Living Halal

Care for Refugees (find their conditions)

2009-04-11T19:34:00.001-07:00

Kickin it with the youth By, Mutah AKA Napoleon

2009-03-09T15:02:00.001-07:00

March 15th... come and find out how Dave Chappelle become Muslim.

http://napoleonoutlawed.com

From Rock Bottom To The Surface, By The Grace of Allah

2009-02-02T20:21:00.001-08:00

A story of a born Muslim from Lebanon. His traveled to America to pursue his dream in rap and basketball, but Allah had different plans for him.

Kids Recycling

2009-01-27T14:10:00.001-08:00

What is this kid saying?

2009-01-14T02:34:00.001-08:00

Go to http://HalfDate.com

It's GREAT :)

Rewards of Muharram

2009-01-05T00:40:00.000-08:00

Ibn Abbaas (may Allaah be pleased with him) said: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) came to Madeenah and saw the Jews fasting on the day of Aashooraa. He said, What is this? They said, This is a righteous day, it is the day when Allah saved the Children of Israel from their enemies, so Moosa fasted on this day. He said, We have more right to Moosa than you, so he fasted on that day and commanded the Muslims to fast on that day. (Reported by al-Bukhaari, 1865).

Help LivingHalal & Earn the Rewards of Qurbani

2008-11-27T23:10:00.000-08:00

Please click here to subscribe http://youtube.com/livinghalal

LivingHalal tries to spread Islam through day-to-day stories.

So, both Muslims and non-Muslims can see that Halal lifestyle is fun and rewarding.

We produce Halal lifestyle stories, interviews, and educational videos (such as Arabic supplications with word by word meanings).

Here are some samples.

Halal Fun Activities

Parenting

Practicing Islam in the West

Hajj Stories

Supplications with Word by Word Meanings

Correcting Our Mistakes

Help us by subscribing to our mailing list and YouTube channel.

So, spread the message and share the rewards, inshaAllah.

May Allah reward you with a halal life

Jazakum Allahu khaira

Halal Opportunities in the Riba-Fueled Economic Crisis

2008-11-13T04:02:00.000-08:00

You are invited to attend this timely event - via the web
or by calling in - on Sunday Nov 16th, 1-2pm (PST).

Halal Opportunities in the Riba-Fueled Economic Crisis

Click on the link to find your local time,
and PLEASE answer a short, two-question survey:
http://www.halalbucks.com/

The talk will, in-sha-Allah, cover:

* Fundamentals of wealth in Islam.
* Lessons learned from the current financial crisis.
* Opportunities in this life and in the hereafter.

The talk relies on alternative wisdom, being based on a
khutbah that has received EXCELLENT reviews, alhamdulillah.

It is designed to be unconventional, in order to help you
ask the RIGHT questions, inshaAllah.

May Allah bless you with tons of halal Rizq/provision.

How to Change your life? A LivingHalal Formula

2008-11-06T21:05:00.000-08:00

EVENT: How to change your life: A LivingHalal formula
DATE & TIME: Sunday, November 9th at 3:30pm Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast -- it's your choice)

Find out your local time here:
http://www.worldtimeserver.com/convert_time_in_US-CA.aspx?y=2008&mo=11&d=9&h=15&mn=30

TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, CLICK THIS LINK NOW...
http://XiosoftPresenter.com/?eventid=4967139

NOTE: If the link above does not work for you use the classic version...
http://InstantTeleseminar.com/?eventid=4967139

Visit our new site

2008-09-17T00:13:00.000-07:00

http://livinghalal.com

Also, have you heard of HalfDate? Sign up to the coolest mailing list for Sadaqa at HalfDate

Save your sister from Riba/interest

2008-08-11T23:04:00.000-07:00

assalam alaikum

I writing regarding Umm Zakiyyah, the sister who entered into a scholarship contest organized by Peterson (Petersonnelnet on YouTube).

I don't know her, so I can't endorse her or anything, but I decided to
help her, because 1- she wants to stay away from Riba 2- It's a golden
opportunity for Dawah.

So, here is why it's a good idea for you to help.

Three reasons you should adopt this campaign:

1- She presents a positive image for Muslims: a- go to school, b-
average Americans can relate to her (someone who speaks their language,
needs financial assistance for schooling, have multiple responsibilities as
a mother and a student c- got family values, cares for her kids).

2- Free Dawah through Petersonsnelnet. Usually organizers sends the
news all over the media, so imagine if a women with Hijab is the winner

3- Helping a Muslim to stay away from Riba (this is listed as number 3, because, arguably, we can simply raise $5000 to her, but if we adopt this project, it has more values than just donation)

The deadline is Aug 31, 2008, just in time for Ramadan, so it's good to enter Ramadan with some good deeds, don't you think so?

What can you do?

1- Set her video as your home page till Aug 31st.

2- If you have youtube channel, feature it like this: http://www.youtube.com/user/livinghalal

3- upload this info video to your channel
http://www.4shared.com/file/58593738/4524532e/SisterAmani.html

May Allah help you, because he promised to help you so long you help your fellow Muslim. In this case, you are helping me (cuz I'm asking you), and you are helping Umm Zakiyyah and her family.

-ibn Halal

Related links:
The sister's video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SO5oP8YlxR8
The contest organizer: http://www.youtube.com/user/petersonsnelnet

Giving Sadaqa makes you happier

2008-07-09T12:37:00.000-07:00

We all know that giving Sadaqa is a good thing in Islam.

A new study give you more logical assurance to give.

HalfDate is a LivingHalal sister site, and it features one cause every month.

Buy house Islamically

2008-07-01T02:04:00.000-07:00

Assalam alaikum

May the peace and tranquility be upon you.

This is a new business model we are trying.

On one hand we want to spread the message, on the other hand we need to sustain the effort.

So we are trying this mix model of both selling and sponsorship.

Our sister company HalalBucks.com is a for-profit company, but we at LivingHalal want to make their content available for free for Dawah purposes.

The agreement that we worked out is if we get the cost covered, plus a one time 10% profit (one time only) they will make the material available on the Internet (for free forever for this recording).

So, if you believe in this cause of eradicating interest/Riba and providing Halal alternatives. Buy this recording for $7 (59% discount over the original price of $17) or even give more as a sponsorship.

May Allah reward you for everyone who benefits from this material.

-LivingHalal

PS1: If you are not 100% satisfied, simply come and “unjoin” the campaign.

PS2: If you are satisfied, please post a comment so others can get a preview of what’s in the recording.

Again, we have moved :P

2008-06-27T17:48:00.001-07:00

http://www.livinghalal.com/blog

Conservation.org

2008-05-22T15:26:00.000-07:00

If you know that Islam calls us to protect our environment, you'd enjoy this site, conservation.org

Facing the challenges, savoring the triumphs - life of a new

2008-04-07T12:52:00.000-07:00

Assalam alaikum,

IslamicTube.net allows unlimited length of video, and since they are a Muslim site, better to give them traffic instead of YouTube.

Facing the challenges, savoring the triumphs - life of a new Muslim
Naima B. Robert author of my sisters' lips

Talk covered:

Life at the point of shahadah and beyond! What does it feel like to embrace Islam from another culture?
What areas of a persons life can be affected, what can be the impact of the conversion?

What are the highs and lows?

Next 20 minutes:
Family related issues can be covered:
1. Working out how to tell your family the news of your conversion
2. Working out how to introduce your new beliefs and way of life into your relationship with them, such as halal food, hijab, alcohol, celebrations of non-Islamic festivals, etc.
3. Trying to show your family and friends that you haven't joined an extremist cult, and that you won't grow out of it in time
4. Trying to show your family that Islam has made you a better person
5. Lack of resources to deal with fallout of converting (ex. What to do if legal action is taken by convert family)
6. Answering constant insult about Islam from family/friends
7. Dealing with non-monotheists (people of the book family members)

Last 20 minutes:
How can Muslims respond to the needs of Converts and how can they be of most help?
What do converts need from their Muslim community?

Keywords:
convert revert brothers sisters, N-Ti, hijab, clothing, fashion, Muslim women magazine, Muslim woman magazine, Azizah Magazine, MuslimGirl, MuslimTeen, Dawah, whyislam, livinghalal, halal life style,

http://N-ti.com
http://sisters-magazine.com
http://HalfDate.com

Event for Convert Muslims

2008-03-26T18:59:00.000-07:00

Assalam alaikum

I'm not going to remind you about the efforts that the Prophet (SAW) put to spread this deen.

But, I want to remind you, at the end of this email, you can do something too.

Starting this Friday 3/28/08, HalfDate.com is organizing a series of events under "Care for Converts Drive." Speakers/hosts from 3 continents, 4 timezones, have allocated time to express their care for your new family members, converts.

You have two mom speakers, Sr. Naima and Sr. Megan, who have to make baby sitting arrangement for their kids, and one dad speaker Br. Ali who has to interrupt his traveling plans for this DateDrive.

So, don't let them down.

Show your support, with a click of the send button.

EVENT: Habits of Excellence: Empowerment to Improve Through Criticism

Speaker: Sister Megan Wyatt, AskCoachMegan.com lifecoach
DATE & TIME: Friday, March 28th at 9:00pm Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, go to http://halfdate.com

EVENT: Funny questions but really sad: A conversation with Baba Ali
DATE & TIME: Saturday, March 29th at 12:00pm Pacific
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, go to http://halfdate.com

EVENT: Facing the challenges, savoring the triumphs - life of a new Muslim
Speaker: Sister Naima Roberts, author of the UK best selling book, From My Sisters' Lips
DATE & TIME: Saturday, April 5th at 9:00pm GMT/UTC (2:00pm California)
FORMAT: Simulcast! (Attend via Phone or Webcast — it's your choice)
TO ATTEND THIS EVENT, go to http://halfdate.com

TELL YOUR FRIENDS.... WE NEED AT LEAST 59 PARTICIPANTS.

JAZAKUM ALLAHU KHAIRA

We have moved

2008-03-17T19:39:00.001-07:00

http://www.livinghalal.com/blog

Sharing a success story

2008-02-25T17:09:00.001-08:00

Assalam alaikum

How fast can you raise $5,127 for needy school children?

With the help of Allah, things can be pretty fast. BUT only if we took
the FIRST STEP.

So, that's why we want to share this success story with you, so you
get motivated to take your first step.

In less than 5 hrs of work over the weekend, three brothers gathered
(two cheerleaders one worker) and finished the first version of
HalfDate.com (a site the pool resources for a specific cause).

With limited publicity, just friends, we are already getting donations
from all over the globe (*) and positive remarks like this.

> "I love the halfdate.com idea, masha'Allah. I wonder
> if Ijtema.net can help at all... I will certainly
> post a link to the site, at the least. "

The idea of HalfDate is not just about money, but pooling diverse
resources (e.g. expertise, word of mouth, micro-donations, grassroots
media,...), all the ingredients of having a tipping point effect, so
in-sha-Allah we can do something for the Ummah.

So how can you help? Just visit the site and post a comment.

http://halfdate.com/2008/02/24/school-textbook-drive/

May Allah reward you.

-LH

PS: Don't forget to post a comment, What's in it for you? Allah knows
best, so just post your comment and you will find out sooner or later.

PPS: We are looking for volunteers for logo, writing stories about it,
or simply spreading the word.

