Gems: Ar Raheem Al Ghafoor

I was reading the first part of a lecture series by Nouman Ali Khan, may Allah swt bless him for all the work he's done. It was on the literary gems of the Quran.

Today's Gem was on Surah Saba: ayah 2

Allah says:

يَعْلَمُ مَا يَلِجُ فِي الْأَرْضِ وَمَا يَخْرُجُ

مِنْهَا وَمَا يَنزِلُ مِنَ السَّمَاء وَمَا

يَعْرُجُ فِيهَا وَهُوَ الرَّحِيمُ الْغَفُورُ

"He knows all that goes into the earth and all that comes out of it, and all that descends from the skies and all that ascends into it; and only He is the Most Merciful, the Oft Forgiving. "

What stands out in this verse?

This is the only verse in which Allah's name 'Ar Raheem' comes before 'Al Ghafoor' .. so usually it's 'al Ghafoor ur Raheem' but in this verse it's 'Ar Raheem ul Ghafoor'

SubhanAllah, when we ponder upon the references, we will see the wisdom behind putting Rahmah first and Ghafoor last.

It says -

"He knows what goes into this earth..."

A seed goes into the Earth, but we will also go into it one day, and on that day, we will need the rahmah of Ar Raheem that day.

...'and all that comes out of it...'

A plant comes out of this earth, what will we not also be coming out of it on the day of Resurrection. On that day, we will need the maghfirah of Al Ghafoor.

"...and all that descends from the sky..."

Rain comes down from the sky and it is rahmah for us, and wahy also came down from the sky which is the biggest rahmah in our lives.

"...and all that ascends into it..."

For all the things that ascend to the sky, we need maghfirah for: our duas, our deeds, our souls. And then Allah ends with the subject of the lesson, which is that Allah is Ar Raheem al Ghafoor.

SubhanAllah.

Knight in Shining Armour

Yesterday night, I fell asleep early while putting Hayaa to sleep.. I woke up soon after to pray isha' and went on my lappy to "study" but i wasn't really studying.. i donno why, but i had an urge to look up a foundation I had heard about.. yes, these urges come quite often whilst 'studying'..i find all sorts of things during this time, go on fashion blogs, decor blogs, mommy blogs, watch random youtube videos about makeup tutorials and swoon over them. And unfortunately, that's what i ended up doing yesterday night. I know, i'm bad :(

And then suddenly, my chrome closed on me and my background changed to this:

Yes! I started freaking out! I woke up hubby and showed him the message, but he was so sleepy, he didn't understand what i was saying... then i told him that i wouldn't be able to study tmr. (it was a ligit concern, i wasn't faking), and he woke up and had a look at it. It was 1.30 am when we went to bed after fixing it (and he had to leave for work the next day after fajr) and i'm soo happy that everything is back in order now, alhamdulillah! I don't know how i got it, but i think i should stop going on random sites anymore. I learnt my lesson.

...And that's when i realized, my hubby is my knight in shining armour

Can you think of times your hubby came to your rescue? :)

Vaccines and the deal...

I'm supposed to be going through my Small Pox case study right now, in preparing for my International Health exam.. but I thought, this is as good a time as any to just go through a few of my thoughts regarding Vaccines.

I know many people don't think that vaccines are not for their child, and I guess I can respect that, but just make sure you do read and research into it.

This goes over general info that parents should know about vaccines, though it is quite vague and doesn't go into the topic too much.

I think there are two things that bother parents most:

1) the whole deal with autism being connected to the MMR Vaccine

We were discussing this in class and my prof was saying how tired she is of this topic... because that myth was debunked ages ago.. Apparently there were many things regarding the legitimacy of the research and the authors that wrote it. In fact, all of the authors that were part of that research took their word back and agreed that it was a mistake except one. It was later found out that the one author that didn't was getting paid to write the article by a pharmaceutical company. Also, when repeated again, the research failed to provide the same results and many researchers pointed out that the reason they got those results in the first place was that they got their results at the same time as when the signs of autism are apparent (which is when a child is around 13 - 15 months). Anyway, the whole argument of the article was about thermisole anyway (a mercury based compound) and they have already taken that out of the vaccines they give now.

