RAMADHAAN MUBARAK, EVERYBODY!!!!!

May Allah make this month one of increased 'ebaadah, emaan, and taqwa for us all; and accept all our deeds; and make us amongst those who emerge from Ramadhaan with our sins forgiven, ameeeeeeeen!!!!!!

Much love,
Mouse

A Day In the Life of a Young Muslimah

Today I helped wash and shroud my first dead body.

May Allah have mercy on her, and on us; forgive her, and forgive us; and may He save us from the trials and tribulations of the grave, and from Hell. May He make our graves spacious for us, and let us smell the fragrance of Paradise. May He let us die with the shahaadah on our lips and emaan in our hearts.

Ameen, thumma ameen, yaa Rabb al-'Aalameen!

Writing Exercise

It's a bit rough and isn't exactly a great piece, but it was fun to write! :P

-------------

“As-salaamu ‘alaikum… I’m hoooooooooome!” she called out in a sing-song voice, as she swung open the door, motorcycle helmet under her arm. Her mother, Aaminah, setting the table in the dining room, replied the greeting with a disapproving look at her daughter’s getup – what she liked to call her “Muslim biker chick costume”. The “costume” consisted of a long-sleeved ankle-length cape-like leather jacket, buttoned down to the waist until it flared open to alternately hide and reveal a similarly flaring skirt, split at the sides, under which she wore matching leather pants. “Huntress hijab-ified” the Muslimah biker chick pronounced, referring to her DC-comics heroine.

Ignoring her mother’s expression, Sameera relieved her of a stack of plates and completed the chore.
“Where were you?” her mother asked, returning from the kitchen with a pot of steaming stew. “What were you doing?”

“Oh, the usual,” Sameera answered casually. “You know, starting up brawls at the pub and toilet-papering the Masjid.”

“Sameera!” her mother cried out, horrified, and her daughter laughed and kissed Aaminah’s cheek in apology. “I’m kidding, Mom! You know we’d never do that… nah, today we just hung out at the park and gave Da’wah.”

Somewhat mollified, her mother’s expression softened but then became suspicious. “Da’wah?”
Sameera smiled sweetly. “Blowing bubbles, playing with kittens, and beating the daylights out of some drunk loser who tried to rape a teenage girl…”

Aaminah’s eyes widened in horror and she grabbed her daughter’s hands. “Please tell me you didn’t do what you just said you did!” she begged, her face creased with worry.

“All right, so the kitten ran away from us,” Sameera said flippantly, but repented when at the look of anguish on her mother’s face. “I promise, Mama, we’re all okay! And we couldn’t just let that, that animal hurt the girl… Mama, this is our job. This is why we’re a gang of Muslimah biker chicks – the cops can’t be everywhere, and when they do show up it’s too late. This way, we do our civic and Islamic duty of enjoining good and forbidding evil.” She gave her mother’s hands a reassuring squeeze and let go, turning away to leave – but before she could escape, Aaminah caught hold of her sleeve, still anxious.

“What if you get hurt one day?” she implored her daughter. “I wouldn’t be able to bear it. There are dangerous people out there, and Allah only knows what they could to you – you forget that you’re a girl, just like the one you rescued today.”

“Not just like the girl we rescued,” Sameera corrected. “The other girl was helpless – I’m not. I have skills… martial arts, self defence, and I have the girls to watch my back. Above and beyond all those, we have Allah. We place our trust in Him, and whatever happens, good or bad, is from Him. Qadaa wa-l Qadr,” she said, referring to the Islamic belief of predestiny.

“Trust in Allah but tie your camel,” Aaminah quoted back. “You know I’m not happy with what you do… won’t you stop? Think of how I feel every time you go out – you could get hurt, you could have an accident, you might get into a fight with someone you can’t beat. There are too many horrible possibilities!”

