My boy Mas sent me a few links to some interesting videos on YouTube that I encourage you all to watch (it’s in regard to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, especially the most recent attacks on Gaza).
May Allah protect those all around the world who are being oppressed and may He give them victory against their oppressors…
Ameen
Innalillahi wa inna illayhi rajioon…
From Allah (God) we come and to Him is our return…
About a few weeks ago my cousin and his wife had their first child, or children actually. They had twins and both of them were extremely premature (I think about 4-6 weeks premature). Anyways, I just found out that the younger one had passed away today. He was transferred to a different hospital because of some complications and Allah decided to take back one of His beloved angels back to him.
I know that the little guy is going to be chilin’ in Heaven insh’Allah and I’m not sad for him. I mean to be quite honest, I’m kind of jealous. Not only has he been saved from any of the trials and tests of this world, but he just got a First Class ticket to eternal happiness and joy in Paradise. I mean eternal = forever. But I obviously can’t help but be sad for his mother and father. They are great parents mash’Allah and have been so happy ever since the birth of their twins. This will surely be a test for them and I ask you to keep them in your dua’as and also keep the older brother in your dua’as as well as he is still in the hospital as well.
Lastly, this is a reminder that death has no limits and does not discriminate. Last week I prayed a janazah for someone in their 50’s and today I will be praying a janazah for a baby boy that was only a few weeks old.
I just pray that Allah allows me the opportunity to play with him in Paradise, forever and ever…
Earlier this evening, I was helping my ama preparing for dinner and I was taught a very serious lesson that I want to share with you all…
As I was preparing the bread/naan/roti that we were going to have with dinner, I burned myself and it hurt. Hurt more than anything else that I can remember. I burned my two fingers and my wrist and it’s hurting as I type out this post. I can already see the blisters on some parts beginning to form, and where they are not forming, my skin is seared and extremey tender; so much so that while I was praying Isha salah, as I stuck up my finger while sitting, I could feel pain shooting down my hand.
Alhamdulillah, it’s nothing too serious. Sure I am in a good amount of pain, I may have a scar or mark or something like that, but all I can think about is if the fire in this life is so detrimental to me, then how about the Hell Fire? The fire or heat of this world is not even one one-hundredth of how hot the fire of Hell will be. Yet I can’t even bare the slightest of burns that I have endured tonight.
As I held my hand under cold water and felt it running over the burns, hurting and irritating even more, I couldn’t help but think of how if we disobey Allah, if we disobey and make God unhappy, then we will be subject to the punishment of the fire. Not only will we have to endure such a punishment, but we won’t get a “break” where we can run our burns under cold tap water for perhaps some relief. No. Our skin will be “regrown” or “regenerated” and we will have to endure it all again. A’udhu-billah. May Allah protect us, our families, and all of the Muslims worldwide from having to ever endure any such torment in the Hereafter.
It’s a scary thought really. I mean I sin a lot. I do some of the stupidest things, all because I am a weak person. I have many shortcomings, more than anyone else I’m sure of that, and I get scared at thought of even seeing the Hell-Fire, I can’t help but shiver or perhaps even shed a tear at the thought of being placed into it.
But then I remind myself of two ayahs from the Quran that have gotten me through life. The first is in Surah Baqarrah where Allah says that He never gives a person more than they can handle (loose translation). And the second, is the famous verses from Surah Inshirah where He states that verily after every hardship, is relief. Allah is the Most Merciful. The funny thing is, this translation (Most Mercifu) doesn’t even begin to describe His Mercy. It cannot be summed up in a translation, a commentary or anything else for that matter.
This may be the most scatter-brained thing I have ever written and I apologize. It really does hurt to type so I’m just going to stop. I pray that whatever affliction that any Muslim around the world may face, both big and small, is a form of redemption so that we may not be held accountable in the Hereafter. I ask that Allah blesses, protects, forgives, and guides the entire Muslim Ummah.
