Labels

Tuesday, March 10, 2015

The Second Love of my life


“I began to look at him and at the moon, he was wearing a red mantle, and he appeared to be more beautiful than the moon to me.” (Al-Tirmidhi)
This is how Jabir ibn Samura described the Last of the Prophets, the Leader of the Righteous, the Mercy to the Worlds – Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah. I have finally made it to his Masjid. I can't describe how I feel.




Hasan bin Thabit (ra) said,
When I saw his (saws) light shining forth, In fear I covered my eyes with my palms, Afraid for my sight because of the beauty of his form.
So I was scarcely able to look at him at all.
The lights from his light are drowned in his light and his faces shines out like the sun and moon in one.
A spirit of light lodged in a body like the moon, a mantle made up of brilliant shining stars. I bore it until I could bear it no longer.
I found the taste of patience to be like bitter aloes. I could find no remedy to bring me relief other than delighting in the sight of the one I love.
Even if he had not brought any clear signs with him, the sight of him would dispense with the need for them.
Muhammad is a human being but not like other human beings. Rather he is a flawless diamond and the rest of mankind is just stones.
Blessings be on him so that perhaps Allah may have mercy on us on that burning Day when the Fire is roaring forth its sparks.

اَللّٰھُمَّ صَلِّ عَلٰی مُحَمَّدٍ وَّعَلٰی آلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
O Allah! bestow mercy upon Muhammadۖand the descendants of Muhammadۖ.

Saturday, March 7, 2015

Sitting at the Place of Death

This is where my husband and I normally used to drink zamzam and snack after performing Tawaf. This was our chill-spot at Masjid al Haram. We would relax and take a break here before going for Sa'i. Little did we know that this was actually the area where the deceased are brought for Salah al Janaza (funeral prayers). So as I was enjoying the crisp cold taste of zamzam with my cheese croissant, the funeral procession coming towards me gave me a sudden jolt. I not only lost my appetite but jumped to me feet, mortified. Let's face it, we live in a death-denying culture. When we are having fun we forget that death even exists. How many young people have died whilst chilling or doing their favourite things!
Generally we think death is something that should not happen or that it only happens to those who don't take care of their health or foolishly put themselves in harm's way. So when we suddenly see death, we are are taken by shock and surprise.

When I saw the funeral, the first thing I said to myself was, "this is going to happen to me!" I am going to wear a shroud, not a dress; I will return to dust, not a party. I could have been the one who is being prayed over but Allah is giving me the opportunity to stand and pray for the dead. I need to value the time I have left; try to take an inventory of how I lived my life and how I want to be remembered. Try to make amends for anything I regret and to make towbah/istighfaar to Allah and apologies to anyone whom I have hurt.

Friday, March 6, 2015

Three is a Crowd

This is a picture of me touching the Ka'bah Alhamdulillah 

The other day when I was offering nafil Salah in Masjid al Haram, people - adults, children and yes even a cat went in front of me. I ignored the first few people who jumped over my sutrah but by the time I was in my second rakah, I started blocking people with my hand. I was frustrated: can't they find any other place to walkthrough, I am praying here? This is my alone time with Allah, must they come in between? This is when I realized three is a crowd.

a) First, I am asked to spend time alone with Allah and in corporate extra voluntary worship (nafil, tahajjud etc) for the best nourishment of my emaan.
Allah says in a Hadith Qudsi, "My servant keeps on coming closer to Me through performing Nawafil (voluntary deeds) until I love her, so I become her sense of hearing with which she hears, and her sense of sight with which she sees, and her hand with which she grips, and her leg with which shebwalks; and if she asks Me, I will give her, and if she asks My Protection, I will protect her..." [Bukhari]

Spending time alone with Allah rids my of distraction, worries, stress, sadness and emptiness so that I can focus on Him and hear His Words (Quran). Abiding in Him, I can enjoy the intimacy to which He calls me and come to truly know Him.

b) Second, I need to protect my relationship with Allah by not allowing anyone to come between me and Allah. Sometimes I let my spouse, my relatives, my job, my hobbies and emotions become more important or more of a priority than my relationship with Allah. When I follow the decisions, wisdom and approval of others over what Allah commands me or when I allow my feelings to control my behaviour rather than seeking what Allah desires, I am compromising my relationship with Allah.

How do I put Allah first?
By intentionally pursuing Him first my daily actions—from the moment my alarm goes off until I fall asleep again. By praying and asking for His guidance not only when things go wrong, but on every occasion. By encountering Him through His Words (Quran) and listening to how He wants me to live it every day.
Allah is not a back-up plan but the Planner of life itself. And the sooner I recognize this, the sooner I reshape my priorities and recharge my faith.

Thursday, March 5, 2015

What I learned from Hajar

This is a picture of mount Safa , behind a glass enclosure. This is symbolic of Hajar (as) - it marks her trust in Allah as she ran in search for water. 

