What!? You can`t even drink when fasting?

Ramadan kareem!


Yup! It`s that time of year again. When we fast from sun up to sun down. When we refocus on what is important to us. Come closer to God. Pray for forgiveness. Help the needy. Show kindness and patience. A very spiritual time indeed.


But, don`t you just love when non-muslims ask their silly questions and comments?



You can`t even have water?



You look so tired, why do you do this?



Are you crazy?



Are you trying to lose weight?



Although fasting as been prescribed in many religions and is prescribed by many doctors for health reasons, we are often looked at as if we have lost our minds. And when asked why we fast, do we always know what to say? Do you really know why you fast?


2:183 O ye who believe! Fasting is prescribed to you as it was prescribed to those before you, that ye may learn self-restraint


2:185 Ramadan is the month in wich was sent down the Qur`an as a guide to mankind, also clear signs for guidance and judgment between right and wrong. So every one of you who is present during that month should spend it in fasting, but if any one is ill, or on a journey, the prescribed period should be made up by days later. Allah intends every facility for you; He does not want to put to difficulties. He wants you to complete the prescribed period, and to glorify Him in that He has guided you; ad perchance ye shall be grateful.


Islamic reasons: To teach self-restraint. To show our gratitude to Allah swt for guiding us with the Qur`an that was revealed during this month.


Spiritual reasons: Compassion towards others. Understanding the less fortunate and thus giving in charity. Self-discipline.


Health reasons: Detoxification of the liver, colon, kidney, lungs, lymph glands and skin, te feeling of rejuvenation, and extended life expectancy. This is all due to a slower metabolic rate, more efficient protein production, an improved immune system, and the production of increated hormones (such as anti-aging hormones and human growth hormones). So not only will you feel better and look better, but you`ll live longer.


I am sure there are many more reasons Allahu alem. Myself, prior to this ramadan, had a severe coffee addiction. I couldn`t start my day without one, otherwise I would feel sluggish, have a headache and throw off my digestive system. Even after 3 days of fasting, I don`t crave anything. No headaches, no sluggish feeling. Sobhanallah. The hunger also makes me realize how lucky I am to be hungry, but have food in front of me when I am done fasting. I think of the less fortunate in the world who have none, and go hungry without any salvation. It puts me in their shoes, making me strive to help them. And we must not forget that it is also prescribed at the end of ramadan to give zakat. This is 2.5% of our annual earnings in dollars to those who need it. Why not live a month in their shoes before giving to them, so we really understand?

So the next time someone asks you why you fast and you have nothing to say - enlighten them. Show them how beautiful Islam is.

Life after accepting Islam

I decided after converting that I would refrain from telling my parents right away. I was still away at school for 6 more months so I wanted to see how things went on my own.

First and foremost, the prayer must be learned in arabic since the language itself is so unique and really difficult to translate. Since the prayer was first revelead in arabic, it is best to keep it that way to ensure we don`t stray away from the meaning. I had to study how to say it in arabic, understand it in english, and learn the movements that go with the prayer. I remember searching it all on youtube. Everyone around me was overly helpful too so it didn`t take too long. Learning to pray 5 times a day was a challenge. Especially waking up for fajr which is often between 4am and 5am. But prayer becomes such a beautiful moment in the day. Life can be so hectic and busy at times, it gives us a moment of tranquility to come back into focus as to why we are here and what our purpose is.

I didn`t really change how I dressed until about a year later. In Islam, I guess to keep it clear, we follow the same rules as nuns. Modesty is very important. Before I moved home in May, I was mostly wearing longer shirts, baggier clothing and longer sleeves.

I stopped eating pork. Actually, I never liked pork. It is very unhealthy and fattening and taste like smelly feet would probably taste like. So that was simple. I also stopped drinking and going to clubs. Not that I did that much either. I only ever tried to do it to fit in with my friends, but I never really felt like I fit in until I met my Muslim friends.

I had many helpful friends along the way, and many beautiful sisters of Islam to learn from. They all seemed so proper, respectful, soft spoken, classy and most importantly, happy! I really wondered if I could ever carry myself like them. I always had an opinion to be shared and was often a bit too talkative and silly in public. I wanted to learn to be like them, without giving up who I am either. I learned that with Islam, it is not just a religion that we pray from time to time, but a lifestyle. It is a behaviour we practice daily. It is what we eat, drink, say, how we sleep, dress, pray, etc. It takes a while to be good at it, it is a life skill we are always trying to perfect. I did what I could, but I found things just naturally progressed that way over time.

