Imaan.Net - have faith
Good Reads

Still on Books Today…

August 9, 2005 by Imaan 8 Comments

A very belated reply to Sister Tasmiya who must have given up on me!

Total number of books owned: About 250 maybe?

Last book bought: Sheikh `Aaidh ibn Abdullah al-Qarni’s “Don’t Be Sad” … wait… it was a gift! I can’t remember the last book I bought so I’ll leave it as it is … har har…

Last book read: I read two books at a time … yes, I do this often… heh… Both are by John Holt and they were given to me by a sister who contacted me through my blog ;) (She is truly a blessing – I’ll blog about this later in shaa Allah.) Anyway, the books are: “How Children Learn” and “How Children Fail”. They are truly eye-openers and have strengthened my conviction to homeschool (AND to improve my teaching methods).

Five books that mean a lot to me: The Qur’an is of course the most important. Since that is a given, I’ll talk about some other books instead. It is really hard to say which books I prize above others because each book I’ve read has enriched me in so many different ways, but here goes…

In no particular order…

1. Ash-Shifa by Qadi Iyad, translated by Aisha Bewley – I’ve read several biographies on the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam and, in general, love them all. Maybe tomorrow I’ll list another one of these books as my fave, flighty one that I am, but for now, I love this book to bits. It is not a chronological narration of the Rasulullah’s life. The book is divided into sections like: Allah’s praise of him; the miracles Allah manifested at his hands; the necessity to love him and so on. I love details so I refer to this book a lot!

2. As-Sirah An-Nabawiyyah by Ibn Kathir, translated by Trevor Le Gassick – I am not sure how many books there are in this series but I have only 4. Loads more details so I love digging in!

3. Patience and Gratitude – an abridged translation of `Uddat as-Sabirin wa Dhakhirat ash-Shakirin by Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah – This came at a time when I really needed to learn to have sabr and tawakkul.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee – I read this book when I was 11. I used to stay at my aunt’s house and would help myself to my cousin’s books. She was studying Harper Lee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning book in her literature class then. I loved it so much I would read it over and over again each time I visited. She gave the book to me years later – it is old and ratty and has her notes scribbled all over the pages but I can’t bring myself to buy myself a new copy.

The story is told by tom-boy Jean Louise “Scout” Finch and set in small and sleepy Maycomb, Alabama where “the day was 24 hours long, but it seemed longer”. It is the early 1930s at the height of the Depression. It is such a rich book dealing with prejudice, courage, innocence, cruelty, hypocrisy and love with simplicity and depth. When Atticus Finch’s Negro client was pronounced guilty for a crime he didn’t commit and the Black spectators in the courtroom rose to their feet as he made his way out of the courtroom, Reverend Sykes said, “Stand up, Miss Jean Louise… Your father is passing.” I cry each time I read this part!

5. Weeping from the fear of Allah by Husayn al-‘Awaayishah – A sister I know told her 3-year-old daughter the story of Bilal radhiallahu `anhu. When she came to the part where the Prophet sallallahu `alayhi wa sallam passed away and spoke of how the grief-stricken Bilal did not want to say the adhan anymore, the child cried. She wept again when she related how the Muslims wept when Bilal did deliver the adhan in Jesusalem. It occured to me then that I don’t weep enough … so I am going to recommend this book by Sheikh Husayn al-‘Awaayishah and re-read it myself.

OK let me see if a couple of people are game to be tagged. I am going to tag the folks at Precious Ways, TrioMommy and Umm Junayd… come on now, don’t let me down!

Share:
Reading time: 3 min

Search

About

  • Just a bunch of crazies
  • The Head Crazy
  • Send a Message

Archives

  • Islam
  • Homeschool
  • Charlotte Mason
  • Craftiness
  • Good Reads
  • Good Food
  • Journaling
  • Marzipan
  • Bear
  • Peep
  • The Stuff of Life
  • The Chai Files – Pakistan
  • The Rice Files – Singapore
  • Whatever
Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend wh Yesterday, I had a sobering chat with my friend who is a member of a minority group here. (I am keeping things vague for her safety and mine.) She has a relative who is also a friend of mine. 

In both my early encounters with them, I’d always sensed an air of reserve and secrecy. I understood that we had different beliefs, but I could not understand what I perceived as fear. Not being a native here in Pakistan, I’d had my share of bewildering and unfathomable encounters, so I’d left things at that. Maybe I’d understand in time to come, I thought.

They had always been very kind to me and I tried to reciprocate as best I could. For all our (acknowledged) differences in opinion and belief, we found some common ground and focused on doing some good. My friend’s relative donated science kits as well as books for my homeschooling gang and I’ll always be grateful for that. 

I read news yesterday about how my friend and her people do in fact live in danger. She told me how she fears for her husband’s life every single time he leaves home. She jumps every single time her doorbell rings. She worries about sending her daughter to school for fear of bullying or worse… Target killings of her people are a reality.

