Sincerely Maryam

Salaam everyone!

And as every year, it is almost gone, but lets catch the goodness that is left before that bittersweet feeling is felt! You know what I'm talking about, Ramadan!

I always get really 'bittersweet' when the last 10 days approach. Excited for Laylatul Qadri & Eid but so sad these days of blessings and nights of virtue will soon depart. :(

I know we've all been there, when we pump ourselves up at the thought of "last 10 days" and we save all our efforts for these "last 10 days" but when the last 10 days arrive, you don't know even know where to start. I know I'm guilty of this! As a remedy to this problem, I've prepared 10 simple goals that I aim to achieve within this time left.

Being actively engaged in these acts will hopefully turn into a habit we can carry out even after sweet Ramadan leaves us!

Goals:
1) Memorize one Surah a day from the 30th Juz that I don't know to improve my Salah with variety

2) Use of the Miswak before every Prayer
Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) has reported that, “The prayer before which the Miswak is used is seventy times more excellent than that before which it is not used.”

3) Recite this dua abundantly: اللْهُمَّ إِنَّكَ عَفُوٌّ تُحِبُّ الْعَفْوَ فَاعْفُ عَنِّي
Aisha, may Allah be pleased with her, said: I asked the Messenger of Allah: 'O Messenger of Allah, if I know what night is the night of Qadr, what should I say during it?'

He (The Prophet PBUH) said:

'Say: O Allah, You are pardoning and You love to pardon, so pardon me.'

"(Ahmad, Ibn Majah, and Tirmidhi).

4) Give a dollar a day (or more/whatever you can) consecutively for the next 10 days in Sadqah

5) Wake up for Qiyaam prayer every night despite it being an odd night or not.

tip: drink a lotttttt of water before sleeping so if your alarm fails to awake you, your bladder does! ;)

6) Try to catch at least one Prayer in Jamah at the Masjid

7) Do an act of kindness with a complete stranger

8) Make a personal dua list and with firm faith ask the Merciful for every single thing (halal of course) the heart desires!

9) Take a friend or family member to Taraweeh. Offer to pick them up so you can gain the maximum reward iA!

10) Use your time wisely! Make the most out of prestigious dua moments such as supplicating right before breaking the fast.

Laylatul Qadr (the Night of Power) is described in the Quran as, "better than a thousand months" (97:3). Any action done on this night such as reciting the Quran, remembering Allah, etc. is better than acting for one thousand months which do not contain the night of Qadr.

Allah's Messenger used to exert himself in devotion during the last ten nights to a greater extent than at any other time." (Muslim).

The Prophet said: "Whoever prays during the night of Qadr with faith and hoping for its reward will have all of his previous sins forgiven." (Bukhari and Muslim recorded from Abu Huraira).

I hope my goals inspire you to create your 10 goals iA.

Maryam

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Salaam beauties, Happy Friday!

I received a wonderful little package from Resham Collection which included four of their Hijabs that I will be reviewing in this post.

First of all, I am a sucker for detail in packaging. I love when things are wrapped neatly to the T. Resham Collection packaging was just that. The impeccable matte brown box which contained the Hijabs wrapped in brown tissue paper, the bright pink ribbon beautifully tied, and the 'thank you' card which had Hijab pins inserted in it- how cute!

How adorable is the packaging? I absolutely loved it. Okay enough about that, moving on to the actual purpose: the Hijabs. Here are the four Hijabs I received (images were taken directly from the Resham Collection website.)

Are you dying yet?! Cause I was ^_^.

Over the course of my Hijabi journey, I've learned to differentiate between a "perfect hijab" and a "sucky hijab". A lot of the times, a Hijab will be pretty but it will be sucky and sometimes it wont be pretty but it'll be perfect. Hold your horses, let me explain my reasoning. There are certain qualities I look for in a Hijab- size and material matter the most because this will determine how the Hijab sits on your head and how it frames your face. Therefor, if a Hijab is pretty but the size and material sucks, its an immediate no-no for me.

Resham Hijabs fell into the "perfect" category for four main reasons:

1) Maxi size- For all you volume and coverage girls out there, this is the definition of a maxi Hijab! There is so much cloth to work with and it provides significant amount of chest coverage as well as volume for those who like to wear Hijab big ;) (me, me!). Due to its size, it is easy to wear the Hijab in more than one style. The measurements slightly differ but is around 200cm x 98cm.