For a long time, women have lived in so much turmoil. It really saddens me to think about all the years women have wasted waiting to get married and later waiting for their husband's approval to start living and achieving great things in life. The reason why I believe Hajar is a great hero for our time is because she shows that a woman does not need a man to be happy or productive, she needs Allah.

Women who are unable to get married, or are going through problems in their marriage or have had a bad breakup, experience feelings of guilt and condemnation most of the time, they have no peace and they don't want to do much with their life. Hajar's life offers women a radical transformation: develop the habit of trusting Allah to make life really worth living.

Trusting Allah is simply believing that He loves me, He’s good, He has the power to help me, He wants to help me, and He will help me. I need to ask Him with all my heart, all my soul and all my might.

اِنَّمَآ اَشْکُوْا بَثِّیْ وَ حُزْنِیْ اِلَی اللهِ o
As Yaqub (as) said, "I Complain, beg, whine, beseech, nag, insist, persist, pray to Allah and only Allah for all my needs and sorrows."

Muslims are called believers, but many times, we are more like unbelieving believers. We trust our friends, our doctor, the bank, the news, the stock market or the government more than we trust Allah and the Quran. Allah wants us to put Him first in our lives. He wants us to put our confidence and trust in Him, and ask Him to help us all the time, in everything.

We can only trust Allah to the degree that we choose to think positive thoughts. It is impossible to have faith in Allah without thinking good of Him. Faith is built on trust and not on spiritual lies. Hajar (as) took her every thought and made it surrder to the Glory of Allah. This is why when Ibrahim (as) didn't exactly promise her a condo at lakeshore or thousands of dollars in mahr - she was not mortified. And when Ibrahim (as) left her in the desert with their newborn baby all alone, with no Loblaws or Starbucks at walking distance, she was peaceful and content because she was consumed with faith, confidence trust in Allah.
When we base our faith on ourselves, our skills and circumstances, we tend to only trust Allah as far as "the good times". In the difficult times we feel hopeless. Trusting Allah involves hope in a future blessing. The joy of trusting Allah, praying to Him and seeking Him is securing a better immediate future for ourselves and even better treasures in Heaven.

So when I walked between the mountains of Safa and Marwah during Sa'i, as Hajar (as) once did, I tried to imagine what must be going through her mind? What she must be thinking? That Allah is The All Beneficent, The Most Merciful in Essence, The Compassionate, The Most Gracious, The King, my King, my Boss, The Sovereign and Owner of everything and everyone that exists, The Ultimate Reality, all realities are contingent in Him, The Most Holy, The Most Pure, The Most Perfect, the Most Beautiful, The Only True Source of Lasting Peace and Blessing, Safety, The Granter of Security, The One Who Sustains me in every way, The Guardian, The Preserver, The Overseeing Protector, The Almighty, The Most Powerful, The Irresistible, The Compeller, The Most Lofty, Exalted, Praiseworthy and Justly Proud.

The more of these Divine Names and Attributes, us Muslim women sincerely embrace as we think of Allah, the more we will find ourselves trusting, loving, and respecting Allah. Life is happier and more productive when we come to Allah like Hajar (as) did. Say: “Ya Rabbi, I don’t want to live on my own. I want to trust You. When I want to give up on my life or when I don’t know what to do with life, I’ll trust You. When I don’t understand why, I’ll trust You. I’ll do my part with Your help, and when I’m done, I’ll trust You to do the rest.”

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

Why should we obey Allah? A personal hygiene story...

Many of us when we look in the mirror, we try to tell ourselves that our physical appearance and clothes do not define us. Alhamdulillah us hijab and abaya wearing sisters do not dupe, trap and degrade ourselves with half nude/all curves-hanging-out fashion or starve ourselves anorexic. By covering ourselves the way Allah has commanded us, we protect our bodies and thereby our self-image and self-respect from being consumed and exploited by the public for their sensual pleasures.
Our physical bodies are a gift from Allah so props to all the sisters who cover their bodies and keep themselves pure (modest and chaste) out of love, respect and obedience to Allah.

“Truly, Allah loves those who turn unto Him in repentance and loves those who purify themselves.” (Quran 2:222)

Purity is modesty in clothes and physical chastity. Purity is also bodily cleanliness such as istanja (washing oneself after using the toilet), wudu (ablution) and ghusul (showering).

At Masjid al Haram, I learned that when our physical appearance and clothes do not matter; we are all children of the same father, Prophet Adam (as) - worshipping the One True God, Allah. Personal hygiene, here matters a lot.
All the lovely awesome places like the Black Stone (Hajar al Aswad), the Door of the Ka'bah (multazim), and the Hateem (the semi-circle which marks the original size of the Kabah) begin to stink up when hundreds and thousands of people with poor hygiene pray together.

