When adopting the faith of one parent seems like you’re betraying the other

This is the latest video from overcome.tv

Whilst Leanna was searching for the truth, she was reunited with her biological father who turned out to be Muslim. But embracing his faith would mean that she’d betrayed the woman who raised her. Watch on to see how God guided her and helped her overcome… 

Watch the video here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xa1vKh9lTiU

A great effort - overcome.tv

I have just recently been introduced to overcome.tv

This is a website aimed at assisting people who would like to become Muslim but may be apprehensive for various reasons.

I would recommend this site for anyone, not only people interested in becoming Muslims. It is overall a resource to learn more about Islam and people's personal paths towards the religion. The site features videos on people's personal stories.

It's always insightful to learn other people's stories and its moving to hear about the different paths that lead people to Islam.

Inshaa- Allah (If Allah wills) I will be posting links to the new videos that they post every Saturday.

I hope that you enjoy watching these and I'm certain that we will all learn a lot from this.

I would just like to commend everyone involved in this effort for their hard work and dedication in assisting others. May Almighty Allah reward them all with the best.

The video for today will be posted soon.

All the best for the year ahead! May it be filled with goodness, peace and happiness.

What is a powerful woman?

While driving on the highway yesterday a billboard caught my attention. It was advertising some TV show called “The Queen” (If I read correctly while zooming past). The image is what stuck with me. At the head of a board room table sat a woman, presumably the “Queen”, and around the table sat all her subjects, the men. The woman at the head represented a conceptualization of the “powerful woman”. She was dressed in a black business suit, hair cut short, poised in a manly stance, clearly in control and dominant.

So what’s the problem with that?  You may very well be thinking this right now.

And the problem the way I see it is this. In order for a woman to be regarded as “powerful” or “in control” she has to basically become like a man. She has to dress like a man (the black business suit), cut her hair like a man (short and cropped) and take on the stance of a man. Somehow it just wouldn’t seem suitable if the “Queen” in this image sported for instance, long hair, wore ,say a floral summer dress or if she was dressed in pink (not that I’m an advocate for pink but in any case) and sat in a feminine posture. If this was the case, the woman would not be taken seriously, or would she?

So what are we saying exactly? Are we saying that the only way a woman can be dominant or can be taken seriously is if she becomes like a man?  I may be wrong here, but doesn’t that go against the basic principles of empowerment? 

It appears as if a woman has to give up everything that defines her womanhood if she is to become powerful or dominant. There is no time for things like motherhood, or marriage. She cannot afford to be soft or feminine, petite and quiet. Nope, she has to be bold and dominant and aggressiveness may be her most treasured trait.

Tell me, how does it make sense to limit women in this way? 

Surely the concept of power has to be vaster than this.

Isn’t a woman “powerful” when she takes on the role of a nurturing mother, or a caring teacher?  Does she not have “power” or “control” when she supports her husband or runs her family?  Can she not be an adviser, a confidante, a friend, and yes even a “boss” if she decides to wear a dress or grow her hair?  Does she automatically become weak and vulnerable if she is soft and feminine?  Does she have to give up all notions of femininity before she can be respected and taken seriously?

So what do we base our ideas of power and control on?  Do we simply follow the standards set by men, the very men who we claim have been given unfair advantage for years. Or do we gain power and control in new ways, and in different ways, and in ways that do not require us to change ourselves completely. Ways that do not discard ‘womanly’ traits.  

These are simply just my musings. There are so many contradictions in the world it would take me too long to discuss them all. Nonetheless, I just found this to be relevant. Maybe it’s something we can all ponder about. 

So I leave you with this question: 

What really makes a woman “powerful”? 

The Beauty of hijaab,

Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah), I always regard myself as fortunate to meet Muslim women with such conviction and strength that it moves me. There are many such women, and it brings home the fact that we need to understand the stories of women in order to appreciate them for who they really are. 

The article below was written by a sister I met recently. It is so inspiring to understand the choices and processes that women go through, and it's beautiful to be reminded of how dynamic Muslim women really are. 

I am thankful to sister Rehana for allowing me to post this here. 

Please enjoy the read (see below for meanings of Arabic words)
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The beauty of hijaab, sister Rehana Bint Ismail of Johannesburg, South Africa
SEPTEMBER 28, 2013 / NUJOOMULAYL

Hijaab…nikaab…purda… I don’t have to cover my face its not farz…purda is in the heart not covering the face…that’s what they all say… and that’s what I too believed at first…

My mum started wearing nikaab 15 years ago and at that time there were more and more woman donning the nikaab ! I felt really proud of her taking this big step but never told her my feeling even though I admired her courage..

I got married in 2008 and 1 of the perks of being a home exec was giving up my career of corporate banker after 12 years.It was quite an adjustment but I benefited a lot alhamdulillah ,as I started attending deeni talks for ladies and had ample time to do all the hobbies and courses I couldn’t do whilst pursuing a career.

My husband was and still is a remarkable spouse who always encourages me to new spiritual heights without loosing the essence of ikhlaas or sincerity.He never expressed his wish to see me wear the nikaab but always explained the benefit and the virtues of it to me.

