Photoshop ❤

I've had photoshop for quite a while now, but I never really took the initiative to use it for what it's worth. The main reason I didn't use it was because it just seemed really difficult, but I found a few shortcuts that have made it so much easier and fun. I am now in love with photoshop, and I can't wait to see what other creations I can come up with. 

These are some of the photos I edited today. It took a while, but I was impressed since this was my first time trying photoshop out. 

Before

After :)

Black Sky

Starry Sky :)

 

 Typical Sky

Rainbow :)))))

Reader Insights

I try to go through my suggestions box as often as possible and write posts based on the ideas you guys give me. Sometimes I get really silly suggestions, but other times I get really interesting comments that I know I have to use on my blog. I recently received an anonymous suggestion from a girl asking me to write about how one can revert to Islam, as she stated she was interested in becoming a Muslim. Before I write about the basics of converting to Islam, I just wanted to tell who ever sent me the suggestion to email me so I can send them more detailed information and help them on their quest to joining the Muslim Ummah inshAllah. 

Who Can Become A Muslim?
 Anyone can become a Muslim! Islam is a faith for all of humanity and is not limited to a certain culture, ethnicity, or race. You don't need any one's permission to become a Muslim because this is between you and your Lord. 

How does one become a Muslim? 
Once a person realizes in their heart that Islam is the truth, than they should take their shahada as soon as they can. The reversion to Islam should not be delayed because we all know that life is short. In order to become a Muslim, you must pronounce the shahada (the declaration of faith), which is "Ash-Hadu Anla Elaha Illa-Allah Wa Ash-Hadu Anna Mohammadan Rasul Allah". When you say the shahada you are saying "I bear witness that there is no deity worthy to be worshiped but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger." 

How does one declare the shahada? 
 The shahada is not required to be declared in a mosque, although it is recommended. If one does not have access to a mosque, than they should call someone or go see someone and pronounce the shahada in front of them. If they can't find someone to witness their declaration, than they can say the shahada to themselves. Allah knows what is in our hearts therefore he knows the true state of our faith. Once one decides that they want to say the testimony, they need to say it from deep within their heart and mean it because it is not enough to only say the words. 

What happens after the shahada is said?

Some people fear that by becoming a Muslim they need to immediately begin the process of becoming the next big sheikh, but that is not true. Converts need to take it slow, they need to take their time getting adjusted to the religion, but by taking their time, I don't mean taking all the time in the world. Just say bismillah (in the name of Allah), do your part today and let Allah take care of tomorrow. As soon as you say your shahada, all your past sins are forgiven and you are given a brand new slate, you become in the same sinless state of being that you were the day you were born.

How does one deal with the issues that arise after the conversion?
Many  times converts find that as soon as they convert everyone around them is excited and more than willing to help, but soon enough they realize that the hardships they face are greater than they expected. This is absolutely normal! Allah tests those whom He loves, so stay strong during the period after your conversion and remain in close contact with the Muslim community at the local mosque as they will be there to help you with your struggles. Don't let shaitan (satan) get to you because he hates it when people are guided towards Islam. Lastly, Keep in mind the reasons you initially reverted to Islam, as shaitan and people will try to make you forget why you are Muslim.

Click here for more information on how to convert to Islam!

Design a T-Shirt Contest

Bad Scarf Days wants YOU to design their t-shirt! 

Come up with a photo design that compliments the website logo "I don't have bad hair days, I have bad scarf days." Get creative and create a painting or a drawing, whatever you can come up with!  Submit your design to asma.zafar@badscarfdays.com and the top 5 will be chosen, than you will vote on who the winner is. The winner will win a amazing gift bag that includes a hijab, khol eyeliner, henna designs, and a FREE t-shirt of the design you created.  Contest Deadline: March 20th 11:59pm Eastern Standard Time, US.    

Oh and DON'T forget to join the"I don't have bad hair days, I have bad scarf days" facebook group. 

Does God Exist ? Albert Einstein

A reader pointed out that this in fact does not comply with Islamic Theology so in order to avoid any confusion, keep in mind that this is just the concept of God from Albert Einstein's perspective not from an Islamic perspective.

Evan Ross on Monique Show

Evan Ross from Moozlum did an incredible job, discussing his enlightenment about Islam on the Monique Show. I loved the fact that he still remembers sourat Al Du'ha after having to memorize Quran as a part of his role as Tariq. If you haven't seen the movie yet, make sure you catch it while it's still in theaters.

