new house.. what to do?

as a muslim, there is a guideline that we have to follow when entering a new house.
i did some readings & summarized what i read.
and i'd like to share it with you girls, with hope that this can be used as a guide & reference.

- be grateful for the blessing, for gratitude is one of the noblest of attitudes.
if a person is grateful to his Creator, He will preserve His blessing to him & complete it & increase it.

- say "bismillah.." & "assalamualaikum" when entering the house.
not only for a new house, this must be done everytime we enter the house.
and remember to always start your day with remembrance of Allah, may He be glorified.

- when entering the house, we must have intention to seek refuge from Allah & to worship to Allah.
among the ways in which you may seek protection for your new house from the evil eye and destructive envy is to say: "u’eedhuka bi kalimaat-Allaah il-taammah min kulli shaytaanin wa haammah wa min kulli ‘aynin laammah (i seek refuge for you in the perfect words of Allah from every devil and poisonous reptile, and from every envious evil eye)".

- the Sunnah encourages reading al-Baqarah when entering a new house.
it was narrated (by Muslim) from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "do not make your houses into graves, for the shaytaan flees from a house in which surat al-Baqarah is recited".

- Azan on every corner or room in the house.
this is done also to protect the house from the evil eye and destructive envy.

- always read Quran verses, Yassin & ayatul Kursi.
insyaAllah, our family, our home & houses surrounding our home are protected from syaitan.

- perform solat sunat hajat seeking refuge from Allah.
always believe that He listens & we as his servants must maintain spiritual contact with Him.
and pray, as Allah's always listening to our prayer.

- holding a kenduri kesyukuran, for holding a feast after acquiring property is favored.

- last but not least, we have to always put trust on Allah (tawakkal).
among the ways is to say: "bismillahi walajnaa wa bismillahi kharajnaa wa-alallaahi rabbina tawak-kalnaa (in the name of Allah, we entered the house, the name of Allah we leave the house, and to Him we have submitted/surrendered)"

and Allah knows best.

the muslim woman & her own self

aww i love this 2nd chapter of "the ideal muslimah".
the chapter explains about how to become an ideal muslimah by striking a balance between external appearance & internal nature.
and it's all about achieving balance between our BODY, MIND & SOUL.
the 2nd chapter is fun to read & lighter than the previous.

so what i've got from the reading, in order to balance out body, mind & soul, true muslimah practices the followings:
for her BODY
-true muslimah eats & drinks moderately
-true muslimah exercises regularly
-true muslimah takes care of her health
-true muslimah concerns about the cleanliness of her body & clothes
-true muslimah takes care of her mouth & teeth
-true muslimah takes care of her hair
-true muslimah concerns about her good appearance without going to extremes or making a wanton display of herself
-true muslimah presents a pleasing appearance to her husband, children, mahram relatives & other muslim women
-true muslimah does not go to extremes of beautification or make a wanton display of herself
for her MIND
-true muslimah takes care of her mind by persuing knowledge
-true muslimah is not superstitious
-true muslimah never stops reading & studying
for her SOUL
-true muslimah performs acts of worship regularly & purifies her soul
-true muslimah keeps company with righteous people & joins religious gatherings
-true muslimah frequently repeats du`a's & supplications described in Hadith

may Allah guide us in our journey to become true muslimahs.
till the next chapter, lovelies.
xoxo :)

the muslim woman & her Rabb

alhamdulillah, i've finished with the 1st chapter of "the ideal muslimah".
i can say that the article is presented in a light & easy-to-understand form.

basically, the chapter tells about the attitude of the true muslimah towards her Lord.
where generally the true muslimah should have deep faith in Allah s.w.t., willingly submits to His will & decree, worships Him sincerely, obeying all of His commands & heeding all of His prohibitions.
true muslimah is proud of her muslim identity, constantly strives to support the religion & understands what it means to be a true servant of Allah s.w.t.

some of the attitude of the true muslimah mentioned in the article:
-true muslimah regularly prays five times a day
-true muslimah may attend the jama`ah prayer in the mosque
-true muslimah attends Eid prayers
-true muslimah prays Sunnah & Nafil prayers
-true muslimah performs her prayers properly
-true muslimah pays zakat on her wealth
-true muslimah fasts during the day & prays at night in Ramadhan
-true muslimah observes Nafil/Sunnah fasts
-true muslimah goes on Hajj to the sacred house of Allah s.w.t.
-true muslimah goes for Umrah
-true muslimah is obedient to the commands of Allah s.w.t.
-true muslimah does not sit alone with a "stranger"
-true muslimah wears correct hijab
-true muslimah avoids mixing freely with men
-true muslimah does not shake hands with a non-mahram men
-true muslimah does not travel except with a mahram
-true muslimah accepts the will & decree of Allah s.w.t.
-true muslimah turns to Allah s.w.t. in repentance
-true muslimah feels a sense of responsibility for the members of her family
-true muslimah's main concern is the pleasure of Allah s.w.t.
-true muslimah understands the true meaning of being a servant of Allah s.w.t.
-true muslimah works to support the religion of Allah s.w.t.
-true muslimah is distinguished by her islamic character & true religion
-true muslimah's loyalty is to Allah s.w.t alone
-true muslimah enjoins what is good & forbids what is evil

well, this is just the summary of what i've read.
full explanation & details can be found in the article.

till then! :)

the ideal muslimah: a good read

unlike my other sisters (esp. little sisters), reading is not my hobby.
i don't read books or novels.
i seldom read newspapers & magazines.
but i do read blogs & catalogues!
i think i'm a hardcore blog reader, provided that the blog is fun to read.

but, i do read books IF it is for exams!
meaning that i'll read ONLY IF i am required to do so.

today, i came across a really good read.
titled "the ideal muslimah: the true islamic personality of the muslim woman".
it is authored by dr. muhammad ali al-hashimi and translated into english by nassrudin al-khattab.
the article covers a few of the important personal and general woman's issues.
a good read for all muslimah regardless who you are be it a mother, a sister, a wife, an employee, an employer, etc.

the chapters are nicely laid out & beautifully organized make it easier for you to read & to understand.
- chapter 1: the muslim woman and her rabb
- chapter 2: the muslim woman and her own self
- chapter 3: the muslim woman and her parents
- chapter 4: the muslim woman and her husband
- chapter 5: the muslim woman and her children
- chapter 6: the muslim woman and her sons- and daughters- in law
- chapter 7: the muslim woman and her relatives
- chapter 8: the muslim woman and her neighbours
- chapter 9: the muslim woman and her friends and sisters in islam
- chapter 10: the muslim woman and her community/society

yeah, good things are meant to be shared.
you can download & read it here.

happy reading, lovelies!