Where Do You Get Muslimy Stuff?!

First, I LOVE the word "Muslimy." Second, People ask me a lot where I shop.  I shop online.

Not because I can't find clothes in other stores, but because I am CHEAPPPP. So cheap.

Grossly cheap.

And, it's like an addiction.  I can save you 30% on probably... anything...

It's like a game for me.  Have you ever seen those coupon people on TLC? They're living my dream life.

But I thought I should give people good ideas about where to shop.  I'm in no way making a profit off of these people, I just like their stuff.

Let me know if you have any questions... I'll add to this list as I think of other places I use.

Here you go:

East Essence

I've bought three abayas from here: this being one of them.  They're GORGEOUS! And very very cheap.

I own the one below and people always compliment me on it ;)

Boutique Al Khaleejia

Okay I've never actually bought something from here, but looking at the stuff on here is like my crack.

 Anyone want to throw down $350 on this "abaya" for me?

Muslim Wall Decor

I have these all over my walls... and even a "Bismillah" on my car

Muslim Art 

Tina Shahmohammadi :) She has amazing art (most of which is featured on my blog here) and she sells it too.  Literally gorgeous.

And she happens to be a beautiful person as well ;)

Wudu Cling

My friend Kristina thought of this idea to have a wudu cling for kids.  I love it! Although I don't need to use it anymore now that everything is memorized in my nogin, but still totally an amazing idea for new converts and/or children.  Go buy it.

TJ Maxx

No, they don't let you shop online :( but they have awesome scarves at the stores. Cheap. Check out the store locator to find a store near you!

Halal Nail Polish

Haven't tried it yet, but I hear it's amazing. And halal.

Other Ebay Finds:

My phone is Muslimy blinged out.  Plus I buy everything from eBay pretty much.  You can find awesome stuff!

What Was The Hardest Thing for You to Give Up? It Must Have Been Drugs, Yes?

EVERY SINGLE MUSLIM PERSON I HAVE EVER MET ASKS ME THIS QUESTION! A lot of nonMuslims as well. It's... frustrating... We're not supposed to talk about any haram we have done, so why are you asking me?  What do you expect me to say? I really found it difficult to kick the hard drugs!

No, I never did any drugs in my entire life, but I love responding with "cocaine" because I appreciate the reactions.

Last month there was a post that I wrote that allowed me to vent the frustration I have when Muslims think nonMuslims do all sorts of terrible things, and I hope you realize that I didn't do a lot of haram things before I was Muslim.  Yes, I did things I'm not necessarily proud of, I wasn't perfect, but I wasn't some crazy wild rapper's girlfriend or something.

But, because everyone asks this, the hardest thing to give up was...

BACON!

Just kidding ;)

If you really want to know, I'll tell you...

The hardest thing really to give up was friendships.

I'm NOT a girly girl.

I hate girls, to be honest.

Not all girls, of course, I do have a select few girlfriends that I love,  but I find girls very hard to get along with.

I'm too honest. I don't when other people give me "advice." I have more important things to discuss than my purse and the color of my nail polish.

Really, I do.

I don't think I'm better than anyone, and yes, I can talk about purses, but I can't talk about them for 6 hours. Some girls can.

I don't think women are stupid, and I don't think all women are shallow, but finding girlfriends that share interests with me and can handle my personality is very rare.

So, I have always been very careful about the friends I chose.

And, now that I'm Muslim, having very close friendships with people who are doing things that my religion and my heart disagrees with, just doesn't work for me.

So, I've had to change.

I maintain my friendships, yes, but I do so in a different way.

There is a barrier between friendship and sisterhood.

There's rules.  And, my nonMuslim friends respect my rules. Or, they don't talk to me anymore. Either way.

But what is really beautiful is that I have made a lot of girlfriends that I really like.  

For a long time I hung out with two types of girlfriends: my fun friends and my religious friends.

There was a separation.

Some like to hang out, we watch Keeping Up with the Kardashians, we shop, but at the end of the day, I get sick of the shallow conversations.

Some like to talk about religion all the time, we have in-depth discussions, and I LOVE IT! But, at the same time, although being Muslim is the most important thing in my life, it's not the only thing.  There are other subjects to talk about.

