'Eid Preparations & Saudi News

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

'Eid preparations are underway. Funny enough, this will be my first 'Eid al Adh-ha (since being in KSA with my kids) at home. I'm usually at my parents', one year I was in Algeria and the year before that I had gone for Hajj.


Anyway, we're doing some different things but looking forward to a traditional day with family in sha Allah.

Meanwhile, some local news:
4 foreign pilgrims die of swine 'flu
Shelling continues on border

We pray for the people who are sufferring from these two very different situations. And we're trying to keep healthy too.

Testing Times

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Although things have been progressing as usual over the last few days and some time was spent with family ma sha Allah, yesterday I briefly visited someone I hadn't seen in quite a long time. She was someone who went to school with me and last week she, and the rest of her family, were tested by the death of her father. To Allah we belong and to Him we return. It was sudden and he was alone in another city in the kingdom. While the family grieved, they had to deal with the horrible bureaucracy that exists here. They were turned away from a graveyard, after the body had been washed and prepared because apparently it is "only for Saudis". All of this was thrown at the family, while the mother was taken ill and admitted to hospital. Frustrations aside, the strength that this daughter carried during this ordeal was amazing ma sha Allah. She has succumbed to the fact that all of this is Allah's Will. And may He keep her patient and strong.

Many pilgrims are away from home getting ready for Hajj, people all over the world are being tested with floods, economic difficulties, oppression and afflictions of all kinds. I am in the comfort of my home,


cleaning out wardrobes, because we have been blessed with so much, and preparing for 'Eid al Adh-ha. Alhamdulillah.

Dhul Hijjah - Day 2

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

We started our holiday Qur'an schedule today. Most of the two weeks will be spent reviewing and fixing up Juz 'Amma (30) hifdh. I would like them to move on to Juz Tabaarak (29) but I want them to have 30 firmly memorised before moving on. The girls have Qur'an competitions at school for Juz 29 and I'm urging them to go for it in sha Allah. We also got the coloured paper, glue etc. out to make a little calendar.


But what I got them to do first was to come up with a list of things they should or should not be doing (especially in Dhul Hijjah but otherwise too). They narrowed it down to 13 to write on to 13 numbered cards (for the 1st to the 13th of Dhul Hijjah). I chose the 13th as that's the very last day of Hajj. They chose the points they thought were most important!


I helped them come up with the points and just left them to it. They even got the Bub to do some of the colouring in!

By the way, the kids are really happy that Algeria won the match against Egypt last night, allowing them to go on to the World Cup in 2010 in sha Allah!

Dhul Hijjah - Day 1

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Source

The first day of the month of Dhul Hijjah is here once again (18th November 2009). Here is a quick reminder of things we need to be doing:

1. Fasting
Prophet Muhammad sall Allahu alayhi wasallam is reported to have said, "There is no time better to worship Almighty Allah than the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah, the fast of each day of the first ten days of Dhul Hijjah is equivalent to the fast of one year and staying awake on each one of the first ten nights of Dhul Hijjah is equal to making Ibadah (worship) on the night of Qadar." (Tirmidhi)

2. Takbeer, Tahmeed, Tahleel and Tasbeeh
Takbeer is saying "Allahu Akbar", Tahmeed is saying "Alhamdulillah", Tahleel is saying "La ilaaha illallah" and Tasbeeh is saying "Subhaan Allah". The Prophet sall Allahu alayhi wasallam said, "There are no days greater in the Sight of Allah and in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Him than these ten days. So during this time recite a great deal of Tahleel, Takbeer and Tahmeed." (Ahmed)

This is a sunnah which is not as common these days but we should bear in mind that the Prophet Muhammad sall Allahu alayhi wasallam said, "Whoever revives an aspect of my Sunnah that is forgotten after my death, he will have a reward equivalent to that of the people who follow him, without it detracting in the least from their reward ." (At-Tirmidhi).

3. Performing Hajj and 'Umrah
Prophet Muhammad sall Allahu alayhi wasallam said, " An accepted Hajj brings no less a reward than Paradise ."

4. More good deeds in general
For example: more sunnah and nawaafil prayers, reading Qur'an, giving charity, the list is endless!