*The donation indicator (Chipin) on the site is not working now, so
you can't see the progress.

This site will be closed

2008-02-15T12:04:00.000-08:00

This site will be closed.

Thank you for your support

May Allah reward you

-Last count of visitors: 22,499 :)

LivingHalal in Action: Worship Allah, Not Your Job

2008-02-07T18:45:00.000-08:00

Surely, Allah makes things easy if you strive for his sake.

Muslim employees get more time for prayers
Saturday, January 26, 2008
BY MARY WARNER Of The Patriot-News

Somali immigrants who quit work at Arnold Logistics in Hampden Twp. because of a "misunderstanding" are back on the job, with accommodation for their daily prayers, a Muslim advocacy group says.

The warehouse and distribution services company has agreed to provide a 15-minute break for Muslim prayer, according to the Pennsylvania office of the Council on American Islamic Relations.

CAIR said 16 machine operators walked off their jobs on Jan. 9 "after a misunderstanding over a new policy which limited personal breaks for all employees to five minutes."

Madina Hasson of Mechanicsburg, a nurse who volunteers as a community organizer among midstate Somali immigrants, contacted Justin Peyton, director of civil rights for CAIR in Philadelphia.

They met Jan. 11 with Amy Rafferty, human resources director for Arnold Logistics, to explain that five minutes was too short for the daily prayers required of Muslims.

The workers had been unable to make their case because of a "language barrier," Peyton said Friday.

He said Rafferty "graciously listened" and relayed the workers' concerns to senior managers, who offered this week to rehire all 16 and provide them time each day for prayer.

About half the employees returned to Arnold. The rest had found other work, Peyton said.

Efforts to reach Rafferty were unsuccessful Friday.

MARY WARNER: 255-8267 or mwarner@patriot-news.com

This story of LivingHalal in Action is clipped from The Patriot-News.

Is Diet Soda Tayyeb?

2008-02-06T19:23:00.000-08:00

February 5, 2008
Symptoms: Metabolic Syndrome Is Tied to Diet Soda
By NICHOLAS BAKALAR
Researchers have found a correlation between drinking diet soda and metabolic syndrome — the collection of risk factors for cardiovascular disease and diabetes that include abdominal obesity, high cholesterol and blood glucose levels — and elevated blood pressure.

The scientists gathered dietary information on more than 9,500 men and women ages 45 to 64 and tracked their health for nine years.

Over all, a Western dietary pattern — high intakes of refined grains, fried foods and red meat — was associated with an 18 percent increased risk for metabolic syndrome, while a “prudent” diet dominated by fruits, vegetables, fish and poultry correlated with neither an increased nor a decreased risk.

But the one-third who ate the most fried food increased their risk by 25 percent compared with the one-third who ate the least, and surprisingly, the risk of developing metabolic syndrome was 34 percent higher among those who drank one can of diet soda a day compared with those who drank none.

“This is interesting,” said Lyn M. Steffen, an associate professor of epidemiology at the University of Minnesota and a co-author of the paper, which was posted online in the journal Circulation on Jan. 22. “Why is it happening? Is it some kind of chemical in the diet soda, or something about the behavior of diet soda drinkers?”

Source: New York Times

New blog preview

2008-02-04T23:15:00.000-08:00

Preview to LivingHalal new blog

What do you think?

Any comments?

Jazakum Allahu khaira for your feedback

-

LivingHalal Practical Advice for Brothers

2008-01-28T23:56:00.000-08:00

Assalamu Alaikum Wa Rahmatullahi Wa Barakato

You are invited to the LivingHalal teleconference series!

Show # 2 in this series is about practicing Islam in public for brothers living in America.

Call in at 3 PM (EST/New York time) on Sunday, Feb 3rd, 2008!
Phone Number: 712-432-3900
Conference Access Code: email livinghalal (at) g m a i l

Our guest speaker will be Br. Mutah Napoleon and other brothers, who will be covering topics such as:
- Figuring out how to pray outside of home.
- Beard-related issues.
- Shaking hands with non-Mahram women.
- Traveling as a Muslim :)
- Hanging out with men instead of women :)
- Lowering your gaze in the gym
- Attending events that have alcohol

We will have a short discussion for 20 minutes, and then we will open up the floor for questions from the audience either by phone, or through the comments of this post.

Looking for some practical tips to make your life easier? Join in on the call!

Milk from Clones: Is it Tayyeb?

2008-01-26T16:56:00.000-08:00

Alhamdulillah that Muslims care a lot about consuming halal food, but other than halal, Allah also asked us to consume good and healthy food, i.e. Tayyeb.

يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ كُلُوا مِمَّا فِي الْأَرْضِ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا خُطُوَاتِ الشَّيْطَانِ إِنَّهُ لَكُمْ عَدُوٌّ

O ye people! Eat of what is on earth, lawful and good; and do not follow the footsteps of the Evil One, for he is to you an avowed enemy. [2:168]

Just like milk from cloned cows, is it tayyeb or based on changing the good nature of Allah's creations?

لَعَنَهُ اللَّهُ وَقَالَ لَأَتَّخِذَنَّ مِنْ عِبَادِكَ نَصِيبًا مَفْرُوضًا

وَلَأُضِلَّنَّهُمْ وَلَأُمَنِّيَنَّهُمْ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُبَتِّكُنَّ آذَانَ الْأَنْعَامِ وَلَآمُرَنَّهُمْ فَلَيُغَيِّرُنَّ خَلْقَ اللَّهِ وَمَنْ يَتَّخِذِ الشَّيْطَانَ وَلِيًّا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ فَقَدْ خَسِرَ خُسْرَانًا مُبِينًا

يَعِدُهُمْ وَيُمَنِّيهِمْ وَمَا يَعِدُهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ إِلَّا غُرُورًا

Allah did curse him, but he said: "I will take of thy servants a portion marked off;

"I will mislead them, and I will create in them false desires; I will order them to slit the ears of cattle, and to deface the (fair) nature created by Allah." Whoever, forsaking Allah, takes Satan for a friend, hath of a surety suffered a loss that is manifest.

Satan makes them promises, and creates in them false desires; but Satan's promises are nothing but deception. [4:118-120]

So, next time before you get something down your pipes, make sure it's tayyeb.

Additional Resources About Food from Clones:

FDA Cloning Myth
The Center For Food Saftey
NPR Story: FDA Finds Meat, Milk from Clones Safe to Eat

Tags: Halal milk, milk from clones, cloned milk, food from cloned animals, organic food, organic milk, Muslim for organic, don't spoil what Allah has created.

Got Quran?

2008-01-23T18:32:00.000-08:00

The best way to read Quran anytime is to read it from your heart by memorizing it. But, in case you need a physical Quran and can't get hold of it, or you are in a state that you can't touch the Mushaf (the physical copy). No, problem, these online versions come handy!

http://www.quranflash.com/

http://quranexplorer.com/

Tags: Free Quran, Electronic Quran, digital Quran, softcopy Quran, Koraan, Koran, Qura'an, قران قرآن

For Sisters: Working From Home

2008-01-23T11:14:00.000-08:00

HireMyMom is a site created by non-Muslims. So if you believe that there is a need for moms to stay at home, read on.

Assalaamu alaikum bro...

I know YOU aren't a mom, but you know lots of families with stay-at-home moms. If you can just pass this information along, maybe it will help somebody. I got a part time work-from-home job as a healthcare recruiter (hiring nurses) from a job listing on this website: http://www.hiremymom.com/

HireMyMom is just a job board for moms who want to work from home, and all the jobs are posted by businesses who want to hire somebody to work from home. So it's like Monster.com but much more specific.

Instead of posting their jobs online for everyone to see, HireMyMom emails them to you directly once you pay to subscribe. You pay them a fee because they screen out all the scam jobs and fake business schemes etc., so you can find a real job working from home. I've seen ads for lawyers, web designers, journalists, and all sorts of stuff.

It's $29.95 for 3 months or $99 a year.

I hate to sound like a commercial. I promise I'm not on their advertising board. :) I just thought it was a good opportunity for legitimate work for women.

Jazak Allah khair!

Sister A.

Disclosure: After receiving the above note from our reader Sister A, LivingHalal has signed up for the affiliate program of HireMyMom, so if you click that link and sign up, you are ALSO helping us with some sales commission, may Allah reward you.

If you like the service of HireMyMom, you can sign up for affilate program or pass on this link http://www.1automationwiz.com/app/?Clk=2245778

Jazakum Allahu khaira

-

Practical Advice for Sisters

2008-01-23T00:19:00.000-08:00

Dear Sister,

Assalam alaikum

Looking for some practical tips to make your life easier?

Join in on the call!

You are invited to the LivingHalal teleconference series!

The first topic in this series is about practicing Islam in public for
sisters living in America. The purpose of this call is to simplify
common dilemmas faced by sisters living in the West.

Call in Sunday, January 27th, 2008
at 3 PM (EST/New York time) 12 Noon (PST/Los Angeles time)
Phone Number: 712-432-3900
Conference Access Code: (email livinghalal at gmail to get the access code)

Our guest speaker will be sister Umm Abdurrahman, who will be covering
topics such as:

-Figuring out how to pray outside of home.
-Hijab-related issues, ranging from dealing with people who stare to
finding hijabi clothes.
-Shaking hands with non-Mahram men.
-How to get a haircut as a hijabi…
…as well as other fascinating topics plaguing Muslim sisters in America!

We will have a short discussion for 20 minutes, and then we will open
up the floor for questions from the audience either by phone, or
through the Facebook LivingHalal group

Mark your calendar, THIS SUNDAY 3PM (EST), in-sha-Allah

Update:

Click here for the recording,

Or, here is the full recording

Click to Play

Tips for practicing Islam in public in America.

SISTERS Magazine

2008-01-19T23:25:00.000-08:00

This magazine sounds just like LivingHalal :)

Do you want to earn some rewards without having to put the efforts in setting up a magazine on your own? Simply, spread the message, subscribe for the magazine, and share the articles with friends and families.

Want to subscribe for free? Email us.

Disclosure: After finding out about SISTERS magazine, we have signed up for their affiliate program and may promote them in the future. This way, so we can support the on-going cost of LivingHalal programmings. May Allah help us all.

Help yourself and help SISTERS

You can also sign up for their affiliate program click here

-

LivingHalal in Action: From Sandra to Salma

2008-01-18T15:55:00.000-08:00

CBC broadcasted this story, a good balance to the tragic story of Aqsa Parvez.

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LivingHalal Teleconference Series

2008-01-16T23:10:00.000-08:00

In-sha-Allah, the first teleconference session will be about sister practicing Islam in public, you will get a notice for the time once we finalize it with the speaker.

We are launching a LivingHalal teleconference series, so what kind of topics you are interested in?
Having a Halal Business
8
Getting Married
13
Getting Healthy
4
Parenting
6
Practicing Islam in public (school/work)
17
48 votes total

EatingHalal: In Defense of Food

2008-01-07T18:54:00.000-08:00

A nice NPR story about eating better.

Author Michael Pollan summarized it nicely, "Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants."

Eat Food: As Muslims, when we eat, it's not just about Halal, but it has to be good too. As mentioned in the Quran.

[16:114] So eat of the sustenance which Allah has provided for you, lawful and good; and be grateful for the favours of Allah, if it is He Whom ye serve.

