www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng0WgDvxo1g

Always looking for educational and fun nasheed and Muslim kids videos to share. So, please comment below with your favorite ones.

First, I want to thank Sisters Aisha and Naseem for sharing their opinions, “…that purchasing eid decorations are copying the commercialization of holidays as done by the kuffar; and also a great waste of money…” and thought it’s critical that I write an article detailing all of the points they mentioned, in which decorating our homes for Eid and Ramadan are not prohibited under the Sunnah of our Prophet Muhammad sallallahu alayhi wa salam (Peace and blessings be upon him).

Please note, that I, nor my family, friends, colleagues, and scholar (who we consulted), are not offended by these sisters’ comments. Rather, I am grateful for their input, alhumdulilah, Praise be to God, because it caused me to reflect and assure that my family and I are on the straight path to jennah (heaven), inshaAllah (God willing); and not misguiding others to go astray through my actions.

Aisha Umm Abdurahman Hasan I honestly feel – without offending anyone – that purchasing eid decorations are copying the commercialization of holidays as done by the kuffar; and also a great waste of money. Instead of spending money on completly unbeneficial decorations, you’ll receive much more reward giving the money to an Islamic charity, or spending on your own child. We can make our own decorations out of household items while sharing that time making memories with our kids. i’m hoping this year to finally experience making eid cookies.

Naseem Yusuf I agree with sister Aisha

Fatwas about Decorations and Giving Incentives or Rewards

The article below is written from a combination of the following fatwas with Qur’an and Sunnah to support them:

• Fatwa regarding celebrating and decorating one’s return from Hajj,
• Fatwa on decorating for Eid rather than Christmas (please refer to the middle of the fatwa where the scholars mention that Jennah is especially decorated during the month of Ramadan) [I have not yet found the hadith that speaks specifically to this point, but our local scholar insists that Eid and Ramadan decorations are good ways to spend on our families as a celebratory reward and festive pride. Khair, inshaAllah],
• Another fatwa, which I can not find right now, that allows Muslims to offer incentives to our brothers and sisters, not just our children to make an necessary ibadah (act of worship) as a routine, and a good habit in one’s life. For example, offering to reward to one’s father so he will grow a beard for the intention of gaining reward from Allah first and not the gift itself. So, rewarding our children for developing new skills, especially ibadah (acts of worship) is permissible and encouraged. NOTE: My husband and I do not, nor recommend, giving monetary incentives to our girls for fulfilling any of the five pillars. Yet, we reward their pure completed actions with surprises after the fact. And, we do not reward them all the time, so they don’t expect to gain anything else but the love and happiness of Allah subhanallah wa Tala, and
• I consulted a local scholars in Islam to confirm the below statements.

Eid and Ramadan Decorations Are Permissible

1. Pure intentions - Decorations are permissible, if parents have pure intentions to celebrate their family’s completion of a good deed, especially one of the pillars, such as Hajj or Fasting during the month of Ramadan. A parent’s pure intentions to provide rewards to celebrate the fasts of their family members, especially children, may be counted as charity as well.  “If a man provides for his family hoping for the reward, it will be counted as charity for him.” (Bukhari & Muslim).
2. Decorate in Moderation and Not Extravagance - It is recommended and encouraged that we reuse, re-purpose, and recycle household items as a family activity to make decorations. This is the first year that we drew attention to Eid decorations made available online for sale. Based on our review, the prices of all the online stores are highly economical and not extravagant. Since the announcement of  Ranoon’s unique products prompted this discussion, we believe that their classy, unique products are not expensive, and do not resemble holiday lights or decorations of other faiths. “If a woman spends from the wealth of her house without causing harm (to her family), she will get the reward of what she spend and her husband also gets a reward because he earned it. (Moreover) the one who is entrusted with money gets the same reward (of spending it), without any of them (the wife and the entrusted) decreasing the rewards of the others.” (Bukhari)
3. The action of decorating does not become an act of worship, bidah - We cannot make habits that are expected by ourselves or our families,  or induce feelings that something is incomplete because the action is not completed. For example, the family feels like that it’s not “Eid” because one doesn’t have special Eid decorations. Again, we must check our intentions (point #1). We cannot worship the decorations or the act of decorating in any way.
4. The only times to decorate are for Ramadan and our 2 Eids – Not copying other religions or faiths - We should not copy the act of placing lights outside our houses like Christians during Christmas time. Our decorations should remain inside, or should be taken down after the 3 days of Eid al-Fitr, or 4 days of Eid al-Adha are completed. We should not keep them up and “hold on to the good times”, otherwise our intentions are not solely to celebrate the good deeds of the completed two pillars.
5. The act of Hajj & Ramadan are not private acts of worship, so celebrating one’s completion is allowed - We are allowed to celebrate, reward and draw attention to one’s completion of these fardh (obligatory) actions. Again, we cannot be so extravagant (point #2) that we are perceived as a showing off. Hence remaining moderate (point #2) and keeping all decorations inside (point #4) is protecting our pure intentions (point #1) once again. Hajj and fasting is different than giving charity in secret or in public. Charity in secret is more rewarded than giving in public.
6. Ramadan and Eid Decorations acting as a form of dawah (introduction to Islam) – Subhanallah, Glory be to God, my non-Muslim friend was curious what’s the latest project or contest on AmericanMuslimMom.com after visiting Ranoon.com, she asked what’s the significance of the moon and star, and the difference between Ramadan and Eid. Alhumdulilah, Praise be to God, because she thinks one particularly product was beautiful, she said she’s going to purchase it,and  hang it up as a house decoration. She thanked my girls and I because now she has an explanation for its significance when people ask her about this new wall hanging
7. Ramadan activities should be emphasized over Eid celebrations - Eid is solely the days of celebration, our feast and festival. Since  Ramadan is our month of fast, and our good deeds are multiplied by an amount only known by Allah, we should always emphasize doing good deeds, actions, celebrations, feasts during Ramadan and especially iftar (the meal breaking our fasts).  Our rewards are multiplied during Ramadan. Encouraging our children to participate in programs like the Ramadan Qur’an-a-thon Sadaqah Drive and striving to learn all the names of Allah are worthy activities during Ramadan, inshaAllah.