“Mama, I think you’re exaggerating a little,” Sameera said firmly. “The girls and I don’t go around beating thugs up every day and night – however much we’d like to pretend we are, we aren’t comic book superheroes, and we know it. Most of the time we’re not engaged in anything violent or dangerous, unless you count trying to teach a roomful of hyper kids to be violent and dangerous.” She paused, then continued in a softer voice. “I’ll stop only if you forbid me. I won’t disobey you.”

Aaminah said nothing, just looked at her daughter – at the determined expression on her face, at the somewhat alarming outfit that made her look like a troublemaker but beneath which she knew was a pure and devoted heart. She bit her lip, then sighed.

“I won’t forbid you,” she said finally. “I suppose I know why you do what you do, and even if I don’t like it I know you’re doing something good with the best of intentions… Now go take off your costume and wash up for dinner.”

Sameera grinned in relief and bounded down the stairs to obey her mother’s command. Aaminah stood still, gazing after her daughter, thoughts and emotions roiling inside her head and her heart. Finally, she heaved a sigh, whispered a du’aa for her daughter’s wellbeing, and went back into the kitchen.

I'm Losing It!

I dunno what it is, but I feel like I'm losing my touch for writing quality articles these days... :(
I can't think of any subject I'm really "qualified" to write about, nor have my recent 'works' been much in terms of insight or anything. My last post on MuslimMatters drove the point across to me quite strongly, and I'm tempted to delete it.
It doesn't feel like writer's block; it feels more like I'm just not writing anything worth reading.

Hmmmmmmm, is it possible for someone to lose a talent? It hurts, really - I miss the enormous feeling of excitement, the wheels of my brain going round and round, the itching in my fingertips that would overwhelm me whenever I came across something that inspired me to write something that I knew others actually thought was worth reading.

Maybe it's a sign... should I just stop writing?

What Be Your Nerd Type? Your Result: Literature Nerd   Does sitting by a nice cozy fire, with a cup of hot tea/chocolate, and a book you can read for hours even when your eyes grow red and dry and you look sort of scary sitting there with your insomniac appearance? Then you fit this category perfectly! You love the power of the written word and it's eloquence; and you may like to read/write poetry or novels. You contribute to the smart people of today's society, however you can probably be overly-critical of works. It's okay. I understand.
Social Nerd
Drama Nerd
Artistic Nerd
Gamer/Computer Nerd
Anime Nerd
Science/Math Nerd
Musician
What Be Your Nerd Type? Quizzes for MySpace

I Couldn't Resist... Too Funny!

You are a 50% Pakistani!!

Almost there. Keep working on it loser.Are you ashamed of yourself or your momma and papa never taught you the desi ways?

how pakistani are you
Take More Quizzes

(Darn it, I lost the marriageability results! :( Just go to the site - GoToQuiz.com - and type in 'desi' in the search box... mind you, it only applies to girls!)

*Bangs Head on Wall*

Subhan'Allah.
I don't like people.

People who let their egos and irresponsibility and personal grudges get in the way of continuing the work of an Islamic centre. Grown adults who act like petty school children; who have willingly volunteered their time but who don't actually do anything - or at least, don't do anything unless they're (verbally) kicked in the butt, and then they go do what they're told with a frustratingly childish sulky attitude.
People who can't take care of expensive equipment bought with painstakingly collected and saved donations...
People who overwhelm the few really awesome people left, who ruin the efforts of this special handful, and totally mess up the good that's being done (or trying to get done).

I feel so sorry for my dad... having to manage not just a Madrasah, an upcoming summer camp, a Muslim youth helpline, counselling, AND an Islamic centre in another city.

May Allah grant him ease, peace of mind, and the strength and patience to keep dealing with stupid people. If I were him, I would've smacked someone upside the head by now.

This is where the control freak in me kicks in: I wish I could implant mindchips into these people's heads and override their stupidity so that it makes things easier for my dad and for the other few guys who are working really hard at the Dar...