Not Too Much: Most of us know the statement of the Prophet (peace and prayer be upon him): "There is no worst container a person can fill other than his stomach. It's enough for one to eat a few bites, but if you have to eat/can't resist, then 1/3 for your food, 1/3 for your drink, and 1/3 for your breath." -Collected by Ibn Majah.

Mostly Plants: We can learn this from the story of Ibrahim/Abraham (peace be upon him) when he supplicated for the food of Makkah. In the authentic narration collected by Al-Bukhari, the Prophet (peace and prayer be upon him) said, if people only eat meat, they will get sick, except in Makkah (because of the supplication of Ibrahim (peace be upon him).

قال اللهم بارك لهم في اللحم والماء قال النبي ‏ ‏صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏ ‏ولم يكن لهم يومئذ حب ولو كان لهم دعا لهم فيه قال فهما لا يخلو عليهما أحد بغير ‏ ‏مكة ‏ ‏إلا لم يوافقاه

The author also mentioned about eating animals that consume green/pasture. Notice that in Islam, we can't eat meat/milk from animals that consume filthy diet (e.g. ground dead animals like the one being used in today's industrial farming).

So, the bottom line, if you want to eat better, follow Islam!

Here is the book cover of "In Defense of Food" by Michael Pollan.

-

Hajj of Br. Brother

2008-01-01T19:58:00.001-08:00

Click to Play

Hajj trip experience1428/2007

Alhamdulillah: Results So Far

2007-12-31T19:58:00.000-08:00

Dear LivingHalal fan!

Assalam alaikum,

We can't thank you enough but to say Jazakum Allahu khaira.

After the help of Allah, alhamdulillah, your help, dua, kind words, comments, suggestions, and spreading the words really made a difference.

May Allah surprise you on the judgment day with tons of rewards!

To give you a quick idea for the difference that you made in the Ummah, here is an update of LivingHalal's progress as of the end of 1428 (12/31/2007):
-LivingHalal Shahada clips has received tons of hits, and one sister used it to say her Shahadah!
-Similarly, for LivingHalal Hajj & Umrah supplications clips, alhamdulillah
-LivingHalal YouTube channel has received 148,001 video views
-Started an article syndication service, and our first article was carried by around 100 sites, including Islamicity.com
-Called to offering your Qurban locally (video featured on many sites)
-Organized its first school essay and drawing contest, with prize totaling $1000
-Helped promoting Muslim businesses at different events

Some of our on going projects,
-Working with two Hollywood producers/directors in an instructional DVD about prayer
-Launching LivingHalal life-changing teleconferencing service, topics cover halal life, health, success, marriage, and parenting.
-Launching GoodNewsBuzz service that helps sisters to work from a Halal environment at their convenience schedule.

If you want to work with us, sponsor any of our educational shows, or carry our contents, please contact us (livinghalal at gmail).

Keep us in your dua,

Again, may Allah reward you!

~LH

PS: You can help by joining our mailing list, subscribing to LivingHalal channel on YouTube, spreading the words, or joining LivingHalal facebook group.

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Review: Kid Content of IslamWeb.net

2007-12-27T00:10:00.000-08:00

Islamweb.net is a Web site that has a considerable amount of Islamic resources, e.g. Quran audio with English translation, which LivingHalal has used in its videos.

May Allah reward them and help them to improve.

Below is a review that we received from a brother about the Kids corner of Islamweb.

Well, you are often collecting reviews and opinions on things. You now have your first review of "kids corner" on Islamweb.

Something funny just happened.

I was looking through Islamweb and found "kids corner". Excited that I can show it to Haniyah, I clicked through and started going through one of the illustrated stories. First, I was a bit disappointed that everything looked arcane, and I was sure Haniyah will find it "scary." Why is Islamic = Medieval?

Anyway, I continued. The name of the story was "who is the owner of the jar" (I was thinking it would be about a cookie jar but it wasn't!). Anyway... i clicked through the story which was about two men who couldn't decide as to who is the owner of the jar full of gold that one man finds buried in a land he bought. Neither wants to claim the gold. One says he sold the land with whatever was in it so the jar is not his. The other says he bought the land not the gold so the jar is not his. They go to the judge. And the judge says... check this out... "do you have children?" Conveniently, one has a son and the other has a daughter. So the judge tells them to marry their children so that both can share the gold... and they both are happy!

I mean... what the heck is that! What is going on here? Marry your children so that you can split the gold? What's the point, what's the message for the children or the adults for that matter...? Now... I don't know if the story is taken from a narration or someone just made it up (later seems to be the case) but whatever its genesis might be, it certainly doesn't belong to "kids corner" (or any corner for that matter).

By the way, I checked out one Nasheed as well (Galla Allah is the title). It's so poor even I can't figure out what the message is for half of it. I don't know how much it costed to create this site but it really is disappointing...

I once searched for and found some "Islamic cartoons" they were so scary that i didn't even ask Haniyah to watch them after five minutes. can't Muslims create something that is relevant to what kids experience these days? we live in LA and never see stars but even then twinkle twinkle seems more relevant for my daughter.

Seekh Kabab

2007-12-20T17:00:00.000-08:00

The prophet (SAW) said: Eid Al-Adha plus the three following days are days of eating and drinking.

So, why not try this recipe for your Qurbani meat? :)

Ingredients required:
2lbs ground beef
1/3 cup cooking oil
2 tablespoons ginger paste
2 tablespoons garlic paste
1/2pkt Shan Seekh Kabab Masala (available at Desi stores)
[LivingHalal disclaimer: we are not promoting Shan :)) ]

Directions:
Mix all of the above ingredients except oil.
Make small meat balls.
Thread each meat ball through a skewer.
With a wet hand, flatten the ground meat mixture in a thin layer
around each skewer.
Pour oil onto a cookie sheet to coat the surface, and arrange the kababs on the cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 to 400 degrees until meat is cooked through.

This can be served as a snack or a dinner dish.

Recipe courtesy of aunty Nasreen Kakli for LivingHalal

My Sweet Memories from Hajj

2007-12-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

A sister telling her sweet memories from her Hajj trip, some highlights:
-You can communicate without knowing the other person's language
-Hajj is like walking into the National Geographic Magazine
-Excitement about sharing Hajj stories with classmates
-Human generosity in action
-Hajj is what you make of it

Please post your comments so we know what you think... may Allah reward you.

**If you are a sound engineer and would like to give us some free tips about recording... please contact us. May Allah reward you.

Subscribe to our mailing list.

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What's your gift for Allah on Eid AlAdha?

2007-12-18T01:06:00.000-08:00

The statement of offering

Back Story of Tuhfa's First Time Slaughtering

Below is an email sent from Tuhfa (of the above video) to his Qurbani-friends.

assalam alaikum

The first time I cut an Udhiyah is with Mohsin's Afzal-bhai-meat-vendor. (I think Eid 1425/2004).

I still remember, I didn't book any animals with you guys, but bought one on the spot (one lil secret, I didn't even pay from my pocket, I called a sister, "Hey, you want a qurban, so I can practice cutting." Well, didn't really confess that latter part to her, and subhana Allah, she agreed, and later I found out she already did one before I called, so may Allah reward her for paying for two Qurbans in that year.)

Anyway, since then, I've learned more about the virtues of Udhiyah, and started to practice and call others to do this worship every year. Alhamdulillah, every year I dedicate part of Jummah Khutbah about it, and more and more are doing it locally.

So, never underestimate the impact that you can make by simply taking someone along to this act of worship, or taking the initiative to organize this activity, or buying an extra Qurban so someone can practice this worship for the first time :)

May Allah reward all local Qurbani initiators and supporters, ameen.

-tuhfa

PS: For that sister who funded the learning experience, may Allah surprise you with tons of rewards in the hereafter.

PS2: I see Karim is leading people do the same up North!! May Allah accept from you!

LivingHalal in Action: Waste Concern

2007-12-14T00:57:00.000-08:00

In the authentic hadith collected by Muslim:

عرضت علي أعمال أمتي حسنها وسيئها فوجدت في محاسن أعمالها الأذى يماط عن الطريق
It is presented to me my Ummah's deeds, the good and the bad, so I found that among the good deeds: removing the filth from the road.

Waste Concern, a waste management not-for profit organization in Bangladesh, recently got covered by Marketplace Philanthropy Series.

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LivingHalal in Action: Muslim helps attacked Jews

2007-12-12T15:33:00.000-08:00

Let there arise out of you a band of people inviting to all that is good, enjoining what is right, and forbidding what is wrong: they are the ones to attain felicity. [Quran 3:104]

Muslim helps Jews attacked on New York subway

NEW YORK (CNN) -- A Muslim man jumped to the aid of three Jewish subway riders after they were attacked by a group of young people who objected to one of the Jews saying "Happy Hanukkah," a spokeswoman for the three said Wednesday.

Friday's altercation on the Q train began when somebody yelled out "Merry Christmas," to which rider Walter Adler responded, "Happy Hanukkah," said Toba Hellerstein.

"Almost immediately, you see the look in this guy's face like I've called his mother something," Adler told CNN affiliate WABC.

Two women who were with a group of 10 rowdy people then began to verbally assault Adler's companions with anti-Semitic language, Hellerstein said.

One member of the group allegedly yelled, "Oh, Hanukkah. That's the day that the Jews killed Jesus," she said.

When Adler tried to intercede, a male member of the group punched him, she said.

Another passenger, Hassan Askari -- a Muslim student from Bangladesh -- came to Adler's aid, and the group began physically and verbally assaulting him, Hellerstein said.

"A Muslim-American saved us when our own people were on the train and didn't do anything," Adler said. Watch Adler describe the altercation »

Adler pulled the emergency brake and the train stopped at DeKalb Avenue station, where police came on board.

The 10 suspects, ages 19 to 20, were taken into custody, said Brooklyn district attorney spokesman Sandy Silverstein.

Askari was first handcuffed alongside them, but he was released when Adler told police he was not an attacker, Hellerstein said.

Alder was treated at Long Island College Hospital for injuries that included a fractured nose and a cut lip that required several stitches, while Askari suffered a black eye, Hellerstein said.

The suspects are to appear in Brooklyn District Court on February 7 on charges that include assault, attempted assault, menacing, harassment, unlawful assembly, riot and disorderly conduct, Silverstein said.

The New York Police Department's Hate Crimes Task Force is investigating the incident, and will determine whether the suspects will be charged with hate crimes, Officer Philip Hauser told CNN.

Source link

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Hijab Stories: Compare and contrast

2007-12-12T15:22:00.000-08:00

Story 1: Muslim reverts having problems with their parents because of Hijab.

Below is the email exchange:

assalam alaikum

A sister is having a problem with her mom (and dad
too) for wearing Hijab. First, they said u can't wear
it inside the house, then they said you can't wear it
when going out with us, so she stop going out with
parents, now they are saying you are cutting family
ties.

Their relationship was good before Islam. Now, mom is
crying and dad is arguing and all that.

Any ideas?

Please pray for her.

Email Response:

Wa'alaikum assalaam...

