I left my ❤ [HEART] in Sudan

  As I'm writing my foreign policy paper on the Sudan referendum, I can't help but feel sadness for my country. My research tells me that the secession is for the best, but my heart tells me it's not. It didn't hit me until now what a great impact this will have the Sudanese people. I wonder what my late grandfather would have thought about this. I wonder what my uncle Allah Yirhamu would have reacted to this news. He gave his life for Sudan, and Sudan didn't repay him back for his efforts. It rather merely gave up and broke away. 

Photos that made me smile---Sudan ❤ 

There's nothing as beautiful as the essence of a Sudanese woman

Ancient Pyramids of Meroe in Sudan

Friday Sufi's (mystics) in Omdurman, Sudan [my hometown <3]

Michael Kuany, Founder of Rebuild Sudan 

Sudan is one of those places where strangers become like family in an instance

A woman and her child in Southern Sudan on the 6th day of the Independence referendum vote

P.S.--it was nearly impossible for me to find positive images of Sudan on the net, but luckily I found some after intense searching. That tells you something about the media. Sudan is a beautiful place, some people just like to highlight it's negative attributes only. 

Bluepearl Blog Award

Wise, Miss Tweet Blue Pearl, JazakAllah Kheir for the Bluepearl Blog Award. I think its amazing how all the Muslimah bloggers are so supportive of each other. InshAllah I will post my favorite blogs soon so you all can check them out. 

I really appreciate all my readers for the sweet comments. InshAllah i'll do my best to stick by the words stated by this award. 

Muslimah Directory

If your a Muslimah that blogs and would like to be featured in The Muslimah Bloggers Directory than contact Rabia Ashraf at rabiaaisrabiaa@gmail.com. 
Please include:
- Blog Link
- Blog Title
- Name: First or First and Last name
- Blog Category: Fashion, cooking, personal, random. 
if you can't think of a catergory i'll take a look at your blog and have one for you
- Age
- Country you're in or from
- any other interesting facts about you

Please tell any other Muslimah bloggers you know about this!

Reality of Death

The most intelligent statement ever made by this man

What's been on my mind for the past few days? Death--Death--and Death. SubhanAllah, although the thoughts running through my mind have been rather depressing, they were much needed. As humans we have a tendency to be very attached to this world, although it is guaranteed that this life will end at some point. It's unbelievable that we go about our days as though we are going to live forever. In particular over the past couple of weeks, death has been everywhere!--it's in Japan, Libya, Egypt..and the list goes on. We are constantly being exposed to death, but we don't stop for a second and think "my day could be next." Everyone needs to take some time and really think about their life and how they are living it because time is ticking. Visit a cemetery, read the Quran and hadith descriptions of death, go see a sick person, do what you need to do to remind yourself that death is imminent and inevitable. 

Allah Subhanahu wa ta'ala said :

"Every soul shall have a taste of death; In the end to us shall ye be brough back."

[Surah Al-Ankabut 29:57] 

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 :)))))

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

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. 

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?

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?

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?

Day 22: Something You Wish You Were Better At

First and foremost, I wish I was a better Muslim, but in relation to more worldly matters, I wish I had better public speaking skills. Speaking in front of a large crowd has always been one of my biggest fears, but ever since I came to college, I realized that public speaking is an essential skill that I need to gain. I hope that one day I'll be able to overcome my fear and speak in public confidently. 

Day 21: Something You Wish You Could Forget

If I could forget something, it would be some memories from my past. It hurts to think about some things from the past and if I could go back and erase those memories I would. One thing I wouldn't want to forget, are the lessons I learned.