HOW TO WEAR HIJAB

but its a GUY!

Santana feat Everlast - Put your lights on

Such an unexpected beautiful song and not just cos of the amazingly talented Santana!

listen to the last bit. He's telling people to open up to God, put your lights on, cos there is a monster, the devil, living under your bed, whispering in your ear. But you have nothing to fear if you have

La illaha illa Allah

That line gets me evry time!

Lyrics -

Hey now, all you sinners
Put your lights on, put your lights on
Hey now, all you lovers
Put your lights on, put your lights on

Hey now, all you killers
Put your lights on, put your lights on
Hey now, all you children
Leave your lights on, you better leave your lights on

Cause there's a monster living under my bed
Whispering in my ear
There's an angel, with a hand on my head
She say I've got nothing to fear

There's a darkness living deep in my soul
I still got a purpose to serve
So let your light shine, deep into my home
God, don't let me lose my nerve
Lose my nerve

Hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now
Wo oh hey now, hey now, hey now, hey now

Hey now, all you sinners
Put your lights on, put your lights on
Hey now, all you children
Leave your lights on, you better leave your lights on

Because there's a monster living under my bed
Whispering in my ear
There's an angel, with a hand on my head
She say's I've got nothing to fear
La illaha illa Allah
We all shine like stars
La illaha illa Allah
We all shine like stars
Then we fade away

Video Blog #6: Distractions During Salat (Prayer)

toooooo good!!!

now i know how to blog on youtube i might just be blogging more often! Here is the example, 3 blogs (so far) in one day!

Video Blog #8 - Culture vs Islam

Hahahahahaha!
i came found this during my dissertation research....researching is fun.....

Merry Halalifyed© Christmas

Just in case you guys miss this comment in my old post about aid work -
"Thank you guys so much for your support, from the comments you made on my blogs to all the support you have given me in our friendships, the inspiration, the confidence, the lot! I truly love you guys and without you lot and islam (you lot playing a big part in me actually reverting, whether you know it or not!), i doubt id be the woman i am today!" :-)

On to this weeks blog.........

After a couple of weeks of pretty much doing nothing, I have finally got back to my dissertation! WOOHOO! I think after the amount of research i did at the start, i got put off my topic, women and the masjid! i kept coming away from the computer feeling pretty rubbish at the state of the situation and how obvious the Islamic teaching is regarding women and their rights and obligations in the masjid. Ah well, back to it. now im feeling pretty good about my dissertation. i can see it actually take form as its not just research anymore, its ordered and each in its own section and i have my first chapter written! Ok, ok, its only my methodology but its 2000+ and im very happy with the amount of detail! :-)

My next mini struggle (i say mini because it sounds better than the truth!) is Christmas. Oh the joys. Honestly, i still love Christmas. coming from a non religious family, christmas was always about family. Everyone getting together and having fun. Relatives coming from all over the country to sit about and eat! Those who know me well know thats my dream situation, being with people who i love and eating good food! Now i have a month of it.....Ramadan - Alhamdullilah, i love it (as well as all the spiritual aspects!)!
But i still have Christmas. Christmas day should be ok, inshaallah as i am cooking the dinner for 10 people. Its always a mission to get hold of a decent halal turkey, but so far i have been very lucky! The hard part is keeping my dad out the kitchen and messing up the halalness©! Its a hard job halalifying© Christmas day and i work hard, then it can all be gone in a second with a bit of bacon draped over my beautiful Islamic turkey! Once i have Christmas day out of the way, then its just down to the usual avoiding meals together at all costs (im ill, im full up, im asleep, il eat later....) and trying to influence my parents to get a take-away so i can either get halal food or veggie option. Its made harder at Christmas because everyone wants to feed the family so its a series of un-halalified© turkey meals in some shape or form up until new years, then its a party at my uncles or our house, which i have to admit, minus the drink on my side is so much fun! The site of two 80yr olds off their trolley is hilarious, they revert back to their kiddie years!
Inshaallah, it will be ok. I have so much fun at Christmas because all my grandmas, granddads, uncles, aunties, cousins, the whole tribe, gets together over and over again......and, erm, i get spoilt rotten!

Arty farty hippy student coming to change the world!

Well, here I am!

After many threats, both on and off my blog, I have returned to you, oh fellow bloggers! I have no explanation whatsoever as to why I haven’t blogged in over a month, although I’m guessing deep down its just laziness!

Quite a lot has happened since I last blogged, though too much to really mention. One major thing is that I have decided what direction I want to take my life in. I have moved away from teaching, as it just doesn’t seem to offer what I thought it would, and moved towards working for NGO’s, aid agencies, Muslim and non Muslim, you get the drift. I have always had this in me but for many different reasons, I haven’t done anything about it. Finally, I woke up and decided that instead of sitting there listening to various different people telling me that there is no money in working for charities, or that ‘the world is in a bad state but there is nothing anyone can do about it’ I have decided to get off my backside and try and do my bit. Believe me, I am under no illusions that I am going to change the world, and unfortunately I am also under no illusion that anyone else is for that matter, but I would at least like to do my bit to help.

