Praying.. or not, as the case may be.

Regarding salah, I used to be quite jealous of men and considered it a huge injustice that they don't have obligatory breaks in their prayers.

Source

But I realised recently that there is a silver lining to this cloud, and that is although mens' prayers are more constant than womens', they don't get to experience the sweetness of returning to salah - nothing beats that first prayer back :)

Waterfall Cardigan & Maxi Skirt Combo

Waterfall Cardigan by stylishmuslimah

In my opinion, the best cardigan for a maxi skirt is a flowy waterfall style one. Give it a try, I think you'll like it :D

Oh The Irony...

[Source]

I recently came across the results of a survey which found that 69% of the people asked believe that Islam encourages the oppression of women.

If there is one thing I absolutly cannot stand it is when people hold uneducated opinions - or more accuratly, guesses - about Islam.

Let's forget about opinion here and just look at the facts so that we can set the record straight. Islam brought women their rights during a time that in other countries women were being bought and sold as cattle.

We Muslim women gained ownership over our money and were able to inherit while women around the world were themselves being inherited. 

We were given the right to education and work, and the right over our husbands' to provide for us regardless of whether or not we choose to work and regardless of how and when we spend our money.

Muslim men are commanded to treat women with kindness and respect and not to take them as objects. Islam is the only religion to limit the number of wives a man can have, putting heavy conditions on the man, making it very difficult to marry more than one woman (in a time when men would marry hundreds as and when they pleased).

Unlike other religions, Muslim women could choose their husbands' and were given the right to initiate a divorce. We are not seen as commodities with an expiry date, rather have an elevated and respected status in Islam as mothers, wives and daughters and important contributors to society.

Women are NEVER degraded in the Quran and are described as equal to men. The words "male" and "female" are mentioned the same number of times in the Quran - 23 times each. The Prophet (SAW) mentioned the mother three times before mentioning the father once, when asked about the importance of parents.

Unfortunately though, in this society most people are under the impression that being "equal" to a man means being the "same" as a man. It is for this reason that if a woman doesn't work, she is considered backward, oppressed and lower than a man because she is not acting like a man.

The reality is that if women had been told to work so that the government could tax another 50% of the population instead of being told that they were being liberated, far fewer women would have jumped on the feminist bandwagon.They would have used their logic to deduce that men and women are ALREADY equal and it is totally ridiculous to gain equality with somebody simply by 'acting' like them. If I acted like my pet hamster would it make me equal to it..?

I am genuinely so very thankful that I am a Muslim woman because I do not need to prove myself to men or to "gain" equality from anybody - I already have it, in it's most perfect form from my Creator (SWT). And it was given to me 1300 years before the women who did this survey.

And there's the irony.

Style Inspiration

I can't remember which site I got this photo from, but I'm liking the look:

I'm thinking if she added a jacket or cardigan to cover her waist she'd be good to go.

Eid Mubarek - I hope you are all enjoying it :) I miss Ramadan already!

The Fruit Market

A conversation that took place in a fruit market yesterday...

Me to my mum: ..you're making kabab..?
Random Pakistani woman in a salwar kameez: *laughs*
Mother: Did you understand what she said?
Woman: Yes, how do you not like kabab?! It's great for fatoor..
Mother: You're Muslim?!
Me: Obviously.
Woman: Yes, of course!
Mother: Oh sorry it's just because you don't wear hijab, I assumed..
Woman: I used to wear it but I took it off, you know.
Me: Why?
Woman: My husband didn't like it.
Me: ..why?
Woman:  He thinks I look Bengali in it *laughs*
Mother: Oh.
Me: Err, what's wrong with..?
Woman: You know.. lots of them wear hijab.
Mother: He really shouldn't be telling you not to wear it..
Woman to me: Well, it's good your husband doesn't mind.
Me: I'm not marri-
Woman: Mine just doesn't like it. Trust me, if your husband is happy, so are you.
Me: Right.


Mother: So when's Eid..?

[Photo source]

Keep going Libyans! May Allah (SWT) defeat your oppressor and allow you to celebrate eid in peace. Ameen.