Ramadan Gifts are Giving-Gifts; while Eid Gifts are Celebrating-Gifts

We emphasize giving during Ramadan rather than Eid, to protect our pure intentions (point #1), and to gain more rewards for Allah, ishaAllah (God willing). Also, we believe it protects us, inshaAllah, from mimicking the holidays of other faiths, and possible commercialization of our feasts.  More specifically,

• We stress that “Eid” = Food/Feast, Family, Friends, and Fun. We do not call it a “holiday”, as to not assimilate, or be associated with celebrating a “holi/holy-day”. We have a different kind of pride and honor that is associated with our Eid, and we should celebrate and decorate accordingly and appropriately.
• “Giving-Gifts” means that our Gifts that keep Giving. We give any kind of gift (money, food, smile, etc.), and Allah gives back, inshaAllah (God willing): furdos (the highest Heaven). We give during in Ramadan purely and innocently; not to gain anything in return, expect Allah’s pleasure and acceptance. This is why we stress the importance of knowing when and how to give Zakat al-Fitr.
• “Celebrating Gifts” are Gifts given to help Celebrate with others. We give gifts purely to share the great accomplishment of completing our month of fast and/or Hajj. Therefore, again; we do not expect any gifts or rewards in return, except from Allah. We want to spread happiness, cheer and the love of Allah as He commissioned us with these 2 wonderful days of Eid. By giving Celebrating-Gifts, we also protect ourselves from commercialization and assimilation because
  • We are not intending to “exchange gifts on a specific day” like birthdays and holidays, which is prohibited.
  • We do not have hopes of receiving gifts equal or greater value to what we give and to who we give too. After all, if we’re sharing our celebration, gifts should be given freely, openly and to any of our brothers and sisters; not just immediate family and friends. If you can afford to give gifts to any and all kids and the needy in your masjid during Eid, and anonymously (since it’s charity), do it! Celebrate!
  • We do not have a goal of receiving any special gifts on the days of Eid. For example, making “Eid wish lists” like “Santa’s wish list”, which is definitely assimilating which is prohibited, and can be commercializing the days. Time to check our intentions, yet again.
  • Here are tips for Creative, Cost-Cutting Eid Gifts.(Includes baking, arts & crafts).

If I offend or lead anyone astray by this article, the fault is mine and mine alone and I seek forgiveness by Our Creator, for He is Perfect and does not lead astray. If you agree with the above, please enter to win your own free Eid decorations by Ranoon.

Since Eid is quickly approaching, we must make sure we have the correct intentions. So, please continue the dialogue. We’d love to hear your thoughts, concerns and support.

…wanted to make Ramadan and Eid more exciting for my kids, and aILhamdullah (Praise be to God), I think, inshaAllah (God willing) I will be able to bring joy to a lot of little kids now too!!

InshaAllah (God willing)!

Just in time for Ramadan and Eid al-Fitr, Sister Rania launched her new site on August 15, 2010. She offers Eid decorations, window and wall decorations, Eid lights, table top decorations and festive candles to add a sparkle to your home for Eid and Ramadan.

My girls and I are so excited to share that our Elegance Multi Color light string is on its way! And, one set can be sent to your home too!

Ranoon Eid Decorations Giveaway

Rules

1. Visit Ranoon.com and leave a comment below letting us know your favorite product and why. REQUIRED.

Additional Entries*:

1. Follow  us on Twitter (@ponnsabra).

2. Become an American Muslim Mom Fan on Facebook.

3. Become a Ranoon Fan on Facebook.

4. Join our RSS feed preferably through the email subscription having the same email address on the comment that you have in the RSS feed. To sign up with your RSS feed reader, click here; or for an email subscription scroll up to the top right hand corner of the website and “Enter your email address here” under the “Subscribe to American Muslim Mom” box. This way you’ll never miss another contest or giveaway again!

5. Sign-up for the American Muslim Mom eNewsletter in the right sidebar where we offer “Free  Ebooks & Goodies!”. Enter your first and last names and email address. We share special gifts, news and offers to this select email list.

6. You may write about our contest on your blog, inviting your readers to participate.

7. Tweet about this contest and comment below with the link.

8. Bookmark American Muslim Mom on your browser or your favorite bookmarking site, such as delicious. You can use one of the share buttons below.

9. Share this post with your favorite yahoo buzz, stumbleupon, etc. You can use one of the share buttons below.

Contest deadline

September 1, 2010 @ 12 midnight EST.

Determining a Winner

Each comment below designates an entry number. We will use a True Ramdon Number Generator to pick winner from the total number of entries below.

Ramadan Special

Free domestic Priority shipping for orders over $100.

Disclosure: I was provided a complimentary Elegance light string at no cost to Ranoon.com to offer my unbiased, honest opinion about the product. My views are my own and not influenced by the company or the product provided.

These days, your kids’ “friends” aren’t just the kids hanging out in your family room -- they’re also the hundreds of contacts on their online “friend” and “buddy” lists. Did you know that more than 50 million teens (ages 13-17) are online worldwide? Or that the average number of “friends” on a list is 130? The totals are much higher for many teens. [Much higher than this oldie ]

SafeSocial, a new AOL product that launches today, can help you protect your children, even if you aren’t a social media expert. SafeSocial helps you:

· Find out where your child has online accounts

· Know who your child is “friends” with online

· Get notified if your child is in a conversation about violence, suicide or drugs

· See photos your child has posted online, and others’ photos in which your child has been tagged

Another benefit? You can monitor all this activity without being a “helicopter parent.” Your child will have to agree to be monitored, but you won’t need to connect with them on the social media accounts, or hover over their shoulders in person. In our house, our girls know that we’re the parents providing fro them--so having them “agree” be to monitored is a given--NOT an option.

Get Your Free Trial of SafeSocial

Try it free here.

