor. For me growing up with electricity all the time, not having it was a chance to feel historic.
Now I'm in UAE and having power 24/7 fell surreal at first. Then slowly I became used to it. The other day my power was cut for 4 hours and the first two hours were ok because the room stayed cool but the second two hours were torture in the heat of the day and I had to fan my kids to keep them cool. (ouch my arms hurt so bad from constant fanning). So it reminded me how luxurious electricity can be. In this country we'd be suffering heat stroke without it. Yet there are places and people who go without it and we should feel fortunate to have it.

I finally figured out that I'm a Red juicy Apple in a pile of Oranges. I figured this out one boring night at home, in front of my PC, on August 4th, 2001, when I was 17. I was sick of the chatroom where everything is so false and meaningless. I was sick of my neopets game where you play games to trade for coins to buy things for your pet online. I was so sick of everything and wanted something new and exciting to look up. Suddenly subhanAllah I was flooded with memories of many things that all added up to one thing. **My 10th grade teacher writing the five pillars on the chalkboard because today we would learn about Islam and I doodle the actual pillars into my notebook where for once I listened to her lecture instead of ignoring her daily lesson of the religion of the world.** **How much I was moved by the movie the 13th Warrior.** **My favorite history to learn in school was the Ancient Egyptians.** **The beauty of the movies the Mummy and the scene where she wears local dress of niqab** **My possible future of going to the U of A and studying sociology in Saudi Arabia** **My 10th grade teacher speaking of the charity and helping the needy that Islam follows and there is no one between you and God.** **My accepting that there is a God just a month earlier after being hard core Atheist for 4 years.** And soo much more.


It all pointed towards looking up ISLAM. So I typed it into a search engine and it came up with a few websites (this was 2001 people before the rush of net knowledge about Islam post Sept. 11th) and browsed them and was intrigued with my findings. Lots of praying, lots of charitable acts, "some guy named Muhammad who led them all and revealed their holy book", fasting for a month, once in a lifetime to hajj in Mecca. I felt I belonged with this. I googled Muhammad and found a horrid website calling our Prophet the worst of names and i don't know why I just blindly believed the website but at the time I did but I still loved the principles of Islam. (I didn't know it is Kuffur to believe these things about Prophet Muhammad[saw]). So I read that you have to say "Shahada at a masjid witnessed by two people" I read the shahada to myself to try it out on my tongue and it felt nice. Eager and excited that this is where I'd find my true place finally I rushed to the living room where my father sat reading a book in peace. (Sorry Daddy by the way for shocking you that night.) Normally if he wants to respond to anything I say while he's reading he just looks up from the page and answers then goes back to the book. "Hey Dad, can I have the keys? I need to drive to the mosque at dawn tomorrow and become a Muslim." He looked up slowly absorbing he words I just uttered. He carefully and calmly set down his book on the arm of the chair and folded him hands. "Have you thought about this? Have you learned about this?"

he asked. "Oh yeah I've learned about it in school and just now I was researching (for a whole 15 minutes) it online. I like it and I belong with them and I'm going to be Muslim so I have to have the keys please." I assured him breezily wondering why he wasn't hauling out the keys yet. "This is a big step and it's your life and all but maybe you need to go think about things again before you rush into something you might regret later." He advised and I frowned knowing i didn't need to re think about it. Didn't he understand I just had an Epiphany! But my father knew me way too well that when something is on my mind I just do it.. following my heart at the drop of a hat. So I agreed to think it over for a while. I went back to the PC and knew there was nothing to think over so I googled the location of the masjid and got the address and phone number. I got my father's map and tried to locate the masjid on the map. It was very hard. Then I sat and read a few more sites about Islam and thy said the same five pillars as the first. Finally about an hour had passed and I figured my father would think that was enough time for thinking so I went back. "Yup, I still want to be Muslim!" I said. He sighed and reached into his pockets. "It's your life and you can do what you like but just be careful and know if anything bad happens we will be here for you." He said. I grinned and took the keys and thanked him and then went to my room to check the map again. I set my alarm for dawn. And went to bed.

August 5th, 2001 I woke early to my alarm and woke up excited and happy. I got dressed in a long black skirt and a long sleeve black shirt with a modest neckline since i read they dress modestly. ( I do love black before i was muslim) Then I took my map and keys and climbed ungracefully into my Dad's Chevy truck. I saw the dawn sky brightening and the birds all chirping gaily and there was a crisp feeling in the air. The world knew my excitement. I had see this "odd" building many times in Tucson. It's completely white with a dome on top and I always told my parents I wanted a house like that they said it's a place where some people pray and I thought that was a beautiful place to pray (another clue I was always attracted to Islam). So I went there and it was located on 1st Street or 1st Place on of the two. SO I step out and look around the gated area. There was no one there much less anyone praying. I check the sky and the sun is just rising. I look again at the street sign and my written address. Oopsy the masjid address says 1st street (or place I've now confused the two over the years). I checked my map again and got lost trying to find the real masjid/mosque. Finally I spotted it near the campus of the University of Arizona. So I pull up in front of the masjid and hop out of the truck and lock the doors. I look at it and it is soo beautiful with a shiny copper colored dome. I pass a few men who look at me oddly and I give a tentative smile but keep going up the few stairs. I enter and am totally confused. There are racks lining the room and a large sign saying Please take off your shoes. I guess that is for the carpet area. It's a lovely plain blue carpet stretching without break all the way to the other side of a large empty room. Where are the seats? I wondered. There were about five random men praying by themselves in various positions which i had never seen before. Also there was a group of about 7 men sitting in a circle reciting something. I didn't want to intrude upon their religious things but I DID want to join them somehow. So I carefully kept my shod feet off the carpet and leaned in and looked around the doorway to the seated men.