Safia Ishag's Rape

As a human being, let alone a Sudanese woman, I am speechless after hearing Safia Ishag's rape story. She is tremendously brave for coming out and publicly telling her story of what happened to her on that horrible day when she was raped and tortured by three Sudanese government personnel in Khartoum. Having been raised in America on the concept of freedom of speech, I can hardly imagine someone being punished for participating in a peaceful protest. I'm disgusted by the Sudanese government! They have killed, raped, and tortured far too many people and have gotten away with it. Spread her story, so that people everywhere are aware of what is going on within Hassan Al Bashir's regime. InshAllah, through awareness we can all participate in ending this corrupt regime and putting to justice those that were involved in this inhuman crime.

Muslim Moment #7

"Have you seen him who denies the religion? He is the one who harshly rebuffs the orphan and does not urge the feeding of the poor. So woe to those who do prayer, and are forgetful of their prayer, those who show off and deny help to others." (Surat al-Ma'un: 1-7)

Faisal Salah - Who Am I

MashAllah, this brother is truly talented. Give him a listen

Judgement day- Muslim Belal

New Zealand Earthquake

  A few days ago, a 6.3 magnitude Earthquake hit Christchurch, New Zealand killing at least 75 and leaving 300 missing. I constantly hear on the news about disasters happening around the world, but this one struck me in particular because of the photo posted above. This photo was taken at the time that a family was told that their mother was presumed dead due to the quake. You can clearly see and feel the heartbreak that this family is going through just from this photo. SubhanAllah, this life is truly a test and can be over in a split second. May we always be among the believers in Allah's eyes. 

"Writing or speaking about Islam does not make you a good Muslim.
Practicing and striving by its ideals makes you one."

Will Smith Antiks

This quote is absolutely right! No matter where you go, there will always be someone there trying to put you down. Rather than responding with anger and going about your day huffin n puffin about how so and so treated you, you might as well move on as though nothing happened. In the end it will take more effort on your part to get angry, so why not smile and let Allah take care of everything. 

Muslim Moment #6

hahaha the blessings of Islam! I can't even begin to tell you how awkward it is to make wudu in a public bathroom and have someone walk in on you, but I also can't even begin to tell you the amazing feeling you feel afterwards. Allah tests your faith in sooo many ways and this is only a minor test. Whenever this happens to me, I just laugh it off and wonder if maybe that little "embarrassing" moment may have been a form of da3wa to that person. hmm Allahu A3lam though...

Lower Your Gaze

There was a companion of the Prophet (SAW) his name was Thalaaba Ibn Abdulrahman. Thalaaba was very young, about 16 years old, and he used to run errands for the Prophet (SAW) and one night, the Prophet (SAW) sent him to do something and he was walking through Medina, whilst he was walking he passed by a house and the door was open. The inside of the house was covered by a peice of material which acted as a curtain to hide the inside, but the wind blew this curtain to the side revealing a women inside who was bathing. Thalaaba glanced a little too long til he saw something, then he came to his senses and said Audo Billah!. Straight away the boy feared that Allah swt would reveal an ayah about him to the Prophet (SAW) and reveal him along with the hypocrites, and out of fear the boy ran away.

The Prophet (SAW) waited for the boys return, and hours later he sent other companions to go and search for him and bring him back. The companions returned and told the Prophet (SAW) they could not find him anywhere. The Prophet (SAW) told them to go search again on the outskirts of Medina, the companions came to a side of a mountain where there were Nomads, the companions asked them had they seen this boy, they described him to them. The nomads asked them, did they mean the boy who done nothing but cried, the nomads told them that the boy stayed on the other side of the mountain and did nothing but cry and say Astaghfurallah, and that he only came down after the sun set and drank some milk and when he drunk the milk it would mix with the boys tears because he was crying so much, they told them the boy only came down after sunset. So the companions waitied til sunset and the boy came down. It was a struggle but they managed to bring the boy back to his home, and he was crying even harder.

When the boy was taken back home he was crying even more and the Prophet (SAW) came to visit him, and comforted him by putting the boys head on his thigh (SAW) but the boy told the Prophhet (SAW) not to do such a thing and that he wasn’t worthy enough to be so close to the Prophet (SAW). The Prophet then asked him what is it he wished for, the boy replied he wished for the mercy and forgiveness of Allah swt.

