Dina Toki-O :)

Salam Lovely Ladies,

As you might have seen on our facebook page, the most recent fashion hijabi we are "hijab over heels" for is Dina Toki-O :)

She is a gorgeous UK youtuber, Mashallah, that recently made a prominent appearance on the hit TV show Style The Nation. Although she didn't win, we give her props for going so far, being so brave, being stylish and modest, and representing!

Below is part 3 of the show she was on, for more videos with her on the show, or her hijab and fashion styling videos check out her youtube page Dinatokio

P.S - We know it's been a while, but look out for our article on Unity in Islam coming out sometime this week Inshallah. Salams :)
  

 

A brother like that ( or sister :))

Shuaib received a car from his brother as an Eid present. On Eid day when Shuaib came out of his house, a poor street child was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. “Is this your car, Uncle?” he asked. Shuaib nodded. “My brother gave it to me for Eid.” The boy was astounded.


“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…” He hesitated. Of course Shuaib knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the lad said jarred Shuaib all the way down to his heels. “I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Shuaib looked at the boy in astonishment, then impulsively he added, “Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?” “Oh yes, I’d love that.”

After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes aglow, said, “Uncle, would you mind driving in front of my house?” Shuaib smiled a little. He thought he knew what the lad wanted. He wanted to show his neighbours that he could ride home in a cool car. But Shuaib was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then in a little while Shuaib heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the bottom step, then sort of squeezed up against him and pointed to the car.

“There it is, little brother, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Eid and it didn’t cost him a penny. And some day I’m gonna give you one just like it…then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the shop windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”

Shuaib got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable ride. That Eid, Shuaib learned what the RasulAllah SAW meant when he had said: “Love for your brother what you love for yourself”.

islamicthinking.tumblr.net

Ben Kingsley - 1001 Inventions

Salam ladies :)

Here is a wonderful movie on Islam, inventions and the dark age. It's similiar to "Night at the museum" but it is fascinating in its own way :) Enjoy!

Short Story Winner! Nor Lianna

Muslimah by heart and by card
Congratualations to Nor Liana Kamaruzzaman who won the MYGA Short Story contest with her touching story. Inshallah we will be sending her some good Muslim books as per her request as a prize! Thank you to all other contestants as well, everyone's stories were really good Mashallah and the competition was hard to judge. Below is Nor Lianna's contest entry :)

Assalamualaikum warrahmatullahi wabarrakatuh…

Truthfully, I was once in reverse; A Muslimah by card, but not by heart. I pretended to follow the Islamic rules. Call me a hypocrite if you want, but when you are someone who don't believe in a faith but surrounded by those who do, you feel both alienated and threatened. Much so when I knew how those who turn will be treated with despise or out casted. If you were born as someone in a different faith it is fine, if you are a convert, that is better, but if you are in this faith and decided out, you're as good as dead.

Silently, I thought myself as a freethinker. The loopholes unanswered, the reactions, both verbal and actions by those whom are considered pious, seems to me very strict and radical, and most of all what I hate the most, is the way they always seem to belittle others they consider kufr or badmouthing. I mean, for sure, people make mistakes, but for you to keep mentioning it as if doing something stupid once is a big sin. I hated them, but again, as they have many followers, I kept my silence. I hoped and hoped of getting into university, in hopes that I could be more open of my faith, or in other words, non-faith.

True, in university, people are more open to that. More often than not, I found many that admitted themselves not believing their faiths. I thought I found my place. But, something was missing. I still have my rationality, I wasn't restricted ( though my family don't know of my plans when I went to university ), there was still something missing. I wasn't putting hopes on my initial faith, because the missing feeling was from before too and I was hoping it diminishes when I am free. So, despite me being against it, I decided to give one last try. I don't know why I decided on that, but I don't have any regrets now. I joined an usrah at my university. Truth to be told, I still found those that act the way I dislike in the usrah, including those whom considered famous and respected, but I also found those, who show me Islamic way of life have a true sense within it.

We were taught and grew with the thinking that we can defy all sorts of conditions, but we forget our fitrah. Something, despite being in our control, could also be out of our control. If we had a control in it, what we desire to change could be out of the norm, something that isn't fair for us to have or don't have yet others don't or do. We are short-minded humans; grow only through the complexities of knowledge and experience. I shared my thoughts, my fears with some of them. While some reveled in disgust, shocked, and detest, in that some say I am beyond help (shirk, kufr, anything you can call as bad and will receive the tortures of hell), but many are also as acceptable.