"Uh, excuse me, how--" I began and was cut off by a man jumping up and shouting,

"No no, go around, you can't be in here. Go the other way." I was all taken aback and shocked and was totally like WTF in my head. At my totally perplexed look and obvious a lack of hijab he calmed down and asked a bit more quietly and a lot less rudely, "What do you want?"

"I want to join you. You know be a muslim." I was really afraid i was sounding quite stupid now. He paused then sighed. "Go sit on that chair and we'll be with you in a while." So I went and sat on a folding chair and watched as guys slowly filtered out and put their shoes on. The whole shoe thing was really weird for me. While I waited 20MINUTES! I checked out the dome and the beauty of it and had lots of time to worry about if I had done something wrong to offend that guy. Finally he and another man came over to me along with an elderly man with a dyed red beard (henna I later figured out). They explained this was a travelling sheik who would witness my shahada. "So did you think about this?" He asked. What was he my father? I sighed "Yes of course" "Do you know about Islam?" He asked. "Yes I researched it on the Internet." I was nervous they weren't going to let me be Muslim if I didn't know anything so I was using my bluffing voice. "OK well you need to say Ashadu-illaha-illallah-Mohammadur-rasulu-llah." He wrote it out and I stumbled over the words but got them out finally enough for them to except it. They smiled now. I sat there like ok now what. Then a african brother came over and was like do you have time for me to run to my house and get a few things for you and I was like sure. (I had all day because I didn't know how long it was going to take to become muslim) SO the man ran off. I waited and watched as the other men too soon began to leave leaving only two. Finally after about 7 minutes the man came back and gave me a book on how to pray and the times of prayer and tried to explain to me how timing goes. He gave me a copy of meaning of Qur'an in English with arabic too (still my favorite version of the qur'an I have and currently opened under my monitor). He also gave me two head coverings one creamy and the other white & a beautiful green colored prayer mat with a masjid on it. I thanked him for it then asked, "So how much is all of this?"

"it's free." he said confused and still smiling. I innwardly rolled my eyes. I wasn't born yesterday. The book alone was very expensive. It's thick well binded and beautifully decorated green with gold decor so therefore it must be worth something. "No, seriously I HAVE money." I explained.

"No, no it's a gift. Really it's free." He said again his smile loosing strength. I looked at him dubiously NOTHING WAS FREE -especially all this. At my expression and stony silence he tried to explain better "It's a gift for you becoming Muslim! We want to help you and make it easy for you. Just put this scarf on and pray like it says in the book." I smiled then warmly.

"Well thank you very much." I then stood and went back to my car feeling so free and light and everything looked so beautiful. I sat in the drivers seat and pulled out the cream colored hijab and folded it to a triangle and tried to wrap it around my head and then tried to figure out how to tie it to cover my neck. I tried a granny knot but my neck still showed. Frustrated of trying for a good five minutes i went back inside the masjid holding it. The brother looked at me confused.

"Umm, how do you put this thing on?" I asked and held it up. He laughed and was like "I have no clue but I think you use some pins or clips. Maybe if you come back at the next prayer then there will be women here to ask them." I said ok and then went to my truck and then tried again. I came back at the next prayer but no women were there still. S0 much for all Muslims praying 5 times a day at a masjid I thought to myself. Though I did see men praying formally for the first time and I admit it scared me a little I actually thought for a moment DID I JOIN A CULT? Then it passed from my mind and I reviewed the pillars in my head. Then I drove home feeling happy and heady and in love with this life Allah had given me and a new way to look at the world.
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It took time to adjust to my new life and for others to adjust to me adjusting mine and that will be another post later :)

You have led my husband's eyes away from me to your preening fashion models.
You have led my daughter's innocent sense of humor become corrupted.
You have wasted my time when I could have done something better.
Though you have educational programs,
Though you have news news news in both languages,
Though you have inspirational and funny shows,
Keeping your sinful channels is not worth the good you have.
To get to the good we have to trudge through the bad.
I'm sick of watching half dressed (if that much) people grind like animals,
just to reach English Islamic programs.
I'm sick of my daughter choosing Disney,
over listening to Qur'an.
Therefore, Orbit Satellite TV, YOU HAVE BEEN BANNED!
Never soil my house and mind again.
~Brandy A. Chase (c)2008

PS: Come and get your decoder so I can have my deposit back PRONTO!

Update: So Hubby came home and had to eat a meal yet again without tv on and he was so upset and claimed he's going to buy his own sat reciever no matter what. NOOO!! I shouted, WHAT'S THE POINT OF ME GETTING RID OF ORBIT IF YOU GET ANOTHER BOX OF SIN!?!?! I WONT ALLOW IT IN MY HOUSE! He thought about that one so we'll see where this goes but I'm serious.

