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!
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!
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.
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
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
[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.
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
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).
