Prayer.

Salaam aleykum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu,

One of the most well-known traits of Muslims is prayer. The bowing and prostrating is quite distinctive to Islam, and oftentimes the fact that the required prayers are five times a day is mind-boggling to those who do not know much about Islam. One things that many Muslims strive to do is to get all five prayers on time every day in order to get maximum reward for their efforts, inshAllah. One of the first things that reverts really need to do is learn how to pray salah.

Zahra:

I learned how to pray well before I took Shahadah. After a solid semester of going to Juma'a, it was easy to know the motions of prayer. I only knew the English translations of prayer and knowing the translation made it quite easy. The translation was so beautiful, the praise of Allah and sendings blessings to Muhammad pbuh was not necessarily a new concept to me, but it was different than how I had prayed before.

I only learned two suras besides al-Fatiha, so memorizing salah in Arabic was not that hard, al7amdullilah. I was fortunate enough to find a series of YouTube videos that I used over and over again in order to memorize everything. However, I am not a creature of habit. It is really hard to get in the habit of getting myself up off the couch five times a day to pray. I still struggle with it, but I know there is great reward for me, inshAllah. Some days are harder than others, but once the prayer is finished, I feel so much better.

The transition to becoming a more adherent Muslim has been a challenge. Nursing school has made it so hard to connect with fellow Muslims in person. Granted, I have a large Twitter following that supports me in everything I do, and that helps make up for it. They have made it so easy for me to learn how to be a better Muslim and they drive me to want to be better. I also definitely do not want to disappoint Allah swt, and everything I do these days is for the sake of Allah.

Nikita:

I learned to pray before taking my shahada, and was in the habit of praying, albeit not 5 times a day, before saying those binding words as well. I had learned how to pray in Arabic and thus making the transition into praying a little easier. I learned the translation at the beginning as well so that I could complete my prayers whole heartedly.

Praying 5 times a day can be difficult, and like Zahra said, some days are easier than others. After I took my shahada was the most difficult, but one day something just happened and I knew I HAD to pray. Since that day, alhamdulillah, my namaz has been more consistent. I have been blessed to have friends that are born Muslims and have helped me learn the proper pronunciation and names for things in Arabic. (Most of these friends are south Asian, as am I, which explains my use of the words "namaz" and "azaan" instead of "salat" and "adthan")

Once you get in the pattern of making your 5 daily prayers, you get in the habit, and it is harder to break. Unfortunately this is also the case if you forgo prayer, it is harder to get back into the swing of things.

The best thing to do is to make dua, give to others, do things to raise your imam and surely prayer becomes easier each day. Insha'Allah.

Until next time,

N&Z

Charity and Islam

Salaam aleykum!

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "The believer's shade on the Day of Resurrection will be his charity." - Al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 604.

The Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: "Save yourself from hellfire by giving even half a date-fruit in charity." - Sahih Al-Bukhari, Volume 2, Hadith 498.

There are huge rewards in giving charity. There are tons of hadith on giving, even if it's just half a date! Even smiling is considered a form of charity in Islam! How awesome is that? You can get rewards just for smiling at somebody!

Zahra:

Something that is very near and dear to my heart is charity. I have done volunteer work since I was very young and continue to do volunteer work through my college and the nursing program. I also like to donate money when I can, especially to causes that really tug at my heartstrings.

I believe that charity does not always have to be monetary. I am a firm believer in giving time to causes as well. There are quite a few programs, such as Project Downtown. You could even volunteer to clean your local mosque or Islamic center and still be rewarded for it in the hereafter. Volunteering is free for everyone and is a wonderful use of spare time. Remember, the Prophet sws told us to take advantage of our youth while we are young. Volunteering by doing handiwork is one way to do this.

Nikita:

Charity and volunteering aren't always big, or grandiose acts. Holding the door open or even helping an elder carry their groceries is not only polite, but a form of charity. Currently I am currently an unemployed student, but that doesn't mean I'm not trying to give money to a better cause. Even if it's only a couple dollars here and there, give to organizations or local organizations that helps people in need, volunteer at a soup kitchen. There are rewards in feeding your ummah, but not only your ummah, feeding others. Never let your situation hold you back from helping others, even if it's in the smallest way possible.


It is quite amazing that charity is so easy to give these days. Technology has made it very simple to pay by credit or debit card and many masjids have their own PayPal fundraiser accounts linked right on their websites. Donating to various causes has never been easier!

If you want an easy way to give charity, we are providing several links for you to donate to some Islamic causes. The last three links contain searches of justgiving.com that will always have charities on there. Feel free to revisit this post every month and donate a little bit to our brothers and sisters in need, inshAllah.

This fundraiser is in England in memory of Tehseen Khan, a great man who recently passed away.

Help a new sister who needs help paying off student loans.

Help build a masjid in America.

Help deaf Muslims go on Umrah.

There are hundreds of charities on justgiving.com that are tagged as Islamic:

Link 1

Link 2

Link 3

May Allah reward all of us for our charity and help us find new ways to give back to our Ummah. Ameen.

Until next time,

N&Z

Note: All hadith in this post can be found here

World Hijab Day! -Zahra

Salaam aleykum!

As many of you know, I recently participated in World Hijab Day this past Friday. It was a phenomenal experience and I had such a great day, al7amdullilah.

The purpose of World Hijab Day is to give non-hijabi Muslim women and non-Muslim women a chance to experience what it's like to be a covering woman. It helps spread the message of Islam to those who may not have been exposed to it beforehand.

Since I don't wear hijab and won't be wearing it for a few more months, I decided to go ahead and do World Hijab day. I ran several errands, which included the bank, hair salon, and grocery store. I also had classes that day, so I was considerably nervous for my classmates' reactions. Facebook, Twitter, and Keek all voted to decide what I would wear. I wound up wearing a beautiful black dress from Hijab-Ista and a kelly green jersey hijab. I also made a tag telling people to ask me about World Hijab Day.

Everyone was really nice to me, and I had a lot of questions. There was a considerable amount of staring when I went to the grocery store, but I didn't mind. I felt awesome wearing hijab. It was really wonderful, knowing that for that one day I was representing Islam 100%. I can't even describe how it felt to be covered. It was great to feel so modest and to know that I was protecting my entire being, even just for a day.

I truly cannot wait to don hijab now. I had long forgotten the feeling of security and satisfaction I had from covering my hair. Just a few more months and I can have hijab permanently.

Thank you all for participating and your amazing support. This could not have happened without you being there by my side.

Until next time,

Zahra

Links:

http://www.worldhijabday.com

http://www.hijab-ista.com