It's all about perspective: the glass is not half full it is completly full -in the future!

This moron shot the Qur'an, my beloved book of all books, 14 times and wrote nasty things inside. He's an American Soldier in Iraq and did this IN IRAQ. The public protested and the US worried this could cause a whole lotta strife between US and Iraq and the world so they were rushing to apologise and do what they could to correct the situation which I commend BUT I think the soldier is getting off too easy. He was sent home and dissaplined. More should be done so this doesn't happen in the future. They apologised so fast to appease the Muslims not to have world-wide protests. I think we should have world wide protests anyways so the next moron with a gun thinks twice before violating our HOLY BOOK FROM GOD.
While we're at it we should realize the world really seems to quake under the wrath of Muslims worldwide
"Bloody protests have sometimes been held across the Muslim world when the Islamic faith has been insulted. The swift apology by the U.S. commanders appeared aimed at avoiding similar violence in Iraq."
(ALHAMDULILLAH!) and use our strength to "protest" more important things like the fact MUSLIMS who read the Qur'an are dying. We boycotted danish products when they made the imfamous cartoon. WHy aren't we boycotting ALL products by all countries that are against Muslims? We number 1/5th of the world's population and are growing and we have to ENCOURGE our brothers and sisters to protest about names used wrong, cartoons drawn, qur'an's shot, when we should be protesting EVEN MORE about us MUSLIMS dying, unable to pray or read qur'an, or teach our children even Bismillah anymore. Sometimes I wish so hard that the Mehdi comes to unite the Muslims and establish Islmaic State and Shari'a just so we will finally be united and people will really fear the wrath of the Muslims.

Here's the story link: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24693647&GT1=43001

SubhanAllah. For the longest time I've had trouble praying on time. It is my biggest islamic fault and the one i hate the most about myself. Always I ask friends and family for advice and for a while it seems to work then later it slacks off again. Recently though I have felt so bad and have been through so much stress that things have gotten really out of hand and my husband took me to task in a not-friendly way and I did take note of what he said but I didn't know how to improve. SO off to the net for the night to see what I could find. My close friend from Lebanon was online and I chatted with her about it and she recommened to schedule in my prayers right after athan and set all kinds of alarms everywhere to not forget. Good advice definitly. So searching more through blogs and everything for inspiration of what to do even more to feel the urgency in my heart again to pray better I fianlly check my e-mails and find this: SubhanAllah JUST when I needed it the most. I hope this helps you out and Encourages and Warns you as it did for me.
____________________________________________________

--Forwarded Message Attachment--Date: Fri, 11 Apr 2008 20:04:07 +0300From: markazmaryam@gmail.comTo: markazmaryam@gmail.comSubject: "The prayer is better than the sleep"
"and recite the Qur'aan in the early dawn (i.e. the morning prayer). Verily, the recitation of the Qur'aan in the early dawn is ever witnessed (attended by the angels)".[soorah Al-Isra, v:78]
Praying Fajr reflects how much you love Allah the Almighty

