Books and Media

[Sofiyya 1,687]

This is a thread is for everyone, Muslim, Christian, Jew, whatever. Contribute whatever you want. A lot of us could use suggestions for the long trips we take to see our men or visit family.

On of my favorites is "Conference of the Books: The Search for Beauty In Islam", by Khaled Abou El Fadl. I love it because it discusses contemporary issues in Muslim life and explains the function of beauty and morality in the faith using vignettes. Abou El FAdl has a writing style that makes Islam and its tenets accessible and understandable to most.

Edited July 21, 2006 by szsz

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Another interesting book is "Remembering God: Reflections on Islam", by Charles Le Gai Eaton. Another beautifully written book, it deals with perceived contrasts of Islam in/and of the West, beauty, harmony and transformation.

Edited July 21, 2006 by szsz

[AngelK96 0]

14 views and nobody answered.

well myself I usually listen to music all the way to jordan and all the way back. Usually arab music..Kathem from iraq or ali deek from syria ..mostly i like to listen to dabkah music. But listen to R& B and Old rock and roll. : ) I like reading romance novels! Love always wins out in the end books

[Sofiyya 1,687]

John Esposito and John Voll of the Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding co-wrote "Makers of Contemporary Islam", a compilation of essays about important and influential Muslim individuals that helped to shape the political and ideological framework of current discourse.

[noura 0]

My recent trip to NY I listened to the audiobook by David Sedaris "Dress Your Family in Courdoroy & Denim" - it was hilarious... also downloaded some podcasts on Religion by Bill Moyers...

But as for music, I'm w/ you Angel, I mostly listen to arabic - pop to classical - I love Oum Kalthoum as well as Hakim, Hisham Abbas, Natacha Atlas, some modern remixes of older classics... I have almost 4000 songs on my iPod - most of that is arabic music

Noura

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Love always wins out in the end books

That reminds me of something very beautiful. Be right back!

This is one of the most beautiful essays I have ever read about love, sweet love. Use it on your husbands, ladies.

A Wife

This article has been widely atributed to a lecture given by Sheikh Abdullah Adhami, but I have been informed that he is not the actual author, so for now it is, Author Unknown.

By getting married you are not just getting a wife, you are getting your whole world. From now until the rest of your days your wife will be your partner, your companion, and your best friend.

She will share your moments, your days, and your years. She will share your joys and sorrows, your successes and failures, your dreams and your fears. When you are ill, she will take the best care of you; when you need help, she will do all she can for you; when you have a secret, she will keep it; when you need advice, she will give you the best advice. She will always be with you: when you wake up in the morning the first thing your eyes will see will be hers; during the day, she will be with you, if for some time she is not with you by her physical body, she will be thinking of you, praying for you with all her heart, mind, and soul; when you go to sleep at night, the last thing your eyes will see will be her; and when you are asleep you will still see her in your dreams. In short, she will be your whole world and you will be her whole world.

The best description that I personally have ever read describing the closeness of the spouses to each other is the Qur'anic verse which says: "They are your garments and you are their garments." (Surah Al Baqarah 2:187). Indeed, spouses are like garments to each other because they provide one another with the protection, the comfort, the cover, the support, and the adornment that garments provide to humans. Just imagine a journey in the winter of Alaska without garments! Our spouses provide us with the same level of comfort, protection, cover, and support in the journey of our lives on this earth as garments would do in the Alaskan journey.

The relationship between the spouses is the most amazing of all human relations: the amount of love and affection, intimacy and closeness, mercy and compassion, peace and tranquillity that fills the hearts of the spouses is simply inexplicable. The only rational explanation for these most amazing of all human feelings is that: it is an act of Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala, "And Allah has made for you Mates (and Companions of your own nature ..." (Surah Al Nahl 16:72)

Only our Almighty Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala in His Infinite Power, Boundless Mercy, and Great Wisdom can create and ingrain these amazing and blessed feelings in the hearts of the spouses. In fact Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is reminding those who search for His signs in the universe that these feelings in the hearts of the spouses are among the signs that should guide humans to His existence as He says in the Qur'an, "And among His signs is this, that He created for you mates from among yourselves that you may dwell in tranquillity with them and He has put love and mercy between your hearts: verily in that are signs for those who reflect." (Surah Al Rum 30:21)

But Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala knows that the human heart is not a static entity, it is sometimes weak and at times dynamic. Feelings can and do change with time. Love may wither and fade away. The marital bond might weaken if not properly cared for. Happiness in marriage cannot be taken for granted; continuous happiness requires constant giving from both sides. For the tree of marital love to remain alive and keep growing, the soil has to be sustained, maintained, watered and nurtured.

Remember that our Prophet Muhammad Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam had found the time to go out to the desert and race with his wife Aisha. She outran him but later after she had gained some weight, he outran her. Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam took his wife to watch the young Ethiopians playing and dancing their folk dances. The show of emotions is necessary to keep the marital bond away from rusting and disintegrating. Remember that you will be rewarded by Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala for any emotions you show to your wife as the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam said "One would be rewarded for anything that he does seeking the pleasure of Allah even the food that he puts in the mouth of his wife"

Never underestimate the importance of seemingly little things as putting food in your wife's mouth, opening the car door for her, etc. Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam used to extend his knee to his wife to assist her up to ride the camel.

Try to always find some time for both of you to pray together. Strengthening the bond between you and Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala is the best guarantee that your own marital bond would always remain strong. Having peace with Allah Subhanahu wa Ta'ala will always result in having more peace at home.

Remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam gave glad tidings for those couples who wake up at night to pray together. The Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam even urged the spouse who rises up first to wake the other spouse up, even by splashing cold water on his/her face.

