Craving #4–An Enormous Plate Of Nachos

I want lots of oozing, gooey, melty cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream, my beloved guacamole, black olives and green onions all over crunchy, crispy and salty tortilla chips. If I can get some meat on that, that’d be nice, thanks!

Over the past week each of my math classes has had to face their first formal assessment.  Before any test I usually like to give some extra credit.  This time was no different.  I offered the students a few extra points if they were willing to explain to me what the above equation meant to them in terms of Ramadan and/or Islam.  Below are some of the more interesting answers I read through:

To relate this equation Islamically you will have to think about it very closely.  So the — or the 2 minuses will change to ++.  So Islamically the meaning of this equation is that 1 good deed + another good deed = 2 good deeds.  We should always do good deeds and Allah will reward us with double the deeds.

^ Not quite what I had in mind, but good. ^

I think that this equation can tell a lot about Islam.  One way is that if there is a good influence people will be affected. So what we can relfect off this math problem is that if there is a good person who has good iman and is a really good person, and there is another person but he is bad when it comes to this behaviors, that one person can influence him to be a better person.  So when you get that bad out of him, then tehre will be two people with good iman, etc.

^ This had an illustration to go with it! ^

If there is a non-Muslim and you are there when he/she converts to Islam, then now you have 2 muslims.

^ I do agree that when I see people take the shahada, it renews my faith ^

First of all, math, especially algebra, was first introduced by Al-Barooni.  So math relates to Islam a bit.  And this equation right here means to me that if there is a bad person (-1) that does all haram things like backbites, lies, cheats, drinks, etc and he stays with the company of a good person (1) that is pious and follows the way of Allah and does good things like prays, read Qur’an, gives to the poor, takes care of his family, etc, then that bad person will eventually become a good person and goes on to the straight path and becomes a better Muslim.  So now there will be two good Muslims (+2) following the way of Allah and so and so forth.  So that is what this equation means to me in Islam.

^ Very detailed, right? ^

Well, it shows that if one person works together even if they have different religions a positive and a negative they can work together and be a positive.

^I think she meant that the -(-1) is a person of a different religion ^

The expression means that 2 negative people can become positive with the impact of one good person.

^A very short and simple idea ^

And finally my favorite… a little hard to follow, but fantastic all around.

This math expression is related to Islam.  This is the reason why.  The negative outside the parenthesis is the environment and the negative sign in the parenthesis is the person’s heart and the positive one (+1) is the good person.  The negative person and his diseased heart is surrounded by a negative environment.  Then one day this sad negative person with his negativ heart meets this very positive individual who relfects his positive akhlaq and imaan to change the 2 negatives into positives.  Then the negative person’s heart and it’s environment become positive and the two positive individuals become a strong force of two to spread the message of Islam.

^ Moral of her story… spread some positivity!  It might affect a negative heart ^

I remember back in the early 2000s, when I was still in high school, I got an invitation in the mail from a sister in my community.  I knew her birthday wasn’t for a few months, and that she wasn’t graduating, or getting married.  So I was confused about what the invitation was for.  As I opened it and read through, my eyebrow started to go up.  It seemed she was having a party because she had decided to start wearing hijab full-time.  For hijab??–that’s strange, I thought, putting the invitation down and moving along.

That was then, this is now.  Since that first invitation to a hijab party, I’ve seen these types of get togethers increase in their popularity.  Every year now I’ve been invited to small gatherings of sisters celebrating a milestone in their sister-in-Islam’s life: wearing hijab.  I’ve grown more and more accustom to the idea of these parties, so I’ve stopped raising my eyebrows at each invitation.  But last summer, my parents received an invitation to one of these parties, and that was when my eyebrows went back up again.

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Craving #3– Tuna Melt Sandwich (with Fries, please)

Thank you, Osman, for telling me that you ate an amazing tuna melt sandwich. Because of you, I have now been craving said sandwich since… 10:30AM cst. I’m thinking about just bypassing the restaurant you mentioned, Nookies Restaurant, and making my own at home. I did see some bread, shredded cheese, and tuna in the house. I know it won’t be the same, but my last two cravings haven’t come into fruition yet, so I want atleast *one* of my cravings to be satisfied.

Craving #1– Mrs. Field’s Cookies-and-Milk-Shake

Back in the fall of 2006, two perfect mates finally became one.  Cookies and Milk were married together into the Cookies-and-Milk-Shake to be sold at Mrs. Fields stores across the nation. What a blessed union.  I want some so bad right now.  For my two cookies I usually pick the standard semi-sweet chocolate chip and the M&M sugar cookie.  I’m formulating and plotting and scheming up a way so that I can get some today after I break my fast, insha’Allah.

Craving #2– Arab food

Living in Michigan I took Arab food for granted.  There were times when I’d have to eat it, rolling my eyes and begrudgingly because I was so sick of humus, rice, meat, and salad.  But now, 300 miles away from Dearborn, I think my eyes have stopped rolling and started tearing because I WANT SOME STINKING ARAB FOOD.  I don’t care if it’s a shawarma, or rice and kafta, or chicken fatoush salad, or humus and bread.  I just want something.  Ammi… abbu… Fati… if you’re reading, PLEASE next time I come to Michigan let’s have some Arab food PLEASE!!