Yeah, I started making dua for her as soon as I read that. SubhanAllah. As if it's not hard enough to start wearing hijab with everyone staring at you and asking questions, when your parents give you a hard time, too, it just wears you down. My mom used to call it my "garb", as in garb meaning a garment, but the way she said it to me it sounded like it was short for "garbage". :P My dad used to joke that people would think he was with a movie star in disguise or a cancer patient covering up her bald head. People would look at me in restaurants and he would keep whispering things like "see, they're all pointing at the poor little cancer girl." He lost his sense of humor over it after a while and won't go out in public with me anymore either. My mom is noticeably embarrassed, but has decided that life goes on and so we go out everywhere together now. All of us reverts get the same problem. My friend Yasmine's mom calls the hijab her "rags". I also got the same line a lot about cutting family ties (usually after THEY had refused to spend time with me, same story), but you have to just keep trying. It is sooooo important in our deen, and you know this already, that we can never break ties with our family, that we have to give them love and respect, and that especially we have to give our mom the highest respect and the best treatment no matter what. Chances are that they will get used to the hijab after a while, or least most of them will. It also helped in my case to try to maintain some of the same sense of style that expresses my personality that they are used to, for their sake and for my own. For example, they tend to freak out way more seeing me in jilbab and a black hijab than to see me wearing long skirts (which I always liked) and a flowery/lacy matching scarf. And when my mom would talk about religion with me and cry, I would just try to give a loving response and explain my reasons for my faith to her, even when I had already explained it again and again. It's not easy. Your family, who loves you more than anybody else, can also make you feel more uncomfortable than anyone else. It's a long process.

Amina

Story 2: According to news reports, a father killed his daughter for not wearing Hijab

Father says killed daughter in Canadian hijab case
Tue Dec 11, 2007 1:50pm EST
TORONTO (Reuters) - A Canadian teenager who was said to have clashed with her father about whether she should wear a traditional Muslim head scarf died of injuries late on Monday, and her father told police he had killed her.

Aqsa Parvez, 16, was found without a pulse in her home in the Toronto suburb of Mississauga earlier on Monday. She was resuscitated by paramedics, treated at two hospitals, and later succumbed to her injuries, police said on Tuesday.

Her father, 57-year-old Muhammad Parvez, has been charged with murder and was remanded back into custody after his first court appearance early on Tuesday.

"There was a 911 call placed by a man who indicated that he had just killed his daughter," Jodi Dawson, a constable with Peel Regional Police, told Reuters. "Everything else is evidentiary in nature and the investigation is in its preliminary stages at this point."

The victim's brother, Waqas Parvez, 26, was arrested and charged with obstructing police.

The story was on the front pages of Canadian newspapers on Tuesday. The newspapers quoted friends and schoolmates of the victim as saying she argued with her father over wearing a hijab, the traditional head scarf worn by Muslim females.

Photos of the teen retrieved from a social networking Web site show her in Western dress with her long dark hair loose.

"She was always scared of her dad, she was always scared of her brother," the Toronto Star quoted a classmate as saying.

Others were quoted as saying the girl wore traditional Muslim dress when leaving the house in the morning, but would change into other clothes in school washrooms.

Dawson said investigators will likely speak to the victim's schoolmates. The father will return for a bail hearing on Wednesday.

(Reporting by Jonathan Spicer; Editing by Peter Galloway)

Are you keeping up with your trust?

2007-12-09T02:02:00.000-08:00

Behold, thy Lord said to the angels: "I will create a vicegerent on earth." [Quran, Chapter 2: 30]

We did indeed offer the Trust to the Heavens and the Earth and the Mountains; but they refused to undertake it, being afraid thereof: but man undertook it; - he was indeed unjust and foolish; [Quran, Chapter 33: 72]

Our creator has assigned the Amanah (trust) to us to protect it and to be guardians on this earth... Part of our duties is to protect the earth, so what are some of the things that you can do to help protect our planet?

Well, as Muslims, we have to first learn then act.

Checkout this site: http://storyofstuff.com/

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Some News about Honey

2007-12-06T00:53:00.000-08:00

[16:68] And thy Lord taught the Bee to build its cells in hills, on trees, and in (men's) habitations;

[16:69] Then to eat of all the produce (of the earth), and find with skill the spacious paths of its Lord: there issues from within their bodies a drink of varying colors, wherein is healing for men: verily in this is a Sign for those who give thought.

Honey works best to calm kids' coughs, study finds
Mon Dec 3, 2007 4:00pm EST

By Michael Conlon

CHICAGO, Dec 3 (Reuters) - A spoonful of buckwheat honey quells a child's nighttime chest cold coughing better than the most common cough suppressant in nonprescription medicines, researchers said on Monday.

"Honey may be a preferable treatment for the cough and sleep difficulty associated with childhood upper respiratory tract infection," a team of investigators from Pennsylvania State University said.

Their study, paid for by the National Honey Board, an industry-funded U.S. Agriculture Department agency, compared honey to dextromethorphan -- or DM -- the most common cough suppressant in over-the-counter remedies.

Honey is not recommended for children under the age of one. Buckwheat honey is a dark variety that tends to have more compounds associated with honey's antioxidant properties, the researchers said. In addition, they said honey can sooth the throat and thus help control coughing.

The report said that neither the American Academy of Pediatrics nor the American College of Chest Physician backs the use of DM for childhood cough.

In addition the substance has been implicated in drug abuse among teenagers who use cough medicine to get high.

The study, published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, comes just weeks after a government advisory panel recommended that many nonprescription cough and cold medicines in use for decades should not be given to children under 6 until their efficacy can be proven.

That move came after a group of pediatricians and public health officials petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to restrict sales for children younger than 6 because of reports of deaths, seizures, hallucinations and other problems.

Makers have said the products are safe and effective, when given as directed, to children aged 2 and older.

The new study involved 105 youngsters age 2 to 18 who had been battling upper respiratory tract infections for seven days or less. Some were given 10 milliliters -- about one tablespoon

-- of buckwheat honey 30 minutes before bedtime, others got DM -- of buckwheat honey 30 minutes before bedtime, others got DM and others nothing at all.

Honey was found to make the best improvements in cough control and sleep followed by DM, while doing nothing showed the least improvement.

"Parents rated honey most favorably for symptomatic relief of their children's nocturnal cough and sleep difficulty," the study concluded.

"While our findings and the absence of contemporary studies supporting the use of DM continue to question its effectiveness for the treatment of cough associated with upper respiratory tract infections, we have now provided evidence supporting honey, which is generally regarded as safe for children older than 1 year, as an alternative," the authors said.

(Editing by Andrew Stern and Eric Walsh)

Source link

A Traveler's request for Forgiveness

2007-12-02T00:54:00.000-08:00

A very touching farewell email before Hajj.

Assalamoalaykum Warahmatullahi Wabarakatuh,

Inshallah this mail will find you all in best of your health and Imaan. It has been my honor to have known you and I feel humbled to share with you my upcoming trip to Mecca for Hajj. By blessing and will of Allah swt, I'll be leaving for the Journey of the lifetime on 4th of December.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for everything that you have done for me. I equally relish the joyous moments that I have shared with you and I pray to Allah swt that he increases love and brotherhood between us in the life to come.

I seek your forgiveness for my shortcomings and for anything that might have hurt you either knowingly or unknowingly. I ask you to consider my sincere apology and I pray to Allah swt to reward you for your kindness and generosity. Also please let me know if I owe you anything, that I can make arrangements for before I embark on my trip.

I ask Allah swt take me to his house with a clean and sound heart, free from any ill feelings. Please let me know if you would like me to make any duas for you or your family.

Jazakallahu khairan,

[Signature]

Tags: Hajj, Umrah, Omrah, Pilgrimage, Makkah, Mecca, 5th fifth pillar of Islam, well, goodbye, farewell

A Journey To Allah Forever

2007-11-25T19:46:00.000-08:00

A Journey To Allah Forever
By, Amir Abdelzaher, syndicated by LivingHalal Media

My journey started with a sickness.

Upon arriving at Amman, I was not feeling too well. My biggest fear thus far was that I may get so sick that I will not be able to perform Hajj properly. The first worry was that at Amman how would I take my clothes off and put on the Ihram while feeling this sick? I didn’t know what to do. While standing in front of the bathroom seeing everyone walk in and change into the ihram, I just grabbed my stuff and walked into the bathroom and threw on my ihram. There was a friendly Egyptian man working in the bathroom who helped me put it on. Everyone on the way looked towards the Hajji’s with reverence and asked Allah that they have a successful Hajj mabroor. On the plane everyone started reciting the Talbiyah. One man stood up reciting and tears were in his eyes as we flew over the miqat. “Labayak Allhuma Umrah”, everyone said in their minds.

Upon reaching Jeddah, my mom and I were happy that the whether was hot, so that I wouldn’t be cold in my ihram. After a few hours we took a bus to Mecca. Everyone was wondering when they would get a glimpse of the Haram. We thought every little masjed on the way was the Haram, until finally there it was. Between the different buildings we could see the minarets of the Haram. It was so glorious, and shining with great power. It was absolutely beautiful. Then suddenly the streets had filled up with people – we were arriving right after fajr. The streets were packed with every ethnicity you can think of. We went to our rooms at Gawharat Najd, just two minutes away from the Haram. Wow, one small room to fit five people, this is going to be something, I thought. We were instructed to perform the Umrah ASAP; I wanted to remove my ihram as well as I still wasn’t feeling that good. So my mom and I, her on her chair, went to do our Umrah.

I walked into the Haram in suspense of when I will see the Kaaba. We walked to the top floor and approached the end of the rail when then we saw it. Wow, it was there – so grand and powerful. The sight of it with hundreds or thousands of people walking around it was so magnanimous. We made our dua and we started our tawaf. I was really tired and unfortunately thought to myself, man I want to finish as quickly as possible so that I can go rest. After the tawaaf, I was too tired to push mom any longer on the wheelchair and ended up in a wheelchair next to her doing Sa’i. When we were done, I didn’t completely shave my head. It was a beautiful feeling. I felt refreshed. I went back to the hotel, took a shower and got some rest. I changed into my regular clothes, which was a white thobe. I was feeling a lot better health-wise. The next four or five days were spent at Mecca. Praying, resting, reflecting and a little bit of shopping. It is a different lifestyle. Our lives in those couple of days revolved around the prayer. We would wake up early to do tawaaf when it wasn’t crowded. Looking at the Kaaba was one of the most enjoyable activities. It felt great to just stare at it. There was so much power there.

Then The Big Day arrived. It was the 8th of Zul Hijjah, time to start Hajj. We were awoken at 1 a.m. to know that the buses were leaving for Mina and that we had to get ready immediately. I took my shower, put on my ihram and packed a small handbag. Upon arriving to Mina, we saw our tent in which we would stay. Wow, I thought, we were going to stay in this tent, and I was complaining about the hotel. We laid down our thin mattresses and set ourselves up. More of our group kept coming and our space started shrinking, the small two feet mattresses were now stuck to each other, so if you spread your arms it would hit your neighbor. El hamd Lellah. We are so spoiled by our lifestyles.