SafeSocial Tips

By Regina Lewis, AOL Consumer Advisor

These days, your teens’ “friends” aren’t just the kids hanging out in your kitchen and family room, they’re hundreds of contacts on their “friend” and “buddy” lists. More than 50 million teens (ages 13 to 17) are online worldwide and the average number of “friends” is 130. For many teens, these numbers are even higher. It’s not unusual to have more than 500 “friends” and more than 1,000 profile photos.

So, how can you realistically keep up with your child’s vast circle of “friends” and ongoing status and photo updates?

1. Become a “Friend”

For starters, you can become your child’s online. They’ll need to accept your friend request. This can be easier said than done. In some cases, you may get push back. It’s your call how strongly you press.

There are more private alternatives. A new product called SafeSocial lets you privately see everything you would as a “friend” and even more. Many kids prefer this route. Remember, you’re not “spying” on them; you’re simply doing your job as an informed and involved parent.

2. Curb the Comments

If your child is reluctant to accept you publicly as a “friend,” be sure not to push your luck by excessively commenting on their page once you are granted access. Grandparents can be over-commenting culprits, too. Often teens find this “embarrassing” and it may even lead to having them “un-friend” you. It happens all the time.

3. Get a Report Card

The new parenting tool SafeSocial offers a time-efficient and thorough way to keep tabs on your children’s social networking without being too intrusive. It delivers an easy-to-read report card providing a 360 degree view of their overall social networking— what they’re saying and doing and who their friends are.

This answers one of the biggest issues facing parents all over the country—feeling like you need to spend hours each week monitoring your child’s online activity and still not really being sure if you’re seeing everything (they can filter your view) or what you might be missing (what’s happening on their friends’ pages).

4. Watch the Friends

All friends are not created equal. Some your children may know well, some they may barely know at all. You can get a good feel for their entire list via SafeSocial’s Friend Engine, which takes an extensive look at your kids’ friends and checks them against more than 50 databases to see if they may not be who they say they are. You’ll be alerted when an adult becomes a friend of your child, when someone looks suspicious or has no or few other mutual friends with your child.

5. Loaded Language and Photos

Specific words that may come up in strings of conversation— sex, drugs, alcohol, suicide and so on and suggestive or violent language will be flagged, so you can hone in on the suspect dialog versus reading every post. This helps prevent missing something inadvertently.

You can even opt to be immediately notified via an email alert. This piece could prove priceless in protecting your children’s safety and managing their reputations.

While every conversation and image is archived, you can adjust the settings to simply view those that are called out. This lets you give kids more privacy as they mature. You will also see all photos, including those other people post of your child. Young people tend to push the envelope with photos and videos, so checking out this section of the report card is critical.

Overall, social networking is an integral part of many teenage lives and an opportunity for your kids to learn to express themselves in a creative and responsible fashion. It’s too big a trend to ignore. You can embrace it with these new tools on your side. For more information, visit www.safesocial.com,  www.safety.aol.com and www.reginalewis.com.

AOL Consumer Advisor Regina Lewis is a national TV and radio contributor and Internet trend expert. She knows the tips, tricks, secrets and shortcuts for making technology work for you.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7IQ3tfmwo8

This news update and opportunity was brought to my attention via the Global Influence Network.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=LDqsy44fhOU

While we focus so hard on the pillars of sawm (fasting) and salat (prayers) during Ramadan, I thought it was a nice time to remind us of what makes us Muslims first and foremost, which is our submission in Allah (God) and our belief in our beloved Prophet Muhammad sallalahi wa alayhi wa salam.

Please share your favorite nasheed videos that help you reflect during the month of Ramadan.

• Homemade Hajj Board Game Gains Etsy’s attention – Mubarak (Congratulations) sister Eva! MashaAllah (God has willed), Eva is so talented, this recognition wasn’t a surprise to me, alhumdulilah.  You can order the game directly here.
• Stuffed in back with the stuffed shirts of Disneyland hee hee Thanks to Old Muslim Woman Woman in the Shoe (great blog name, by the way), I found out that a how a sister was encouraged to go backstage on the 1st day of Ramadan for wearing a hijab. Check out the full AP story here or watch the Reuters/AP Video here.
• Muslim Mommies keeping Daily Ramadan Journals: One here and here.
• A typical Muslim Mommy’s day in Ramadan - MashaAllah, this sister is totally my hero if she’s in bed by 10pm!
• A Non-Muslim’s perspective on Fasting - 5 Benefits. Subhanallah (Praise to to God), while I know these benefits, many times brother and sisters within our own ummah (community) don’t know about these simple benefits. So, to have a non-Muslim acknowledge this pillar is something worth sharing.
• Daily Islamic ibadah (worship) checklist - While, my girls and I write up our lists by hand, finding this nice print-out is a great time-saver. You even have a choice to chart the actions of one child, or a family of 2 or more.
• Growing Up and Learning to Let Go- This is Never an easy task for any mommy. Sister Stephanie shares her experience with photos of her younger daughter’s first day of Kindergarten. Being a homeschooler, it seems like I go through this “letting go” just about every day when they have different activities, programs, events, etc. and I may just be in the outside waiting until they’re done. I’m such a sap, mashaAllah

I’d love to see what you thought were your favorite posts for this week. Please feel free to share the links below.

Common Misconception: Muslims are All Arabs

In this video, I want to draw your attention to one particular slide at 3 minutes and 16 seconds. It shows the breakdown of American Muslims by Heritage. It shows that roughly a quarter is either Arab American, South Asian, African American, and Other.

Biggest Opportunities for Big Business

Additionally, Mr. Saout shares the first three major sectors that has the biggest opportunity for big business are

• Financial sector,
• Food sector, and
• Packaged goods.
• My addition: Beauty Industry as noted earlier this week and caught by TodayShow.com too.
• New: 8/22/2010: Fashion Industry.

Require certain type of financial services.

Halal Does Not Mean Kosher

A Notable correction to the above video interview: Halal does not Mean Kosher. The halal diet is similar to the Kosher diet, with Major differences shared here and here.

