Reflections of a traveller

Written by Habib ‘Ali Zain Al ‘Abideen Al Jifri Translated by Shaykh Mohamed Mlamli Adam Published by Guidance media ISBN 0-9550891-1-5 ‘Wayfarers to God’ (Ma’alim as-Suluk) is a translation of a series of Arabic lectures given at Al Zayed University for Women in the United Arab Emirates. Equally relevant to men and women, these lectures are full of wisdom to learn and practise insha-Allah. The shaykh shades light on how to approach Allah SWT, the importance of adhering to the Sunnah of our beloved prophet Muhammad SAW, impediments to wayfaring and so on. It also discusses about the principal diseases of the heart and most importantly their cures. This book has taught me a lot about self-accounting and how to perceive and deal with our ephemeral world, Alhamdulillah. While reading this book, there came some moments where I felt very emotional and moved by the way the author talked about certain realities of life. But there also occurred some moments where I was feeling optimistic too

Author: Rayhana Khan Ta Ha Publishers Ltd Written from a ‘big sister’ perspective, this book explains briefly all the issues young Muslim women may face in their life. The author encourages the young girls to remember her advice as an older sister who has been through what they are about to experience: ‘Stop, think and question all that you do in your life.’ She talks about school life, basic knowledge of Islam, hijab, behaviour, socialisation and the physical changes girls will experience from the age of nine onwards. There is a small quiz section to test how safe our Muslim identity is. She also explains in details how to take care of our bodies as women. An excerpt from the book: “The most simple but most effective thing you can do at any time is to pray to Allah (SWT). Be proud to be Muslim and stand up for your beliefs. Remember your aim is to please Allah (SWT) not your friends. Islam is about respect, kindness and decency. You should keep clean, dress decently, keep good comp

Written by Dr. A’id al-Qarni Published by International Islamic Publishing House ISBN 9960-850-89-7 Well, the title says it all, doesn’t it? But still I would like to say something about this great book. Whenever I feel a bit sad or bored with my life, I turn to this book as it helps me to go on, Alhamdulillah. According to the translator, this book is for busy women, regardless of their role in life, whether they are wives, mothers or working women (or all three), containing short, snappy passages that lead to greater truths. I would like to quote some extracts from the book to enable you to get an idea about the book, Insha-Allah: "It is sufficient honour for you that you are a Muslim. If a woman obey her Lord, offers her five daily prayers and preserves her honour, she will enter Paradise of her Lord." “Wherever you go and find darkness in your life; what you have to do is to light the lamp within yourself.” And finally I love to read the passage below and hope you wi

Written by Dr. Muhammad Ali Al-Hashimi Published by: International Islamic Publishing House ISBN 9960-850-39-0 I came across this book for the first time in Saudi Arabia during the hajj season 2006. This book is very special to me as my father bought this book for me. I am very thankful to him, Alhamdulillah. It is a very useful book for sisters who are interested to mould their personality according to the Qur’an and the Sunnah of our beloved prophet Muhammad SAW. It deals with every aspect of a woman’s life such as her relation with her Lord Allah SWT, her own self, relation with her parents, husband, children, in-laws, relatives, neighbours, friends and sisters in Islam, her community and so on. I must say, it is quite a comprehensive book on ideal characteristics of a Muslim woman. It’s almost a 550 page book to read and grasp the wisdom! But it really deserves to be read thoroughly. Every woman should have this book and try to practise the teaching Insha-Allah to their best abili

Written by Paulo Coelho HarperCollins publishers ISBN 0-7225-3293-8 This book was given to us (me and my significant other) as a wedding gift and we managed to finish it quite soon as we really enjoyed the story. This is a fiction story which is about an Andalusian shepherd boy who dreams of travelling the world in search of a treasure as extravagant as any ever found. From his home in Spain he journeys to the exotic markets of Tangiers and then into the Egyptian desert, where a fateful encounter with the alchemist awaits him. It’s a fascinating story which gives us the essential wisdom of listening to our heart and above all, following our dreams! Although I am not really fond of fiction that much, I have really enjoyed reading this one. The author here talked about ‘personal calling’ by which he meant God’s blessing. It meant the path that God chose for us on Earth. He talked about the obstacles that we may encounter while trying to fulfil our dreams. The story has taught me so