The next of day, 9th of zul Hijja is the day of Arafah. We waited for our buses in Mina and took off for a short drive to Arafah. Once at Arafah, (again, I was complaining about the AC tent in Mina), now there was an open tent with no AC. But everyone was focused. This was The Big Day. Al Hajj Arafah. If there is one day you really want to focus on, it’s this day. The mountains were beautiful, ranging from brown to red. We had a short talk with our sheikh and we were on our way. Everyone here went into his or her own zone. Chit-chatting here was almost unheard. Everyone was making his case with Allah. Recognizing his previous sins and making a covenant with Allah, to become a new person. Then the rest of the time was spent in Dua. Here, Allah forgives his servants. Here is where He says to His angels, “Look at My servants.” And that is what it’s all about. Millions are at the same place, coming to obtain benefits for themselves. Not wanting anything else but forgiveness from Allah. People don’t go to Hajj as someone goes on a vacation, to relax and have a good or okay time. People at Hajj are soldiers on a mission. A mission to answer the call of their Lord and seek His forgiveness as well as ask Him for what is bothering them or what they want. It is almost like a supreme doctor’s visit. You go there and tell Him the troubles you have and ask His assistance. “Wa ma nasr ela beALLah”. You alone we ask for assistance. Here is where it happens. No one can help you here except Him. Brothers were standing, lying down or sitting conversing with their Creator. Meeting with Him in this grand union, this was like the Day of Judgment. The meeting took place from Zuhr to Maghreb. The sunset here was another magnificent view.

One then waits again to make it on a bus to Muzdalefa. Upon arrival, the same cycle of surprise, worry, and regret takes place. You are surprised that now there are no tents here you worry about how you will manage, and you regret not giving enough shukr at the previous station. This night was a happy night. You can tell on everyone’s faces, it was almost like everyone felt that they had been forgiven at Arafah, and are here getting even nearer to Allah “Izdelaf”. We ate some crackers and walked around a little, then made our way to get some rest, as the following day would be one of the busiest days. The weather was pretty cold, especially since we were in the open plains with some wind and wearing our Ihram. I had brought a cover over from the hotel so that helped a lot. I dozed off to sleep while feeling different people make their camp next to us, a lot of whom it seemed, were from Turkey. The next morning one woke up having a hard time getting out of the covers because of the cold. This is where I said to myself, I will definitely get a super cold here and be finished. But like Allah had done earlier He pushed me through this in a manner which I had never witnessed before. We hastened our way back to the main camp Mina, which compared to Arafah, and especially Muzdalefa, was like a five star hotel. El hamd Lellah.

We rested a little, ate and received instructions. At Zuhr it was game time. We set out for Jamarat, the step which everyone hears so many stories about, which are frankly doing more damage than good. Here, we took our longest walk yet, as transportation is not available for this step. The weak and sick and some, as our group leader called, “female women” stayed back. This was like the military. We walked alongside thousands to go take out the enemy. What people miss though, is the spiritual aspect of this, and turn it into more of a physical mission. But whatever it maybe, it is still an adventure. You see the people going there with worry and anxiety on their faces, while the people returning are mostly smiling and chatting. Because of the sheer limited nature of the place and the magnitude of people, this tends to be where you witness the most crowds at Hajj. It is amazing when you first see the large Jamrah which everyone pelts this day. One after the other, hands were just swinging, making an all out attack on Shaytan. We were worried this first time, so we locked hands and hustled through, fired our ammunition, then retreated and regrouped. At my first throw I attempted the automatic fire method but failed as all of my rocks fell when another hand hit mine. Usually we lose a few people here from the group and they had to make their way back alone.

We then continued walking now towards Mecca. We had all missed it very much; those two days out in the mountains made us miss the House of Allah. We walked back and at this point had virtually no energy at all. Given that we threw the Jamarat, and our sacrifice was done on our behalf, all that was left before partial tahlul was either tawaaf el ifadah or shaving of the head. I missed my clothes, even though by this time I had started getting used to the Ihram. A Sudanese brother took some soap and water and shaved my head. This was very refreshing – truly just like a new born baby. Now I had to do my Tawaaf and Sa’i before returning to Mina that night. I was really tired, but I rolled my chair by myself, went along with about 1 million people or so to do my tawaaf and Sa’i. It was really crowded yet still beautiful. Looking at the faces of people you realize Allah’s power. You realize now what He means when He says that in your creation and faces and colors, are signs for people with understanding. You start seeing Allah’s will and power as opposed to the people themselves. We made our way back to Mina that night, relieved at the fact that we have completed the arkan of Hajj. We spent it in rest, getting to know one another and zikr of Allah. The Jamarat got easier the second and third time.

We then returned to Mecca to say goodbye to the beloved city and House. It is beautiful how Allah calls it “the house”. “El Bet” = the House. This is neither a mansion nor a castle, this is The House. Tawaaf el wada’, was one of the most crowded. We kept trying to go upstairs but with no hope, Allah wanted us there next to His House on the ground floor. It was less crowded. However I had to rest, as sleep was attacking me from all doors.

Now comes the beloved city: Madina.

Medina is truly a blessed city. The prophet’s masjed is such a peaceful and tranquil place. You can almost still see the prophet coming in to Madina and the people welcoming the arrival of the most wonderful person on earth to their small city of Yathrib. Here you are in the presence of the prophet and you get to finally meet him. And like the sahaba did, you get to go and tell him that you have heard his message and you have believed and confessed the oneness of Allah and the message of His prophet Muhammad (pbuh). You give your salaams to him along with thousands of others, but you know that he answers you in particular. You have come from distant lands and you have asked for forgiveness from Allah at His house. You get to also visit Masjed Quba, the first masjed in Islam, in which two rakat after having done wudu’ at home, is equivalent to an Umrah. You get to visit the martyrs of Uhud and all those at Baqe’. Next to prophet (pbuh), you also give your greeting to those closest to him, who followed him in the best way ever seen, Abu Bakr, the friend in the cave, and Omar, the whole hearted enthusiastic, yet soft-hearted leader. At Baqe’ you visit Uthman who gave endless amounts of his wealth for the sake of Allah, and Khadija the first to believe in Allah’s message and comfort the prophet with wisdom.

Time to go home.

You end your Hajj journey professing that Hajj is not just a one time journey, but a covenant to live by for the rest of your life. You must go to Hajj, a journey to Allah forever.

About the Author:

Amir Abdelzaher is a Ph.D. student at the University of Miami specializing in environmental engineering. He went to Hajj in 2006, and immediately upon returning from Hajj wrote his reflections. This article is published for the first time and syndicated through LivingHalal Media. For more information about LivingHalal Media syndication or to contact the author, email syndication at livinghalal.com

Tags: Hajj, islam, Muslim, moslem, moslim, eslam, حج

A Muslim dating story

2007-10-18T13:50:00.000-07:00

Read this story, very nice about a sister living in the US and struggling to find a husband in an halal way.

A Muslim dating story

Up coming shows

2007-10-16T00:52:00.000-07:00

Up coming shows:
-Salah stories
-Fitness stories
-Going to college
-Islamic will
-Eid story

If you want to contribute your stories, please email to LivingHalal at gmail com

My Story of Learning: Reading Quran with Tajweed

2007-10-04T00:30:00.000-07:00

A story of a sister who doesn't know Arabic but put the effort to learn Quran and Tajweed.

If you want to know how she learned, contact us: livingahalal @@ gmail.

Learning Quran, Tajweed, non Arab, non-native, Arabic, Quran, Arabi, Koran, effort, happiness in learning, convert, revert, rewards of learning

Halal Food: Unofficial Halal Subway

2007-10-02T12:25:00.000-07:00

This is an article about the "first" Halal Subway store in the US. It shows that if you try to seek/offer Halal, Allah will make it easy for you eventually.

Often, Muslim restaurant owners argue that selling Halal is too costly and that customers are not enough. They forgot that Allah is the provider. More importantly, they forgot that selling Haram makes their income Haram and subsequently blocks their Dua's (supplications) even when they are in desperate need, as mentioned in the authentic hadith about a stranded traveler whose dua being rejected due to his Haram intakes and Haram clothing).

May Allah grant us Halal and save us from Haram (both food and income).

Nation's Only Halal Subway Shop Big Success
By Suleman Din
Religion News Service

ISELIN, N.J. -- There's just one place in North America where an observant Muslim can follow Jared's diet -- the two-sandwich-a-day plan that helped Subway pitchman Jared Fogel lose 245 pounds.

The Subway restaurant that adheres to Islamic restrictions is off Route 27 here, and it is indiscernible from other Subways, except for a neon green sign in the window spelling out "Halal," the Islamic equivalent of kosher.
In two years she has served halal food at her Subway, Ruhila Khan has built a following from all over the tri-state area. The success can be seen in the Sales Volume awards on the wall behind the register.

"I don't have enough space to hang up all of them," Khan said, smiling. "I did something for Allah, and he has blessed us."

In a state with one of the largest Muslim populations in the country, restaurant owners and community members say it makes business sense for mainstream restaurants to cater to Muslims.

"It's symbolic of our acceptance in the fabric that is America," said Irfan Rydhan, founder of zabihah.com, a Web site that lists halal restaurants across the U.S. "Especially if you grew up here. Your home cuisine is American cuisine."

Muslims consuming fast food is not a new concept; globalization has made U.S. brands available in Islamic countries. For instance, just outside Islam's holiest mosque in Mecca, wealthy Saudi Arabians can munch on halal Whoppers or Kentucky Fried Chicken while watching pilgrims perform the Hajj.

But in the U.S., choices for Muslims have been limited to restaurants offering traditional ethnic fare, Rydhan said. Independent Muslim-run fast food joints started appearing in the 1990s in urban centers that have sizable Muslim populations, such as Jersey City.

Now, a younger, suburban Muslim consumer wants the same fast-food brands as other Americans, he said.

The breakthrough with American fast food restaurants has come from franchise owners like Khan and Ali Hashmi, who owns a nearby A&W Root Beer Restaurant that also serves Halal food. Both are Muslim immigrants who convinced their chains they could tap a fresh market.

Khan, who owns the Subway shop with her husband, Shahnawaz, said opening an American fast-food franchise that sold halal food was something she wanted to do since immigrating from Pakistan 15 years ago. When she went through training to open a Subway franchise, Khan said, she pushed for the chance.

What helped convince Subway, Khan said, was the restaurant's location. Near the Garden State Parkway, the nearby "Little India" strip, Muslim butchers and ethnic restaurants, the sandwich shop gets much of its business from the South Asian Muslim community.

"We give our franchisees leniency, so they can use local options," said Subway spokesman Kevin Kane. "They know what's in their community."

Subway also has numerous restaurants in Muslim countries, Kane said, adding that recently in Ohio, the first kosher Subway restaurant opened.

Halal dietary restrictions are very similar to kosher rules. Pork is forbidden and the slaughter of animals for meat is done under special guidelines, so the meat remains uncontaminated with blood. Halal rules are taken directly from the Quran.

Customers who come into Khan's Subway restaurant can order from the standard menu. Or, they can choose from a small printout taped to the wall that lists the halal menu. The sandwiches are the same minus the Italian BMT (pepperoni, Genoa salami, and ham) but Khan keeps the halal meat in a separate fridge, and uses different utensils to handle it.

Just a year since opening, the nearby A&W has yet to rival Khan's Subway. Most Muslim customers come on the weekend, said Mahmood Iqbal, who runs the store with Hashmi.

Without permission to openly advertise the halal option at their restaurant, Iqbal said they rely on word of mouth. The only indication halal is served is a laminated menu on the counter and on the cash register, there is a special yellow-and-red button labeled "Halal Chicken."
"Many of our customers, they eat Indian food at home," Iqbal said. "They come here because they want a change."