The happiness of that guy was tremendous when a well-known company accepted him to work for it. He was over the moon as he was the only accepted candidate. He signed the contract that implies that he should agree on respecting the company working hours, delivering weekly reports about his work and activities, and accepting to be punished for any delinquency.
Soon later, the guy met his manager and said to him, "From tomorrow onwards, I will not come in time. And I will not deliver my weekly reports in time either; instead they will be delayed for a while. In spite of all that, I will not allow you to punish me, and you don't have the right to kick me out from work." If we imagine such a situation, we will laugh at the behaviour of that guy. No-one will see him but an insane and a fool person. How come can someone want to take his rights whereas he is not committed to his own obligations?! So, why most of us do the same strange action or even worse?
(As we commit a worse sin against the Law of Allah the Almighty.) How can a sane person allow himself to enjoy all Allah's graces: such as food, drink, clothes and life pleasures; whereas he doesn't offer Allah the simplest obligatory He obligates him to do, viz. Praying?!And even if he prays, then he doesn't pray in time or he prays like a rooster (i.e. he prays too hastily and carelessly). He neither complies with his praying nor apprehends what he says. According to our web site visitors survey in the arabic section of IslamWay.com that included more than 4000 persons: 14% of them never pray Fajr in its time16% of them rarely pray Fajr in its time33% of them often pray Fajr in its time35% of them always pray Fajr in its timeSubhan Allah!! We are not talking about jurisprudence about which scholars disagreed or even a Sunnah that one has a choice to do or not. We are talking about ABC Islam. We are talking about praying that Allah Almighty obligates on all Muslims - whatever their conditions are. When Allah the Almighty ordered Muslims to pray He warned those who delay the prayer after its designated time, saying:
"So woe to the worshippers Who are neglectful Of their prayers" [Surat Al-ma'oon 107:4-5]
The interpreters said that what is meant by this verse is delaying prayer after its designated time.They also said : "woe" is a very deep sheer black valley in Hell. Don't we believe in Allah's Words? A lot of Muslims nowadays neglect Fajr prayer as if they it was not there. That's why they pray it much later than its time. In addition, some of them pray it immediately before the Noon prayer. Others may never pray it even for compensation (Qaddaa). So why all this laziness against what Allah the Almighty deserves? Don't we proclaim that we love Allah the Almighty more than any thing else? Once one of us loves someone a true love, he will be willing to meet him. He may keep thinking of him most of the time. Once he has a date with him, he can NOT sleep until he meets the one he loves. So, do those lazy prayers who do not pray Fajr prayer really love Allah? Do they really respect His Orders? Are they willing to meet Him?. Let's imagine that a multi-millionaire offered one of his employees $1000 every day, just on one condition, viz. the employee must call daily at his employer's house in the morning as to wake him up then leave. Such a simple task may take the employee 10 minutes only. This marvellously generous offer will be valid as long as the employee keeps awaking his employer regularly. On the other hand, this offer will be cancelled permanently, and the employee will be asked to return all the money he received, if he neglects to awake his employer once without an excuse. So, if you, my Muslim brother, were that employee , will you neglect to call at your employer's house? Won't you carefully intend to wake up daily to get the one thousand dollar? Won't you - once you failed one morning - try with all means to prove that you were truly unable to wake up?. Allah has the higher example, so what about you my dear brother towards your Lord, Allah the Almighty? He is the ONLY ONE who gives you your means of living and who bestowed you with every thing, whose blessings on you are utterly much more than millions of dollars daily. It is Him Who says:
"...if you try to count the blessings of Allah , you will fail...." [Surat Ibrahim: 14 : 34]
Doesn't this Lord, the The Most Merciful, the Most Generous deserve that you wake up for Him every morning at about 5.30 a.m. so as to thank Him just in 5 or 10 minutes for His great blessings and his generous favours? The judgement against those who neglect praying Fajr Prayer in time: Allah the Almighty says:
"...for such prayers are enjoined on Believers at stated times." [Surat Annesaa: 4 : 103]
· Islam is a comprehensive way of life… It is like an agreement between The Great Lord and His humble servant. According to this agreement, the servant commits to certain obligations before Allah. With respect to these obligations, Allah would grant the servant rights and privileges. It is insensible that you agree to this contract, then, soon afterwards, you do whatever you like and neglect whatever you do not like. Allah Almighty says in the Quran: " O ye who believe! Enter into Islam whole-heartedly; and follow not the footsteps of the Evil One; for he is to you an avowed enemy." [Surat Al-baqara: 2 : 208]The interpreters said: this means to accept Islam with all its legislation and rules. Allah got exasperated with the people of Israel when they performed what they liked from His religion and neglected the rest. That's why He addresses them saying: "…Then is it only a part of the Book that ye believe in, and do ye reject the rest? But what is the reward for those among you who behave like this but disgrace in this life? And on the Day of Judgment they shall be consigned to the most grievous penalty. For Allah is not unmindful of what ye do." [Surat Al-baqara: 2 : 85]
As far as one's punctuality on attending prayers is considered, The Prophet (peace be upon him) sees those who do not punctually attend Fajr (dawn) and Ishaa (night) Salat in congregation as being sheer hypocrites "Munafeqeen". So what do you think of those who do not pray Fajr at all, neither in congregation nor alone (at home)?
· The Prophet (pbuh) said: "There is no prayer more difficult to attend for hypocrites than Fajr and Ishaa. And if they knew what's in them (i.e. the good reward - thawab) they would attend them even if they had to come crawling." (Narrated by Bukhari)
· Allah Almighty mentions that He disavows whosoever neglects the obligatory Salat. Besides, The Prophet (pbuh) said: "Do not ever leave Salat on purpose because whoever does so then he is disavowed by Allah and His Messenger." (Narrated by Imam Ahmad)
So do you like, Oh Muslim brother and sister, for the closest one to you to disavow you? So how do you neglect the Salat and cause Allah to be disavow you? Well....now what have I to do?
· Every one us should set an alarm clock to wake him for Fajr Salat daily.
· We should give Salat its status in our lives, and we should discipline our jobs according to the Salat regular times. (Unfortunately, we simply do the opposite!)
· We should sleep early and wake up for Fajr and then leave for work. Soon after Fajr, Allah distributes people's sustenance (Arzaq).
· Each one of us should seek a good companionship that would call to wake him at Fajr Salat. Moreover, they would help one another to adhere to such a good deed.
· We should keep on saying our nightly Duaa (that we say just after before going to sleep) asking Allah to help us do our Salat.
· To feel guilty if we missed a single obligatory Salat. Furthermore, we should vow never to repeat this big sin. And make it up.
May Allah make us all be among those who truly love Him. May He give us sincerity in both words and deeds. (Amen) Finally, whatever is right in this article then it is a gift from Allah. And whatever mistakes or shortcomings then they are due to myself or Shaytan (Satan).Taken from Islamway.com
some practical steps that will help to pray Fajr regularly inshaAllaah:
· Sleeping early
· not talking after Isha (as it is disliked)
· To be taahir(clean) & saying the adhkaar before sleeping
· Having a sincere intention & being determind.
· Seeking help from one's family & friends
· Setting alarms for fajr (on phones, mobiles, clocks)
· Throwing water in the face of sleeping person.
· Switching on the lights to dispel sleep.
· Not eating too much before going to sleep.
· & most importantly making duaa to Allaah subhanahu wa ta3aala, as it is one of the greatest source of strength & success in all things.
Extracted & summarized from the book by Shaykh Salih Munajjid
.-- "جئنا هنا رب لترضى""We are here our Rabb to please You"
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So let me hear your feedback about if you pray on time and how you manage to do it. And if you don't pray on time let me know what you've tried in the past to do. Don't be shy or nervous to admit your sins even though i know it's hard. The point is not to admit it for to be scolded but to admit it so you can move on past the guilt and learn how to improve yourself. We must support each other.