-peace-
So it’s that time of the year again. The time where people act “nice” to each other because “tis the season” and all of that good stuff. So for any people that read this blog and celebrate Christmas or any other holiday, I would like to wish you a happy holidays. I’m going to be honest here, nothing annoys me more than the Christmas songs that they play in each and every store from Thanksgiving until Christmas but some people really seem to like them (ahem, Knock Knock). But there is something that I really do envy about the way people celebrate Christmas, and I think it’s something we as Muslims really should notice and try to emulate when it comes to our own holidays (i.e. Eid)…
haha I found this image searching for a funny Santa picture...priceless
When Christmas time comes around, you see people hurrying and fighting and pushing for presents. I’m not saying we should be doing this, but they buy presents over the course of a month for all of their loved ones out of the festiveness (is that a word?) of the season. Then, when Christmas Eve and Christmas day come around, they usually spend the entire time with family. Get togethers with friends is usually saved for the week of Christmas but the specific days of Christmas are usually reserved for family togetherness and/or religious services. There is no work, no school, none of that. Just full enjoyment of the holiday.
Now I know everyone is going to be like “everything is closed on Christmas and that’s why they can fully enjoy it, I have school/work, etc…” But still, how many of us take a day or two off from school or work to truly enjoy our Eid? Yes, it may be hard to do so, especially for those communities that go on the strict sighting of the moon, but what do you have to lose? I mean are we so sucked into this world, that the celebrations that Allah has blessed us with, we are unable to properly celebrate them? If you take the time to explain the concept of Ramadhan and Hajj to your teachers or boss, you are not only giving them dawawh and a better understanding of Islam, but it will make you taking the time off that much easier.
Then comes the day of Eid. When I was younger I remember there used to be SO much going on. There would be a ton of open houses at different peoples houses and food and just a really great time. But now, it seems like nothing happens (and yes I understand this depends on the community/area you’re in) but talking to people all over it seems like this is the case in many areas. Some of us sit around at home and do nothing or go out with friends and don’t even spend time with our families. It’s just another day to “chill” with some friends and that’s it. We don’t take time to go to the masjid or to remember Allah. And presents? You want to talk about presents (hehe a little Jim Fassel action there)?! Doesn’t exist…
So as this Christmas season comes to an end, let us look at the good that people who celebrate Chirstmas or Hannukah do and try and do the same during our times of celebration. Hopefully we can all enjoy our future Eids a lot more and also teach others more and more about Islam because if we celebrate Eid by just sitting in our house doing nothing, how the deuce will other people come to even know that it is a holiday for Muslims worldwide? Be delegates on behalf of Islam, engage in conversation with your neighbors, classmates, and co-workers; invite them over on Eid for some food and tell them about Islam. These are all things that we must do actively to reflect the teachings of Islam…
Finally, I leave you with the greatest rendition of Christmas carols I have ever heard in my life. This clip makes me laugh and nearly makes me cry every single time that I have heard it. I hope that it brings the same joy to you as it does to me…
So today was a really cold day here in Chicago (really cold is an understatement!). One of the coldest that I can remember for a while now (I believe the high was like 4 degrees and the wind chill was about 40 below zero)…
But walking through the bitter cold and taking a deep breath with every gust of wind that pierced my face, I couldn’t help but to think of those less fortunate. The homeless out there who have no central heating, that have no down coats, wool hats, or scarves to keep them warm. Those people out there roaming the streets in the 100% humid days that we have in the summertime, and who hustle to find a decently sheltered place during mad cold days like today…
And it hit me: am I really thankful for what I have? When someone asks how I am and I say “Alhamdulillah (all praise due to God)” do I really mean this? Does this word reflect what’s in my heart? Am I truly thankful for everything that God has given me. A family that I love dearly. Clothes. Central heating. A car that warms up when I start it for sometime. Water. Food. Deen (Religion). I have all of these things, yet am I truly thankful for what I have? Sadly, I’m not…
