Bliss In Practice

October 1 2016 will mark 9 months since I took my shahada. The time it takes to give birth. So I thought it might be appropriate to write about my gestational period so to speak. The early days were full of excitement, wonder and innocently questioning my sense of qibla direction. Getting the basics down like how to perform wudu, the reason behind wudu and what exactly counted as 1 rakat were a joyful learning curve. Baby steps...baby steps. During those first young months, I struggled for a reference point. My means of understanding Islam were rooted in Catholicism. I compared and contrasted ideas and methods in the two religions, trying to reach conclusions. My interior dialogue had 2 mother tongues and I felt that I was straddling two worlds. I still am very much straddling those two worlds and I'm guessing this would be much more difficult for a new Muslim who wasn't a born Canadian. That blurry sense of identity is bred in my bones and so it's a place I can dw...

How beautiful an artifact you are The atom involved in your beating heart Flung from the vast wilderness of the stars A million years before Melted and boiled with a look Separated like sugar I see all levels in you When I whirl around making microcosms sha’af , law’ah , li’aj taym

Power and Miracles of Islam - Submission to Allah proven by Animals - Video Dailymotion : http://www.femo.tv/ Miracles & Power of Islam - Submission to Allah proven by Animals

We know the story of Ibrahim and the sacrifice he was asked to make. But do we truly understand the meaning and lesson behind the idea of sacrifice? How can we give this idea context in the modern world? What is Allah's allegory? We can start with the dictionary definition of sacrifice. Miriam Webster and Oxford dictionaries define sacrifice as an act of offering to a deity something precious; especially the killing of a victim on an altar.    Pagan vs Islamic Sacrifice and Justice   Pagan sacrifice often involved humans. Some historical accounts indicate that children were sacrificed because they were considered pure. Often if an animal was sacrificed, it was left on the altar. It was considered food for the gods and should not be consumed by humans. Ancients performed ritual sacrifice to gain favours like success in battle, a good crop yield and as retainers for the afterlife of the rich. The Qur'an strongly condemns human sacrifice, as a "grave error and...