Honestly, I feel like crying. For nine years my dad worked his butt off getting the Islamic centre off the ground, helping it grow out of a tiny office on top of a car factor into several larger facilities, from a simple bookstore to a musallah with weekly halaqas and regular programs for men, women, kids and teens... subhan'Allah, he sacrificed a lot of family time (and okay, so we resented it awfully at the time, but now I'm starting to understand why), and our lives were split between home and the Dar - we used to joke that the Dar was our second home, and my dad's first home.
Then the stress got so bad that we had to move, and now stupid people left in charge, who were trusted to keep things going, go and RUIN EVERYTHING!!!!!!!!!!!!

*Bangs head on wall*

I'm glad that I have strong memories of 'the glory days' and haven't had to witness the miserable ruins of the place as it is now (unlike my dad, who's had to make several trips back and forth to deal with issues)...

Politics used to fascinate me. Now it sickens me. Politics between people, between fellow Muslims who are forgetting what our Islamic centre was founded on and why it was established in the first place, is what is ruining everything.

People suck.

Conspiracy Theorist Extraodinaire!

White chocolate is not real chocolate. It is part of a conspiracy by the Free Masons/ Zionists/ Big Brother/insert scary names here . If they get you to believe that white chocolate is real chocolate, you will believe anything... and will be officially just another mindless zombie victim.

White chocolate is not real chocolate.
White chocolate is not real chocolate.
White chocolate is not real chocolate.

DON'T EAT WHITE CHOCOLATE!!!!!

I'm gonna hug ya, and keep ya, and call you George!

*Sneeze!*

As-salaamu 'alaikum wa rahmatullaahi wa barakaatu,

*Looks around at the dusty mousehole and pulls out a duster*

I've been thinking of returning to my cozy little mousehole here... I love MuslimMatters (al-Hamdulillaah), but I miss this place... I've decided that I'm gonna use this as my little corner for some creative writing, and lots of personal musings - I'm so busy with school and the Madrasah and writing for MuslimMatters (okay, not soooo busy with MuslimMatters), that I feel I sorta need to take the time to write out my teen angsty stuff here (well, not so much angst as... stuff).

Anyhoo, if anyone's still here, hiding in the shadows, drop me a line and let me know I'm not allll alone... I'll even make hot chocolate for you! :P

-Mouse

Remember!

If you had/have me on your blogroll, then please replace 'Musings of a Muslim Mouse' with MuslimMatters.org!!!!! This goes especially for most of you on my blogroll! :P

I’m Moving!


I was going to title this post ‘fond farewells’, but I realized that it’s not a farewell at all… okay, you’re probably wondering what’s going on, so I’ll cut to the crux of the matter.

Here’s the deal: brother Amad of Musings of a Muslim Mind came up with the idea for a group blog, composed and maintained by several fellow Muslim bloggers – myself; sister Ruth Nasrullah from The Straight Path; brother Omar from Lota Enterprises; a newbie blogger, brother Ahmad alFarsi; and, of course, brother Amad himself.

In addition to we 5 who form the editorial staff, guest writers will include Sheikh Yasir Qadhi from al-Maghrib Institute and Sheikh Tawfique Chaudhury from al-Kawthar Academy (amongst others).

Cool, huh?!

Anyway, our new blog is at www.muslimmatters.org - Discourses in the Intellectual Traditions, Political Situation, and Social Ethics of Muslim Life.
(Don’t you just love the long title? :P)

So, what does this all mean?

Well, it means that from now on, I’ll be posting over at MuslimMatters instead of my little mousehole here… and while I’m going to miss this place (especially the still-new template and my little Muslim mousey pic!) I’ll still be around. I’m not quite sure whether I’m going to totally abandon my cozy corner here – I might post little things such as bits of creative writing, art, and anything else that strikes my fancy but doesn’t quite fit on MuslimMatters – so check up every once in a while, insha’Allah.

So… yeah. Please go over to MuslimMatters, read the welcome message (as soon as I write and post it, that is!), and check out our other posts! And, of course, please do leave comments!