Bodily and physical cleanliness is half of faith. No act of worship is accepted by Allah without extensive physical cleanliness. Practicing good body hygiene helps one feel fresh, energized and confident. A clean body leads to a clean mind: it helps achieve a higher level of focus and comfort during Ibaadah.

Cleanliness means trimming nails, removing unwanted hair and embracing soap, shampoo, listerine, body spray, moisturizers, face cream and frequent trips to the laundry. Alhamdulillah, we are so lucky to be Muslims because we are meant to enjoy the best personal hygiene - our religion, Islam gives us reason to groom, pamper and maintain ourself at least 5 times daily.

Overall, Allah wants us to enjoy and be the best at everything in life - Allah says, "We have not neglected anything in the Book." (Quran 6:38). Therefore obeying Allah in things like trade and commerce, parenting, cleanliness, human rights, marriage, friendships and environmental care everyday means guaranteed success.

Allah's commands are for our own good. He loves us and with every difficulty He blesses us with twice as much ease. Allah created everything we own and He is the Life-giver. In His All-Encompassing knowledge, He is All-Aware and Alll-Acquainted with how we should live, what works best and what causes the most happiness and what is smiltaneulously more rewarding, communally and socially and economically, in the long run. We have to trust Him in that; His perspective is much better than ours. Obedience expresses faith in His Lordship. Obedience is what He made us for, and life works better if we are in tune with the way we were made

ps. Unscented toiletries can be bought in Makkah to use while in Ihraam.

Thursday, February 19, 2015

There is a Salah for "That"


The unfailing remedy for all burdensome, distressing care is Salah. The place where Allah is the closest is Salah. There His Presence and Power is always found, and there He is at hand to bless, to deliver and to help.

When I did my first Umrah, the temperature at Makkah was over +40• Celsius. At the haram around 9 am it was scorching. The sun blazed down from a cloudless sky. My lips were parched from dryness and dust. There was no cool solace anywhere. I was doing Tawaaf sluggishly through the stifling crowd. As my back began to bake under the heat and sweat tarred my abaya, I called out to Allah for rain. For a complete one circuit around the Ka'bah, I just raised my hands and begged for rain.

There is no sorrow, Allah, too light.
To bring in prayer to thee;
There is no anxious care too slight
To beseech Your sympathy.
There is no secret sigh we breathe,
But it changes Your Divine Decree,

Before I could reach the Black Stone, a sudden frenzied rush of panic-stricken people started crushing me from every direction. Alhamdulillah Muhammad Sajid Aga grabbed my wrist and pulled me out before I fell into the stampede. We ran into a fleet of police officers in dark shades and Saudi dignitaries carrying life-size swords in gold sheathes, making their way into the courtyard. A camera crew was quick on their heels filming their entrance. Guns and swords in the haram? What was going on?

I dashed upstairs to the second floor to get a better look from the gallery. Imaam Sudais was being escorted by the security to lead Salah al Istisqa!!! All this time when I was praying for rain, at the back of my head I was thinking, come'on what are the odds, it can't rain in Saudi Arabia, it never rains here ... Moments later Allah sent Imaam Sudias himself to make Salah for rain.

I couldn't control my tears. This was so epic subhanAllah! For years in Canada, I had made duaa for Imaam Sudais to return and lead Salah when I visit the Haram. This was another unlikely possibility yet Allah made it happen for me today. Not only Imaam Sudias was here but he came to supplicate my duaa to Allah and everyone on the haram said ameen! Ya Salam!

Alhamdulillah this made me realize that Allah loves to be asked. He wants His servants to desire Him, to ask Him, to invoke Him and show their need of Him. He loves those who are earnest and persistent in supplication. For this reason Allah has given us a special Salah for all our needs, so we are assured that whatever affects us concerns Him. There is Salah for everything: to offer gratitude (salah al shukr), seek forgiveness (salah al tawbah), to satisfy a need (salah albhaajah), to overcome fear (salah al khowf), to praise and sanctify Allah (salah al tasbeeh), to request for rain (salah al istisqa), commorate Allah's Majesty during eclipse (salah al Khusuuf), to celebrate ( salah al Eid). For everything, there is a Salah.

There is no distinction here between temporal and spiritual things. Such a distinction is against faith, wisdom and reverence. Allah rules everything in nature and in Deen. We are affected by things secular as well as by things spiritual. Our Hereafter hangs on our communal lives (our careers, our spendings, interaction with our families and society) as well as our Salah. Our communal life hangs on our Salah just as it hangs on our diligence.

So in everything which comes to us and which concerns us, in everything which we want to come to us, and in everything which we do not want to come to us, Salah is to be made for all. Salah blesses all things, brings all things, relieves all things, and prevents all things. Everything as well as every place and every hour is to be ordered by Salah. Salah has in it the possibility to affect everything which affects us.

