Little Ramadhan Jihad-s.

It was just my parents and I today for Iftar because my poor little brother had to report to his tuition class since his semester exams are approaching. Oh do I miss those times. Yes, studying for the exams now, here in college is way different. Mainly because the things that I'm studying are no where near close the the subjects I took in high school.

So anyway, as my title suggests it, inshaAllah I'll be discussing about the little Ramadhan Jihad-s that I've actually come to encounter during this year's blessed month. & yes, it actually is a nicer term for "Ramadhan pet-peeves" lol.

Before we actually know it, Ramadhan is ending in approximately a week's time. I swear I'm going to be bawling like a little child on the night before eid. No, I really am not a big fan of festive seasons. Lol, yes we have actually discussed that in the earlier post so I shall not elaborate.

First up on my "little Jihad-s" list is LONG TARRAWEEHS.

I couldn't find any suitable and reliable sources that speak against long tarraweehs. Wallahe, I hate long tarraweehs. Yes, those where you actually stand for a whole 15 minutes for one raka'ah. Okay seriously, I am an 18 year old teenager who is alhamdulillah, pretty fit and if I cannot stand for a good 15 minutes of one raka'ah, what makes you think the 70 year old granny beside me can?

I detest Imams who read long surahs in one raka'ah and make me spend a whole one and a half hours just for 8 raka'ahs of tarraweeh.

Secondly, I hate having to study while my stomach is empty. My exams are coming up this thursday and subhanAllah, it's been quite a challenge to study while I'm hungry. This is however my personal Jihad because I think I'm too used to eating/drinking as I study lol. So this Ramadhan has actually trained me to do otherwise. Alhamdulillah.

My third Ramadhan pet peeve is to be on an Iftar table that is filled with food enough to feed a third world country. Okay, I know we've been fasting for a good 12 hours but that gives you no liberty to stuff yourself as though there is no tomorrow. It'll only make you sleepy for Maghrib and later for Ishak and Tarraweeh :@

I actually have a couple more but it's time for tarraweeh now sooooo, I gotta go.

Enjoy your remaining few days of Ramadhan people :-)

Have a blessed one inshaAllah!

A'qilah Saiere

Dates!

Why Do Muslims Break Their Fast with Dates?

Why is it considered healthy to break the Ramadan fast with dates, and why are Muslims recommended to pray before iftar? – S.H.


Breaking the fast with dates is a Ramadan tradition, as most of its benefits are unique to this particular fast. Breaking one's fast with dates, as well as praying before iftar, are both mentioned in the Hadith literature: "The Messenger of Allah would break his fast with ripe dates before he would pray. If those were not available, he would eat dried dates. If those were not available, he would drink some water."

One of the many physical benefits of breaking the fast with dates is that our body benefits from the date's high level of natural sugars. Sugars travel most quickly to the liver, where they are converted into energy more quickly than any other nutrient. Muslims have an immediate need for this energy when they break their fast, for they need energy to perform their sunset prayers. Ironically, one also needs this energy to consume the iftarmeal. When a person eats, the body uses energy to digest the food. Eating large quantities of food immediately after fasting is not healthy for the body, which is in a weakened condition. Eating a date first helps the body start its digestive process and gives it the energy to deal with the secondary, more complex foods, eaten during ifta.

Dates are also high in vitamins A and B6, folic acid, potassium, natural sodium, iron, and magnesium. Thus, eating dates daily during Ramadan is like taking a daily multivitamin. This daily multivitamin can create a stronger and healthier body, one more fit for fasting. Dates also contain large amounts of dietary fiber, which can prevent any constipation that might result from eating the traditionally rich foods served during Ramadan. Additionally, dates protect the stomach and intestinal tract from parasites and bacteria, and thus is a good preventative medicine when eating iftar at unfamiliar locations.

Dates also have a special place in Islam. In fact, they were one of the Prophet's (SAW) most frequently consumed foods. For this reason, their benefit is most likely spiritual as well as physical. If their benefit were purely physical, one could perhaps consume any fruit high in natural sugars before iftar to gain similar benefits. However, the act of following the Prophet's (SAW) tradition is one way of connecting and remembering him, which is spiritually beneficial for Muslims.

One should pray after eating dates and before eating the main meal, because this short break gives the body time to metabolize the dates and water that have been consumed and to start the body's digestive processes, which have been resting all day. Eating large amounts of food immediately after breaking the fast resembles starting a car and the driving it without giving it enough time to warm up. As we know, this can damage the engine's internal mechanics.

The same is true with the body, for jumpstarting the body's digestive processes can shock the entire organ system. In some cases, this shock could be dangerous. In most cases, however, it is simply an unhealthy way to break the fast. The immediate dangers are apparent in the increased need to sleep after the iftar. This sleepy feeling comes about because the body has expended so much energy on the digestive system that it needs to lower its other bodily functions in order to perform its digestive duties properly. Over time, this habit can cause long-term damage to the body.

HAI, are you already preparing for EID?