Why it’s critical to take note of the Muslim Consumer

• Islam is the second fastest growing religion in America (and the world), and
• Islam is the second largest religion in America (and the world).

(My additions in parentheses).

We’re curious what you think of these news updates. Please share openly below.

Their natural, innocent laughter made this much cuter video review, don’t you think?

So, please enjoy how FLO works. It’s a water deflector, protective faucet cover, and bubble bath dispenser all-in-one.

The FLO Making a Bubble-Fall

www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1lIfMR5xXE

The only things we forgot to add were:

• How we love the color pink and
• Pouring bubble bath soap while they’re taking a bath is very easy and convenient too.

Enter to win a FLO

Very simple instructions:

• Comment below with all the creative reasons why you and your kids want need a FLO,
• Let us know which color you prefer: green, blue, or pink,
• Check out all of Boon’s incredible products, and let us know what you else you like and why, and
• Help spread the news by tweeting, sharing on facebook, or writing a blog post answering all these questions and linking back to this page.
• All entries must be posted before Wednesday, August 25, 2010 12 midnight EST.

The most creative and complete answer will win a FLO.

Stay connected with Boon, Inc.

Stay posted by reading their News blog (needs some active updates), become Boon’s Fan on Facebook, and/or Follow Boon on Twitter.

I was graciously introduced to Boon, Inc. by the fine networking mommies at RoleMommy.com.

Islamic Relief USA Seeking Fall Interns

So, if you’re a student in Virginia or New Jersey interested in international development work, public relations, IT, public affair, or law, please consider sending your resume to Internship@IslamicReliefUSA.org  for the following Fall positions:

• Legal Intern
• Public Affairs Intern
• Communications Intern
• Domestic Programs Intern
• Information Technology Intern
• International Programs Intern

And, while you’re here, please have your kids, nieces, nephews, cousins, etc. participate in the Ramadan Qur’an-A-Thon Sadaqah Drive, in which every dollar pledged for parts of the Qur’an memorize will go to Islamic Relief USA, inshaAllah.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=KgGtt-BmVx4

As always, please share your favorite Muslim Kids Videos with us below!

What is a Ramadan Qur’an-A-Thon Sadaqah Drive?

In this post you will find all necessary information to participate:

• The Program’s Purpose/Objective, Deadline Dates, and Contact Information,
• Instructions how to participate, and
• The Qur’an-A-Thon Certification Pledge Form.

This program is designed to be completed completely online this year. At http://americanmuslimmom.com each participant may register, download pledge   forms, seek pledges from local family and friend, have their Qur’an recitation certified by a local official of his/her choice, and then make secured online pledges directly to Islamic Relief USA.

American Muslim Mom launched July 15, 2009 as the first and only online (or offline) blog magazine dedicated to Muslim Moms and Their Children in America. With our growing international community of Muslim parents determined to raise Mu’miniyn in the West (and East) despite any obstacles we may face. As such, American Muslim Mom designed this program with the Purpose and Objectives listed below.

American Muslim Mom chose to partner with Islamic Relief USA because it is one of the most reputable, international relief and development Islamic non-profit organizations. In support of encouraging children to study the Qur’an and make charitable giving a part of their daily habits, Islamic Relief USA willfully accepted the opportunity to partner and promote this program for the 2nd year in a row. Together, we will acknowledge every child that participates with gifts and awards, inshaAllah.

Together, Islamic Relief USA and American Muslim Mom are determined to reach as many children as possible in this year by allowing all children to participate even though payments are only accepted in US dollars for Islamic Relief. Intenational children will be given the opportunity to make sadaqah at their local Islamic charitable organization of their choice. Of course, if they have USD, we pray that they’d contribute to IF-USA

We graciously ask that you help us recruit participants individually or collectively as part of an Islamic day school, weekend school, homeschool coop, Qur’an/Hifz school, Islamic youth groups, and/or individuals such as public school students who seek private Qur’an tutoring.

Program Materials:

Program information is all available on this post, and the only form to downloaded this year is  Qur’an-A-Thon Certification Pledge Form.

Purpose/Objective:

Narrated Aisha: The Prophet said, “Such a person as recites the Qur’an and masters it by heart, will be with the noble righteous scribes (in Heaven). And such a person exerts himself to learn the Qur’an by heart, and recites it with great difficulty, will have a double reward.”  (Book #60, Hadith #459, Sahih Bukhari)

Narrated Ibn ‘Abbas: Allah’s Apostle was the most generous of all the people, and he used to be more generous in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel used to meet him. Gabriel used to meet him every night in Ramadan to study the Holy Qur’an carefully together. Allah’s Apostle used to become more generous than the fast wind when he met Gabriel (Book #54, Hadith #443, Sahih Bukhari)

To help young Muslims appreciate and live more closely to the Sunnah of our beloved Prophet Muhammad (peace & blessings be upon him) by

(1) Learning more ayats of the Qur’an by heart,

(2) Understanding and appreciating the act of earning money,

(3) Allowing children to gain a sense of pride by making charitable gifts to the needy, and

(4) Completing these generous acts in the name of Allah (May He be Glorified) during our blessed month of Ramadan when our rewards are multiplied by the number only Allah knows and wills.

Who may participate?

• Any Muslim child able to recite and memorize Qur’an based on the rules of tajweed up to 18 years of age.

NEW: Worldwide Participation.

• Muslim children in the US will make sadaqah to Islamic Relief USA and pick his/her preferred charitable campaign (”Designation) here.
• Muslim children living outside of the US may make sadaqah to any Islamic institution or charitable organization of their choice.

How are the funds raised in this event?

• Each participating young Muslim will seek sponsorship from friends, family members, and others (Muslims & non-Muslims).
• Each sponsor will determine upon signing a pledge form to pay a predetermined amount of money (example 25 cents or $1) for each ayah (or surah) of the Qur’an that the participant reads with correct tajweed to an Islamic scholar or learned adult during the event*, OR
• The sponsor may also elect to pay a fixed amount of money as sponsorship for the participant regardless of the number of ayahs or surah he/she reads, recites or memorizes (for example: a sponsor may pledge to contribute one set price of $50).
• *It is recommended that each participating young Muslim describes the number of ayats (or surah) which is a realistic amount for that one participant to memorize with correct tajweed with in 30 days. Therefore, no one misleads the one is making a pledge. For example, its

How to Participate Ramadan 1431/2010?