Always try your best to be good to your wife by words and by deeds. Talk to her, smile to her, seek her advice, ask for her opinion, spend quality time with her and always remember that the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam said, "The best of you are those who are best to their wives"

Finally, it is common that spouses vow to love and honor their spouses until death do them part. I do believe that this vow is good or even great, but not enough! It is not enough that you love your wife. You have to love what she loves as well. Her family, her loved ones must also become your loved ones. Don't be like my colleague who was unhappy about his wife's parents coming to visit for few weeks. He candidly said to her "I don't like your parents." Naturally she angrily looked at him straight in the eye and said, "I don't like yours either." Also, it is not enough that you love her until death do you part. Love should never end and we do believe there is life after death where those who did righteousness in this world will be joined by their spouses (Surah Al Zukhruf 43:70) and offsprings.

The best example in this regard is the Prophet Salallaahu 'aliahi wa'sallaam whose love for Khadija, his wife of 25 years, extended to include all those she loved; this love of his continued even after her death. It was many years after her death and he never forgot her and whenever a goat was slaughtered in his house he would send portions of it to Khadija's family and friends and whenever he felt that the visitor at the door might be Khadija's sister Hala, he would pray saying, "O Allah let it be Hala."

I used to know how to add music to a thread, but I don't remember now. We could add some arabic, rock, whatever, bumper music, if someone knows how

Edited July 21, 2006 by szsz

[Bosco 1]

I read a wide range of things, try to mix up lighter reading with heavier stuff. I recently finished Guests of the Ayatollah, thought it was very good. Another book I read in the recent months that I think is excellent is The Caliph's House. The book had me laughing out loud quite a few times describing some of the quirks of Moroccan society. My husband enjoyed it too. I have a few books in my "queue" but the next up is Fez ~ City of Islam (my husband is a Fassi). Reading is one of my passions.

Magazine subscriptions include Islamica, Saudi Aramco World and Al Jadid to name a few.

I also love Arabic music, both classic and contemporary, but lately more classic.

Rebecca

[AngelK96 0]

My recent trip to NY I listened to the audiobook by David Sedaris "Dress Your Family in Courdoroy & Denim" - it was hilarious... also downloaded some podcasts on Religion by Bill Moyers...

But as for music, I'm w/ you Angel, I mostly listen to arabic - pop to classical - I love Oum Kalthoum as well as Hakim, Hisham Abbas, Natacha Atlas, some modern remixes of older classics... I have almost 4000 songs on my iPod - most of that is arabic music

Noura

I love that song by Oum "Enta Omry"

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Along the line of heavier fare, two wonderful titles come to mind.

The Quran and Its Interpreters, Vol. 1, and Vol. 2, by Mahmoud M. Ayoub. No volume 3 yet, but it will be worth the wait.

[noura 0]

My recent trip to NY I listened to the audiobook by David Sedaris "Dress Your Family in Courdoroy & Denim" - it was hilarious... also downloaded some podcasts on Religion by Bill Moyers...

But as for music, I'm w/ you Angel, I mostly listen to arabic - pop to classical - I love Oum Kalthoum as well as Hakim, Hisham Abbas, Natacha Atlas, some modern remixes of older classics... I have almost 4000 songs on my iPod - most of that is arabic music

Noura

I love that song by Oum "Enta Omry"

Ya know what's funny tho, I used to never listen to pop radio, but in Maroc, it's alot of what they play on the radio there... so I heard stuff there I'd never heard b4 but apparently it was pretty popular here too- I just never heard it!!! So now, occasionally I'll listen to pop radio here just to catch a few songs that remind me of driving around Morocco! Ask me 5 yrs ago if I'd be listening to pop radio, the answer would have been an emphatic "heck no!!"

Go figure...

Noura

[Sofiyya 1,687]

Well, I tried to add music, so far, no go

[AngelK96 0]

anyone heard of Fayrouz? In Jordan and Palestine they play her songs in the Mornings and call it Fayrouz in the Morning. I like her too.. i am a music buff.

[noura 0]

anyone heard of Fayrouz? In Jordan and Palestine they play her songs in the Mornings and call it Fayrouz in the Morning. I like her too.. i am a music buff.

yes, I like Feiruz also- I think I have an actual "album" - like the vinyl kind - of hers.... that's one of my hobbies is to collect old Bellydance and "world" music on vinyl - the covers alone are worth checking out - they're so cool...

check out this awesome website: www.radiobastet.com - it's a cool female dj playing old arabic music mostly and a lot of the album covers are on the site to peruse.

Noura

[Bosco 1]

I love Fayrouz. Some of my favorite songs are Shady, Ya ana Ya ana, Ya siti ya khtyara, and Shat Iskandaria.

anyone heard of Fayrouz? In Jordan and Palestine they play her songs in the Mornings and call it Fayrouz in the Morning. I like her too.. i am a music buff.

[UmmSqueakster 54]

Asside from my big black binder of religious articles I print and mean to read, I've once again been sucked in to the Wheel of Time series. WoT is an obsenely verbose, long winded fantasy series that I read, oh, 9 or 10 times in high school. I put it down then, vowing not to pick it up until the author finished the series. Well, in May, I was really bored, so, I started reading it again I'm now up to book 4 the second time around.

And, it seems that the author now has a terminal illness and may not finish the series Seriously, I've dedicated years of my life to this man and his fantasy world, and now we may not even make it to the last battle. Argggggggggggggggggggg will Rand defeat the Dark One and reseal his prison? Will he break the world? Will Mat ever marry the daughter of the 9 moons? Will Perrin become king of Manetheren? Will the women in the book ever stop tugging their braids and straightening their skirts? I'll go mad if he doesn't finish it, even more so than I already am