Interesting Article: Women and Turkish Mosques

Salaam alaikum everyone, insh'Allah you're all doing well and are in a great state of health and iman.

One of my friends on Facebook shared an interesting article about some changes that are going to be made to Turkish mosques. Read it HERE

Personally, I'm very happy that something like this is going to be done. Mosques are not only for men...but for men AND women! Unfortunately, this is something that a lot of people seem to have forgotten in our ummah, which is so sad. Not having a separate wash room for women to make wudu is just absolutely ridiculous. It's also unacceptable for men to be offered a wide, open, clean, and beautifully ornamented space in which to worship Allah(swt), yet all women get is a cramped, dirty little corner. A lot of people seem to use the excuse that it's "better for a woman to pray at home anyways" not to offer nice women's areas in mosques. However, these same people also seem to forget that the Prophet Muhammed(saws) said “Do not prevent the female servants of Allah from the Mosques of Allah.” [Sahih Muslim, Book 004, Number 0886] However, this is exactly what these people are doing by not providing an acceptable prayer space for women within the mosque!

As for taking down the barriers...personally, I like having a barrier. I know that some sisters do not, and feel that it is sexist, but I find that it helps me to concentrate, and I like the added privacy. I'm also aware that in the time of the Prophet(saws), men and women didn't have any barriers between them in the masjid. However, I have been to masjids both with and without barriers...and I always felt weird at the ones that didn't have at least a curtain separating the brothers from the sisters...mostly because certain brothers can't seem to be able to keep their eyes to themselves, may Allah(swt) guide them -_-' All the mosques that I've been to in Morocco have a barrier, but you can still hear the imam nice and clear. Usually, the women's areas in Moroccan masjids are on a balcony above the men, and have a decorative wall in front of them so that brothers below cannot see in. They have also all have had separate toilet and wudu areas, separate entrances, and they have all been clean and spacious (with the exception of a few which were a bit crowded...but it might have just been because it was Ramadan, and the mosques are always crowded during Ramadan...heck, I had to pray Eid al Adha prayer this year on the SIDEWALK outside the masjid because there were so many people attending, subhan'Allah!) Anyways, Morocco gets a thumbs up in my book for their women's areas in their mosques. Heck, a lot of them are 100 times better than some of the women's areas I've been to in AMERICAN mosques.

In short, I'm so glad Turkey has decided to make its mosques more women friendly, the way mosques should be.

Salaam!

Salaam alaikum everyone! Insh'Allah you're all doing well and are in the best of health and iman. First off, I want to say thank you to all of my new readers! Insh'Allah you won't all be bored to death of my blog...seeing as I don't really post anything of much substance on here lol :P I keep saying I'm going to change that, but it doesn't really happen.

Anyways, I did have a semi-interesting post planned, seeing as I was at a wedding last week, and I was going to share some nice pictures with y'all...however, I've discovered that my USB cable to transfer pictures from my camera to my laptop got destroyed a while ago by little kitten teeth (fyi: I had to give my kitties away to another family after Ramadan because of allergy issues my husband and myself were having...I still miss them so much...but I'm happy that my hubby and I are no longer suffering), so alas no photos until I can get another USB cable, which might be a while...so, boo.

As for me...I've had a serious lack of energy as of late...so just trying to keep the house clean and organized requires a nap afterwards. LOL that sounds so pathetic!

So, I'll try to post some interesting/thoughtful things, but alas I can't really promise all that much.

P.S. Does anybody have any suggestions for good Islamic lectures to watch? I feel like I have been seriously slacking astighfirallah (partially due to my low energy level and feeling crummy for most of the day...but enough with the excuses), and I'd really like to make an effort to get back on track.

EID MUBARAK SA'EED!

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everyone,

HAPPY EID to all of my brothers and sisters around the world! For those of you who completed hajj, may Allah accept your hajj and cleanse you of your sins, ameen! Insh'Allah one day my husband and I will be able to say that we completed that amazing journey. Please keep us in your du'ahs that one day we will be able to go. Insh'Allah I hope that you all are able to experience hajj one day, if you have not already. I can only dream of how utterly amazing it would be.

EID AL-ADHA is officially tomorrow for those of us in the maghreb (as I've mentioned before, for whatever weird reason we are always one day behind Saudi...maybe the moon just doesn't like us as much, lol). I'm really looking forward to making the most of it insh'Allah.

I'm hoping that I won't cry when we sacrifice our sheep this year...mash'Allah he's so handsome ^_^ He's been hanging out on the terrace for the past few days, along with my father-in-law's sheep. It's been really rainy and cold, and I hope that Allah(swt) will give us some sun for tomorrow.

Anyways, enjoy your Eid everyone, and insh'Allah I will be back here soon with another post!

Think About It...

Oh hi

I'm currently sitting here fighting the urge not to eat all of the chocolate pudding that is sitting in my fridge. MUST. HAVE. SELF CONTROL.

Would You Be Interested?

Salaam alaikum wa rahmat Allah wa barakatuh everyone, insh'Allah you're all well and in the best of health and iman.

I've been throwing around an idea in my head for a while, and I want to ask y'all something. Who would be interested in purchasing things from Morocco? I was thinking of starting off with offering hijab scarves, traditional Moroccan slippers, and ready made djellabas and harem pants, and possibly offering tailoring service for djellabas.

Would anybody be interested? What types of things would you be interested in seeing?

Leave your comments and suggestions below, I'm really interested in reading them, jazak Allah khair!

Gorgeous: Sisters Feast Your Eyes on These!

Salaam alaikum everyone! This particular post is going to be dedicated to sisters, specifically sisters' fashion...I encourage the brothers not to continue reading this post...but hey, whatever floats your boat.

I came across these designs online, and, can I say I was literally drooling when I saw them? Mash'Allah these are GORGEOUS! They are designed, made and sold by a french sister...if you are interested in seeing more, check out her website here: http://www.jilbabsdemariage.com/

The fabric that she's used looks very similar to fabric that is available here for caftans and takchitas, so I'm tempted to go to a tailor and get one made the next time I'm due for new formal wear (which won't be for a while...I just got a new takchita tailored for an upcoming wedding...takchitas and caftans are real investment pieces here...depending on the fabric you buy and the design, they will usually run you well over $100...which means that you wear them for years until you tailor a new one...a lot of women here choose to rent their takchitas/caftans because it's a lot less pricey).

Here are some of my favorites from her collection, what you all think?