• First 10 days of Ramadan [August 11 - 20, 2010] – Memorize as many ayats/surahs with correct tajweed as possible.
• REQUIREMENT: Comment below with your child/ren’s first name and last initial, age and his/her goal for memorizing the Qur’an.
• Second 10 days of Ramadan [August 21 - 30, 2010] – Continue to memorize as many ayats/surah with correct tajweed as possible, and be tested by an Islamic scholar or learned adult, called the Examiner. The Examiner must use certify on the bottom of the pledge form and acknowledge with his/her signature how many ayats/surah the participant recited correctly.
• OPTIONAL: Comment below with your child/ren’s progress so we can help motivate one another.
• Last 10 days of Ramadan 21-26 [August 31 – September 8/9. 2010 ] – Collect the pledge money and make your Sadaqah. US residents donate directly to IF-USA here. Please let your child/ren pick his/her own Designation for his/her sadaqah.
• REQUIRED: Upon completion,
  • Fax or email your Pledge form to contact@americanmuslimmom.com or Fax 858-552-5656, We will post the amount of sadaqah raised based on these completed pledge forms.
  • Comment below stating that you completed the program.

*It is critical to collect and return pledges on or before the 30th day of Ramadan, so our children receive the greatest amount of rewards for their hard work and efforts.

Jazaka Allahu Khayrun to my eldest daughter for making this year’s blog button. Please feel free to check out her many tutorials “How to Blog”, and grab your own button to show your proud participation!

Since Barley is rich in fiber, it’s a great staple to add to your kitchen for your family’s Regularity, Lower Cholesterol, & Intestinal Protection...among other health benefits. There are numerous varieties of barley, and the one readily available in 2 local grocery stores was Pearl Barley. But, just like all grains, the more they are in the kernel the healthier it is; so we’re still on the hunt.

While there are dozens of barley recipes offered on this great website (that I’ll try soon, inshaAllah, God willing), I just added a cup of barley into a Moroccan stew-spiced-up-and-turned-into- a-soup-recipe below.

This easy, healthy, pot of soup helped sooth a couple of our sore throats this week, so we were very satisfied.

Peppered Chicken Barley Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken quarters (thighs & legs), skinned
• 9 cups of water
• 1.5 large onions
• 7 cloves garlic
• 2 chicken bouillons (preferably Maggi)
• 2 teaspoons ginger (substitute fresh ginger if you have)
• 1 teaspoon paprika (preferably Turkish spicy paprika)
• 2 Cherry peppers
• 2 carrots
• 1 medium sized potato diced
• 1 cup of pearl barley

Instructions:

• Cut the chicken quarters to 2 legs & 2 thighs.
• Add water, chicken, onions, garlic, chicken bouillon, ginger and paprika. Boil for approximately 45 minutes until chicken is nice and tender (but not shredded). We boil with a pressure cooker for a steam time of about 20 minutes.
• Take out the chicken bones and and cut the chicken to bite-sizes.
• Slice the cherry peppers into slivers, with the seeds.
• Slice the carrots into bite-sizes.
• Add the cherry peppers, carrots, potatoes, and barley. Boil for approximately 45 minutes. Pressure cooker steam time was about 20 minutes again.

Serve hot with pitas, French or Italian bread and salad.

I made this as a light late lunch meal, much to our amazement we were stuffed that everyone thought it was dinner. Hubby and the girls convinced me that because they were filled, alhumduililah, Praise be to God, that I didn’t have to make dinner, and they would have a cup of soup and some more salad if and when they were hungry…just as long as they could have a big ice cream waffle cone for dessert.

Undoubtedly, I agreed! Yum, yum.

Have a great barley recipe to share? Please comment below. Or, if you know where we can buy other varieties of barley please let us know.

Form Submission

1. Postal mail them to our address listed here,
2. Scan and email to contact<at>americanmuslimmom.com,
3. Send us a Word or google doc to contact<at>americanmuslimmom.com, or
4. Fax forms to

Summer Islamic Reading Challenge Forms

• Rules & Registration
• Design a Button Contest Coloring Sheet
• Official Reading Journal & Review Form

Instructions:

• * Register your child/ren from Birth – Senior Year of college/university, during the Reading Challenge period of July 15, 2010 – August 15, 2010 (details below)
• Print out the Official Islamic Book Review Form and Reading Journal * Children read books at their reading level, or read-aloud to by an adult
• Complete one full Islamic Book Review, and list additional Islamic books read on the journal with all sections completed. A parent/guardian must sign the journal when it is completed.
• Mail the completed review form and reading journal to the address provided on the Review Journal (one per child). Multiple children from the same household may send their journals in one envelope for your convenience.
• Each participant will be sent a certificate and a prize in the mail as promptly as possible.
• Special prizes will be awarded to different age or selected groups by criteria stated for that prize.
• Deadline: Postmarked by August  15 16, 2010.

Children’s Design a Button Contest

Design a Button Coloring Contest Rules:

1. Open the coloring page here.
2. Design a Button. Create & Enjoy!
3. Scan and email on or before 12 midnight EST August 15, 16, 2010 to contact<at>americanmulismmom.com or postal mail it with your Official Book Journal.
4. Email must state: (a) Child’s full name. Only the first name and last initial will be publicized. (b) Age and DOB (date of birth).
5. Winning Design may be used for next year’s Summer Islamic Reading Challenge, inshaAllah.

For details, how-to’s and most importantly, dozens of testimonials, check out this website. They list the various oils you may use and the number of people who actually use each one. Or, if you need lists organized nicely for you, you may want to check out this blog dedicated to Oil Pulling.

We’re using olive oil since its readily available in our kitchen; mostly due in part because the miracles of olives and its oil is mentioned in our Glorious Qur’an.