Half of the people I know already bought their Eid costumes and started baking eid cookies. I was forced to purchase mine last weekend because my parents couldn't find any other time to bring us down to get them.

I love Eid because it's a festival filled with blessings and barakah but I hate how it's celebrated here in my country.

Yes, 30 days of Shawal means 30 days of Celebration/Eid.

Wallah, I get sick and tired of visiting and all that hustle and bustle of moving about in a group and raiding people's homes.

It's probably because I am not a "celebratory" person because I never get very interested with parties/festivals lol.

The only thing that I actually look forward to when it comes to eid is the night BEFORE eid and the morning of eid.

Otherwise, count me out. I'm the last person to ask along for a visiting session. I usually tag along because my friends insist and because I want to spend time with them.

& No, I am not interested to meet my extended family - so extended that I start to hear about aunties that I have never heard of and when I actually do meet them the first question I'd get would be, "SO! What are you studying?!"

I'd usually just reply "Haha, I live in a cave and I don't study" Okay lol joking, my dad would kill me :(

So, what's up with y'all this eid? :)

A'qilah Saiere

I am Muslim not Islam.

Remember that you are not saying to others ‘I am Islam’, but simply that ‘I am a Muslim’, meaning – I am someone who is trying to follow this religion, who accepts it as truth, sees beauty in it and hopes to beautify myself with it. - Suhaibb Webb

I am sick and tired of ridiculous assumptions and stereotypical views about my people. I'm a Muslim. I am a person who believes in the One God that created us all and in His Qur'an - the last revelation to His final Prophet, Muhammad sallahu 'alayhi wassalam.

All over tumblr, blogspot, wordpress, livejournal and every other blog server that could have possibly been invented, bloggers are debating about the building of the Masjid at Ground Zero.

I am not in the least bothered by what most of them have to say, about how this is a political move etc but I get extremely disturbed by how some make comments like this is a way to radicalize Americans - how this is going to associate the United States of America with Muslims and how Muslims are but extremists.

I am sick and tired of hearing these comments.

Yes, I'm sure you're bothered by the 9-11. No one in the right state of mind wouldn't be but who gave you the liberty to stereotype every Muslim to be a terrorist and Islam to be a religion of radicals?

Why all these hatred towards 1.8 billion people in the world - out of which 1.7 billion of us don't even have anything to do with any form of terror attacks around the world.

We are the victims here not you. We are being accused of being extremists, oppressors and terrorists. We are labeled everyday of lives as radicals, fundamentalists etc when in actual fact, we are the oppressed.

Almost every Christian or Jew have every right to practise their religion in peace. Muslim women are not allowed to wear their Hijab in some countries, Muslim men are not allowed to keep beards, our Arab brothers and sisters are the victims of Anti-Semitism NOT the Jewish Settlers in Israel.

There have been Pastors who were pedophiles and Jewish men who killed their own children but that does not in anyway give me the right to assume that Christianity is a religion of sexually abusive people and Judaism to be a religion of violence and hatred.

You do not have the right to judge Muslims nor do you have the right to judge Islam through the actions of a few Muslims.

If you happen to be amongst those who are ignorant enough to stereotype every Muslim as a damn terrorist, i'll tell you what -

YOU ARE JUST PLAIN STUPID.

A'qilah Saiere,

In less than 24 hours;

...the whole Muslim world will either be doing their first tarraweeh or waking up for suhr.

I really can't wait for the blessed month to finally arrive.

I wouldn't call my previous Ramadhan anything close to productive and I have vowed to make sure that this one would be put to full use.

It is only during Ramadhan that you see more sisters wearing their hijabs, more brothers attending juma'ah. It's like the Ummah is reactivated during this month. Masha'Allah :-)

There are of course those who get overly excited for 3eid that they forget to make their Ramadhan as productive as they possibly can.

Ramadhan is our month :-) A month full of blessings, full of Barakah, Rahmah and lots of other good stuff from Allah.

Besides, fasting is the best form of diet. Not that I need to lose any weight taking into consideration that I already am underweight. Nonetheless, it's a good thing for our digestive system.

I'm not going to get all scientific, don't worry.

I used to think that dates (tamr) look like cockroaches. Yeah, those nasty bugs. However, as they always say "Do not judge a book by it's cover".

Dates have lots of nutritional value and subhanAllah, do they taste awesome! :-)

Ajwa's my favourite <3

So yes, before I hit the sack (since it's 3:30 am - toldya i'm insomniac (no I am NOT hypochondrial, I am serious) ), I'd like to wish all of you good folks -:

Ramadhan Mubarak :-) May Allah grant y'all a blessed and fruitful Ramadhan :) Ameen!

TaqabAllah w minkum!

A'qilah Saiere

Who's excited?!

8 more days!

Who's excited? :-)

I AM!

The Prophet of Islam (peace be upon him) had warned "Some people only gain from their fast the fact that they are hungry and thirsty."

*teehee*

A'qilah Saiere