Modern Hijabi: Spring and Summer 2010

Salam

This spring and summer there are a lot of trends to look out for. Animal prints, vintage pieces, jeans, leather, bold colors, neutral colors, geometric shapes, floral patterns, boyfriend fit clothes, and my favorite blazers. Although the styles out there right now contradict each other, (i.e bold prints vs. neutrals), theres something out there for everyone! Not to mention a lot of the stuff is loose and baggy.

So sisters, go and take advantage A lot of the stuff you purchase now will always be in because there are so many styles to choose from.

Heres a few pics with this spring and summers in style outfits for hijabis :)

This is a casual outfit - Trends you can spot would be the leopard prints and the leather

This is a bit more fancy than the last outfit - choose your own color of hijab, pick a color that would bring out the flowers on the skirt..like a deep purple. Trends you can spot here are vintage floral patters, leather and the blazer

This outfit is very chic. It can be casual or fancy, depends on the way you dress it up. Trends you can spot here is the blazer, layered top, ankle boots, vintage clutch bag and even the armor ring :)

Top 6: Beauty Tips for Sisters

Salam

This is the perfect prescription for making yourself a beautiful person on the inside and out:

1)To beautify your eyes, lower your gaze towards strange men, this will make your eyes pure and shiny.

2)To have attractive lips, always remember to speak the truth.

3)As for blush and rouge, "Modesty" (Haya) is one of the best brands and it can be found in any of the Islamic masaajids.

4)To remove impurites from your face and body, use a soap called "Istighfaar". InshaAllah this soap will remove bad deeds.

5) As for jewelry, beautify your hands with humbleness and let your hands be a power to forgive people who have hurt your feelings

6) Now about your hair, if any of you has hair problems, then I suggest a "hijab"..which will no doubt protect much more than just your hair.

I got this off the net, follow it for a couple of days/weeks/months and everyone will be able to see your transformation :)

Halal Recipes: Chicken Chowmein

Salam

Chowmein is a delicious noodle dish from China. It is enjoyed all over the world. The only problem is it can get hard to find halal chowmein. So we have decided to write up a delicious and easy halal chowmein recipe for you!


Ingredients:

* 1 whole cabbage
* 2 red bell peppers
* 2 green bell peppers
* 10-15 medium sized mushrooms
* 1 onion
* 4 cloves of garlic
* 3 cups of bean sprouts
* 1 packet of Mandarin Noodles steamed noodle chowmein (packeted)
* Soy sauce, fish sauce, hot sauce, any other oriental sauce of your choice (honey garlic/sweet and sour)
* 12 Table spoons of olive oil (more or less)
* 2 pinches of salt and pepper

Method:

In a frying pan or wok heat about 2 table spoons of oil and fry your noodles in it until they are golden brown. If you have a lot of noodles, half the package and repeat this process. After your noodles are browned place them in a large turkey pan with a lid.

Cut up your chicken breasts into bite size peices. Heat a wok with 4 tablespoons of oil and fry your chicken. Add 1 chopped up onion, your garlic, salt and pepper and any other flavorings of your choice. Then give it a hearty splash of soy sauce and fish sauce and anyother oriental sauce you desire. Then add 2 cups of water, close the lid and allow the chicken to cook on medium heat for half an hour.

After your chicken is done cooking, add your vegetables to the same wok. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes. If you like your veggies crispier, take it out sooner. Just before you are done, add your bean sprouts.

Once your chicken and veggies are done, pour it over the noodles in your pot. Its ok if it has liquids to it because that will help soften the noodles. Then with a spatula or tongs mix your veggies/chicken and noodles so everything blends. Do this carefully, you dont want to mash anything, just MIX.

Put your baking pan into the oven on medium heat, about 365 degrees for 25 minutes.
Taste it to see if it is to your liking, add more soysauce or keep it in longer if you want it a bit softer.

Note: When you are pouring the veggies and chicken on the noodles, first add the solids then later add the liquid from the pan. That way if you have a lot of water it wont drench the noodles.