Surah an-Noor 24:35

Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is as (if there were) a niche and within it a lamp: the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a brilliant star, lit from a blessed tree, an olive, neither of the east (i.e. neither it gets sun-rays only in the morning) nor of the west (i.e. nor it gets sun-rays only in the afternoon, but it is exposed to the sun all day long), whose oil would almost glow forth (of itself), though no fire touched it. Light upon Light! Allah guides to His Light whom He wills. And Allah sets forth parables for mankind, and Allah is All-Knower of everything.

So, let us know what you think of Oil Pulling? Please share your experiences and thoughts below.

May Allah accept all of our fasts, good deeds, sincere intentions, ibadah (acts of worship) and du’a (supplications). Ameen.

When trying to find where I can hear Shaikh Mishary Rashid Al-Afasy leading Taraweeh prayer this year, I found this beautiful nasheed (Islamic song) “Welcome Ramadan”. Since he is the Shaikh we listen to most in our house, it was such a welcomed surprise, Subhanallah (Praise be to God), to hear him speak in English and French equally as beautifully, mashaAllah, as his Qur’an recitation.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tA6AKRgEd0

InshaAllah, you and your little ones will participate in our 99 Names of Allah Challenge, and/or our 2nd Annual Ramadan Qur’an-a-thon Sadaqah (Charity) Drive to help bring us all closer to our Beloved Creator.

And, Please take every opportunity to assure your kid/s get the most out of our blessed month, whil also finding time to enjoy some great Ramadan Activities as well.

Wa salam,

Your sister in Islam Ponn

Ramadan Du’a (Supplication)

www.youtube.com/watch?v=105EyeLHMkE

He is Allah beside Whom La ilaha illa Huwa (none has the right to be worshiped but He), the King, the Holy, the One Free from all defects, the Giver of security, the Watcher over His creatures, the All-Mighty, the Compeller, the Supreme. Glory be to Allah! (High is He) above all that they associate as partners with Him.

We’re practicing our Arabic spelling with the harakat (accent marks), and practicing our pronunciation by reading alongside Shaikh Mishary on QuranExplorer.com (one of our favorite places to learn Qur’an). We’re using SearchTruth.com for the online Qur’an and writing by hand in our Qur’an notebooks.

Let us know how you’re studies are going by commenting below, or commenting on our progress chart here.

Muslim Mom Google Group

Muslim mom network

Muslim Women and Islamic Parenting Yahoo Groups

IslamicParenting

SistersNet

Muslim Homeschooling Yahoo Groups

Homeschool-Muslim-CT

muslim-kids-and-education

islamichomeschooling

KidsIslamicStories

As always, we’re open to your suggestions and recommendations. Please share any newsgroups you find helpful and that we should  become a member of today.

Of course, they never stressed the words “used to”, since their pride flows with all the other words. But, I finally told them they shouldn’t be proud because the key words “used to” shows a great fault of mine, and as a Muslim that’s something I should not have let go.

So, rather than beat myself any longer, I challenge my girls. Now, we’re determined to learn the names once and forever, inshaAllah, as a family. So, we can all proudly say “We know All 99 Names of Allah”. And, I don’t mean just memorizing the names, because

Sahih Bukhari 8:419, Narrated Abu Huraira

Allah has ninety-nine Names, i.e., one hundred minus one, and whoever believes in their meanings and acts accordingly, will enter Paradise; and Allah is Witr (one) and loves ‘the Witr’ (i.e., odd numbers).

Most Muslims mistakenly say this hadith states that “one who knows the names will enter Paradise”, and this is not the case. So, simply memorizing a nasheed definitely will not cut it. But, teaching babies the nasheed definitely has its advantages.

So, my girls and I set a goal to memorize all 99 Names of Allah throughout Ramadan, and would love for you to join us in the process.

With a few days before Ramadan, if we just memorize 3 names a day (*33 days), we should finish just in time for Eid, inshaAllah.

How to Memorize the 99 Names of Allah

Here are some ways we plan are doing to learn all the names:

• Listen and learn the nasheed. We downloaded this MP3 to our cells and iPod.
• Use MuslimStickers.com’s 99 Names of Allah Sticker chart to document our progress.
• To write, paint or play with playdoh to remember each name in Arabic,
• Read each ayat (in Arabic with English translation and tafsir) for each name as listed here: Qur’anic references to each of 99 Names of Allah, and
• Discuss stories taught in the Qur’an to remember the names, and finds ways to apply each lesson throughout our lives.
• New: Here’s a nice chart with the names written in Arabic and English, Translations & Qur’anic references.
• New: Awesome slideshow with our preferred nasheed, shows the Arabic and English, and ends subhanallah (Praise be to God), with the 2 ayats for the first 14 names on Allah (subhana wa Ta’ala).
• New: Another clear and clean chart with Qur’anic references,
• New: The girls found this chart with Arabic & English and find it very helpful.
  

Do you have any additional methods or suggestions?

Want to join our 99 Names of Allah Challenge?

Please comment below if you want to join our challenge. Then, comment often with your progress, so we can motivate each other. We’ll keep updating this blogpost of our progress too, inshaAllah.

Our 99 Names of Allah Challenge Updates

*The Arabic letters are not displaying nicely, therefore we have the transliteration, but we are memorizing the correct Arabic spelling and pronunciation.