Before I finally go from here, I’d like to borrow a page from brother Amad’s book and ask you all to please just leave a general review of me and my blog… while reading my musings and mutterings, what sort of impression did you have of me? What do my strong suits seem to be, and what are my failings and weaknesses, the stuff that I ought to improve upon?

I’d just like to say how wonderful it’s been to run this blog… it’s only been up for a few months, really – since July/August… but though it started off pretty slowly I managed to round myself up a few regular readers – al-Hamdulillaah! :)

And so now I shall betake myself off… to write the welcome message and then terrorize my little brother into thinking that he’s got the chickenpox too! :P :D

Your little sister in Islam,

Mouse

Qur'an: Reading & Recitation Without Knowledge or Understanding

Umm Reem mentioned something that I've been meaning to write about for a while now.

It's about teaching kids how to read and memorize Qur'an, yet without any knowledge or understanding of what they're reading/reciting.
I think most of us born into Muslim families will understand it the most - especially non-Arabs.

From an early age, my parents taught me how to read and memorize the Qur'an... because my father studied at an Islamic university, he learned how to read and recite with proper Tajweed, which he then taught me (without telling me the rules and stuff, though - but hey, at least I know a little bit!)- al-Hamdulillaah.
But once I could read and recite, that was it. I wasn't taught Arabic, I wasn't taught the meanings of that which I was reading, nothing. Yet they placed - and continue to place - great importance in spending a lot of time reading and reciting the Qur'an. Which is great, and I understand why.

However, I find it extremely frustrating that I have no understanding of what I'm reading. A couple years ago I started taking Arabic classes at our Islamic centre, but because the teachers were volunteers and it was only once a week, not much progress was made. I've learnt some basic grammar and a few words and phrases, but that's it... certainly not enough to even begin to comprehend the Qur'an.

When my father opened up the Madrasah here, I found that the other kids had the same issue...
actually, worse, because those who could read didn't know how to read with Tajweed, and then there are those who can't read at all (which is where I come in... I help them learn how to read and recite with Tajweed, what little I know).
Yet none of them - not even the Arab kids - understand what they're reading. For them, it's just... words. They know it's the Qur'an, they know it's importance and everything, but it still doesn't mean anything, y'know? And then when they make mistakes in their reading or reciting they don't realize the importance of getting it perfectly right, because they don't know that by a simple slip of the tongue they've just twisted the whole meaning of the aayah...

I really think that this is something that needs to be addressed; a problem which hinders understanding the meanings of the Qur'an, which in turn has a very negative effect on our Imaan - for how can we strengthen our faith if we don't even know what God is saying to us in our holy book?

Since this is a personal problem of mine, I know what the effects of this ignorance are... and I'm worried that the other kids at the Madrasah will end up feeling the way I did when I was younger: that reading the Qur'an is useless because it's just a bunch of words that I don't understand.

Al-Hamdulillaah, I know better now... but still, that feeling of frustration is still there when I read or recite the Qur'an and, aside from a couple words, I don't know what the message Allah is conveying to me is. Even reading English translations of the meaning of the Qur'an aren't good enough; it doesn't have the same effect on the heart.


I've brought the issue up with my parents, but they've pretty much brushed me off - they think it's more important to learn how to read perfectly, and to learn it quickly; than it is to take the time to understand, even if it takes longer to accomplish the goal of perfect reading. But quality is better than quantity (or speed of learning as opposed to practical application of learning)!

I'm finding this really frustrating... I'm concerned about myself and the other kids, but my parents just don't seem to get it - which I don't get, because they know how important this issue is, how understanding what you're reading is more way more important than reading a lot without understanding. I mean, they went through it themselves! They grew up in typical Desi households; they only began learning Arabic and then understanding and comprehending the Qur'an later in life - my father at the university, my mom through Arabic classes she attended while my dad was gone during the day at school.

So why won't they try to change things for the better with my brothers and I, and the students
at the Madrasah?!

