May 14, 2007
· Filed under school
As salaamu ‘alaikum!
Guess who got a 4.0 this semester? Me! Alhamduillah! I found out yesterday when checking out my grades. My cumulative GPA at Case is now a 3.84. I haven’t had a GPA that high in my entire college career. I’m so happy. I have a year left at Case and I am so excited! I’m taking summer classes starting in June.
Outside of school, my life is very relaxed. I need to get a job for the summer. So I guess sometime this week I will go job hunting on campus. I’ve been working on a new forum called Islam in View. The forum has two purposes: 1) inspire more thought in Islamic scholarship (in other words, inspire actual thinking and not rote memorization and mere regurgitation of what past scholars have said) and 2) to promote dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims. Our aim isn’t outright dawah (although if someone becomes Muslim because of what we say, Alhamduillah). It’s to promote understanding. Not every non-Muslim is going to become Muslim. Also, many Muslims do not have a clear understanding of other deens (ways of life) besides Islam. Hopefully, this forum can help.
Well, that’s my life for now.
ma’a salaama,
MM
May 14, 2007
· Filed under school
As salaamu ‘alaikum!
Guess who got a 4.0 this semester? Me! Alhamduillah! I found out yesterday when checking out my grades. My cumulative GPA at Case is now a 3.84. I haven’t had a GPA that high in my entire college career. I’m so happy. I have a year left at Case and I am so excited! I’m taking summer classes starting in June.
Outside of school, my life is very relaxed. I need to get a job for the summer. So I guess sometime this week I will go job hunting on campus. I’ve been working on a new forum called Islam in View. The forum has two purposes: 1) inspire more thought in Islamic scholarship (in other words, inspire actual thinking and not rote memorization and mere regurgitation of what past scholars have said) and 2) to promote dialogue between Muslims and non-Muslims. Our aim isn’t outright dawah (although if someone becomes Muslim because of what we say, Alhamduillah). It’s to promote understanding. Not every non-Muslim is going to become Muslim. Also, many Muslims do not have a clear understanding of other deens (ways of life) besides Islam. Hopefully, this forum can help.
Well, that’s my life for now.
ma’a salaama,
MM
May 12, 2007
· Filed under thoughts about the future
End of the Semester
As salaamu ‘alaykum!
It’s the end of the of the semester and right now I’m chillin’. I’m so happy finals are over. It’s such a big reliefs as usual. I got an A in one class. I’m waiting for my grades in my other two classes.
Actually, I’m a little bored now that I don’t have to go to work or school for a while. I have some books I took out from the library and I keep up with my forums. I try to get myself out of the house but I feel my mobility is a bit limited. I can’t drive and I don’t have a car. In addition, it’s so hard to get to places on mass transit in Cleveland. It’s very different from Philly. In Philly, I found it so easy to get to where I wanted to go on SEPTA. RTA in Cleveland leaves a lot to be desired. But hey, at least there’s mass transit.
I’m still deciding what would be practical for my life after college. I have a year left, Insha’Allah and I really don’t know what to do. I’m majoring in Religious Studies. While I love it I know that I won’t be able to do much with a BA in Religious Studies. Part of me says ‘Go to law school.” However, I don’t know if I’m really cut out to be a lawyer plus I haven’t even begun to study for the LSAT. Also, I don’t know if I can handle the atmosphere of law school. My ultimate dream is to be a professor anyway. However, that’s going to require more years of schooling. I don’t have a problem with that but I need a break from school. Plus, I want to have children in a few years. I’m on birth control at the moment so I don’t really worry about having children out of the blue. What worries is not the schooling really but what kind of job can I get after graduation. I don’t even know where to begin. Help!!!! This is where istikharah comes in.
ma’a salaama,
MM
May 12, 2007
· Filed under thoughts about the future
End of the Semester
As salaamu ‘alaykum!
It’s the end of the of the semester and right now I’m chillin’. I’m so happy finals are over. It’s such a big reliefs as usual. I got an A in one class. I’m waiting for my grades in my other two classes.
Actually, I’m a little bored now that I don’t have to go to work or school for a while. I have some books I took out from the library and I keep up with my forums. I try to get myself out of the house but I feel my mobility is a bit limited. I can’t drive and I don’t have a car. In addition, it’s so hard to get to places on mass transit in Cleveland. It’s very different from Philly. In Philly, I found it so easy to get to where I wanted to go on SEPTA. RTA in Cleveland leaves a lot to be desired. But hey, at least there’s mass transit.