Which brings us to 2) The worry that Thermisole will affect the brain.. Thermisole is not mercury, it's mercury based and they didn't find anything that proved that it was harmful.. but because of the fear, and the dupe research paper on autism, they have taken it out of the vaccines all together like many years ago.

3) Many parents argue that vaccines may cause side affects that we don't know about yet, like some of the stuff on the swine flu vaccine that came out

I think you can't compare the Measles, Polio, Mumps etc. vaccines to the flu and swine flu vaccines.. why? because every year, there is a new flu vaccine made because of the different strains of flu, and the swine flu vaccine was also newly made. The amount of research done on the big vaccines given to kids (ie. polio, measles, pertusis, tetunus, diptheria and TB) does not even compare to the research done on the flu vaccines. Also, if your kids have the flu, they'll get over it within a couple of days, it's not a big deal.. if your kids have polio, they'll be disabled for life or even paralyzed! na authobillah.. may Allah swt protect our little ones. ameen. So, go ahead, don't give them the flu vaccine and rely on natural immunity, but taking a chance on the other sever diseases is not the smartest in my opinion.

I think people fail to realize how serious these diseases are, and they also fail to see that they are communicable, which means they can spread in the community like wild fire and their effects are not just a sneeze, cough or fever, it's paralysis, extreme extreme rashes and scars all over the body and intense sickness you can't even imagine.. why can't we imagine it? because alhamdulillah because of those same vaccines, we live in a society that is almost free of these diseases.

Don't get me wrong, my own marmee is against vaccines.. and yes, though I have tremendous respect for her and her opinions, I do disagree with this one.

*EDIT* ...I put pictures up, but they were kinda gruesome, so i took them off.. i think you should google some of these diseases that our kids are vaccinated for and see the severity of them..

on another note, my MIL actually told me that her first son (he passed away) had Polio - he contracted it because at the time she did not know about vaccinations. Well, after he passed away, the doctor told her that if he had been alive, he would have been disabled for life. Needless to say, all her sons and the kids in their family are now vaccinated.

I don't know, i guess in the end it's up to the parents to decide.. like i came across a document on some site called 'natural news' which said that vaccines may cause a number of other side affects and doctors just want you to get vaccinated because they want to charge you extra for the side effects.. honestly, to me this sounds like the many conspiracy theories that are already out there (my notes tell me that the global cost of one of these vaccinations to the governments was 2.3 billion dollars.. so it doesn't make sense that vaccines that are so expensive would be a means to get our $$).

... And, you know, I would believe these documents too if I wasn't studying some of these diseases, reading articles about the epidemics they've caused and watching documentaries about how vaccines have helped countries like Africa and India from viruses like Small Pox (in which 1/3 of the cases die, if they live, they have severe lesions for the rest of their life and most end up blind) etc. etc.

So there, that's my $0.01 on the issue. It's all for you to decide and discuss this issue with your family doctor.. don't just accept claims from both sides, especially not from websites that sell t-shirts on the side or have google ads on them :p

I'm back!

Assalaamualaikum blog world,

I missed you. I'm back. I'm sorry i went MIA on you! The past two months of so have been a whirlwind.. so much to do, see, new developments. SubhanAllah.

Updates:

- Hayaa is 13 months and 3 weeks!! Masha'Allah tabarkAllah.

- She walks and runs

- new words: mamma, baba, papa *sigh* it makes my day when she looks at me and says mamma

- she is now more comfy sleeping on her bed, but still ends up in ours in the middle of the night

- she's getting her big teeth!

How has these past couple of months changed me?

