TEMPLATES AND SETTINGS CHANGED

Salam aleykum,
I am very grateful and glad to all of you who always make up time to view my blog, comment and share with friends. You have no idea how kind to me you all have been.

Unfortunately however, some readers have expressed concern that they do not see the text of my articles nor are they able to comment. I think this is a setting problem and I have decided to change the templates of the blog. I really hope the changes I expect have been effected. I hope you will help me address this concern by commenting on whether you are able to view and comment well.

I appreciate you all. You have no idea.
Masalam

READER'S CONTRIBUTION:WHY WE NEVER MOVE FORWARD BY OLOSO SHUKRAH

Here is a very thought provoking contribution from one of our ardent readers, Shukrah Oloso. She is a Barrister and currently doing her Masters in International  Law at the University of Ibadan. Please enjoy.

I was in the LLM class on a fateful Friday waiting for our revered professor of International Law and Practice of Human Rights like my other colleagues and looking forward to another riveting, educating, exciting and stimulating lecture…we were supposed to have a seminar presentation on the ‘‘AFRICAN STATE FORMATION AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATION’’ but before the group could start their presentation, the Prof started “lamenting and reiterating” with a heavy heart that “WHY ARE AFRICAN LEADERS SO SUSCEPTIBLE TO CORRUPTION?” he didn’t allow any one answer before he continued and lamented again and asked another question “ WHY DO AFRICAN LEADERS STEAL MONEY THEY CANNOT TAKE TO THE GRAVE WHILE THE MASSES ARE SERIOUSLY SUFFERING?” this renowned expert in human rights continued on and on and we realized he didn’t intend for anyone to answer the question to be answered but was just bothered about the situations undergoing of the country and Africa in general.

NEWS - MID RAMADAN PROGRAM RECORDING COMMENCES

CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR BABY!!!

Alhamdulilah for your bundle of joy. For those expecting, may Allah grant you safe delivery (bookmark this post too), thumma sabila yansarau, for those awaiting, may Allah grant your desires and give you what is best, take solace from THIS VERSE OF THE QURAN.

So, now you have your bundle of joy in your arms, she was born just a few seconds ago, so what next? This post seeks to extensively highlight all the Islamic procedures from the birth of a child till the day he is named. May Allah guide. Ameen.

FROM MY MAILBOX: CAN I GET A TATTOO?

salam aleykum sister, I want to ask if it's Islamic to get a tattoo, and what's the difference between a tattoo and henna designs. Jazakillah.

VERSE OF THE MOMENT

"And it is He who gives life and causes death, and His is the alternation of Night and day, will you not then Understand?"
Surah Al - mu'minoon 23:80

HADITH OF THE MOMENT

"Anyone of you will receive a response (to his dua) so long as he is not hasty and says 'I made dua but I received no response'. Saheeh Al Bukhari.

In Saheeh Al Muslim it was said: 'O messenger of Allah, what does being hasty mean?', he said :
' when one says,' I made dua and I made dua and I received no response', and he feels frustrated and stops making dua"

RAMADAN IS COMING!! KNOW YOUR OPTIONS!!

My friend, Kawthar, asked me to publish a post on those who are exempted from fasting the obligatory fast of Ramadan, and I felt it was a most welcome idea considering the approach of Ramadan, Masha Allah. Fasting during the month of Ramadan is fard, and it's one of the pillars of Islam. Allah commanded In Q2:183 "O you who believe, fasting has been prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you, so that you may attain taqwa"

VERSE OF THE MOMENT

"We have revealed in the Quran, cure and compassion for the believers"
Q17 :82

HADITH OF THE MOMENT

Ibn Mas'ud had reported the Noble prophet's saying: whoever sees me in a dream has truly seen me, for the devil cannot impersonate me.
Bukhari.

WHAT'S YOUR ISLAMIC BIRTHDAY?

Every 17th of Dhul Hijjah, I wake up to birthday texts from my mum. My siblings also receive a notification from her that the day was my birthday and they shouldn't forget to send me a wish. To her, every 17th dhulhijjah is my birthday and she cares less about the gregorian equivalent. She maintains that as Muslims we should not do away with our identity, and in as much as our certificates bear the gregorian dates, we should nonetheless know our Islamic dates and celebrate same. Thanks to her calculations and timely reminders, even spouses aren't spared, we are all conversant with our dates.

How about you? Do you know your Islamic birthday? Let the comments flow!
Salam aleykum..

QUIZ OF THE DAY

1 what is the name of the Four caliphs? Khalifatu Rashidun
2 what is the name of the first battle of Islam?

Do drop your responses!
Salam aleykum

HAVE YOU WRITTEN YOUR WASSIYYAH?? (WILL)

In as much as the topic of death brings a sour taste in the mouth of every human being, it is a reality that cannot be wished away. We are assured that kulli nafsi za'ikatil maut (Al Imran :185), every soul shall taste death. No one wants to die now, but it will happen. Our prayer is that Allah bestows on us His mercy so that we gain entry into His Jannah. Ameen.