Arabic		Translation (can vary based on context)	Qur’anic usage
1		Ar-Rahm?n	The Compassionate, The Beneficent, The Gracious	Beginning of every chapter except one, and in numerous other places. Name frequently used in Surah 55, Ar-Rahman.
2		Ar-Rahim	The Merciful	Beginning of every chapter except one, and in numerous other places
3		Al-Malik	The King, The Master, The Sovereign Lord	59:23, 20:114 TIPS for #3-#10 Here.
4		Al-Quddus	The Holy, The Pure, The Perfect	59:23, 62:1
5		As-Salam	The Peace and Blessing, The Source of Peace and Safety,	59:23
6		Al-Mu’min	The Guarantor, The Affirming,Inspirer of Faith	59:23
7		Al-Muhaymin	The Guardian, The Protector, Watcher of Things	59:23
8		Al-Aziz	The Almighty, The Sufficient, The Honorable	3:6, 4:158, 9:40, 48:7, 59:23
9		Al-Jabbar	The Irresistible, The Compeller, The Lofty,Repairer, Restorer	59:23
10		Al-Mutakabbir	The Highest, The Greatest, Supreme	59:23
11		Al-Khaliq	The Creator	6:102, 13:16, 39:62, 40:62, 59:24
12		Al-Bari’	The Rightful, Inventor of Things	59:24
13		Al-Musawwir	The Evolver, The Fashioner/Maker of Forms	59:24
14		Al-Ghaffar	The Forgiving	20:82, 38:66, 39:5, 40:42, 71:10 Tip: Ghaffanik = Forgive Me
15		Al-Qahhar	The Subduer, Conquerer, Prevailer, Victorious	13:16, 14:48, 38:65, 39:4, 40:16
16		Al-Wahhab	The Bestower, Giver of Gifts	3:8, 38:9, 38:35
17		Ar-Razzaq	The Provider, Supplier	51:58
18		Al-Fattah	The Opener, The Victory Giver	34:26 Tip: Al-Fatihah
19		Al-’Alm	The All Knowing, The Omniscient	2:158, 3:92, 4:35, 24:41, 33:40
20		Al-Qabid	The Restrainer, The Straightener, Withholder, Constrictor	2:245
21		Al-Basit	The Extender, Expander who grants abundance	2:245
22		Al-Kh?fid	The Abaser	95:5
23		Ar-R?fi’	The Exalter	58:11, 6:83
24		Al-Mu’izz	The Giver of Honour	3:26
25		Al-Mu’dhell	The Giver of Dishonour	3:26
26		As-Sam?	The All Hearing	2:127, 2:256, 8:17, 49:1
27		Al-Bas?r	The All Seeing	4:58, 17:1, 42:11, 42:27
28		Al-Hakam	The Judge, The Arbitrator	22:69
29		Al-`Adl	The Utterly Just	6:115
30		Al-Lat?f	The Gentle, The Subtly Kind	6:103, 22:63, 31:16, 33:34
31		Al-Khab?r	The All Aware	6:18, 17:30, 49:13, 59:18
32		Al-Hal?m	The Forbearing, The Indulgent	2:235, 17:44, 22:59, 35:41
33		Al-’Az?m	The Magnificent	2:255, 42:4, 56:96
34		Al-Ghaf?r	The All Forgiving	2:173, 8:69, 16:110, 41:32
35		Ash-Shak?r	The Grateful	35:30, 35:34, 42:23, 64:17
36		Al-’Aliyy	The Sublime	4:34, 31:30, 42:4, 42:51
37		Al-Kab?r	The Great	13:9, 22:62, 31:30
38		Al-Haf?z	The Preserver	11:57, 34:21, 42:6
39		Al-Muq?t	The Nourisher	4:85
40		Al-Has?b	The Bringer of Judgment	4:6, 4:86, 33:39
41		Al-Jal?l	The Majestic	55:27, 39:14, 7:143
42		Al-Kar?m	The Bountiful, The Generous	27:40, 82:6
43		Ar-Raq?b	The Watchful	4:1, 5:117
44		Al-Muj?b	The Responsive, The Answer	11:61
45		Al-W?si’	The Vast, The All-Embracing, The Omnipresent, The Boundless	2:268, 3:73, 5:54
46		Al-Hak?m	The Wise	31:27, 46:2, 57:1, 66:2
47		Al-Wad?d	The Loving	11:90, 85:14
48		Al-Maj?d	The Glorious	11:73
49		Al-B?’ith	The Resurrecter	22:7
50		Ash-Shah?d	The Witness	4:166, 22:17, 41:53, 48:28
51		Al-Haqq	The Truth, The Real	6:62, 22:6, 23:116, 24:25
52		Al-Wak?l	The Trustee, The Dependable	3:173, 4:171, 28:28, 73:9
53		Al-Qawwiyy	The Strong	22:40, 22:74, 42:19, 57:25
54		Al-Mat?n	The Firm, The Steadfast	51:58
55		Al-Waliyy	The Friend, Patron and Helper	4:45, 7:196, 42:28, 45:19
56		Al-Ham?d	The All Praiseworthy	14:8, 31:12, 31:26, 41:42
57		Al-Muhsi	The Accounter, The Numberer of All	72:28, 78:29, 82:10-12
58		Al-Mubdi’	The Originator, The Producer, The Initiator	10:34, 27:64, 29:19, 85:13
59		Al-Mu’?d	The Restorer, The Reinstater Who Brings Back All	10:34, 27:64, 29:19, 85:13
60		Al-Muhyi	The Giver of Life	7:158, 15:23, 30:50, 57:2
61		Al-Mum?t	The Destroyer, The Bringer of Death	3:156, 7:158, 15:23, 57:2
62		Al-Hayy	The Living	2:255, 3:2, 25:58, 40:65
63		Al-Qayy?m	The Subsisting	2:255, 3:2, 20:111
64		Al-W?jid	The Perceiver, The Finder, The Unfailing	38:44
65		Al-M?jid	The Illustrious, The Magnificent	85:15, 11:73,
66		Al-W?hid	The Unity, The Indivisible	2:163, 5:73, 9:31, 18:110
67		Al-’Ahad	The One, The Unique	112:1
68		As-Samad	The Eternal, The Absolute, The Self-Sufficient	112:2
69		Al-Q?dir	The Omnipotent, The All Able	6:65, 36:81, 46:33, 75:40
70		Al-Muqtadir	The Determiner, The Dominant	18:45, 54:42, 54:55
71		Al-Muqaddim	The Expediter, He Who Brings Forward	16:61, 17:34,
72		Al-Mu’akhkhir	The Delayer, He Who Puts Far Away	71:4
73		Al-’Awwal	The First (Alpha)	57:3
74		Al-’Akhir	The Last (Omega)	57:3
75		Az-Z?hir	The Manifest, The Evident, The Outer	57:3
76		Al-B?tin	The Hidden, The Unmanifest, The Inner	57:3
77		Al-W?li	The Patron	13:11, 22:7
78		Al-Mut?’ali	The Exalted	13:9
79		Al-Barr	The Good	52:28
80		At-Taww?b	The Ever Returning, Ever Relenting	2:128, 4:64, 49:12, 110:3
81		Al-Muntaqim	The Avenger	32:22, 43:41, 44:16
82		Al-Afuww	The Pardoner, The Effacer	4:99, 4:149, 22:60
83		Ar-Ra’?f	The Kind, The Pitying	3:30, 9:117, 57:9, 59:10
84		M?lik-ul-Mulk	The Owner of all Sovereignty	3:26
85		Dh?-l-Jal?li wa-l-’ikr?m	The Lord of Majesty and Generosity	55:27, 55:78
86		Al-Muqsi?	The Equitable, The Requiter	7:29, 3:18
87		Al-J?mi	The Gatherer, The Unifier	3:9
88		Al-Ghaniyy	The Rich, The Independent	3:97, 39:7, 47:38, 57:24
89		Al-Mughni	The Enricher, The Emancipator	9:28
90		Al-M?ni’	The Withholder, The Shielder, the Defender	67:21
91		Ad-D?rr	The Distressor, The Harmer, The Afflictor	6:17
92		An-N?fi	The Propitious, The Benefactor, The Source of Good	30:37
93		An-N?r	The Light	24:35
94		Al-H?di	The Guide, The Way	22:54
95		Al-Bad?	The Incomparable, The Unattainable	2:117, 6:101
96		Al-B?qi	The Immutable, The Infinite, The Everlasting	55:27
97		Al-W?rith	The Heir, The Inheritor of All	15:23
98		Ar-Rash?d	The Teacher	2:256
99		As-Sabur	The Timeless, The Patient	2:153, 3:200, 103:3