He is a student of deen and a popular leader of the community in a suburb situated within Johannesburg South.
I became very conscious of not wearing it and felt awkward and uncovered when ever we would frequent shopping malls or the local supermarket or bakery as everyone would stare at me and remark ” theres moulana and his new wife”, which at times resulted in me wearing a big pair of sunglasses to cover half my face!

My mum would constantly encourage me to wear the nikaab explaining how important it was to wear it as I was now a “moulanas” wife.

Yeah right forget about everyone else but what about my feeling and thoughts and ambitions !

Having always heard my father speak about his 4 months spent in 1975 ,I asked hubby if he would take me out for 3 days mastooraat jamaat just to experience what it was all about. Now when you leave your home as a couple you have to wear the nikaab till you get to the hosts place and then you have to wear it on your way back home too.

I wasn’t aware that I had to wear it and felt reluctant at first but wore it none the less.It felt good yet somewhat uncomfortable but I felt a sense of “completeness”- kind of like i wished I could always wear it so I secretly bought my first nikaab and started wearing it whenever I would leave home.Hubby didn’t notice.He probably thought it was just a passing phase.

After 2 weeks of wearing it all over he looked at me while driving to Lenz and asked me if the wearing of the purdah was going to be a permanent situation so I said it was a trial phase !!! What a lie because deep down I knew that this was such a great and noble step in my life and I was trying to make it a permanent one too.

Eventually he sat me down and explained to me that Allah swt honours a women who wears the nikaab and told me how proud he was about me taking this step all on my own…subhanallah I felt so chuffed and was waiting for those wise words of approval ….

It is 5 years now since I donned the nikaab and yes …we only wear nikaab for Allah's pleasure.. we are observing modesty and this too is ultimately for the pleasure of Allah swt…a woman modestly dressed is like a pearl in an oyster..

They say Allah honours a woman who wears the nikaab and yes I have witnessed being honoured on many occasions when non-Muslim men come up to hubby and express that they too would love their wives covered up the way I do !

Only Allah swt knows what’s in each persons heart and Allah grant me the steadfastness to improve my akhlaaq and use me as a means of spreading this wonderful concept of hijaab as well as the beautiful deen of Islam !

Alhamdulillah, we, in Aouth Africa are not restricted from practicing any avenue of deen compared to other countries where the hijab is banned, and because of this we have to take full advantage of practicing deen in totality.

Allah swt in his infinite wisdom has bestowed us with so many nemats and besides being the reciters of the kalima and the ummatees of Nabi Mohammed saw , Allah swt has made us woman and have completed us by making modesty a branch of imaan…
It is not farz but waajib to cover the face as ulama explain that it is a protective measure in this time of fitnaa that we are living in where woman are exposed to many evils.

Purdah is not in the heart and if we wish to attain closeness to Allah swt then we will obey his commands willingly or unwillingly ,ultimately for his pleasure, and Allah swt will make it easy for us.

So to all my sisters who are still undecided on taking that great step forward- just take the plunge you will never regret it. Yes Allah swt will honour you, he will make it easy for you and he will protect and elevate you….don’t look back !

Hijaab is my choice and my freedom and I am a proud Muslimah…..Allah hu Akbar !!
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Terminology:

Farz- Compulsory 
Alhamdulillah (All Praise is for Allah)
Deen- Religion
Deeni- Religious 
mastooraat jamaat- basically a religious trip where people gather and interact and discuss religion.(My description does not do justice, but nevertheless)
SubhanAllah (Glory be to Allah) 
Akhlaaq- character
Waajib- recommended
nemats- bounties 
kalima - declaration of Faith- testifying that there is only One God and Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of God. 
Ummatees- People belonging to one "Ummah" or community.
Imaan- Faith
Fitnaa- trials / tribulations 

The way of women today

Beautiful women, running after the wrong men,

Coaxed by words, uttered so easily and freely ,

meaningless words out in the open,

his exploits forgotten so neatly.  

Intelligent women, losing all reason,

drowning further and deeper in the illusion.

Wishing for things to change and get better,

Covering up faults and lies over and over.

Strong women, brought down so weak,

believeing the worst about themselves,

deceit and treachery they will overlook,

because love and approval is what they seek.

The price seems too high to pay,

Women are far more worthy than this,

Not there simply for amusement and play,

Surely not to be left to sink deep into an abyss.

She should be honoured and cared for,

Instead she is so harshly showed the door,

She gives all she can and more,

she should be loved, cherished and adored.

But the deception continues on and on,

And she is made to feel like she will never belong,

Hating everything about herself,

depending on him, holding on.

Used and abused, and even accused,

Her trust and honour so often misused.

All this for meager justification,

Do we really need a man to give us validation? 

How do we women become so easily fooled?

So easily swayed and beguiled.

How can we believe in empowerment?

Yet give up ourselves so easily.  

Sadly the years do not wisen us,

Examples of others go amiss,

Sweet words and promises are often enough,

Despite the rest of it being a bluff.

The price indeed seems too high,

Women were not created for this,

To be respected and honoured is not a far cry,

We should stop allowing ourselves to get lost!

I’m saddened by what I hear and see,

These women only pretend to be free,

Entrapped in the worst way they can be,

because their imprisonment they refuse to see.