Spending your day the Prophets way

 لَّقَدۡ كَانَ لَكُمۡ فِى رَسُولِ ٱللَّهِ أُسۡوَةٌ حَسَنَةٌ۬ لِّمَن كَانَ يَرۡجُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَٱلۡيَوۡمَ ٱلۡأَخِرَ وَذَكَرَ ٱللَّهَ كَثِيرً۬ا
There has certainly been for you in the Messenger of Allah an excellent pattern for anyone whose hope is in Allah and the Last Day and [who] remembers Allah often.

It was around the five regular prayer times in which all other regular activities were scheduled in the life of our Nabi (saw). The Prophet (saw) would wake up for Fajr namaz, and he would wake up by thanking Allah (swt) for granting him another day of life by reciting “Alhamdulillahillazi Ahyana Ba'dama Amaathana Wa Ilaihinnushoor”. He would then proceed to make wudhu and perform namaz.  The Prophet never slept after Fajr namaz and prohibited the Sahabas (RA) from doing so also. Instead he used to stay at the mosque until sunrise and have group conversations with the sahabas. The subjects of these conversations were both religious as well as entertaining, for example, on some mornings dreams of the previous night would be related while on other mornings he would engage in dhikr until sunrise and once the sun has risen he would perform two rakat of namaz.

On days when he was not fasting, he would have breakfast afterwards. The Prophet (saw) preferred eating in a group rather than individually and also preferred to sit on the ground placing the food on a matt rather than a chair and table. Anas(RA) related that the prophet never ate off a table or in small plates.

After Zuhr namaaz, he would take a nap and encourage others to do the same, as this would help them to stay awake at night for prayers.

When greeting people he would say salaam first (regardless of knowing the person or not). Abu Umamah reported the The prophet (saw) said ‘The person most worthy of Allah is the one who greets with salam first”. And there is the hadith “He who greets first is free from pride”, and we know that pride is an attribute of shaitan and we should therefore always try to avoid it or cure it.

When meeting someone he would shake hand their hand, and if it was someone he hadn’t seen in awhile he would hug and kiss them. Anas (RA) reported: A man asked: "O Messenger of Allah! When a man meets a brother or a friend, should he bow to him?" He said, "No." The man asked whether he should embrace and kiss him? The Messenger of Allah (saw) replied, "No." He asked whether he should hold his hand and shake it? The Messenger of Allah (saw) replied, "Yes." [At-Tirmidhi]

When interacting with people would smile often as we know that smiling is a form of charity, and he was also very humble and never deemed others inferior, that brings to my mind a very famous quote by Sheik Suleiman Mulla where he says “I assume others better than myself, simply because I assume them to be sinners, while I know with certainty that I am a sinner”. He also spoke very clearly and I think it goes without saying that he never gossiped or slandered and just never engaged himself in useless talk.

After Asr namaz he would spend time with his family, whether he was taking part in the household chores or just talking about their days.

He never went out right after Maghrib because shaitan starts roaming the streets in the first portion of the night (approximately one hour after maghrib). Instead he would wait one hour and then go out, and that too only if it was something of importance.

After Isha, some nights he spent with his wife, while on others he would stay up in prayers. It is said that after Isha there a three groups of people; those who get blessings, those who get sins, and those who do not get anything. The ones that get blessings are those that spend the night in worship, while the ones that get sins are the ones who use that time to gossip or backbite, and the ones who do not receive anything, are the ones that go to sleep right after Isha.

When retiring he would put away all pots and utensils and would never keep the exposed. He would also turn off all appliances and would lock all doors. He would then apply kohl to eyes three times and perform wudhu.

When he was ready to go into bed he would dust his bed three times because you don’t know what was in your bed since the last time you lay in it. He would lay on his right side, placing the right hand below the right cheek. He would also never lie on his stomach because it is a sleeping position that is disliked by Allah (swt).

