Seen and heard..

Mum: It was nice of Aunty and her grand-daughter to visit. Did you like playing with Maymuna?

Kid: Yes, it was fun. She had a nice shawl on, didn’t she?

Mum: Yes! It was lovely ma shaa Allah… hey, it was nice of you to share your blocks with Maymuna.

Kid: Well, she was our guest. Her doll was cute. She didn’t let me play with it.

Mum: She must have thought you would take it away from her. She eased up once we told her that you wouldn’t, right?

Kid: Yeah.

Mum: Anyway, sometimes you will find people who won’t share even after you’ve shared your stuff.

Kid: Yeah. You should still share though.

Mum: Why?

Kid: Cos you don’t do it so they’ll share. You do it so Allah will be pleased.

You know what is really sickening? It is that at a time of affliction and suffering, some people have raised the prices of food, medicine, blankets, clothes and even shrouds.

Yes, you heard it…

Shrouds.

I was on an Islamic forum last weekend and chanced upon a link. I clicked on it not really knowing what to expect.

It made me cry.

This is a blog about a remarkable young woman named Asma bint Zia ul Haq who met severe trials courageously and stoically. Written by her brother, Omar, the entries are so heartfelt and vivid that one can almost picture this beautiful soul who has passed on. The siblings shared such a sweet relationship that the love truly shines through.

All About Asma

Makes me think… what have *I* done to prepare for the journey?

Ramadhan in Wisconsin was quite painful for us. Incidents like the shutting down of several relief organisations made us feel bitter. We decided to leave for good and alhamdulillah, for many reasons I will not elaborate on, it was the right decision.

I think about the efforts of those organisations and I feel a deep respect for their workers. I also feel I don’t do enough and wonder what ever happened to me… the idealistic girl who once longed to devote her life to charity.

Here is a book written by Suleman Ahmer… some of you may have read his story The City, The Girl and The Little Rag Doll at Islaam.Com. He has written a book about his experiences and it is available for download at this website. You can read the book by clicking on the link below:

The Embattled Innocence: Recollections of a Muslim Relief Worker