YOUR COMMENTS MEAN A LOT

Salam aleykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh!   How are you all, my blog family? I hope fine. I want to tell a little story. You see, when I created this blog, I wanted it to be different, a breath of fresh air, as the byline announces, this blog is not only about fashion or food or sermons, I decided to infuse a lot of different things into it, Islam, lifestyle. It's a total package, and I wanted to make it a blog for everyone, where we will come and share ideas and contribute and just generally have halal fun while garnering knowledge. Now imagine my little disappointment when I see that people are reluctant to comment. *sad face. You will observe that the blog is not yet monetized, but I want to hear from you, I want your feedback, observations and constructive criticisms, I want us to discuss.

In my first post welcoming you to this blog, I said that this is OUR blog... but you seem to have left me to it! I checked my stats the other day and I saw that I have had over a thousand page views, For real????!!!! And I only had only 37 comments in total. I know it may be tasking, and I may be asking for a lot, but please I want to hear from you, bombard the comment box, give me your ideas, send your questions, answer the quizzes, send your articles, tell everyone about the blog! At least this one is ours and we will take it to heights unattained! In sha Allah.

Hence I beseech you and I sincerely trust that you will always take out time to comment and share my posts! May Allah bless you and have mercy on you. Ameen.
Jazakallahu khairan jaza'a.
Ameen.

FROM MY MAILBOX - CAN A MENSTRUATING WOMAN HANDLE THE QURAN?

I received this mail from a reader, and I know it's one of the many issues that are topics for argument among ladies. so, please your comments will really go a long way. And we won't mind having evidence of any position reached. Jazakallah!

Salam aleykum, please is it permissible for a menstruating woman to touch the Quran? My roommate and I were arguing, I told her no, but she said there is one hadith where the prophet SAW asked Aisha RA to pick something from the mosque. I let her know that we don't know what she was asked to pick. It may be something else. Pls post, I want to see your readers opinions. 
Thank you. 

P.S- i like your blog.. :)

VERSE OF THE MOMENT

"Thy Lord hath decreed that ye worship none but Him, and that ye be kind to parents. Whether one or both of them attain old age in thy life, say not to them a word of contempt, nor repel them, but address them in terms of honor. And out of kindness, lower to them the wing of humility, and say: ‘My Lord! bestow on them Thy Mercy even as they cherished me in childhood' "(17:23-24).

HOW I CAME TO LOVE THE HIJAB

Salam aleykum, I hope you all are well. Alhamdulilah. My brother sent this mail to me and I just had to share. It may be lengthy but it's going to be worth your while, in sha Allah.

STORIES FROM THE QURAN...CONTINUATION

[1] As for the Prophetic Hadith that was transmitted by some other narrators that reads: "The killer will bear all sins of the slain", no one even knows its degree of validity: whether it be Authentic, Good, or even Weak. It cannot be found in any of the Prophetic Hadith Compilations.

STORIES FROM THE QURAN - QABIL, HABIL AND THE FIRST CRIME

Salam aleykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh. I have decided to introduce a segment in this blog where we will intimate ourselves with stories from the Noble Qur'an. I have culled stories from Ibn Kathir's Stories of the Quran, and I shall be posting them one at a time. In sha Allah. Do enjoy.

VERSE OF THE MOMENT

He said, 'My Lord! How can I have a boy when my wife is barren and I have reached advanced old age?' He said, 'it will be so! Your Lord says, 'That is easy for Me to do. I created you before, when you were not anything.' (surah Maryam:8-9)

ZAKAT; DO YOU PAY??

Do you know that paying the zakat is incumbent on those who are able, and it's one of the fundamental pillars of Islam?. I observed that this pillar is least popular among all the pillars and this is not supposed to be so. To some, the principles surrounding paying the zakat and calculating It is cumbersome, I have therefore set out to simplify it as much as possible. I do hope at the end of this piece you'll find it easy understanding zakat. In sha Allah.

QUIZ OF THE DAY

The answer to the last quiz is 7. Nabiyy SAW had four girls and three boys. I commend Nabila for being the first to comment with the right answer. Today's quiz will feature 3 questions. Let's test our knowledge of Islamic History.

Question 1
In what year was the Prophet born?
2
What was the name of the cave where the first revelation was relayed to him?
3
How old was he when he married his wife, Khadijah?

Drop your answers in the comment box!

HADITH OF THE MOMENT

Muadh Al Adawiyyah said 'I asked Aisha RA, ' did the Messenger of Allah SAW used to fast three days in each month?' she said yes' I asked her 'in which part of the month did he used to fast? She said ' he did not mind in which part of the month he would fast'

VERSE OF THE MOMENT

That Allah may reward them according to the best of their deeds, and add even more for them out of His Grace: for Allah doth provide for those whom He will, without measure
Q24:38

DO YOU BATH?

I wish I posted this earlier, been a Friday, but all well and good, you can always bookmark it for further reference.