He would then make intention of waking up for tahajjud. It comes in a hadith that whoever makes intention for waking up for tahajjud and during the night sleep overwhelms them, then that sleep would be counted as a donation.

When having bad dream he would recite  and imitate the action of spitting on his left side before going back to sleep.

The point to take away from all this is not the order in which The prophet (saw) did things, but rather that he did do them. We shouldn’t take of great importance that he spent time with his family AFTER Asr, but rather that he would take a portion of his day out to spend with his family. In the time of our beloved Nabi (saw), the Sahabas used to love the actions of The prophet (saw) because they were sunnah, and today we are leaving it because it is just sunnah. Today we have sunk so low that we can’t even be bothered to say (SAW) after our Nabis name is mentioned anymore.

May Allah (SWT) grant us all the tawfeeq to act upon this Inshallah. 

Patience & Perseverance

~ When you’re hurt by people who share the same blood as you, then just remember Yusuf (AS), who was betrayed by his own brothers.
If you find your parents opposing you, remember Ibrahim (AS), whose father led him to the fire.
If you’re stuck with a problem where there’s no way out, remember Yunus (AS), stuck in the belly of a whale.
If you’re ill & your body cries with pain, remember Ayoob (AS) who was more ill than you.
When someone slanders you, remember Ai’sha (RA) who was slandered throughout the city.
When you’re lonely, recall Aadam (AS) who was created alone.
When you can’t see any logic around you, think of Nuh (AS) who built an ark without questioning.
If you are mocked by your own relatives then think of Prophet Muhammad (SAW).
Allah (SWT) put these Prophets to trial, so that later generations may learn a lesson of patience & perseverance. ~

Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Power)

Asslamulaikum Have you ever wondered who the most unfortunate person in the world is? Let me answer that for you; the most unfortunate person in the world is the one who did not make it the next Ramadhan to have his past sins forgiven. How many people are laying in there Grave, who thought they can make it to Ramadhan this year. They never made it! We are blessed to have made it to this Ramadhan! But we must make the most of it. The Prophet (SAW) said: 'Whosoever reaches the month of Ramadhaan and does not have his sins forgiven, and so enters the Fire, then may ALLAH distance him.'[Ahmad (2/246) and Bayhaqi (4/204)]

We also have in hand Lailat-ul-Qadr (Night of Power). The Messenger (SAW) said: 'Whoever prays the Night of Qadr with Iman (faith) and hoping for its reward, ALLAH will forgive him all his previous sins.' [Bukhari and Muslim].                                                                                                                                             Allah (SWT) says in the Qur'an in Surah Al-Qadr: 'We have indeed revealed this (message) in the Night of Power. And what will explain to thee what the Night of Power is? The Night of Power is better than a thousand months. Therein come down the angels and the spirit by God's permission, on every errand: Peace!' (97:1-5) Aa'isha (R) said: 'When the last ten days of Ramadhaan arrived the Messenger (SAW) used to abstain (from contact a with his wives) and he would establish the nights. He would awaken (his family) to do the same also.' [Bukhari and Muslim]                                                                                                                                                     

This Night is a 'Night of Mercy', a 'Night of Blessing', a 'Night of Peace' and a 'Night of Guidance'. It is a 'Night of Unification' between the finite world of ours and the Infinite Universe of the Unseen.

So when does this blessed of nights occur? Lailat-ul-Qadr is reported to be during one of the odd numbered nights of the last ten days of Ramadhaan, i.e. 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th or 29th. It has been emphasized that it is most likely to be the 27th night. But this doesn't by anymean that we should depend on 27th night only.