Now I’m very slowly starting to test the waters with volunteer work to see if this is the right thing for me to do. So far I have helped MD out with some of her ISB stuff, one helping out at a charity treasure hunt in aid of NSPCC in Fletcher moss park and the other by playing a deaf, uptight vicar in a play for a ladies only dinner for Islam awareness week! I have also joined the steering group for stop the war and joined thinkers forum international! All baby steps but for me, big ol daddy giant steps. One thing I have noticed that I took away from Ramadan was confidence in myself. Don’t get me wrong, not vanity or big headedness lol, just that I will stop sitting around thinking things through over and over again, I will just do things and put my faith in God.

I have more confidence in me being a Muslim and not just calling myself one.

Dawah....Wilmslow road style

Dawah -

''Invite (all) to the Way of thy Lord with wisdom and beautiful preaching; and argue with them in ways that are best and most gracious: for thy Lord knoweth best, who have strayed from His Path, and who receive guidance." -

Qur'an, Sura An-Nahl 16:125 - Yusuf Ali Translation





Once again the MYF has come through! A beautiful tuesday circle was ended on such a happy note with a mini Eid party! It was such a fun time, full of little kids running around, good food and junk food and catching up again with friends. What an Eid celebration should be about.
But the irony is just amazing.

At the same time as the MYF party, a mile and a half up the road was the embarrassment of Wilmslow road. Muslims celebrating ‘their Christmas’ according to any non Muslim that lives in Manchester or, God forbid, passer by who got caught up in it, all though I’m sure they wouldn’t put it as nicely. When I was leaving the MYF I got a call from my friend, almost in tears, who was stuck on Wilmslow road begging me to meet her or pick her up. She had set off from town at 6.30 and at 9.30 was stuck outside Tesco at the bus stop attempting to get on the 111 to as the magic bus hadn’t moved for over an hour and no taxis would come near the area.

The poor girl was harassed continuously until we could get there to pick her up. She had drunk ‘Muslim’ guys trying to hug her whilst saying ‘Eid Mubarak’, some trying to kiss her whilst slurring eid Mubarak. She was so shuck up, it was a joke and she is an incredibly strong woman. The more she tried to ignore these guys, the more abusive they got, swearing at her and accusing her of being a Hindu b**** (she’s an Indian Muslim revert). One guy was shouting at her and trying to chat her up from a limo (‘oh no…I’m not materialistic….I’m a Muslim‘) and because she again was ignoring him, he threw a glass bottle of WKD vodka at her!!! Muslim on Muslim alcoholic violence…well done. She went to wait in the hospital waiting area for us but even in there it wasn’t safe. Drunk guys and girls were chasing each other in and out of the hospital and toilets, screeching to each other how much there parents were “so gonna know I’m mashed!’’.

She said that there were non Muslims walking past swearing about all the Muslims and the way they celebrate their festivals. Believe me, it would have been safer for her to have been in a club than surrounded by ‘Muslims’ on Wilmslow road on Eid.

Yup, thanks kids, great Dawah carried out there.

Salaam and Hello!

After a year of continuous bullying (mainly by NM and MD) I have finally started a blog! I feel the first post should explain the name. Those of you who have been around me pretty much 24/7 during Ramadaan will get the name, others will think I am a weirdo. ‘Sponge’ is a word that a friend of mine randomly said live on air whilst on a serious radio programme which made me and her collapse with laughter, ‘spoons’ comes from a really weird animation on youtube called salad fingers (very disturbing!) and is about a creature that likes rusty spoons and ‘squirrel’ because I pretty much see at least one squirrel a day on my way to the bus stop or out of my window and it amazes me every time!

Ok, that out of the way, you all still think I’m pretty strange but that’s fine, we can work with that! On to a more serious note, this has been, ‘technically’ my first Ramadaan. I say technically because I fasted last year but I wasn’t officially a Muslim until a few months ago. The first day of fasting was a day to remember as well as it was the ANTI WAR demo. What a brilliant day. It gave you hope again that this world does have its beautiful people who will unite regardless of colour, religion, gender, political background ect when there is a just cause. This is especially important to remember at this time where Muslims are slated pretty much everyday on the news. Plus it was good to make a bit of noise and to lead a march!

This Ramadaan has been special on so many different levels. I have learnt how to pray (pretty much) and managed to keep it up 5 times a day, I have been to taraweeh prayer most nights and to my first qiyam, so it has been a much more spiritual Ramadaan as opposed to a practical ‘just don’t eat’ month. The amazing people I have around me also have to take responsibility for the beauty of this Ramadaan. (Amazing fact of the day - I have only had iftar on my own ONCE throughout the whole of Ramadan, every other time at some ones house or with my adopted family, NM‘s beautiful lot!) Without them, it would not have been this special, I wouldn’t know how to pray, what to do, where to go ect. There’s only so much a book can teach you. It really illustrates just how important the Ummah is, to feel so secure and welcome in your faith and social circles is something that many people will never experience. I have made new friends and built on older friendships and got to know people much better. You guys will never know how much you have done for me, to quote Native Female, you have brought me closer to God practically and spiritually. I love you guys!

Mushy stuff out of the way, I have also helped out with Radio Ramadaan which has been a privilege and a pleasure. Especially the journey to the radio and the infamous Masjid show!
Yup I realise that this is a looooong entry, but forgive me, its my first one and I’m leaving a lot out that I would like to put in! Lol, lots of back dated entries to come inshaallah!