This book was wicked awesome! "Sandstorm" by James Rollins. It was Adventure, Romance, Science Fiction, Religion, Action, all rolled into one. Every page made you ask yourself a question and none got answered until a few chapters later. Antagonizing.... I TRIED to read it slowly and at first I did....soon though I couldn't resist the draw of the written word.
Since I was around 15 I had an idea in my head of a book set in Arabia that dealt with buried treasure, a mysterious woman, archaeologists, scientists, swords, Arabs, British, American stars. After reading this book which fit the bill above I don't think I will bother to write that one ever again because though mine is a little, OK a lot, different in plot it still will not come close to the brilliance of this book If you can't outshine SOMEONE why write it?
I was just amazed how easily this book flowed and covered a variety of landscapes and themes. Each Point of View had it's theme of sand, water, wind, rain, lightning, even the sense of smell was regularly covered as all writers should. Going back and forth between each theme was a balance of your mind along with the plot. Even until the very end you don't know which man the lady will choose to be with. You don't know who might end up shot next! AHHH!!! It was wonderful and terrific and when the last page turned I was satisfied. As I closed the book I realized Mr. James Rollins just got a big new fan. And to think it had been sitting on my shelf gathering dust for over a year now. I haven't been this impressed with a sci-fi book since my early days of reading ancient Alan Dean Foster books. It was hard to tell what was real science and what was theory. Thankfully at the end he explained himself....whew because I was about to question it all over my blog!
As to the religious aspect who knows the real story about the People of 'Ad, Queen of Sheba anyways. The part in the Qur'an mentioning their fate was covered here but the author's elaborations I took with a grain of salt as being the fiction part of Sci-fi. It made me interested to visit the graves of Prophet Job and Imran (Mary's father). Also I'd really like to see Oman now the main setting of the book. I have heard it really does mist in the mountains for some part of the year which would feel wonderful after all this hot summer sun we get here.
Still I give this book "Sandstorm" by James Rollins - the Seal Of My Approval [SOMA]. I can't wait to read the others. Thank God that my husband read this first and asked my mom for more of his novels, so somewhere in my fallen books are the next ones by him.

I dream to have an extra room in my house that I can dedicate just to praying and studying Islam. I'd put those low Arab cushions on one wall. Soft blue carpeting (not too thick, just a mat style) in the center with a few prayer rugs on top facing the quibla so anytime i want to pray there is already a setup. The other wall will have a few bookcases with Islamic books and Quran. A nice Qur'an holder with Qur'an next to the Arab seats. Thin white curtains to allow in the sun and soft breeze. I picture my kids reading quietly on the cushions next to my husband who is drinking tea and reading Qur'an out loud. We are properly covered in this room with a loose hijab for me and my daughter and caps for the men. This is my room of peace and reflection and simplicity. Oh how I long for this room.... my personal Masjid.....
I have always loved Masjids. They are so dear to my heart. In America I used to ditch school just to go to the masjid to reflect. It had deep blue carpets and no decorations at all. Simple and open. I used to also clean this masjid because I felt the mexican maids (non-muslims) didn't do a good enough job. I'd scrub the walls and floor and vacuume. My favorite masjid is the one in Tempe built to look like the Dome of the Rock, Jerusalem. Upstairs they have a dividing white curtain between the men and women and it flows in the breeze of the ac/open windows. The sun shines in through cut windows. Two short bookcases hold Qur'ans. It's a quiet neighborhood so you don't hear horns honking or anything disturbing. It was here I had my first real Ramadan and staying the night at the masjid. It' was here I learned my first Surah (besides Al-Fatiha) by listening over and over to a recording and repeating and following along in my transliteration Qur'an.
When I got to Lebanon and masjids were everywhere I didn't find a special one I loved the most. They all had fancy thick carpets. Never the less when I enter a masjid my heart calms and I feel at peace and am able to consintrate on prayers like I can rarily attain at home. Finally I found a masjid I liked to visit because the floor is made from bamboo rolled mats. When you put your head on that hard scratchy surface you feel the act more of bowing/prostrating to Allah. It is small and located on the Corniche (sea walk) so you can smell the fresh breezes and when you're done praying you turn to leave outside and the Mediteranean Sea is there in your face for you to reflect on.
I've been to quite a few masjids here in UAE. My favorite are the ones that are not too decorated. My first Jummah was in the Jumairah Great Mosque in Dubai with my two kids (also my son's first masjid trip) and it felt so peaceful. The next time we went to Abu Dhabi we visited the famous Shiek Zayed Masjid. It was huge and awesome but the whole time I could only see the beauty of it. I felt happy to be at a masjid but I didn't feel peace. Too many things for the eyes to wander to. It's not actaully allowed in Islma to decorate masjids liek this. TO waste precious money on a building when they could have used it to help needy people. It's sad. It was amazing yes but still I thought of the poor people that are starving and struggling to make ends meet praying in a fancy place like this. My blogroll "Flowers in the sand" has great pictures of the masjid in her achives. So I left with a sour taste in my mouth- though yes again it IS beautiful and breathtaking. There are two masjids near my house and I've been to one and it had a shabby woman's area that doesn't look like they even clean it so I'm not sure abou that place.
I would love to have a specail masjid I can go to with my kids (ie a place for women who can brestfeed and still pray) where I feel peace and openness and higher goodness. When I read of The most Pious Woman ever's tale in the Qur'an my heart burns to be like her. The Good Maryam, Mother to Prophet Isa (Jesus) used to have her seclusions where she prayed and reflected. Masha'Allah.
So I wish for my own peaceful corner.....