Some of the Signs of the Night of Power:

* The Messenger of Allah (SWT) described the morning of the night of Qadr so that the   muslims can know which night it is: Ubayy (R) said : 'On the morning of the night of Qadr the sun would rise without any beams; (it is like) a wash basin until it raises.' [Muslim]

* Abu Hurairah (R) said : 'We mentioned the night of Qadr to the Messenger of ALLAH  (SWT) and he said: 'Which of you remembers when the moon rises and it is like half a bowl.' [Muslim]

* Ibn Abbaas (R) said that the Messenger of ALLAH  (SWT) said : 'The night of Qadr is a night of generosity and happiness, it is not hot and neither is it cold. The sun comes up in its morning weak, reddish.' [Tabaranee, Ibn Khuzaimah and Bazzaar]

May Allah (SWT) guide us and may HE strengthen our Iman and help us to live another year with sincerity and devotion. Ameen.

The Right The Wrong and The Answer

All praise to God the Al-Mighty and the Exalted. Allah created humans and this earth only for one sole reason. And that reason was our beloved Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W).  Allah created the earth for six days and on the seventh he rested marvelling in what he had created. Allah created Adam (A.S) and from his left ribs his wife; Hawa or Eve as many people know her. As we all know the story, Hawa and Adam were told by Allah not to eat from this one tree. Satan, or Iblis or Shaytaan as many people call him had been rebuked from being an angel to being Jinn.  He tricked Eve into eating from that tree as we all know girls can/are easily manipulated at times. Anyways, Allah got angry at both husband and wife and threw them out of heaven and into the world that today we all reside on. They had children who had children who had children and so on forth it went. From those children’s and children’s the Prophet Nuh or Noah was born and he lived a couple of hundred years and then Prophet Ibrahim was born, then his son Prophet Ismail from his wife of that time Hajara or as known in English Hagar. After a few years Prophet Isaac was born from his other wife Sarah. Prophet Isaac had a son whose name was Yakub which in English is Jacob; he then had twelve sons and the eleventh son happened to be Prophet Yusuf or known as Joseph. However, there’s another tragic story that happened with Prophet Yusuf but continuing on somehow leads to Prophet Musa also known as Moses who well he was brought up to believe he was a prince when he wasn’t. The people of all these prophets were known as the Bani Israel. I don’t know if many people know this tribe however, they cause Musa (A.S) some very hard time. They always had to question the yes and the no, this and what. They didn’t have a stop to their questions. They wanted the right, the wrong and the answer. But they would never be satisfied with what they got.

Today’s society seems to have become like Bani Israel... to be honest that is. Everyone wants this question and they want that answer. This isn’t right or that isn’t wrong. It always has to be questioned. Of course I’m not accusing or assuming this about people, just stating a fact that I have seen with my own eyes. Back in school my teacher would call us students Bani Israel because we would love to question her and ask questions that were useless. Also Bani Israel had the tendency to do the opposite of what was told to them and well my class and I would do that, it was quite amusing.

I’d like to touch upon a topic that has been well driving me crazy for the past few days. There are many people who have become scholars and well learned people of Quran and Hadith and the ways of the Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W).  Learning this and talking about it is an amazing thing to do. To learn and to leach is the greatest. However, it all depends on who, what, where and how you are learning it from; when, you can learn whenever. The stuff you learn should be authentic; it should be backed up with the proof with Hadith and Quran.  Before the death of our Prophet (S.A.W) he said a Hadith in which it has been narrated to say: “After my death there will come a time when more than 70 different nations of Muslims will be known” it is not the exact narration but Allah forgive me if I have spoken it wrong in any way, ameen. Today if you look around there are many people who have created different groups of Islam and following only what they like. For example; there are people who only follow the Quran and not Hadith and Sunnah. Then there are people who are the opposite, they follow the Hadith but not Quran and Sunnah. And then there are some who follow only the Sunnah and do not believe in the Quran and Hadith. There are other groups out there known as Al-Huda and Isna and I don’t even know for sure how many others there are. But my point here is that you don’t know who is right and who is wrong. You have to believe in Allah, in Muhammad (S.A.W), in the Quran and in Hadith. When hearing something or reading something you should make sure where it is from, is it authentic? Let’s just say that you hear something and its wrong and you spread the word around, you will get a sin for it. However, if you don’t know that it’s wrong it’s up to Allah then but Inshallah Allah is the Most-Forgiving and of course he’d forgive us all. That’s why it is up to you to figure out the Right the Wrong and the Answer. Also, when you hear something or see something you shouldn’t just go telling everyone about it, first find out if it is a reliable source; learning something from a Sheik, Molana or an Aalimah is right, no one would question that but then it depends on who they follow; are they following just Quran? Just Hadith? Just Sunnah? Or all three? Do they believe in everything Allah says or are they questioning it and only believing what they think are easy for them? Because today, I myself with my own eyes have seen people follow one Muslim nation but only accepting and doing the things they find easy for them and the rest... it’s all history.