2) Material & Comfort- The texture was one of the first things I noticed about the Hijabs. The material is so lightweight and soft to the touch! When I wore them out, the softness vouched for it all! I felt comfortable and it did not add to my misery of melting in Houston's heat. The softness of the Hijab also makes it easy to find a perfect fold to frame the face and aids in the creation of layers for added volume. The material for the Ombre is Viscose while the others are a Polyester Cotton blend.

3) Contemporary & Paisley print - I'm picky when it comes to wearing busy Hijabs as I feel they can easily become "tacky" or "too much" if there is a plethora of prints running through the fabric. Although these Hijabs were all "busy", they make all the right statements. The Ombre Polkadot and Paisley print are my favs! Each Hijab has beautiful detail and colors drawn into them. I received a few compliment the first time I wore them out!

4) Quality & Finishing - Lets be honest, Hijab quality varies. Some will last a few wears (esp if you wash them) and some will last longer. I haven't washed any of these babies yet but thus far, the quality has held up. ( I wore one of them twice!). The finishing is neat; all the ends are neatly sewn and no frays are visible except on the Ombre Polkadot which was intended for style.

Resham Collection will be offering a special discount code for any of my readers who are interested in getting their hands on the collection. Simply insert "MARYAM10" at checkout and receive 10% off your order! But you better hurry, the offer is valid only for the month!

For more information, please visit: www.ReshamCollection.com or visit their Facebook Page at https://www.facebook.com/pages/Resham-Collection/320480494669437.

Twitter: @resham_c

Instagram: reshamcollection

Outfit details and more pictures to follow in a new post featuring the other Resham Collection Hijabs.

What is your definition of a "perfect" or "sucky" hijab? What qualities do you look for? I would love to know!

Maryam

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Ramadan Kareem to all my readers!

The most awaited & blessed month is finally upon us. Alhumdulillah, Allah has chosen us to witnesses yet another Ramadan and reap from it the benefits!

Last year, I came across a really neat checklist which I shared on my Facebook page. This year, I would like to share that very same checklist on my Blog. It contains simple yet easily forgotten tips that we could put to daily use throughout the next 30 days.

I hope everyone has a beautiful Ramadan and that this one truly changes the state of our hearts and of the Ummah, Ameen.

CHECKLIST:

1. Ask Allah to enable you to reach Ramadan and to get the most out of it.

2. Intend to fast every day with Iman and pure intention seeking the reward from Allah alone. The Prophet peace be upon him said, "Whoever fasts in Ramadan with Iman and seeking reward (from Allah) his past sins will be forgiven". (Bukhari)

3. Read the whole Qur'an at least once as the Prophet peace be upon him did.

4. Have Suhoor as the Prophet peace be upon him said, "Have Suhoor because it is blessed".

5. Make Du'a during the fast because the Prophet peace be upon him said that three people's supplication is not rejected one of them is the fasting person. Ask for the good of this life and the next for yourself, your family and the Ummah in general.

6. Make Dua before opening the fast. The Prophet peace be upon him said, "The fasting person has a supplication that is answered when he opens his fast".

7. Give Sadaqah and be good to people. The Prophet peace be upon him was the most generous of people and he was most generous in Ramadan.

8. Avoid anything that diminishes the fast such as, lying, backbiting, cheating, getting angry. The Prophet peace be upon him said "Whoever does not give up false statements (i.e. telling lies), and evil deeds, and speaking bad words to others, Allah is not in need of his (fasting) leaving his food and drink." [Bukhari]

9. Ask for forgiveness since this is the month Allah frees people from the fire.

10. Pray At-Tarawih with Khushoo. If you pray in the Masjid complete the Salah with the Imam. If you pray at home prolong the Salah as long as you can. The Prophet peace be upon him said, "Whoever prays during Ramadan with Iman and seeking reward (from Allah) his past sins will be forgiven".

12. Feed the poor and invite others for Iftar. The Prophet peace be upon him said, "Whoever gives Iftar to someone fasting he will have the same reward without decreasing the reward of the person fasting".

13. Try harder the last ten nights especially the odd nights. The prophet would strive in Ramadan more than he would in any other month and more so in the last ten days.

14. Say this Dua in the nights that Laitul-Qadr is likely to fall on: Allhumma innaka afuwun tuhibbul-afwa fa'fu anni (O Allah you are Forgiving and love forgiveness so forgive me).

15. Ask Allah to accept all your good actions during this month

Ramadan Kareem, please remember me in your du'as!