It made me feel so ashamed because this is tragic and downright disgraceful for any country, but even more so for a Muslim one. 

It’s OK to disagree. It’s OK to debate. It is NOT OK to terrorize and it is NOT OK resort to violence. It is wrong and it is unjust and it is EVIL to do so. When dealing with people of different beliefs, can we not be civilised? Can we not be HUMAN? Can we not behave the way our deen taught us? 

We need to find a way to make things better. It is not right to allow people who know precious little about Islam to desecrate it. 

.
.
.
.
.
.
#islam #minorityrights #knowyourreligion #pakistan
Journalists say this time it is different. Rushdi Journalists say this time it is different.

Rushdi as-Sarraj, Yasser Murtaja’s friend, told Al-Jazeera, “This task is difficult under normal circumstances, so you can imagine working under a fierce offensive that does not distinguish between a journalist, a civilian or a military leader.” Israel is working hard “to silence the image and voice, and to ban any news or information that exposes its crimes”.

He also says, “My family doesn’t stop calling me, fearing that I could be harmed. It is an endless circle of fear and exhaustion. But we must continue sharing our message.”

Praying for Muna El-Kurd @muna.kurd15 , her brother @mohammedelkurd and all the journalists putting out the truth. 

#palestine #freepalestine #freemunakurd #freemunaelkurd #savesheikhjarrah #savesilwan #savelifta #savemohammedelkurd
«THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019» «We returned «THROWBACK, Summer + Winter 2019»

«We returned to the park after the lockdown earlier this year… sadly our tree for all seasons is no more 😢»

FOREIGN LANDS by Robert Louis Stevenson
Up into the cherry tree
Who should climb but little me?
I held the trunk with both my hands
And looked abroad on foreign lands.
I saw the next door garden lie,
Adorned with flowers, before my eye,
And many pleasant places more
That I had never seen before.
If I could find a higher tree
Farther and farther I should see,
To where the grown-up river slips
Into the sea among the ships.
To where the roads on either hand
Lead onward into fairy land,
Where all the children dine at five,
And all the playthings come alive.
.
.
.
.
.
.

#throwback #pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
A couple of you asked me to make a post of my stor A couple of you asked me to make a post of my story in response to LV’s despicable use of the keffiyeh design. Pictures in this post are from hirbawi.ps and @palestine.pixel … 

EDIT: yes, my second slide should have been edited and it is bugging me. I repeated 1930s… sorry! If you want a more polished version, DM me. You get my meaning anyway, right? 
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#palestine #freepalestine #keffiyeh #gaza #jerusalem #savesheikhjarrah
«YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020» I was feelin «YET ANOTHER THROWBACK, Jan. 2020»

I was feeling a little out of sorts (again) – I’d left the house a mess (again) and the boy and I were in a rush to get to the Art Co-op. Habiba @ourlivinghomeschool was doing a session on Wassily Kandinsky that day. 

We were delayed by a massive traffic jam and our stress levels rocketed when an obnoxious motorist kept sounding his horn repeatedly as if to shoo other cars out of the way. What was everyone else to do but wait for the jam to ease? 

We made it just in time though…barely! As we ran towards the gathering, it was as if a huge weight was lifted away. This gorgeous view greeted the boy and me, alhamdulillah. When we got down to studying Kandinsky, we felt more than fine.

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #desidiaries #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers #artcoop #artoutdoors
«THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» Once upon a time before «THROWBACK, Mar. 2019» 
Once upon a time before Covid.

The calm before…

We had our Monday meet up again at Fatima Jinnah Park. The air was cool and crisp and the skies sunny when the nature gang got together. Then, it was on to a jolly game of Simon Says – Katelynn’s @_k8erpotater clever way of teaching the kids about body parts and how they move.

The kids did their usual tree climbing and exploring. Then, the dark clouds started rolling in. We took a while to decide whether or not to leave – the park literally looked dark and ominous on one side and cheery and bright on the other. We only started rushing for home when lightning split the sky. The kids were not to be hurried, however. They felt little pellets hitting them and stopped to investigate… hailstones!

Our ramble was cut short and I got cold and wet, but I think it was a gorgeous day. We got to learn about nature in a very real way.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
#pakistan #islamabad #lifeinpakistan #lifeinislamabad #homeschool #homeschooldays #homeschoolcoop #homeschoolinislamabad #homeschoolinpakistan #naturediary #naturejournal #science #charlottemason #charlottemasoninspired #charlottemasoneducation #charlottemasonnaturestudy #charlottemasonliving #charlottemasonhomeschool #cmnaturestudy #cmnaturejournal #naturewalk #natureramble #naturestudy #naturejournal #homeeducation #outandabout #ilookisee #islamabadhomeschoolers
This error message is only visible to WordPress admins

Error: API requests are being delayed for this account. New posts will not be retrieved.

There may be an issue with the Instagram access token that you are using. Your server might also be unable to connect to Instagram at this time.

© 2020 copyright imaan.net // All rights reserved
Designed by Premiumcoding