The boy started shaking, he told the Prophet (SAW) that he felt as if ants were crawling between his skin and his bones, the Prophet told him that it was death, and it was approaching him. The boy died shortly after. The Prophet (SAW) washed him and covered him and led the prayer.

The Prophet(SAW) walked behind the body as they carried him to the cemetry.The Prophet(SAW) walked on the tip of his toes the whole way there as if it was crowded. One of the companions asked the Prophet (SAW) why was his walking on the tip of his feet when he had a lot of room? The Prophet (SAW) replied “I cannot find a place to put my foot down with the way the angels are crowded around him.”


SubhanAllah, the amount of hayaa (modesty) that Thalaaba had can hardly be found today. Now-a-days, we've  become so used to seeing nudity and indecent images everywhere that we no longer feel shame or guilt. Our hearts have become so used to this sickness that we've become numb to the corruption around us. Honestly, we don't even fear Allah SWT like we should; we no longer think about the harm we're doing to our self and our imaan in general. We must take Thalaaba's story as an example and learn from his character mashAllah. 

Islamic Marriage Story

Once there was a very handsome, pious, well educated young man, whose parents emphasized for him to get married. They had seen so many marriage proposals, and he had turned them all down. The parents thought it was becoming a little ridiculous or suspected that he may have someone else in mind.

However every time the parents left the girls house, the young man would always say “she’s not the one!” The young man only wanted a girl who was religious and practicing. (Which was hard to find). However one evening his mother arranged for him, to meet a girl, who was religious and practicing.

On that evening, the young man and girl were left to talk and ask each other question (as one would expect). The young man, being a gentleman that, he was allowed, young lady to ask first.

Young girl asked the young man so many questions. She asked about his life, his education, his friends, his family, his habits, his hobbies, his lifestyle, his enjoyment, his time pass, his experiences, his shoe size and his likes and dislikes. Basically everything!

And the young man replied to all of her questions, without tiring and politely with a smile. Young girl took up nearly all of the time, over an hour and felt bad and asked the young man do you have any questions?

Young man said, yes, only have 3 questions…

Young girl thought, wow, only 3 questions okay, go ahead and shoot.

Young man’s first question was, (1) Who do you love the most in the world, someone who’s love nothing would ever overcome? She said, this is an easy question! Answer to your question is my mother.

Young man smiled and asked second question, (2) You said that you read a lot of Qur’an, could you tell me which Surahs you know the meaning of? Hearing this she went red and embarrassed and said I do not know the meaning of any yet, but I am hoping to soon Inshallah I have just been a bit busy.

The third question the young man asked, was (3) I have been approached for my hand in marriage, by girls that are lot more prettier than you, why should I marry you? Hearing this, the young girl was outraged, she stormed off to her parents with fury and said I do not want to marry this man he is insulting my beauty and intelligence.

And the young man and his parents were once again, left without an agreement of marriage. This time, the young man’s parents were really angry and said what did you do to anger that young girl, the family was so nice and pleasant, and they were religious like you wanted. What did you ask the girl? Tell us!

Young man said, firstly I asked her, who do you love the most? She said, her mother. The parents said so, what is wrong with that?

Young man said, “no one, is Muslim, until he loves Allah (SWT) and his Messenger more than anyone else in the world.” If a woman loves Allah (SWT) and Holy Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) more than anyone, she will love me and respect me and stay faithful to me, because of that love and fear for Allah (SWT). And we can share this love, because this love is greater than lust for beauty.

Young man said, then I asked, you read a lot of Holy Qur’an, can you tell me the meaning of any Surah? And she said no. because I haven’t had time yet. So I remembered the saying of Imam Shafi’i, “All humans are dead except those who have knowledge … And all those who have knowledge are asleep, except those who do good deeds .. And those who do good are deceived, except those who are sincere … And those who are sincere are always in a state of worry (for others).”

She has lived 20 years on this earth and not found any time, to seek knowledge, why would I marry a woman, who does not know her rights and responsibilities and what will she teach my children, except how to be negligent, because the woman is the Madrasah (school) and the best of teachers. And a woman, who has no time for Allah (SWT), will not have time for her husband.

The third question I asked her was, that a lot of girls, more prettier than her, had approached me for marriage, why should I choose her? That is why she stormed off, getting angry.