Now, the other night was my Saudi girlfriend's birthday.  I've only known her for a few months, but we've become close - we hang out every weekend.  She's even introduced me to her group of friends and we're all friends now.  But, I realized for the first time this is the perfect group of friends for me.  They're crazy.  They're so much fun.  We dance in the middle of the living room in grass skirts for two hours and crack up... LoL.

But, after we dance, we sit down and talk about hadith, my conversion, problems in the ummah...

They are both intelligent and fun.  Which is awesome.

And I'm so thankful to have found girlfriends that are such a perfect balance for me. It just goes to show that when you have a sincere intention to rid yourself of something that is haram, God will replace it with an even greater gift.

Alhamdulilah.

If you're Muslim, though, please consider that nonMuslims are really not that different than us.  They may have different ideas of what is okay, their religions may have guided them in different ways, but they're not all majaneen (crazies). Many of them follow the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad without even knowing it, just because it feels right.

May Allah (swt) keep us all away from haram, may He bless all of our friendships, and may He help us not to judge other people before knowing them.  Ameen.

What Is Your Convert Story?

Originally written July 10, 2011: For all those who want to know how and why I converted to Islam, here's everything you need to know:

On May 27th, 2011, I took my shahada, or my declaration of faith in Islam in front of our crowded masjid. However, I did not become a Muslim on that day. I have been Muslim my entire life, but was unaware of it.  I have always believed in one God and Him alone. This thought is one of the most basic, but most important, pillars of the religion. The reason I never knew I was Muslim was because no one ever told me. I have a Muslim roommate, have met many Muslim people, but no one ever told me what Muslims believe in. All along I had believed in Islam, but had no idea that my faith was the same faith as millions of people around me.

Finally, after years of trying to understand my beliefs, attending different religious services and only believing in parts of what I would hear, a close friend asked me what I believed in. We had been friends for a while and I never talked about religion with him.  I explained my fundamental beliefs, that I believe in God, but not the trinity, and I believe in heaven and angels, but also noted that it did not fall under any one religion and I “didn’t know what it was called”. He told me that I had been wrong all this time and that all of my beliefs are consistent with his beliefs as a Muslim.

At first I thought he was just trying to make Islam “look good”.  Explaining the most appealing parts of the faith.  He would send me ayas (or “verses”) from the Qur’an and I agreed with them, but I thought he was only picking and choosing the best lines that would make me more interested.  The first one he sent me was Surah Ad Duha (with one ayah pictured below).  The eleven verses that comprised this surah were the theme of my life.  I went out and bought a Qur’an for myself to find things to point out to him that I did not agree with.  I couldn’t find one single thing.  I agreed with every ayah.  I easily understood why the literal translation of “ayah” is “miracle”.  Every verse is a miracle. As a matter of fact, everyword is a miracle.

It was a miracle in my own life that after searching for twenty years, after being confused, after thinking I would never find anyone else with my beliefs, I found Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) through His will.  The best part was, however, that He had always been with me.  I would stay up as late as possible reading Qur’an and crying knowing that I was reading the truth. I reflect on how beautiful it is that Allah (swt) gave all of the other Prophets the power to perform miracles for the people of their time to see, but he gave Prophet Muhammad (salla Allahu alayhi wa salaam) a miracle that I get to hold in my hands every day, the Qur’an.

I knew I was Muslim and I knew I was so incredibly blessed that Allah (swt) wanted me, a twenty-year old college student, to come to Him.  How could I be so lucky? And how could I do anything but seek all the knowledge and faith possible when I was chosen by Him to come to Islam?

There is a hadith that says, “if you draw nearer to Allah by a handspan, He will draw nearer to you by a cubit, and if you draw nearer to Him by a cubit, He will draw nearer to you by a fathom.  And if you walk towards Him, He will rush to you.”  Well, I drew nearer to Him by miles and miles and He far surpassed my efforts.  And I sprinted to Him, and He rushed to me at lightspeed.

