The Environment
“When the earth is shaken with a (violent) shaking,
And the earth reveals what burdens her,
And man says: What has befallen her?
On that day she shall tell her story….” (Qur’an 99:1-4) Surah Az-Zalzalah
Yesterday I was outside my aunt’s apartment building when I saw this minivan open its back doors and throw garbage – a cup of half-full pudding and an empty water bottle. The driver (the mom) was too busy yapping her mouth off, leaving her undisciplined child alone to litter. The littering wasn’t the only thing that pissed me off, but it was a muslim family. I know that it’s one’s moral obligation to keep the earth clean, but as muslim we have to enforce those moral codes. We can’t tell our children that they have to keep their minds, bodies and tongues clean but fail to advise them to keep the earth clean.
I rarely hear of Islamic environmental groups or an Islamic PETA. I was having a conversation with a good friend the other day and she mentioned that muslims hate animals – dogs to be exact. She was telling me about the story of the prostitute who gave a stray dog some water and she was promised by Allah that she’ll enter paradise.
(Hadith – Bukhari 4:538, Narrated Abu Huraira 
Allah’s Apostle (SAW) said, “A prostitute was forgiven by Allah, because, passing by a panting dog near a well and seeing that the dog was about to die of thirst, she took off her shoe, and tying it with her head-cover she drew out some water for it. So, Allah forgave her because of that.”)
My friend concluded by saying “what about all the non-muslims who care and love their dogs, are their sins forgiven?”
What if muslims were environmentalists and/or animal-lovers? I’m not suggesting that we should keep dogs as a pet, but we should adapt a friendly attitude towards animals. The same is said for the earth.
The aforementioned surah speaks about the day of judgement. The earth will be violently shook and we’ll ask what have we done in order for this violent shaking to occur? Then the earth will speak. Imagine what it would say? Imagine the atrocious acts that happen daily, the plundering of natural resources and our negligence?
Did you know that environmental degradation leads to a rise in farmer suicides? I’m not making this up! See, Raj Patel’s Stuffed & Starved. Furthermore, there are some parts in the world where farmers can’t produce crops on their land and suicide becomes their alternative. Now, imagine judgement day and what earth will say?
The ‘green’ movement can occur anywhere, importantly, it should start in this lady’s car. There has to be a change in the way we, all humans, view the environment – a dramatic mental shift. So, the next time you have the urge to litter and actually do – I pray a flock of birds shit on you.
Stagnant
I’ve been feeling a little depressed lately and I just can’t shake it off. It started when I moved to Toronto. I was moving back with my mother and the rest of the family. Also starting a new job with the government. This is exactly what I was waiting for – a great job in a great city.
Although everything seem to be dandy, there was this huge void I couldn’t fill. It was eating at me and I just sat there and witness my happiness wither away.
I have a family member that is just bad – I mean, a low-down dirty scoundrel. This time she has managed to dig her way to the pit of hell and the family are still throwing life jackets at her. She screws up – its ok. She breaks international law – its ok. She a terrible human in every sense of the word and….ITS OK!!! Why is it f’ing ok? Here I am working to be the best person I can be and not a single hand out. Not that I’m asking for such, but I don’t even get acknowledged. I think a portion of my sadness comes from doing so well in life i.e academically, socially and in a bunch of other areas and not having success in my family’s eyes. Why do life’s fcuk ups have it so damn easy? Listen family, I would like a high five once in a while damnit!
May be I’m suffering from my quarter-life crisis. You know when you’ve completed school and you’re meant to find a job…..not for some reason you feel like you don’t belong anywhere? I don’t know anymore.
I feel like this post is all over the place. MY MIND IS ALL OVER THE PLACE!
To make things worse…..I won’t be pursuing my Masters degree because I have to look after children while their parents fly out and rescue the scum I spoke of earlier. How fcuking insulting!
I feel like shit…..
NW
Eid Mubarak!!
Salaam!
EID MUBARAK to you and your family!
“May Allah tabarak wa ta’ala accept our fasting, our salat and our dua’as – Allahumma Ameen!
Remember, just because ramadhan has come to an end, it doesn’t mean we stop doing khayr. We need to continue with all the good that we’ve established in this month bi’idnillahi Kariim. May Allah shower His infinite blessings upon us all. Ameeeeeen!
Think of all the reward one gets for reciting Quran, which is normally 10 hasanaat per letter. Continue to make dua’a, and continue to excel in this perfect and beautiful deen. Propel yourself forward and don’t go back to the level you were before. Make dua’a that Allah allows us to live to see another Ramadhan. That we are also allowed to live to see tomorrow. Ameen!
Side note: let’s try to enjoin one good and forbid one bad act AT LEAST each day. Please remember to advise people with kind words.”