Iqbal has faith business will pick up at the A&W, and keeps a green Islamic prayer mat behind the counter, for the devout customer to use in a pinch. "One guy wanted to do the evening prayer, so he went into the party room and prayed, while I made him his dinner," Iqbal said.

While Khan and Hashmi drove the decision to serve halal locally, one American chain now offers halal at all its locations.

Outback Steakhouse began serving halal lamb, though Muslim customers have to make sure they don't get their vegetables dressed with "seasoned butter," which contains bacon in the seasoning, and avoid the cabernet sauce. The chain's supplier of lamb meat is a New Zealand-based company that follows halal standards because of its large business in the Middle East.

There is no official count on the number of restaurants in America serving halal food, but Rydhan said he has seen an increase.

"I started in 1999 with 20 restaurants in the Bay Area," he said. "Now on average, I'm getting 20 new additions to the list every day."

Source: Beliefnet

Friendly Reminder: Even if it's halal, calories still counts.

Keywords: Halal subway, striving for halal, halal substitutes, halal options, living halal, fear Allah, trust Allah

Cleaning Up #1: Harsh Treatments

2007-09-29T18:23:00.000-07:00

This is part of the project: Cleaning Up Our Own Backyard, One Episode At A Time.

We collect things that bother us as Muslims, and try to fix them.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
الرعد 11

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.
Al-Ra'ad 13:11

Here is episode #1 (remix): Harsh Treatments

Please don't give people this Eid gift!

فَبِمَا رَحْمَةٍ مِّنَ اللّهِ لِنتَ لَهُمْ وَلَوْ كُنتَ فَظًّا غَلِيظَ الْقَلْبِ لاَنفَضُّواْ مِنْ حَوْلِكَ
سورة آل عمران 159

So by mercy from Allah, [O Muhammad], you were lenient with them. And if you had been rude [in speech] and harsh in heart, they would have disbanded from about you.
Aal-Emran 3:159

Tags: livinghalal ummah muslim islam, being harsh correcting advice reminder films audio video Cleaning up, eid gifts, bad customs, calm, nice, courtesy

Live Halal: Work Halal

2007-09-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

Alhamdulillah, Allah has blessed us with the best lifestyle. Since it's the best, it comes with a price. So, sometimes it's challenging to practice Halal lifestyle at work, whether it's making sure your job related activities are Halal or simply practicing your duties towards Allah at work (Salah, Hijab, beard, Jumaah/Eid, etc.) But, in-sha-Allah, as you strive to live Halal, Allah will make it easy and Allah is the provider.

So here is a new Web site that serves seekers of Halal work. Check it out WorkHalal.com

I created the jinn and humankind only that they might worship Me. (56) I seek no livelihood from them, nor do I ask that they should feed Me. (57) Lo! Allah! He it is that giveth livelihood, the Lord of unbreakable might. (58) [Adh-Dhariyat Chapter 51]

Key words: Salat, Salah, Islam, Halal work, Riba, income, hijab, career, Muslim, living halal, halal living, job, discrimination, EEO

Burger King: Halal or Haram?

2007-09-27T12:03:00.000-07:00

First of all, even if a product is halal, it doesn't mean it's healthy.

The following image is taken from BK's menu for their fried products (anything other than French Fries). Click on the image to enlarge it.

LivingHalal friendly reminder: Calories always count! Check this site.

Salah Supplications

2007-09-25T01:59:00.000-07:00

Supplication of Rukoa/Rukūʿ/Bowing

subḥāna RABBīya L-ʿAḌḤĪM.

سبحان ربي العظيم

The Prophet (SAW) used to say in the Rukoa,
"Glory to my lord the supreme." -authentic in Al-Nissaee

Supplication After Rising From Rukoa/Bowing

samiʿa L-LĀHU li-man ḥamida-H,
RABBA-nā wa la-KA l-Ḥamd.

سمع الله لمن حمده ربنا ولك الحمد

The Prophet (SAW) used to say after rising from Rukoa,
"Allah has listened (heard/answered) to the one who praised him. Our lord, all praises due to you." -authentic Al-Tirmithi

Supplication of Sujood/Prostration

sub āna RABBīya L-A LĀ.

سبحان ربي الأعلى

The Prophet (SAW) used to say in the Sujood,
"Glory to my lord the most high." -authentic in Al-Nissaee

Supplication of Rukoa and Sujood (Extended)

subhana dhi l-Jabarut,
wa l-Malakut,
wa l-Kibriya’,
wa l-a'dhaamah.

سبحان ذي الجبروت والملكوت والكبرياء و العظمة

The Prophet (SAW) used to say in his Rukoa & Sujood,
"Glory to the one who has all power, kingdom, magnificence and supremity." -authentic Abi Dawud

Supplication of Rukoa and Sujood (Extended)

SUBBŪ ,
QUDDŪS,
RABBU l-Malā’ikati wa r-Ruh

سبوح قدوس رب الملائكة والروح

The Prophet (SAW) used to say in his Rukoa & Sujood,
"The perfect, the pure, lord of the angels and the spirit." -authentic Abi Dawud

Supplication After Rising From Rukoa/Bowing (Extended)

mil’a s-Samawāti,
wa mil’a l-Ar i,
wa mil’a mā shi’TA min shai’in ba d.

ملء السموات وملء الأرض وملء ما شئت من شئ بعد

The Prophet (SAW) used to say after rising from Rukoa,
"All praise due to our lord, as much as the filling of the heavens, the filling of the earth, and the filling of whatever else you wished." -authentic Abi Dawud

Keywords: audio, Namaz, supplication dua, mp3, wav, video, teaching, authentic dua, prayer of the prophet Muhammad (peace and prayer be upon him), livinghalal, salah, taraweeh, qiyam, ramzan, ramadhan, ramdan, thikr, zikr, rememberance of Allah, salat, صلاة أذكار الصلاة دعاء دعوات مصلى مسجد 禮拜 Salat

Ramadan & Water

2007-09-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Keeping yourself hydrated is essential for your health, especially in Ramadan.

So here are some tips for you:

1-Drink water gradually throughout the night (keep a bottle of water by your bed, in your car, and take one to the masjid.)

2-Avoid drinking a big amount of water in a short time (it may overload your kidney also distract you during Taraweeh or while sleeping).

3-Avoid salty, fried, and baked food (e.g. crakers/cereals)

4-Avoid resturant food (they usually add MSG)

5-Eat food that contain a lot of water, such as soup, oatmeal, and "watery" fruits.

How much water should you drink?
Check these links:
http://www.cnn.com/HEALTH/library/NU/00283.html
http://www.wikihow.com/Drink-More-Water-Everyday

Your AmazingRamadan: Purpose

2007-09-16T18:32:00.000-07:00

So why are you fasting?

Your AmazingRamadan: Planning

2007-09-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Finally, Ramadan is here... now what?

If you want to learn how to plan for your Ramadan, click here.

Ramadan Planning

2007-09-12T01:12:00.000-07:00

I was planning to post this 10 days ago (Q1: so why didn’t you do so?)
And to be honest, I was going to skip today also (Q2: so what made you post it then?).

The ironic thing is that the content that I’m posting now is not what I had in my mind (Q3: so what was in your mind?). Worst, I don’t even know what was in my mind (Q4: how come?).

You see? The story of my posting is just like the story of most of us with Ramadan. We know it’s a rewarding month, and we know that we should do something about it. But we slack because we take Ramadan for granted; and we procrastinate because we are passively waiting for a perfect moment to start a perfect Ramadan. And if someone asks us, “What are you waiting for?” we really don’t know, except that today is not a perfect day.

But, what if today IS the last day?

Answers for the questions I posted above:
A1: No accountability, gain nothing for posting, lose nothing for not posting.
A2: I set a deadline and announced it to my readers.
A3: I don’t know but something “perfect” that worth the wait for (i.e. to procrastinate).
A4: I had no clue what to post. I lacked clarity.

Now, on a blank sheet of paper, list 20 ways to make this Ramadan your best Ramadan ever, as you reach half of the list, you may feel that you have nothing more to write, just think harder and more creatively. Write your list using the personal ”I” pronoun followed by a positive present tense verb, e.g. instead of, “Not over eating at Iftar,” write, “I eat Iftar moderately using my small plate.”

After you listed 20 ways to make this Ramadan your best, choose two of them that can make the most impact if you achieved them. On a seperate sheet of paper, write what's the purpose for achieving these two outcomes, and list the steps that you will take to achieve them and by when.

After you achived the two outcomes you picked (or you started working toward them, if any of them are month-long outcomes), pick another two or three and repeat the process.

Make dua as you go, may Allah grant you the most amazing Ramadan ever.

.

Ramadan Supplications

2007-09-12T01:05:00.000-07:00

The Supplication Upon Breakingfast

The sequence done in the Sunnah:
1- you make free form dua all day before Maghrib (optional)
2- you break your fast at Maghrib time (required)
3- you say this supplication right after eating/drinking something (recommended)
4- you make free form dua (optional)
5- you continue with your meal (optional)

The common mistake is to hault breaking the fast by making free form dua, or by saying this specific supplication before breaking your fast.

The sequence done in the Sunnah:
1- you make free form dua all day before Maghrib (optional)
2- you break your fast at Maghrib time (required)
3- you say this supplication right after eating/drinking something (recommended)
4- you make free form dua (optional)
5- you continue with your meal (optional)

The common mistake is to hault breaking the fast by making free form dua, or by saying this specific supplication before breaking your fast.

This supplication is the authentic narration, there are other popular narrations but they are weak.

And Allah knows best.

The Supplication of Thanking Your Host

The Supplication After Witr

We have a PDF file for these supplications (with tashkeel), you can email livinghalal at gmail com to request the file.

See Salah Supplications

Keywords: Ramadan, breakfast, dua, supplications, ramdhan, fasting, rewards, hadith, livinghalal, muslim, islam, holy month

Quranic Memorization in America

2007-08-21T22:30:00.000-07:00

Tags: quran, memorize, hifz, stars of plano, plano masjid, koran, the most memorized book, livinghalal

HalalSpot: Prayer Hall at HK Airport

2007-07-17T18:19:00.001-07:00

As a Muslim, Allah has made the whole earth places for prayer (as the Prophet peace be upon him said in an authentic hadith), so you don't have to delay your Salah until you find a masjid.

For those who travel through HK airport, here is an extra convenience for you to pray.

Click on the pictures to see them BIG.

Tags: Salah, prayer, Muslim, islam, masjid, prayer hall, Hong Kong airport, travel, mosque, pray on time, livinghalal. صلاة الصلاة مصلى مسجد 禮拜 Salat

Cheese of Doritos: Halal or Haram?

2007-07-17T18:16:00.000-07:00

In this article, it is my intention to examine the issue in a more academic manner. However, for those who don't have the time to read it, then to cut a long story short, the strongest opinion appears to be that cheese, in all of its commonly available varieties (except those that actually contain pork as an added flavoring) is absolutely and totally halāl.

Tags: Cheese, doritos, cheetos, halal, food, haram, pig, pork.

