wonderstruc--k asked: Salam, I hope you all are doing well. I have a question for you, I reblog a variety of posts and occasionally, I come across beautiful posts or pictures with Allah's name on them. As the people I reblog from may have names which include profanities and such, I think it's offensive for Allah's name to be amongst my posts. I try to stay away from disrespectful posts and ultimately reblog what I like. I'd like to know if you think it's offensive. Thank you. :) PS your blog is beautiful.
Peace and many blessings,
Honestly, we can’t tell people what to reblog and when. If people feel it’s fine to have a porn blog and then reblog a picture of Arabic calligraphy that says Allah, then I have absolutely no power to tell them to stop or not. Sure, we can advise one another but having our brothers and sisters know how we feel (in contrast to what we think is right), and inshaAllah, they understand us and would take our concerns into consideration.
Moreover, we have a lot of NonMuslims that follow this site that have blogs that are far from religious oriented. But, they appreciate our spiritual blog. And that’s okay with us. Thank you for your compliment.
Salam. Dee.
smilemerijaaan asked: As-Salamu Alaykum :] i recently converted to Islam and one of my closest friends (who's Muslim) has been very supportive but often i feel like she's a bad influence. when im with her i sometimes do what i know is wrong and then when i come home i feel bad, i question whether or not i should spend so much time with her but she's a great person and her family has been soo supportive (my parents don't know i converted and they've invited me to stay with them if things ever come to that)
Peace and many blessings,
I must say, it’s ultimately amazing to have people as brave as you sacrifice their safety and friendships to recognize the religion of Islam as a path of sincerity and truth. I feel that we should feel all obliged as Muslims to congratulate our sister for her conversion and try to make her feel very welcome here; let’s leave her messages in her inbox here!
With that said, it honestly depends on how you feel about the situation. If you feel that her family are awfully supportive, then don’t sacrifice that because she isn’t perfect. But at the same time, if you feel like she’s a really bad influence and not helping you in any form, then have her know what bothers you (or slowly walk away). Honestly, it depends on you and how you feel.
Much love. Dee.
eggbibi asked: What are your opinions on drugs like adderall, concerta, or ritalin? I was prescribed them before and they help me become more focused, but definitely change my personality and my judgment on things. I'm a lot stricter and irritable when on it.
Peace and many blessings,
I don’t have an opinion on this because I don’t know enough to answer; I do have a friend however, who might help you. Ask him; he’s a scientist, he can help.
Salaam! Dee.
esendoran asked: salam, i've been thinking of starting to wear a hijab. any suggestions where i can get one and/or how to tie/wear it? thanks.
Salaam!
Hijab giveaway on Facebook here & search for simple hijab tutorials here. InshaAllah this helps.
Dee.
fromadreamer asked: Salam sisters :) I have a problem with the hijab...I live in a non-Islamic country and also I have never shown my peers myself with the hijab on so I am quite scared. Also, my parents are basically forcing it on me which makes me hate it, but I really want to start wearing it. Plus, I don't feel pretty enough for the hijab. I don't consider my face very attractive and I feel like I would have had more confidence to wear it if my face didn't look so awful in it. Help? :( Shukran jazeelan.
Salam wa Rahmatullah,
Glad you pointed out a few things about this; hijab isn’t supposed to be worn so you can look pretty or cute or nice. It’s just hijab. I wear hijab because I like to identify myself as a Muslim woman; also, even if I wanted to take it off, my parents would be highly against it. So you can say that to some extent, my parents have had a huge role in defining why I’ve kept it on. Sure, that’s based off of fear, and it’s how I felt for a while (and of course, it’s not the right reason for wearing it). But now, I’m learning to realize that a hijab is a part of me and I always want it to be. So I’ve been through several transitions myself from having it on because I couldn’t take it off to wearing it because I want to.
Also, hijab is a big commitment; a huge sacrifice. It’s not only the covering of the hair, but the entire body. Its a means to humble ourselves from being drawn to flaunt what we find so beautiful about ourselves; or at least, that’s how I perceive it. I know so many Muslim women who are drop, dead gorgeous without hijab, but they find strength to wear it every day because they love it so much.