So the moral of what I just wrote above; Figure out what you hear, see or learn is authentic or not. Who has it said by? A sheik? A Molana? An Aalimah? You should make sure of it and keep close tabs on what is being said. And after you learn that it is reliable you should then practise upon it before preaching it.

May Allah keep us all in His good favour and May He forgive us for all our sins and May he give us all Jannat-ul-firdos. Ameen.

Oh and one last thing, the last ten days of Ramadan are going by, make these last ten days like they are last ten days of your life. In one of these nights will be Laylutal Qadr also known as The Night of Power, it comes on one of the odd nights, one of them has already passed, tonight is the second one. Keep in mind that this night is a very powerful night and Allah comes down from His Throne to rest above the Earth so he can see who is praying for him, who is dedicating themselves to him during the night. He sends out his Angels to gather and record all that is being done.  Read Quran, pray extra salaah and search for the Night of Power. Have a good morning, evening, or afternoon to everyone in the world. Remember me in your duaas and me in return.

Oh and I hope I haven’t offended anyone cuz it was never the case to offend anyone.

The Right the Wrong and the Answer should be learned by everyone, it’s only best.

Shabe-e-Barat

The 15th night of Shabaan is known as Shabe-e-Barat or Laylat al-Bara’ah (The night of salvation), and is amongst the most blessed of nights. It is the special night of seeking forgiveness and repenting to Allah (SWT). It is said that on this night, new Record books are started and the list of people who will die in the year will be handed over to the angels of death.

It is emphasized the importance of Huqooq al-Ibaad, on this blessed night as it should be the duty of all Muslims to forgive one another and to make sure that whatever debts owed to one another is settled. For most of us we have friends or relatives that we did not leave things off on a good note, and perhaps we WANT to talk to them and ask for forgiveness and settle any misunderstandings, but we are held back with the thought that we have tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. But we know that tomorrow is not guaranteed, so take advantage of this blessed night and tie any loose ends.

It is also strongly encouraged to spend the night in worship and to fast the following day. Ibne Habaan (R) narrates that Rasoolullah (SAW) said: “When the night of 15th Shabaan arrives spend the night awake and keep fast the next day”. It was observed that the Prophet (SAW), besides Ramadhan, kept the most fasts in the month of Shabaan.  It is said that after sunset during the night of Middle of Sha’ban, Allah in His great mercy and kindness turns towards His creation and asks, “Is there anyone who would seek My forgiveness and I forgive him/her? Is there anyone who is in need to ask Me and I provide for his/her needs. Is there anyone who in pain and seek My help and I help him/her? Is there? Is there? until the time of Fajr.”

A view on a Muslim women

Asslamualkuim. In class today my teacher gave us essay reading to do, this essay in particular was about a Muslim girl who was telling the world that her body is her OWN business and no one else’s. I really enjoyed reading the essay and I have posted it below. Read on after to see what I have to say about the Hijaab and Veil.

My body is my own business By Sultana Yusufali

09 Oct 2006

I probably do not fit into the preconceived notion of a “rebel.” I have no visible tattoos and minimal piercings. I do not possess a leather jacket. In fact, when most people look at me, their first thought usually is something along the lines of “oppressed female.”

The brave individuals who have mustered the courage to ask me about the way I dress usually have questions like: “Do your parents make you wear that?” Or “Don’t you find that really unfair?”