Halal Fun: White Moutain Camping

2007-07-15T14:58:00.001-07:00

Tags: Halal, fun, family, lifestyle, camping, hiking, grilling, BBQ, waterfall, white moutain, new hampshier, park, islam, muslim, chidren

Open-Source Architecture

2007-07-09T15:57:00.000-07:00

Tags: open source architecture, earthship, bio architecture, community-friendly, relief

LivingHalal: The Du Bois Institute

2007-06-23T19:02:00.001-07:00

Tags: afterschool program, mentoring, minority, riverside, ca, muslim, islam, community service, volunteer, livinghalal, charity

Disclaimer: Opinions expressed do not necessarily represent the views of LivingHalal or its volunteers. LivingHalal does not necessarily approve or endorse any guests or organizations featured on its programs.

Hijab Stories 5: Sister Hiba from Egypt

2007-06-23T16:50:00.000-07:00

Tags: Hijab, hijaab, scarf, muslim, moslim, women, stories, documentary, livinghalal.com

More Hijab Stories

Want to participate, click here

Post your comments... so we know you are watching. Jazakum Allahu khairan.

LivingHalal Q&A: Commercial Insurance

2007-06-16T18:38:00.000-07:00

Question:

Salaam alaikum,

My father has spent a considerable time convincing me that it is important to get car insurance which has a high dollar amount protection for bodily injury. For example, you can get like 100k, 200k, 300k, 400k coverage for bodily injury when you buy insurance. This is the most important according to my dad, because right now my dad's brother is in a law suit with some motorcyclist who was injured when my uncle's wife crashed into him. This lawsuit is set to be pretty heavy financially on my uncle. My dad told me that if you are making a descent salary in life, people are very eager to sue you so they can drain you of money for years to come.

Therefore I began pondering is it appropriate to consider buying bare minimum insurance PLUS 200k-300k bodily injury? I am confused because it seems like a big risk even though insurance is not allowed [haram].

Answer:

Wa alaikum assalaam

Your father is right about the risk. We live in a system, where lawyers/insurance sell fear, and crooks and their lawyers embezzle hardworking people.

Insurance, however, is just a fake solution.

There are many similar stories like the one of your uncle's wife. I know a corporate CPA who got involved in an accident and the other party was at fault. The CPA forgave her, but after several days that woman sued the CPA. The insurance company did pay after a lengthy process but it also cancelled the CPA's insurance after the law suite.

So what would you do in that case? Spend even more on insurance?

Commercial insurance is just an illusion and not worth it (even from a pure business sense without talking about halal/haram). Say, if you buy a new car, lots of Muslims will tell you to buy fullcoverage, because your car is new. But chances are, even full insurance is useless, because when you scratch your car, it's below the deductible. Again, that's how insurance industry designs their policies to maximize their profits.

Commercial insurance is not set up to help consumers, but it's there to make money. So, when you as a customer costs them a loss, they will try to get even by increasing your premiums or cancelling your policy.

As for the risks that they use to convince you to buy their service, there are endless risks out there, and if we keep thinking about them, we just go nuts.

Allah never said there are no risk in life. That's why Islam is not just a set of codes of halal and haram. Islam tell us that gambling transactions (speculation) like insurance is haram, but on top of that, Islam tells us that Allah is the protector, Allah is in ultimate control, and that whoever leaves something for Allah, Allah will compensate him with better options.

So, my advice is not to argue with your father. He is not the first or the last who will tell you to get more insurance.

As Muslims, if you want a halal practical solution, donate that money (if you want) and pray for protection. Even if you get into troubles, (God forbid someone trying to embezzle you), all your mental and financial losses are compensated by Allah in this life or in the hereafter.

So, let's show some faith in Allah, by doing halal and avoiding haram.

"And whosoever fears Allah and keeps his duty to Him, He will make a way for him to get out (from every difficulty). (At-Talaq 65:2) And He will provide him from (sources) he never could imagine. And whosoever puts his trust in Allah, then He will suffice him. Verily, Allah will accomplish his purpose. Indeed Allah has set a measure for all things. (At-Talaq 65:3)"

Hope this answer helps and Allah knows best,

PS: Some states require liability insurance, if that's the case, Muslims are buying it out of necessity (being forced).

Tags: insurance halal haram.

Mars Bars: Halal or Haram?

2007-05-23T15:07:00.000-07:00

Mars bars get veggie status back

Sunday, 20 May 2007

Mars has abandoned plans to use animal products in its chocolate, and has apologised to "upset" vegetarians.
The firm had said it would change the whey used in some of its products from a vegetarian source to one with traces of the animal enzyme, rennet.

The Vegetarian Society organised a campaign against the move, asking members to voice their concerns to parent company Masterfoods.

Mars said it became "very clear, very quickly" that it had made a mistake.

In just one week, more than 6,000 people bombarded the company, which produces the Mars, Snickers, Maltesers and Galaxy brands, with phone and e-mail complaints.

Forty MPs also signed a petition to voice their opposition.

Fiona Dawson, managing director of Mars UK, said the company had listened to customers and decided to reverse its decision.

"The consumer is our boss and we had lots of feedback from consumers who were unhappy about the change," Ms Dawson said.
"It became very clear, very quickly that we had made a mistake, for which I am sorry.

"There are three million vegetarians in the UK and not only did we disappoint them, but we upset a lot of the consumers."

'Principled decision'

The Vegetarian Society had called the move by Mars "incomprehensible" and "a backward step" at a time when consumers were increasingly concerned about "the provenance of their food".

Mars replied that, by admitting its products were no longer suitable for "extremely strict vegetarians", it was making a "principled decision".

Now it insists it will begin changing its recipes back immediately.

Dr Annette Pinner, chief executive of the Vegetarian Society, said she was pleased Mars had been "honest enough" to admit it had "made a mistake".

"A Masterfoods representative has made contact with us and we are very pleased that they now recognise the importance of integrity to all their customers, especially vegetarians," she added.

Rennet is extracted from calves' stomachs and was to have been used in the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods' bars too.

Mars starts using animal products

Monday, 14 May 2007

Some of the UK's best-selling chocolate bars, such as Mars and Twix, will no longer be suitable for vegetarians.
Also affecting brands such as Snickers and Maltesers, owner Masterfoods said it had started to use animal product rennet to make its chocolate products.

Masterfoods said the change was due to it switching the sourcing of its ingredients and the admission was a "principled decision" on its part.

The Vegetarian Society said the company's move was "incomprehensible".

'Extremely disappointed'

Masterfoods said it had started using rennet from 1 May and non-affected products had a "best before date" up to 1 October.

Rennet, a chemical sourced from calves' stomachs, is used in the production of whey.

It will now also be found in Bounty, Minstrels and Milky Way products, and the ice cream versions of all Masterfoods' bars.

"If the customer is an extremely strict vegetarian, then we are sorry the products are no longer suitable, but a less strict vegetarian should enjoy our chocolate," said Paul Goalby, corporate affairs manager for Masterfoods.

The Vegetarian Society said it was "extremely disappointed".

"At a time when more and more consumers are concerned about the provenance of their food, Masterfoods' decision to use non-vegetarian whey is a backward step," it said in a statement.

"Mars products are very popular with young people and many will be shocked to discover that their manufacture now relies on the extraction of rennet from the stomach lining of young calves," it added.

Halal Food Market

2007-05-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Malaysia plays host to Global Halal Forum

By Neil Merrett

08/05/2007- The World Halal Forum kicked off in Malaysia this week, as the country moves to become a global leader in production and distribution of the strictly defined certification.

Speaking during the event's opening yesterday, Malaysian Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi stressed the country's desire to further develop halal techniques not just domestically, but globally as well.

"The WHF together with its partner event the Malaysian International Halal Showcase (MIHAS) have been included in Malaysia's 15 Year Industrial Master Plan as annual events to boost the development of the halal sector," he said during his keynote speech.

The forum comes as a further sign of the opportunities, particularly in the food industry, for the country's halal processors and producers. An increasing number of companies are producing halal goods to tap into the billion dollar global demand.

Halal is an Islamic term for permissible, which in food terms constitutes an approved slaughter and preparation for products such as meat, in a similar vein to kosher products.

During the two day event, 900 representatives from over 30 countries, ranging from key industry players to raw material suppliers will meet to discuss the biggest issues facing the industry, like the implementation of international standards.

Badawi also used the forum to announce the formation of the International Halal Integrity (IHI) Alliance, a non-profit, non-government organization designed to represent views of everyone involved in the industry.

The event is also expected to set the agenda for the halal industry over the coming year with a number of memorandums of understandings to be signed to further develop production techniques and certification.

These include developing an information and communication technology with Microsoft, as well as financial services, and human resource development with Thailand's Chulalongkorn University.

With more than 1.8bn Muslims globally, the total size of global halal food and non-food (such as financial services, pharmaceuticals and cosmetics) industries is estimated at RM7.98 trillion (€1.5 trillion) with an expected growth rate of 10-20 per cent each year.

Though the global market for halal food has never been measured, industry estimates of its value range from $150bn (€110bn) to $500bn (€368bn).

Related Links:
Source

Another Article

-

Halal or Haram: Tough Choices

2007-05-16T17:45:00.000-07:00

Would you give a ride for someone with alcohol? What if your decision will make you lose your job?

Muslim cab drivers refused to carry alcohol

Related Post

Tags: livinghalal, halal life, lifestyle, career, job, haram, carring alcohol, khamr, wine, beer, Islam, practice, rewards, loss.

Quran on PlayStation

2007-05-14T00:11:00.000-07:00

If you already got addicted to PSP then maybe you should try this.

KUALA LUMPUR: Muslims can read the Quran on their Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) now, thanks to the work of several Multimedia University (MMU) students.

The Quran software for PSP makes it easier for Muslims to read and understand the holy book with the help of illustrations and English translations, the students said.

This was the brainchild of Ikhwan Nazri, a final-year student of digital media at the university.

The 21-year-old and a team of six animators and graphics designers worked on the software for about four months.

“We worked on the project on and off, between our studies,” he said, adding that the product was built using Macromedia Flash.

Ikhwan said he chose to design the software specifically for the PSP, a portable games device, because he felt that it could be more than just an entertainment machine.

He is distributing the Quran software for free via http://raise.flavert.com after May 19.

Prior to that, those who are interested can send e-mail to ikhwan.nazri@flavert.com to request a copy.

Source: Students design Quran software

WhyIslam At LA Times Book Festival 2007

2007-05-06T20:46:00.000-07:00

Tags: WhyIslam, Islam, Dawah, Muslim, LA Times Book Festival UCLA 2007, interview, event, livinghalal, free quran, Tahweeh, participate, give dawah, support, help, make dua, may Allah reward you, Jesus peace be upon him

The Role of a Mother

2007-05-03T12:32:00.000-07:00

Do you know why it takes a village to raise a child?

The obvious answer is because raising a child involves lots of efforts, and that the village/society has great impacts on children.

But, there is another reason that parents tend to ignore. It takes a village to raise a child, because often parents outsource parenting to the village, from school, street, TV, ...

The better model of parenting is as the poet Hafiz Ibrahim said:
The mother is a school. All you have to do is to well-prepare a mother, then you will have a well-prepared noble nation.

What do you think? Is it better for a mother to work as anything but a mother, or to fullfill her role as a mother first?

See below, an estimated dollar value for motherhood. Obvioiusly, it's a rough estimation. Otherwise, it's hard to quantify any hidden emotional benefits, and the quality of service (e.g. a day care compared to a mother).