They showed me that Islam is not in the secular sense; there is no such thing and career life, personal life, and religious life divided, like secularism. Islam teaches us the way to live, work, play, in ways that we can only see the goodness years after. It is we who are not patient, when so many times, we were taught to be patient, and patient, and patient. They told me of the different mazhabs and khilafs, what a scholar thought can differentiate with the others. I can form my own understanding, with the mind gifted from Allah s.w.t. , not necessarily just follow and obey blindly as the first experience I have.

I guess, that is the difference between following Islam with knowledge, as those I found within the usrah, and following Islam as a custom without thinking, as those I found before coming. Weird thing isn't it? I went into this new phase of life with the identity of Muslimah by card, but not by heart. However, coming out of it, I became a Muslimah by heart, not just by card. Wallahualam...

Nor Liana Kamaruzzaman
19 years old.

Wisdom: A Gift from God

Bismillah Ar-Rahman Ar-Raheem

Allah gives wisdom unto whom He wills, and the person unto whom wisdom is given, truly hath received abundant good.

Surat Al-Bakara - 2:269

Flower Power

Ta'leef Collective

Salam Sisters :)

 One of my closest teachers and mentors in Islam sent me a link to this really cool website called Ta'leef Collective and it's basically an independant orginization that works to "provide the space, content and companionship necessary for a healthy understanding, embracement and realization of Islam". They help people who are looking into Islam and wishing to convert, as well as young Muslims who find it hard to practice Islam, practice and learn about Islam. They are "a collective of teachers, volunteers, and peers who understand firsthand the challenge of living as Muslims in the west and they strive to provide the necessary means to facilitate that reality."

So please check out their website at this link:  Ta'leef Collective Website :) We hope you like it and you find it helpful.

Salam

Short Story Give-away!

Salam Dear Sisters :)

MYGA is super excited to announce our first ever give-away contest :) We want YOU to be a part of it for a chance to WIN awesome prizes! All you have to do is send in one of your own short stories to muslimyouthgirls@live.com along with your name, age, and an address that you would like your prize mailed to - (confidential formalities below).

The story should somehow be linked to Islam and it will be judged on overall quality and creativity - so be unique, fresh, funny or dramatic - were open to anything and everything :) There will be first, second and third place prizes of hijabs, accessories, and Islamic books. Winners of the contest, aside from their cool gifts, will have their story and name published on the MYGA blog. Runner up's will also have their stories published on the blog.

All information sent to MYGA will be held confidential unless otherwise stated by the sender. Names of winners will be published along with their stories unless they don't want their name up, in which case we'll place it as anonymous, however, we will need names for contest entries. The contest is open to Muslim girls of all ages and locations. So send this link to your friends even if they are not followers :)

Deadline ends May 30th.

Ayat al-Kursi

2:255

The Throne Verse

In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful.

Allah! There is no God but He,

the Living, the Self-subsisting, the Eternal.

No slumber can seize Him, nor sleep.

All things in heaven and earth are His.

Who could intercede in His presence without His permission?

He knows what appears in front of and behind His creatures.

Nor can they encompass any knowledge of Him except what he wills.

His throne extends over the heavens and the earth,

and He feels no fatigue in guarding and preserving them,

for He is the Highest and Most Exalted.

Allah, the Most High, speaks the truth



The benefits of this ayah are many, but it mainly provides you with protection

So read it in the morning, night, on trips and when you leave the house.

Actually...read it whenever you can :)

Over Spending

Many Muslim youth around Canada and around the world have trouble dealing with the temptation of overspending. In a hadith narrated by Al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Prophet (Peace be upon him) said, “Allah has prohibited three things: gossip, much questioning and wasting money.”

Overspending can lead to bankruptcy or debt and eventually you will not have enough money to meet your needs. We must recognize the difference between “need” and “want”. Ask yourself, do I really need this or do I simply want it? We should ask ourselves this question every time we attempt to spend money. If we are honest with ourselves, we can make a wise choice and follow through.