Argh... yet another example of how parents/adults in general should know something, or do know something, but don't act on that knowledge themselves!!!!! But I guess that's another blog post altogether... *Grimaces*


Your little sister in Islam,
Mouse

Everyone on earth is different, an individual, unique. Some people are determined to express this; others are content in being themselves without having to prove it. At what point in life does one decide that conscious expression of the self is no longer needed, and that they are happy to be one of the crowd?

Does the fact that everyone on earth is a unique individual end up negating the uniqueness of individuality?

Exploring Gender Issues in Muslim Communities: Extremes and Balance

For a while now, I've been reading stuff in the news and on various blogs (Muslim and otherwise) regarding gender segregation and homosexuality. Specifically, the link between gender segregation and homosexuality.

Read the following for background info:

http://archive.gulfnews.com/articles/07/01/20/10098078.html

http://achelois.wordpress.com/2007/01/22/sexual-promiscuity-amongst-muslims (it's the actual post you should read; ignore the comments... or you could of course read the comments, but just to let you know, I haven't)

Now, for what I have to say:

Even though I live in Canada, my parents have been (and are) pretty strict about gender segregation. It is one of the (many) reasons why I was taken out of public school in grade 5 and have been homeschooling since.
At the Islamic centre my dad used to run, we weren't like some of the other masaajid and Islamic centres - gender segregation was something that was emphasized, along with hijaab and lowering of the gazes (which I guess is pretty much a part of gender segregation). Men and women had separate entrances, and they were never 'friendly' with each other (i.e. no one made small talk or acted overly familiar with each other; if we did have to communicate, we did so in a business-like manner).
All in keeping with the Sunnah... al-Hamdulillaah.

However, this is just one Islamic centre in a non-Muslim country, and outside of it all of us - whether we liked it or not - had some sort of regular contact with the opposite gender, whether it be at school, work, or the supermarket. Somehow or another, we learnt how to deal with members of the opposite gender in an appropriate manner; a manner in which we stuck to the principles of Islam and did not adopt the overly-familiar Western manner of gender interaction, yet we also managed to go about our daily business and do what needed to be done.

In the Muslim world, however, the situation is quite different – in certain countries gender segregation is strictly enforced, and due to it severe issues arise… such as that of homosexuality (as mentioned in the two articles above).

It is this which I wish to discuss: the cases of extremity in regards to gender segregation/interaction, and how to achieve a balance between them.


There are two extremes that are seen with regards to gender segregation:
In the one case, males and females are kept totally apart from each other, unless they are Mahrams. Interaction between the genders is restricted in (almost) all other spheres of life.
In the other case, there are absolutely no barriers between males and females, and they are actually encouraged to pursue any type of relationship with each other that they wish.

The first case is what’s seen in certain areas of the Muslim world (Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, and Iran being three such examples), and it is this case which is discussed in the two articles linked to above.

There are those who say that this type of gender segregation - extreme segregation - is bad for us, as individuals and as a society. As individuals, we do not learn how to deal with people of the opposite gender, which can lead to difficulties and complications in relationships, whether they be personal or professional; as a society it can impact us in a very deep way - the results being such as those described in the articles.

A good point that I've seen/read made by many is that this kind of extreme gender segregation ends up reducing men and women as purely sexual objects to each other. In these cases, interaction with the other gender is totally forbidden because it will lead to 'bad things'.
Yet what is not taken into account is that, if properly established and maintained, interaction with someone of the opposite gender can actually be beneficial. Men and women can be peers, can learn together, can share and debate ideas, can work together on a project - *without* it leading to 'bad things'.

All that needs to be done is make sure that there is a proper distance being kept. Islamic rules and guidelines need to be followed. Hijaab needs to be observed - by both parties.