The bitter of life sweetened by Salah! The feeble made strong by Salah! Sickness flees before asking Allah for health in Salah. Doubts, misgivings, and trembling fears retire before Salah. Wisdom, knowledge, holiness, and heaven are at the command of Salah. Nothing is outside of Salah. It has the power to gain all things from the provisions of Allah. All departments and the entire field of human concern, conditions, and happenings are covered by Salah.

ps. Don't wait till you reach the Haram to take Salah seriosuly. InshaAllah pray as much Salah as you can from anywhere in the world and don't limit yourself to just the obligatory Salah, go the extra mile for Allah and pray Sunnah and nawaafil regularly as well. I am confident InshaAllah Allah remove all distances between you and Him; He will invite you to His House because of the excess and beauty of prayers (Salah).

Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Making Sa'i with this little guy

When I felt like my legs were going to fall off from all the walking during Sa'i, this little guy gave me an instant energy boost. His tiny legs were frolicing about. His smile was a million bucks. 

I realized there is a lot of walking here in Makkah. One has to walk a lot at the airport then there is a long walk from the hotel to Masjid al Haram. All of Umrah and Sa'i consists of walking around the Ka'bah followed by walking between the two mountains of Safa and Marwa. In the end, the spiritual high is worth the physical exhaustion Alhamdulillah. It reminds me of the verse - Say: "Verily, my Salah, my sacrifice, my living, and my dying are for Allah, the Rabb of all that exists.' Quran 6:162

Alhamdulillah since I arrived in Makkah, my walking has only been for Allah. I take my feet only to the places of worship to please Allah. I eat and drink not for the love for flavour or savoury tastes but to further exert myself and drive myself in the way of Allah. I rest, to give myself to Allah again the next day. Sadly, I understand now that this is how life was meant to be lived all along. Our beginning and end is with Allah then naturally everything we do in between should also gravitate around Him.

Monday, February 16, 2015

Starting Umrah





Looking at the Ka'bah is such a magicial experience each time. I can't take my eyes off of it. SubhanAllah It's a dream come true. I dream I wish would never to end. I can only fantasize what it would be like to see Allah in the Hereafter. Ya Salam!

This Sacred House is an emblem of Tawheed, thereby Islam's backbone. The Ka'bah is the melody, comfort and passion of our hearts. A radiating breath in our chest, it is the precious soul of our beliefs. From its dew our Ummah gained viridity and life. I can't imagine any Muslim who has seen the Ka'bah and not become overwhelmed with love for it. Yet there is something Allah wants us to respect and revere even more than the Ka'bah - other Muslims.

The Prophet Muhammad saws said, “The Blood of a Muslim is worth more than the Ka'bah.” (Sunan Ibn Majah; Silsilah El Saheehah: hadith #3420; Saheeh El Targheeb wal Tarheeb: hadith #2441). By this extension, the feelings and emotions of a Muslim person is more sacred to Allah than His Own House. Allah wants us to hold other Muslims in high esteem. Just as we respect the Ka'bah, we are meant to respect the feelings of other Muslims even more.

A person is not a believer until she likes for other Muslims the same words, manners and gifts she prefers for herself.
When Aisha ra made a distasteful remark about Jawariya ra, the Prophet saws told her that she has said something so toxic that if her words were to mix with water, they will pollute all the oceans on earth. The Prophet saws disliked for a believer to put down other Muslims by demeaning their appearance (or their efforts) because all Muslims are precious to Allah like the Ka'bah.

Tawaaf around the Ka'bah does not simply bring us closer to Allah but also bring us in solidarity with other Muslims from all around the world. In its sanctity and vastness we merge our strengths and become a cemented, United people. Muslim unity is verily one of the aims Umrah. 




Friday, February 13, 2015

Qur'an at the Ka'bah

Alhamdulillah reciting Quran at Fajr was never more heart-felt than today. Genuine recitation of the Quran has all the characteristics of a wonderful and meaningful conversation. I recited the Quran this morning, intentionally to communicate with Allah. It helped me know Him more fully, understand Him better, feel more at home in His presence, find cause to praise Him more, and have a deeper relationship with Him.

Quran is the key to a relationship with Allah.The purpose of the Quran is that we might know Allah better, experience more of His love, and have an abiding awareness of His miracles in our lives.

A relationship with Allah, of course, is very personal. In fact, it’s the most intimate relationship we can ever know. Nobody knows us like Allah knows us. Nobody loves us and takes care of us like Allah does. Nobody desires good for our life more than Allah. In the Quran, we soon discover not only more about Allah, but more about our position with Allah. There is no more exciting or enriching experience!

I encourage you to open yourself to the grand possibility that Allah has a lot to say to you. The pages of Qur'an are filled with joy and wellbeing, eagerly waiting to be internalized.