I had read an interesting book long ago when first saying shahada. "The Complete IDIOT's Guide to Understanding Islam". It has been about 5 years since I picked it up and read it but with all my new thoughts about how to minimilaize I started searching and what I read was interesting and thought provoking: (rough summery -excuse me it's been a while since English class)

"The Three-Fold Journey
All human beings have three levels of self-development though which they must pass durirng their lives:
1. The Animal Self: Basic intincts and desires; food, sex, creature omforts, wealth guide the life.....THink of all the people in the world who do nothing but indulge their whims.....The struggle of the Animal self stage is made harder by the efforts of an evil Jinn named Shaytan.....They do this by playing upon our fears, desires, and emotions.......eventully we will forget our Creator.

2. The Accusing Self: Higher-order questioning of our purpose; When we discard the life-is-a-big-party attitude and begin to pay attnetion to our fitrah, we recieve a flash of insight, a deep thought.....questions come flooding in: Why am I here?..... Happens when I die? Is there a next life?....A person may reflect days, months, years until being motivated to seek spiritual guidance. The person has become ready to look for God. .....looking for the familiar --Christan, Jew, buddism....Islam teaches that a sincere seeker tries to fully satisfy his or her spiritual hunger, the seeker will eventaully move beyond those previosuly revealed (and compromised) religions and into the Islmaic was of life that Allah revealed as His last religious "installment" to the world. After we reach this second stage....we realize we need God....we can try to mold our life according to His universal way. Through a daily regimen of prayer, fasting, reflection, and study and a conciousness of morality our heart becomes more and more at ease.

3. The Restful Self: Transcending worldliness as a focus; ....we may achieve complete peace and tranquility in our heart.....Nothing in this world holds us any longer...not phaed by any tragedy or bounty that may come our way. We realize we will die and return to God and that this whole life is a test for us.....While still maintaining a normal life [job, family, vacations], the person is no longer living only to satisfy himself but realize the higher purpose of life. "

Ok so that is what the book has to say now here is what got me to blog about this:
I was in stage one as an Atheist and searched through the old religions and unsatisfied just as it said above. SO I reached stage one and begining of stage two. I found Islam and am implimenting it as best as I can right now....so middle of stage two. Recently I have begun to enter stage three but am still trying to improve my stage two.... So there is some missing stages and a flaw in this stagement.
I realize the higher purpose and am taking steps to live it yet I'm still stuck in trying to implement. So there must be an inbetween stage called 2.5 where I think a lot of Muslim reach. They are not quite to that blissful forget the troubles of the world stage three yet over stage two.
Here at 2.5 the life becomes harder and Shaytan whispers more cunningly. When doing good deeds can get you in trouble.... "yesss stay up late cleaning your house and doing good for your family...pleassssing your husssband.....getting sssssooooo ssssleepy" Oops did I just miss Fajr cause I fell asleep exhausted from cleaning? We have to prioritize and learn to get things in order. Our spirit is excelling in following fitrah but our bodies are not yet follwoing orders to be obediant.
I'm personally at a point where i can give up my beloved collection of juice glasses [winegoblets] that I've collected since teen years. I see the dust gathering on them and see their pointlessness.... I even reached a state mentally where my stories don't matter and I know they don't matter for my future insha'Allah in Jannah but so far I have followed shaytan and decided to keep them for now though they take up so much room without a file cabinet in place yet....(see more worldly possessions i will forced to buy by keeping things i don't need)..... I can clearly see my mind and heart flowing easily into stage three but why are my actions so sluggish? Why can't I just do what I feel like doing and get rid of tv and get rid of these things I KNOW in my heart that don't benefit me and I know it's just shaytan whisperig to me to not follow good islamic teachings. In this book it also says some kids ages 4 to 7 read their first reading of the qur'an and have their party for it. I was like WHAT my daughter is 3.6yrs and she is just trying to get fatiha down much less reading the whole qur'an...... i'm failing as a parent? I'm leading my children to a life of worldly interests? I prayed and prayed for them to become religious scholors yet how am i helping them achieve this with Disney channel and not speaking arabic? I'm stuck at 2.5 stage of my soul's journey and I don't want to die in this stage uncompleted. I want to make up my missed prayers of the past years and continue to do good in the future and raise my kids to make it easy for their souls to reach stage 3 too.