It sounds simple enough... right? But there are far too many people who think that men should be only ones allowed to participate in public activities; that women should stay within the four walls of their home, cooking, cleaning, and raising children. Yet they forget that the Sahaabiyaat, the female companions of the Prophet (SAW) were more than just mothers and wives; they too learnt their Deen from the Prophet (SAW), and in turn they too taught others about the finer points of al-Islam. The Sahaabiyaat were not the only ones - throughout Islamic history there were great women scholars, many of whose students became famous teachers in their own right. And nowadays, the scope of teaching extends beyond religious teaching, and into such fields as literature, medicine, various sciences, and even engineering.

Then we have the second case, the one we see here in the West. Barriers between men and women are extremely discouraged; there is almost no limits put on the contact between men and women, and they are free to – nay, they are encouraged to – become very much involved with each other… in more ways than one.


In both cases mentioned above, the extremes lead to perversions: Rising homosexuality in the Muslim world; and of course we all know about the promiscuity of the West. Enforced deprivation and gross excess can both lead to disgusting perversions – which we are now seeing, quite graphically illustrated.

My question is, then: How do we deal with these extremes?

Wait, scratch that.

I think we’ve all read enough articles and heard enough lectures about how to deal with the fitnah of the West – so let’s discuss what we don’t read and hear about so much: the case of extreme segregation and the issues that appear as a result in the societies where it is enforced.

So then: How do we Muslims find the balance between these two extremes? How do we restrict the relationships between non-Mahram men and women, in keeping with the Sunnah, yet also be able to learn how to develop certain proper relationships between ourselves and members of the opposite gender?

We know that the Sahaabah and Sahaabiyaat did not mix and socialize with each other as men and women do today, yet we also know that they did have regular contact and interaction with each other.

How can we achieve that balance?


Another thing came to my mind regarding this issue:

The extreme gender segregation/lack of segregation is something that is also a rather controversial issue within various Muslim communities. For example, some masaajid/ Islamic centres who consider themselves more ‘modern’ or ‘progressive’ will go for ‘breaking the barriers’ between men and women; whereas other more traditional (aka ‘Wahhabi’ and ‘Salafi’) groups will keep the separation.

Within the congregations of these masaajid and Islamic centres there are quite a few discussions and debates about it – but what I’m thinking about is, what happens when the gender segregation/lack thereof is enforced in Muslim schools?

The two things that I’ve seen are, the schools with no segregation end up becoming little better than public schools (the guys and girls become very comfortable and familiar with each other, and in the older grades boyfriends and girlfriends become common… my dad, who was once an Islamic studies teacher at one of these schools, actually caught a couple making out under the stairwell); and in the schools that are totally segregated (separate classes for the guys and girls), especially from younger grades, they end up not knowing how to properly interact with each other and that in turn leads to some major issues later on.


The question remains: How do we deal with these issues?

We Muslims are so often complaining about how there is a lack of Muslim presence in the media (especially on TV) to counter all the negative stuff that's put up against us. In particular, whenever people like Irshad Manji or Ayaan Hirsi Ali are on TV and giving their usual diatribe against Islam and Muslims, we gnash our teeth and moan about how they never give real Muslims a chance to answer their arguments.

But then we have another problem... whenever 'real Muslims' ARE given a chance to debate the likes of Hirsi Ali and her brethren, they often end up screwing it up. See Ali Eteraz's post here.

The fact is, we Muslims suck at debating. We have no real debating skills. When we're brought on TV or interviewed or whatever, we often end up making big mistakes and sometimes even doing more harm than good - or at least, not doing as much good as we could be doing if we just knew how to deal with all those questions the right way.

We need to deal with this. Letters like Ali's, politely pointing out where and when things could have been answered differently (and better), are great - but it doesn't really help after the fact. What we need is to be able to prevent these types of gaffes.

Here in the West, we Muslims REALLY need to brush up on our language/communication and debating skills. We've seen far too often how the lack of the aforementioned skills has had a negative effect on our PR. We've seen far too often how great opportunities to repair our damaged reputations have been messed up and as a result, the non-Muslims who initially took an interest in the issue at hand end up dismissing us as uneducated, illiterate, etc.