Some friends thought I was crazy and didn`t want to talk to me anymore. Some were very supportive and encouraging. Many didn`t understand the fact that I didn`t take part in he typical university ``fun``. For the first time in my life, I didn`t care what people thought. I felt like my soul was at ease and I felt comfort knowing what I did was follow the truth. For the first time, I didn`t care what people thought around me. I was finally at ease with who I was.

All in all, my time away at university was easy. It was natural, it was free. I was happy...

When I moved home, things began to go downhill.

I spoke to my parents about becoming Muslim. My dad referred to Muslims as the cancer of the earth and said they should all be blown up. My mom was disappointed. She didn`t like me dressing modest. If I had ASSets, they had to be showing according to her, or no man would ever love me. My brother would make fun of me and argue with my Muslim friends when he saw them. I tried to remain calm. I was going to teachers college nearby so I knew I had to tough it out until the end.

That lasted until December. After 6 months of my family hiding pork in my food, forcing alcohol down my throat, throwing my Quran and refusing to let me pray, I gathered everything I could from second hand stores and moved into a little basement apartment. I was already enrolled in school full-time, but in order to practice my faith freely, I also needed to work full-time to pay the bills. It was the most chaotic year of my life. I would wake up at 6am, get to downtown Toronto for class at 8am, leave at 1pm, arrive to work at 3pm, work until 11pm, take the very sketchy bus home, study, sleep and repeat. Why did I do all of this? For my right to practice my faith. I never regretted it for a second. I just really didn`t like that I was hurting my family.

After not talking to my family for 2 months, I began calling my mom and asking her to talk to me. She asked where I was living. I told her to come by so we could talk. I later found out that she came by with 5 garbage bags full of my belongings, from baby books to diplomas, you name it. She wanted to completely write me off. I found them dumped on the front lawn. I can`t tell you how long I cried over that. How could God make life this difficult? Leave me on my own working tirelessly? But the religion made sense, and had proof, I just couldn`t give up now.

I was finishing teachers college and at the point where I felt just about ready to wear hijab. I was scared though. How could I get a job wearing hijab? My mom slowly started coming around at this point...she would pop by from time to time. I had 5 job interviews lined up. Since I didn`t have a car, she offered to drive me to 4 of them. I obviously didn`t wear hijab because it would hurt my mom and I wouldn`t have a drive. I made a prayer to Allah to help me find a job, God knows I needed it, and find me one that would accept me in hijab. The 5th and final job interview was within walking distance from where I was living. I decided to try the hijab and see how it went. Guess what? Not only was it the best job for me, but the principal hired me! Of about 30 graduates, 2 of us landed jobs, so I know God was on my side.

I began working that fall, and really honestly appreciate working in such a diverse culture. The staff and students don`t even flinch when they see hijab. There are other hijabis that I work with. Some that I teach. The school knows all about our practices and respects it. Alhamdulillah, I knew that the hard times and prayers would eventually pay off! Finally, free at last!

Journey into Islam

Asalaamu walaikom warahmatulahi wabaraktu,

I am a female who was born and raised in Canada, and I am a Muslim. But I wasn't always a Muslim.

I grew up in a small town in Nova Scotia. The population was majority Caucasian, so I wasn't truly aware of any other cultures or religions. I grew up seeing things I probably shouldn't have seen. Many around me were violent, alcoholic, drug addicted, and incarcerated. I even watched my own father go to jail, I watched him beat my mom, do drugs. By the age of 8, I had seen and been through more than the average adult would have or should have seen.

When I was 10, my mother, her new husband, my brother and myself moved to Toronto. I remember seeing so many people of different colours, with different names, speaking different languages. I really thought it was neat to have so much diversity even within one classroom. I was told by my parents to stay away from the coloured skinned people since they were not good people and would get me into trouble. As a naive child, I listened. I always feared getting near them. I studied in a Catholic school and was baptized roman catholic. All of my friends were white, and I ignored the rest. I guess you could say my ignorance continued into my adulthood.