Ultimately, Quran is to be studied as much as it is to be experienced. With a teacher, you can learn how to better learn the language of the Quran and the oceans of knowledge attached to each word. My eternal gratitude to Dr. Farhat Hashmi for being my Quran teacher. I can never pay her back except invite you to learn from her www.farhathashmi.com. Life is too short to miss out on the Quran.

Monday, February 9, 2015

My Dream Finally Comes True

By Him whose House 
the loving pilgrims visit,
Responding with ihram 

at the appointed limit,covering their headsin total humility,Before One to Whomfaces bow in servility.
They exclaim in the valleys,“We have responded to You –All Praise is Yours, and Kingdom too!”He invited and they answered,with love and pleasure;When they called upon Him,nearer came the Divine treasure.You see them on their mounts,clothes dusty and disheveled,Yet never more content,never happier have they felt;Leaving homelands and familiesdue to holy yearning,Unmoved are theyby temptations of returning.Through plains and valleys,from near and far,Walking and riding,in submission to Allah.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

My Response to the New Physical Health Curriculum

Note: The following presentation notes are for readers older than 18 years of age. 



I am really thankful to be here and I want to thank you all for taking part in this conversation. My goal this afternoon is to inspire you and challenge you to be even more active in your child’s education. Parents, especially mothers, are precious assets in their children’s education. We want to see our kids excel and succeed in school. Many of us immigrated to Canada because we wanted a better education for our children. A good education means that our kids will have a good future. We want them to go to school because we want them to be well-rounded and well-informed individuals  in maths, sciences, history, geography and English. At the same time we hope that our kids will pick up a few good manners at school and become resourceful enough to make a mark for themselves in the world. Unfortunately, we are at a point in history where we are the education system is no longer delivering the quality of education that we had hoped. 

Plato, the famous Greek philosopher said, "The direction in which education starts a man will determine his future in life". Whatever our children learn today because of this Physical Health curriculum,  their character and personality, their life's choices and goals will reflect it tomorrow. The sexual lifestyle and practices  which are being normalized for them in class will become the way they conduct themselves as adults. 
John F. Kennedy said, "a child miseducated is a child lost." God forbid, our children learn something immoral, deplorable or vile in health class – they will loose their innocence forever. We cannot make them unlearn or forget the heinous sexual content once they are exposed to it. As parents, our biggest fear is to lose our children physically to death, disease, accident or some other tragedy. What is equally dangerous is losing our children’s hearts and minds to sin. We do not want to be in a relationship with our children were they are convinced or worse, they enjoy homosexuality or promiscuity, and we cannot persuade them otherwise. Our advises and our counsel failes to penetrate to them. They become so staunch in their rebellion and sexual sin that there is no way we can bring them back to purity. May Allah save us from this type of tragedy ameen.
Theodore Roosevelt said, "To educate a man in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society." Education without good morals, the right ethics and spiritual guidance is disastrous and self-destructive. We came to this country to raise doctors, engineers, lawyers, pilots, not sexually perverse individuals. May Allah save our children from this ameen.
Finally, Nelson Mandela said, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." The Physical Health curriculum affects not just our kids and our immediate environment at home, it will have a global impact. As parents maybe we have only 10-20 years to live. This curriculum will have an impact on our many generations to come. Therefore it is high-time we gather information and take an active stance.
I understand this topic is very conversational, emotions are high and rightly so. I appreciate the gravity of this discussion and inshaAllah I will take you through the curriculum step by step so that you understand everything. Please keep an open mind inshaAllah, I am not here to convert you to my point of view. You know what is good for you, for your child and your family. I can only request you that you use the best of your reasoning and intellect to choose the most appropriate course of action.

As a teacher, I feel I need to reach out to parents so they understand what their kids are up against. I love my students and I am here because I understand that this curriculum affects them deeply. It is a very sensitive topic and I am uncomfortable to speak about it so publicly. However, I feel if no one voices their concern now and takes immediate action, it will be too late to do anything at all.

I fall back on the hadith of the Prophet (s.a.w) who praised the tenacity of the women of Ansaar for asking questions about marriage and hygiene. So inshaAllah, lets put our personal shyness aside. However, I do strongly request that you do not video record me or audio record this presentation. Please do not take any pictures as I wear the niqab (cover my face) and I do not want to lose my modesty while telling you to save your children’s modesty. JazakAllahu khayran, I am looking forward to your complete cooperation in this regard. 



