Luminosity

No, I didn’t go..but was excited in reading this. Makes me miss Madinah more..for those of you who don’t know what I’m talking about read this. This is insight from a sister who took an educational seminar in Makkah & Madinah with pics and videos. Read along! May Allah reward her…and those who went (i think just from the west, a group of brothers & sisters masha’Allah).

http://www.albaseerahseminar.blogspot.com/

Asalaam Alaikum Warahmat Allah Wabarakatu:

This is the only glimpse I get from way over here, my dear sister did a great job, mashaAllah capturing what’s going on over there upon the courtyard of Masjid an-Nabi these days.  If you haven’t checked out her blog you really should inshaAllah. may Allah reward her and all of us..and accept all our good deeds for His Sake while forgiving us for our mountains of sins we commit knowingly and unknowingly; may Allah return her,  and all of us  back to Madinah and facilitate members of our Ummah in experiencing what it feels to be in the luminous city of Madinah to live or to visit. Ameen.

Click here..

http://almiskeenah.blogsome.com/2008/06/30/leaving-06/

and Makkah..masha’ALLAH..may Allah accept it from everyone going over for Umrah and visting our Nabi, alayhee salat wa’salaam..

the imams over there are probably reminding the masaajid attendees not to go overboard with the price hikes that are happening over there..check out this article..

http://www.arabnews.com/?page=1&section=0&article=111489&d=4&m=7&y=2008

JUST A NOTE:

This post is a bit more personal than usual but it is in reference to a few emails and comments I have recieved in questioning of ‘how it feels to be back in the States’, the purpose of our visit the differences encountered between both places. These views are that of my own, and are shared with readers so others will inshaAllah understand something very important (that we all know of, but we all forget from time to time) no place is perfect, no place is ideal..life is indeed a struggle, no matter where you are on the face of this Earth. But the question I throw back to many of you is and especially to those given the keys to Madinah yet are hesitant, what exactly is it are you struggling for in life? Madinah might not offer the best of this donia for many, but it can offer a sense of security, that ’sakinah’ implanted in hearts a little bit more than any other place, knowing that you are walking upon the footsteps of Prophet Muhammad, pbuh, and upon sacred land. You may never have this chance again, and know one knows how long you’ll last there. (we certainly don’t know how long we will be there either). So it might all boil down to 2 things: 1) Intention & 2) Trust in Allah to Plan it for you…hard with wasswassa, but that’s why we have the tool of Istikhaara. may Allah do what is best for all of usand may Allah overlook our weaknesses which are countless.

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Asalaam Alaikum Warahmat Allah Wabarakatu Wasalaam Wasalaat ala Rasullilah….
I am currently in the US with my children while my husband is still in Madinah. insha’Allah he’ll be coming soon to join us in the States for our summer stay.  We hope that Allah will place us back in Madinah where our home is by the start of Ramadan with His Permission. We planned on coming here for the summer for 2 main reasons: for being with my parents and family, namely my father who we haven’t seen in a year.  My parents pretty much raised my children with us all along before we got up and left for Madinah 1.5 yrs ago. So the separation was difficult but alhamdulilah Allah does facilitate ease.  The other major reason why we planned to be here, and for so long, is due to Mercy’s follow-up needs with her audiologists.  Mercy, who’s 7 was born deaf.  Without the Allah’s Blessings upon her by granting her the support of an oral-deaf education, technology on her cute little ears, and duaa from all the Muslims who’ve ever met her she wouldn’t be able to utter a clear word.  Miraculously, seeing her or hearing her speak now is priceless in my heart and listening to her recite Quran better than some adults are reminders to me of Allah’s Favors upon her.  We bought her an upgrade processor to her cochlear implant that needs at least a few visits over a period of time for programming, plus she needs be tested and her hearing aid on her other ear needs to be maintained along with a few other hearing stuff to assure that her needs are met for the next year. In Madinah there is an audiology center near the Haram, but they only deal with hearing aids and they are not able to assess hearing in a sound booth.  I know that there is an audiologist who works with cochlear implants and even the model processor Mercy just got but that’s way over in Jeddah; which is good to know for any sudden need that may arise. But now that we are here, I hope we can get all her care done with over the summer so we won’t have a need to do that over there in Saudi. (ya Rabb!).

As far as how it feels being back, well its twofold-Allah’s blessings here in the States are beautiful. His nature, the organization, my familiarity with everything and not second guessing what something means due to my stronger language of English, being able to drive and get things done on my own terms when and how I want it.  The order of day and night-meaning that people here follow the natural order of waking up early and going to bed early, I really miss that about here.  Accessibility to whatever you need and knowing where and how to get it with ease.  I mean if I need to buy personal items I can do that without any tension because I know at any given CVS, Target, or Stop & Shop my voice doesn’t have to be hush hush and I am welcomed by the store managers with 4 kids lingering behind me rather than being stared down and the kids being hushed up if they bump something off the shelf.  Oh, and here its quite easy to find inexpensive products that will last a long time, also an advantage.  Libraries and activities for children are always available without searching too hard as well-although we don’t really have time for organized sports and such due to our goals for Quran Hifz.  In a society where there are many kuffar, most non-muslims, and much hypocrites it can still be an upliftment of spirits when most of the time people are holding the door for you, smiling and telling you to have a good day while getting off the elevator, and overall positive social interactions result.  This is why I often make duaa for people who do random acts of kindness that Allah will guide them to Islam.  This is where I grew up and learned about life, and Allah as a child, and continued to do so as a woman.  This is the only home I ever knew before moving to Madinah Munawarrah. But the best thing about it all is the fact that I am here with my parents who raised me and get to see their love pour through for my family and I.  Especially when they are having fun with their grandchildren, masha’Allah that view is priceless wa’alhamdulilah. I respect, love & cherish my parents-they are overly generous with us and although they are not in need of me, I hope I can somehow do something for them-for now it’s just duaa, and Allah Hears my whisperings that I beg of Him for them to enter Firdous and to forgive me for not being the best of daughters, even though I am their only daughter.