What stage are you in?

After thinking really hard about life and how short it is and how I need to consintarate on the spiritual matters of life more and encourage my family to do so. I really thought about how TV is the root of many problems in my house. What does hubby do when coming home? Eat and watch the hilarious Conan O'Brien. Ok we also watch CNN/Orbit news programs or comedy shows or a rare movie. What we are not doing is sitting down and reading qur'an as a family or playing games as a family or doing ANYTHING as a family. In the afternoons it's a TV war of who gets a turn. My 3 year old is obsessed with Playhouse Disney.

She will literally cry and put out all the acting stops to get her father not to have his turn on the TV so she can continue her marathon of DISNEY DISNEY DISNEY. You say it is my fault and you're right it is. I relied too much on the TV to amuse my daughter when I was pregnant and then after i had my son. I wanted her to leave me in peace to put the baby to sleep so I'd put on disney or a movie to keep her entertained because I didn't have the time to play interactive games with her. Now I'm paying the price and so is she. She's hooked day and night. The only way to get her excited about waking up in the morning is to say "Oh look Disney is on TV". She hops out of bed and runs to the couch to slump there-in until i get her dressed. Now Playhouse Disney does have excellent shows for pre-schoolers and she has learned a lot about life from these shows and I am happy she learns things not just mindless zoning but ALL DAY!?
This is time she can be pretending with her toys or interacting with me more and I think i need to lay down the law now to everyone in the house. No more TV all the time! I thought about cancelling my Orbit subscription but then I think about that what if i want to watch how the latest war is deveolping on CNN? Is this shaytan whispering in my ear so I don't ban my TV? You betcha. I have my workout DVD's so I can't just ban the TV altogether so maybe i should start limiting it for now and see how that works first. I want my family to be less materialistic (not that we are or can afford to be but what we have is not really needed for this life) but where does one draw the line? I want my family to spend time on Islam but does tossing all unnessisary things guarantee that this will happen? If I get rid of all the junk we've accumilated and all the stuff we haven't touched in months will life really improve? Where is the moderation between living with the bare essentials and getting by in today's world? Movies are fun especailly for kids and gives them a chance to flex their imaginations, thought they ceratinly aren't nessisary Islamically so how does one balance what to get and not to get in this life? I want my family to reach Jannah insha'Allah but I don't want to deprive my family of a "normal" life. I want us to be closer and to have quality time together. I want us to be as minimalistic as possible without being barren. Why waste our precious(meaning rare) money on things that will not benefit us in the next life? I want us to have experiences yet I don't want us corrupted. How do I achieve balance?
Sometimes I just want to smash all the unnessisary things!

When you make the time to remember He who made you it fills your soul with peace and your mind with tranquility. We are drawn towards religion to fulfill our heart's search for purpose and the need to know we belong. In my long quest for the "right" religion I have found only Islam answers the many Questions I ask and always with logical and heartfilling answers.

Here are a few Ayahs from the Qur'an to fill the ache in your heart.

Surah8, ayah2 "For, believers are those who, when Allah's name is mentioned, feel a tremor in their hearts, and when they hear His signs rehearsed, find their faith strengthened, and put all their trust in their Lord;"

Surah13,ayah28 "Those who believe, and whose hearts find satisfaction in the remembrance of Allah: for without a doubt, in the remebrance of Allah, do hearts find satisfaction."

Surah22,ayah34-35 "34: To every people did We appoint rites (of sacrifice), that they might celebrate the name of Allah over the sustinance He gave them from animals (fit for food), but your God is One God: Submit then your wills to Him (in Islam): and give thou the good news(2811*) to those who humble themselvess-- 35: To those whose hearts, when Allah is mentioned, are filled with fear, who show patient perseverance over their afflictions, keep up regular prayer, and spend (in charity) out of what We have bestowed upon them."

Surah29,ayah45 "Recite what is sent (3471*) of the Book by inspiration to thee, and establish regular Prayer: for Prayer restrains from shameful and unjust deeds; and remembrance of Allah is the greatest (thing in life) without a doubt. And Allah Knows the (deeds) that ye do."

Surah39,ayah23 "Allah has revealed (from time to time) the most beautiful Message in the form of a Book, consistent with itself (4276*), (yet) repeating (its teaching in various aspcts):(4277*) The skins of those who fear their Lord tremble therat: then their skins and their hearts do soften to the celebration of Allah's praises. Such is the guidance of Allah: He guides therewith whom He pleases (4279*) but such as Allah leaves to stray, can have none to guide."

Surah39, ayah45-46 "45: When Allah, the One and Only, is mentioned, the hearts of those who believe not in the Heareafter are filled with disgust and horror; (4313*) but when ('gods') other than He are mentioned, behold they are filled with joy! 46: Say: 'O Allah! Creator of the heavens and the earth! Knower of all that is hidden and open! It is Thou that wilt Judge between Thy Servents in those matters about which they have differed.' "

(#*) is footnotes in the passage that explain the passages more in detail and explain the meaning behind it.

