Beauty within Marriage

Among His signs is that He created for you spouses of your own kind in order that you may repose to them in tranquility and He instilled in your hearts love and affection for one another; verily, in these are signs for those who reflect (on the nature of the reality). (Ar-Rum: 21).

Marriage is such an important aspect of Islam that Muslims around the world look forward to marriage as a fulfilling journey in life. A lot of thought goes into search of a pious spouse - one who would always support you and make you happy & vice versa.

After a few months or years of holy matrimony though, it is not uncommon to fall into a bland routine of obligation. Especially with the emergence of tiny feet pittering and pattering around the house. Similarly, everything that was once exciting after the wedding has turned into drab and boring clothes, meals, outings and even quiet time together.

Giving your marriage an overhaul could be as simple as dressing up once in a while, a different hair-cut, some make up and a new perfume. Not only will your new look be appreciated by your spouse, it gives you a chance to buy something new for yourself and rejuvenate your own sense of beauty.

Marriage is beautiful but preserving the beauty within a marriage can sometimes be a chore so it is up to you to make it a pleasure. Making an effort to look good for your husband or wife holds many rewards and is a definite way of sprinkling some spice on marital bliss.

Spiritual Boost

Every once in a while we need a spirituality boost. Our imaan fluctuates. Some days we're jumping up and down ready for every prayer, supplication or dhikr. Other days are laced with lethargy and right-down laziness. Muslims are obligated to curb their imaan cycles from hitting bottom low to often. Do you? Do I? I guess that's for me to answer... but since we are all the same, our answers are probably the same, only the severity of the fluctuation differs.

Anyway, I found this site called Experiencing Psi -- Spiritual Consciousness.


It deals very much with the power of psychic or your sixth sense. I guess I would say I believe in those - since Allah Ta'ala speaks to us in His own ways - anything is possible. If you are interested in the powers of the subconscience and how you manipulate them to find inner peace and quiet, you should visit the site. There are some good articles there.

Like the post on telepathy. I was thinking about one of my closest friends/ whom I had lost touch with for over a year. I was at a shopping complex and nursing my son in a nursing booth with my head on the wall. Next door I could hear a baby chattering away with his mum. I thought to myself, "gosh, it would be nice if M was int he next booth - I have not seen her or her baby in over a year." I packed up once my baby was done with his afternoon snack and went off to look for the other members of my family.

Right in front of me was M with her baby. It was amazing, masha'Allah. She was not in the next booth, but she was around the corner. Could that have been telepathy?

I am sure some of you have had similar experiences - like when the phone rings, you have an inkling of who the caller is. I guess it is something like that.

I checked out the site and it does not weigh down on spirituality of any one religion. But as Muslims, (like other sites) use this one responsibly - remember it is Allah who determines our fate and our relationship with him surpasses any other beliefs - shirk is also a major sin, so remember to avoid that. Insha'Allah we will all be able to attain that place of ultimate peace and quiet in our lives!

Ya Allah, where is Sharlinie?

Sharlinie Nashar is still missing. She has been gone for 12 days. This is now the number to call 1800-88-LINI. She is 5 years old and is 1 metre tall. She has black hair and dark brown eyes. Let us pray that Allah will guide us to find her.

Her mother was on tv today. She has all this while been shielded from the press, as advised by Nurin Jazlin's parents. They fell prey to the media's vicious attacks and sensational stories when Nurin went missing and was found dead many days later.

Sharlinie's mother was visibly distraught when she told reporters:

"Please, if anyone has seen Lini. Please, if you have taken my daughter... please, giver her back. I miss her so much."

That was enough to set off my water-works even though I was in the middle of feeding my picky-eater toddler and trying to keep my monkey climbing baby who was wriggling out of his car seat. The tears just leaked out as both my kids went wayward with their own minds and little mits.

Later tonight while I was putting my babies to sleep I thought of Nurin and the pain and suffering she endured before her death. I thought of her parents and Lini's and the waterworks started up again. May Allah take care of them in their difficults times of need and may He protect all other families and their little children from the taunts of such heinous criminals.