A while back, a couple of girls in Montreal were kicked out of school for dressing like I do. It seems strange that a little piece of cloth would make for such controversy. Perhaps the fear is that I am harbouring an Uzi underneath it. You never can tell with those Muslim fundamentalists.

Of course, the issue at hand is more than a mere piece of cloth. I am a Muslim woman who, like millions of other Muslim women across the globe, chooses to wear the hijaab. There are many different ways to wear it, but in essence, what we do is cover our entire bodies except for our hands and faces. If you’re the kind of person who has watched a lot of popular movies, you’d probably think of harem girls and belly-dancers, women who are kept in seclusion except for the private pleasure of their male masters. In the true Islamic faith, nothing could be further from the truth. And the concept of the hijaab, contrary to popular opinion, is actually one of the most fundamental aspects of female empowerment. When I cover myself, I make it virtually impossible for people to judge me according to the way I look. I cannot be categorized because of my attractiveness or lack thereof. Compare this to life in today’s society: We are constantly sizing one another up on the basis of our clothing, jewellery, hair and make-up. What kind of depth can there be in a world like this?

Yes, I have a body, a physical manifestation upon this Earth. But it is the vessel of an intelligent mind and a strong spirit. It is not for the beholder to leer at or to use in advertisements to sell everything from beer to cars. Because of the superficiality of the world in which we live, external appearances are so stressed that the value of the individual counts for almost nothing. It is a myth that women in today’s society are liberated. What kind of freedom can there be when a woman cannot walk down the street without every aspect of her physical self being “checked out”? When I wear the hijab I feel safe from all of this. I can rest assured that no one is looking at me and making assumptions about my character from the length of my skirt. There is a barrier between me and those who would exploit me. I am first and foremost a human being, equal to any man, and not vulnerable because of my sexuality. One of the saddest truths of our time is the question of the beauty myth and female self-image. Reading popular teenage magazines, you can instantly find out what kind of body image is “in” or “out.” And if you have the “wrong” body type, well, then, you’re just going to have to change it, aren’t you? After all, there is no way that you can be overweight and still be beautiful.

Look at any advertisement. Is a woman being used to sell the product? How old is she? How attractive is she? What is she wearing? More often than not, that woman will be no older than her early 20s, taller, slimmer and more attractive than average, dressed in skimpy clothing. Why do we allow ourselves to be manipulated like this? Whether the ’90s woman wishes to believe it or not, she is being forced into a mould. She is being coerced into selling herself, into compromising herself. This is why we have 13-year-old girls sticking their fingers down their throats and overweight adolescents hanging themselves.

When people ask me if I feel oppressed, I can honestly say no. I made this decision out of my own free will. I like the fact that I am taking control of the way other people perceive me. I enjoy the fact that I don’t give anyone anything to look at and that I have released myself from the bondage of the swinging pendulum of the fashion industry and other institutions that exploit females.

My body is my own business. Nobody can tell me how I should look or whether or not I am beautiful. I know that there is more to me than that. I am also able to say no comfortably when people ask me if I feel as though my sexuality is being repressed. I have taken control of my sexuality.

I am thankful I will never have to suffer the fate of trying to lose/gain weight or trying to find the exact lipstick shade that will go with my skin colour. I have made choices about what my priorities are and these are not among them.

So next time you see me, don’t look at me sympathetically. I am not under duress or a male-worshipping female captive from those barbarous Arabic deserts. I’ve been liberated. I am a W O M A N…..Yes a MUSLIM WOMAN.