I’m still deciding what would be practical for my life after college. I have a year left, Insha’Allah and I really don’t know what to do. I’m majoring in Religious Studies. While I love it I know that I won’t be able to do much with a BA in Religious Studies. Part of me says ‘Go to law school.” However, I don’t know if I’m really cut out to be a lawyer plus I haven’t even begun to study for the LSAT. Also, I don’t know if I can handle the atmosphere of law school. My ultimate dream is to be a professor anyway. However, that’s going to require more years of schooling. I don’t have a problem with that but I need a break from school. Plus, I want to have children in a few years. I’m on birth control at the moment so I don’t really worry about having children out of the blue. What worries is not the schooling really but what kind of job can I get after graduation. I don’t even know where to begin. Help!!!! This is where istikharah comes in.
ma’a salaama,
MM
May 12, 2007
· Filed under thoughts about the future
End of the Semester
As salaamu ‘alaykum!
It’s the end of the of the semester and right now I’m chillin’. I’m so happy finals are over. It’s such a big reliefs as usual. I got an A in one class. I’m waiting for my grades in my other two classes.
Actually, I’m a little bored now that I don’t have to go to work or school for a while. I have some books I took out from the library and I keep up with my forums. I try to get myself out of the house but I feel my mobility is a bit limited. I can’t drive and I don’t have a car. In addition, it’s so hard to get to places on mass transit in Cleveland. It’s very different from Philly. In Philly, I found it so easy to get to where I wanted to go on SEPTA. RTA in Cleveland leaves a lot to be desired. But hey, at least there’s mass transit.
I’m still deciding what would be practical for my life after college. I have a year left, Insha’Allah and I really don’t know what to do. I’m majoring in Religious Studies. While I love it I know that I won’t be able to do much with a BA in Religious Studies. Part of me says ‘Go to law school.” However, I don’t know if I’m really cut out to be a lawyer plus I haven’t even begun to study for the LSAT. Also, I don’t know if I can handle the atmosphere of law school. My ultimate dream is to be a professor anyway. However, that’s going to require more years of schooling. I don’t have a problem with that but I need a break from school. Plus, I want to have children in a few years. I’m on birth control at the moment so I don’t really worry about having children out of the blue. What worries is not the schooling really but what kind of job can I get after graduation. I don’t even know where to begin. Help!!!! This is where istikharah comes in.
ma’a salaama,
MM
May 10, 2007
· Filed under social issues
Feeling alone in the ummah
For so long now, I have felt that I could not express my real feelings on most things around Muslims. Granted, you have to know your audience and certain things that I believe I cannot say around certain people. However, I guess I feel that this should not be the case with Muslims. However, I often find myself tight lipped. I am so tired of it. I feel that I am at a point where I want to withdraw completely from the ummah, in real life and online.
I have to use my mind. I love philosophy. I love to ponder theology. Yet, Muslims are no longer willing to use their minds. They want to relegate thinking to an ‘ulama that doesn’t think either but rather memorizes scholarship from long ago. I am so tired of the “I trust the scholars”, “such and such is so complicated and lay Muslims shouldn’t concern themselves with such and such.” This makes us not take responsibility for what we believe and what we do. It’s disgusting!
The ummah is in such a sad state of ignorance. We constantly make excuses for our ignorance and our stupidity instead of being self critical. I can no longer deal with it. We don’t want to seriously address issues like women’s rights, treatment of minorities (religious), interpretation of the Qur’an and hadeeth. We want nice, short, clear answers that we can grasp because we do not want to challenge ourselves to think deeper. We can’t think deeper because for so long we have denied ourselves the ability to actually think about theological issues.
Why should I deal with that anymore?
When non-Muslims are correctly critical of us, we can’t even stop to think that maybe they have a point. I know this is especially hard since Muslims are under constant attack. However, the Qur’an tells us to speak the truth even if is against our own souls! If we’re afraid to seriously look at ourselves then we can’t do that. We can’t change. We can make ourselves better. We can’t become the glorious ummah of old.
What is so depressing is that I feel that no one else see these issues except the “progressives.” While I see these issues, I do think that we can address these issues from the Qur’an and Sunnah, which I don’t think the progressives do. So I feel horribly and utterly alone. I don’t want to change Islam. I just want to be able to think freely about the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Aren’t there any other Muslims out there who are like me? Am I an anomaly? I honestly feel I am. This is so depressing because one of the things I love about Islam is the sense of community that is felt by being part of the ummah. However, I feel that connection has been lost and I don’t know how to fix it.