InshaAllah lets talk about what is already in place.
In 2012 Ontario Public schools passed and implemented Bill 13 “Accepting Education Act” or “Accepting Schools Act.” This law is a cultural shift mandating our children to embrace homosexual and transgender practices and lifestyle.
This translates into:
a.homosexual student clubs imposed upon elementary schools.
b.Children learning disputed 6 gender theory in classroom (students question their gender and sexuality, come up with their identity).
c.Classrooms contain gay, lesbian and transgender poster, flyers, colourful story books to normalize homosexuality.
d.Elementary schools host Gay Pride Parade. Teachers perform mock  gay student marriages.
There is a disparaging and negative bias against students who hesitate to participate in these activities. They are bullied accepting homosexual attitudes, if they do not, they are ostracised. 



The New Accepting Schools Act/Bill 13 has been incorporated in subjects such as, English Reading, Social Studies, Science, Math, Gym, special days, etc. For example, last year Public Schools celebrated “pink day” and on this occasion a story book “My Chacha Is Gay”  had been read in English Reading Class in Pakistani/Muslim  community neighborhood  public schools. The characters belong to Pakistan.

The Pictorial story book [written by Nice Mangoes; a Desi writer] my Chahcha is Gay tells; “Meet Ahmed! He is a Pakistani and lives in the city of Karachi. He lives with his mother, father and baby sitter, his chacha, and his dadi. Chacha is Abu’s brother. People think Chacha is different because he is gay. That doesn’t change anything, especially not how much fun they have together. Chacha has a friend called Uncle Faheem, he is a pilot. Ahmed desn’t understands when people say that only men and women can “love” each other. Because everyone can see how much chacha and Uncle Faheem “love” each other. The way Ahmed’s mother and father love each other is the same way chacha and Uncle Faheem love each other.”

What I beg to know is, who decides when any adult bedroom activity becomes educational material for grades 1,2 and 3?



Bill 33 (Freedom of Gender Expression Act). The implication of this ACT is that it gives men who dress like women access to girl’s washrooms, public showers and pool change rooms. This threaten  girls and women by putting them at greater risk from male sexual predators. Any boy or man can pretend to be a transgendered person or cross dresser and enter a female only private space.

In 2010, Premier Dalton McGuinty announced a revised physical health curriculum, the brain child of Kathleen Wynne who was then the education Minister of Ontario. The curriculum was so controversial that the liberals feared losing their popularity/government over it. However, now that Kathleen Wynne is the Premier, the physical health curriculum will be reinstated effective September 2015.
In 2010 the government agreed that the proposed content in the sex ed component of the 2010 Health and Phys Ed Guidelines was too graphic, not age appropriate, and that the curriculum needed a serious rethink. At the time it was promised the province would “provide opportunities for parents to lend shape to [sex-ed] policy with which they are more comfortable;”

Kathleen Wynne is a homosexual. LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) group has take control over strategic power places in Ontario, especially the education department. They have claimed that Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms belongs to them exclusively, they do not want to give ethnic minorities any rights to preserve and transfer their culture and their religion to children. As a political science graduate from UfT, it is an anti-democratic attitude. The Canadian political system is founded upon one-man, one-vote philosophy. Every individual has equal right to free speech, thought, religion, assembly and press. It is the government’s responsibility to accommodate everyone, even if they are a minority. Canada has withheld multicultural laws for decades, and so I urge you to make your presence visible; demand the government to stop preferring the LGBT group above everyone else. 



 The physical health curriculum was written under the direction of Bejamin Levin. He was the Deputy Minister of Education in 2004 and 2009. In 2010 he supervised the making of this controversial curriculum. He was Wynne’s second hand.
Interestingly enough, in 2003, he was  charged with 7 counts of child pornography. Child pornography is when you take pictures and videos of children posing sexually or performing sexual acts. 

Alas on January 16, of this year, Levin pleaded guilty to all those 7 counts of pornography. He confessed to  accessing, possessing, writing and distributing child pornography, counselling someone to commit sexual assault, and making an arrangement with a police officer to commit sexual assault. Ask yourself, if you came to this country to have your children’s school run by sexual predators and paedophiles. 





The lobby groups advocating for this physical health curriculum at the Parliament level are:
-OPHEA (The Ontario Physical & Health Education Association):  partners with a "sex education expert" called Sexpressions which offers explicit, classroom teaching aids like "The Guide To Getting It On Book.“
-Planned Parenthood Toronto:  promotes abortion, anal play (e.g. fisting), sex toys, and the viewing of pornography.
-Queer Ontario: Please read their mission and vision on their website. They believe in tying up people and using violence during physical intimacy.
-Communist Party of Canada: who believe in removing all concepts of God, theology and religion from society.
These groups want to plant their seed in our children’s classrooms so our children can internalize  and embody their ideologies and lifestyle.



This is what the Physical Health Curriculum textbook looks like.
Parts of it were revealed in 2010 but because the content was so graphic and age inappropriate, it was called back. This is the same book which is not going to be adopted in schools across the GTA starting Sept. 2015
Psychiatric and Pediatric associations agree that children should not be forced to engage in lesson content/information that they are not asking about, and that doing,  can lead to negative consequences.