A Muslimah's Reflections on Hijab

Every once in a while it is a good idea to remind one's self on the importance of Hijab. It can be only read through the Qur'an and Sunnah as to the beautiful directiv of Hijab upon believing men and women. Veiled Muslimah speaks soundly about the dress-code pertaining to Muslim women.

Masha'Allah, it is a beautiful read. Enjoy!

Sisters Winter Issue

I received my print copy today.

Did I ever mention Sisters Magazine is now in print? Masha'Allah, the magazine is gorgeous. I am so proud and honoured that Na'ima recruited me as part of the writing team. It is a blessing to be able to work with all the sisters involved and hold the final copy of all that nit and grit. But really, it is embalmed in tonnes of love and affection.

If you have not yet subscribed, because it was only on soft copy - you really do not have a reason not to now. Subscribe now! You will not regret it. There are so many articles on family values, personal development, Muslim communities, fashion, recipes, you name it.

If you are not a Muslimah, I would still highly recommend this magazine. If you are interested in Islam in any way, this can be a little snippet into the *mysterious* lives of Muslim women. You'll find it is not too far different from your own. :)

If you are a bloke wondering what on earth you're doing reading my blog, have no fear - you will appreciate this magazine. It's content and the advice, the graphics, the overall artistic value... if you have a special *sister* in your life, this would be the perfect gift for her.

My Ashura Porridge...

It does not look as good as the picture I pasted here. That was courtesy of one of those free sites.

But this is for Sister Maryam who has not had the opportunity to taste porridge. This recipe is different from the normal chicken / fish porridge I feed my kids and myself on lazy days. It is really called Ashura Porridge but the ingredients differ from state to state.

This is what my mum-in-law put into her Ashura Porridge.

(The picture below is also free and is not affiliated to my kitchen).

• Sweet potato


• Barley


• Green peas


• Sweet peas (are they one and the same?)


• Chick peas


• Kidney beans


• Red beans too I think (are they one and the same?)


• Bananas


• Brown sugar


• Water

As you can see from this post, I am not a very good homemaker. And from the confession, I am not ashamed to say - if you ever wish to visit - let me know one week in advance.

Maybe I will post my porridge recipes some time later :p (to redeem myself).

Keeping it Positive

Every year, for the past 3 years, I have made resolutions that I will be a more positive, optimistic person - generally, more likeable (even to myself) and motivated to look on the bright side at all times. But as the year wears on and events happen and rain pours down on me, I think... oh golly let's just go back to being my normal sarcastic, cynical self. By December I am always back to plodding along getting through the days, waiting for a fresh new start to motivate me into becoming this "better" person I am not.

I am all pro-positive thinking, but with so many problems happening in today's world, it is difficult to cope with adversities the way some people do. But since the world is make out of a vast number of speckles of different people, it is a good thing to read up on positive insights from around the blogsphere.

Like this, Diet Mind Spirit blog - I mean, basically, it is all coined into a nutshell that self improvement really comes from the mind. It is always mind over matter. If you are able to perceive everything as being positive or pincer-pick out the optimistic values of any problems, you would have a whole new outlook on life.

Idealistically the mind would be able to control the body. But if you are stuffing yourself with a bucket of fried chicken and thinking about how good it tastes without its consequences on your cholestrol then that would not work either. Somehow, the mind has to be generated to think of the long-term effects on the body. That is probably why I end up finishing a few barrels over the year.

It is bad not to be positive, it affects your body, mind and spirit all the time. It also erases gratitude and has a negative effect on your spiritual life, regardless of your faith. It also hinders the motivation to move forwards in achieving dreams.

Personal development is an integral part of survival in today's world. Complacency is a cancer of society and it has the ability to spread rapidly. So move forward, think realistically and always be positive!

I received one of those inspirational emails from a friend today and being the cynic I am, I was skeptical about many... but I loved this one:

Never laugh at anyone's dreams.

People who don't have dreams don't have much.

I am sure Cate from Diet Mind Spirit would agree. Dreams are the foundation of self-improvement.