Take care,
The Sad Modern Muslimah
May 10, 2007
· Filed under social issues
Feeling alone in the ummah
For so long now, I have felt that I could not express my real feelings on most things around Muslims. Granted, you have to know your audience and certain things that I believe I cannot say around certain people. However, I guess I feel that this should not be the case with Muslims. However, I often find myself tight lipped. I am so tired of it. I feel that I am at a point where I want to withdraw completely from the ummah, in real life and online.
I have to use my mind. I love philosophy. I love to ponder theology. Yet, Muslims are no longer willing to use their minds. They want to relegate thinking to an ‘ulama that doesn’t think either but rather memorizes scholarship from long ago. I am so tired of the “I trust the scholars”, “such and such is so complicated and lay Muslims shouldn’t concern themselves with such and such.” This makes us not take responsibility for what we believe and what we do. It’s disgusting!
The ummah is in such a sad state of ignorance. We constantly make excuses for our ignorance and our stupidity instead of being self critical. I can no longer deal with it. We don’t want to seriously address issues like women’s rights, treatment of minorities (religious), interpretation of the Qur’an and hadeeth. We want nice, short, clear answers that we can grasp because we do not want to challenge ourselves to think deeper. We can’t think deeper because for so long we have denied ourselves the ability to actually think about theological issues.
Why should I deal with that anymore?
When non-Muslims are correctly critical of us, we can’t even stop to think that maybe they have a point. I know this is especially hard since Muslims are under constant attack. However, the Qur’an tells us to speak the truth even if is against our own souls! If we’re afraid to seriously look at ourselves then we can’t do that. We can’t change. We can make ourselves better. We can’t become the glorious ummah of old.
What is so depressing is that I feel that no one else see these issues except the “progressives.” While I see these issues, I do think that we can address these issues from the Qur’an and Sunnah, which I don’t think the progressives do. So I feel horribly and utterly alone. I don’t want to change Islam. I just want to be able to think freely about the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Aren’t there any other Muslims out there who are like me? Am I an anomaly? I honestly feel I am. This is so depressing because one of the things I love about Islam is the sense of community that is felt by being part of the ummah. However, I feel that connection has been lost and I don’t know how to fix it.
Take care,
The Sad Modern Muslimah
May 10, 2007
· Filed under social issues
Feeling alone in the ummah
For so long now, I have felt that I could not express my real feelings on most things around Muslims. Granted, you have to know your audience and certain things that I believe I cannot say around certain people. However, I guess I feel that this should not be the case with Muslims. However, I often find myself tight lipped. I am so tired of it. I feel that I am at a point where I want to withdraw completely from the ummah, in real life and online.
I have to use my mind. I love philosophy. I love to ponder theology. Yet, Muslims are no longer willing to use their minds. They want to relegate thinking to an ‘ulama that doesn’t think either but rather memorizes scholarship from long ago. I am so tired of the “I trust the scholars”, “such and such is so complicated and lay Muslims shouldn’t concern themselves with such and such.” This makes us not take responsibility for what we believe and what we do. It’s disgusting!
The ummah is in such a sad state of ignorance. We constantly make excuses for our ignorance and our stupidity instead of being self critical. I can no longer deal with it. We don’t want to seriously address issues like women’s rights, treatment of minorities (religious), interpretation of the Qur’an and hadeeth. We want nice, short, clear answers that we can grasp because we do not want to challenge ourselves to think deeper. We can’t think deeper because for so long we have denied ourselves the ability to actually think about theological issues.
Why should I deal with that anymore?
When non-Muslims are correctly critical of us, we can’t even stop to think that maybe they have a point. I know this is especially hard since Muslims are under constant attack. However, the Qur’an tells us to speak the truth even if is against our own souls! If we’re afraid to seriously look at ourselves then we can’t do that. We can’t change. We can make ourselves better. We can’t become the glorious ummah of old.
What is so depressing is that I feel that no one else see these issues except the “progressives.” While I see these issues, I do think that we can address these issues from the Qur’an and Sunnah, which I don’t think the progressives do. So I feel horribly and utterly alone. I don’t want to change Islam. I just want to be able to think freely about the Qur’an and the Sunnah.
Aren’t there any other Muslims out there who are like me? Am I an anomaly? I honestly feel I am. This is so depressing because one of the things I love about Islam is the sense of community that is felt by being part of the ummah. However, I feel that connection has been lost and I don’t know how to fix it.
Take care,
The Sad Modern Muslimah