It’s not easy; that’s the point, it’s not supposed to be easy. It’s for strong women. And when I say that, I mean both physical and mental hijab. I mean both piety and modesty from the inside and the outside; I mean hijab of the heart and hijab of the mind. So it’s not to suggest that women who don’t wear the hijab that covers the hair are weak women; oh, not at all.
It means that every single Muslim woman who strives to perfect her hijab is a strong woman. Every single woman that tries is a strong woman.
InshaAllah this helped; Dee.
islambeauty asked: Assalamu alaykum. I am really willing to memorize Qur'an, and I have been trying whenever I have any free time on my hands, but I find it quite hard, especially comparing to when I was a lot younger. I really feel I was able to memorize easier and faster before because nowadays it takes me a lot to memorize even a small surah. Do you have any tips and suggestions for memorizing Qur'an? Thank you in advance.
Salam wa Rahmatullah,
I hope you find this post helpful inshaAllah. Dee.
cometortoiseundefined asked: I just wanted to ask your opinion about this :) If I was thinking about getting "La ilaha illa Allah" as a tattoo. Do you think that would be in any way shape or form disrespectful since I'm not Muslim?
Peace and many blessings,
Honestly, I personally find that a tad bit awkward, only because that’s kinda not cute. But then again, it depends on your intention. The Arabic phrase: La ilaha illa Allah is very symbolic for Muslims because it represents our submission to God in terms of vocal declaration. The fact that you may enter the bathroom, or any other unclean places whilst having that specific Arabic phrase is a bit insulting; but that’s just me.
Out of respect for Muslims, I suggest you don’t do it. God bless. Dee.
fromadreamer asked: Salam. I love your blog by the way. Very inspiring. :) I have a question about relationships and marriage. I am still young and far from the thought of marriage but I am worried. I am aware that any contact between male and female is prohibited, but how am I supposed to know the man I am to marry? I don't plan on marrying a man before knowing him for at least a year because you never know a person's truth. Is it haram to have a relationship even if marriage is a possibility? Shukran:)
Salaam!
May Allah bless you for your lovely words. I think if you take the time to listen to Yasmin Mogahed’s stance on marriage in Islam, you’ll find a lot of the answers you’re looking for. Much love, Dee.
sherbearftw asked: How do I become a better Muslim? I always plan to learn more about Islam but unfortunately I always procrastinate. And I know It should be my first priority but I have a hard time making it my first. Thanks, and you're blog has amazing posts, always interested to read them :)
Peace and many blessings,
It’s simple: want to want Allah. You really have to want Allah; that’s honestly how I fathom this whole situation of needing eeman boosts, wanting to learn more about Islam, or even trying to get up to pray. Worshiping Allah isn’t just about believing in Him, but loving Him. It’s realizing that without Allah, you are nothing. And I guess, honestly, that’s why I always managing finding my way to Allah. I know I need Him.
I guess you should start with what seems to interest you most in terms of knowledge; if you find that listening to lectures are helpful, you can always do that by clicking on our videos page. If you want to read free Islamic sources online, click here. Of if you spend a lot of time on facebook or twitter, you can follow us here and like us here for Islamic reminders.
InshAllah this helps. Dee.
exotickisses asked: Assalamu alaykum, before I converted I was planning on going to a concert in July. I already bought my ticket, now I was wondering wether or not I can still attend or if i should give away my ticket. Especially given the fact that it is during Ramadan. Would it be considered breaking fast? Also the music is not contain bad words, actually it has no words at all, it is electronic music. Thank you :)
Peace and many blessings,
One thing that I find important as a Muslim is this notion of prioritizing and being able to distinguish what I need and what I want. It’s a bit hard, especially considering that Ramadan is just around the corner.
Like, my family is planning to travel to Bosnia for a family reunion in the summer, and honestly, I miss Bosnia; I would love to go. But then, I remember some of the things I’ve wanted to get done before the summer before I go. I’m 10 out of 30 juz away from memorizing and completing the Quran; if I go, I’ll be way behind. Secondly, it’d be hard trying to fast whilst traveling (so I might have to sacrifice a few fasting days to go). And thirdly, I have so much writing to complete for the summer.