I remember when I was younger, I would lie in bed and take out a tasbeeh. I would do one full tasbeeh of subhan’Allah, Alhamdulillah and Allah hu Akbar. Why? I guess because I wanted to get into habit of doing dhikr and remembering Allah every night before I went to sleep. But one thing I remember was that whenever the word Alhamdulillah would roll off of my tongue, I would close my eyes and think of one thing that I was truly grateful for. It would start big like family, health, and would get smaller as I would get to the 60th or 70th time I would say it: the pillow my head was resting on, the blanket keeping me warm, blinds on my window to shade me, etc…
I find myself saying Alhamdulillah all of the time as a reminder, but I fear that it may be becoming a form of “lip service” and I don’t want it to turn into that. I want to truly be thankful for everything that Allah has blessed me with by being as practical as I can be. For instance, I remember a long time ago (many years back) my ama told me that the first thing that I should do when I get up is to make my bed because by taking proper care of something that you have is the best way to show that you are grateful for that blessing. Alhamdulillah ever since that day I have made my bed and the consistency of this very small action has made me truly appreciate my bed…
The point of all of this? I really don’t know. I guess it’s to remind myself that I need to be thankful for every single little thing that I have. I know I am thankful for it, but I need to be more practical about it. I need to be thankful for being Muslim by striving to be the best Muslim I can be. Just like I need to be thankful for a beautiful family by being the best son and brother that I can be. This isn’t easy by any means, but then again nothing ever is…
Hmm, I guess something good did come out of this bitter cold day…
Whoever reads my blog knows that a couple of weeks ago I posted a story about a boy with cerebral palsy in Canada named Sam Spiteri. Pretty much his neighbor had complained about a pony that he had (for rehabilitation purposes) and the town was threatening to take it away. I posted the link for the mayor and many of us had written in (along with people all over the world). Alhamdulillah, all praise to Allah, it was decided that Sam Spiteri would get to keep his pony, Emily. I actually had the opportunity to get in touch with his mother, and she was very thankful to all of us who wrote in. She wanted me to convey the following message on my blog. Thanks again to all of you who wrote in.
—-Note from Mrs. Spiteri—-
Alti,
Sorry it has taken me SO long to respond to your e-mail, but I have been very busy as you can imagine. I just wanted to thank you and the rest of the people that had written in for Sam from your blog. It is so nice to see people come together regardless of religion or ethnicity and, as you said, enjoin good. We really do appreciate your support and my entire family and I are very grateful to each and every one of you who wrote in. Thanks once again for your support, prayers, and love.
Much Thanks
Antonia S. and Family
—-Note from Mrs. Spiteri—-
And for those of you who are interested, here is the new news article about Sam Spiteri being allowed to keep his pony, Emily. Once again, thanks to every one who wrote in…
Disbaled Boy Can Keep His Pony
Photo of Sam and Antonia Spiteri and their pony Emily by Peter Redman, National Post
By Kate Scroggins, National Post
A three-year-old disabled boy can keep his pony despite a neighbour’s complaints, Caledon’s committee of adjustment ruled today.
Committee members said the Spiteri family can keep the miniature pony, despite zoning rules prohibiting it, so long as they keep the pen clean.
Sam Spiteri has spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy, and uses the pony, Emily, as part of his therapy regime.
The dispute wound up before the committee after a neighbour complained about the smell coming from the family’s property, which also borders a cattle farm.
‘‘Pure joy right now,’’ said Antonia Spiteri, Sam’s mother, said today. ‘‘It’s been an extremely stressful last couple of months. Now I can focus my energy back where it belongs — back on Sam’s therapy.’’
At the end of July, the town told the family they would have remove the pony from their one-acre property because it is zoned as rural residential land and isn’t meant to house livestock. Ms. Spiteri asked the council for an exception to let Sam keep his pony as a pet without rezoning their property.
Since the National Post and other media reported on the fight to keep Sam’s pony, Ms. Spiteri has received an outpouring of support from around the globe with some people even offering to help financially.
Caledon councillor Annette Groves told the Post that the boy should be allowed to keep the therapy pony.