Salary.com Caculator

NEW YORK (Reuters) - If the typical stay-at-home mother in the United States were paid for her work as a housekeeper, cook and psychologist among other roles, she would earn $138,095 a year, according to research released on Wednesday.

This reflected a 3 percent raise from last year's $134,121, according to Salary.com Inc, Waltham, Massachusetts-based compensation experts.

The 10 jobs listed as comprising a mother's work were housekeeper, cook, day care center teacher, laundry machine operator, van driver, facilities manager, janitor, computer operator, chief executive officer and psychologist, it said.

The typical mother puts in a 92-hour work week, it said, working 40 hours at base pay and 52 hours overtime.

A mother who holds full-time job outside the home would earn an additional $85,939 for the work she does at home, Salary.com.

Last year she would have earned $85,876 for her at-home work, it said.

Salary.com compiled the online responses of 26,000 stay-at-home mothers and 14,000 mothers who also work outside the home.

Source: Yahoo! News

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Halal Fun: Book Festival

2007-04-30T00:45:00.000-07:00

Tags: Halal Fun: Book Festival, Los Angeles Times Festival of Books, UCLA, halal lifestyle, life, family, parenting, children, kids, reading, visiting, livinghalal, ummah, healthy lifestyle, fun, rewarding, dream

Review: Brick Dome Halal Pizza

2007-04-30T00:41:00.000-07:00

A LivingHalal Reminder:
Even if it's Halal, calories and cholesterol still count :)

Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Brick Dome Halal Pizza, hallal, zabiha, halal, chicken wing, pasta, pizza, 7905 Santa Monica Blvd West Hollywood, CA, (323) 650-4041, yam yam, livinghalal, voice of the people, voice reviews

Halal Fun: Aquarium of the Pacific

2007-04-30T00:37:00.000-07:00

Tags: muslim, islam, fun, Aquarium of the Pacific, family, life, children, kids, livinghalal, ummah, audio, films, halal, activities

Reviews: Ma's Islamic Chinese Restaurant

2007-04-21T23:42:00.000-07:00

A LivingHalal Reminder:
Even if it's Halal, calories and cholesterol still count :)

Tags: Restaurant Reviews, Ma's Islamic Chinese Restaurant, 601 East Orangethorpe Avenue, Anaheim, CA 92801-1008, zabiha, halal, chicken, beef, yam yam, livinghalal, voice of the people, voice reviews

Being A Muslim In America: Muslim Youth

2007-04-21T23:36:00.000-07:00

Tags: Being a Muslim in America, Youth, public school, Islamic school, being strange, a stranger, Islam is a way of life, proud of being Muslim, Islam will be strange, hold the value that you have dear to yourself, and not to lose, until the end, livinghalal, Islam, identity, self-esteem, minority, religion, teenager, dating, challenges, temptation, pre-marital relationship

"Islamic-style" Swimsuit

2007-04-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

'I felt more welcome in the Bible belt'

Manal Omar had used her five-piece 'Islamic-style' swimsuit for years - in Rio, Washington and Kuala Lumpur - and it had never brought her more than a curious glance. Then she went for a dip in Oxford ...

One Sunday last month I went for my afternoon swim at my local David Lloyd's fitness club wearing the Islamic-style swimsuit I have been wearing for years. The swimsuit has recently been celebrated by media outlets from Newsweek to National Geographic as an innovative way for Muslim women to become more active. As an American-Muslim woman, I have always been determined to be active without compromising my faith. I have been swimming in capital cities across the world from Rio de Janeiro to Washington DC to Kuala Lumpur, and now London. Although I get curious stares, I have never had any awkward moments when I head out for a swim.

Guardian Article

Cleaning up #3: Double Standard

2007-04-19T00:21:00.000-07:00

We collect things that bother us as Muslims, and try to fix them.

إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يُغَيِّرُ مَا بِقَوْمٍ حَتَّى يُغَيِّرُوا مَا بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ
الرعد 11

Indeed, Allah will not change the condition of a people until they change what is in themselves.
Al-Ra'ad 13:11

The first step to solve our problems, is to humbly admit them.

Here is episode #3.

Tags: muslim ummah islam livinghalal double standard lowering gaze men women Cleaning up, advice, reminder, I have a question

Cleaning Up #2: Judgement on Appearance

2007-04-19T00:16:00.000-07:00

This is part of the project: Cleaning Up Our Own Backyard, One Episode At A Time.

We collect things that bother us as Muslims, and try to fix them.

The first step to solve our problems, is to humbly admit them.

Here is episode #2.

Tags: livinghalal ummah muslim islam judgement on appearance correcting advice reminder films audio video Cleaning up

Halal Home: TV or No TV

2007-04-19T00:11:00.000-07:00

Please post a comment so we know you are visiting the blog :)

Subscribe to our channel on YouTube

Tags: mother of two boys, parenting, parents, baby, tv at home, no television, halal, muslim, islam, eslam, moslem, family, responsibility, expense, joy, happiness, life, experience, livinghalal, journalism for the ummah, audio, video, films, interview, conversation, TV consumes time, waste time, productivity, TV program selectivity, choice, teaching, explaining, shelter children

Earthship Demo

2007-04-14T01:56:00.000-07:00

You can view a higher quality version (11 min) at Earthship

Tags: Earthship, bio architecture, eco-friendly, recycling, green

Fatherhood: Year One Anniversary

2007-04-10T22:39:00.000-07:00

Please post a comment so we know you are visiting the blog :)

Subscribe to our channel on YouTube

Tags: being a father, father after one year, parenting, parents, baby, daughter, halal, muslim, islam, eslam, moslem, family, responsibility, expense, joy, happiness, life, experience, livinghalal, journalism for the ummah, audio, video, films, interview, conversation

A Conversation With A New Father

2007-04-10T19:33:00.000-07:00

Please post a comment so we know you are visiting the blog :)

Subscribe to our channel on YouTube

Tags: New father, first time father, parenting, baby, halal, muslim, islam, eslam, moslem, family, expense, lack of sleep, joy, happiness, life, experience, livinghalal, journalism for the ummah, audio, video, films, interview, conversation

Marriage Is Like A Start-Up

2007-04-03T02:13:00.000-07:00

A conversation with an 8-month married brother.

Tags: Interview, marriage, muslim, islam, halal, half deen, complete deen, values, advice, responsibility, spouse, husband, wife, in-law, relationship

Miswak Picture Story

2007-04-02T18:58:00.000-07:00

Can we have an eco-friendly toothbrush?

Yes, it's 100% recyclable, and comes with its built-in organic toothpaste!

A nice post about Miswak

Tags: Toothbrush from plant roots, miswak, siwak, dental hygiene, gum, tooth, teeth, organic, recyclable

Is This Halal?

2007-03-22T13:06:00.001-07:00

Here is a question for you: Can a halal feast be haram?

All ingrediants are halal
Bought with halal money
Cooked and prepared in a halal way
No other haram materials were served

But, ...

* Hope no food went to waste, otherwise, IT'S HARAM.

Halal Lifestyle: Waking Up For Fajr

2007-03-22T12:39:00.000-07:00

Keep hitting the snooze button when your alarm goes off for Fajr?

Try this... An alarm clock that runs away and hides :)

Halal Lifestyle: Complete Your Deen

2007-03-06T23:56:00.000-08:00

An interview with a brother about marriage

Subscribe to our channel on YouTube

Tags: marriage, looking, single, married, interview, Muslim, Islam, matrimonial, matrimony sites, offline search, age, culture, practicing

What is living Halal?

2007-03-05T23:31:00.000-08:00

Halal is not just meat, it's a way of life.

Tags: livinghalal, halal, lawful, ethical, peaceful, earning, income, food, clothing, lifestyle, muslim, islam, islaam, moslem

Karim Show: Salary

2007-03-02T00:50:00.000-08:00

Click on the playerShow 5

Tags: graduation, finding job, leaving school, growing up, working, salary, how much you make, fresh graduate, money, bonus, dunyah, parents expectation, dream job, rich, success, earning, income, responsiblity, priority, muslim, islamic, podcast, livinghalal, karim, korim

From Radio to TV

2007-02-28T16:58:00.000-08:00

This is an interview done by Terry Gross of Fresh Air with Ira Glass. It shows interesting differences between radio and TV stories.

This American Life (from radio to TV)

LivingHalal Earth-Friendly Architecture

2007-02-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

Part of living halal is to use the resources that Allah has blessed us without wastage or harms to others (e.g. pollution).

This is a nice Web site for "Halal" architectures, Earthship Biotecture.

MuslimLife: A Part-Time Khateeb

2007-02-25T01:33:00.000-08:00

Tags: A day in a Muslim life, jumah, khutbah, masjid, work, salah break, driving, halal, living healthy, eating halal, earning halal income, getting dua accepted, traffic, news, current events, live day by day, long term, akhirah, life.

Karim Show: Generosity

2007-02-19T19:56:00.000-08:00

Click on the playerShow 4

Tags: generosity, giving, sadaqah, rewards, multiplies, money, jewelries, gold, needy, gifts, community, islamic school, wife giving husband, give to masjid, helping out, good feeling, barakah, muslim, islamic, podcast, livinghalal, karim, korim

LivingHalal Cooking: An Energy Efficient Way

2007-02-15T12:34:00.000-08:00

One aspect of LivingHalal is to appreciate Allah's provisions and not to waste.

This is taken from http://www.etheco.com/

If you cook regularly, you can save money by implementing some of these tips:
· Use the kettle to boil water for cooking, instead of heating a pan on the stove. Not only will this be more efficient, but it generally takes less time too
· Covering cooking pans while cooking to prevent heat loss
· Covering the cooker hob with the pan base, if you can see some hob, you're wasting energy
· Use less liquid, things cook quicker that way
· Reheating left-overs in the microwave or on a hob, not in the oven
· Use a pressure cooker if you have one
· Cook 'one pot' meals like stews or soups

HalalRecipe: The Ultimate Green Massage

2007-02-12T14:10:00.000-08:00

This is a recipe from Grassroot Organic Restaurant.

Here is a great organic and raw recipe that our customers love and it is
very good for you. We call it "the ultimate green massage."
Cut the vein out of a head of Lacinato Kale
Cut the kale horizontally in thin slices and place in a bowl
Drizzle extra virign olive oil on top, just enough to lightly coat the kale
Add a pinch of celtic sea salt and massage the kale until it wilts...about two minutes should be enough
Add the juice of half a lime up to about 1 lime, to taste
Add about 1-2 table spoons of raw agave nectar and mix again lightly

Why The Double Standard?

2007-02-11T22:12:00.000-08:00

This is a comment from a sister. It's mainly addressed to the brothers :)

Why the double standard?

Disclaimer: This voice comment is posted "as is," with no verification of its content, commenters identity, etc. Please exercise your own judgement. In general, visitors' comments are just their opinions :) They do not necessarily represent the correct position of Islam nor the position of this Web site.

The World's Healthiest Foods

2007-02-07T14:30:00.000-08:00

It is wise to check the nutritional information of your food. But how?

Well, this sites provide a very handy way to get such information WHFoods.Org

LivingHalal In Your Business

2007-02-06T13:41:00.000-08:00

This is a nice story by NPR.
Muslim Liquor Store Owners Face Criticism