A Challenge

Assalaam Alakium ladies!

So KnewU didn't turn out very well, no one showed up for the class so I've got some extra time to write this post! As I was sitting here waiting for the Writer to finish up I thought of all of the things I am grateful for when a little light went off. 

I had the idea that whenever you have a few minutes to spare, jot down all of the things you are grateful for in your life on a piece of paper, your phone or a special notebook. At the end of the night thank Allah for everything you've written down. You can also bring the notes with you before prayer and after praying thank Allah for it then as well. You can never thank Allah enough. 

InshAllah, I'm going to try to jot down all of the things I'm thankful for this coming weekend. Saturday and Sunday, whenever something pops in my head I'm thankful for, I'm going to write it down. At the end of the night, before I sleep, I'll thank Allah for it all. =)

So here's the challenge! I challenge you all to write down all of the things you are grateful for in one day. Pick any day you'd like and throughout the day just jot it all down on a piece of paper. And at night, make sure you thank Allah for it. 

If you complete this challenge, please leave a comment below sharing how it worked out for you. Did you remember to write things down? Was it refreshing to turn to Allah and thank Him for everything? Did it help you become more mindful of all the things you have? Share whatever you like and pass this challenge around to your friends. 

Have a great night and inshAllah, I'll post a recap on Monday sharing my thoughts on the challenge. 

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~

5 More Minutes!

Assalaam Alakium ladies!

Good morning! I hope you all will be proud of me when I say I actually stayed up after fajr prayer today! Whoot! After some whining to the Writer that I didn't want to get up, he finally got through to me and I got up. I kept saying "5 more minutes". haha You know five minutes turns into an hour when you fall right back to sleep. How does that happen really? That extra hour only feels like five minutes and if you are hitting the "snooze" or in my case the "dismiss" button you really aren't getting any extra sleep. What's the point of falling asleep to only be awaken 5 minutes later for the next found of creative sounds.

 Good thing that didn't happen today because I needed to work out early, there is no other opportunity today. This is the first time this week that we've actually stayed up after fajr and got a workout in before work. It feels great to just get it out of the way. I know if I would have given into my five minute thing I would have been writing how I didn't get up yet, again! And how many times can I write that without seeming like I'm not even trying? 

Thursday's are super long days for the Writer and I, more so for him. Tonight is the second session of the KnewU: KnewBorn class at the Andalucia Center here in Houston, Texas. I've wrote about it before here but for a quick little overview; it's a class geared towards new Muslims and teaches the basic tenets of the Islamic faith. Of course, anyone can come new Muslim, old Muslim, non Muslim doesn't matter, it's a judgment free zone. =) 

InshAllah, I plan on taking notes like I did for the last session so look out for that in the next few days. I'll try to get the notes up tomorrow inshAllah. Oh yes, tomorrow is Friday! Happy day! =) You know those weeks that short of just creep on by, well this week is one of those. 

Have a great morning and inshAllah I'll be back with another post this afternoon. 

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~

Sleepy

Assalaam Alakium ladies!

I woke up extra early this morning, mostly due to the fact I went to sleep at 9:30 last night! I had horrible stomach pains last night, maybe because of a gluten sensitivity/intolerance. Still unsure about that, I need to make an appointment I just keep forgetting! Ugh. That's pretty early for us over here but now I'm tired again. Don't you hate feeling wide awake at 5 in the morning then come noon you're ready to go take a nap, that is definitely me today. 

I have to go into work early today and work a little longer than usual so I have to make this post quick. After work the Writer and I are going to the Andalucia Center here in Houston for the KnewU: KnewBorn class. I've wrote about the class before so if you want more info search KnewU. I'll be sure to post a recap of the class tomorrow inshAllah. 

With the Writer's new work schedule it's been a little tough to transition. We've been eating out A LOT lately, we need to change that for sure. It's even harder on Thursday's (today) since we are both away from home from 8 am to around 10 pm. I did manage to juice some apples and carrots this morning before our workout AND pack us both lunch. I call that a win. hehe I'll let you know what happens for dinner when I figure that out myself. 

When you have busy days away from home how do you keep things healthy without eating out too much?

Have a good afternoon and inshAllah I'll see you later!

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~

KnewU: Week One Recap

Assalaam Alakium!