Don’t forget to make du’a before you start studying!

Now, tacos has always been a family-fun dinner night because its fast, healthy and everyone, hubby included, helps to prepare the nearly dozen bowls of add-ons, such as tomatoes, avocado dip, sour cream, lettuce, etc.

Now, the girls help roll and fry our own tortillas too.

Tortilla Bread Machine Recipe

We started out with this recipe, and made the following adjustments:

• We do not grease the pan
• We do not wait for dark brown-black burnt marks.
• We flip only once.
• We set our gas stove at medium high, 5 out of 6 on our dial.
• We made this recipe the third time with corn flour and it was delicious. It was just much harder to roll them into nice circles with rounded edges.

Homemade Taco Seasonings Recipe

Considering we have almost hundred different spices in our cabinets, literally, we actually had everything on this list except onion powder.

• This recipe lasted 3 (1.5 pound meat) dinners.
• Storing it in a sandwich bag worked perfectly fine as well.

We added half a jar of medium or hot salsa to our meat, and yum-yum our tacos were done!

Taco toppings

So, what do you put on your tacos?

We always have the following dishes for everyone to fill their own tacos themselves:

• lettuce
• tomatoes
• medium  or hot salsa
• sour cream (we put this on last as the “glue” to hold the rolled soft taco together)
• avocado dip (one avocado with the juice of half a lemon or one full lime, both are delicious!)
• shredded cheese (we prefer white or orange cheddar rather than ‘taco’ or  ‘Mexican’ shredded cheese mixes)
• fresh or pickled jalepeno peppers
• Tobacco sauce

On ambitious days, we make chicken and beans dishes too.

So, what do you add in your tacos? We always have room for another topping or side dish, so please share below.

College students can shop at their new Amazon Student page, where they can sign up to get FREE Two-Day Shipping for one year with a free Amazon Prime membership ($79 value). This page also features one-stop shopping for the dorm or apartment dweller with laptops, textbooks, clothing, bedding, electronics, and more.

And on the Back-to-School Savings page, parents can find backpacks, uniforms and other clothing, healthy snacks, and every classroom supply that ever made it onto a teacher’s list.

We’d love to hear where you find other Back to School Savings on the web! Please share your finds by commenting below.

Active CT Homeschool Groups and Organizations

Great Ways to Home Educate – A monthly newsletter for over 150 families statewide. Typically 10+ pages each month for $10/year membership that includes, Annual Spelling Bee, Geography Bee, Science Fair, Math clubs, Coops statewide and regional, homeschooler-specific team sports and much more. For more information, email me and I’ll forward your email to the membership coordinator.

CT Homeschool Network – Great organization often has annual conferences. We participated in one and it was a great family event, with special focus on getting the grandparents involved.

CT Homeschoolers Inclusive – Most active, largest online/offline group of Homeschoolers in CT with nearly 1000 members statewide.

GNHH – Greater New Haven Hamden, weekly park or socials year-round. Families travel up to 45 mins. away just to hook up once a week for fun.

F-C-H Fairfield County Homeschoolers great for resources in and around NYC too. Love the discussions.

Western CT homeschool co-op Waterbury weekly homeschool coop. By invitation only. Just email the moderator, Sandy Ho, and tell her I said “hi”!

The Valley Central Homeschool Group – Valley Central CT Homeschoolers (Middletown, Meriden, and surrounding towns).

Homeschool Muslim CT – Muslim Homeschoolers in CT (mostly non-homeschoolers), many who do not CT residents. I help moderate, as time allows. We give as much resourceful Islamic homeschooling tips, since most families teach Islamic studies and Qur’an at home alongside their public or private school secular education.

CT Homeschoolers Community Cupboard – A place to find homeschool books and supplies to buy and sell.

Non-active CT homeschool groups

I stay listed just in case they get active again sometime in the future.

Between Counties

Our Homeschooled Children

Now, I never claim to know it all; so if I’ve missed any awesome homeschool groups throughout CT, please share the links or resources in the comments section below.