The quotation marks are there because they are not my words. I receive boardcasts on my BBM from muslims sisters that know the religion much better than I do. So, to save time I decided to put their dua’as and advice on my blog.
InshaAllah I’ll write more after Eid.
NW
The Toronto Souk
Today I went to the farmer’s market in Toronto with my mom. You see, my mom will travel to Fiji for a great deal on papayas. So, off we went to the other side of time to get some fruits. I asked my mother why she doesn’t go to local supermarkets to buy produce. She said: “I don’t know where my fruits are coming from, plus it’s too expensive”. Ok, she has a point. I went to No Frills the other day and came across :
That is right! Chinese eggplants from the Dominican Republic! I’m pretty sure there more land in China to grow Chinese eggplants than in the DR.
But, I had more fun at the Farmer’s Market than I did at No Frills. I have pictures! The first picture is of this woman who wouldn’t stop eating the grapes – yes, the unclean grapes that have been fondled by a thousand people. Anyways, my mother took the opportunity to ask the woman if the grapes were sweet (my mother has OCD plus she was fasting). The woman with a mouthful of grapes nodded.
This next picture is by far my favorite. The man in this picture was the loudest and sleaziest man at the market. His man is the kind of man who has dirty finger nails, sells cartons of spoiled bananas for dirt cheap (kept yelling “take it and go!”…meaning, you couldn’t open the carton and inspect the bananas), chain smokes and hangs on to his youth with all his might kinda man. The best part….his outfit!
He is wearing Afghan pants with a baseball cap on backwards. Now, if you were to divide the outfit it’ll look like this:
Sorry Huntington, but this is the clash of civilizations!
NW
Women’s Rights in Islam
Women’s Rights by Shaykh Hassan Ali
I have never written anything on the topic of women in Islam. I have always wanted to take a Women’s Studies class and dedicate my final project on this topic. Alas, I did not have the opportunity.
The above link will take you to a page where you will find my favourite lecturer speaking about women’s rights. Shaykh Hassan Ali’s deliverance of the lecture is excellent. He speaks in an eloquent manner with a calm tone. Click on “Life in Islam Part 4: Women’s rights in Islam followed by the rights of husbands and wives“. The lecture is approximately 1 hour and 15mins long. For those of us who are history nuts, this lecture will illuminate a historical perspective – once you know the history, you’ll understand the present. From industrial Europe to pre-Islamic Arabia – from marriage rights to inheritance – it is all covered in this lecture. Moreover, the lecture does touch on the subject of polygamy and also the woman’s rights in a marriage.
Its great to know your rights in a marriage but for those of us who are single, click on “Life in Islam Part 3: How to find the most compatible person for marriage by analysing sixteen different personality type“. Now THIS is an interesting lecture!
Let me know what you think!
NW
Youtube Hijab Videos
These are my two favourite hijab videos on Youtube. I spent hours looking for the best ones to post. I find that most videos drag on for 8+ minutes. What on earth is there to talk about for more than 3 minutes!? It only takes me less than 3 minutes to put on my hijab. These two videos don’t have any of that crappy intros, cheesy music or overly excited pubescent girls.
I’ll load more once I can find descent ones to share. Let me know what you think.
NW
Mind, be still!
I couldn’t control my mind while praying taraweeh tonight. My mind went everywhere and nowhere. I thought of all the things that I shouldn’t while praying. For example, the Imam and his beautiful voice and how he cries so beautifully when reading the Quran and dua’a. Oh, and he’s a beautiful man too – I’ve peaked behind the wall a few times (I’m shaking my head as I write this) – more on the beautiful Imam in a bit.
Right now people are eating zahuur and I can’t eat. Everything is spicy and I have a weak stomach. I’ve eaten two samosas and I can only imagine how my stomach is going to react during Fajr prayers. 
I need to learn how to tame my mind during prayer. I spat towards my left a million times – still had no control. The shaytan bothered me to the point where I was struggling to listen to the Al-Fatiha. SubhanAllah! I had to scratch my nose – there wasn’t an itch. I had to wipe the sweat off my brow – there was no sweat. I tried to focus on one thing but it started to form shapes – I’m talking about the dots on the carpet. I think you get the point. If I could say something to the shaytan, I would say: “Listen, interrupt me whenever you want but NOT when I’m before my Lord!” *angry face* Then, I would put the Shaytan in a headlock and choke it. I’m angry at myself more so than anything else. I let it get to me.
Now back to the beautiful Imam – I hope he’s single.
I have to go pray Fajr – be right back!
NW
Hijab Anniversary!