The same can be said in your case. If you find that this concert is a sacrifice that truly will make a drastic change in your life, then go. But if you prefer to fast and stay in a state of worship, that works too. And dare I say, that no, the issue of music isn’t an issue here. It’s this whole notion of worship over entertainment and whether I can do both at the same time; honestly, it depend on you.
InshaAllah this helped you in some form and allowed you to make a choice easier; God bless! Dee.
deafmuslimpunx asked: this is a stupid question... but I have noticed that some followers have asked you and other readers to pray Dua for them or for their families (because of car accident, cancer, etc..)... My question is, how do we say a dua when we don't even know their names? Just wondering..
Peace and many blessings,
It’s definitely not a stupid question. As long as you have the intention of praying for the specific family with that illness, struggle, or tribulation, that would be sufficient. If you know their names, that’s great. But especially considering the fact that we make dua for the Mu’mineen and Mu’minaat on a general level, having their names unveiled is not a barrier to acceptance of dua.
Salam!
saratika asked: Assalamualaikum, I really like your blog, it helps me alot, thank you. I need to ask, Iam now 23 yrs old and Im a muslim, when I was 17 I think I kinda hanged out with a group of friends that are wrong for me. I started smoking and drinking, but at that time I wasn't really thinking about my religion. I already quit drinking. I know its haram in islam to consume alcohol,but I heard some people said smoking isnt,is it true?
Wa alykum as-salaam,
Thank you so much, we truly appreciate your support, more than words can express, and we thank you for your well-wishes and the trust you put in us.
I’d like to commend you on changing your ways, masha Allah, that must have been difficult, and alhamdulilah, I’m so happy that you were able to turn things around. You should be proud of yourself.
As far as smoking being haram, it is the opinion of many scholars that it is indeed haram. If you would like to read an opinion that explains that position, you can read this, insha Allah.
Insha Allah, I hope that answers your question, and if you, or anyone else, has a question on this, or any other topic, please do not hesitate to ask.
yoursourire asked: Asalam Alaykoum :] Sometimes I feel very lost and misguided even though I pray and do what I need to do to stay on the right path. I'm going through this right now, where I have to decide what education/job I'd like to take and all the other future plans. But I feel misguided when I start thinking if these educations/jobs are halal, if they're going to benefit me in the hereafter. Do you have any advice on how I can decide or maybe any hadith about subjects like work? :] beautiful blog btw <3
Peace and many blessings,
what seems to be the root cause of your problem is not whether your future might hold something that might affect your level of faith in Allah (because sure, that might be true), but it seems to be your struggle between balancing the demands of this dunya and your demands to worship, love, discover, and acknowledge Allah.
When it comes down to deciding a very important decision in our life, the tradition teaches us to pray salat al istkhara. We have a link to how one prays that on our site here.
In terms of your level of eeman, I suggest you consider reflecting upon that which you spend most of your time doing. In fact, that’s the problem we have as Muslims. We expect that in order for us to completely depend on Allah and submit to Him (especially the way in which He intends us to), we need to completely transform 180 degrees. No, I don’t think that’s how it works.
We start by observing how we spend much of our time; do that tomorrow. Wake up and mentally jot down all that you do. Think about how you spend your free time and how you can alter that for the better. Ask yourself if there is a part of your day that you would like to change in terms of how you spend (or waste) it. I remember when I officially finished my last semester of last year, I spent the rest of my days studying and memorizing Quran. Find what works for you, and most importantly, make sure that you always renew your good intention(s).
InshaAllah this helped in some form; jazakAllah.
fbisboringok asked: Assalamualaikum,I want to know whether muslims can celebrate Mother's day??Thank you..
Wa alykum as-salaam,
In a famous Hadith, that is found in the Hadith collections of Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, and a whole host of other collections, it becomes rather clear how The Prophet looked upon honoring one’s mother:
“A person came to Messenger of God and asked, ‘Who among people is most deserving of my fine treatment?” He [The Prophet] said, ‘Your mother.’ He [the person] again asked, ‘Who next?’ ‘Your mother,’ The Prophet replied again. He asked, ‘Who next?’ He (The Prophet) said again, ‘Your mother.’ He again asked, ‘Then who?’ Thereupon he said, ‘Then your father.’”