Welcome home. This was the title of the first week of the New Muslim class KnewBorn. This is a summary of what was discussed, feel free to share this with others, especially new Muslims you know. Also, you can watch the session LIVE next Thursday at 7:00 pm central time at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/andalucialive

What is meant by "Welcome Home"? It means that as a convert you have returned to your initial state or fitrah in Arabic. Initial state in terms of the belief in a divine being (Creator) and your character meaning the feelings of guilt we all feel when we commit bad deeds. Here are a few wonderful examples of this meaning from the Qur'an:

"If they embark on a ship, and the ship gets into trouble, they call upon Allah, being sincerely obedient to Him; but when He brings them safely to land, they start committing shirk (giving credit for their safe arrival to others); so that they may become ungrateful for the blessing that We have bestowed on them and enjoy the life of this world! They will soon come to know the result of this behavior." (Al'Anakabut 29: 65)

How many of us have been through a traumatic event, like a car accident? The first person we call out for while in danger is God. This isn't unique, everyone does this. Why? Because as humans we know we are not free from danger and that no one can protect us like God can. 

"Whenever any adversity strikes you at sea, all those to whom you pray besides Him forske you except He; yet when He brings you safe to land, you turn your backs upon Him. Indeed, man is ever ungrateful." (Al-Isra 17: 67)

Meaning of Islam

If you were asked by someone who wasn't Muslim, what Islam means, what would you say? A lot of people would say Islam means peace, that is not entirely true. The meaning of Islam has two definitions a linguistic (how people perceive it from language) meaning and divine meaning (stated in a divine source, Qur'an). 

The linguistic meaning of Islam is:

"The state of submission and surrender for means of safety and soundness:

The divine meaning:

"Submission and surrender exclusively to the Creator of the heavens and the earth for means of peace and salvation."

Submit + Surrender = Peace

What does it mean to submit and surrender? As humans, we have the freewill to choose what we do, like what religion we choose to follow. To submit means that you leave the judgment to God and to surrender means you follow what God says no matter if you know the "why" behind it or not. Through these means of submitting and surrendering do we attain peace. 

"Are they looking for a religion other than the Deen (religion and Way of Life) of Allah knowing well that everything in the heavens and the earth, willingly or unwillingly, has submitted to Him? And to Him they shall all return." (A'lay Imran 3: 83)

Photo of the KnewU class

Test of a Lifetime

When someone accepts Islam, it can be hard to interact with family, friends and society. People may look down upon you. This is a test of a lifetime for the new Muslim. 

Family members may consider you an outcast (black sheep), disown you or belittle you by saying you are just "going through a phase". These types of things can really hurt the new Muslim, but we must maintain our Islamic identity and respect our family members, especially our parents. As a new Muslim, you are the "face" of Islam to them so you must continue to be kind to them. InshAllah things will get better with time and patience. 

Friends may consider you weird for the things you are doing, wearing or saying now. Converts often lose friends when they start practicing Islam because your friends may see you as a completely different person. If they are a true friend they will respect your beliefs, if not, you have to make a decision if this person is worth hanging around with.  When making friends keep this hadith (saying of the Prophet peace be upon him) in mind:

"The person is on the path of his friend, so look closely at whom you befriend."

The Muslim community may look at you strangely possibly because of the way you look. The new Muslim may not feel the brotherhood/sisterhood because of this. New Muslims must keep in mind that YOU have a right to the Masjid and to be a Muslim. Don't let others stir you away. 

When talking about Islam to others, make sure to mention to them that they must separate the doer from the doctrine. 

That is all for this weeks session. InshAllah I'll be back next week for a recap of session number two. 

Please let me know what you think and any suggestions you have. Remember you can watch the session LIVE at the address above. I ask that any of you who know a convert or someone looking for information on Islam to direct them to this post. May Allah reward you all. 

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~

Special thinks to the instructor of the class, Abdullah Oduro a Islamic University of Medina graduate and convert of 14 years. May Allah reward him. 

New-Muslim Class

Assalaam Alakium again!

How's your afternoon going? It's a gloomy day here in Houston but it's been a pretty good day so far. Later on tonight the Writer and I are going to a new Muslim class called KnewU at the Andalucia Center here in Houston, Texas. The Writer is also a video production guy and he video-graphs the class. If any of you are interested in watching, it can be viewed live on Ustream here: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/andalucialive They have an archive of previous shows and projects too. 

The studio of the Andalucia Center...featuring the Writer!

You can access the Andalucia Centers website at:  http://www.andaluciacenter.org/ There you can find events that are happening there as well as check out what the place is capable of. It is a one of a kind place here in Houston, Texas and inshAllah it will be beneficial to the community.

As for the class tonight, it is a New-Muslim class which goes over basic Islamic tenets of faith in detail with specific resources for further study. The class is taught by Abdullah Oduro who is a graduate of the Islamic University of Medinah, KSA '07. He is also a convert and I believe has been Muslim for over ten plus years. 

Here's a video further explaining the class:

InshAllah I plan on taking notes and posting them here on the blog. Is this something you all would be interested in. Please let me know.

Have a great night and I'll see you tomorrow inshAllah. I have a convert series idea in the works so look out for that. 

Wasalaam,

~Hijabi Butterfly~