“While you have to enforce the rules, there are times when you have to use discretion and have to remember that you’re a human being and have to have some compassion,” she said.
“That would be the case in the case.”
Photo of Sam and Antonia Spiteri and their pony Emily by Peter Redman, National Post
I had a good idea to write this long post about Eid and how great it was and what not, but I got extremely busy (okay, well I got extremely lazy) so I’m just going to go the other route and wish you all an Eid Mubarak…
may Allah forgive us all for any sins that we may have committed and may He grant us long and pious lives…may He accept all of the Hujjaj’s Hajj and for those who have not gone, may He invite them to His House when they are ready to attain His Mercy…and for those of us who have gone, may He invite us to His House once again to attain His Mercy…
I leave you with this hilarious video (who I got from Faiez who found it on another blog–can’t remember the name)…this might be the funniest thing I have ever seen…two notable lines are “Don’t worry there’ll still be mince pies” and the greatest line “cancel the clown…”
Enjoy it and have a great eid…
-peace-
So I just read this article below and my heart sunk. This is truly sad, and I think we all need to speak up for this young boy and Emily. Take a minute or two and write the Mayor of Caledon (I have included her information below). I will write a general template e-mail that you can copy and paste, but please do so. Our jobs as Muslims is to enjoin good and forbid evil. Allah never once said to enjoin good and forbid evil only when dealing with Muslims. Let’s work together and try keep Sam and Emily together. May Allah bless Sam and make things easy for him and may He soften the neighbors heart.
Let’s make some noise people…
Marolyn Morrison
(905) 584-2272 (Bus.)
(905) 584-4325 (Fax)
marolyn.morrison@caledon.ca
Dear Mayor Morrison,
My name is (insert name) and I am from (insert city, state). I am e-mailing you because I came across the story of Sam Spiteri and Emily and I was very upset to hear that the Spiteris may be forced to remove Emily because of a complaint by a neighbor. I just wanted to take a moment and voice my support for Sam and Emily. I feel that since the physician and numerous cerebral palsy organizations have said that riding a horse may increase muscle function in a patient with cerebral palsy, I believe that the Spiteris should be allowed to keep Emily since she is a service animal (just like a seeing eye dog) and not livestock.
I hope that the Committee will see that Sam needs Emily, and to take her away from him would be a great injustice.
Sincerely,
(insert name)
I wrote that really fast, so it probably isn’t the best but it gets the message across…
Town may force child with cerebral palsy to give up his pony
A dispute has erupted in Caledon, Ont., over whether a family with a child with cerebral palsy should be allowed to keep a pony.
Three-year-old Sam Spiteri was born with a form of cerebral palsy that makes it hard for him to do ordinary tasks such as walk, hold toys, eat or speak.
Three-year-old Sam Spiteri riding his pony Emily. (CBC)
The youngster has been riding his miniature pony, Emily, since he was an infant.
“Taking her away would be devastating to Sam. It is his best friend,” said his mother Antonia Spiteri.
He’s so attached to the animal that his rides usually end in tears because he doesn’t want to leave Emily.
But a neighbour’s complaint about the animal’s smell is now being handled by the Town of Caledon, whose bylaw enforcement manager has ruled the Spiteris’ half-hectare property is zoned rural-residential, meaning they cannot keep livestock.
The Spiteri family, however, argues Emily shouldn’t be classified as livestock because she was bought as a form of therapy.
“We only want the exception for Emily herself to remain on the property for therapeutic purposes,” said Antonia Spiteri.
Sam’s grandfather bought him the pony because the youngster experiences seizures, making it almost impossible to take him on long car trips to a riding facility elsewhere.
According to the Ontario Cerebral Palsy Foundation, equestrian therapy “improves balance, co-ordination, strength and muscle tone, while gently mobilizing the joints.”
Antonia Spiteri says Sam’s pediatrician suggested the riding therapy, and they have seen an improvement in his posture.
“Bouncing from riding her triggers the muscles to stiffen and contract, so that when he rides her, he gets better posture and makes it easier for those muscles to learn those types of things. And then he is better with possibly walking in the future,” she said.