Reading the above article, what crosses your mind? Do you sill presume that Muslim women are oppressed? I hope not. We Muslim women are given the free right in everything; unless forbidden in Islam. When clearly thought, there is nothing in Islam that a women can’t do. She is allowed same rights that men are.  Yes, women aren’t allowed to lead salaah (prayer) but everything else? A Muslim is allowed. As a Canadian born citizen, I've rights and I'm happy to be given those rights. It shouldn’t be up to the government nor to any ruler of a country to decide what the women should shouldn’t wear, that’s like saying Jewish men wear their hats or the seihk, wear their turban- a Muslim woman has her veil or in other words the face mask. It’s not much of a mask it’s a cloth that you tie from behind and it’s really really comfortable. There are many ways to wear the veil some women wear it half- their foreheads show then. The picture above is how most women wear their veils some wear it like the picture below

I wear a veil and quite proud of wearing it too. When I was in 7^th grade, I wanted to go to an Islamic all girls’ school; ya we have something like that in Canada can you imagine that? Anyways, once in my school I started to see all the girls around me and alot of them were Arab who wore veils; I wanted to follow suit. I just about wanted to do it so much that my dad had to stop me cuz I was young. Well I was, wasn’t I? Only 12. But once the summer of 7^th grade started I started wearing the veil. I was so happy and so proud. Men would look at me and show disgust, women would be walking, seeing me in their path they would start talking bad about Islam and walk about 50 miles away from me (I am exaggerating) but that's how it was back then, and I'm talking about 2007/08. I wouldn’t say that it was the hardest year of my life but it wasn’t easy. My aunts and uncle pretty much had predicted it considering how religious my family is. However, when they all heard it was my OWN choice and my father had no say in it they all were shocked. My aunts and uncle at that time weren’t religious as they are now. But as my elders say “it takes time for flowers to grow” just about it takes time for everything. As my family was in the transition mode from modern life to religious, no one in our relations wanted to accept it. But they did. Two of my aunts wear the veil, my sister and cousin does too, my dad’s youngest sister is still going through the phase of wearing the hijaab and abaya. 

 

There are many types of tying your hijaab and many different kinds of abayas- color, fancy, simple, just in black. That's the beauty of Islam, which women can wear any color she wants!     

 But back to my point- Islam has not oppressed a women, it has liberated her. But when men like the ruler of France say that women aren’t allowed to wear the veil in France, that's plain wrong. I am against it. No person in this world can tell a Muslim women what to wear and what not to. We women were told by our prophet, who was told by Allah, what to wear and that is the veil. We will stick to it till the end of our breaths. I will for sure. Below I have an article from CBC News on the banning of the niqaab in France:

French Senate bans burka

Bill awaits President Nicolas Sarkozy's signature

Last Updated: Tuesday, September 14, 2010 | 2:34 PM ET

The Senate voted 246 to 1 in favour of a ban on Muslim women wearing burkas such as the one worn by this woman at Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower in Paris on June 24, 2009. (Gonzalo Fuentes/Reuters)

The French Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday for a bill banning the burka-style Islamic veil everywhere from post offices to streets, a move that affects only a tiny minority of the country's Muslim women but has significant symbolic repercussions.

The Senate voted 246 to 1 in favour of the bill, which has already passed in the lower chamber, the National Assembly. It will need President Nicolas Sarkozy's signature to become law.

Dissenters have 10 days to challenge the measure in the constitutional Council watchdog, but that is considered unlikely.

Legislative leaders said they wanted the constitutional Council to examine it.

"This law was the object of long and complex debates," the Senate president, Gerard Larcher, and National Assembly head Bernard Accoyer said in a joint statement explaining their move. They said they want to be certain there is "no uncertainty" about it conforming to the constitution.

The measure affects fewer than 2,000 women, but Muslims believe it is one more blow to France's second religion, and risks raising the level of Islamophobia in a country where mosques, like synagogues, are sporadic targets of hate. Some women have vowed to wear a full-face veil despite the law.

The proposed law was passed overwhelmingly by the National Assembly on July 13. The green light from the Senate would make it definitive once the president signs off on it — barring amendments and an eventual legal challenge.

In France, the terms "burka" and "niqab" often are used interchangeably. The latter is a full-face veil, often in black. Unlike the burka, it does not obscure a woman's eyes.