That is not to say there were not times when I was terrified.  Americans do not think too fondly of Muslims, and after all the negative media portrayals I expected my friends to feel similarly about the subject.  Some do, and I do not mind letting them go as friends.  A friend should accept you for what you are, and also should draw you nearer to Allah.  Spending time with those friends makes it obvious to me that they are not what is best for me, and that I prefer friends who are of my religion.  When it’s time to pray, I can go pray without having to explain myself.  When we see someone walking down the street that is “different” we do not judge them, as opposed to tease them or harass them as my friends and I had done in the past.  That is not to say I do not makedu’aa (or prayer) for them.

There are friends who support me and love me no matter what my choice is, and to them I am thankful.  I can only hope that Allah (swt) draws them nearer to Him.  However, what I was surprised to find out of these friends is the complete lack of knowledge about Islam, and oftentimes about their own religions as well. I was ignorant about Islam before converting, but I had not thought that all of my friends would equally as ignorant about Islam and their ownreligions!

It is my biggest honor in life to be Muslim.  It is my second biggest honor to explain Islam to others.  I am thankful that people feel comfortable enough around me at a grocery store, or in line at Subway, or at my office, or at the park to ask me about my faith, I just hope that I am eloquent and intelligent enough to speak for my faith.

There’s nothing I love talking about more than what we believe in and why we believe in it.  I cannot force others to believe in Islam: “Let there be no compulsion in religion: Truth stands out clear from Error” (Qur’an 2.256).  However, I can educate people who do not know what Islam is about the basic beliefs.  I cannot teach faith, that is only in the heart and that is only between you and Allah (swt), but I can teach religion and His message.  This teaching, or dawah, is a critical part of Islam.  Islam does not belong to us, it belongs to all of mankind.  Islam, and the Prophet (saws) are a mercy for the entire world.

I have been told to “go back where I came from” in a WalMart parking lot (to which I responded, “I’m from Cleveland!”).  I have been told to “shut up” while eating ice cream with Muslim friends for no reason.  I have had people make sure their children did not walk anywhere near me at restaurants.  I have had people tell me that Jesus loves me (to which I responded, “I love him too!”).  I have had a woman tell me she feels bad for the way I dress when I was wearing a long dress and turtleneck and she was wearing a tube top and mini skirt (to which I responded, “honey, I feel even worse for you”).  And, I have had parents tell their children the reason I was wearing hijab is because I have cancer.  And that is perfectly fine.  If these people knew the peace we had in our hearts, they would be fighting us for that.

I hope to teach people more about our religion, and I hope that more people are open minded enough to learn, and I hope that I continue learning forever. I encourage the Muslim population to get to know people from different cultures and religions and explain ours.  There’s no need to fight, but how beautiful is it that we would speak for ourselves instead of letting others speak for us.  May Allah (swt) continue blessing us with the bounty of iman, and inshaAllah (God willing) we will all draw each other nearer to Allah.

“To Him we belong and to Him we shall return.” (Qur’an 2.156)

إِنَّا لِلّهِ وَإِنَّـا إِلَيْهِ رَاجِعونَ

Why did you write a blog?

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

May God's peace, mercy and blessings be upon you. Yes you, whoever you may be!

Whether you're Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Sikh, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, Agnostic... Whether you're heterosexual, homosexual, transsexual, asexual... Whether you're black, white, tan, blue, yellow, green, orange (hey Snooki! glad to see you here!)... Whether you're six, sixteen, sixty, six hundred...

I hope that you can learn from what I post, or at the very least, laugh.

I have had the idea of writing a blog for a while - mainly after my Convert Story was published all over the world - and I came home to find 2846 friend requests from people all over Malaysia.

Then, I realized that people always ask me the same questions! 

I love answering questions, trust me I love talking about myself - and Islam! - but answering the same questions over and over gets tedious.

So, I thought I would answer them here.

I will try my best to write one or two posts a week - If I can do more I will.

I hope to leave a legacy of posts  that I can reread when I'm older - and that my children can read someday, God willing.

If you have any topic suggestions, I'd be happy to post about that subject. Just email me!

I will answer topics in question format.  And, after I run out of questions I will move on to other topics that interest me, inshaAllah