This past weekend Saqib and I returned from our Honeymoon, and arrived back in Illinois just in time for the AlMaghrib course Sacred Scrolls.  It was a one weekend seminar taught by both Imam Suhaib Webb and Shaykh Yasir Qadhi.

 
Click the picture above.

I was a little anxious to go to an AlMaghrib class in Illinois because I’ve only been attending them in Michigan and Canada.  My tribe, Qabeelat Ittihaad holds classes in both Dearborn and Windsor.  I’ve grown accustomed to the people, the set up, the lunches, the dinners, etc.  I wasn’t sure how they did things here in Chicago in Qabeelat Wasat.

(more…)

The countdown to my wedding is no longer being measured in weeks, but rather in days.  I’ve got four more days until I’ll officially have “moved out” of my house.  I’ll actually be leaving Michigan on Monday, but I suppose the rukhsati marks my departure from my house.

I can’t describe how sad I am to leave my home because there are too many things I love about it.  But I think I can at least try to describe the many reasons I love my own room and why I will subsequently miss it.

(more…)

It all started with a horse– Sandy.

What felt like almost everyday, ammi and I would go to Meijer when I was a little kid.  And whenever she would pay for groceries, she would quickly plop me down on the pony, drop in a penny, and let me have a “wild ride”.  Despite the fact that this pony only went back forth at a rate of 1/2 a mile per hour, I thought it was unbelievably fun.

(more…)

It’s the end of the school year and I’m in shock.

There were moments I felt like I had been teaching for decades and the school year would never come to an end.  But now I feel like I’ve hardly spent anytime with my students and now the end is approaching at lightning speed.

Where did the time go and how did I spend it?  I’m really worried that I didn’t teach my students properly, that I’ve jipped them of a proper education.  What if my Algebra students go on to the next class and still can’t factor properly?  What if my Biology students don’t remember how the heart pumps blood because I didn’t teach it clearly enough?  What if my 4th graders can’t remember how to convert between mixed numbers and mixed fractions?

I’m worried I didn’t do a good job with them and that I haven’t left enough of an impact on them.  Sure they tell me I’m their favorite teacher now, but what about next year?  Will they forget Sr. Ayesha and start to adore whichever teacher is chewing their ears off 5 days a week then?  I know it’s a stupid concern to have, but I don’t want my students to forget me and the things I’ve taught them.

(more…)

Shocking, as it is to read the above statement, it is true! I am going to miss these blasted roads in Michigan. Definitely not because of their quality, but because I know them like the back of my hand.

The very fact that I can hit the road and know exactly which direction I’m heading in, which street I’m going to cross, which store is going to come up on the right, which pretty house is on the upcoming corner, which gas station is cheapest, which highway exit I should take, how to avoid traffic, what is a better construction detour is something that I think I may have taken for granted.

(more…)