'A law that is unlawful'

The measure would outlaw face-covering veils in streets, including those worn by tourists from the Middle East and elsewhere. It is aimed at ensuring gender equality, women's dignity and security, as well as upholding France's secular values and way of life.

Kenza Drider, however, said she'll flirt with arrest to wear her veil as she pleases.

"It is a law that is unlawful," said Drider, a mother of four from Avignon, in southern France.

"It is ... against individual liberty, freedom of religion, liberty of conscience," she said.

"I will continue to live my life as I always have with my full veil," she told Associated Press Television News.

Drider was the only woman who wears a full-faced veil to be interviewed by a parliamentary panel that spent six months deciding whether to move ahead with legislation.

Muslim leaders concur that Islam does not require a woman to hide her face. But they have voiced concerns that a law forbidding them to do so would stigmatize the French Muslim population, which at an estimated five million is the second largest in France and the largest in western Europe. Numerous Muslim women who wear the face-covering veil have said they are now being harassed in the streets.

Identity crisis

Raphael Liogier, a sociology professor who heads the Observatory of the Religious in Aix-en-Provence, said Muslims in France are already targeted by hate-mongers and the ban on face-covering veils "will officialize Islamophobia."

"With the identity crisis that France has today, the scapegoat is the Muslim," he said.

'I'll exclude myself from society when I wanted to live in it.'—Oum Al Khyr, Muslim Frenchwoman

Ironically, instead of helping some women integrate, the measure may keep them cloistered in their homes to avoid exposing their faces in public.

"I won't go out. I'll send people to shop for me. I'll stay home, very simply," said Oum Al Khyr, who wears a niqab that hides all but the eyes.

"I'll spend my time praying," said the single woman "over 45" who lives in Montreuil on Paris's eastern edge. "I'll exclude myself from society when I wanted to live in it."

The law banning the veil would take effect only after a six-month period.

Full veils 'not welcome': Sarkozy

The Interior Ministry estimates the number of women who fully cover themselves at some 1,900, with a quarter of them converts to Islam and two-thirds with French nationality.

The French parliament wasted no time in working to get a ban in place, opening an inquiry shortly after Conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy said in June 2009 that full veils that hide the face are "not welcome" in France.

The bill calls for the equivalent of $198.75 Cdn in fines or citizenship classes for any woman caught covering her face, or both. It also carries stiff penalties for anyone such as husbands or brothers convicted of forcing the veil on a woman. The $39,750 fine and year in prison are doubled if the victim is a minor.

It was unclear, however, how authorities planned to enforce such a law.

"I will accept the fine with great pleasure," said Drider, vowing to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg if she gets caught.

© The Canadian Press, 2010

All I can say to that is okay then... we Muslims have rights and those rights include freedom of religion. In Québec it has also been decreed that when a women comes into any government building, she has to show her face if she is wearing a veil. Why? Why is it such a big deal that a woman is covering her face? She’s covering her beauty that no man should be allowed to see other than her husband. When I go to an airport or a bank I know that I have to show my face; that permission is given in Islam, that in a time of need you may show your face. But why un-necessarily? I really see no reason. My own fellow Muslim disagrees upon this- some do not all- but those who do, shame on you. As a Muslim you should care for your women and see that, their banning the veil is a type of harassment. When I read the news and see all this crap being talked I can only shake my head and pray to Allah for guiding us to his straight path.

Many people say that in the Quran it is not written that women have to wear the veil. But it clearly states in the Quran that women do.  And I will prove that it does.

In surah Al-Ahzab, ayah 59 it says

“O Prophet! Tell your wives and your daughters and the women of the believers to draw their cloaks (veil) all over their bodies (i.e. screen themselves completely except eyes or one eye to see the way). That will be better, that they should be known (as free respectable women) so as not to be annoyed. And Allah is Ever Oft-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

So there you have it. Muslim women do have to wear the veil. It makes them look and feel respected. It shows the modesty in them, shows how different she is rather than a non-Muslim woman (no offense to anyone).