We need to deal with this ASAP. The people who are being given these opportunities to speak for the Muslims on TV, need to realize that it's a serious matter that they need to handle carefully, and that they're going to have a lot demanded of them. To meet those demands, their language, communication, and debating skills are going to have to be up to par.

Two things are required: Islamic knowledge; and good language, communication, and debating skills. To have one without the other, and to be on TV representing the Muslim community(which is exactly what Muslims on TV are doing, whether they like it or not), will cause serious problems... which none of us want or need!

So how do we do it? I think that workshops would be a good idea, wherein attendees could learn how to seize the opportunity provided in an interview (or whatever) and use it to refute the person you're debating, in a way that can get YOUR message across in clearly and concisely.

But what other solutions might there be? Ideas, anyone?

Your little sister in Islam,
Mouse

Ummah Films - Fee Sabilillaah Discount

Baba Ali does an excellent job reminding Muslims about business ethics and the lack thereof which is unfortunately common in the Muslim communities.

Melancholy Meditations on... Things

What is true patience?

We talk about patience all the time... we know that "Allah is with the patient," and so on... butwhat does it MEAN?

I guess I know some of the lesser aspects of patience... biting one's tongue, not whining and complaining all the time, enduring inconveniences in silence...

But surely that can't be what is truly meant by patience! So...what is true patience? Does it mean to endure in silence, hoping that God will get you out of your situation? Does it mean to simply accept it as God's Will and get on with life as much as possible? Does it meaning banishing all feelings of anger, resentfulness, and misery from one's heart? Or is it all three?

How do we attain such a state of being? Especially those of us who have a tendency to wake up feeling motivated, yet lose that feeling within the space of an hour or two...

...

What does it mean when someone achieves spiritual heights?

When one achieves such things as true patience and true taqwah, does it mean letting go of human emotions - joy, excitement, sorrow, anger, impatience, disappointment, and the like - and replacing them with an almost otherworldy contentedness, entering a state of serenity and tranquilness almost impossible to disturb? Is it possible to either alternate between or simply balance the two?

In the example of our Prophet Muhammad (sallaallaahu 'alaihi wa sallam) we have the best example... yet there is no doubt that we could ever achieve what our noble Nabi achieved.

And so the question remains... how do we do it?

"Allah does not change the condition of a people until they change their own lives." (Ar-Ra`d: 11)

Umar Lee has just finished writing his series of articles titled “The Rise and Fall of
the Salafi Da’wah”. The slight inaccuracy of the title aside (since, as many people
have pointed out, the Salafi Da’wah hasn’t exactly ‘fallen’ yet, although it has
declined since the ‘glory days’), I think it’s a wonderful series, masha'Allah.

As someone who hasn’t had any experience whatsoever with the Salafi movement
– heck, I didn’t even know what they even were ‘till now! – I found his posts
extremely educational and emotionally moving.

His first few posts were on the beginning and the rise of the Salafi Da’wah – the
time that I’ve nicknamed the glory days, because of how amazing it all sounded to me. Reading about it all, it made my heart swell with pride that the Muslim community managed to do such wonderful things.

Then came the 'falling' part. Not fun. I found it downright painful, the way the community ended up so beaten and broken, the way that Muslims turned on each other so cruelly, denouncing each other and destroying the hard work of the individuals who had struggled so hard to establish the foundations of the movement in the first place. Umar's sorrow and pain is echoed in the comments section, where several people described their own sad experiences.

For me, who has only recently become more aware of the Muslim Ummah around the world, who hasn't really had any experience with the 'real world', Umar's articles were a real eye-opener. I know how badly the state of the Muslim Ummah sucks, in general, but I had no idea that all this stuff happened! It made me realize just how ignorant and naive I am in the ways of the world, how little I really know... and then when I complained to my parents about it, they're just like, "Well, you don't need to know that stuff. Go finish your homework." Hmph.