I've honestly been running around like a mad women :( School has kept me super busy and the biggest thing i regret is not being around Hayaa those 2 days, and some other times when i have to go upstairs and study. I really liked taking two courses and having time to play with Hayaa and being with her.. 3 of them are driving me a little on the edge sometimes, but alhamdulillah i'm almost done and AB and the rest of the family have been so supportive throughout..

i'm actually reaally looking forward to spring, when i can take Hayu to the park and play with her and just be able to spend more time with her. In the beginning, I wasn't comfortable with the thought of being a 'family'.. i was so happy being a 'couple' that when Hayaa arrived, having the title of not just a wife but also a mother, from a couple to a family and of having a baby with me everywhere i went took me by surprise. The realization that my life has changed forever.. wasn't sure at the time if it's for the best, but now i have no doubt in my mind that it was and is alhamdulillah. I think it's because i'm just more confident and happy about my role as a mother now. I'm not getting swayed by random comments about how i should be and how she should be.. I'm letting me just be me and her just be her.

I'm really enjoying every moment with my baby now, and although time alone is nice, when Hayaa's not around, i do feel a little uneasy, as if a big part of me missing. Especially because, alhamdulillah she's such a big girl now, and no longer cries when i take her out as she used to in her colic days. That's not to say we don't have our downs.. this morning, my jaanu's diaper leaked yet again, she threw up once, and she does continue to hit me still in her sleep.. lol but it's not so annoying anymore. I realized that if i don't enjoy the little things in my life, it'll pass me by.. she'll grow up and be independent.. and i'll miss this time! so why not enjoy it now right?

Ok enough rambling.. I still have an exam in two days.. i just needed to write some things down before getting down to studying :)

Baby extras I couldn't live without

1-3 + months:

A baby/ activity mat! The most basic and functional item every baby must have, and easy on your pocket too :) We got ours as a gift, and Hayaa loved it. The first few months, she would just play with it, lying on her back.. then she started to pull the objects with her hand, and then i removed the rods and the little toys, and would use it for her tummy time. When she began to sit up, i would use it as her toy mat. She loved it, and i loved it because it was so useful! :)

3-6 + months

The swing

This is pretty pricey, but hayaa needed it and it was worth getting it. The only thing I regret is not getting it sooner. Why did we need it? It was the only thing Hayaa would fall asleep in if i wasn't around.. so for my mother-in-law, it was really useful to put Hayaa to bed on days when my hubby and I would go out, or even if i had to run an errand and hayaa was tired. It really helped when I started school too (when hayaa was 8 months) and even today (11 + months masha'Allah, she still uses it).

6-8 + months

Space saver high chair

Our swing is fisher price 4-in-1 that converts into a highchair, but while we're so addicted to using the swing, we can't convert it into a highchair. Regardless, a huge high chair doesn't even fit into our space. This was such a better option. We got ours from walmart for about $40, and it wasn't on sale at that time. If you're a fan of the bigger one and have space for it, for the thrifter, the ikea one is nice and if you're willing to pay the extra $, there are some really nice high chairs available (i liked boon flairs highchair).

So back to my need for a space saver, I was getting so tired of having hayaa either in my lap or near my feet everytime hubby and i sat for dinner, we needed this.. as an added bonus, I would leave hayaa in it when i'd cook and she'd sit on it for the while, play with her toys and eat her snacks.

Activity center

After getting Hayaa a swing, i didn't want to buy a new activity center for her, especially because I wasn't sure how much she'd use it. She didn't really use her bouncer much and that was a disappointment, so I wanted to play it safe and get her a used one. Alhamdulillah we found a nice one from a family friend, and to my surprise, Hayaa did play with it a lot. She didn't like it early on (4-6 months) but at 8 months, she spent much of her time in it. Now she occasionally uses it. We have to force her to go in, but once she's inside, she plays for quite sometime.

Because this is sitting in my living room, and she does play iwth it quite a bit, I did regret not buying her a new one. I think if i could do it again, I would do the opposite and get her a used swing and new activity center.. because it's used so much, for playing, eating, jumping etc. and it sits in our living room.. so yeah.. but for Hayuu, since she's gonna grow out of it soon, ours will do :)

Flexibility and Tests

Before I was married, I remember my mom speaking to me about 'our' nature, as women.. she said, "Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala made women flexible. What ever situation we're in, we can adjust to it and need to adjust to it. in your life, as a wife (a mother, etc.), you'll find yourself in many different circumstances, but you will adjust to it.. because we are made that way, to be flexible."