In grade 1, children 6 years of age and younger will be shown pictures of body parts, including private parts; they will learn the anatomically correct names for each private part: penis, testicles, vagina, vulva. 
Traditionally, we train our kids to cover themselves; we teach them to respect their bodies by not exposing it to others. However, in grade 1 they will learn to reveal their private parts, they will see posters and flash cards of private parts, they will learn to touch the private area, identity it on themselves and on others.




In Grade 3 students will introduced to the topic of gender identity and sexual orientation.
For example, through my Chacha is Gay storybook, students will learn it is normal and acceptable for two boys or two girls to love each other physically like mom and dad love each other.  To an extent I believe this part of the curriculum is already being taught in schools. 




Children will be challenged to question their gender identity. They will play roles in which they dress and behave like the opposite gender. The teacher will encourage them to experiment being a member of the opposite gender and if they feel comfortable they can adopt that gender, irrespective of what they already are physically. Obviously this will breed question and confusion among children. Confusion related to gender identity is recognized as a mental disorder by the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic & Statistics Manual. This is what I meant by earlier when I said our kids will lose their minds if they are miseducated.

In Grade 4, our 9 year olds will learn about romantic dating. Teachers will tell our kids that they can be more than friends with they classmates; they can have physical feelings and emotions towards their classmate or the same gender or opposite gender.




Grade 6 is about the promotion of self-discovery through masturbation.
Our 12 year old daughter and son, who is not even a teenager yet will be asked in class to explore his or her body by touching their private parts, masturbating and pleasuring their body. From an Islamic perspective, masturbation is haram (forbidden), it is a act of zinah (adultery).

In Grade 7, at age 13, our kids class will learn about how to have anal intercourse oral genital contact (oral sex).




In Anal Play 101 class in grade 8, they will learn about how to put toys and hand in someone’s butt. In making sex feel good unit, they will be asked to look at sexy magazines and movies to investigate what arouses and seduces them.
As a woman I feel all us can relate that if we found any of our husbands seeing or doing what our kids will be exposed to in grade 6 and 8, we would be extremely hurt and furious. We would hate for our husbands to be involved in this form of sin, we would stop talking to them and perhaps many of us will end our marriages - then how can we allow our children to access to this type of miseducation and filthy education.

Sexuality is an appetite which can become extremely addictive. The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said “the greatest fitnah for his Ummah will be women.” In other words, he feared that people after him will be consumed by sexual sin. It will take over their lives to such an extent that they will not be able to do anything else.
Grown men have a hard time lowering their gaze, adults check into clinics to get treatment for addiction to pornography then our young children, whose minds are still developing, can be easily manipulated and ruined forever by this curriculum. Kids sometimes can’t even tie their shoelace correctly, forget to look both ways when crossing the street, they need help with homework. They are vulnerable and immature at this stage. They cannot handle the graphic content at all.




What the students will not learn in school is that HIV is on the RISE in Toronto.
The Ontario government publishes a report on the spread of HIV every 4 years. In a study collecting data between 2005 to 2008, it found that almost 1 in 4 gay people who live in Toronto (21.9%), are currently infected with HIV. In  2012 public health report revealed that 1 out of every 3 actively gay men in Toronto is infected with HIV .




US and UK adopted this curriculum a few years ago. The following is just an example of the damaging affects of this curriculum:

1.Deresa Poe, a physical health teacher at Olkahoma Waynoka High School was arrested for having sex with an under-age student

2. A lawsuit is filed against a Kubistant (professor) in Western Navada College. On the first day of class he told the students, “he will increase their sexual urges to such a height that they won’t be able to think about anything other than sex.” They have to write 250 word 3 journal entries discussing their personal sexual thoughts. And for an assignment, the students were forced to masturbate in class, in front of each other. (Huffington Post)

This reminds me of the people of Lut (a.s); Allah describes them metaphorically as being drunk and intoxicated by their sexual perversion because they had lost complete control over themselves. They could not control their sexual impulse. The desire had overwhelmed them completely, they had become senseless, like raging animals. The end goal of the physical health curriculum is the same.
The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) said that “modesty is a branch of faith”. When a person loses his modesty, he will inevitably lose his faith. Meaning, faith/imaan cannot exist in a person’s heart who has no modesty – someone who does not feel shyness about his body, his thoughts are not pure and engages with people lustfully. Such a person will not have the time to think about Allah and do good deeds because he is constantly preoccupied with indecent things.
 The Prophet Muhammad (s.a.w) also said that “when a person loses his modesty, let him do whatever he wants.” In other words, a person without modesty is incapable of doing good deeds. You cannot expect anything good from him. As I was saying earlier, without spiritual guidance, he becomes a menace to society.

