The Blog

The Night of Power
One of the last Odd nights of Ramadan

Laylatul Qadr or the Night of Power is to be looked for on one of the Odd nights at the end of the month of Ramadan (the 21st, 23rd, 25th, 27th, and the 29th of Ramadan-Today is the 22nd of Ramadan. Don’t miss it. To learn more about Laylatul Qadr and the special prayers for that night, click here.

Microsoft plans ‘back-up’ brains for humans
Why You Little…

According to the latest issue of the New Scientist magazine,”engineers are working on software to load every photo you take, every letter you write, in fact your every memory and experience – into a surrogate brain that never forgets anything”.

Read all about it here.

Muslims Around the World Celebrate Ramadan
Ramadan Fil Alam

Here’s a photo gallery depicting scenes of Ramadan from around the world.

Here’s a library of video lectures on Ramadan at IslamiCity.com.

Here’s a list of interviews you can read about Ramadan by locals in that area from all over the world.

Here’s a list of recipes for Ramadan from around the world.

Here are some excellent resources on everything about Ramadan and Ramadan Index at Muhajabah.com, Ramadan Information Center and Ramadan at Jannah.org.

Here’s Hamza Yusuf’s Advice on Ramadan if you haven’t listened to it yet.

Watch recordings of Taraweeh Prayers from Mecca (26th, 27th, 28th and 29th of Ramadan)

German Mosques Open Their Doors
There are about 3.2 Million Muslims in Germany: MashaAllah!

I think all Muslim communities in non-Muslim countries around the world should open their doors like they’ve done in Germany, in order to paint a clear picture of Islam for non-Muslims. There are a lot of misconceptions and misunderstandings out there about Islam and Muslims in general. And the western media is usually guilty of portraying a certain kind of image for the masses. And unfortunately the actions of the few extremist individuals have made it worse. It is our duty as Muslims to do our part in clearing up the confusion and inviting our non-Muslim neighbors and co-workers into our mosques (and even homes) to see how we worship and how we live. Islam is not just a religion. Islam is a way of life. Everything from how to sleep and how to eat and how to walk and how to talk and how to behave with parents, kids, animals, earn a living, get married, pray, play, educate, build a society with justice and peace and feed the hungry with zakat (or mandatory charity of a quarter percent of your wealth every year) is taught by Islam via the Quraan (which is the direct word of Allah) and Hadeeth and Sunnah (which are narrations and actions of the Prophet). There are many muslims who practice Islam as it is meant to be practiced. However, unfortunately, there are many more Muslims that do not practice it. I wish we can convey the message of Islam to everyone in the best manner and share the wealth that we have in Islam with everyone. Ameen!

For the sixth time in a row, the Central Council for Muslims in Germany has opened its mosques and invited visitors to take a look at how they worship. The goal is the promotion of inter-cultural understanding.

Lots of snow: Winter’s here!
Ramadan and the abundance of food

It has been snowing all afternoon. I think we are supposed to get around 10 to 15 cm of snow fall today. What’s more? It’s supposed to be like this all week! Yep, winter’s here I hate driving in the snow. Its scary. I am not used to it, I guess. I am more worried about others hitting me – ’cause I’m really careful and slow when driving in the snow…I don’t know what to expect yet. I need more experience with driving in the snow. I’ve generally been a pretty good driver, growing more and more cautious. I started being careful on the road after we got married. Even more so, after the birth of our daughter Aliyah.

We finished Juz 27 of the Quraan in Taraweeh tonight. We will finish the Quraan on Friday night inshaAllah. Ramadan is such a wonderful time. I will truly miss it when its gone. No matter how much I try to control myself, I always end up gaining a few pounds every Ramadan. Its because there is such abundance of good food during Iftar that you can’t possibly avoid filling up more than you should. Everyday there is something new and wonderful. I eat light during Suhoor though: I’ve been having toasted bagels w/cream cheese and tea for Suhoor for the past few nights…but I’ve had parathas and meat/chicken/fish/eggs as well (hehehehe!). As a kid (and even when I was in college) I always had parathas and qeema or chicken or some other curry for Suhoor but these days, I get heartburn if I eat that kinda stuff that early in the morning.