“When his posture is better, it’s easier for him to perform simple tasks such as feeding himself. It also helps with speech.”
The debate over whether Emily can stay on the property will now go before a committee of adjustment.
inteGrity…what does it mean to you? I remember back in Jr. High School the coach of my basketball team had a meeting with me at the beginning of the year. Coach Mickel sat me down in his office and he was like “Listen Alti, you’re the captain of this team and you have a lot of kids looking up to you. I know you’re a good kid and you’ve conducted yourself in a proper manner. But I want you to know something. The character of somebody is not defined as what they do when people are watching. It’s what they do when nobody is watching…“
This was told to me by Coach Mickel 10 years ago, and it has stayed with me ever since. Why am I writing about this you ask? It’s because of an article that I somehow read (thanks Google for reading my e-mails and hitting me up with links that I’m more likely to click on!) and wanted to share it with everyone.
J.P. Hayes is a golfer. He’s no Tiger Woods, but he is a decent one at that. During the second stage of the PGA Tour qualifying tournament last week in Texas, Hayes discovered that on two shots on one hole, he had unwittingly used a prototype golf ball not approved for competition by the United States Golf Association. As he finished a hole, he called over a judge and had told them that he used a different ball than the one he started with. The judge said that it would be a two-shot penalty (as per USGA rules) and Hayes knew that. Despite that, Hayes was still in competition for qualifying quite easily for the PGA tour.
Anyways, as he went to his hotel room, he had seen that the ball that he used was a prototype ball that was given to him by the company Titleist. Prototype balls are not allowed in PGA play, and so he was faced with a dilemma. 
Here he was, alone in his hotel room. No one else was there besides him. He had already done the right thing on the course and taket he 2 shot penalty. There was no point in making matters worse, especially since it was an honest mistake, right?
Wrong. J.P. (as I have began to lovingly call him) picked up the phone and called an official in Texas and said “We might have a problem.” What he did was beyond noble. He did the right think, when no one else was around. So you think the USGA would reward him for such amazing inteGrity, right? Yup, they sure did. By disqualifying him since using a prototype ball is illegal.
It’s amazing because golf was founded on the principle that the players govern/police themselves. When asked, J.P. did not blame his caddy (who actually handed him the ball). He put the blame square on his shoulders, and said that it was his mistake and that he wishes he would just wake up from a “bad dream,” and that anyone on the tour would have done the same thing…
J, my man, I don’t think anyone would do the same thing. Especially someone who was a sure lock to qualify for the PGA tour. But I applaud you. Forget other people, I wish I could be like you. I wish I could be like you in every aspect of my life and have the inteGrity that you have shown because then maybe my tawakkul (God awareness) would be much greater. What you did speaks volume of your character, and I just wish that anyone and everyone who reads about this truly appreciates what you did.
How many times have we shown this type of inteGrity? How many times has a friend entrusted us with a secret or promise about something, and have we gone and told other people, just to “make conversation”? How many times are we alone and about to do something bad, and go on and do it just because we are alone? How many of us forget that we truly are not alone, and reflect the words of Coach Mickel and the sentiment of J.P. that the character of a person is not known by what they do when people are watching, but what they do when no one is around?
Food for thought. Take a bite, chew, swallow, then let it digest…
This is my first post here on WordPress (away from Xanga). I guess I have finally made the transition. I will try and put some of my old posts from xanga on here (once I figure it out and have enough time). So I guess welcome, and on with the post…
So I was driving back to my apartment and was pretty hungry. I was running out of food (that my Ama cooks for me every week to bring–may Allah bless her and all the mothers out there) so I decided to stop off at this little Chinese restaurant that is about a 4 minute drive from my apartment. I don’t really have many options, since I live in Bufu, so it’s either McDonalds, Burger King, Taco Bell, Potbelly’s, Subway, or Yan’s Hunan Inn #2 (I always wondered where #1 was…)
Yan's Hunan Inn # 2
Anyways, the first time I went there this is what happened:
*phone rings*
Lady: helloo yaaaaaans hunaaaaan IN
Me: umm yeah can I order for pick-up?