The last one especailly I love because it shows that sometimes when you recite Qur'an and even say "Allah" instead of God people turn away from you in disgust. Yet don't be discouraged by them because Allah will Judge later who was right and wrong. Continue to remember Allah with Thikr(Remembrance and Praise of Allah) and be at peace.
Notice that each time it also says Regular Prayer because the 5 prayers are different from Thikr. Sure there is THikr in the prayers but they are differnt and are awarded a spereate catagory even in the Qur'an, though they are tied together usually. So yes though it is good to say thikr but establishing the Regular Prayers must also be done.

When I follow Islam and follow what my heart tells me to do (i.e. follow Islam) I feel better and more at peace. Everytime I try to break away from who I REALLY am on the inside I feel lost and torn and end up posting drivil at 4am on my blog "See TORN". What makes me special is that I AM Muslim and I do follow strictly Islamic teachings. Ok So I may not be a savvy news reporter or blogger with 50 comments for every post but I do say what is on my mind freely and know that it IS me. If I try to follow others instead of leading my own way I'll never be successful at what I want to achieve. So I must push away my doubts and stop critisizing myself for not having 50 comments for every post and just remeber if I don't get it out of my mind and onto the blog it'll keep eating at my heart until I do. I was born to write and to express my thoughts but I was also born Muslim and need to express that too.

So i decided each time i blog I will write a few Ayah that make people feel better and closer to Allah from the Qur'an. INsha'Allah this will inspire people to do good and to read their Qur'an.

First know I'm not racist in any form. My daughter was just attending a predominate Indian School (I'm talking country Indian not Native AMericans) and had lots of little friends of multi-cultures and ALL my neighbors are either Indian or Philipino.

I was going to leave polotics and such out of the blog but this was so terrible i have to share. I watched the CNN news Special about the Horrors happeneing in India of women and men BURYING THEIR DAUGHTERS (JUST BORN) IN THE DIRT AND LEAVING THEM TO DIE. They found one baby and subhan'Allah she was still ALIVE and they saved her. They found her A-hole "father" and asked if he wanted her back and he said No of course not! He already has 7 daughters he doesn't want and two precious sons he does want. They interviewed the daughters who szid they never get new things and have to work their fingers off rolling cigarettes all day while their brothers study and get new clothes. Families after families talked about how they wanted to know the sex of the baby before it was born to know if they should get abortion. They all want sons. WHY!?!?! Because they want someone to pass the name on AND becuase of the stupid DOWRY! The BRIDE has to pay a dowry to the MAN.. obviosuly has to be paid by her parents. This is horriable because of this stupid rule hundreds and thousands of babies are ebing aborted OR BURRIED ALIVE! So parents dont want the burden of paying their daughter's dowries. The Qur'an states how the IGNORANT PEOPLE before Islam came used to bury their daughters in shame. The Qur'an from Allah forbaid this and it stopped --except for few evil sinners-- I thought I'm so glad it doesn't happen anymore those people were truly ignorant! It's shows how sheltered I am coming from USA! It is happeneing and I'm sure not jsut in India. I only could watch the show until they were pulling baby bodies from wells and pits where they were buried or thrown there from abortion clinics then i just cried so much. My husband came rushing to calm me and turn off the tv. I held my daughter and thanked Allah I'm not from these ignornat people (not all indians just the ones who do this practice). She was liek " why are you crying Mommy?" I said "Because there are some very bad people i saw on tv doing Very bad things." She tried to cheer me up and I thought how can anyone not love a daughter! They are sooo sweet and adorable and are the basis of life existing. "Man cannot live without women and Woman cannot live without man".

QUR'AN:
Surah6,ayah140: "Lost are those who slay their children, from folly, without knowledge, and forbid the sustinance which Allah hath provided for them, inventing lies against Allah. They have indeed gone astray and heeded no guidance."

Surah6, ayah151: "Say: "Come, I will reherse what Allah hath Really Prohibited you from": join not anything as equal with HIM; be good to your parents; Kill not your children on a plea of want-- We provide sustenance for you and for them-- come not nigh to shameful deeds, weither open or secret; take not life, which Allah hath made sacred, except by way of justice and law: Thus doth HE command you that ye may learn wisdom."

Surah17,ayah31: "Kill not your children for fear of want: We shall Provide sustenance for them as well as for you. Verily the killing of them is a great sin."

Surah81,ayah1-14: "In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 1.When the sun (with its spacious light) is folded up; 2.When the stars fall, losing their lustre; 3.When the mountains vanish (like a mirage); 4.When the she-camels, ten months with young, are left untended; 5.When the wild beasts are hearded together (in human habitations); 6.When the oceans boil over with a swell; 7.When souls are sorted out, (being joined like with like); 8.WHEN THE FEMALE (INFANT) BURIED ALIVE, IS QUESTIONED-- 9.FOR WHAT CRIME SHE WAS KILLED; 10.When the scrolls are laid open; 11.When the World on High is unveiled; 12.When the blazing Fire is kindled to fierce heat; 13.And the Garden is brought near-- 14.(Then)shall each soul know what it has put forward.

These are proof for those who may think it's accepted by Islam to do this-- IT'S NOT!
I was given courage by the last Surah not to cry more because on the day of judgement the infant will have it's chance to exact its revenge. Allahu Akbar (God is the Greatest)!