Soothing decoction for the cold weather - Chukku malli kaapi

Assalaamu alaikum,

For 3 persons, we need,

1/2 inch piece of dry ginger
1 tsp of dry corinander seeds
10 pepper corns
1 green cardomom
palm sugar - to taste
honey - to taste

Grind all the above to a fine powder ( or slightly coarse). Bring 3 cups of water to boil. Add the ground powder to the boiling water. Cover it with a lid and it simmer for 5 minutes. Filter with a fine sieve or muslin cloth and serve with honey. If palm sugar is not available, just honey will do.

This is an excellent cure for sore throat, relieves cold and is good for indigestion. More powder can be ground with the same proportion and stored in an air tight container. But I prefer to prepare it freshly ground lest the aroma is lost. It takes just a moment to put things together and grind.

There is a home remedy for dry cough also. Add a pinch of turmeric powder, pepper powder and lots of palm sugar to boiling milk, let it simmer for a while and filter. Palm sugar is a must. When had at bed time this relieves dry cough and helps to sleep soundly.

Major Sins

I would like to record in this blog what I learnt and what I want to remember. I would be glad if someone happens to read this and is benefitted just as I did.

The following is an extract from Imam Shams ud deen Dhahabi’s Major sins.

The major sins in Islam are,

 1. Ascribing Associates To Allah, The Most High (Shirk)

2. Killing A Human Being

3. Sorcery

4. Not Performing the Prayer

5. Not Paying Zakat

6. Breaking One's Fast During Ramadan Without an Excuse

7. Not Performing the Hajj When Able to

8. Showing Disrespect to One's Parents

9. Severing the Ties of One's Relatives

10. Adultery

11. Sodomy

12. Accepting Usurious Gain

13. Wrong Consuming an Orphan's Property

14. Lying About the Prophet

15. Fleeing From the Battlefield

16. The Leader Who Misleads His Followers, the Tyrant and the Oppressor

17. Arrogance, Pride, Conceit, Vanity and Haughtiness

18. Bearing False Witness

19. Drinking Alcohol

20. Gambling (Qimar)

21. Accusing a Woman of Adultery

22. Misappropriating Spoils of War, Muslim Funds or Zakat

23. Theft

24. Highwaymen Who Menace the Road

25. The Engulfing Oath

26. Taking People's Property Through Falsehood

27. Collecting Taxes

28. The Consumption of Haram

29. Suicide

30. Telling Lies

31. The Dishonest Judge

32. Bribery

33. Women Imitating Men and Vice Versa

34. The Pimp and the One Who Permits His Wife To Fornicate

35. Marrying Solely to Return to the Previous Husband

36. Not Freeing Oneself of All Traces of Urine

37. Showing off in Good Work

38. Learning Sacred Knowledge for the Sake of this World or Concealing It

39. Breach of Faith

40. Reminding Recipients of One's Charity to Them

41. Disbelieving in Destiny

42. Listening to the People's Private Conversations

43. The Talebearer Who Stirs Up Enmity Between People

44. Cursing Others

45. Breaking One's Promise or Pledge

46. Believing Fortunetellers and Astrologers

47. A Wife's Rebellion Against Her Husband

48. Picture-making

49. Loudly Lamenting For the Dead or When Afflicted With an Adversity

50. Excess Against Others

51. Overburdening and Arrogance Against Others

52. Hurting One's Neighbor

53. Hurting or Reviling Muslims

54. Harming the Servants of Allah

55. Dragging the Hem of One's Garment Out of Conceit

56. Men Wearing Silk or Gold

57. Fleeing of the Slave

58. Slaughtering in Other Than Allah's Name

59. Falsely Claiming Someone is One's Father

60. Arguing, Picking Apart Another's Words, and Quarreling

61. Withholding Excess Water From Others

62. Stinting When Weighing or Measuring Out Goods and Similar Merchandise

63. Feeling Secure From Allah's Devising

64. Despairing of the Mercy of Allah and Losing of Hope

65. Forgoing the Congregational Prayer to Pray Alone Without A Legal Excuse

66. Constantly Missing the Friday and Congregational Prayer Without A Valid Excuse

67. Bringing Loss to the Bequest

68. Deception and Evil Schemes

69. Spying on the Muslims and Revealing Their Weaknesses

70. Disparaging the Companions of the Prophet

House hunt

Assalamu alaikum,

We went on a househunting spree last saturday. We own a small piece of land with an old building which we have rented out. we were in a dilemma whether to build a new house on that piece of land or sell that and buy an apartment in the nearby posh locality. There is a sudden boom in the realty, nearly five to six apartment complexes are coming up so we thought it could be the right time to buy an apartment. So off we went on house hunting.

We live in what they call the heart of the city. the prices are really high compared to the rest of the city. A square feet of built area costs Rs.17,000/-, that's roughly about 340 dollars. So a decent apartment of about 1500 sq feet with one covered car parking costs about 2.2 crore rupees, about 22 million rupees. With 300 sq feet deducted for the common area, the floor area of an apartment is just 1200 sq feet. Subhanallah that is a huge sum.

After much thought we decided we better build our own house. Even with half of 2.2 crores we could build a nice house of about  2100 sq feet with interior decoration, 2 covered car parking and could still afford to have a terrace garden. The only drawback being how congested the locality is. One reason why we are not ready to leave this area is the proximity to mosques and madrassaa. There is a mosque around every street corner.  It  gives my son the much needed islamic environment to grow in, something I missed as a child.

One thing I hate living among muslims here is their lack of sense of hygiene. Entrance to hindus's household are swept clean, sprinkled with water, decorated with beautiful kolam. we need not have to follow their custom, at least we can keep our sorroundings clean which most muslims here don't do while Islam lays much stress on cleanliness.