Today is my hijab anniversary. A year ago I made the decision to wear the hijab. Hmm the decision wasn’t entirely mine – keep reading. After recently traveling to war torn Somalia where I was forced to wear it – as in “you better put the hijab on in Dubai before you reach Somalia or you’ll be beat!”. Well, I wouldn’t say forced but the action was heavily influenced by mother. I couldn’t stop thinking about my mother’s words as I boarded the flight from Amsterdam to Dubai. Experienced a little bit of a culture shock – I’ve never seen so many covered people in my life! There I was with my funky curly hair and a scarf wrapped around my neck – I like to call modest chic. So, I march into the washroom and threw on an abaya (the long Islamic dress) and the hijab. Feeling a little awkward, I put on a little more make-up and glossy red lipgloss. The message: I’m a Western Muslim woman.
I leave the washroom and head over to the check-in. They greet me with “assalamu alaikum”. Hold on! I didn’t get this before. Ahh now that I LOOK like a Muslim, I’m greeted as one. I get it…It all makes sense!
I wore the hijab for a month in Somalia and as soon as I landed in Dubai on my way to Toronto, I did the reverse. Went in the washroom and took it off. Fluffed my hair a little, threw on that uber-chic scarf and painted my lips red.
As soon as I got home from the airport I felt as though something was missing. Ah yes – the hijab! I went through all the holiday pictures and noticed that I look fabulous wearing the hijab. So, I told myself that I would wear the hijab as long as I didn’t have to compromise my personality. I wanted to know how I can be ‘me’ and wear the hijab at the same time. That meant hours of Youtube ‘How to wear the hijab’ videos. I wasn’t convinced. I didn’t want my hijab matching my bracelets, or worse, the stitching of my outfit.
One morning, I fluffed my curls and headed to my sister’s school to update their registration. Oh sh^t! They go to an Islamic school. Oh man, did I feel out of place! My mother and I take a seat in the waiting room and wait for the Brother Principal Imam Man to call us into his office.
He takes one look at me and says in a very strong Pakistani accent “You veear the heejab and I give you job”. He offered me a teaching position but the only condition was that I would cover up – I accepted! You have to understand that I had just graduated and was terribly broke. Being the person that I am – I took it as a sign (I’ll fill you in later on my terrible teaching experience).
So, thats how my hijab adventures started. Mind you, I’ve had weak moments where I took it off but those feelings soon subsided.
Here’s to a year! InshaAllah many more!
NW
Broken Heart
Did you know that elephants can die of a broken heart?
I recently read a tweet that stated this bizarre fact. So, I decided to google it and I came across an article in the Guardian. The article is about a 72 year old Indian elephant named Damini. One day, another elephant was brought to the zoo and placed near Damini. The other elephant was younger and pregnant. Damini naturally started to care for the pregnant elephant. As soon as the elephant gave birth she was taken away from Damini. Upon losing her companion, Damini’s behaviour started to change – she wouldn’t eat, lost interest in her activities, stared into space, cried, and eventually laying on her side with her trunk curled up – she fell ill and died.
The loss of her companion eventually led to her death. The actions following the departure of the other elephant mimic actions displayed by humans at times of loss. Have you ever lost anyone – a family, friend or a lover? Do you remember that heart aching experience followed by strange mood swings? Another article in the NYTimes states that humans can also die from a broken heart. The information taken from a 2005 New England Journal of Medicine “described 19 patients, mostly older women, who developed classic heart attack symptoms after suffering severe emotional stress”. In all the studies mentioned in the article, all conclude that sudden or dramatic loss can lead to cardiac arrest without the underlying signs of heart disease.
You’re probably wondering why I chose to write about this in my first blog. Well, the day I decided on starting my own blog was the day I visited a cemetery for the first time. I had recently lost a young family member and had never got around to going to his burial site. Upon entering the site I was told to say a little prayer (To Allah we belong and to Him is our return). I took a deep breath and repeated the prayer while I stood above his grave. While muttering the prayer -I started to sob. The light sobs turned into heavy crying. I felt pain at the pit of my stomach and my chest tightened. The flood of emotions gave my soul a grave awakening. Why was the mother so calm? She told me not to cry but instead pray for him. How can she NOT cry? Its her son! Then it hit me! She’s content with the loss. She has realized that he has returned to Allah. She hasn’t lost any weight nor has she experienced a change in her mood. Her spirit was as happy as ever.
What if everyone who has ever lost a loved one had more faith in God? Would the number of heart attack decrease? Maybe we all just need to occupy ourselves with something when someone passes. I think great loss doesn’t always have to come from physically losing someone – I think that a great love gone wrong has the same affect. Ever broke up with a long-term partner and felt strong chest pain? My friend, you might be experiencing cardiomyopathy or broken heart syndrome.
I would love to hear about how you have loved, lost and lived. Leave a comment or email me: Nahi.writes@gmail.com
NW.
Nahi Writes 