Here are four easy steps that will help to decrease overspending:

1) When shopping is necessary, make a list of the things you need to buy.

2) Don’t spend time in a place where it is easy to spend money. If we spend a lot of time at certain places such as malls, cafes and movie theaters, we may be drawn to spend more money. Instead of spending your free time at these places try and go to the park or visit your friends.

3) Give yourself strict income limits. If you have problems controlling your spending, try to create and stick to a weekly budget. Any extra money can be saved in your personal bank account.

4) Avoid impulse buying. If you see something that you would like to buy, try waiting a day before actually buying it. If you really want it, you will come back. This also gives you the chance to find other things that may be better in quality or price.

Keep in mind that spending money in and of itself is not bad, in fact, spending money can be good if we spend wisely. The Prophet commended money when he said, “It is very good that a righteous man has righteous money.” Instead of spending money on useless things, you can spend money on good things such as charity, buying gifts for parents or siblings or using it towards your education and personal development.

Next time you are out shopping with your friends and about to purchase something, stop and think: Is this something I really need?

Written by MAC Youth London's High School Sisters' Youth Group (SYG) 

As seen in: MY Voice Online Magazine

Spring @ MYGA

No satisfaction for Terry Jones

Salam

A few months ago, American pastor Terry Jones was in the news for wanting to burn the Quran. Although he had few followers in his church, he sparked fire around the world when he began appearing all over the media for his plans of "burn the Quran day".  After much dissaproval and uproar by people, he stated he would not be going through with his plans. However, two weeks ago he did go through with his plan and burned the Holy Quran. His actions are extremely vulgar and contemptible and as Muslims one way we could help not give him any satisfaction for his actions would be by not giving him press. The more he's in the news, the more he's googled, the more that video (Quran burning) is watched, the happier he is. Although the anger of many is completely understandable, we shouldn't give him any satisfaction by hurting ourselves by watching the video or becoming extremely upset. He should be fined and even sent to jail, but the way some people in countries like Afghanistan are taking out their anger is not justified ...only he should be held accountable for his actions, and the government of America for serving justice.

A good example of patience in the time of trouble would be Prophet Muhammad (saw) in the famous story of his journey to the city of Ta'if. When he went there to peacefully invite the people to Islam, they responded by pelting him with stones and hurting him until he was soaked in his own blood. After leaving the city, Angel Jibrail  approached him and told the prophet that if he wished, he could bring the two mountains on either side of the city together, crushing the city of Ta'if and it's people for what they did. The Prophet declined and said even if none of these people become Muslim, I pray that their children may worship Allah and serve His cause. The beauty and moral of this story is that even when the prophet suffered so much pain and had the absolute opportunity to annihalate this town, he did not. He had patience, and hope. And instead of cursing them, he prayed for them. Lets look at the Prophets example and follow in his footsteps.

We should also always remember that Allah says in Surat Hijr (15.09) "We have, without doubt, sent down the Message; and We will assuredly guard it (from corruption)."

Again in Surat Hijr He says "Leave them alone, to enjoy (the good things of this life) and to please themselves: let (false) hope amuse them: soon will knowledge (undeceive them). "

May Allah (swt) guide us, give us patience and Iman. We need to keep faith that he will receive his due from Allah, and we should not let him even think he can affect us or our deen, because he can't.

Quran & Science

The greatest miracle of Islam is the Quran itself. It is the true, unchanged and unadulturated word of God for the past 1400 years. It's divine text not only includes the best ways to live, the secret to enlightment and the history of mankind...it includes scientific miracles; facts that no one knew about 1400 years ago. The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) was a wise, honorable and honest man, but he was illiterate; and that is the beauty of Islam and it's truth as well. That proves for a fact that the Quran was the word of God, not man.

The following link is a website that includes the extraordinary revealings of the Quran and it's science and compares it to modern science. Please take a look at it :)  

Quran&Science.com

The Quran

If the whole of mankind and Jinn were to gather together to produce the like of this Qur'an, they could not produce the like thereof, even if they backed up each other with help and support. And We have explained to man, in this Qur'an, every kind of similitude: Yet the greater part of men refuse ( to receive it ) except with ingratitude.  (Isra 88-89)

Maher Zain - New Muslim Artist