Young man’s parents said that is a horrible thing to say, why would you do such a thing; we are going back there to apologize. Young man said I said this on purpose, to test whether she could control her anger.

Holy Prophet Muhammad(pbuh) said “Do not get angry, do not get angry, do not get angry” repeatedly when asked how to become pious, because anger is from Satan.”

So, the moral of this story is, a marriage is based on: Knowledge not looks, Practice not preaching, Forgiveness not anger, Spiritual love not lust and compromise!

One should look for a person who (1) Has love for Allah (SWT) and his Messenger (2) Has knowledge of the deen (religion), and can act upon it (3) can control her anger and another important and crucial factor that she be (4) willing to compromise.

And it goes both ways, so women seeking a man, should look for the same things.

May Allah (SWT) make every marriage a success and let us create Love for Allah and his Messenger so that Allah (SWT) can bless us, and create love in our lives.

There is no better structure founded in Islam other than marriage. Holy Prophet Muhammad(pbuh).

HaHaHa

husband: you know your really not that pretty

       wife: well you're no Yusuf (Alahisalam) your self

haha I love funny Islamic jokes

Muslim Moment #5

Sujud is one of the most personal encounters we are granted daily with Allah swt. It is our opportunity to surrender all of our fears and worries to Him, and at that moment we are closest to Him.  It truly is a blessing and we need to take advantage of the time we have while in sujud because our duaas are more likely to be answered. 

Pray no matter what!!

Hasan Al-Basree advised some of his students admonishing them about avoiding the state of being proud. He said: 

1) Do not deceive yourself into becoming too proud because you are in a good or righteous environment, for there is no place that is better than Paradise, and our father, Adam ‘alayhi salaam, experienced there what is known to all.

2) Do not become proud merely because you worship often, for consider what happened to Iblees after he spent a great deal of time worshipping.

3) Do not think yourself great because you have met with righteous people, for there is no man more righteous than the Prophet salAllaahu ‘alahi wasallam, yet the disbelievers and hypocrites did not benefit by simply knowing him

It's Spring...Sike!

Today was such a lovely day outside! The sun was shining and it was just the perfect temperature; not too hot and not too cold. The breeze was blowing calmly and campus was filled with people laying out relaxing underneath the sun...completely disregarding the fact that it's only February! All in all, today was such a tease. It was the weathers way of reminding us that it's still winter, and making us feel bad about it on top of that. Astakhfarallah haha despite all of that, my state of mind is spring chillin. So I say...

Let the flowers bloom

National Cherry Blossom Festival

This is one of my favorite times of the year in D.C. I went last year with my friends and had a great time. I hope to go again this year and so should you if you live in the DMV area. Anyway, These are some of my personal photos from last years event. Enjoy :)

Beautiful!

Praying in the out in the grass is one of my favorite moments ever.

Muslim Moment #4

Surah: 13. ar-Ra'd (ayah 23)
Gardens of perpetual bliss: they shall enter there as well as the righteous among their fathers their spouses and their offspring: and angels shall enter unto them from every gate (with the salutation)

Day 30: Someone you miss

I miss too many people, but i'm going to list them all iA. I miss all the people that I've ever loved that have passed away. Up until two years ago, I've never truly felt the pain of losing someone close to me, but since than I've become more aware of death. SubhanAllah, we truly do belong to Allah and we shall return to him. I miss my family, those that live in America, but I don't get to see as much as I should, and those that live on other parts of the world. I wish I could see them more often. Lastly, I miss anyone that I used to be close with; I just want that closeness we used to have back. 

Muslim Moment #3

Imagine If London Was Occupied by Israel

If you are not familiar with what is occurring in Palestine today, than you need to watch this video. It will put in perspective for you what the Palestinians are going through on a day to day basis. May Allah grant them patience and reward them for what they are going through in this world.

Muslim Moment #2

Day 29: A photo that always makes you smile

This photo of my grandmother and my sister makes me smile and tingle all over just because I can almost feel the happiness that is shining through this photo. Nothing makes me happier than the sight of my grandmother smiling, and this is nothing but a moment of bliss captured in time mashAllah tabarakAllah. 

Day 28: Something your afraid of

Nothing causes more fear in me than Allah swt, but that fear is definitely a good thing. A person that doesn't truly fear Allah is not a true believer in my humble opinion. I fear Allah's punishment and His anger more than anything. This fear I have deeply rooted inside of me helps me to become a better Muslimah because without it what would stop me from following my desires? Although Allah's punishment is great, and His strength even greater, He is still the most merciful and all forgiving. 