Seeing the picture on the side, what do you see? Would the government of any country stop women to wear skirts, let them be mini or long, shorts, tank tops, dresses that show more skin than the actual dress? No, they wouldn’t. So why a Muslim woman should be ruled by her country’s government, when all the other women walk freely wearing whatever they like? Did you know that just cuz a woman or I being Muslim are stopped from playing sports? Working in pharmacies? Swimming? Surfing? No. We are liberated women and can do what we like. No man has any right over us neither does any government. We Muslim women are not slaves or oppressed by our fathers, brothers and husbands, but wearing something we love! I am proud to be a Muslim WOMAN WHO WEARS THE VEIL!

Women shpping in their veils is a normal aspect

Hell ya! We Muslimah's know better fashion! lol

We even go to collage/university to get qualified and graduate

Women in hijaab surfing

C'mon we gotta play basketball now

No one said we couldn't sit by the lake

Everyone is an athlete. And this woman is a swimmer.

A pharmacists 

SWAG!

Did you know Muslim woman did fashion shows? cuz that's what they are doing.

Little girls who are the age of 6 or even 4 start to wear the hijaab.....my own little cousin does!  Their parents do not force them, or beat them, but the little girls see their older sisters, their mothers wearing the hijaab and want to wear it too. The hijaab and the veil are quite influential. Below are some pictures that I hope express more than words. Oh but in my conclusion I will say again; I was never forced to do anything and never will. I am a liberated woman who has my rights and will do as I like. Islam has told me to cover myself and I will. I love my veil and I love my religion and will do so till I die. PROUD TO BE MUSLIM!     

A Mother's Value

‘A man came to the Prophet (pbuh) and asked “Who should I put first above all?” The Prophet (pbuh) has then been narrated to say; “your mother” “Then who?” The man asked. “Your mother” The prophet replied. “Then who?” The man asked, “Your mother” The Prophet replied. “Then who?” The man asked again, “your father” The Prophet replied.’

-Said with references from Hadith books; may Allah forgive me for narrating the Hadith in its wrong due-fill written manner.

After Allah a mother is the main cause for our entrance into this world. In the above hadith, Nabi (s.a.w) gave mother a three times higher status than fathers. Why? Because what a mother does for her children not a single other soul in the world can ever do. Firstly she carried her child in her stomach for 9 long months bearing pain that no one else can understand. After all this she spends the rest of her life loving her child, raising him or her and working hard to give him or her beautiful life.

No one can understand what it means to be a mother except our mothers themselves. No one can love and care for someone so much that they sacrifice everything in their life for us than our mother does for us.

A mother is someone who stayed up all night taking care of you. She closed up the cuts you got playing outside. And yet we do not value our mothers they way we should. Every day our mother get up early in the morning to make our lunches for school, washes our clothes and does so much more!

The children of today don’t realize the value we should give our mothers. In the Georgian calendar, mother’s day comes around once a year. Why is that we should be nice, kind and loving to our mother on that one day? Why should we give a gift on that specific day? Why not every day? In Islam, we are taught from the day of our birth to love your mother. To not say even oof to her. To not humiliate, embarrass her or be disrespectful to her. Every day is mother’s day for Muslims; every day we should be kind to our mother, love her and respect her.

One day your mother might leave this earth, then what will you do? Today, when you're hurt or sad and want a comforting shoulder; you turn towards your mother. If she's gone, who will you turn towards to after Allah? Value her while you have her for death doesn’t come calling and you never know what may happen next.

Jannah (paradise) lies underneath the feet of your mother; remember that and follow what you have to, to keep your mother happy and you can remember to accept acceptance into Jannah.

A mother is important and without her you couldn’t be standing where you stand today. May Allah (swt) make us all the coolness of our parent’s eyes and May he keep us dutiful to them and may we all love our mother and father till our death. Ameen