That's a very catchy title quite alright, but it's very apt. I am referring to the complete bathing, Ghusl. I have read different versions of how this bath should be had, the question now is, do we bath? In the real Sense of the word.. are we performing ghusl the way we should? How did the sunnah ask us to perform the Ghusl? I dusted my bookshelf and retrieved my copy of Dr. Abdulazeem Badawi's. Concise presentation of the Fiqh of the Sunnah and the Noble Book, page 60 contains detailed explanation of the prophet's manner of performing the Ghusl.

FROM MY MAILBOX- SHOULD I REMOVE THE HIJAB

Salam aleykum Umm. My name is Salma and I stay in Lagos. I came across your blog just yesterday. I want you and your readers to give their opinion on a matter. I just got a job after a few years of graduation. Unfortunately for me, my employer is asking me to desist from coming to the office with my hijab. In as much as I don't want to compromise my faith, I always remember how hard and long it took me to get this job. I am confused. Should I abide till I am able to convince them that the hijab will not prevent me from working optimally? Or should I forget about the job? Thank you. 


***a friend and I had a similar experience in the same Lagos. It can be very traumatic and challenging. Dear readers, do drop your advice to her in the comments section. This same problem is faced by the lot of muslimahs in Nigeria. May Allah have mercy. Ameen

QUIZ OF THE DAY

How many children did Prophet Muhammad SAW have?

Do leave your answers in the comment section

THE MANY MERITS OF FRIDAY

1. Allah created Adam on friday
2. Allah granted him entry to Jannah on Friday
3. He was sent to the earth as a vicegerent on Friday 
4. There is an hour on Friday where Allah grants any lawful thing asked
5. The Qiyamah will be on friday
6. The trumpet will be blown on Friday 
7. Friday is a day of Eid
8. If a Muslim dies on a Friday, he is saved by Allah from the punishment of the grave 
9. The heart of one who negligently misses three Friday prayers will be sealed ( this applies to men since attending the Friday prayer is not compulsory on women)

JUMAH!!!

Salam aleykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh.
Alhamdulilah for the grace to witness another Friday.

Our noble prophet Muhammad SAW was reported to have said -
Whoever takes a bath on Friday, purifies himself as much as he can, then uses his hair oil or perfumes himself, then proceeds to the Jumah prayer, and does not separate two persons sitting together in the masjid, then remains silent while the imam is giving khutbah, his sins in between the present and the last Friday will be forgiven. Masha Allah.

The best day wherein the sun rises is upon us again, here's a list of things we should do to make the best of the day. May Allah accept our prayers and make things easy for us. Ameen.

• Perform Ghusl 
• The men should apply perfume 
• Trim nails and hairs
• Use the miswak ( chewing stick)
• Dress very well and sharp
• Leave early for the masjid
• Recite suratul kahf
• Send many blessings upon prophet Muhammad SAW 
• Walk to the masjid and back if you can
• Seek the hour between asr and maghrib where prayers are answered.

VERSE OF THE MOMENT

‘The parable of those who spend their wealth in the way of God is that of a grain, out of which grow seven ears, in every ear a hundred grains.’
(al-Baqarah 2: 261)

HADITH OF THE MOMENT

"Maintain secrecy in your affairs, for whoever is blessed is envied"
Muslim

THE EVIL EYE II

Salam aleykum wa Rahmatullah wa Barakatuh.

I plegded to make a post on how we can protect ourselves as Muslims from the evil eye And it's dangerous manifestations. Before going into details I will first like to remind us that remembrance of Allah SWT is key to any success, key to any protection, it is the key to a better life and better living. If we are constantly in a state of dhikr and dua, Ash shaytan rajeem will not be able to penetrate us or our families. In sha Allah.

Remembrance of Allah can take several forms, recitation of the Quran, reciting exultation of Allah,the aim is to be constantly conscious of Allah.


Alhamdulilah, it is stated in Q17:82, 'We have revealed in the Quran cure and compassion for the believers '

Quranic Prescription
One can constantly recite suratul ikhlas, falaq, Nas, Amana Rasul and Ayat Qursiy

Prophetic prescription
Ahuzu bi kalimatillahi taamat min sharri maa khalaqa

Bismillahi ladhi laayadrruu maa ismihi shayhun fil ardi wa la fi samahi wahuwa semiun aleem
Ameen.

THE EVIL EYE

Salam aleykum wa rahmatullah wa barakatuh

Have you heard about the evil eye? It has been subject to many dissentions and controversies. I do not know what you believe, but there are sufficient evidence which point to the existence of the evil eye. It is recorded by Al-Bukhari that Ibn Abass reported the prophetic tradition where the prophet SAW said that the evil eye is real! If any other thing were to compete with destiny, the evil eye is it(Bukhari). The evil eye can either be of man or of jinn, and Allah SWT has made it possible for them to be capable of causing afflictions with the evil gaze.

SHABAAN

I received this message on blackberry messenger and thought to share. It carries a lot of messages that I hope would be handy to us all.
Salam aleykum.

THE MONTH OF SHABAAN

The month of Shabaan, preceding the spectacular and blessed month of Ramadaan, is the eight month in the Islamic calendar.