So, it becomes rather clear that The Prophet was particularly inclined towards honoring one’s mother, and I cannot find a single reason why “celebrating mother’s day,” which simply means to “make sure that your mother knows that you appreciate and love her dearly,” could ever be justified as being anything other than Halal.
Arab countries have their own “Mother’s Day,” and this March 21. All the Arabs Nations such as Egypt, Lebanon, and Saudi Arabia all celebrate this day as “Mother’s Day,” and so I find it hard to find any evidence of Muslims being unable to celebrate “Mother’s Day.”
In fact, if anything, as Muslims we should make every day a “Mother’s Day,” and we should show them we appreciate them more, and that we love them, by helping them, listening to them, and by honoring them.
Insha Allah, I hope this helped you, and I hope this reply reaches you and your family in the best of health and Iman.
Osama
d3spite asked: So me and my old friend has gotten into this argument a few weeks ago and my teacher told me that if you are not talking to your friend within 3 days your prayer is not accept by Allah but I apologized to her about 4 times and she did not accept my apology at all ( I didn't do anything wrong , i didn't cuss at her or made rude comments about her ) . But I just wanted to know if Allah still expects my prayers after i apologized to her and her not accepting the apology
Salaam alykum,
I would begin by saying that having the attitude that “you did nothing wrong” is not the correct way to approach this situation, let alone someone you describe as your friend. Even if you truly did nothing wrong, if this person is your friend, then you should listen to them and to learn that perhaps you did something unknowingly that offended them.
Perhaps your friend was having a terrible day, and something you did was just the “cherry on top,” if you will, and just did not help your friend’s situation.
Your friend is clearly someone you value, and because of that, the first step is to have the modesty to realize that perhaps you might have actually done something wrong, especially considering your friend has reacted the way that they have.
I would commend you for apologizing to her four times, but consider the way in which you apologized, and if you can honestly say that you apologized in the correct manner, and that it was sincere, and you asked God for forgiveness for what you have done wrong, you have fulfilled your duty as a Muslim to your fellow Muslim.
As far as having your prayers not accepted because your friend hasn’t accepted your apologies, I do not know where that comes from. There is a Hadith, from The Prophet, that underlines the actions of a Muslim in regards to these sorts of issues.
First, in regards to how we must deal with our anger:
“the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘A strong person is not the person who throws his adversaries to the ground. A strong person is the person who contains himself when he is angry.’”
This is from Imam Malik’s Muwatta, and there are other Hadith, which underline how we must conduct ourselves with each other:
“the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘It is not halal for a Muslim to shun his brother for more than three nights, that is they meet, and this one turns away and that one turns away. The better of the two is the one who says the greeting first.’”
This Hadith, also from Imam Malik’s Muwatta, underlines that the only component of this process is the bigger person is the one who forgives first, and the one who puts forth the courage to admit that they were wrong, and that they want to mend their relationship. That is what we must do.
Another Hadith on this issue, also from Imam Malik’s Muwatta, says this:
“the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, said, ‘Do not be angry with each other and do not envy each other and do not turn away from each other, and be slaves of God, brothers. It is not halal for a Muslim to shun his brother for more than three nights.’”
So, there is nothing in the Hadith or in The Qur’an that would say that your prayers are not accepted. It would make absolutely no sense if that was true. How could you repent for your wrong-doings if your repentance was based upon the other person forgiving you. Perhaps what your teacher was trying to say was that you cannot be forgiven by God until you ask for forgiveness from the person you have wronged.
Obviously, this does not affect your prayers, but the idea is that God was not who you need to ask for forgiveness when you offend someone, that person is who you need to ask forgiveness from first. If you are unable to ask them or if they do not accept, that is not your fault, the point is that you have made the sincere effort.
Insha Allah, I hope that this has helped you, and please continue to repair your friendship with your friend, and if they do not want to, then use this as a learning experience for the future.
Insha Allah, if you, or anyone else, has a question on this, or any other subject, please do not hesitate to ask.
Osama