I still remember her advice/ words of wisdom sometimes.. and actually, Allah swt made us all flexible. No matter where we live, how we are, we'll find it difficult in the beginning, but we get used to it and adjust to it.. and Allah would not place us in that situation if we couldnt' get through it. Look at the example of people living in nunavut for example, i could never imagine living in such harsh weather conditions and not being able to see the sun for some of hte days, but people do live there after all.. and they don't even think of it.

Today i was reading this story.. the narrator said he was visiting a man that had his foot amputated and he wanted to comfort him by saying "the ummah doesn't expect you to be a fast runner... rather it expects you to offer wise opinions and enlightened thoughts, and you still have that, alhamdulillah"

He went to the man, and the man said to him "Alhamdulillah, this foot of mine stayed iwth me for decades and it was a good companion. But my religious commitment is what comforts me."

SubhanAllah.. i was thinking, these words have so much thankfulness in them.. like the guy is being thankful for having a foot before the amputation, and them accepting that although it was a great blessing, Allah has given him with something better that did not leave him... and realizing that it could have been worse.. he could have lost his religion.. and hte prophet sallalahu alayhi wasallam said (paraphrase) that the worst test for us is when Allah swt tests us in our deen (religion).

Alhamdulillah, Allah has made us very strong and flexible.. no matter what tests we go through, we have a way of making the situation work to our benefit. All we have to do is be realize of Allah's mercy and blessings on us, and we're set :) kinda crazy if you think about it, subhanAllah.. so like if you have like zero time for yourself and are getting no sleep (story of every mom's life).. realize:

1) Allah swt had given you so much time before for yourself and a peaceful night's sleep.. that was a blessing from Him, and be thankful for the blessings He had given you for so long

2) know that you'll get through it and honestly, it wouldn't even bother you soon.. you'll find a way around it.. find a way to be happier then you were before. accept there's a challenge, accept you had it better before and be thankful that it's not worse and move on. you can get through it, because you're a flexible mama ;) alhamdulilah for that.

be gone tired eyes!

I've had some crazy sleepless nights in the past 10 months (masha'Allah 10 months! *sigh*), as do all mothers some time or another.. and received many kind comments about how tired i look [*insert sarcastic tone]. So i decided to do something about it.. umm.. well not really.. here's what actually happened:

So, while wondering along one day in the Eaton's center, I noticed a couple of girls walking by me with black and white bags from a store called 'Saphora' .. and I thought, hmm where have i seen this name before? oh yes, dearest mamma bought a few things from there some time ago, so i decided to check it out (i had some extra time on my hands that day). I looked inside and gave a gasp.. it was makeup wonderland!

:) so i decided, i'm going to buy just one thing from this store, and that happened to be this stick:

[Dior Skin Flash - it was a little pricey at $45 but i'm sure you can find other brighteners for cheaper that'll do the trick]

...but little did i know, this was not an ordinary stick.. no no, it held magic powers (umm.. halal magic powers that have nothing to do with jinns).. yes so, i took this stick home and played around with it. I got the darkest shade, and it turned out to be quite close to my skin colour.

So.. i tried some sparingly under my eye, gently rubbed it into my skin and lo and behold, my under eye circles disappeared :)

Hubby came home that day, and said "wow you look fresh! did you exercise today?" :D ..and it was a keeper!

caution: this is not a concealer, it's a skin brighter.. don't use it on your acne, it wouldn't cover it. i did and lets just say it wasn't pretty.

so there you have it girls, for days that are after sleepless nights, and especially those days when you need to look presentable, this will help :)

I'm no expert on this, but i believe for darker skin tones, bobby brown has a good concealer stick.

**EDIT** two months later:

After giving it a little more research, I found that there are better alternatives to this, and much cheaper ones. I think the Urban Decay Surreal Skin Creamy Concealer ($16) OR Benefits eye bright ($20) do the job without forking the $50 down... You can't forgo quality for price, but for trail and error makeup products, sometimes it's better to play it safe and buy for a price which you're not gonna regret later :)