5. Sacrifice
Prophet Muhammad sall Allahu alayhi wasallam said, "When you see the new moon of Dhu'l-Hijjah, if any one of you wants to offer a sacrifice, then he should stop cutting his hair and nails until he has offered his sacrifice."

6. Sincere Repentance
Asking Allah to forgive us, refraining from sin, giving charity or doing extra nawaafil

********

Today was the last day of school for the children. They are now off for two weeks. We have some review sessions planned (for Qur'an and normal school subjects) as well as some Hajj/Dhul Hijjah lessons and crafts in sha Allah, which I hope to post here soon .

But to start with, these are two excellent links for Hajj activities for the kids ma sha Allah!

Hajj Bulletin Board
Umm Abdul Basir's Hajj Lapbook

As I blogged this time last year, may Allah give us all the ability to make the most of these beautiful days. And may He accept the Hajj of those who will be striving to fulfill this pillar of Islam, this year.

Strawberries and Stuff

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

I love strawberries. Just can't get enough of them. No really, here in Jeddah, I just can't! So even though Summer waved us goodbye a while ago, I get my frozen strawberries. We do get Egyptian straws when in season. But for a lot of things those frozen ones work just fine. My kids love Strawberry Lemonade.

I just blitz some frozen strawberries with some sugar, fresh lemon juice and water. It was a nice Friday drink yesterday. For another Friday treat we had Yogurt Cake with a strawberry coulis.


The cake is light and moist and cardamom-y! And the coulis? It's just frozen strawberries whizzed up with a little sugar!

As for today, we just need to finish off some homework. Someone likes to do her Maths homework on the whiteboard!

Is that really Maths??? I hope her sister had finished her homework before she did this.

The flag? I have no idea why she did that. Maybe it's all that talk of Algeria playing Egypt later today. I suppose it's in the blood!

One of Those Days

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

Yesterday was one of those days. You know those days when you really need to go back to bed after shoving waving the kids off to school at 6.30 in the morning? You've had a late night meeting up with hujjaaj, family and friends.


You don't go back to bed. Instead, you start tidying up and cooking lunch because you have to be at school for a Mothers' Meeting at 10. When you get there, you wish you had gone back to bed because your head is doing things it shouldn't be doing and the said meeting doesn't begin until 11! You sit quietly with your impatient toddler on your lap while mothers around you are either chatting or eyeing each other up and you think "Smile! You're in Saudi Arabia!" By the time you've listened to talks related to cleanliness, swine 'flu and teaching your children to remember Allah often [I liked the ones on cleanliness and taqwa] one of your children's teachers has gone home. You only get to meet one, who gives you a brief, vague comment about how your child is doing in school. Nevertheless, you walk away satisfied. Your child is only 8 and you don't feel you need to pester the teacher for half an hour asking "Is she excellent at maths? How about reading? Is her handwriting good?" You don't feel you need the teacher to confirm the things that you already know about your child while other mothers crowd around waiting to have their go. You feel that if you needed to, you may as well add, "Are her nails trimmed? Has she washed behind her ears?" You almost volunteer for crafting with the kids but don't as you imagine explaing the slip stitch in Arabic! You head back home after saying salaam to a few of the nice teachers and mothers, have lunch, tidy up, get some exercise, and prepare an English lesson for the evening.


Yes, you have gone back to doing something you found a little boring, except this time it's not. Now it's more like a class rather than a lone student, with your children joining her in language activities. They seem to enjoy it. You gulp down your black coffee and you seem to enjoy the class too. It almost reminds you of your days at Berlitz, as you watch the children carry out role-plays and you finish them off by saying "Well done! Good job! How did you find that?" [That handy Berlitz method!] You end the day with feeding everyone, having a chat with Mum, washing the dishes (What better thinking time than that? The water runs between your fingers leaving you with your thoughts ... and a pile of dirty dishes) and of course a little crochet.


You think back on how you felt in the morning and say to yourself, "Now that wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Alhamdulillah." Don't you?

Crocheting

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

You know I've always got crochet projects on the go! The best bit is when a project is completed and ready to be used. This is one of the latest...


... with more details here (on my other blog).