Judging

Today we went to the masjid for S' judging.

First we went to the post office to send a package to Grandmy, and then we went to the library to pay a fine for Z's tupA' book, and then we went to the masjid. I was sweaty.

So first we prayed Asr, and then we went to the classroom. S went first, with Surah Al-Mulk. She got a few mistakes and hesitated in some places. But mom, she was worse. She hesitated too much, and needed to be corrected in some places. She was doing Surah Maryam.

When she was done we left immediately. At home we listened to a lecture by Omar Suleiman about Laylatul Qadr and took turns playing with playdough and taking notes.

N

The Competition

It wasn't how I expected it to be.

It was cacat.

Well, first of course, we went to the masjid. On the way, we picked up Abi and he sat in the backseat with me and Z. Then we got to the masjid. Abi took some time to get out of the van from the backseat.

Ummi, S, Z and I went into the women's side and sat down in the musalla. In a few minutes people came, and after the khutbah we prayed, obv, and then people started getting ready for the judging. It was in the cole ole classroom. Me and Sandy were participating. My other friend R was not in because she decided to let others have a chance. o_o

So first, a girl went, and then another girl went, and then it was Sandy's turn. Apparently after some tussling, it seemed to me she was nervous. So like, she went, and then it was my turn. I read the surah while sweating quite badly. Then I was done and went to mom and S and Joycie who were all grinning.

"You did good!" they said.

"Not my best," I said.

After that it was the little kids' turn. Hl went and read Surah Ikhlas, and then another kid named Dani read Surah Lahab and Nas. They were quite good, actually. After that, me, Sandy, and R went outside. S came out later with Z. S and Sandy talked together under the tree and me and R went on the swings. Then it was time to leave. We had some trouble thinking if we should leave H there or not, because he was being judged after Asr...so S called Abi and Abi said to just leave H there. After a bit mroe confusion we did leave him there. Then we came home.

And now my tummy is churning and growling. And my arm is still fuzzy.

N

Ramadan Day #1

Hold on. This is yesterday's post. Read it before today's.

THURSDAY, JULY 19, 2012
Today was a big day. I had to go to the masjid for a Girls' Club meeting. We were gonna talk about preparing for Ramadan, our Ramadan goals and our duas. The girls were all bored to death, which was annoying. We all had to say what we liked about Ramadan, and they all mostly said, "because of the food." Seriously! The fatties these days! At least there was one girl who said she likes Ramadan because her mom doesn't force her to eat. But that's still bad. The point of Ramadan is not just about eating, as you know. Anyway, then we wrote down our goals and dua on paper (well what else would we write on?) using Sharpie markers. Then we played with H's hefty friend named Kylie in the men's side. It was fun! Nobody was there, practically. So then we went home and ate dinner, and then we went to 'The Hill' for moon sighting. So we found out that Ramadan was going to be on Friday. Tomorrow. Then we prayed Tarawih and Witr at the Masjid, and then S and I went to the masjid's library to practice Surah Al-Mulk for the Ramadan Quran competition. The End.

N
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And now, here is today's post.

FRIDAY, JULY 20, 2012
Today, after Fajr, we listened to H read Surah Al-Kahf. His reading was SO horrible, I slept through it!!! Just kidding. He just read it, and I nodded my head. I hate that. Anyway, then we listened to a lecture about Surah Al-Kahf. Then we discussed our Quran schedule. I was going to read two pages of Quran a day after every prayer, starting from Al-Fatihah. So I went downstairs with my bazaar bought Quran, and read the first two pages. Then I had to go find the translation for the two pages that I read. This is what I got.

Surah Al-Fatihah translation. From this website. Dar-us-Salam.

1. Surah Al-Fatihah

1. In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

2. All the praises and thanks be to Allah, the Lord of the 'Alamin (mankind, jinns and all that exists).

3. The Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful.

4. The Only Owner (and the Only Ruling Judge) of the Day of Recompense (i.e. the Day of Resurrection)

5. You (Alone) we worship, and You (Alone) we ask for help (for each and everything).

6. Guide us to the Straight Way

7. The Way of those on whom You have bestowed Your Grace, not (the way) of those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians).

And for Surah Al-Baqarah. First five ayahs.

Surah Al-Baqarah (The Cow)

1. Alif-Lam-Mim. [These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur'an and none but Allah (Alone) knows their meanings].

2. This is the Book (the Qur'an), whereof there is no doubt, a guidance to those who are Al-Muttaqun [the pious and righteous persons who fear Allah much (abstain from all kinds of sins and evil deeds which He has forbidden) and love Allah much (perform all kinds of good deeds which He has ordained)].

3. Who believe in the Ghaib and perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), and spend out of what we have provided for them [i.e. give Zakat , spend on themselves, their parents, their children, their wives, etc., and also give charity to the poor and also in Allah's Cause - Jihad, etc.].

4. And who believe in (the Qur'an and the Sunnah) which has been sent down (revealed) to you (Muhammad Peace be upon him ) and in [the Taurat (Torah) and the Injeel (Gospel), etc.] which were sent down before you and they believe with certainty in the Hereafter. (Resurrection, recompense of their good and bad deeds, Paradise and Hell, etc.).

5. They are on (true) guidance from their Lord, and they are the successful.

N

Amazed by the Quran

Well, yesterday I came back from Irving, TX. There was a convention held there on Saturday. There were three speakers: Abdul-Nasir Jangda, Nouman Ali Khan (who we all refer to as The Kiddist), and Suhaib Webb.
Their lectures were mostly about being amazed by the Quran. I slept somewhere in between, maybe during Nouman's lecture.
After the whole thing was done, we checked out the booths that were selling stuff. I got a red Bayyinah long sleeved shirt in size M for free.
We met some Malaysians and went to their house. It was super-fancy. The food was da BOMB. Rice, chicken nuggets, beef, pita bread, salad, and mangoes.
Our hotel was nice. There was a green couch, which was also a pull-out bed, and a queen bed. The bathroom was kind of big, and the shower was nice. The bar soap was kind of nasty looking. It was brown with darker brown spots in it. We came back on Sunday night.

N

Party for H

Can you believe it? The masjid is holding a party for H, because he finished Surah Yaseen, which is 1/4 of the Quran. It's on Sunday. I can't wait!

Also, there are some new posts on Poptropical Adventures, if you'd like a nice read.

Newr

Reflection on Yaseen Ayah #32

Here we are again. I have to write my reflection on an ayah in Surah Yaseen that really struck me.

My Reflection

Whenever I see ayahs like this, I always think of myself standing in a group of millions of naked people, waiting for the Day of Judgement to begin. Then I'll have to walk on the bridge that's as sharp as a sword and thin as a strand of hair. And my mom told me that Allah will show us a kind of a movie of each of our lives. It will display our thoughts and actions. How embarrassing.