Add different types of vegetables like baby corns, peas, broccoli and zuchinni. To make things easier for yourself on busy nights, add frozen stir fry vegetables instead of fresh!

This meal serves 6-7 people.

Enjoy!

Friendship in Islam

Salam

Humans are social creatures by nature. They are always in need of friends and companions. And because they spend most of their lives interacting with others; this can change the way they think, act and speak immensely.

We know that Allah (swt) brought us in this life as a test. Therefore we know we are here on this earth for only a short period of time. Our real lives start after we die. We need to do what is best for us in this life so we can attain Jannah in there hereafter inshallah.

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) said: "Man is influenced by the faith of his friends, therefore be careful of whom you associate with"

We have to be careful for who we choose as our friends. We need to ask ourselves "Will he help me be a better Muslim?" "Will he wish for me what he wishes for himself?" and "Is he sincere?"

A true friend is that who wishes you well for your success's and lends you a hand in your misfortunes

The Prophet (pbuh) was once asked: "who can be the best friend?" Muhammad (pbuh) replied "That who helps you remember Allah (swt) and reminds you when you forget Him."

On the day of judgment people will have two regrets: 1) Not following the Prophet (pbuh) and 2) Befriending a person who diverted them from the truth.

A good friendship has these signs:
* Increase of Taqwa and Iman
* Urging each other to do good deeds and stopping each other from bad deeds.
* No wastage of each others time/effort and energy
* Discouragment of aimless and sinful talk

Whereas a bad friend will:
* Pose a danger to your iman
* Distract you from Allah's remembrance
* Draw you into sinful activities and make them seem enjoyable
* Justify your faults and mistakes instead of helping you improve them
* Does not want for you what he wants for himself
* Wastes your time
* Flatters you when you dont deserve praise
* Abandons you in your time of trouble

The messenger of Allah (pbuh) said: "A muslim is a brother to a muslim. Neither he wrongs him nor hands him over to another. And whoso comes in need of his brother, Allah comes in his need; And whose removes a calamity off a muslim, Allah will remove a calamity from the calamities of the resurrection day; and whoso conceals the faults of a muslim, Allah will conceal his sins on the day of ressurection. --Sahih Bukhari

Whether you realize it or not - friends have a significant impact on your life. So be careful who you choose as your friends. Dont make friends for the sake of it, make sure they care for you like you care for them; and if they dont, talk to them or drop em like a bad habit. Because both you and your life (in this world and the hereafter) matter much more. You have only one life on this earth (in which you are tested the whole time) so do whats best for you.

Live a happy life - with good friends :)

Salam,
MYGA

Mini Skirts

Salam,

You would think that a hijabi can't wear a mini skirt...and you'd be 100% correct if you were reffering to the normal way it is worn around the world. But there is a new mini skirt out there that is, in my opinion, the best way to make your outfits longer :)

They have an elastic band around the top so you can easily slide it on, and keep it on, but they flare on the lower half so it isn't tight. You would wear a top under, the mini skirt on top (a little below your chest and little above your hips), and skinny jeans/pants under. This creates an illusion that the skirt and top actually is a long one peice top.

You can get them in any girl stores in America and Canada as far as I know. They are super handy, I myself have about 4 pairs. You can get them in any color, pattern and design (flare fit, straight fit, tight fit..we don't really recommend the tight fitted ones).

You can wear a long sleeve T under or a tanktop or t-shirt then a cardigan on top. You can wear skinny jeans or straight legs under because the skirt usually comes up to a little above your knees. Its fashionable and modest. You should wear a pashmina type scarf or a wrap around on top to cover your chest area if the top under your skirt is tight fitting. Dont forget to accessorize!

Below are some pics to show you what I'm talking about:

Dutifulness to ones parents: Story

Salam

We found a really good story on dutifulness to ones parents through Ajyal, and wanted to share it with you.

