About Me & This Space

With the Name of God

Born 26 years ago, I never expected my life to be what it is today. I did not ask to be born into my family, into my nationality, with my life struggles or my blessings. These are the cards that were handed to me. I have been unhappy with my cards often, from a young age, and also very happy at times. I am also certain that more days will come when I will feel dissatisfied with certain aspects of my life. I’ve embraced it as a reality of being human and I am done feeling ashamed of my lows. Often times we hide who we are and what we really feel because we are so focused on the what others may think but that only hinders us from truly blossoming. I’m learning that truly appreciating myself begins with me accepting myself and the good and bad that comes with this package that makes me who I am.

In these 26 years of life I have learned many valuable lessons that I feel so blessed and honored to have learned. I’ve also accepted the horrible condition of humanity that (often) does bring pain and suffering to many in this world. This I learned at a very young age. I have embraced the craziness of the narcissistic mindset that only thinks about “I,I,I” and treats others like they are worthless on this earth. I have made a conscious decision that this is not a mindset I want. I’ve also accepted my responsibility in the chaos when I decide to remain silent during injustices that I do have the possibility to change for the better. I have seen so much kindness in 26 years and I have smiled and laughed often at the positive side of humanity, which I believe exists more than the negative. : ) As the saying goes, we can choose to see the cup half empty or half full. I like to think I’m beginning to embrace it more as half full these days.

Life is a journey that we are all undertaking. We share similar beginnings and similar endings with the rest of humanity. We come from our mothers’ wombs and our life on this earth has an expiration date. Even though our journeys are not the same as every experience we live is specific to us, we are very much alike. We can choose to embrace ourselves or be unhappy. But living in that misery and bitter resentment places a barrier between us and positive lessons we can learn to improve ourselves and places a barrier between us and other beautiful people on this earth that share similar experiences.

TheMuslimah.com has undergone many changes and many pauses. I feel very grateful for them. They are a sign that my life has not been stagnant and continues to flow like a fast flowing river. At times the river moves slow and at times the river flows faster and faster, and sometimes very harsh. To the outsider, the harsh flowing water hitting against the rocks is a beautiful sight the eyes long to see and the ears long to hear. The fast, harsh movements as well as the slow and gentle flow of the water is what makes us who we are. Life is  ying and yang. Sometimes we like the flow and at times we struggle to keep up but we eventually find a balance again that allows us the opportunity of regaining our composure, preparing for the next moment of fast and harsh flow.

In the Qur’an, God states that He has created everything in pairs.

“And that has created pairs in all things” [Qur’an 43:12]  

We need the good and the “bad” to appreciate everything we have on a different level. Illness allows us to appreciate our health. Poverty reminds us of the blessing of having. Death reminds us to love and value our loved ones and our lives. It can be the smallest of negatives but through it we have the opportunity to cherish the treasures in our lives in a holistic sort of way. Someone loses a job today and someone gains a job tomorrow. It’s the natural flow of life.

What is the purpose of TheMuslimah.com? Admittedly, it began as an idea to preach to others years ago about how to be a good Muslim woman. The idea makes me sick to my stomach now after all the changes I have experienced since then. What it actually became was a private blog  where I wrote about daily musings. It was popular at the time and even earned an award online for best female blog from Brass Crescent Awards in 2008. I then took a long hiatus. I was ready to revamp it several times with the purpose of inspiring other women to be better Muslim women with a different view of humanity but still not open minded enough (in my view).

I now want to write as my heart fancies about issues that I think are important to me and those that I can personally relate to. I want it to become a space where others feel safe to share their experiences & their thoughts. This is not a place for judgement that leads nowhere. We all judge (have opinions) and it is how we survive. However, when we point the finger at others and fail to point it at ourselves and fail to live what we preach first, this is when more dividers are placed between ourselves and the rest of humanity and when we begin to stop benefiting from one another. Truth is, we have much to learn from others. We need to learn from one another. Humility is an absolute necessity for us to live in harmony.

You don’t have to be Muslim to read the thoughts here or to contribute. I want it to be a space for everyone. I value every comment left and thank every one of you ahead of time for reading the thoughts that are contained within this space.

Life is to be embraced. I am choosing to embrace it as hard as it is sometimes, as much as I want to hide from the world at times. Life sucks sometimes but I’m excited for the rest of the ride. Please accept the invitation to be a part of my journey. I look forward to sharing your journeys also!

Welcome!