Written by Inam Uddin & Abdur-Rahman Ibn Yusuf Published by: White Thread Press ISBN 0-9728958-5-7 Mashallah this book is very helpful as it has lots of supplication (dua) we need on a day to day basis. This book not only deals with the supplication itself but also talks about the significance and etiquette of supplication. The authors have also mentioned the places and the time where our prayers are more likely to be accepted by Allah SWT. One thing I really love about this book is the citation of prayers from the Qur’an and the Sunnah (tradition) of our beloved prophet Mohammad SAW. The 99 beautiful names of Allah SWT with its meaning and English transliteration (which really comes handy if you cannot read Arabic properly) are mentioned. Beside, a short description of how to pray some of the well recommended ( by our prophet SAW ) supererogatory prayers such as Sunrise prayer, prayer of the pious, prayer for repentance, prayer for decision making, prayer for need and so on

Recently I did a research on Ruqyah and alhamdulillah found a lot of useful information. Alhamdulillah Allah swt has blessed us with beautiful, healthy children. Sometimes I do feel worried for them . Insha-Allah as our beloved prophet Mohammad saw has recommended, I will try to do as much dua as possible for their well-being and good Islamic upbringing. Ruqyah consists of words said or written in the form of dua (supplication) or dhikr (remembrance of Allah SWT) for the purpose of protection and cure. It is sometimes accompanied with certain actions such as blowing or wiping over someone to whom it is applied. Our Prophet (SAW) warned against ruqyahs which involve shirk (associating partners with Allah SWT). There are some important conditions that must be satisfied for a ruqyah to be permissible. According to Ibn Hajar (RA), there is a consensus among the ‘ulama that a ruqyah is permissible when it satisfies three conditions: 1. It should be with Allah’s (SWT) words (the Qur’an)

This time last year, I was counting down my days until I could see my baby for the first time. My daughter was due on 11th April and on 9th, I was busy shopping and gardening the whole day. The day I go shopping, I really try to avoid cooking and prefer to eat out, but on that day, eating out seemed impossible and that made me very annoyed. I just realised how dependant I was on eating out! Anyway, like any other pregnant woman I was very hungry by the time I reached home and decided to cook a proper three course meal as if to prove that I can do better than the restaurants that I would have gone to! I cooked quite a lot which was going to last at least couple of days. At that time, I didn’t have a clue that my baby was going to arrive on the same day! Allah (SWT) makes things happen for a reason, Subhanallah. By the time I went to bed which was around 11, I was having quite a lot of pain and was going to the toilet a lot and that is why I thought it was just tummy ache for some unk

Chicken biryani is my all time favourite. I love making this recipe whenever I get chance especially for guests. You can even make it one day early to save you from hassle and it actually tastes better the next day. You can serve this biryani with mint yoghurt and a salad of cucumber, tomatoes and red onion chopped very finely. Ingredients 1 chicken (cut into 8 pieces) 1 medium onion 1 cup (250ml) thick yoghurt 1 teaspoon (5ml) chilli powder 1 teaspoon (5ml) garam masala 2.5cm (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger root, peeled and grated 1 tablespoon (15ml) garlic paste 1 teaspoon (5ml) turmeric 3 tablespoons (60ml) vegetable oil (or butter) 6 cups basmati rice 2 teaspoons roughly chopped fresh coriander 1 teaspoon roughly chopped mint 1 tablespoon black peppercorn 2 cinamon sticks 4 cardamom pods a pinch of saffron 3 tablespoon fried onion for garnising some roasted chashew nuts Fried onion for garnishing Water according to need Method - Cut the chicken into 8 pieces

This a very easy recipe which can be quite a popular cake for any gathering. My mum-in-law makes yummy cakes and I have learned quite a lot from her recipes. This one is inspired by one of her cakes which I thoroughly enjoyed eating every bit of it as it had caramel in it ! From my experience, chocolate cakes are liked by almost everyone. So do enjoy making and serving this delicious cake insha-Allah. This one can serve up to 12 people. Ingredients 6 oz self-raising flour 2 oz unsweetened cocoa powder 8 oz caster sugar 8 oz butter 1 tablespoon baking powder 2 teaspoons vanilla essence 4 eggs A good quality chocolate bar 7- 8 tablespoons of coke Roasted almond flakes Ingredients for caramel cream 600 ml double cream 198 gm caramel (half of a regular tin) Method - Preheat oven to 350 deg F (Gas mark 4 or 180 deg C). - Grease a 9 inch (23 cm) cake tin. - Mix everything together until smooth, either by hand or by using an electric mixer at slow speed. - Transfer to b