In regards to my faith, as a Catholic, I really did believe in God. I look at the human body and all of its complexities, the world that was built so beautifully, how could there not be some higher being to create all of this? What I didn't understand was that in order to be a Catholic, I had to have a ''blind faith'' meaning it was wrong to question. How could the father be God, Jesus be God and the holy spirit be God, yet there is only one God? How could Jesus (who apparently is God) die on the cross and be killed by humans? How come the bible says women should cover their hair when praying to God, and church was mandatory on Sundays and we were to keep chaste, yet everyone I knew would not do any of that, and were much happier doing sinful things? I remember trying to speak to a priest, and he told me the bible was written by humans, so there are mistakes and we need to be mindful of what we follow for not all of it is correct. Religion had its flaws, and I sure wasn't going to devote my life to God if He couldn't prove Himself to me. Why would I worship a book written by humans who didn't have the divine message? I had given up on religion, life was too short to be boring and devoted.

When I was accepted to university, it was an hour away from my parents, requiring me to move away from home. I guess this is when you leave your ''nest'' and grow into your own person. I was never into drinking and partying, which is what residence at universities is all about. I remember many nights staying in while everyone went out, or leaving the parties because I just felt awkward there. That is when I began to realize there were many other people who also stayed inside instead of partying. Finally, a group I can relate to. Some were from Saudi Arabia, some from Pakistan, Lebanon, and parts of Africa. What impressed me was the men would cook for the group, and showed tremendous amounts of respect to the women. The guys adopted me as their little sister and ensured I was always taken care of and happy. MashAllah such wonderful people. But a few times a day, they would all gather together and sing some prayer in arabic. I remember sitting and waiting for them to finish and just loving the sound of it. I later learned it was the Quran being recited. It occurred to me that these people were Muslim. I grew up being told that they were the ''cancer of the earth'' and all deserve to die because they beat their wives and force them to cover up. I didn't see anything like that in my group of friends. I was treated like a princess. I loved my friends so much that I even tried fasting with them through Ramadan. Truly, I enjoyed doing it because they would cook such amazing dinners for when we broke our fast, I never tasted much more than kraft dinner and hot dogs, so this international food was so tasty. I also enjoyed being around all of the laughter, the kindness and the guilt-free university lifestyle.

My friend asked me one day why I didn't follow my own religion. I was very happy to tell him why. Mostly, I needed proof. Some sort of proof that God IS real, that His messages are real and that I should be living according to these books written by humans. He said that Islam may be the answer. I laughed at him, and said to prove it to me. He brought me a few short books to read, one discussing the scientific proof in the Quran. I remember reading about parts of the brain and their functions, a human embryo and its stages, the mountains, the weather, all of these scientific facts quoted from the Quran. I couldn't believe a book written 1400 years ago by an illiterate man in the middle of the desert could say any of this. I asked then for a Quran to see if those quotes were really in there. I used 3 or 4 Qurans just to check. I was in shock. How could this book have so much science in it? How could it have been written about conception and how a baby appears in the womb even in the early stages without an ultrasound machine? Unless God said this Himself. How could an illiterate man write all of this on his own? Unless it was Good saying it Himself. I was so impressed and even more impressed that the similarities between Judaism, Christianity and Islam were very similar, except now I have scientific proof! Could this be the true religion? I couldn't possibly accept Islam, my parents would kill me!

I sat beside my bed on my knees that night and prayed to God to help me and guide me. I swear to you, wallahi, that night, I am almost positive I was still awake, and this angel surrounded in white light saying I was on the right path. I remember feeling as if all my skin was numb. I was scared and in disbelief. I laid in my bed the entire night thinking how mad my parents would be. But, would I have to tell them?

The next morning, I called my friend and asked her to take to me to mosque. I wanted to take my Shahada to become Muslim. I remember putting on the hijab over my head and that felt very odd to me, but I immediately also felt very beautiful. It was a rainy and gloomy day in November. I took my Shahada, and while I was with the imam, the sun came out of nowhere and began shining brightly in the sky. He told me it was a great sign. That Allah swt only picks so many people to be on the right path.

I went off to class that day...feeling like the rest of my life was about to change...and boy was I right