Hijab Help

I need a more efficient way to hang my hijabs. Right now, my scarves are all wrinkled up together in my drawers, but this is not workin' out for me. I love the way the scarves are hung up in the photo I posted, but I don't know where I can find those hangers. Any suggestions?

Muslim Moment #1

I discovered this great inspirational blog that posts Islamic moments submitted by readers around the world. I thought it would be a great idea to share one with you everyday. Enjoy inshAllah!

Day 27: Yourself and a family member

This is me and my babyy girll, rayy rayy. I love my little sister. We're close alhamduilah and I love being in her life, even when i'm away at college. I think it's so important for sisters to be role models for their younger siblings because they really will look up to you and learn from your actions, so make sure your always doing the "right" thing in front of them. 

Day 26: Something that means a lot to you

I know they're not my fam, but they are so darn cute mashAllah!

My family means a whole lot to me. Especially being away from home makes me appreciate my family. I need to constantly remind myself that family should always come first in my life because life can make you forget that sometimes. 

Day 25: Your Favorite Day

My favorite day of the week is Friday of course! Here are the reasons why I love love love Fridays. First off, it is the most blessed day of the week for Muslims, so I love it first and foremost for that reason. I love going to Friday prayer with my sisters and just enjoying the blessings of that day. Second of all, I love fridays cuz I only have one class :))). Third, I love it because it's chicken wing day. My friends are probably laughing at me right now, because they know how much I love chicken wings :). 

Day 24: Something I Wish I Could Change

I'm the type of person that doesn't do well with negative change. Whether its a small unexpected alteration in my daily schedule or a major life changing event, either way its hard for me to deal with change (on different levels of course depending on the circumstances). What I dislike most about change is the fact that most of the time, you don't see it coming. Sometimes I go to bed, wake up, and suddenly my entire life is different. Clearly, the change is not over night, but it seems that way. Recently, somethings have changed for the worst and I am not taking it well what so ever. If I could make a wish, it would be for people to not change and to always be a part of my life, instead of just disappearing in the blink of an eye. Yes, as crazy as it sounds, I'm making a wish to change, change. I know people change and time goes on, but I'm tired of it, so I'm going to leave this wish as it is and hope for all the good things in my life to remain as they are inshAllah. 

Moozlum Premiere Weekend

If you haven't seen Moozlum yet, then you are truly missing out! I advise all of you to go out and watch this once in a life time movie with your family and friends. I promise, it is well worth it. I saw it last night at the D.C. premiere and I loved it. The best over all experience was at the end of the movie when the the audience broke out into Takbeers. I wish I could experience it all over again. MashAllah, I'm so proud of the Muslim ummah for making this happen and supporting Moozlum director Qasim Basir.  

Question

So...what do you think of the layout change??
Do you like this look better or the old one?

Qasida Burda

Back On My Look-Book Flow

Day 23: Favorite Book

Honestly, this was a hard pick for me. College has definitely interfered with my leisure time and I can't remember the last time I picked up a book to read just for fun. I chose The Notebook, because it was one of those books that I instantly fell in love with after reading once and I found myself re-reading. I read it before the movie came out, so I wasn't influenced by that (even though the movie was amazing). Nicholas Sparks has a beautiful writing style, and I would recommend that you read all of his novels. 

Happily Ever After

 If you haven't noticed, on my blog there is a section titled "love & relationships" and since this is a blog mainly intended for Muslim women (whose population, might I add are 99.99% obsessed with weddings!), I thought I would include some posts on that topic. I've only done two posts about Islam and love, so I thought I would do a third and include some beautiful photos I came across of that made me smile. I hope it will do the same for you inshAllah. 
P.S. For those who personally know me, don't take this too literally, i'm not getting married just yet ;) lol

For all my Arabs out there, did you notice that this is the same dress worn by Elissa in her "3a Bali" video clip?

This dress is my favorite :)

Hanan Turk, Egyptian actress that became a hijabi. MashAllah, I truly admire her for turning down all the indecent acting roles for the cause of Allah SWT. May Allah protect her always. Ameen.

I wonder if this dress can be altered into a more modest style?

Malaysians are the cutest!

Which wedding dress is your favorite?