Rx: Fasting

by Ayesha Posted on September 2, 2008

Prescription from: Ar-Razzaqrx.jpg

Patient: Al-Mumineen

Rx: Fasting

Dosage: One daily x 30

Instructions: Do not fulfill bodily desires from Dawn until Dusk

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 O you who have believed prescribed for you is fasting as it was decreed upon those before you that you may become righteous (2:183)

Here it is! A month to relieve your heart of all its ailments.  A cleansing for your souls diseases.  An eraser for all those black spots on our hearts.

Ramadan is finally here, so let’s use it for what it’s worth: a purification for our hearts, and a builder of imaan and taqwa.  I hope everyone has a wonderful month filled with many blessings.

Posted in Ramadan | 1 Comment

Wanted: A Classroom to Call My Own

by Ayesha Posted on August 20, 2008

It’s been four days of teacher in-service, and I’m already exhausted.  My body hasn’t adjusted just yet to the schedule I used to keep last year.  The schedule of waking up early, running out the door with a half empty stomach, standing on my feet all day running around from here to there, coming home only to find more work waiting for me, and finally crashing into my bed at a time that is not nearly early enough for me to be refreshed the next morning.

I was thinking back to my first few days working in Michigan, and how stressed out I was.  The first time I went into my classroom it was a dumping grounds for other teachers’ misplaced and unwanted things.  I was moving boxes from here to there and trying to get all my things in order.  Meanwhile the air conditioning was having mood swings and turning on and off as it pleased.  I was a mess at the end of each day, and found myself not only physically and mentally exhausted, but emotionally defeated.

In hind sight, however, I realize I had one thing going for me that made all of that commotion a little bit easier:  I had my own classroom!

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Posted in Teaching | 3 Comments

To Touch Or Not To Touch?– That Is The Question

by Ayesha Posted on August 10, 2008

hands.jpgImagine yourself at a wedding.  You’ve just met with one of your oldest and closest friends and are exchanging salaams and “how do you do’s”.  Just then, you see your friends parent (opposite your gender) approach your circle.  Your friend says salaam, you say salaam, the uncle/aunty says salaam, and then they go in for the kill.

The next thing you know, the uncle or aunty is reaching in for a hug, a pat on the head, or even a kiss on the forehead.  You’re feeling awkward and extremely uncomfortable.  But you don’t know what to do! This aunty or uncle has known you since you were in diapers.  You feel like he or she could double as your own parents.  But the fact of the matter is that the person isn’t your actual parent, so if they’re touching you, it isn’t okay.

But then you think to yourself, “Yea… it’s wrong, but I don’t want to offend him or her.  I’m just like a baby to this person.  What’s the harm?  I can’t reject their love by not accepting this affectionate gesture.”

Or can you?

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Posted in My 2 Cents | 4 Comments

Patience, Perserverence & Preservation– Zayd ibn Thabit

by Ayesha Posted on August 4, 2008

I’m currently enrolled in an Al-Huda 4 Week Summer Course.  In it we study the tafsir of certain selected verses, practice reciting with proper tajweed, memorize different du’as, learn about various figures in Islamic history, and finally go over different aspects of good  Muslim behavior.  Today we had an assignment to find an example of patience in the life of any companion of the Prophet sallalahu alyahi wasalaam.  I used this site to find an amazing story.  Below is the post I wrote on my class forum to complete the assignment.

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In class we mentioned the idea of having patience and knowing that when one door closes, another door opens. Such is the case of Zayd ibn Thabit, radhiAllahu ‘anhu.

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Posted in Learning | 4 Comments

It’s Almost That Time Again…

by Ayesha Posted on July 29, 2008

school-supplies.pngI saw it on the counter the other day… a registration packet from school for my younger brother-in-law.  It’s almost that time again.; time to go… Back to school!

Today I’m going to be visiting the new school where I’ll be teaching this fall.  I need to pick up my textbooks.  There’re only two!  This is a major relief after the number of books I lugged around last year.  I’m only teaching Algebra 1 & Geometry as opposed to last year when I was teaching a whole hodge podge of classes– 4th grade Science, Math, Social Studies, Islamic Studies, Computers; 6th grade Computers; 10th grade Algebra 2; 9th grade Biology.

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Posted in Learning, Teaching | 4 Comments