But, I DO need to know this stuff. If I hope to spend my life helping the Muslim community, then I HAVE to know this stuff! To deal with the problems of the present, one must know the history of those problems, right?

Anyway, after reading Umar's posts and the 100+ comments that swiftly followed, I got pretty depressed. No one likes to hear or read about sad things (when I was younger, I'd often skip the sad parts of whatever book I was reading and instead read the happy ending. Later on, I tried to do pretty much the same thing with reality... until reality hit me hard on the head and I realized that bad experiences are needed just as much as good experiences for us to really learn life lessons).

But after reading brother Amad's post, in which he said that there was hope to be felt as well... and that inspired me to stop being depressed and to start using my brain.

My brain concluded the following:

We, the Muslim Ummah, have problems. I, a member of that Ummah, have a responsibility to do whatever I can to solve those problems. To be effective, I should stop thinking in terms of ideals (which is actually pretty hard. Now I know
why some people prefer to live in their own little bubble worlds/fantasies than
reality!) and start thinking practically. To deal with things practically, there are
some very basic skills that need to kick into play: problem solving! (All right, all right, I admit that school can teach you useful things... sometimes.)

The Basic Steps of Problem-Solving:

Define the problem
I think that Umar and others have done a pretty good job of defining the various problems that exist and which need to be dealt with.

Categorize the problem
The sheer amount of issues that we're suffering from means that in order to deal with them effectively, we need to categorize them. The Ummah being as diverse as it is, with so many sub-groups (e.g. converts and 'born Muslims'; various ethnic origins and the cultural background and issues of people who belong to whichever ethnic group they belong to; issues of class - high class, middle class, working class; etc.), we need to sit down and spend some time just organizing it all, 'cuz if
we try to lump them all together we'll simply get overwhelmed - not to mention that more problems would probably arise due to the fact that it's being incorrectly dealt with.

Look at potential causes of the problem
Another thing that I think Umar and the others have done a good job with.

Identify alternatives for approaches to resolve the problem
Brainstorm, people! With all the brilliant minds that we have in our Ummah - yes, they do exist, I know it! - surely we can come up with something that'll be agreeable to all (or at least most!).

Select an approach to resolve the problem
Very, very important! I've noticed that when it comes to dealing with problems, we Muslims spend a lot of time talking and brainstorming, but that we rarely ever manage to take the first step towards ACTION. Choosing our approach to solving the problem is what we need to (finally) do.

Plan the implementation of the best alternative
Yes! We're getting closer to actually DOING SOMETHING!!

Implement the plan
Lights, cameras... ACTION!!!!!!! This is my favourite part... because we're finally doing something! I cannot stress enough how important this is... I'm personally sick and tired of all the TALK that we Muslims are involved in, yet we always disperse without any course of action decided upon or taken. It's when we take action that we're literally changing the state of our Ummah (in however small a manner it may be)!

Monitor implementation of the plan
Action is important, but we've got to make sure that it's the right kind of action! Are we doing what's needed to be done? Is everything going according to plan?

Verify if the problem has been resolved or not*
Results, people! Are we getting them? And are they the results we want and need? (Insha'Allah they are!)

If not... then it's back to step one! (Which isn't neccessarily a bad thing... practice makes perfect; and try, try again!)

...

So come on, people! Even if I'm just a 16-year old Muslimah marooned in a tiny city on Canada's West Coast (and therefore isolated from and totally useless to the rest of the Ummah), blogging away because it's the only way I can reach out to y'all... doesn't mean that YOU're in the same situation and can't do anything!

With that, let me conclude with saying, may Allah help us all on our quest to solve the problems of this Ummah, and make us sucessful in this world and in the Hereafter, ameen!

(Credit goes to this website for the refresher on the basic steps of problem solving!)

Note: After reading this post, head on over to brother Amad's blog, where he has
declared: Let the Healing Begin!

Your little sister in Islam,

Mouse