But ofcourse there is a flipside..and subhan’Allah a big flipside!  I am a stranger in my own homeland as I am all dressed up in my hijiab & jilbab garb.  I wasn’t into the black thing before when we were living here. People in general have a big hitch on their shoulders when they see Muslim women in black and have all sorts of ideas of (once again) oppression, ignorance, extremism, and maybe even ‘psychoism’.  We are in Southeastern MA. where the only time we encounter other Muslims is at the Friday Jummuah.  This year I sometimes wear a simpled solid colored piece under my black khimar in hopes that I don’t seem too alienish.   While I feel odd to wear the niqab here, it is true in my heart as something rec’d and preferred.  But my face isn’t a fitnah here-there’s already too much of that everywhere else, while back in Madinah the further away from the haram you go..the more fitnah a woman’s face can be, just my thoughts not a fatwa. 

At the park we’ve met people who resemble the people of Prophet Lut (as) this state of Massachusetts is the first state to legalize gay marriages in the US.  Naked (ok, just about naked billboards and innapropriate pictures, and  bars at almost any restaurant with indecent music being blared at the malls are much more annoying this time around than they were last summer and certainly more than when we lived here. Is it because I had become immuned somehow to them? Maybe. Explaining why men on motorcyles aren’t wearing tees and why other girls my daughters ages have their bellie buttons sticking out of their shirts are just a few simple situations we have come across. My parents and I have an internal clock that tells us to be home in time for Salah rather than depending on the Adhan and Iqama echoing out at every corner.  Oh and what about the poor? Where are those brohers cleaning the streets that you can give charity too? Or those women who are sitting on the corners trying to sell fresh mint and basil to give money too with a kind word? I haven’t even begun to speak of all the beauties of Madinah..but maybe Allah placed me here for the summer to awaken my appreciation for the Blessed City of the Prophet (although the heat is pretty harsh these days over there!)

Reintegrating here is a bittersweet..the things I may have been numb to before bother me more now, but simple blessings that I took for granted are more appreciated. There is no ideal place on the face of this Earth to live..and everywhere there is a struggle, but I am grateful that Allah has made our home in Madinah because if you have a choice to struggle anywhere in the world..as a Muslim why wouldn’t you choose Madinah? With every blessing there is a test embedded within..Madinah is no exception to the rule. Stakes are much greater if and when I commit anything haram in Madinah, so yelling at the kids there earns me bigger trouble there than here!  I would love my parents to live over there with us, and I would love Boston Children’s Hospital Audiology department to be in Madinah too. Can’t forget my little cutie nephew who’s out in Cali to be with us as well with his parents. But Allah is the best of Planners and with difficulty comes ease. 

 May Allah increase us in Sabr and accept our deeds..without His Acceptance then all of this and all of that is meaningless..Please never forget what our deen al-Islam teaches us, that every blessing we are given..we should be careful with it, because that tiny blessing might turn into something against us on the Day if we do  not view it as what it is the most, an exam.

Allah Knows what we have no clue on..

“Verily, Allah! With Him (Alone) is the knowledge of the Hour, He sends down the rain, and knows that which is in the wombs. No person knows what he will earn tomorrow, and no person knows in what land he will die. Verily, Allah is AllKnower, AllAware (of things).”

{Quran, 31:24}

That’s just a simple proof that Allah Knows Best…

Asalaam Alaikum Warahmat Allah Wabarakatu:

So we are back ‘home’ but not home! Let me explain.  I’m not in Madinah! The kids & I are (temporarily inshaAllah) reintigrated back in the US. The looks, the questions, the remarks, and comments are something else..and I am not talking about those made towards us! My children are little and even the oldest has found a few things surprising. Surprisingly pleasant, and surprisingly…well, shocking! Can’t get into it now, but inshaAllah we are here for the summer so hopefully some can be shared later in another post. Please keep us in your duaa (and my family who we are staying with here & husband please) if you can remember, and especially those of you who are heading towards bait’ALLAH, or visiting our beloved Nabi, alayhee salaat wa’salam.  Being away from Madinah makes me more greedy for duaa to be made on our behalf, sorry! My emailing and responses to comments are kind of slow these days, but I do still check at least once a day, might be a few days for me to get back inshaAllah..unless there’s an urgent question or something that I might be able to help clarify.

 May Allah increase us all in Eman, Sabr, Ihsaan, Taqwa & Birr..Ameen. Doesn’t this Ummah need so much more of it?

and ALLAH is the Best of Planners…