Hoping things will change for the best Inshaallah, Untill next time....
Fi Amanallah.

where are we heading to?

Just back from hometown. Had to accompany my in-laws on their way back home from Hajj Mashaallah. Had a  nice time hosting people pouring in to meet in-laws. Btw my hometown is a picturesque small town on the foothills of western ghats, with a predominant muslim population.

 Though I have never lived there except for a few months post-marriage and regular visits every summer holidays while in school, my fascination for this small town never ends.

 Farming and weaving used to be the main occupation of the people here. Streets used to be filled with the sound from the handlooms. Men and women working in tandem. Marriages and other festivities used to be held at night so that the productivity is not lost. Fridays used to be the weekly holiday.Children studied in schools run by muslims. Every house had an Alim, a Maulvi or a Hafiz. No time was spent in vain like backbiting  or watching TV. The elderly people used to sit in the thinnai or the frontyard watching over people. Since it was a small town everybody knew everyone. While I was a kid everytime I set out of my house, I had to make a hundred stops answering old people sitting in the thinnai, nothing escaped their eyes.

 This was the case until say, mid nineties. Things changed with people moving to other cities and countries in search of greener pastures. There isn’t a single handloom in the town at the moment. When children started going to schools in the neighbouring towns for better education, Fridays stopped being the weekly holidays. Old people no more sit in their frontyards. They would rather sit in front of the TV. No one is interested in religious education any more.

 As a result of all these changes the ummah here is facing the worst issue, girls eloping with non-muslim men, worst still, girls engaged to be married and even married women elope, leaving behind small children. No matter where one is settled when it comes to getting their son or daughter married everyone comes back to the hometown. No marriage ties are made with an outsider. Since everyone is familiar with everyone else, checking out on ones background is easy. But these days girls from even much respected families run away, subhanallah.

I wonder what goes on in the minds of these girls. All of us agree that lack of Islamic knowledge, poor bringing up are the cause of all this. Some young women have taken up this issue and started a trust to address this issue. There is going to be a conference and workshop exclusively for women next month inshaallah. May Allah help them in their noble endeavour and bring about a change in our Khaira ummath, Ameen.

Slice of life

Bismillahi wa assalaamu alaikum,

It so happened yesterday, my son lost his cellphone on the auto he was travelling on his way back from the tennis class. I had just finished my maghrib prayer and I was shocked to find him coming home crying. Then we tried to ring up the phone number but the person on the other end kept disconnecting. After a few frantic calls he did answer and luckily agreed to bring back the phone, Alhamdhulillah. He asked for 20 rupees for bringing back the phone. We readily agreed. My son was so relieved to get back his cellphone. I hope he will be more careful hereafter.
Well, I am no better. A few months back I lost my favourite watch in an auto and never got back.

Starting trouble

I am new to blogging, I have plenty of ideas to blog about but when I sit back to put my thoughts in words, my mind goes blank, don’t know why. May be this what they call here, colloquially ‘starting trouble’.

I used to be an avid reader, good writer. All that changed once I got married. The women here, muslimah in particular, don’t just marry a man but they marry into a family. The early years of marriage are very difficult, like getting to know one’s husband, adjusting to the hitherto unknown family. Same thing happened to me too.

 My hubby’s family was very conservative, it took me three years before I got a good look into their drawing room (women had a different entrance to the house). I grew up in a nuclear family so it was very difficult for me to adapt to their lifestyle. I  feared losing my identity and individuality. There were times when I used to wonder what I was doing there. All this took a toll on my creativity and even my personality.

Alhamdhulillah, all that changed with time. I understood that patience is the key and it really pays. Now Mashallah Alhamdhulillah we are a happy family. My in-laws treat me like their own daughter. I even have a role to play in their family business.

This is  partly the story of my life, more to come  later, inshallah.

Home Sweet Home

Assalmu alaikum,

The past few weeks brought a welcome change into my otherwise routine life. A visit to my hometown is always refreshing given that none of our extended families lives here, except my parents, we look forward to these visits to catch up with all our relatives. My son has quite a lot of friends here but he says having fun with cousins is more enjoyable.we live in sort of a concrete jungle so a getaway to a place with fresh air, nice breeze, good food and people we love, help us to get charged and be more productive when we get back home and work. Now we are eagerly looking forward to our next visit Inshaallah.

Thought for this Ramadhan

Imam Al-Ghazali says that there are three types of fasting. One is of the average Muslim (one who submits to the Will of Allah Almighty), he fasts only from food, drink, and marital relations. The second is the fasting of the mu'min (believer) - he fasts from everything that is forbidden - bad language, bad thoughts, looking at bad things, listening to bad things, etc. The third and most supreme type of fasting is that of the muhsin (one who has perfected his faith in Allah Almighty) - and this is fasting from everything other than Allah. To such a person, a Knower of Allah, nothing in the world exists besides Allah. Wherever he looks, he sees Allah, whenever he thinks, he thinks of Allah!

Jum'ah Mubarak

Asslamu alaikum,

I came across this hadith in Sister Noor's blog. I was unable to control my tears. There is no limit to Allah's mercy on his creations, Alhamdhulillah.

The Beloved Prophet SallAllahu alaihi wasallam said: “Allah does not give someone five things until He has promised another five things for him: he does not give him gratitude except that He has prepared for him an increase in provision and sustenance, He does not give him supplication except that He has prepared its award: He does not give him the asking for forgiveness except that He has prepared for him forgiveness: he does not give him the asking for repentance except that He has prepared for him acceptance: and He does not give him charity except that he has prepared for him its reward.”

Jum'ah Mubarak to you all.