Knick – Knack Notes from a Muslima in America.

September 5, 2012
Raleigh NC. USA.

Allhamdullilah. Allhamdullilah. Allhamdullilah.

My thoughts and prayers are to my Muslim sisters & brothers wherever they may be. May Allah be with you all. Ameen. We all need to be in the state of having great appreciation of what we have and what we don’t have. Allah is the best of planners. Yes. Subhannallah.

Today is day 5 of the 10 days of “ramadhan” fasting. I only just found out that before I may enjoy the provisions that fasting the 6 days in Syawwal – I must fast the remaining days of Ramadhan I missed. Oops. All this time I didn’t know nor did I bother to ask. I mean, Syawwal is sunnah. Only now in my old age I am scraping and looking on how I can “save” up for my akhirat. Because it is this time where there will be endless / infinite time. So, Allhamdullilah I saw the provision of needing to fast and complete my Ramadhan before starting Syawwal. So here I am fasting. Subhannallah the summers are long and hot here in the USA. But Allhamdullilah Allah has given me the strength to do this.

As a working Muslimah, fasting during Ramadhan is a challenge let alone fasting now. Phew! Lunch time is a blurr of smells of amazing food. Steak & Cheese, Fries, Gyro’s, Hot toasty sandwiches. Astagfirullah I was so hungry today. But Allhamdullilah my co-workers who are not Muslim closed their office doors and took special care not to eat in front of me. Allhamdullilah. They respected me as a Muslimah trying to pay her debts to Allah! Yes. I am extremely fortunate to work with a company who has, for many years, allowed me to pray freely (in fact I will say I need to pray THEN have a meeting, on a daily basis) Allhamdullilah. I have also been able to take naps as a lunch break during Ramadhan. Allhamdullilah. Yes. In America in a state known for its Bible Belt connection. God is truly great.

My experiences living in America as a Muslimah run the gamut. In the work environment I really haven’t any problem nor faced any head on confrontation. If they do speak about me I don’t care nor think about it. It boils down to one thing. Professionalism. On a personal level, hmmm…I want to say I am less close to my Muslima sisters than with my general American friends. I think probably because I am way to busy for many Muslimah’s. Oh well, I can’t please everyone. Allah knows my intentions and that is that.

Oh sisters. Many times we are hypersensitive as a Muslim. We feel the world is staring us down and people are out to get us. The fact is, many Muslims forget that Islam teaches us to be truthful, don’t corrupt, don’t waste time, be on time, promises need to be kept, deadlines need to be kept. Do we do this? I have seen firsthand that we as Muslims do not uphold our own teachings. May Allah guide us!

The summary of my notes, be thankful for whatever you have. And with whatever you have or not have, make sure to not forget the integrity that Allah and our Prophet Mohammad SAW has taught us.

  • Do our best.
  • Stay away from the whispers of Syaitan.
  • Pray.
  • Do good.
  • Be a good Muslim in every circumstance.
  • Don’t be judgemental.
  • Smile & Love all.

Syaitan can’t stand it.

Peace out.
Ummzaytun

Scroll to Top