This is an incident related by a (female) medical doctor. She says:

An elderly woman in her sixties came to my office accompanied by her son in his thirties. I noticed he paid extraordinary attention to her to the extent that he'd hold her hand, fix her cloak for her and offer her food and drink. After examining her and requesting tests I asked him about her mental state because she did not behave quite normally and her responses to my questions were unbalanced. He informed me that she has been mentally challenged since birth. I then asked who takes care of her. He responded, I do. I said great, but who tends to keeping her clean and her clothing and so forth. He said, I take her to the bathroom, prepare her clothing and wait till she's done and hang her clothing in the closet and put the dirty clothes in the wash and buy whatever is short. I asked, why don't you hire a servant for her? He siad, because my mother is "miskeenah" (helpless) like a child and she doesn't complain about anything... I'm afraid a servant would take advantage of her (i.e. harm her). I was amazed at his responses and how righteous/dutiful a child he was. I then asked him if he was married. He responded in the affirmative saying Alhamdulillaah and he also has a child. In that case your wife can tend to your Mom, I said. He responded that his wife does her share; she prepares the food and feeds his mother and he has hired a servant to assist his wife. However, he said, I'm keen to eat with her because of her diabetes! I was even more amazed and held back the tears. I snuck a peak at her fingernails and found they were short and clean. I asked, what about her fingernails? He said, I told you doctor, she's helpless, me of course (I see to her nails). The mother looked at him and said, when are you going to buy me the potatoes? He responded, no problem, I'll take you to the grocer right away. The mother was so excited and got up saying, now..now. The son turned around and said, by Allaah... I am more happy when she gets happy than when my own child gets happy. I pretented to be writing in her file just so he coouldn't see I was affected. I asked if she had kids besides him. He responded that he was only child because his father had divorced her after only one month. I said, O.. then your dad raised you. He said, no, my grandmother took care of both of us and she died (may Allaah have mercy on her) when I was ten years old. Did your mother take care of you when you were ill, or do you recall she ever looked after you or shared in your joy and sadness? He responded, Dooooctoooor, my Mom is "miskeenah" (helpless). All my life since I was ten I've been worried about her, fearful for her and taking care of her. I then wrote a prescription for her and explained it to the son. He took his mother by the hand and said, let's go to the grocer now. The mother said, aren't we going to Makkah? I was surprised and asked her, why do you want to go to Makkah? She said, I want to ride on a plane. I said to the son, there's no obligation on her to go for 'umrah. Why would you take her and cause such inconvenience to yourself? He said, perhaps the joy she might feel if I was to take her would be of greater reward with the Lord of the worlds than if I were to do an 'umrah without her. They left my office and I closed the door and told the nurse I needed some rest. I cried with all my heart and said to myself, all this and she was never really a mother to him. She only carried him and gave birth to him; she never raised him, never stayed up nights for him, never taught him, never shared in his pain and sorrows, never slept next to him out of fear for him, never...never...never... And with all that, there was such dutifulness and kindness (on the part of the son towards his mother). I recalled my mother and compared my condition to his... I thought about my own kids and whether I would get even a quarter of that kindness from them... I wiped away my tears, completed my rounds and returned home with an aching heart.

Allaah says in soorah al-Israa:

( وَقَضَىٰ رَبُّكَ أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ وَبِالْوَالِدَيْنِ إِحْسَانًا ۚ إِمَّا يَبْلُغَنَّ عِنْدَكَ الْكِبَرَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَوْ كِلَاهُمَا فَلَا تَقُلْ لَهُمَا أُفٍّ وَلَا تَنْهَرْهُمَا وَقُلْ لَهُمَا قَوْلًا كَرِيمًا (23) وَاخْفِضْ لَهُمَا جَنَاحَ الذُّلِّ مِنَ الرَّحْمَةِ وَقُلْ رَبِّ ارْحَمْهُمَا كَمَا رَبَّيَانِي صَغِيرًا )

23. And your Lord has decreed that you not worship except Him, and to parents, good treatment. Whether one or both of them reach old age [while] with you, say not to them [so much as], "uff," and do not repel them but speak to them a noble word.


24. And lower to them the wing of humility out of mercy and say, "My Lord, have mercy upon them as they brought me up [when I was] small."