3. Free Mont California: physical health program for 9th grades was shut down because 2000 parents petitioned against it. One of the parents wrote in the petition letter that, “I saw the textbook, and it is definitely not education at all. This will pollute minds of children, and at my age I call this book disgusting and sickening.

4. A principal of a private boarding school in Cambridge England told the media that he is going to bring porn stars to teach children sex-ed.
Who is to say that the same perversion will not find its way in Ontario when the new curriculum is reinstated? Who can guarantee that teachers who are teaching such graphic and erotic material will not sexually prey on our children? Who can guarantee our children will not be forced to partake in sexual acts in class?




In Canada, For every 1000 children born in Ontario, 61 are born to unmarried teenage mothers who are only 15-19 years old. This is a statistic from government Health Canada.
In New Brunswick, the government tried the same curriculum approach in 2005, and teen pregnancies increased 40% between 2006 and 2010. [ McKay, A., (2013), Trends in Canadian national and provincial/territorial teen pregnancy rates: 2001 – 2010. The Canadian Journal of Human Sexuality, Vol. 21, No. 3 & 4, p. 165.]
According to a sexual assault report, Ontario Coalition of Rape Crisis Centre, 58% of all sexual assault victims in Canada are children under the age of 18.
-1 in 3 girls in Grade 8 state that they were brushed u against in a sexual way, touched, grabbed or pinched in a sexual way.
-27% of Grade 11 students say that they were pressured and forced by a someone at school to have sexual intercourse. 15% these students performed oral sex to avoid sexual intercourse.
This was in 2004, imagine what will happen after this hyper sexual curriculum is adopted throughout all public schools.  Even if your child is not completed damaged and lost, he or she is at risk of having classmates and friends who may encourage or even demand from your child, some form of sexual contact and activity.
Are you ready to surrender your children in an environment of sexual monstrosity? The teachers are not going to say anything because they believe it is healthy and an educational experience for children to act out on their sexual impulses. Your child’s mind and body will not be safe if this curriculum is reinstated.




MashaAllah many Christians groups have rallied up against the curriculum. I have used one of their petitions as a template to draft a template for the Muslim community which we can sign and send to our MPs inshaAllah. We really need to show solidarity in cause to save our children.




Please type in, “Find your MP” in the google search engine. It will take you to a Parliament of Canada website. Please plug in your postal code and the MP, address and email of your MP will be drawn up inshaAllah. Use this information to send your petition. 




Please write to Sr. Sumera, even if it is only a line stating your concern and disapproval of the curriculum. She will use all the emails she receives to voice our petition in the Legislative Assembly inshaAllah




I understand that not everyone can afford Islamic school tuitions and I know many of us are a bit intimidated by the homeschooling option. A few of my friends who are young mothers are going to try it out starting this year inshaAllah. I believe that our kids deserve to benefit from our education the most. Even if we do not have any Canadian qualifications, many of us have degrees from back home which we can employ to teach our kids at home. We don’t have to do it alone. A group of sisters can homeschool their children together, this way the responsibility is shared. One sister can teach science, one can do math, one can do english etc. Please go through this website, it will indicate that it is your right to choose whether you want your child to be educated in the public school system or in the private sector. You can register your kids to be homeschooled and the Ministry of Education will send you textbooks and worksheets free of cost. 




The aforementioned facebook groups are run by sisters who have taken the initiative to educate their kids at home. You can follow them online and get tips from them; they will send you worksheets inshaAllah.




The presentation this afternoon was not possible without the hardwork of Al Fawz Academy staff and parent volunteer, Sr. Rukhsana. I am really grateful that they arranged this comfortable space for us to have this conversation. I would like to point out that this weekend Islamic School has done a phenomenal job in presenting Islam to kids in a fun and interative manner.
As parents we are fighting our battle at two fronts: we have speak to the MP and the school board to clean up our kids’ classrooms by sending them letters, going to meet them in groups, attending parent-teacher meetings etc. At the same time we must make sure that we provide our kids with a vibrant Islamic environment both at home and outside of the home so they feel connection with their Deen. Get them involved in the Masjid. Al-Falah Masjid has boys and girls sports teams. Bring them once a month to ISNA to help out in their soup kitchen for the needy. Send them to a weekend school where can learn about Islam with other Muslim kids their age and ask questions without feeling judged or embarrassed. It is very important we find a program for our kids where the teachers can relate to them, they are friendly and they present Islam to them in a language and in a manner that they can enjoy.




Al-Fawz Academy mashaAllah empowers kids. Our students are confident about the Deen mashaAllah, they give presentations, they lead assemblies. Our aim at Al-Fawz is not for the kids to appreciate Islam at heart but also live it, be vocal and active about it. Our kids are our greatest investment. After we are gone, they are the bean of light we are leaving behind for this world.




Please check Al-Fawz Academy on facebook, we offer tips and parenting resources.