Lady: what you want!
Me: this is my first time ordering, what shrimp dishes are good?
Lady: all good…lunch special!
Me: ummm ok…see that doesn’t help me…
Lady: Hunan shrimp…orange shrimp…vegetable shrimp…oooo mmm all good! what you want!
Me: umm let me just get sweet and sour shrimp…what does that come with?
Lady: fried rice and eggroll
Me: what kind of egg roll
Lady: PORK!
Me: um ok can I just get more rice and no eggroll
Lady: ugh okayyyyy ready in 10 minutes…what your name!
Me: Alti….A-L-T-I…(said very clearly)
Lady: A-O-G-I…okay 10 minutes…*click*
I get there…
Lady: hello…welcome…what you want!
Me: um I had the pick-up order…sweet and sour shrimp…
Lady: should be ready in a few minutes…you pay now…
Me: *chuckle* yeah ok…*pays*…so where is Yans #1 joint? Is it that one on Green bay Rd?
Lady: *shrivels up nose as if someone burped and blew it towards her* no-ohhhhhhhhhhhhhh! This Yan’s Inn…
Me: but it says #2 *trails off*…forget it…
So after this amusing encounter with the lady I decided to go back for just shrimp fried rice (meh, it’s alright. About a 6 out of 10). So I called my Ama while I was driving there just to do one of my 2 every day check-ins via phone and see how she was. So I walked in and was on the phone and the lady recognized me (she was like yo Aogi, what’s good!). As I went up to pay I asked for more sweet ‘n’ sour sauce (because I mean come on, I LOVE sweet ‘n’ sour sauce!) and Ama laughed on the phone simultaneously with the lady behind the counter.
I told her that my mom was on the phone and she thought it was funny too. So I hung up and the lady was like “you a baby huh” and I said “yup, I sure am…” She then looked at me and was like “are you married?” and I said “nope” and she said “ohhh okay…one day you get married and you no talk to your mom no more…” and I looked her straight in the eye and I said “naw naw, no one can ever take the place of a mother…”
Subhan’Allah the look that this woman gave me, was indescribable. She reached over the counter and touched my hand and she said “maybe one day I wish I have son like you.” All I could think about is not that I was a good son (I have many shortcomings and am not even a decent son), but how people today treat their mothers. And this isn’t even a trend that we see amongst non-Muslims, but sadly enough, we see Muslims that treat their mothers similarly. When will we realize that if we obeyed our mother from the beginning of our birth until our death, that we would not have repayed her for a single breath that she took when giving birth to us? It really is mind boggling to see that we have the gall to be nicer and kinder and more patient with our friends than with our mothers. Because if you think about it, your friends are never there for you…really they aren’t. But who is the one person, regardless of the things that you may do, that is always there for you?
Your mother…
Yet we forget this, over and over again. Just ask yourself when the last time you hugged your mother was? When was the last time you placed a kiss on her forehead or on her cheek? The last time you told her you loved her? The last time you just sat there and looked at her face with a loving look, thanking Allah for the opportunity to benefit from having your mother still be alive? When was the last time you called your mother “meri jaan” or “habibti” or use some type of affectionate term?
If you are still lucky enough to have your mother around, then take advantage of her. Go give her a hug right now, or if you are not able to, call her and just tell her you were thinking about her. Don’t regret not doing these things when it’s too late…
Lastly, I’ll leave you with this video that has shaken my heart and the hearts of many. It is 6 minutes, and I encourage you to share it with as many people as you can (I’m sure most of you have seen it by now). It is by far one of the greatest reminders I have ever seen and every time I have seen it, I can’t help but get teary-eyed…
Oh and please make dua’a for my finals this week (I had one on Monday and have one on Thursday and Friday), I need them badly…
Hope this first post turns out alright…
keep it gully folks…
